Hey Folks, I've been working on a campaign and I realized that I need some assistance.
I was wondering if anyone would have a suggestion for an ability I could tack onto the Red Dragon at Wyrmling stage. Out of all the chromatic dragons, only the Red dragon lacks an extra ability or movement type from being a hatchling. For instance, Blue Dragons gain a burrow speed, Greens and Blacks gain a Swim, and White Dragons gain both a swim and a Burrow speed.
I would prefer if the ability is not replaced by a later ability that the Dragon will possess as it grows, and is of equivalent power when compared to:
So nothing too powerful, unless that power is exceedingly situational. I'm afraid that I've come up dry after all my other work on the campaign, and was hoping one of you folks would have fresh enough minds to give me a good suggestion.
Thanks!
Those aren't overpowering.
Of course the wyrmlings do tend to have a more significant special defense.
Mommy and Daddy.
Underplaying dragons to the point that they fit into the target monster of the week model is rather weak. My preferences and prejudices are showing here.
Perhaps give them the Kineticist's Basic Pyrokinesis utility talent?
BASIC PYROKINESIS
Element fire; Type utility (Sp); Level 1; Burn 0
You can use your inner flame to reproduce the effects of a flare, light, or spark cantrip, except that the light you create with light produces heat like a normal flame; using any of the three abilities ends any previous light effect from this wild talent.
Might even be a bit weak, comparatively. Maybe also giving them Dancing Lights, also which give off heat like a torch?
Those aren't overpowering.
Of course the wyrmlings do tend to have a more significant special defense.
Mommy and Daddy.Underplaying dragons to the point that they fit into the target monster of the week model is rather weak. My preferences and prejudices are showing here.
Dragons aren't the target monster of the week for the PCs to kill, My players are the dragons.
But thats neither here nor there.
Perhaps give them the Kineticist's Basic Pyrokinesis utility talent? Might even be a bit weak, comparatively. Maybe also giving them Dancing Lights, also which give off heat like a torch?
I've considered this, but I'd prefer something with more utility. Light and Spark are kind of useless with Dark Vision and dragon breath. I want to provide them some utility.
Ah. Right. I suppose they are a bit useless in context. Let's see... Perhaps Fire Sculptor? (per RAW, an old dragon can only manipulate magical flames)
Element fire; Type utility (Sp); Level 1; Burn 0
You can sculpt shapes out of flame or alter a fire’s spread. As a standard action, you can move one 5-foot square of an ongoing fire per kineticist level you possess to any square contiguous to that fire. For instance, a 4th-level kineticist could move 4 contiguous squares from the center of a 20-foot-by-20-foot fire to the fire’s edge in order to create a safe path to escape. The fire continues to spread normally after you sculpt it.
Ooh, that is a good catch Daedalus. I thought Manipulate flames was all fire, so I ignored Fire Sculptor when I was browsing Kineticist for ideas.
I guess it is a good fit then!
Any other ideas?
I mean, it's stupid that Manipulate Flames is only magical fire, but yeah, easy mistake to make.
You could also give them to have a constant water walk effect, but only to walk on lava and similar liquids. You could also enable them to breathe under lava. Both are thematic, not technically possible for a red dragon to otherwise accomplish, and conditionally useful.
No lava walking I'm afraid, after all the Black and Green cannot water walk either but being able to breath under it seems like an awesome little extra.
Seems weird that a Red can't do that naturally, but I guess there is an actual Magma Dragon...which can't do that either...
Still, points for cool. I like it.
Yeah. There's all sorts of little things that you sort of assume that something can do- like controlling nonmagical fires for a red dragon, or lava breathing for a magma dragon, that they just... can't, for some reason.
Do you want more?
Yeah. There's all sorts of little things that you sort of assume that something can do- like controlling nonmagical fires for a red dragon, or lava breathing for a magma dragon, that they just... can't, for some reason.
Do you want more?
Naw, that is about on par with the other abilities. Thanks Dae.
As I mentioned my players are gonna be dragons, sort of. Its more like a low magic item gestalt game where all of them are gaining a mix of ABP, Eidolon Evolutions, and Dragon Abilities/SLAs instead of another class. I've got it skinned as them being cursed and slowly mutating into dragons based upon their negative quirks. There will inevitably be some fighting against their draconic nature, building hoardes, being cast out by the people who used to call them heroes, etc
Its going to be a good time. The trickiest part was equalizing the different chromatic dragons. I spent so much time on that and getting a fair balance of SLAs that I blew all my creativity for the final baby ability XD
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My first choice would be to make the red dragon wyrmling immune to the choking effects of smoke.
Perhaps the ability to breath out a cloud of smoke, instead of flame, might make a neat variant power, later (perhaps purchased via feat), to synergize with both smoke vision and an ability to breath in smoky environs without choking.
I'll be adding in the no-smoke and combine it with the breathing under lava and lava-only swim speed. I can move non-magical flame control down the list and combine it with manipulate flames...that was probably their intention anyway.
Regardless, I really like the idea of feats or variant powers adapting the monsters/players. I'll not be designing any right now, but I am never afraid to give the players exactly what they ask for.