Converting True Dragons

[Shade]

Ahh...indeed it does. Ex flight it is.

I suspect the damage was so high due to the extremely limited range compared to other breath weapons. Since we're increasing the range, we can decrease the damage as well.

 

[Cleon]

That progression looks good, and yeah, let's give 'em Hover as a bonus feat.

Should the flight be supernatural, like a beholder's, and thus grant the permanent feather fall effect?

This is looking great!

I vote for Ex flight since it has wings.

How about both! We could give it a SQ something like this:

Flying Inferno (Su): A flying bestiary dragon continuously generates blasts of superheated air that blast all creatures and objects in its vicinity - see the table below for the intensity and spread radius of this fire damage. The dragon can direct most of the force of this heat-blast downwards, giving it the equivalent of a permanent feather fall effect and Hover as a bonus feat.

Should the dragon be unable to generate a flying inferno it is still able to fly using its wings alone, although its flight is slow and ungainly (fly X ft. with maneuverability Y).

The damage in the table is quite high compared even to many breath weapons. Decrease it somewhat?

That's my thinking too. Its breath weapon damage is identical to the 2nd edition AD&D Red Dragon, except it is doing it every round instead of every 1d4+1 rounds.

The SRD Red Dragon does 2d10 breath damage per age category. If we were just aiming to make the average hit points/round equal it'd be about 29% the damage (average of d4+1 = 3.5, 1/3.5 = ~0.28.57), or 3.14 damage/age. If we round that to the closest die it's 1d6/category.

However, I reckon we'd better boost the damage a bit since energy resistant effects knock a lot more damage off an attack spread over 2-4 rounds than the same energy damage inflicted in one hit. Somewhere around two-fifth to half a SRD Red dragon's breath weapon damage should be OK, which works out either 1d8/age or 1d10/age.

So, which do you prefer, 1d6, 1d8 or 1d10 per age category per round?

 

[freyar]

I think the flying inferno is unnecessary, really. But 1d6 or 1d8 per age category seems ok for the damage.

 

[Cleon]

I think the flying inferno is unnecessary, really. But 1d6 or 1d8 per age category seems ok for the damage.

Well I'll concede that it may be a bit superflous, but I like unnecessary detail.

 

[Shade]

Let's simplify it as follows:

Flying Inferno (Su): A flying bestiary dragon continuously generates blasts of superheated air that burns all creatures and objects in its vicinity. The flying inferno deals 1d8 points of fire damage x the dragon's age category. The following table indicates the radius based on the dragon's size.

Tiny - 5 ft. radius
Small - 10 ft. radius
Medium - 15 ft. radius
Large - 20 ft. radius
Huge - 30 ft. radius
Gargantuan - 40 ft. radius
Colossal - 50 ft. radius

 

[RavinRay]

1d8 sounds like a good balance for me. Without the flying inferno, reduce both maneuverability by one grade and speed by 50 ft. then?

 

[Cleon]

Let's simplify it as follows:

Flying Inferno (Su): A flying bestiary dragon continuously generates blasts of superheated air that burns all creatures and objects in its vicinity. The flying inferno deals 1d8 points of fire damage x the dragon's age category. The following table indicates the radius based on the dragon's size.

Tiny - 5 ft. radius
Small - 10 ft. radius
Medium - 15 ft. radius
Large - 20 ft. radius
Huge - 30 ft. radius
Gargantuan - 40 ft. radius
Colossal - 50 ft. radius

I'd quite like to keep a flying-boost from this ability, what if we made it a SQ that keys off the above heat-aura special attack? We could change the SA's name to the original version's Heat Aura, something like:

Heat Aura (Su): A flying bestiary dragon continuously generates blasts of superheated air that burns all creatures and objects in its vicinity. The flying inferno deals 1d8 points of fire damage x the dragon's age category. The following table indicates the radius based on the dragon's size.

Tiny - 5 ft. radius
Small - 10 ft. radius
Medium - 15 ft. radius
Large - 20 ft. radius
Huge - 30 ft. radius
Gargantuan - 40 ft. radius
Colossal - 50 ft. radius

Inferno Flying (Su): A flying bestiary dragon uses the furnace-draft of its heat aura to augment its speed and agility while flying. If its heat aura is suppressed its flight speed drops to half and its aerial maneuverability drops by one step.

Although I'd rather just combine the two into one "Flying Inferno" ability.

1d8 sounds like a good balance for me. Without the flying inferno, reduce both maneuverability by one grade and speed by 50 ft. then?

I was thinking half speed, but -50 ft. would suit me just as well.

 

[Shade]

I'd rather not give it a speed penalty, but since it seems several of you fancy this ability, let's give 'em a speed boost of some sort.

In other words, keep the original speed progression untouched for regular flight, but allow for a Su boost via the "thermal riding".

 

[Cleon]

I'd rather not give it a speed penalty, but since it seems several of you fancy this ability, let's give 'em a speed boost of some sort.

In other words, keep the original speed progression untouched for regular flight, but allow for a Su boost via the "thermal riding".

I guess I'll go along with that. A rocket-boost is almost as good without steering jets.

I like the name "Thermal Riding" for the SQ.

How about making it something like a squid's Jet SQ?

Thermal Riding (Ex): A bestiary dragon can fly at 10 times its base speed when it takes a Run action, by focusing the blasts of superheated air from its flying inferno power.

 

[freyar]

Limit the number of rounds per day or times per day for thermal riding, and I'm ok with it.