Converting True Dragons

[Cleon]

I'm guessing the original was all-or-nothing. That seemed more popular back then.

That'd be my presumption.

2d8 per age category seems reasonable. Enough to give a risk of sand-ification.

Hmm, considering that they do a quarter damage on a save I am slightly leaning towards 2d10.

Are we giving them some SLAs?

 

[freyar]

2d10 per age category is ok for the breath weapon damage.

Before we get to SLAs, how about caster level, SR, etc? I'd think these should be pretty good, though maybe not the absolute best. Maybe follow the silver dragon progression for both. For subtype, I'm thinking earth.

 

[Cleon]

2d10 per age category is ok for the breath weapon damage.

Let's go for that then.

Updating the Dune Dragon Working Draft.

Before we get to SLAs, how about caster level, SR, etc? I'd think these should be pretty good, though maybe not the absolute best. Maybe follow the silver dragon progression for both. For subtype, I'm thinking earth.

Their spell level progression of 1/1/2/2/3/3/4/4 is exactly the same as an AD&D red dragon, although the actual spells are druid spells rather than magic-user spells.

That suggests we should use the 3E Red Dragon's caster level...

...which is coincidentally the same as the 3E Silver Dragon, so I guess I agree with you on the caster level!

Then again, it's also the same as the 3E Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold and Silver Dragons.

However, I would like the spell resistance to be somewhat better, because the original dragon had a 20% magic resistance, and in 1E AD&D none of the standard chromatic or metallic dragons possessed MR. Maybe make it 2 points higher than a 3E Red Dragon's SR?

 

[freyar]

That's fine for caster level and SR. SLAs next?

 

[Cleon]

That's fine for caster level and SR. SLAs next?

Sure!

 

[freyar]

Did you agree to earth subtype?

OK, then. Flesh to stone and stone to flesh seem thematically appropriate, as would some earth or fire spells. Maybe iron body? That's not too common, so it might be fun. Spike stones, move earth, similar things? What do you think?

 

[Cleon]

Did you agree to earth subtype?

I didn't say anything about subtypes, but was thinking we'd give it Earth. That'd match its "turn to sand" breath weapon.

Since we're agreed on that and the CL & SR, it seems time for updating the Dune Dragon Working Draft.

OK, then. Flesh to stone and stone to flesh seem thematically appropriate, as would some earth or fire spells. Maybe iron body? That's not too common, so it might be fun. Spike stones, move earth, similar things? What do you think?

Of those, I like move earth the best.

As for the rest, flesh to stone seems to be stepping on the toes of its breath weapon a bit and I'm not that bothered either way by the others. The iron body idea seems a bit of a stretch, since there's nothing metallic in their description.

What else is associated with deserts and hot beaches? There's storms (the control weather or whirlwind spells?), dessication (horrid wilting?) and hardship (waves of exhaustion or waves of fatigue) I suppose. Plus mirages (hallucinatory terrain?).

Oh, and how about giving them draconic Water Breathing as one of their special abilities? They have a swim speed and sometimes live on beaches, so it would seem appropriate.

 

[freyar]

Water Breathing like the black dragon does make sense.

I do agree with you a bit about flesh to stone, actually. How about move earth, hallucinatory terrain (that's a good common draconic SLA, too), and whirlwind?

 

[Cleon]

Water Breathing like the black dragon does make sense.

Agreed. I guess it should kick in at Wyrmling, like a Black and Green Dragon's Water Breathing.

Updating the Dune Dragon Working Draft.

I do agree with you a bit about flesh to stone, actually. How about move earth, hallucinatory terrain (that's a good common draconic SLA, too), and whirlwind?

Those all suit me. We still need another two SLAs if we're giving it the normal suite of five.

 

[freyar]

What about blight? It's along the lines of horrid wilting, but we already have some fairly high-level SLAs. Blight could come in at a lower age category and more times per day. What about the last thing being heat or fire related? Heat metal might be thematically appropriate.