Converting True Dragons

[Cleon]

That's reasonable flavor for the burrow speed.

Good. That can wait for the flavour text, of course.

If you'd be willing to post those tables, I'm sure that would be helpful.

Here you go:

Wyrm, Albino
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any Underdark
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: High (13–14)
TREASURE: I, U
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
NO. APPEARING: 1–3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 base
MOVEMENT: 15, Burrow 3
HIT DICE: 7 base
THAC0: 13 base
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1–4/1–4/6–36
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, swallow whole, tail
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to cold
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
SIZE: G (10’ + long)
MORALE: Average (8–10)
XP VALUE: Varies

Dragon, White
Climate/Terrain: Arctic plains, hills, mountains, and subterranean
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Solitary or clan
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Special
Intelligence: Low (5-7)
Treasure: Special
Alignment: Chaotic evil
No. Appearing: 1 (2-5)
Armor Class: 1 (base)
Movement: 12, Fl 40 (C), Sw 12
Hit Dice: 11 (base)
THAC0: 9 (at 11 HD)
No. of Attacks: 3+special
Damage/Attack: 1-6/1-6/2-16 (2d8)
Special Attacks: Special
Special Defenses: Variable
Magic Resistance: Variable
Size: H (24’ base)
Morale: Elite (15-16)
XP Value: Variable

Albino has fewer HD, slower speed, 1 step lower claw damage, more than twice as much bite damage and almost twice as much breath damage (!), higher spell resistance and is a little bigger.

Note that the Wyrm's AC in the following table is progresses at a much faster rate than standard dragon progression and ends up much higher than a White's, despite the original statblock giving Whites a higher base AC.

[FONT=&quot]ALBINO WYRM
Age ' Body Lgt. ' Tail Lgt. '' AC ' Breath Weapon. ' MR ' Treasure Type ' XP Value[/FONT]
1 ' ' ' 2-5 ' ' ' ' 1-4 ' ' ' ' 4 ' ' ' 1d8+2 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 1,400
2 ' ' ' 5-10 ' '' ' 4-8 ' ' ' ' 2 ' ' ' 2d8+3 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 3,000
3 '' ' 10-14 ' '' ' 8-12 ' '' ' 0 ' ' ' 3d8+4 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' ' U ' ' '' ' ' 6,000
4 '' ' 14-22 ' ' ' 12-16 ' ' ' -1 ' ' ' 4d8+5 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' I,U ' ' '' ' ' 8,000
5 '' ' 22-28 ' ' ' 16-25 ' ' ' -2 ' ' ' 5d8+6 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 11,000
6 '' ' 28-40 ' ' ' 25-36 ' ' ' -3 ' ' ' 6d8+7 ' ' ' 10% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 13,000
7 '' ' 40-55 ' ' ' 36-50 ' ' ' -4 ' ' ' 7d8+8 ' ' ' 15% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 15,000
8 '' ' 55-66 ' ' ' 50-58 ' ' ' -5 ' ' ' 8d8+10 '' ' 20% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 16,000
9 '' ' 66-80 ' ' ' 58-70 ' ' ' -6 '' ' 10d8+12 '' ' 25% ' ' ' I,U×2 ' ' ' ' 18,000
10 ' ' 80-89 ' ' ' 70-77 ' ' ' -8 '' ' 12d8+14 '' ' 35% ' ' ' I,U×2 ' ' ' ' 19,000
11 ' ' 89-96 ' ' ' 77-90 ' ' ' -10 ' ' 14d8+16 '' ' 45% ' ' I×2,U×3,W ' ' ' 20,000
22 ' ' 96-110 '' ' 90-120 ' '' -13 ' ' 18d8+20 '' ' 60% ' I×3,U×4,V,W×2 ' ' 22,000
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WHITE DRAGON (I left the spells out, as they're irrelevant)
Age ' Body Lgt. ' Tail Lgt. '' AC ' Breath Weapon. ' MR ' Treasure Type ' XP Value[/FONT]
1 ' ' ' 1-5 ' ' ' ' 1-4 ' ' ' ' 4 ' ' ' 1d6+1 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 3,000
2 ' ' ' 5-14 ' '' ' 4-12 ' '' ' 3 ' ' ' 2d6+2 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 4,000
3 '' ' 14-23 ' ' ' 12-21 ' '' ' 2 ' ' ' 3d6+3 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 6,000
4 '' ' 23-32 ' ' ' 21-28 ' '' ' 1 ' ' ' 4d6+4 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' E ' ' ' '' ' ' 8,000
5 '' ' 32-41 ' ' ' 28-36 ' '' ' 0 ' ' ' 5d6+5 ' ' ' 5% ' '' ' E, O, S ' ' ' 10,000
6 '' ' 41-50 ' ' ' 36-45 ' ' ' -1 ' ' ' 6d6+6 ' ' ' 10% ' ' ' E, O, S ' ' ' 12,000
7 '' ' 60-59 ' ' ' 45-54 ' ' ' -2 ' ' ' 7d6+7 ' ' ' 15% ' ' ' E, O, S ' ' ' 13,000
8 '' ' 59-68 ' ' ' 54-62 ' ' ' -3 ' ' ' 8d6+8 ' ' ' 20% ' ' ' E, O, S×2 ' ' 14,000
9 '' ' 68-77 ' ' ' 62-70 ' ' ' -4 ' ' ' 9d6+19 '' ' 25% ' ' ' E, O, S×2 ' ' 16,000
10 ' ' 77-86 ' ' ' 70-78 ' ' ' -5 '' ' 10d6+10 '' ' 30% ' ' ' E, O, S×2 ' ' 17,000
11 ' ' 86-99 ' ' ' 78-85 ' ' ' -6 '' ' 11d6+11 '' ' 35% ' ' ' E, O, S×3 ' ' 18,000
22 ' ' 94-104 '' ' 85-94 ' ' ' -7 '' ' 12d6+12 '' ' 40% ' ' ' E, O, S×3 ' ' 19,000

 

[freyar]

It's odd: the flavor says they are insane and are "barely able to express a coherent thought." But the stats make them much more intelligent than a white dragon, presumably more in line with an average chromatic dragon. They also have a much better breath weapon and, as you say, AC.

Maybe we should base the albino wyrm on a downgraded version of some other dragon (despite the chilling breath). Like a blue dragon, maybe.

 

[Cleon]

It's odd: the flavor says they are insane and are "barely able to express a coherent thought." But the stats make them much more intelligent than a white dragon, presumably more in line with an average chromatic dragon. They also have a much better breath weapon and, as you say, AC.

In 3E it's usually Wisdom that's associated with insanity, not Intelligence.

How about we give them a Derro's racial Madness trait?

Madness (Ex): Derro use their Charisma modifier on Will saves instead of their Wisdom modifier, and have immunity to confusion and insanity effects. A derro cannot be restored to sanity by any means short of a miracle or wish spell.

*The racial madness of the derro provides a +6 bonus to their Charisma scores and a -6 penalty to their Wisdom scores. A derro restored to sanity gains 6 points of Wisdom and loses 6 points of Charisma.

Maybe we should base the albino wyrm on a downgraded version of some other dragon (despite the chilling breath). Like a blue dragon, maybe.

Well it's easy enough saying the template converts them to a Cold subtype dragon with a frosty breath weapon.

Even an AD&D Blue Dragon isn't smart enough. They are Very intelligent (Int 11-12) in AD&D.

Hmm, we don't have to restrict ourselves to Chromatic dragons. The template could turn the base dragon evil as well as insane. The template has to change the alignment anyway, assuming we use an SRD dragon and want to keep the Albino Wyrm's Neutral Evil alignment.

How about a Copper Dragon? They have "High intelligence" too, are ever so slightly larger & tougher than an Albino Wyrm, and have the Earth subtype in their 3E incarnation.

 

[freyar]

Yeah, I thought about that as I typed it. Borrowing Madness from the Derro is probably reasonable, maybe even with out the wish or miracle bit.

If you can throw up the copper dragon stats, that sounds like a good place to start.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, I thought about that as I typed it. Borrowing Madness from the Derro is probably reasonable, maybe even with out the wish or miracle bit.

We might want to fiddle with the modifiers. Most True Dragons already have a pretty good Charisma, another 6 might be too much.

Well, at least they still don't have sorcerer spellcasting!

If you can throw up the copper dragon stats, that sounds like a good place to start.

Will do.

 

[Cleon]

Wyrm, Albino
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any Underdark
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Family
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Carnivore
INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)
TREASURE: I, U
ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-3
ARMOR CLASS: 4 base
MOVEMENT: 15, Burrow 3
HIT DICE: 7 base
THAC0: 13 base
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/6-36
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weapon, swallow whole, tail
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Immune to cold
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
SIZE: G (10' + long)
MORALE: Average (8-10)
XP VALUE: Varies


Dragon, Metallic Copper Dragon
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arid and temperate hills and mountains
FREQUENCY: Rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary or clan
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: Special
INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)
TREASURE: Special
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic good
NO. APPEARING: 1 (2-5)
ARMOR CLASS: 1 (base)
MOVEMENT: 9, Fl 30 (C), Jp 3
HIT DICE: 13 (base)
THAC0: 9
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3+special
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6//1-6/5-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Special
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Variable
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Variable
SIZE: G (36' base)
MORALE: Elite (16 base)
XP VALUE: Variable

ALBINO WYRM
Age ' Body Lgt. ' Tail Lgt. '' AC ' Breath Weapon. ' MR ' Treasure Type ' XP Value
1 ' ' ' 2-5 ' ' ' ' 1-4 ' ' ' ' 4 ' ' ' 1d8+2 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 1,400
2 ' ' ' 5-10 ' '' ' 4-8 ' ' ' ' 2 ' ' ' 2d8+3 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' Nil ' ' '' ' ' 3,000
3 '' ' 10-14 ' '' ' 8-12 ' '' ' 0 ' ' ' 3d8+4 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' ' U ' ' '' ' ' 6,000
4 '' ' 14-22 ' ' ' 12-16 ' ' ' -1 ' ' ' 4d8+5 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' I,U ' ' '' ' ' 8,000
5 '' ' 22-28 ' ' ' 16-25 ' ' ' -2 ' ' ' 5d8+6 ' ' ' Nil ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 11,000
6 '' ' 28-40 ' ' ' 25-36 ' ' ' -3 ' ' ' 6d8+7 ' ' ' 10% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 13,000
7 '' ' 40-55 ' ' ' 36-50 ' ' ' -4 ' ' ' 7d8+8 ' ' ' 15% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 15,000
8 '' ' 55-66 ' ' ' 50-58 ' ' ' -5 ' ' ' 8d8+10 '' ' 20% ' ' ' I,U ' ' ' ' ' 16,000
9 '' ' 66-80 ' ' ' 58-70 ' ' ' -6 '' ' 10d8+12 '' ' 25% ' ' ' I,U×2 ' ' ' ' 18,000
10 ' ' 80-89 ' ' ' 70-77 ' ' ' -8 '' ' 12d8+14 '' ' 35% ' ' ' I,U×2 ' ' ' ' 19,000
11 ' ' 89-96 ' ' ' 77-90 ' ' ' -10 ' ' 14d8+16 '' ' 45% ' ' I×2,U×3,W ' ' ' 20,000
22 ' ' 96-110 '' ' 90-120 ' '' -13 ' ' 18d8+20 '' ' 60% ' I×3,U×4,V,W×2 ' ' 22,000

COPPER DRAGON
Age ' Body Lgt. ' Tail Lgt. '' AC ' Breath Weapon. ' MR ' Treasure Type ' XP Value
1 . . . 3-8 . . . . 2-6 . . . . 2 . . . 2d6+1 . . . Nil . . . Nil . . .. . . 5,000
2 . . . 8-16 . .. . 4-12 . .. . 1 . . . 4d6+2 . . . Nil . . . Nil . . .. . . 7,000
3 .. . 16-27 . . . 12-20 . .. . 0 . . . 6d6+3 . . . Nil . . . Nil . . .. . . 9,000
4 .. . 27-38 . . . 20-30 . . . -1 . . . 8d6+4 . . . Nil .. . ½H, S . .. . . 11,000
5 .. . 38-50 . . . 30-40 . . . -2 .. . 10d6+5 . . . 10% . . . H, S . . .. . 14,000
6 .. . 50-59 . . . 40-50 . . . -3 .. . 12d6+6 . . . 15% . . . H, S . . .. . 15,000
7 .. . 59-73 . . . 50-60 . . . -4 .. . 14d6+7 . . . 20% . . . H, S . . .. . 16,000
8 .. . 73-86 . . . 60-70 . . . -5 .. . 16d6+8 . . . 25% . . . H, Sx2 . .. . 17,000
9 .. . 86-100 .. . 70-80 . . . -6 .. . 18d6+9 . . . 30% . . . H, Sx2 . .. . 19,000
10 .. 100-114 .. . 80-90 . . . -7 .. . 20d6+10 .. . 35% . . . H, Sx2 . .. . 21,000
11 .. 114-130 .. . 90-100 . .. -8 .. . 22d6+11 .. . 40% . . . H, Sx3 . .. . 22,000
12 .. 130-147 . . 100-110 . .. -9 .. . 24d6+12 .. . 45% . . . H, Sx3 . .. . 23,000

 

[RavinRay]

Ooh, new dragon!

I'll give your suggestions a look-over and then load the table into Excel for me to check the stats.

 

[Cleon]

Ooh, new dragon!

I'll give your suggestions a look-over and then load the table into Excel for me to check the stats.

What checking is involved?

The previous tables are from the AD&D sources, we haven't done any 3E stats yet.

 

[freyar]

I'd suggest having the Cha stay the same as the base dragon and give the Wis a -6 (or -8?) penalty. Then, if the Madness is cured, you end up with Wis at par (or slightly less) and Cha at -6.

I think I'd leave the breath weapon energy type unchanged but decrease the damage dice one step, based on this chart (we may have to spell out how to do that...).

Otherwise, we seem to have smaller, fewer HD (just more than 1/2), a bit faster (that seems a tad wrong), weaker claws, stronger bite. Anything else?

 

[Cleon]

I'd suggest having the Cha stay the same as the base dragon and give the Wis a -6 (or -8?) penalty. Then, if the Madness is cured, you end up with Wis at par (or slightly less) and Cha at -6.

Not sure I like having a "sane" Albino Wyrm be so uncharismatic.

I think I'd leave the breath weapon energy type unchanged but decrease the damage dice one step, based on this chart (we may have to spell out how to do that...).

Nay, the frosty breath seems intrinsic to an Albino Wyrm, and I want to keep it.

Reducing the damage should be pretty straightforward, we just reduce the dice size: d12 => d10; d10 => d8; 1d8 => 1d6; 1d6 => 1d4; 1d4 => ½d6 (e.g. 2d4 => 1d6).

Otherwise, we seem to have smaller, fewer HD (just more than 1/2), a bit faster (that seems a tad wrong), weaker claws, stronger bite. Anything else?

Well, we need to add a burrow speed and remove the spellcasting. The SR is a bit lower, too.

What do we do if the base dragon has SLAs? I'm thinking we should drop them.

Regarding the Hit Dice, a MCA1 Jade Dragon also has base HD of 7, but the Enworld conversion has the same HD as a Blue or Bronze dragon, which is more than a Copper. So we contemplate leaving the HD unchanged.

However, I'd prefer to lower the HD, just not as much as halving them.

Maybe 1 fewer HD per Age Category? For a Copper Albino Wyrm that'd be 4-26 HD instead of the base dragon's 5-38 HD.

 

[freyar]

Well, we could reduce the Cha penalty a bit on the sane ones. But there needs to be some sort of trade-off. Maybe some loss of Cha and some of Int?

What I worry about with making the breath weapon always cold (and presumably changing the energy immunity as well) and dropping SLAs (which I agree with) is that there's not really a difference left between different albino dragon types. That seems more like a monster rather than a template. Besides, given the speculation that albino wyrms are descended from white dragons, I think there's an opening for other breath weapon types.

I'd be fine with 1 fewer HD per age category.

 

[Cleon]

Well, we could reduce the Cha penalty a bit on the sane ones. But there needs to be some sort of trade-off. Maybe some loss of Cha and some of Int?

Why not make the insanity an incurable racial trait, then we don't have to fuss about a trade-off?

What I worry about with making the breath weapon always cold (and presumably changing the energy immunity as well) and dropping SLAs (which I agree with) is that there's not really a difference left between different albino dragon types. That seems more like a monster rather than a template. Besides, given the speculation that albino wyrms are descended from white dragons, I think there's an opening for other breath weapon types.

I'd be fine with 1 fewer HD per age category.

Well, to be honest the original stats do look more like a true dragon than a template, but we just didn't fancy adding all those fields in the "True Dragon" CC editor.

I suppose we could do them as standard monsters, like we did with the Linnorms. Those had full age categories in AD&D but we didn't make them true dragons when we converted them.

Alternatively, we could go halfway and have a "standard monster" with stats for an adult Albino Wyrm, then include age category tables in its description.

What do you think?

 

[freyar]

I think I like the "linnorm solution." As long as you and RavinRay don't object. If we're going to do age categories, we should probably do them up as true dragons. I suppose I could type it all in if necessary.

 

[Cleon]

I think I like the "linnorm solution." As long as you and RavinRay don't object. If we're going to do age categories, we should probably do them up as true dragons. I suppose I could type it all in if necessary.

The original stats they they seldom grow larger than "Young Adult", so shall we start by statting that up?

We could do a few statblocks for different sizes of Albino Wyrm, I suppose. A Small "Wyrmling", a Medium-sized "Juvenile", a Large "Young Adult", a Huge "Mature Adult", and a Gargantuan "Wyrm" should cover all the bases.

 

[freyar]

Let's start with the Young Adult version and then see if it's worth doing the other sizes.

 

[Cleon]

Let's start with the Young Adult version and then see if it's worth doing the other sizes.

That's what I was planning on doing.

The previous "Copper Dragon minus 1 HD per age category" approach would give it 12 HD, but that seems a bit wimpy.

The original dragon had a base HD of 7, so how doubling that to 14 for the "Young Adult".

We could then apply 7 HD steps for the other size:

3-6 HD Small "Wyrmling"
7-13 HD Medium-sized "Juvenile"
14-20 HD Large "Young Adult"
21-27 HD Huge "Mature Adult"
28+ HD Gargantuan "Wyrm"

Hmm, the Linnorm conversions we have tend to be big for their HD - the Forest Linnorm is Huge and 11 HD. That suggest using the 7 HD for the basic "Young Adult":

2-3 HD Small "Wyrmling"
4-6 HD Medium-sized "Juvenile"
7-14 HD Large "Young Adult"
15-28 HD Huge "Mature Adult"
29+ HD Gargantuan "Wyrm"

Anyhow, I'll start a Working Draft, just as a placeholder.

 

[Cleon]

Albino Wyrm
Large Dragon (Cold, Earth)
Hit Dice: 7d12+28 (73 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 10 ft., swim 20 ft.
Armor Class: 24 (-1 size, +15 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17
Attack: Bite +12 melee (3d6+9) or tail-slap +12 melee (1d8+9)
Full Attack: Bite +12 melee (3d6+9) and 2 claws +10 melee (1d6+3) and tail-slap +10 melee (1d8+9)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with bite, 20 ft. with tail-slap)
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, constrict 1d8+9, improved grab, powerful bite, swallow whole
Special Qualities: Blindsense 120 ft., darkvision 120 ft., madness, spell resistance 17
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +7
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 15
Skills: Appraise +7, Escape Artist +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Hide +6, Intimidate +10, Jump +16, Listen +10, Move Silently +10, Spot +10, Use Magic Device +10, Swim +14, Survival +2 (+4 underground), Use Rope +0 (+2 binding foes)
Feats: Blind-Fight (B), Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack
Environment: Subterranean
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: standard coins, double goods, triple items
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 8-14 HD (Large); 15-29 HD (Huge); 30+ HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: —

A gaunt, sinewy dragon with over-sized jaws and vestigial, translucent wings. It has mottled white scales, dirt brown talons and eyes that seem red with madness.

The ancestors of albino wyrms may have been surface dragons who became lost in the unfathomable depths of the Underdark. If this is so, their offspring have become stunted creatures who lack the intelligence, flight and spellcasting ability of a true dragon. Albino wyrm are afflicted with some form of hereditary madness and are barely able to express a sane thought.

Few places in the Underdark hold enough food to nourish an albino wrym for long, so they rarely form permanent lairs. Most of these dragon-kin spend their lives wandering from hunting ground to hunting ground carrying what treasure they possess, resting in dens, and moving on once the prey nearby is depleted. The only wealth albino wyrms truly value are magic items, especially items that aid them in hunting. They often wear jewelery, although it may not be on the intended body part. Thus, a wealthy wyrm may wear a crown around the tail, rings on its claws, and a bracelet on a wingtip. Less "worthy" valuables, such as coins, are usually carelessly strewn around their temporary den.

A typical albino wyrm is 20 to 25 feet long, including about 10 feet of tail.

Albino wyrms can speak Draconic, but their minds are so deranged they cannot hold a coherent conversation.

Combat
Albino wyrms, while intelligent, are insanely ferocious, fighting more like cunning animals than devious dragons. They rely on stealth to ambush prey, any may use their burrowing ability to attack from unexpected directions, such as bursting out of an apparently solid wall. The wyrm usually attacks first with its breath weapon then leaps into melee, attempting to swallow vulnerable spellcasters when possible. Food is so scarce in the Underdark that albino wyrms rarely stop attacking prey once they find it, although they are not foolish enough to disdain retreat when necessary.

Breath Weapon (Ex): 40-ft. cone, damage 6d6 cold, Reflex DC 17 half. An albino wyrm can use its breath weapon once every 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, an albino wyrm automatically deals bludgeoning damage equal to its tail-slap attack.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an albino wyrm must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict or swallow whole.

Madness (Ex): Albino wyrms use their Charisma modifier on Will saves instead of their Wisdom modifier, and have immunity to confusion and insanity effects.

Powerful Bite (Ex): An albino wyrm adds 1½ times its Strength bonus to its bite attack damage.

Swallow Whole (Ex): An albino wyrm can try to swallow a grabbed opponent smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 3d6+9 points of crushing damage plus 6 points of acid damage per round from the wyrm's gizzard. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 17). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. A Large albino wyrm's interior can hold 1 Medium-sized, 4 Small, 16 Tiny, 64 Diminutive or 256 Fine opponents.

Skills: An albino wyrm has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.

Advanced Albino Wyrms
Albino wyrms of Huge size or larger gain the Tail Sweep special attack.

Tail Sweep (Ex): An albino wyrm of at least Huge size can sweep its tail as a standard action, affecting a half-circle with a radius equal to the Reach of its tail-slap attack. All creatures within the swept area that are up to three size categories smaller than the wyrm automatically take damage equal to the wyrm's tail-slap attack. Affected creatures can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage. The save DC is Strength-based.

Originally appeared in Dragon 227 (1996)

If we were using age categories, they'd go like this:

2-3 HD Small "Wyrmling"
4-6 HD Medium-sized "Juvenile"
7-14 HD Large "Adult"
15-29 HD Huge "Old"
30+ HD Gargantuan "Wyrm"

 

[freyar]

7HD is fine. A lot of larger monsters have fewer HD than they should according to the guidelines. I think it's a holdover from the original stats in many cases.

As a starting point, the young adult copper dragon is Str 19, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 16. Thoughts about adjustments? Drop Wis by -6 I suppose.

 

[Cleon]

7HD is fine. A lot of larger monsters have fewer HD than they should according to the guidelines. I think it's a holdover from the original stats in many cases.

As a starting point, the young adult copper dragon is Str 19, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 16. Thoughts about adjustments? Drop Wis by -6 I suppose.

Well we could also use a couple of our Linnorm conversions for comparison too.

A Forest Linnorm is Huge, Str 28, Dex 10, Con 23.
A Land Linnorm is Gargantuan, Str 34, Dex 10, Con 28.

Dropping those to Large would be Str 20, Con 19 and Str 18, Con 20.

Hmm, I'd be OK with anything around those values - Str & Con 18-20, Dex 10.

We should also be referring back to the SRD White Dragon - it's Str 19, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 10 at Young Adult.

So, is the Albino Wyrm be any stronger or tougher than a typical Dragon?

We should probably use Str 19 & Con 17, at least for the time being.

 

[freyar]

I wouldn't think it would be any better than a normal true dragon.

Str 19, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 16? Adjust those mental scores any?