Special Conversion Thread: Dragonets!

[Shade]

By request, this thread is dedicated to converting the dragonets from Dragon Magazine #272. Once those are completed, we can continue it if other dragonets remain unconverted.

Here's the overview from the article:

Due to their intelligence and small size, most dragonets make excellent companions or familiars for wizards or other characters. A find familiar spell sometimes attracts a dragonet; a wizard can improved the chances of winnning such an unusual familar by adding 1,000 gp worth of appropriate components to the mixture of herbs and incenses used as a component for the spell. Saltpeter can attract a firedrake, scorpion venom a pseudodragon, and poppy flowers a faerie dragon. Crow's-nest dragons sometimes respond to powdered aquamarine, geyser dragons to sulfur, pavilion dragons to cinnamon, and mole dragons to powdered quartz. The wizard msut cast the find familiar spell in a region where such dragonets normally live, and even then there is no guarantee that a dragonet answers the summons. (Ultimately, the DM decides.)

Even when not summoned and bound by magic, dragonets occasionally choose to become a companion to a character. This process is similar to that of aquiring a henchman: The character msut win the trust and loyalty of the dragonet through words and actions, not the player's die rolls. Any sort of character, not just a wizard, can aquire a dragonet henchman in this way, and any kind of dragonet can become a companion.

Whether bound by magic or simply mutual agreement, all dragonets share an empathic bond with their companions. The dragonet can sense the emotional state of its humanoid friend and vice versa. This empathy is limited to a range of 240 yards. Some dragonets possess limited telepathic abilities, like the pseudodragon's ability to transmit what it sees and hears to its human companion. Details of these abilities appear in each dragonet's description.

Dragonets that have magic resistance (including all varieties except the firedrake and the geyser dragon) can extend this protection to a companion through physical contact.

 

[Shade]

Dragonet, Pavilion Dragon
Climate/Terrain: Tropical jungle
Freq: Rare
Org: Family unit
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Omnivore
Int: Very (11-12)
Treasure: Qx3, P
Alignment: Neutral
# App: 1-6
AC: 3
Move: 6, fly 24 (B)
HD: 3
THAC0: 17
# Att: 2
Dmg/Att: 1-4/1-4
SA: Breath weapon, psionics
SD: Psionics
MR: 10%
Size: S (2-4 feet long)
Morale: Elite (13)
XP Value: 650

Pavilion dragons live in the tops of the tallest trees in tropical rainforests. Some people compare them to faerie dragons, colorful tropical birds, or a cross between the two. They have beaklike snouts, large eyes, snaking necks, and four legs close together on their bodies. Their scales resemble gemstones--dark blue like spinel on females and a fiery rainbow of rubies, jacinth, and topaz on males. Their tails are almost as long as the rest of their body, and their wings have long tips that, when folded, drape down alongside the tail. They range in size from about 18 inches when hatched to 4 feet long in extreme old age.

Combat: Pavilion dragons are generally non-agressive, but they fight fiercely to defend their nests and young from poachers. When threatened, they use their breath weapon first. This weapon is sharp percussion of sound that stuns all creatures (except other pavilion dragons) within 15 feet unless thsoe creatures make a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon. Affected creatures cannot act for 2d4 rounds. Pavilion dragons can use their breath weapon three times a day.

In addition to their breath weapon, pavilion dragons have the psionic powers of 6th-level psionicists. They prefer the disciplines of psychoportation and clairvoyance above others and generally study powers of defense and escape. The powers listed below are common selections, but pavilion dragons have as much flexibility to choose their psionic abilties as any other psionicist character.

As a last resort, a pavilion dragon can attack with two claws as it swoops on opponents. These attacks each cause 1d4 points of damage. If both claw attacks hit, dragonets can carry off a creature of size T or S. They generally use this ability to carry off their prey. When faced with very small enemies like tasloi, however, they carry off their opponents to drop them from a great height.

Psionics Summary: Dis 3/Sci 3/Dev 11; PS 12; PSPs 45
Att: None; Def: MB, MBk, TS.
Player's Option: #AT 1; MTHAC0 15; MAC 6.
Psychoportation: Sciences--teleport; Devotions--dimensional door.
Clairsentience: Sciences--clairaudience, clairvoyance; Devotions--all-around vision, danger sense, poison sense, radial navigation.
Telepathy: Sciences--attraction, aversion, contact (mind blank), false sensory input, invisibility, life detection.

Habitat/Society: Pavilion dragons build nests in the topmost branches of a rainforest's tallest trees. They mate for life, and the female lays one egg every spring. The young remain with the parents for five years, forming family units consisting of two adults and as many as five hatchlings.

Pavilion dragons are prized as familiars and companions, though they do not willingly leave their homes. They bond so closely with humanoid companions that they share complete telepathy within a range of 100 yards, transmitting not only sights and sounds but also complete thoughts.

Pavilion dragons are the most even-keeled of all dragonets. They are fun-loving without being annoying, sharing warm humor with their companions. They delight in the natural beauty of their homes more than in pranks.

Ecology: Pavilion dragons eat a wide variety of large insects, small birds, eggs, fruits, and occasionally lizards and small monkeys. They have a natural lifespan of 26-35 years.

 

[freyar]

Well, type should be easy. We have Int 11-12, so I'd say go with 12. I'd probably also pick Str 10-11, Dex 14-15, Con 10-11. Not much thought on the Wis and Cha.

 

[Shade]

Here are the ability scores of the other dragonets mentioned in the article, for reference:

Faerie Dragon (S): Str 13, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 16
Firedrake (S): Str 13, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 10
Pseudodragon (T): Str 6, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10

Freyar's suggested ability scores fit nicely within this range, although a +1 bump to Con might be worthwhile. Wis 13, Cha 14?

 

[freyar]

Wis and Cha sound about right, and I'd be fine with Con 12-13.

 

[Leopold]

I'm a bit rusty for conversion wise on things, please bear with me as I get into the swing of things again.

I'd peg Int at 12, Wis 14, Cha 14. These are smart lil critters and if we use sorcerer for their abilities be nice to have a higher DC for spells.

Sticking with psionic abilities or can we use something along the lines of making all their spell like abilities Sonic based?

Their breath weapon is sonic based and most of their abilities can be used like a sorcerer with a slant to the whole <Spell>(Sonic) idea.

Breath Weapon: 15' Cone of Sound that stuns creatures for 2d4 rounds. DC 15
Attacks: Clawx2, 1d4. If both claws hit then roll for grapple check with +4.

 

[freyar]

So Str 11, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 14?

I think we'd usually stick with psionics.

The breath weapon looks good.

I agree with the grapple, probably we want improved grab.

 

[Shade]

Hey there, Leopold! <waves>

This would be a good critter to do like the MM monsters with psionics: make them SLAs or spells, then use a sidebar for psionic variants.

 

[Leopold]

So Str 11, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 14?

smart lil winged creatures of peskiness. I concur.

The breath weapon looks good.

I agree with the grapple, probably we want improved grab.

make it so!

This would be a good critter to do like the MM monsters with psionics: make them SLAs or spells, then use a sidebar for psionic variants.

I don't know psionics for nuttin and most people don't want to dick around with it. I like this approach.

Abilities:

Psychoportation: Sciences--teleport; Devotions--dimensional door.

3xday: Teleport,Dimension door

Clairsentience: Sciences--clairaudience, clairvoyance; Devotions--all-around vision, danger sense, poison sense, radial navigation.

3xday: Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, (all around vision a spell?)
At will: Detect Poison, Direction Sense

Telepathy: Sciences--attraction, aversion, contact (mind blank), false sensory input, invisibility, life detection.

3xday: Invisibilty, Attracation, Aversion.
At will: Life detection.


I'm feeling these out as little dragons who sit on their masters shoulders, like nobbles, and can tell if people are good, bad, other toward their host. Kind of like an advisor, food taster, bodyguard all in one.

CR: 5?

 

[freyar]

This all sounds fine. So for SLAs we have

3/day: Teleport, Dimension Door, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Invisibility
At will: Detect Poison
What I can't find in the SRD: All-around Vision, Direction Sense, Attraction, Aversion, Life Detection. Life Detection could be Detect Animals or Plants. Attraction & aversion sound like sympathy & antipathy, but those are way too powerful. We could write up some Su abilities.