Opinions on WotC's "Dragon" books

[SteveC]

So I have a player who wants to play a character out of Races of the Dragon and Dragon Magic. I don't own either of these books, so this, of course, makes it difficult to asses possible issues. Here's the basics:

Kobold Sorceror 5 Dracolexi 7

Feats:
Draconic Aura, Draconic Lineage (Gold), Draconic Resevoir, Searing Spell, The Greater Rite of Passage

The Dracolexi words will be:
Remove Fatigue/Exhaustion
Extend Spell
Replenish Spell Slot

The campaign I'm running is Shackled City, and the group is just hitting the Secrets of the Soul Pillars for what that's worth.

I am generally willing to accommodate player requests, but I'm wondering if you see anything absolutely horrendous about this combination (I don't like Searing Spell, for instance, but I've agreed to work with it).

Any thoughts are appreciated. For what it's worth, the notion of allowing something from a book I don't own is a bad idea and I know that!

--Steve

 

[Nifft]

Gold Dragon Lineage requires Draconic Heritage (Gold) -- perhaps he means he'll take the latter rather than the former? They do sound similar.

Dracolexi requires either Eschew Materials or Still Spell, among other things -- so he's not qualified to take it. The class itself doesn't seem particularly overpowered, but you should probably make him give you the book long enough to verify that he is actually qualified for it.

"The Greater Rite of Passage" rings a bell, but I can't recall what it does. Details or source?

Cheers, -- N

 

[SteveC]

Gold Dragon Lineage requires Draconic Heritage (Gold) -- perhaps he means he'll take the latter rather than the former? They do sound similar.

Dracolexi requires either Eschew Materials or Still Spell, among other things -- so he's not qualified to take it. The class itself doesn't seem particularly overpowered, but you should probably make him give you the book long enough to verify that he is actually qualified for it.

"The Greater Rite of Passage" rings a bell, but I can't recall what it does. Details or source?

Cheers, -- N

I only posted the stuff from the new books, so I believe he has the right feats for the Dracolexi but I'll review it. The Rite of Passage feat comes from the Web Enhancement for one of the books, which I will check out. The player in question is very good about making sure he has done everything legally, so I'm less worried about that than I am about the possibility of things being broken in combination...so that everyone can have a fun game.

But since the feat is in a web enhancement, I can actually check it out for myself!

--Steve

 

[Nifft]

I also can't find this: Draconic Resevoir

What's it from? Is it a feat?

Cheers, -- N

 

[szilard]

What are your potential concerns?

Dracolexi, if I remember correctly, adds spells to the Sorcerer's spells known list - so it is pretty powerful.

Be aware that there is errata on some of the Power Word spells in Races of the Dragon.

-Stuart

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I don't have the books in front of me to really delve into but for some general advice I know when I build a character I have a certain vision/use in mind for them. I would try talking with the player to find out why they built the character like they did. If the combo is especially potent they may not be exactly forthcoming but the best result would be for them to explain what the character's strengths (and possibly weaknesses) are. Ex: "That PrC will let me double as a back up healer without losing any of my Sorcerer powers." And from there you can have a better frame of reference with which to judge the character.

 

[The Grackle]

"The Greater Rite of Passage" rings a bell, but I can't recall what it does. Details or source?

The draconic rite of passage is in RotD, but the Greater is a feat here:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a

Prerequisites: Only kobolds of 6 Hit Dice or more, sorcerer level 1st, who have successfully completed the Draconic Rite of Passage, and taken Draconic Reservoir (1) can undergo the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage. A kobold requires no one else to perform the rite; it is a solitary activity.

(1) See below for feat description.

Benefit: Upon completing this rite, a kobold gains new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known) as if also gaining one level in the sorcerer class. The kobold does not, however, gain any other benefit a sorcerer would have gained (familiar abilities, and so on).

The benefit of this ritual is automatically factored into the 15 minutes that a kobold sorcerer spends concentrating to ready their daily allotment of spells. No kobold can benefit from this rite more than once.

Time: A kobold who undergoes this rite must first endure nine days of fasting (the equivalent of three days for a kobold in a region above 40 degrees F). Immediately thereafter, the kobold must succeed on a DC 20 Concentration check to enter a deep trance that lasts for 24 hours. If the check fails, the rite must begin a new.

Cost: This rite requires sacrificing a gem of at least 1,000 gp in value. The kobold also permanently loses 3 hit points upon completion of the rite, the price of unlocking latent draconic energy within their soul.