Lurks-no-More said:Q: How do dragons build lairs?
Scholar & Brutalman said:A. Dragons do not build lairs. They take lairs.
When a lair gets too small for them, they go and take another.
Sir Brennen said:Dragons using wizard spells is such a D&D'ism, and goes back to 1E where that particular ability was added to make them better combat monsters. They were horribly weak for such an iconic monster, not coming close to stacking up against demons and devils. The fact that there were one or two spells they could take that explained away the "how do they do that without hands" issues was completely incidental. I for one am glad they're making them more like their counterparts in myth and fiction, and not a big wizard-in-a-lizard.
Hopefully, the Wizard Training and Warlock Training feats will enable you to add a useful ability or two (and a lot of flavor) without having to pile on all the class-level-related baggage that goes with it.Conjurer said:Although my first reaction was of shock, now that I've thought it over a little more, I think this is a positive thing, as long as dragons can acquire class levels.
A little Wizard or Warlock and presto, spellcasting Dragon.
So, dragons are essentially giant fire-breathing hermit crabs?Scholar & Brutalman said:A. Dragons do not build lairs. They take lairs.
When a lair gets too small for them, they go and take another.
Dr. Awkward said:So, dragons are essentially giant fire-breathing hermit crabs?
kennew142 said:That's what I always thought. Don't dragons specialize in driving dwarves out of their delvings?
Conjurer said:Although my first reaction was of shock, now that I've thought it over a little more, I think this is a positive thing, as long as dragons can acquire class levels.
A little Wizard or Warlock and presto, spellcasting Dragon.
rkanodia said:Hopefully, the Wizard Training and Warlock Training feats will enable you to add a useful ability or two (and a lot of flavor) without having to pile on all the class-level-related baggage that goes with it.
fourthbear said:From what I'm guessing about 4e monster and NPC building, it will be considerably easier than even that. Once you've picked the level for your monster, I think you'll have guidelines in the DMG for the kind of powers are appropriate for a monster of that level (e.g., Xd6 area effect attacks, ranges for attack rolls, when to consider allowing tactical teleportation). Then you don't select a feat that allows you take wizard abilities. You don't add wizard levels onto the monster (and have to recalculate all of its stats). You just *add* the abilities you think are appropriate. Want a troll able to breathe flame? Look up its level and work out the numbers that are appropriate for that level. And just add it. There will no doubt be suggestions as to how when adding too much is just that. But I think they're going to remove the whole "add a class" minigame from monster design. And I suspect the same thing will happen with humanoids. The latest Monster Manuals have a number of examples of monstrous humanoid write-ups for spellcasters. And the spellcasters don't have wizard or sorceror levels. They just have a selection of magical abiltiies that would be useful in a typical encounter.