I wish for ...

[IndyPendant]

Well, let's look at the options:
Young Dragon: Medium, 11HD, +4 LA
Juvenile Dragon: Medium, 14HD, +4 LA
Young Adult Dragon: Large, 20HD (!!!), Unlisted LA (So at least +4)

A Young Adult Copper Dragon has an equivalent level of at least 24! I have to agree with the posters here. If the player isn't a complete idiot (or completely inexperienced), he deliberately got greedy and tried to slip something past you (or maybe it could be argued that the character tried to slip it past the efreeti). Land on him with both feet, and hard. (Everything that follows assumes that He Knew Better Than To Ask; please keep that in mind. : )

To start with, a Young Dragon is still a Medium creature, and works out to being equivalent to a 15th level character (in theory). As his GM, I would have laughed out loud at the idea of turning him into a Young Adult, and turned him into a Young Dragon. Anything worn like armour that would not normally fit on the dragon I would have gleefully destroyed in retribution for the player's greed from the shapechange. (Or, perhaps worse, subsumed it into the Dragon form like Druid Wildshaping, unusable forever.) I would rule with prejudice against his items wherever there's a gray area, meticulously explaining to him I was doing so because he asked for far too much from his Wish. He loses all class levels and becomes a Young Dragon, and nothing but.

Then I would take whatever I had planned as the efreeti's part of the deal with that "whisper of his wings" comment, and roughly double the hurt. He willingly entered into a deal with an efreeti, and got greedy with a Wish. Bad player! Badt!

(I am actually a lenient GM in a lot of ways. I challenge my players to make the game interesting, but I'm not a RBDM. However, if I have clearly laid out the risks and a player gets stupid or greedy, then I don't hesitate to smack them down. It makes the rewards when they *do* succeed that much more special...: )

 

[ElectricDragon]

As DM I would permanently polymorph him into a wyrmling copper dragon (5HD, LA+2), remove all his half-dragon abilities and all his racial abilities, give him the dragon racial abilities and traits for wyrmling age category (size Tiny, no threat range, no AoO, draws an AoO to attack in melee (must enter opponent's space), -8 grapple, +8 Hide, -8 Intimidate, +2Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Cha, 1 bite for 1d4, 2 claws for 1d3, 30ft line of acid for 2d4 (DC 12 plus Con Mod), 15ft. cone of slow (DC 12 plus Con Mod) for 1d6+1 rounds, +4 Natural Armor, immunity to acid, spider climb at will on stone surfaces, skill points equal to (6 + Int Mod)*5, Racial class skills of Bluff and Hide and Jump, Save bonuses of F+4 and R+4 and W+4, +2 feats, no SR, no caster level, no fear aura, no SLAs, then reset his LA at +0). Make him pay 2 levels in order to advance again. (give xp as normal, but when he levels; all he gets is +1LA until his LA is +2) then the next level he gains a class level. He can never age as a dragon. If he is still taking levels in the Dragon Disciple PrC, these levels now only give him BAB, HD, and Base Save adjusts (how can he be more than a full dragon?)

Payment is his flight ability. Yeah, he loses the wings entirely. No flight, no flying feats, no "whisper of wind past his ears while flying".

Yeah, I am a RBDM; but only when needed.

Ciao
Dave

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I would go with a permanent Alternate Form option..as per the ROTG on the subject. He would not gain any HD... basically he would become Large, can Spider Climb and has natural weapons {Bite, Claw, Tail}.... but no wings, no breath weapon, no extra HD...

Also he would not age as a dragon.. he is still an Augmneted Humanoid.. so no age categories.

And this would mean pretty much all his magic gear is useless since it probably won't fit

Still a good value for a Wish, IMHO

 

[Archade]

Thanks for the input guys -- it was cruel and unusual, but it gave me some ideas on how to handle it!

I agree that the wish is over-reaching that of a standard, and there will be repercussions, but I'm not going to make the player character unplayable. It's a fine balancing act, to be sure.

The efreeti will have twisted the wording of the wish as well as exacted a high price for the wish in the first place.

 

[pawsplay]

I'd treat it as permanent change shape or polymorph. As for the whisper of his wings, it seems like it should be something the efreet can use. Perhaps a one use gate on the PC along with a geas to go to a specific location?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Other ways to twist the wish...in various levels of nastiness.

He asked to be a young, adult copper dragon, right?

1) He didn't ask to be one who was free. The "wind" he now lacks is because he is no longer free. He could be someone's mount, he could be in shackles in a demon's palace. IOW, he's become an NPC, and thus, a plot point or XP for someone else... Time to make a new PC.

2) He didn't ask to be one that was normal for its creature type. He could be one that is magically transmuted/templated. A Fine or Tiny dragon isn't as much a threat as one that is normal for its size. His "whisper" has become a buzz. If he's templated as Ooze, he defintely won't be able to fly...the whisper is gone, replaced by a gurgle. He may not even be intelligent anymore. IOW, its possible he's become an NPC, and thus, a plot point or XP for someone else... Time to make a new PC.

3) Perhaps he is now undead...and the lack of wing membranes means he cannot fly- his "whisper" is gone. Assuming he's still intelligent undead, he might have become an NPC, and thus, a plot point or XP for someone else... Time to make a new PC.

4) He is deaf. He'll have perception penalties, he'll get surprised a lot. Nobody will be able to call on him for assistance. The whisper is replaced by utter silence.

 

[Notmousse]

'Time to make a new PC.'?

Are you kidding? You have to be able to do better than that (at least your post count would have one believe you can). If you turn wishes into 'Time to make a new PC' events no one will want them, nor will it be any kind of adventure hook.

I'd simply make him a young adult copper dragon minus previous class levels, with roughly 4-6 less levels (make a partial racial class, or just make it the last 4-6 HD he gains) he must overcome by gaining XP till he's back at normal HD.

The whisper of his wing I'd make a boon with drawbacks. He gains a +20 bonus to move silently checks while flying. However, the efreeti holds 'the whisper' of his wings, able to summon the dragon, and his party (his wingmen), for special missions. Perhaps comething like a Planer Ally spell attuned to the PC and party. Furthermore, the first service would be gratis (to introduce the concept), and each additional would be half payment (a generousity to the party).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

'Time to make a new PC.'?

Are you kidding? You have to be able to do better than that (at least your post count would have one believe you can).

Of course I can. I was leaving things open. Besides, only 3 of the 4 suggestions I made had that air of finality.

1) My first point was that twisting a wish is potentially just a different form of killing the PC, hence "Time to make a new PC." Indeed, such nasty twists of wishes are a classic of fantasy literature...even The Twilight Zone and The X-Files had exemplars.

As such, it is also a way to keep greedy players from trying to use Wish as a naked power grab. I'm not casting aspersions about Archade's player in particular, but it is a possibility. If the player were indeed intentionally travelling down a path to wreck the campaign for others, this is a perfect way to do it. As the saying goes, he will be hoist by his own petard.

2) Just because that PC has been turned into an NPC- dragon, undead, whatever- it doesn't mean that this is a permanent change. In one of the Narnia books, a person was turned into a dragon who was chained up as a curse (one of the 2 inspirations for the chained dragon reference- the other is from Guardians of the Flame). However the condition was reversable and was, in fact, reversed. "Time to make a new PC." means the player has the option of taking a chance to rescue his own PC from enslavement.

There is also the potential to kill his old PC since its alignment may have changed (as in if it were to become undead). Once again, this is potentially a plot device...releasing the soul of the former PC to his proper eternal reward, rather than continued existence as something he abhorred.

And so forth.