Feats for Half-dragon ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Feats for Half-dragon ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Thoom
04-06-07, 09:04 PM Good feats to boost dragon aspect of half dragon?
SD
04-06-07, 11:07 PM Nope.

Ha, I partially kid. Your best bet would be to investigate anything with "dragonblood" mentioned in it and hope that half-dragons count for that subtype; see Races of the Dragon. Metabreath feats give you basically nothing, but you can take Improved Natural Armor for +1 AC or Improved Natural Attack (bite) for +1 average damage when it hits. Beyond thatI can't help, since "boost dragon aspect" is much more vague than, I dunno, "increase my melee combat prowess" or "assist me in my character build, a monk-like devotee of Bahamut", I'm just saying.
Mystyc
04-06-07, 11:56 PM The Dragon Breath feat (Races of the Dragon, I think) changes your breath weapon to every 1d4 rounds like a real dragon's. Then you would qualify for metabreath feats from the Draconomicon. RoDr and the D'con are going to be the best sources for this in general aside from standard stuff like Improved Natural Armor.

If you are large and have wings, there are lots of flight-based feats that could help as well.
Wraithwin
04-07-07, 12:02 AM I must nay-say the breath weapon statement above.
With the right feats, it's pretty damnded scary on a PC (see below).

So... Feats for a Half Dragon.
The key thing to remember here, is that half-dragon template gives you the "Dragon" type, not the "Dragonblood" subtype. The Dragon type automatically makes you qualify for anything require Dragonblood subtype, but not the other way around. This gives you a lot more options than might be apparent at first.

My suggetions go in two directions though.
The first set is more general, while the second is more breath-weapon inclined (you'll understand when you read). By all means, if you've got the feats to spend, mix the two. :)

General: (if you're not large, and still want wings)
"Dragon Wings" (Races of the Dragon)
"Improved Dragon Wings" (Races of the Dragon)
(You're limited to light armor and loads, but there's one feat in the book that ups you to medium, and another to heavy)

"Endure Blows" (Draconomicon)
Not bad at all in my opinion, and while no Dragonblood subtype character can take it, you can, 'cause Half-Dragon gives you the full on type. :) Not to mention there's a feat in another book that increases existing DR by +1. Two feats for DR 3/- is hard to beat (especially if you pick a feat that counts as toughness, but is actually better. LOL)

"Improved Speed" (Draconomicon)
Pretty sweet and straight forward.

Breath Weapon Focus:
"Dragon Breath" (Races of the Dragon)
Pretty hot if you ask me, especially if coupled with the Metabreath feats below... :)

"Clinging Breath" (My fave, Draconomicon)
Anybody who takes damage from your breath weapon intially, take half as much next round as they take initially with no save. :) They can spend a full-round action to remove it before the secondary effects (if they make a Reflex save equal to the original DC). It adds +1 to the rounds you need to wait between uses, but that's not bad considering the effects.

"Maximize Breath" (Draconomicon)
Adds +3 to the rounds you need to wait though.

"Quicken Breath" (Draconomicon)
Adds +4 rounds to how long you need to wait to use it, but dang... TWFighting, Full attack, quicken breath... Grin.

"Recover Breath" (Draconomicon)
Reduce the rounds you must wait between using your breath weapon by 1 (minimum 1). You can't take this feat more than once though... sigh.

"Any of the Shape Breath or Derivitive Feats" (Draconomicon)
Various effects including excluding targets, splitting a line to hit 2 targets, and lobbing your breath weapon similar to a fireball effect.

That's it for the dragon feats of immediate interest if I was the one looking, but as SD mentioned, pretty much anything that takes the Dragonblood subtype is a viable option as well.

Also... a scary thought for you. I know they're not feats, but something to consider if you ever bring a Half-Dragon epic: With the right feats and classes, they can qualify for some of the Prestige Classes in the Draconomicon, normally intended only for actual dragons. Only one or two list "True Dragon" as the requirement - so pretty much all the rest. :cool:

"Bloodscaled Fury"
Half-Dragon Barbarian 22, "Awaken Frightful Presence" (Draco), Power Attack Feat, Shockwave Feat (Draco), Windstorm Feat (Draco), Rage, and Intimidate 14 ranks.

Twelve level prestige class. At 1st level they use their class levels for determining Frightful Presence DC (sweet). At 2nd, 6th and 10th, their Rage bonuses increase even more. At 3rd, their DR improves by 5. Not bad to just dab in even.

Then there'y my personal favorite for Half-Dragons... :D

"Hidecarved Dragon" (Friggin scary that it encourages DMs to make MONK dragons)
Any Lawful Dragon, with the Iron Will feat, Base Will Save of +12, and... +20 Natural Armor... this is ouch, but can be achieved with feats. If you focus on Con and devote your bonus feats in Epic, it's doable. There are also several pre-epic feats that will improve existing natural armor.

All saves are high and it gives a d10 HD. While several of the bonuses won't help you much, a few of them will. You add your level in the class to your spell res (if you have any, like from Monk). At 3rd, choose 2 types of energy from the normal gamut of 5 that you aren't immune, weak or resistant to... and gain res 10 to each. At 6th, you gain immunity to one of those you were resistant to. Natural Armor improves, DR improves... Just nifty, though the bonus feats from Epic Monk may prove more useful. (shrugs) Who knows.

The PrCs for Bahamut and Tiamat could even be achieved pre-epic if done right (though it's tricky to get DR up to 5). You need to figure some way to get access to the Protection Domain (maybe a feat), but Barbarian into "Champion of Gwynhwaryf" (Exalted Deeds) into "Sacred Warder of Bahamut" sounds pretty cool to me. Especially if you splashed a level of cleric in there for the Domain. :) Two divine casting pools, great DR, Rage benefits, ability to cast while raging, resistances, various smite abilities, damage soak for yourself and allies... sweet.

Also on note to Mystyc - even if you can only use it onces per day, if you have a Breath Weapon you still qualify for meta-breath feats.

Another note is that "Half Dragon" is a template applied to another race. If you pick human, you still get your bonus feat and +1 skill points at each level.

I've rambled long enough. But there you go, some good ideas for Half Dragons.
Mystyc
04-07-07, 12:07 AM Also on note to Mystyc - even if you can only use it onces per day, if you have a Breath Weapon you still qualify for meta-breath feats.
Not really. Metabreath feats require a breath weapon whose recharge rate is measured in rounds. 1/day doesn't qualify.

Lots of good advice there, though.
Magrus
04-07-07, 12:17 AM Not really. Metabreath feats require a breath weapon whose recharge rate is measured in rounds. 1/day doesn't qualify.

Lots of good advice there, though.

Eh, personally, I would allow it for a 1/day breath. It would be different if it were multiple uses per day with no recharge time. Spending a feat that can only be used 1/day isn't broken or anything. It is FAR more useful if it can be applied to one that has a recharge time, hence, I wouldn't have a problem with a standard Half-Dragon taking meta-breath feats at all.
Wraithwin
04-07-07, 01:16 AM Mystyc, I apologize sincerely.

I assumed that because "breath weapon usable multiple times per day" or some such derivitive wasn't in the requirements for the feats, that it was irrelevant.

On retrospect, I check and see that the pre-cursor to the feats section explains Metabreath feats further, and does have faily specific requirements. My apologies. :eek:

On a similar note... I still love the concept of a Dragon Shaman with MetaBreath feats... :)
Mystyc
04-07-07, 01:32 AM Mystyc, I apologize sincerely.
Hey, no big deal. And like Magrus, I would probably let someone slide with a 1/day, seeing as you're losing a lot of the payoff. It would just be a house rule.
Forged_Fury
04-08-07, 08:46 AM Kind of a tag-on question, but would a character who is taking levels in Dragon Disciple qualify for the Dragon Breath feat? If so, I'm guessing it wouldn't be until they hit 10th level Dragon Apotheosis. Is that correct? Thanks.

-FF
Wraithwin
04-08-07, 09:58 AM Forged_Fury - you are correct.

The feat requires "Half-Dragon, 6HD"

You'll be well beyond 6th level when you finish off Disciple you get the full Half-Dragon template. Mind you this includes the Dragon Type for things above... :) Depending on your DM, they may even let you get the "Dragon Wings" feat (normally only 1st level) on the level you get Apotheosis. I would, anyways. It's symbolic and what-not.

I've been thinking... It's not that big a deal for a Sorc to go through DDisciple, but what about a Duskblade? :) I see a Duskblade Dragon Disciple with a Reserve feat or two and some Metabreath feats and the "Dragon Breath" feat being pretty fun to play...

On a side note, I hate how the Dragon Disciple's spell progress just... stops.
I house-rule that the prestige class takes 1 or 2 feats to access (don't want to check), but gives almost full casting - Missing out a level at 1st and 5th (or was it 3rd, 6th & 9th?). As is though, I could see a Duskblade being happy how it is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Thoom 04-06-07, 09:04 PM	Good feats to boost dragon aspect of half dragon?
SD 04-06-07, 11:07 PM	Nope. Ha, I partially kid. Your best bet would be to investigate anything with "dragonblood" mentioned in it and hope that half-dragons count for that subtype; see Races of the Dragon. Metabreath feats give you basically nothing, but you can take Improved Natural Armor for +1 AC or Improved Natural Attack (bite) for +1 average damage when it hits. Beyond thatI can't help, since "boost dragon aspect" is much more vague than, I dunno, "increase my melee combat prowess" or "assist me in my character build, a monk-like devotee of Bahamut", I'm just saying.
Mystyc 04-06-07, 11:56 PM	The Dragon Breath feat (Races of the Dragon, I think) changes your breath weapon to every 1d4 rounds like a real dragon's. Then you would qualify for metabreath feats from the Draconomicon. RoDr and the D'con are going to be the best sources for this in general aside from standard stuff like Improved Natural Armor. If you are large and have wings, there are lots of flight-based feats that could help as well.
Wraithwin 04-07-07, 12:02 AM	I must nay-say the breath weapon statement above. With the right feats, it's pretty damnded scary on a PC (see below). So... Feats for a Half Dragon. The key thing to remember here, is that half-dragon template gives you the "Dragon" type, not the "Dragonblood" subtype. The Dragon type automatically makes you qualify for anything require Dragonblood subtype, but not the other way around. This gives you a lot more options than might be apparent at first. My suggetions go in two directions though. The first set is more general, while the second is more breath-weapon inclined (you'll understand when you read). By all means, if you've got the feats to spend, mix the two. :) General: (if you're not large, and still want wings) "Dragon Wings" (Races of the Dragon) "Improved Dragon Wings" (Races of the Dragon) (You're limited to light armor and loads, but there's one feat in the book that ups you to medium, and another to heavy) "Endure Blows" (Draconomicon) Not bad at all in my opinion, and while no Dragonblood subtype character can take it, you can, 'cause Half-Dragon gives you the full on type. :) Not to mention there's a feat in another book that increases existing DR by +1. Two feats for DR 3/- is hard to beat (especially if you pick a feat that counts as toughness, but is actually better. LOL) "Improved Speed" (Draconomicon) Pretty sweet and straight forward. Breath Weapon Focus: "Dragon Breath" (Races of the Dragon) Pretty hot if you ask me, especially if coupled with the Metabreath feats below... :) "Clinging Breath" (My fave, Draconomicon) Anybody who takes damage from your breath weapon intially, take half as much next round as they take initially with no save. :) They can spend a full-round action to remove it before the secondary effects (if they make a Reflex save equal to the original DC). It adds +1 to the rounds you need to wait between uses, but that's not bad considering the effects. "Maximize Breath" (Draconomicon) Adds +3 to the rounds you need to wait though. "Quicken Breath" (Draconomicon) Adds +4 rounds to how long you need to wait to use it, but dang... TWFighting, Full attack, quicken breath... Grin. "Recover Breath" (Draconomicon) Reduce the rounds you must wait between using your breath weapon by 1 (minimum 1). You can't take this feat more than once though... sigh. "Any of the Shape Breath or Derivitive Feats" (Draconomicon) Various effects including excluding targets, splitting a line to hit 2 targets, and lobbing your breath weapon similar to a fireball effect. That's it for the dragon feats of immediate interest if I was the one looking, but as SD mentioned, pretty much anything that takes the Dragonblood subtype is a viable option as well. Also... a scary thought for you. I know they're not feats, but something to consider if you ever bring a Half-Dragon epic: With the right feats and classes, they can qualify for some of the Prestige Classes in the Draconomicon, normally intended only for actual dragons. Only one or two list "True Dragon" as the requirement - so pretty much all the rest. :cool: "Bloodscaled Fury" Half-Dragon Barbarian 22, "Awaken Frightful Presence" (Draco), Power Attack Feat, Shockwave Feat (Draco), Windstorm Feat (Draco), Rage, and Intimidate 14 ranks. Twelve level prestige class. At 1st level they use their class levels for determining Frightful Presence DC (sweet). At 2nd, 6th and 10th, their Rage bonuses increase even more. At 3rd, their DR improves by 5. Not bad to just dab in even. Then there'y my personal favorite for Half-Dragons... :D "Hidecarved Dragon" (Friggin scary that it encourages DMs to make MONK dragons) Any Lawful Dragon, with the Iron Will feat, Base Will Save of +12, and... +20 Natural Armor... this is ouch, but can be achieved with feats. If you focus on Con and devote your bonus feats in Epic, it's doable. There are also several pre-epic feats that will improve existing natural armor. All saves are high and it gives a d10 HD. While several of the bonuses won't help you much, a few of them will. You add your level in the class to your spell res (if you have any, like from Monk). At 3rd, choose 2 types of energy from the normal gamut of 5 that you aren't immune, weak or resistant to... and gain res 10 to each. At 6th, you gain immunity to one of those you were resistant to. Natural Armor improves, DR improves... Just nifty, though the bonus feats from Epic Monk may prove more useful. (shrugs) Who knows. The PrCs for Bahamut and Tiamat could even be achieved pre-epic if done right (though it's tricky to get DR up to 5). You need to figure some way to get access to the Protection Domain (maybe a feat), but Barbarian into "Champion of Gwynhwaryf" (Exalted Deeds) into "Sacred Warder of Bahamut" sounds pretty cool to me. Especially if you splashed a level of cleric in there for the Domain. :) Two divine casting pools, great DR, Rage benefits, ability to cast while raging, resistances, various smite abilities, damage soak for yourself and allies... sweet. Also on note to Mystyc - even if you can only use it onces per day, if you have a Breath Weapon you still qualify for meta-breath feats. Another note is that "Half Dragon" is a template applied to another race. If you pick human, you still get your bonus feat and +1 skill points at each level. I've rambled long enough. But there you go, some good ideas for Half Dragons.
Mystyc 04-07-07, 12:07 AM	Also on note to Mystyc - even if you can only use it onces per day, if you have a Breath Weapon you still qualify for meta-breath feats. Not really. Metabreath feats require a breath weapon whose recharge rate is measured in rounds. 1/day doesn't qualify. Lots of good advice there, though.
Magrus 04-07-07, 12:17 AM	Not really. Metabreath feats require a breath weapon whose recharge rate is measured in rounds. 1/day doesn't qualify. Lots of good advice there, though. Eh, personally, I would allow it for a 1/day breath. It would be different if it were multiple uses per day with no recharge time. Spending a feat that can only be used 1/day isn't broken or anything. It is FAR more useful if it can be applied to one that has a recharge time, hence, I wouldn't have a problem with a standard Half-Dragon taking meta-breath feats at all.
Wraithwin 04-07-07, 01:16 AM	Mystyc, I apologize sincerely. I assumed that because "breath weapon usable multiple times per day" or some such derivitive wasn't in the requirements for the feats, that it was irrelevant. On retrospect, I check and see that the pre-cursor to the feats section explains Metabreath feats further, and does have faily specific requirements. My apologies. :eek: On a similar note... I still love the concept of a Dragon Shaman with MetaBreath feats... :)
Mystyc 04-07-07, 01:32 AM	Mystyc, I apologize sincerely. Hey, no big deal. And like Magrus, I would probably let someone slide with a 1/day, seeing as you're losing a lot of the payoff. It would just be a house rule.
Forged_Fury 04-08-07, 08:46 AM	Kind of a tag-on question, but would a character who is taking levels in Dragon Disciple qualify for the Dragon Breath feat? If so, I'm guessing it wouldn't be until they hit 10th level Dragon Apotheosis. Is that correct? Thanks. -FF
Wraithwin 04-08-07, 09:58 AM	Forged_Fury - you are correct. The feat requires "Half-Dragon, 6HD" You'll be well beyond 6th level when you finish off Disciple you get the full Half-Dragon template. Mind you this includes the Dragon Type for things above... :) Depending on your DM, they may even let you get the "Dragon Wings" feat (normally only 1st level) on the level you get Apotheosis. I would, anyways. It's symbolic and what-not. I've been thinking... It's not that big a deal for a Sorc to go through DDisciple, but what about a Duskblade? :) I see a Duskblade Dragon Disciple with a Reserve feat or two and some Metabreath feats and the "Dragon Breath" feat being pretty fun to play... On a side note, I hate how the Dragon Disciple's spell progress just... stops. I house-rule that the prestige class takes 1 or 2 feats to access (don't want to check), but gives almost full casting - Missing out a level at 1st and 5th (or was it 3rd, 6th & 9th?). As is though, I could see a Duskblade being happy how it is.