Need DM advice or help

[MoonZar]

Forget the Black dragons, a Gold dragon is seen acting oddsly and killing things without cause...the Gold Dragons come to deal with it.

Yeah this also a very good idea And the gold dragon will probably track who killed their friend gold dragon. The dm said this happen about 2 sessions ago.

 

[MoonZar]

I like that idea. Sounds good.
For the other posts.... he is using the 9th level spell "shape change" not wild shape ability...... thats why im having such a hard time fighting it. Reading the spell,,, its pretty powerful. This next adventure they are going to go up against about 200 orc soldiers in a zhent army. There will be about 5 stone giant fighters 19 cr (but still unable to hit the dragon, but able to put a hell of a fight up with the party), and 2 improved invisible sorcerers to counter spell any of the partys spells). This should provide a good fight for them providing the damn dragon dosent breath continiously on the bunch and just wipe them all out easily.

I don't remember exactly what is the breath of a gold dragon, but add necklase of protection to your stone giant to counter this or you'll be sorry hehehehe

Also i don't know if this rules apply in 3.5, but he can't breath every round, he have to wait 1d4 round before the next breath. Anyway i apply this rules, but i don't know where i find it.

 

[MoonZar]

DM ADVICE THREAD

Discuss it with the player but remember the best foe is himself, have him face a mirror image of himself, same abilities nad tactics.

Hello,

I would discuss with the player about this if i could not find a way to control him. After all the DM put the gold dragon in the campaign, he'll probably learn from this. He will probably find a way to control him i think.

 

[cmanos]

Last time I checked a L19 druid could only wild shape into a Huge creature with 19 HD. That would put a gold dragon at Young Adult - Mature Adult for Size, but Juvenile for HD. Therefore the restriction is Juvenile. Thats an AC of 25....

remember....if the druid has any kind of magi effect that gives natural armor...it doesn't stack with the dragon's natural armor. Also, last i knew, armor didn't change with you, so he wouldn't have an armor or shield bonus unless he has certain feats.

So as I see it....he CAN'T wildshape into a Collossal Gold Dragon

Oh wait...you said Shapechange...as in the spell. for reference

This spell functions like polymorph, except that it enables you to assume the form of any single nonunique creature (of any type) from Fine to Colossal size. The assumed form cannot have more than your caster level in Hit Dice (to a maximum of 25 HD). Unlike polymorph, this spell allows incorporeal or gaseous forms to be assumed.
You gain all extraordinary and supernatural abilities (both attacks and qualities) of the assumed form, but you lose your own supernatural abilities. You also gain the type of the new form in place of your own. The new form does not disorient you. Parts of your body or pieces of equipment that are separated from you do not revert to their original forms.
You can become just about anything you are familiar with. You can change form once each round as a free action. The change takes place either immediately before your regular action or immediately after it, but not during the action. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.

so again..... Cannot have more hit dice than the caster...19.

Collossal Gold Dragons....would make it a Wyrm with a base of 38HD.
19HD puts you back at Juvenile.

Sounds like your player may have missed reading that line in the spell. Oldest gold he can shapechange into is Juvenile with an AC of 25. Makes him a Large Creature...not Collossal. So unless he's got a +29AC normally... Remember, natural armor bonuses don't stack.

If he still wants to do it, have a gold dragon show up and inform him that he is causing a lot of uproar and he is to cease and desist his shapechanging into a gold dragon immediately.

If that doesn't work, have a party of 8 20th level evil dragon-hunters show up wanting to slay the dragon and take it's horde.

Also, I'd argue that seeing a gold dragon once does not make one familiar with gold dragons....

 

[cmanos]

Drat,, thought i had a loophole here for a min but,,,,,,,
Shapechange enables you to assume the form of any single nonunique creature with no more than TWICE your level in Hit Dice.
Sorry,,, still searching for a way....

SRD says more than your Caster Level in HD....last time I knew a L19 Druid wasn't CL38

 

[Syntallah]

SRD says more than your Caster Level in HD....last time I knew a L19 Druid wasn't CL38

3.5 PHB says twice your level (up to 50HD)

 

[gizmo33]

Being a colossal gold dragon his spell resistance is like 30, almost impossible to break.
the natural ac of the gold dragon is pretty large. plus add in his ring of protection, bracers of ac, he gets his ac of 54.
Thinking of having another druid with same ability and having them have to go toe to toe away from the other group that would make it safe for them from the fighting monster, but yet a equal fight for the uber player.

Assuming that you're even following the rules for Shapechange, the question could be rephrased as "What do I do if I have a PC in my game with spell resistance of 30 and AC 54"

Hmmm.

You make sure the enemy wizards are at least 15th level, and that the enemy fighters have a +39 to hit.

I can't imagine that this obvious solution has not occurred to you. 3E gives you the option of taking a monster and applying -
1. a template
2. a size increase
3. character classes
4. anything else - magic item, arbitrary stat adjustments, etc.

The idea that you're DMing a 19th level character and you don't know how to write an 19th level dungeon makes me think that you never wrote an 18th or 17th level dungeon either for that matter. My advice in general would be
1. start with first level characters
2. halve all experience awards
3. treat the magic item/wealth parameters for characters by level as an absolute maximum

This, IMO, gives you a chance to learn the game - so that by the time characters get to 19th level, you've had plenty of practice and designing 18th level challenges for them, and you can simply take those ideas and bump them up by a level.

 

[gizmo33]

3.5 PHB says twice your level (up to 50HD)

My copy of the 3.5 SRD says the same thing:

This spell functions like polymorph, except that it enables you to assume
the form of any single nonunique creature (of any type) from Fine to
Colossal size. The assumed form cannot have more than twice your caster
level in Hit Dice (to a maximum of 50 HD). Unlike polymorph, this spell
allows incorporeal or gaseous forms to be assumed.

I never liked the natural armor stacking with regular armor thing anyway. I don't know how some paltry bracers of armor +8 adds anything to an AC 39+. It's like a fighter throwing a leather poncho overtop of his platemail and getting another +2 to AC. In fact, I'm going to post this to the other thread.

 

[MoonZar]

Hello,

I think that resolving the situation with more powerful monster is the obvious solution, but probably not the best solution. Don't forget that the druid is not the only character in the group. If you plan something powerful to kick his ass, the weaker players will truly be in a nightmare, where dragon fight titan and will probably die...

Here is the best solution in my opinion :

I prefer that a team of gold dragon search who is the gold dragon who kill everything in his path. Then the gold dragon who are good will seek a peaceful agreement and would ask the druid to never use this form again, because this make their mighty race look like mindless beast and won't allow the insult that human use their form to be more powerful and kill faster.

If the druid don't want to listen to them too bad, he will have to fight them. Even if the gold dragon are good, they will defend their pride and make the druid listen or they will simply seal his ability with powerful dragon magic.

What do you think dm ?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

3.5 PHB says twice your level (up to 50HD)

Check the Errata.

Shapechange

Player's Handbook, page 277

Second sentence of spell description is in error.

Change “more than twice your caster level in Hit Dice” to “more than your caster level in Hit Dice.” Also, change “50” to “25”