Dracons - a form of lesser dragons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dracons - a form of lesser dragons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Doomhawk
03-05-04, 11:57 PM Okay, so a while ago I came up with an idea for a 'lesser' race of dragons, called dracons, kind of stemming from the desire to have a dragon mount for a character, but knowing that normal dragons were so powerful that I would have to be ridiculously high level before I could get a dragon companion big enough to carry me. Dracons are comparable to dragons in size but not as strong or intelligent, so it is possible to have a dracon mount at a lower level; also, due to their lower intelligence and power level, it is less problematic to allow them into the game.

So here they are (sorry if the format is a little problematic, I wrote this in the days of 3.0 and although I think I changed everything that needed to be changed, I might've missed something). Also, because I cannot for the life of me figure out a way to make decent tables in this message board format, the abilities are done in two columns at a time (age-size, then age-hit dice, then age-Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha, then age-base attack/grapple, etc.) It's kind of messy but tables would be too.

Dracons

Dragon (Fire)
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2-5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1-2 plus 2-5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 2; Very Young 3; Young 5; Juvenile 6; Young Adult 8; Adult 9; Mature Adult 11; Old 13; Very Old 14; Ancient 15; Wyrm 16; Great Wyrm 18
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: Wyrmling 3 HD (Tiny); Very Young 5 HD (Small); Young 7 HD (Medium); Juvenile 9 HD (Medium); Young Adult 11 HD (Large); Adult 13 HD (Large); Mature Adult 15 HD (Huge); Old 17 HD (Huge); Very Old 19 HD (Huge); Ancient 21 HD (Huge); Wyrm 23 HD (Gargantuan); Great Wyrm 25+ HD (Gargantuan)

No one is quite sure where Dracons came from. In physical form, they are almost indistinguishable from dragons. Their hides tend to be metallic in color, often bronze or brass. However, Dracons are significantly less powerful than dragons, lacking both the physical and mental prowess of the “true” draconic species. Their eyes are large and inquisitive, much like a cat’s. Dracons tend to be peaceful, and enjoy interacting with goodly humanoid races.
“Less powerful than a dragon” includes most of the world, so Dracons are by no means weak. In addition, their much faster life cycle than most dragons allows them to avoid extinction at the hands of the more powerful varieties. Dracon age categories are as follows:
Wyrmling: 0-1 years
Very Young: 1-3 years
Young: 3-5 years
Juvenile: 5-10 years
Young Adult: 10-20 years
Adult: 20-40 years
Mature Adult: 40-80 years
Old: 80-120 years
Very Old: 120-160 years
Ancient: 160-200 years
Wyrm: 200-240 years
Great Wyrm: 240+ years

Goodly dragons tend to look on Dracons the way that humans look on smaller siblings. If a Dracon is threatened, a metallic dragon is likely to provide aid. Humans and dracons often forge strong friendships, and families of dracons enjoy serving as guardians for human communities. Much more often than “true” dragons, Dracons serve as mounts for humans.
Dracons are a very resilient species, and they can be found just about anywhere. Some scholars have speculated that chromatic Dracons should exist; if they do, then it is likely that they are not often seen because the chromatic dragons enslave them to perform relatively menial tasks.

Combat

Dracons do not attack without reason, and often prefer to talk with any creature that does not display open hostility. When faced with a threat they cannot overcome, dracons tend to flee and then return with allies.
Breath Weapon (Su): A dracon’s breath weapon is a line of fire.
Fire Subtype (Ex): Fire immunity, double damage from cold except on a successful save.

DRACONS BY AGE

Size
Wyrmling T
Very Young S
Young M
Juvenile M
Young Adult L
Adult L
Mature Adult H
Old H
Very Old H
Ancient H
Wyrm G
Great Wyrm G

Hit Dice
Wyrmling 2d12 (13)
Very Young 4d12 (26)
Young 6d12+6 (45)
Juvenile 8d12+8 (60)
Young Adult 10d12+20 (85)
Adult 12d12+36 (114)
Mature Adult 14d12+56 (147)
Old 16d12+64 (168)
Very Old 18d12+90 (207)
Ancient 20d12+100 (230)
Wyrm 22d12+132 (275)
Great Wyrm 24d12+168 (324)

Armor Class
Wyrmling 13 (+2 size, +1 natural)
Very Young 14 (+1 size, +3 natural)
Young 15 (+5 natural)
Juvenile 17 (+7 natural)
Young Adult 18 (-1 size, +9 natural)
Adult 20 (-1 size, +11 natural)
Mature Adult 21 (-2 size, +13 natural)
Old 23 (-2 size, +15 natural)
Very Old 25 (-2 size, +17 natural)
Ancient 27 (-2 size, +19 natural)
Wyrm 27 (-4 size, +21 natural)
Great Wyrm 29 (-4 size, +23 natural)

Str/Dex/Con
Wyrmling 9/10/11
Very Young 11/10/11
Young 13/10/13
Juvenile 15/10/13
Young Adult 17/10/15
Adult 19/10/17
Mature Adult 23/10/19
Old 25/10/19
Very Old 27/10/21
Ancient 29/10/21
Wyrm 31/10/23
Great Wyrm 33/10/23

Int/Wis/Cha
Wyrmling 5/9/5
Very Young 5/9/5
Young 7/10/7
Juvenile 7/10/7
Young Adult 9/12/9
Adult 9/12/9
Mature Adult 11/14/11
Old 11/14/11
Very Old 13/16/13
Ancient 13/16/13
Wyrm 15/18/15
Great Wyrm 15/18/15

Base Attack/Grapple
Wyrmling +2/-6
Very Young +4/+0
Young +6/+7
Juvenile +8/+10
Young Adult +10/+17
Adult +12/+20
Mature Adult +14/+28
Old +16/+31
Very Old +18/+34
Ancient +20/+37
Wyrm +22/+44
Great Wyrm +24/+47

Attack
Wyrmling +3
Very Young +5
Young +7
Juvenile +10
Young Adult +12
Adult +15
Mature Adult +18
Old +21
Very Old +24
Ancient +27
Wyrm +28
Great Wyrm +31

Fort/Ref/Will
Wyrmling +3/+3/+2
Very Young +4/+4/+3
Young +6/+5/+5
Juvenile +7/+6/+6
Young Adult +9/+7/+8
Adult +11/+8/+9
Mature Adult +13/+9/+11
Old +14/+10/+12
Very Old +16/+11/+14
Ancient +17/+12/+15
Wyrm +19/+13/+17
Great Wyrm +21/+14/+18

Breath Weapon (DC)
Wyrmling 1d6 (11)
Very Young 2d6 (12)
Young 3d6 (14)
Juvenile 4d6 (15)
Young Adult 5d6 (17)
Adult 6d6 (19)
Mature Adult 7d6 (21)
Old 8d6 (22)
Very Old 9d6 (24)
Ancient 10d6 (25)
Wyrm 11d6 (27)
Great Wyrm 12d6 (29)

Fear DC/SR
Wyrmling -/-
Very Young -/-
Young -/-
Juvenile -/-
Young Adult 14/18
Adult 15/19
Mature Adult 17/21
Old 18/23
Very Old 20/24
Ancient 21/25
Wyrm 23/26
Great Wyrm 24/28

Special Abilities
Wyrmling: [Fire] subtype
Mature Adult: DR 5/magic
Very Old: DR 10/magic
Wyrm: DR 15/magic

It is possible for dracons of elements other than fire to exist; however, fire being the element most commonly associated with dragons, I decided to make the dracon a fire creature. Changing its breath weapon and subtype to a different element would work just as well.

EDIT: Oh wow, those tables really ARE messy. Not to mention ugly. Sorry about that...
Doomhawk
03-05-04, 11:58 PM Stupid keyboard... accidentally hit post. I'll try to finish it before anyone sees...
Ssussunriyh
03-06-04, 01:55 AM I have a homebrew monster called a demi-dragon that takes the place of true dragons where everyone else would use them. Thing is, most NPCs (commoners and so forth) can't tell the difference between the two.

IMC, true dragons (chromatic, metallics, etc.) are extremely rare. As in, you'll only meet one of each type in the entire course of the campaign (if you ever meet them at all, that is.)

So, a village is being harassed by demi-dragons killing and eating their sheep or whatever, gets some adventurers to mop them up, and hail them as mighty dragon-slayers. Then, when they meet up with a REAL dragon...

Demi-Dragon
Large Dragon
Hit Dice: 7d10+21 (Avg. 56 hit points)
Initiative: +1 Dex
Speed: 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (good), swim 40 ft.
AC: 18 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +8 Natural Armor)
Attacks: Bite +8 melee, 2 claws +8 melee, 1 kick/tail slap/wing buffet +6 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6, 2 claws 1d8, kick 1d8, tail slap 1d6, wing buffet 1d6
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Flyby Attack
Special Qualities: Scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8
Feats: Endurance, Wingover Maneuver
Climate/Terrain: Temperate forest, hills, and mountains
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Family (4-10)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None (see text)
Alignment: Usually Neutral
Advancement: 8-12 HD (10 HD and greater are Huge size)

Demi-dragons are thought to be an offshoot of true dragons, as they resemble small dragons, but do not have innate magical abilities. An adult demi-dragon measures about 16 feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail, with a wingspan of about 24 feet. Although not as intelligent as true dragons, they are very strong and are swift and agile fliers, and make excellent mounts if tamed. A full-grown demi-dragon can carry up to three man-sized creatures. They are earth-toned in color, usually mottled green or brown with a pale underbelly, although black & gray examples are occasionally seen. Demi-dragons speak Draconic and can also speak a crude form of the Common tongue, although vocal limitation makes their pronunciation difficult to understand.

Combat: Demi-dragons do not have breath weapons or magical abilities like true dragons, but they are still formidable opponents. In flight, they have maneuverability class Good, even with a rider aboard. (With two or more passengers, their maneuverability drops to Average.) They employ claw/claw/bite flyby attacks in aerial combat. On the ground, they can also kick or tail slap opponents behind them, and wing buffet opponents to either side. (Kicking does 1d8 damage and knocks man-sized or smaller opponents back 1d6 feet. A tail slap or a wing buffet does 1d6 damage. Victims of kicks, tail slaps, or wing buffets must make a Fortitude save or be knocked down and stunned for 1 round. A demi-dragon cannot kick and tail slap in the same round, although it can claw with one front leg and kick with one hind leg simultaneously - the other two legs are needed to maintain balance.)

Habitat/Society: Demi-dragons prefer to live in cool temperate regions. They make their lairs in hilly or mountainous terrain, or in dense forests. They are usually solitary, except when mating and raising young. Males and females share this task, one guarding the nest while the other forages for food. About two months after mating the female lays 2-8 eggs, which hatch three weeks later. The young remain with their parents until they are one year old, at which time they go out on their own and the parents separate. (Sometimes a pair mates for life, but these instances are rare.) The young reach full maturity in three years. Demi-dragons live about 400 years. Unlike true dragons, demi-dragons have no interest in wealth, although some do collect shiny objects. However, these are just as likely to be pebbles and bits of glass as gold or gems.

Ecology: Demi-dragons are omnivorous, both grazing and hunting for fresh meat. They can eat almost anything, from grasses to shrubs and small trees (one trained demi-dragon had a taste for fruit trees and rose bushes, which got his rider in trouble.) They hunt deer, sheep and similar animals, especially when raising young. They also enjoy fish, which they catch in mountain lakes and streams. Salmon is a favorite delicacy. Wild demi-dragons are shy and reclusive creatures, and are not aggressive unless threatened. They may (25%) speak to humanoids if approached carefully, although many a valiant young warrior has slain a demi-dragon to prove his courage, mistaking it for a true dragon.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Doomhawk 03-05-04, 11:57 PM	Okay, so a while ago I came up with an idea for a 'lesser' race of dragons, called dracons, kind of stemming from the desire to have a dragon mount for a character, but knowing that normal dragons were so powerful that I would have to be ridiculously high level before I could get a dragon companion big enough to carry me. Dracons are comparable to dragons in size but not as strong or intelligent, so it is possible to have a dracon mount at a lower level; also, due to their lower intelligence and power level, it is less problematic to allow them into the game. So here they are (sorry if the format is a little problematic, I wrote this in the days of 3.0 and although I think I changed everything that needed to be changed, I might've missed something). Also, because I cannot for the life of me figure out a way to make decent tables in this message board format, the abilities are done in two columns at a time (age-size, then age-hit dice, then age-Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha, then age-base attack/grapple, etc.) It's kind of messy but tables would be too. Dracons Dragon (Fire) Climate/Terrain: Any Organization: Wyrmling, very young, young, juvenile, and young adult: solitary or clutch (2-5); adult, mature adult, old, very old, ancient, wyrm, or great wyrm: solitary, pair, or family (1-2 plus 2-5 offspring) Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 2; Very Young 3; Young 5; Juvenile 6; Young Adult 8; Adult 9; Mature Adult 11; Old 13; Very Old 14; Ancient 15; Wyrm 16; Great Wyrm 18 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually chaotic good Advancement: Wyrmling 3 HD (Tiny); Very Young 5 HD (Small); Young 7 HD (Medium); Juvenile 9 HD (Medium); Young Adult 11 HD (Large); Adult 13 HD (Large); Mature Adult 15 HD (Huge); Old 17 HD (Huge); Very Old 19 HD (Huge); Ancient 21 HD (Huge); Wyrm 23 HD (Gargantuan); Great Wyrm 25+ HD (Gargantuan) No one is quite sure where Dracons came from. In physical form, they are almost indistinguishable from dragons. Their hides tend to be metallic in color, often bronze or brass. However, Dracons are significantly less powerful than dragons, lacking both the physical and mental prowess of the “true” draconic species. Their eyes are large and inquisitive, much like a cat’s. Dracons tend to be peaceful, and enjoy interacting with goodly humanoid races. “Less powerful than a dragon” includes most of the world, so Dracons are by no means weak. In addition, their much faster life cycle than most dragons allows them to avoid extinction at the hands of the more powerful varieties. Dracon age categories are as follows: Wyrmling: 0-1 years Very Young: 1-3 years Young: 3-5 years Juvenile: 5-10 years Young Adult: 10-20 years Adult: 20-40 years Mature Adult: 40-80 years Old: 80-120 years Very Old: 120-160 years Ancient: 160-200 years Wyrm: 200-240 years Great Wyrm: 240+ years Goodly dragons tend to look on Dracons the way that humans look on smaller siblings. If a Dracon is threatened, a metallic dragon is likely to provide aid. Humans and dracons often forge strong friendships, and families of dracons enjoy serving as guardians for human communities. Much more often than “true” dragons, Dracons serve as mounts for humans. Dracons are a very resilient species, and they can be found just about anywhere. Some scholars have speculated that chromatic Dracons should exist; if they do, then it is likely that they are not often seen because the chromatic dragons enslave them to perform relatively menial tasks. Combat Dracons do not attack without reason, and often prefer to talk with any creature that does not display open hostility. When faced with a threat they cannot overcome, dracons tend to flee and then return with allies. Breath Weapon (Su): A dracon’s breath weapon is a line of fire. Fire Subtype (Ex): Fire immunity, double damage from cold except on a successful save. DRACONS BY AGE Size Wyrmling T Very Young S Young M Juvenile M Young Adult L Adult L Mature Adult H Old H Very Old H Ancient H Wyrm G Great Wyrm G Hit Dice Wyrmling 2d12 (13) Very Young 4d12 (26) Young 6d12+6 (45) Juvenile 8d12+8 (60) Young Adult 10d12+20 (85) Adult 12d12+36 (114) Mature Adult 14d12+56 (147) Old 16d12+64 (168) Very Old 18d12+90 (207) Ancient 20d12+100 (230) Wyrm 22d12+132 (275) Great Wyrm 24d12+168 (324) Armor Class Wyrmling 13 (+2 size, +1 natural) Very Young 14 (+1 size, +3 natural) Young 15 (+5 natural) Juvenile 17 (+7 natural) Young Adult 18 (-1 size, +9 natural) Adult 20 (-1 size, +11 natural) Mature Adult 21 (-2 size, +13 natural) Old 23 (-2 size, +15 natural) Very Old 25 (-2 size, +17 natural) Ancient 27 (-2 size, +19 natural) Wyrm 27 (-4 size, +21 natural) Great Wyrm 29 (-4 size, +23 natural) Str/Dex/Con Wyrmling 9/10/11 Very Young 11/10/11 Young 13/10/13 Juvenile 15/10/13 Young Adult 17/10/15 Adult 19/10/17 Mature Adult 23/10/19 Old 25/10/19 Very Old 27/10/21 Ancient 29/10/21 Wyrm 31/10/23 Great Wyrm 33/10/23 Int/Wis/Cha Wyrmling 5/9/5 Very Young 5/9/5 Young 7/10/7 Juvenile 7/10/7 Young Adult 9/12/9 Adult 9/12/9 Mature Adult 11/14/11 Old 11/14/11 Very Old 13/16/13 Ancient 13/16/13 Wyrm 15/18/15 Great Wyrm 15/18/15 Base Attack/Grapple Wyrmling +2/-6 Very Young +4/+0 Young +6/+7 Juvenile +8/+10 Young Adult +10/+17 Adult +12/+20 Mature Adult +14/+28 Old +16/+31 Very Old +18/+34 Ancient +20/+37 Wyrm +22/+44 Great Wyrm +24/+47 Attack Wyrmling +3 Very Young +5 Young +7 Juvenile +10 Young Adult +12 Adult +15 Mature Adult +18 Old +21 Very Old +24 Ancient +27 Wyrm +28 Great Wyrm +31 Fort/Ref/Will Wyrmling +3/+3/+2 Very Young +4/+4/+3 Young +6/+5/+5 Juvenile +7/+6/+6 Young Adult +9/+7/+8 Adult +11/+8/+9 Mature Adult +13/+9/+11 Old +14/+10/+12 Very Old +16/+11/+14 Ancient +17/+12/+15 Wyrm +19/+13/+17 Great Wyrm +21/+14/+18 Breath Weapon (DC) Wyrmling 1d6 (11) Very Young 2d6 (12) Young 3d6 (14) Juvenile 4d6 (15) Young Adult 5d6 (17) Adult 6d6 (19) Mature Adult 7d6 (21) Old 8d6 (22) Very Old 9d6 (24) Ancient 10d6 (25) Wyrm 11d6 (27) Great Wyrm 12d6 (29) Fear DC/SR Wyrmling -/- Very Young -/- Young -/- Juvenile -/- Young Adult 14/18 Adult 15/19 Mature Adult 17/21 Old 18/23 Very Old 20/24 Ancient 21/25 Wyrm 23/26 Great Wyrm 24/28 Special Abilities Wyrmling: [Fire] subtype Mature Adult: DR 5/magic Very Old: DR 10/magic Wyrm: DR 15/magic It is possible for dracons of elements other than fire to exist; however, fire being the element most commonly associated with dragons, I decided to make the dracon a fire creature. Changing its breath weapon and subtype to a different element would work just as well. EDIT: Oh wow, those tables really ARE messy. Not to mention ugly. Sorry about that...
Doomhawk 03-05-04, 11:58 PM	Stupid keyboard... accidentally hit post. I'll try to finish it before anyone sees...
Ssussunriyh 03-06-04, 01:55 AM	I have a homebrew monster called a demi-dragon that takes the place of true dragons where everyone else would use them. Thing is, most NPCs (commoners and so forth) can't tell the difference between the two. IMC, true dragons (chromatic, metallics, etc.) are extremely rare. As in, you'll only meet one of each type in the entire course of the campaign (if you ever meet them at all, that is.) So, a village is being harassed by demi-dragons killing and eating their sheep or whatever, gets some adventurers to mop them up, and hail them as mighty dragon-slayers. Then, when they meet up with a REAL dragon... Demi-Dragon Large Dragon Hit Dice: 7d10+21 (Avg. 56 hit points) Initiative: +1 Dex Speed: 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (good), swim 40 ft. AC: 18 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +8 Natural Armor) Attacks: Bite +8 melee, 2 claws +8 melee, 1 kick/tail slap/wing buffet +6 melee Damage: Bite 2d6, 2 claws 1d8, kick 1d8, tail slap 1d6, wing buffet 1d6 Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Flyby Attack Special Qualities: Scent Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10 Skills: Listen +8, Spot +8 Feats: Endurance, Wingover Maneuver Climate/Terrain: Temperate forest, hills, and mountains Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Family (4-10) Challenge Rating: 6 Treasure: None (see text) Alignment: Usually Neutral Advancement: 8-12 HD (10 HD and greater are Huge size) Demi-dragons are thought to be an offshoot of true dragons, as they resemble small dragons, but do not have innate magical abilities. An adult demi-dragon measures about 16 feet long from tip of nose to tip of tail, with a wingspan of about 24 feet. Although not as intelligent as true dragons, they are very strong and are swift and agile fliers, and make excellent mounts if tamed. A full-grown demi-dragon can carry up to three man-sized creatures. They are earth-toned in color, usually mottled green or brown with a pale underbelly, although black & gray examples are occasionally seen. Demi-dragons speak Draconic and can also speak a crude form of the Common tongue, although vocal limitation makes their pronunciation difficult to understand. Combat: Demi-dragons do not have breath weapons or magical abilities like true dragons, but they are still formidable opponents. In flight, they have maneuverability class Good, even with a rider aboard. (With two or more passengers, their maneuverability drops to Average.) They employ claw/claw/bite flyby attacks in aerial combat. On the ground, they can also kick or tail slap opponents behind them, and wing buffet opponents to either side. (Kicking does 1d8 damage and knocks man-sized or smaller opponents back 1d6 feet. A tail slap or a wing buffet does 1d6 damage. Victims of kicks, tail slaps, or wing buffets must make a Fortitude save or be knocked down and stunned for 1 round. A demi-dragon cannot kick and tail slap in the same round, although it can claw with one front leg and kick with one hind leg simultaneously - the other two legs are needed to maintain balance.) Habitat/Society: Demi-dragons prefer to live in cool temperate regions. They make their lairs in hilly or mountainous terrain, or in dense forests. They are usually solitary, except when mating and raising young. Males and females share this task, one guarding the nest while the other forages for food. About two months after mating the female lays 2-8 eggs, which hatch three weeks later. The young remain with their parents until they are one year old, at which time they go out on their own and the parents separate. (Sometimes a pair mates for life, but these instances are rare.) The young reach full maturity in three years. Demi-dragons live about 400 years. Unlike true dragons, demi-dragons have no interest in wealth, although some do collect shiny objects. However, these are just as likely to be pebbles and bits of glass as gold or gems. Ecology: Demi-dragons are omnivorous, both grazing and hunting for fresh meat. They can eat almost anything, from grasses to shrubs and small trees (one trained demi-dragon had a taste for fruit trees and rose bushes, which got his rider in trouble.) They hunt deer, sheep and similar animals, especially when raising young. They also enjoy fish, which they catch in mountain lakes and streams. Salmon is a favorite delicacy. Wild demi-dragons are shy and reclusive creatures, and are not aggressive unless threatened. They may (25%) speak to humanoids if approached carefully, although many a valiant young warrior has slain a demi-dragon to prove his courage, mistaking it for a true dragon.