Providing Dragons With Classes?

[Crothian]

A raging dragon isn't all that much tougher than a normal "simply angry" one.

Let me see, Draconic Barbarian from AEG's Dragon. One of those sections that I really liked because they took a chance and were creative.

First Level they can Rage. It grants +8 to str and Con, and -4 penaly to AC. Another +4 to hit and damage and in additional +4 Hp per HD is not to shappy.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

A friend of mine runs a game where dragons only age up to about mature; advancement beyond that is solely by class. He finds it useful in creating the style of campaign he wants: for his rennaissance tech, ships-in-space style game, giant dragons are bad for feel, but amazingly dangerous dragons are good. Using classes allows him to keep the dragons at reasonable sizes, while still making them extraordinarily deadly.

I also think that classed dragons are just cool. Allowing dragons to take levels of fighter to master clawing destructive routines or levels of spellcasting classes to focus more on magic. It adds individualization. Because dragons should be so unique, I find that thinks that develop their character are good.

Cerebral Paladin

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

I love this discussion! I was really just chewing on a thought-piece. I run Dragons so awesomely, just the rumour of one sends my players wanting to get on th next ship out of the area! Really, though, I think that Dragons, *as is* so to speak, are quite powerful. I think Dragons should be hugely powerful *wrecking crews* that can take on entire armies--and win. But I am intrigued by how all the various dynamics of spells and skills work with everything when a Dragon is provided with one or more classes.

Dragons aren't commonly encountered in my own campaign. It's kind of strange, in some ways. I had one campaign where Dragons were so legendary, so awesomely powerful, that the party just never encountered Dragons. They were plenty busy with other things, and actually dreaded ever encountering a Dragon.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Victim]

Adding classes onto powerful dragons is pretty worthless. For an extreme case, take an GM red. He has 40 HD.

If he advances by HD up to the next CR, he gains 20 HD whihc gives him 15-% of normal HP for about a thousand. He gains a +20 bonus to attack rolls and +10 to all saves. He gains 5 bonus feats and 280 skill points from a good list.

If he gains a level in a class, thereby going up to the next highest CR, he gains 1 HD that's likely smaller than normal, low level class abilities, +2 to a few saves, no more than 16 skill points, maybe one or two feats, and slightly better stats and gear.

Because of the screwed up way that monsters scale by HD versus level, a dragon advanced by HD is much more dangerous than one advanced by class.

 

[Wolf72]

Re: Re: Providing Dragons With Classes?

I usually use them "as is", but for special dragons I see no problem with giving them class levels. (Especially dragons in a Dragonstar campaign, like the one I'm running right now. Muahahahaha...)

I'm not sure it's a good thing when Caliban starts laughing evily ...

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Hmmm...what would one think should a maxed-out Great Wyrm decided to crush a huge city. The Dragon defeats the city's army, and slaughters the majority of the population. In addition, the Dragon enslaves a few hundred-thousand people as slaves. The Dragon has them toil and work to improve his mountain lair--for years. Once completed, he eats most of them. He keeps the rest on staff, permanently charmed/dominated as guards. The Dragon breeds the humans into half-dragons that are raised from birth to worship and serve the Dragon as their god and father.

The Dragon also enslaves the city's academy of wizards. The wizards, under their domination, are naturally willing to train the Great Wyrm in the art of Wizardry. Thusly, the Great Wyrm trains for years, and then advances on his own. Over time, he will not only ba a maxed out Great Wyrm, but also a 20th level Wizard. Or perhaps at 10th level, he decided to train for the next 10 levels as a Loremaster.

By this time, the Great Wyrm is awesomely powerful, and has developed his own nation of half-dragon children that love him fanatically, as he loves and cherishes them, and equips them well, and teaches them many great powers and abilities. The nation of half-dragons develop hundreds of wizards, all trained by their ancient father, the Great Wyrm. The powerful nation then marches to war, and conquers an empire. Gradually, the half-dragons reproduce, so you have a growing nation, with say the Great Wyrm also attracts his own mate, to start having clutches of baby dragons. Meanwhile, the half-dragon nation continues to grow in numbers, and power. The Dragon could shape-change into human form, and use his immense powers, and immense wealth, to further equip his armies with powerful magic, even while they spread out and conquer, and continue to bring the plunder of nations, and perhaps other dragon-hordes to his vast treasury, which in turn further enriches and empowers the Great Wyrm, who in turn continues to teach his children, and to train them, and equip them for conquest. Generation after generation this process continues!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Limper]

SHARK: Such a being would probably begin to acquire divine ranks as well. And one world let alone nation would be able to contain such a family, think of the franchise's.

Having seen the VERY nasty SHARK humanoids, would it be possible to see a SHARK dragon? (with or with out extra class levels)

 

[Victim]

The dragon would be too high level to gain XP except from other maxed out dragons.

 

[Crothian]

The dragon would be too high level to gain XP except from other maxed out dragons.

That would only be one on one combat. The Dragon could take on hordes of lesser creatures.

 

[Victim]

The dragon would be too high level to gain XP except from other maxed out dragons.

I think that only a stupid dragon would cause such massive damage to an area. It'd be far better use the fear aura to rout the army, deal with the high level people that might pose a threat, then just take over. The security of that nation is now secured for an almost indefinite period. The dragon autocrat funnels resources that formerly went into worthless defenses and political squabbles into trade. The economy booms. And the dragon just has to do a decent job running the empire (easy with his mental stats and spells) and then take a reasonable percentage. Since the dragon rules better than a most kings, it's in everyone's interests to defend him and insane CHA would help PR too. Over a long period, the dragon would probably be revered as god anyway. This way, there's a bit less risk, more efficient use of resources, and the dragon doesn't piss off an academy of wizards - not a good idea even for a dragon.