Post/Author/DateTime	Post
lordtiberiusfoxx 12-19-06, 11:40 PM	Does the Draconic aura produce a visual effect? Neither PHBII or Dragon Magic say either way. Marshall auras do; they chatter and order their compatriots about the battlefield. But are Dragon Shaman the same way? Do they call upon their dragon totem, creating a massive nimbus of dragonsoul that enshrouds them and encircles their companions, strengthening them in battle? (and also make themselves a target as well) Or do Dragon Shamen merely add bonuses to their buddies invisibly just by showing up? Tiberius Foxx
Fiery_Fighter_Drake 12-20-06, 12:36 AM	Well, true dragons can give out their frightful presence without much fanfare. This is because they are are huge and powerful, so their mere presence can scare/intimidate lesser creatures. Perhaps the same could be said for the auras of a dragon shaman. Perhaps he exudes power, his mere presence alone being enough to empower his allies with the abilities of his aura... Try discussing with your DM about this. Like my old warlock character who had shadowy, feathered wings when he activated his Fell Flight invocation, some artistic liberties can be taken with how characters cast their spells or use their abilities. Take note of how this may effect gameplay, especially with NPCs around, as dragon shamans tend to leave their aura "turned on" at all times.
Harliquinn 12-20-06, 08:15 AM	I think that initiating an aura *might* have some type of effect visible or audible to those around (I keep picturing a shimmering of energy or something similar around the shaman's allies). However, once engaged I don't think it would require any type of ongoing visual or other giveaway clues unless the player wanted them to. Harliquinn
lordtiberiusfoxx 12-20-06, 11:44 AM	I would personally like to see a visual effect accompanying a draconic aura as well. To me, it looks cool, adds flavor to the game, and to be quite frank, dragon shamen don't need any more advantages than they already have. But unfortunately, RPGA regulations are a rules lawyer's best friend. When I run a table, I'm required to run a game by the book. Not only does this cheapen the game (which makes me ill), but if I attempt to impose a visual effect like this I will have a 30 minute arguement if I don't have an official ruling. Again, logic would dictate to me that there is some sort of perceivable effect taking place. If we were going to compare this to draconic presense for example, draconic presense has an overwhelming sensation of "damn, he's scary." If draconic auras work in the same way and are just not flashy, that's fine. In this case, anyone looking at dragon shaman boy says, "He's empowering his allies through his mystic might!" Crazy dragon shamen... Tiberius Foxx
Harliquinn 12-20-06, 02:54 PM	I think it would hinder dragon shaman in general if their auras had a flashy look all the time (giant licks of flame coming off their body for instance), since it would have all kinds of problems with skill checks and such. I think it should be left up to the individual players for the most part. If one dragon shaman wants a visible aura that befits their character, so be it. As a DM, the main goal is to make the game fun for the players and yourself, so a lot of times it just means compromise or go with what is most fun. As for Dragon Shaman having a lot of advantages, in all honesty, they aren't more advantaged than a lot of other classes and according to many are probably on the lower-end of the power spectrum (Flavor-wise they rule). Dragon Shaman are clearly support-style characters who can do a little bit of tanking and some healing (past 6th) for the group.
Rewth 12-20-06, 03:34 PM	my personal opinion is that a shaman's aura might manifest something visually when it's first activated by the shaman, and also when it specifically triggers on a player (in the case of healing or the energy damage effects) but they'd be fairly minimal. definitely nothing constant, and really just for flavor. as a DM I'd certainly not penalize a player by having the baddies target them due to it. my players commented when suddenly out of no where a small burst of flame zapped their enemy when they were hit. wondering aloud which one of them had cast such an interesting and useful spell. they actually roleplayed for a good 10 minutes simply over that effect. was really nice to get the characters familiar with each other in their first module together.
Harliquinn 12-20-06, 03:50 PM	That sounds like a cool scenario that played out. I think I would allow the characters to know they were under the effects of a Draconic Aura, even if it was not specific as to who was doing it. This would be especially true when the aura is first activated. Some examples: 1) Aura of Senses (Spot, Listen, Initiative): Your vision and hearing suddenly clear as colors become more vivid, you are able to see further, and sounds resonate with echoes in your ears. 2) Aura of Fast Healing: Your body feels infused with healing energy, as wounds that you recently suffered start to close up. 3) Aura of Damage Shield: A light sheen of <insert energy> (crackles, oozes, swirls, steams, etc) off of your body as if you are a source for repressed energy waiting to be discharged. etc.... Something like that could go a long way to really adding flavor to the auras of the dragon shaman without penalizing them as you said. I hope more players of dragon shamans take this approach as they really are a flavorful class. Cheers Harli
Istaran 12-20-06, 05:16 PM	As a personal note, I play a spellscale dragon shaman, and I have my auras give a percievable non-visable effect to all my allies which is flavored by which dragon-diety/constellation I meditated to that day. So one day it's a creepy skin-crawling sensation, another day it seems like their armor is shinier and higher quality than usual, but in both cases it's just DR 1/magic. Since there is no official guidelines, I think this is a great place to work in artistic flare.
Mherduwynn 12-31-06, 05:26 AM	According to David Noonan, the credited author of Player's Handbook II (the book where Dragon Shaman appeared), draconic auras have no sensory component to either initiating or continuing them. After-effects, such as energy damage or fast healing wounds, are of course apparent but do not necessarily link the dragon shaman to them. In a home game, I personally do away with that and lend a visual (at least) effect to initiating an aura, but an official ruling was asked for. That work? :) -A
Harliquinn 12-31-06, 10:57 AM	Thanks August.
lordtiberiusfoxx 12-31-06, 01:20 PM	You're awsome August. That works. (Incidentally, I agree with your home game ruling.) Tiberius Foxx
Mherduwynn 01-07-07, 01:45 AM	Most welcome. We really try to answer questions quickly here; it's another way to make sure you all have the play experience you deserve. As a mostly unrelated note, the Dragon Shaman is (in my opinion) one of the coolest classes to come along in a while. It's got a lot of the same flavor as the Paladin from World of WarCrack while still keeping a d20 fantasy feel. Two very good things in my book. :) -A
rei21 02-02-07, 10:15 AM	That sounds like a cool scenario that played out. I think I would allow the characters to know they were under the effects of a Draconic Aura, even if it was not specific as to who was doing it. This would be especially true when the aura is first activated. Some examples: 1) Aura of Senses (Spot, Listen, Initiative): Your vision and hearing suddenly clear as colors become more vivid, you are able to see further, and sounds resonate with echoes in your ears. 2) Aura of Fast Healing: Your body feels infused with healing energy, as wounds that you recently suffered start to close up. 3) Aura of Damage Shield: A light sheen of <insert energy> (crackles, oozes, swirls, steams, etc) off of your body as if you are a source for repressed energy waiting to be discharged. etc.... Something like that could go a long way to really adding flavor to the auras of the dragon shaman without penalizing them as you said. I hope more players of dragon shamans take this approach as they really are a flavorful class. Cheers Harli can i have two Aura of Damage Shield ACTIVE? with different energy?
Harliquinn 02-02-07, 10:19 AM	can i have two Aura of Damage Shield ACTIVE? with different energy? A single Dragon Shaman could not have two Damage Shields active, since it is one power and based on your totem dragon. Whether two dragon shaman's can 'stack' their damage shields (different types of course) isn't really answered anywhere. In general, as a DM, I would rule no, since they are both damage shields coming from the same source (Draconic Aura: Energy Shield). What occurs in XE, I don't know. On a related note, two Energy Resistances would stack since they would absorb different energy types and not overlap or stack (much like you can have DR 1/Slashing and DR 2/Cold Iron at the same time). Harliquinn
Istaran 02-02-07, 05:27 PM	Whether two dragon shaman's can 'stack' their damage shields (different types of course) isn't really answered anywhere. In general, as a DM, I would rule no, since they are both damage shields coming from the same source (Draconic Aura: Energy Shield). What occurs in XE, I don't know. They produce two different effects: 2 points of cold damage, and 2 of electricity damage for example. These should stack; if not, how would you deteremine which damage type is dealt? This can have conciderably different effects, and there is no rules to say which applies. Your generic enemies are affected the same, but there are plenty of special cases. Also, since both dragon shamans are tying up their aura to provide this feature (which requires allies to be hit to even function) it is not unreasonable to give them the benefit of their class feature. One of them could be doing something else like giving DR or +melee damage instead. You can house rule how you like, but XE needs to go with RAW (as modified by the XECS) as much as plausible.