Well, here I go again getting way in over my head on these things.
I started conceptualizing a basic list of dragon crossbreeds. Now, I don't need to make one for every possible combination (Or want to, for that matter!) but here's the ones I have so far:
Dragon Crossbreeds:
Gray = Black + White
Rust = Brass + other Metallic
Blade/Sword = Steel Dragon + Metallic
Steel = Silver + Chromatic
Purple = Red + Blue
Electrum = Gold + Silver
Yellow = Bronze + Green
Orange = Yellow + Red or Gold
Shadow = Black + Wyvern with silver dragon ancestry
Mithril = Silver + Steel
Adamantine = Steel + Rust
I am thinking about making a lot of them neutral by default, specifically the chromatic/metallic crossbreeds, although dragons in my campaign setting have no predetermined alignment.
I might also make some of them mules, but I'm not sure what to base such an idea on.
Anyone got any more types to add to the list or ideas on how to make me not kill myself with all of this?
Er, the best advice I could give you is don't use a 'new' type of dragon if an existing dragon with an existing template will do. just because dragons can breed with anything doesn't mean that they will.
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Er, the best advice I could give you is don't use a 'new' type of dragon if an existing dragon with an existing template will do. just because dragons can breed with anything doesn't mean that they will.
easy way is to add half dragon template to dragons.
i want orange, yellow, brown, purple, and other base color dragons
also the gem dragons, and sand dragons
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If you keep the "dragons are aligned" concept, then I'd recommend making the Chromatic + Metallic crossbreeds be the mules. This doesn't really work with the chart you have thus far, though, as Mithril and Adamantine dragons require breeding with Steel, which is a Ch + Mt crossbreed. Maybe have it be a skip-generation feature? *shrug*
The idea of having crossbreeds be different is certainly intriguing, especially if it resulted from two dragons in human form that didn't know the other was a dragon (presumably change shape abilities change your scent). That said, making such a chart is probably only really useful as a mental exercise, or as a tool later if you (by strange cooincidence) have the issue come up in a later campaign. Unless, of course, you make a campaign with a subset of this as a central issue (angsty Shadow dragon?)
If you keep the "dragons are aligned" concept, then I'd recommend making the Chromatic + Metallic crossbreeds be the mules.
In which case the Yellow dragon should be alignment: frightened ...
If you keep the "dragons are aligned" concept, then I'd recommend making the Chromatic + Metallic crossbreeds be the mules. This doesn't really work with the chart you have thus far, though, as Mithril and Adamantine dragons require breeding with Steel, which is a Ch + Mt crossbreed. Maybe have it be a skip-generation feature? *shrug*
The idea of having crossbreeds be different is certainly intriguing, especially if it resulted from two dragons in human form that didn't know the other was a dragon (presumably change shape abilities change your scent). That said, making such a chart is probably only really useful as a mental exercise, or as a tool later if you (by strange cooincidence) have the issue come up in a later campaign. Unless, of course, you make a campaign with a subset of this as a central issue (angsty Shadow dragon?)
Well, in the setting they're in, dragons are forced to live near each other, and after a few generations, a lot fo them started to lose their predetermined alignment, since they had to adapt to a completely new lifestyle.
The reason for the crossbreeds is that dragon society has done its share of changing, and mixing the blood has resulted in something unexpected.
Maybe the end of a metallic + chromatic crossbreed could be a mule unless it's breeding with the same type?
Er, the best advice I could give you is don't use a 'new' type of dragon if an existing dragon with an existing template will do. just because dragons can breed with anything doesn't mean that they will.
In this case, they might not even have a choice in the matter. In this case, the human government has something that they would be willing to sign on for military service for, and a possible requirement for this service might be to produce future generations of soldiers. Wild dragons can also be effectively kept in captivity thanks to a high number of spellcasters in the kingdom in question. If you had access to that much power, and then suddenly saw that you could make more specialized dragons, why not? Especially when doing so leads to a stronger military.
Existing templates don't do it for me. The half-dragon template is kind of silly. I was thinking of doing minor modifications to existing dragons, like replacing a breath weapon and immunities, different spells and special abilities, or maybe giving it the strength of the red but the int of the white.
The two dragons in human form would be a good way of doing this, though the country has only a few human/dragon crossbreeds due to them finding a quicker workaround. But, I already have that done.
So, template format. Maybe just something like "As blue dragon, but breathes acid and has 20 resistance to acid and cold, and has the following abilities instead"?
I want a Pink Dragon
I want a Pink DragonRed + White?
I was being sarcastic but I'm assuming that would be the way to get it.
Also not very original, evidently.
Huh... lol that's interesting. I just posted that because I thought a giant-pink-winged-lizard sounded funny.
why not split everything down the middle between the two types, such as hit dice, ac etc. So if one has 20hd and the other 24, then the "mix" gets 22. For the breath weapon pick the lower damage dice (d8 for red and blue i.e. purple) and have it do both damage types or half one type and half the other type. For immunities have it immune to both.
Hm, that is a good place to start. I figure I could invent a few new breath weapons (Basically as had as coming up with a description and then an effect), but the HD thing could be just what the doctor ordered.
My next idea was for immunities. Dragons are full of them, at least in D&D. Say we have the purple dragon, should it get immunity to fire and lightning or just a resistance, or should it depend entirely on the breath weapon?