Half-dragons, should they be allowed?

[Psion]

Would I allow them? Considering that they had a role in my campaign world before 3e, yes, yes I would.

Would I use them as blithely as modules seem too? Know, that would kill beleivability for me. IMC, not all creatures can simply interbreed. Indeed, something that looks like a dragon would not be in the least be turned on by a human, much less a griffon or an ooze or whatever. Even if they did, they generally just aren't comppatible. It takes some form of magic to make such strange crossbreeds possible IMO/C.

If I were running a different campaign world that did not share my Dragonblood backstory, I might not use them at all.

 

[Celebrim]

So far I've not yet seen any ECL races that I really feel are balanced. Either the penalty of ECL is too much at low levels, or the player would get too much advantage at high levels. Large ECL's in particular IMO probably can never be balanced as PC's. So if the intent of this poll is to ask would I as a DM allow a player to be a Half-Dragon, the answer is probably no. And since there are no prestige classes in most games I run, I wouldn't allow 'Dragon Disciples' either.

Now, I suppose that I might one day if I have lots of gaming oppurtunities consider running a game just to be different where everyone gets to (and must) start with an ECL template - something like Planescape or such. At that point, if you want to be a half-dragon, go for it. But I wouldn't just do it in a normal campaign.

On the other hand, if your question is would I allow half-dragons in my campaign world, the answer is yes I would, though generally speaking they wouldn't be half-dragon/human - as the two races don't find each other particularly attractive and barring shape changing ability would not be physically compatible anyway. Half-dragon hydra definately. Half-dragon wyvern maybe. Half-dragon fire giant, possibly. But half-dragon human would be really really rare.

 

[Umbran]

In my current game, probably not. But if I were running a game where dragons were common enough and living close enough to humanoid populations, perhaps.

 

[Patman21967]

I actually allowed one for the first time this campaign, because my player came up with a really cool idea.

Basically in the first session, all the characters died, unbeknownst to them during charcater creation....They come back 500 years later, to find the living in scattered pockets, and small communities, and the world being run by undead, the leader beintg the Emperor when they were alive, as a Lich.....cut to the character...he created a "Imperial gaurd" for the emperor, that were all half-dragons...1 of each color...and mixed with all different races....it was a cool idea. So he is a half-red/minotaur, who has been quested by Bahumat and Tiamat to return the spirits of Dragons to the land...

 

[Trellian]

Poorly explained poll. As a PC, or as a race that exists in the campaign world?

No for PC, yes for campaign world.

Doh! Yes, I meant as a PC... I was somewhat surprised with the amount of 'yes'.. so that must have been due to the ambiguous nature of the poll...

 

[Arnwyn]

Doh! Yes, I meant as a PC... I was somewhat surprised with the amount of 'yes'.. so that must have been due to the ambiguous nature of the poll...

Woo! I voted correctly then.

(I voted "no", not allowed for PCs IMC.)

 

[Crothian]

I voted no, becasue I perfer they not exist. They just aren't that well done for my tastes.

 

[Psion]

Doh! Yes, I meant as a PC... I was somewhat surprised with the amount of 'yes'.. so that must have been due to the ambiguous nature of the poll...

Well, if it exists in the world and is credibly playable at all, I don't see why that would be that big of a difference.

 

[The Shaman]

As a PC race? No.

As an NPC race? No.*

*Or probably not. I can't 100% rule it out, but if it happens, it's likely to be a unique or surpassingly rare occurence.

 

[Wombat]

In my current campaign there are no half-anythings.

Either you are or you aren't.

Interspecies (esp. something like mammal-to-lizard) really fries my brain...