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Post by Stix on Sept 18, 2009 0:58:01 GMT -5
Have you decided which dragon type you'd want to go with?
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Post by Tllith on Sept 18, 2009 6:15:49 GMT -5
I think a brass dragon would probably work well in a text game, being very talkative and all.
(I'm still trying to navigate here this site -- is there some way to get emailed or otherwise notified when I get a message here?)
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Post by Tllith on Sept 18, 2009 16:11:58 GMT -5
Oops, sorry -- I sent a message to you, but it probably should have gone in here. I'll learn my way around in a bit.
-- Bard
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Post by Stix on Sept 18, 2009 16:41:15 GMT -5
I think a brass dragon would probably work well in a text game, being very talkative and all. (I'm still trying to navigate here this site -- is there some way to get emailed or otherwise notified when I get a message here?) Sounds good to me -- I believe you can set it to get email when you receive a new private message, but unfortunately I haven't yet seen any proboards tools that allow a subscription to a thread. As far as "classes" go, brass dragons do have the option of choosing a kit: the Dragon-Mage. Instead of spell-like abilities later in life, you'd be able to start off with the capabilities of a 1st-level mage (on top of being a six-hit-die dragon). The only additional requirements are that you keep a spell book and accrue magic items to add to your hoard (which you may have to split up between a couple different locations in a few different universes). |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 18, 2009 19:40:12 GMT -5
Sounds good to me -- I believe you can set it to get email when you receive
a new private message, but unfortunately I haven't yet seen any proboards
tools that allow a subscription to a thread.
I found that option, hidden cleverly in a page marked "options". These
proboards are devious.
As far as "classes" go, brass dragons do have the option of choosing a kit:
the Dragon-Mage. Instead of spell-like abilities later in life, you'd be able
to start off with the capabilities of a 1st-level mage (on top of being a
six-hit-die dragon). The only additional requirements are that you keep a
spell book and accrue magic items to add to your hoard (which you may have to
split up between a couple different locations in a few different
universes).
That sounds pretty appealing. It'll presumably cost the /speak with animals/
power?
We'll presumably write a backstory explaining where I learned that trick.
Accruing magic items sounds about as natural as breathing -- breathing sleep
anyhow -- for brass dragons.
I've never played 2nd edition; how do kits work? Presumably I'm paying
something for taking one. Would my mage-equivalent level go up with
experience, or ... what?
For that matter, how *do* I progress? (In older D&Ds, dragons didn't get
experience or anything; it was all done by age. In later ones, plus the
homebrew I've been playing a silver in, they have an interesting hybrid of age
and class.)
Stowing magic items in separate universes suggests that I can somehow travel
between universes at some point... which sounds pretty intriguing!
Thanks for GMming at me!
-- Bard
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Post by Stix on Sept 19, 2009 10:59:17 GMT -5
Further than anyone realizes.  I'm going to say that it's closer to four years -- enough time to adapt to this new world in which he finds himself, and to be a little closer to the next age category. Not a problem, we'll say that part of his education has been from a tutor who found an abandoned dragon so interesting that they spent a year or so picking each other's brains. It's probably also where the dragon's spellcraft was picked up. That, I mostly leave to you. Possibly some of several of these things (keeping in mind that the world in which he finds himself is settled only by good- and a few neutral-aligned creatures). While dragons don't have a racial memory as such, they develop their capacity for learning while still in the shell. If properly educated and cared for, gifted dragons can hatch speaking several languages, above and beyond what they know by instinct. Though the hatchling has never seen his parents, he'll have a definite memory of their voices. That sounds pretty appealing. It'll presumably cost the /speak with animals/ power? Dragons develop innate magic later in life (brass dragons get their first mage spell at 26 years of age). Dragon-mages, however, learn to tap into it earlier and develop a greater command over it. A brass dragon's Speak with Animals ability is a racial power, so you'll actually walk off with both. I've never played 2nd edition; how do kits work? Presumably I'm paying something for taking one. Would my mage-equivalent level go up with experience, or ... what? For that matter, how *do* I progress? (In older D&Ds, dragons didn't get experience or anything; it was all done by age. In later ones, plus the homebrew I've been playing a silver in, they have an interesting hybrid of age and class.) Think of a kit as a prestige class. You have to meet certain prerequisites for it, but most kits can be taken right away at first level (or on hatching, in the case of dragons). Advancement is a matter of both experience points and age. You'll start off with 32,000 XP (enough to be 1st level -- the rules for dragon PCs start off with "hatchling" or 0-level, and they have to gain some experience and age one year before reaching 1st). To advance, you'll have to reach at least five years of age (one year of game time) and 125,000 XP, plus accrue a hoard and a few magical items, and spend some time in "dragon sleep" (when dragons go through their growth spurts). While dragons advance slower, each "level" is worth more like two levels in the long term. |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 19, 2009 14:59:57 GMT -5
Further than anyone realizes.
I'm going to say that it's closer to four years -- enough time to adapt to this new world in which he finds himself, and to be a little closer to the next age category.Sounds (1) tantalizing and (2) good to me! Not a problem, we'll say that part of his education has been from a tutor who found an abandoned dragon so interesting that they spent a year or so picking each other's brains. It's probably also where the dragon's spellcraft was picked up.Sensible. Do you want to decide who the tutor was, or shall I make someone up? More generally, I'm happy to put whatever plot hooks you like into the back story, like a a mentor who is a cousin of a PC, or something. Or, to have no connection to the PCs, if that's convenient. [shadow=red,left,300]So, what has the dragonlet been doing for the last two years? Living as a feral in the woods? Being the ally of some kobolds or weasel-people or something? Living in an abandoned monastery reading interesting books and eating rats? Something to discuss?[/shadow]
That, I mostly leave to you. Possibly some of several of these things (keeping in mind that the world in which he finds himself is settled only by good- and a few neutral-aligned creatures).OK! Any more basic guidelines about the world? I will muse on stories in a few long drives this weekend. Dragons develop innate magic later in life (brass dragons get their first mage spell at 26 years of age). Dragon-mages, however, learn to tap into it earlier and develop a greater command over it. A brass dragon's Speak with Animals ability is a racial power, so you'll actually walk off with both.Yay, more opportunities to talk! (I've only got 1st and 3d edition brass dragon stats around.) Think of a kit as a prestige class. You have to meet certain prerequisites for it, but most kits can be taken right away at first level (or on hatching, in the case of dragons).Makes sense. I will take this one; I like playing scaly mages. Advancement is a matter of both experience points and age. You'll start off with 32,000 XP (enough to be 1st level -- the rules for dragon PCs start off with "hatchling" or 0-level, and they have to gain some experience and age one year before reaching 1st). To advance, you'll have to reach at least five years of age (one year of game time) and 125,000 XP, plus accrue a hoard and a few magical items, and spend some time in "dragon sleep" (when dragons go through their growth spurts). While dragons advance slower, each "level" is worth more like two levels in the long term. Fair enough. (So, I'm first level?) For Bard's sake, is that likely to happen quickly, slowly, or what, assuming I am playing well? Not that I'll play the dragonet terribly differently in either case, but I won't be frustrated by never getting to next level if I know that, say, nobody in the campaign has ever gotten to next level (as in some games I've been in).
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Post by Tllith on Sept 19, 2009 22:17:21 GMT -5
What are hatchling physical stats like? Height, weight, appetite and diet? Can my foreclaws be used as hands, or not? These will make some difference in backstory -- feeding a ravenous carnivore the size of a draft horse is rather harder on a region than feeding an omnivore the size of a large dog, say.
Also, 'cause I haven't been able to find it on the web: How do breath weapons work? Original D&D had 3/day; 3d edition had unlimited uses with a few rounds between them.
Thanks!
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Post by Stix on Sept 19, 2009 23:49:14 GMT -5
Do you want to decide who the tutor was, or shall I make someone up? More generally, I'm happy to put whatever plot hooks you like into the back story, like a a mentor who is a cousin of a PC, or something. Or, to have no connection to the PCs, if that's convenient. He/she will have been an aasimar mage, native to this newer world. That's all I've got so far, so feel free to put something more than that together, or we can just leave things relatively undefined until a while down the line. Any more basic guidelines about the world? I will muse on stories in a few long drives this weekend. The "world", such as it is, is actually a universe of goodness: Amoria, one of the layers of Elysium. darkoftheday.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=outerplanes&action=display&thread=597Where he's ended up at long last is a monastery (Conclave Fidelis, in a realm called Principality) devoted to a burgeoning deity (referred to as "the Song"). The monks spend most of their days and nights singing hymns in a sacred tongue, but someone's always around for friendly conversation or lively debate. Travel on Elysium is accomplished by good deeds performed en route; if you perform whatever good act is before you, you'll reach your destination in a matter of hours. If you miss the opportunity, expect the trip to last a few days. Acts of evil are usually rewarded with the loss of all sense of direction. (So, I'm first level?) For Bard's sake, is that likely to happen quickly, slowly, or what, assuming I am playing well? Not that I'll play the dragonet terribly differently in either case, but I won't be frustrated by never getting to next level if I know that, say, nobody in the campaign has ever gotten to next level (as in some games I've been in). Our highest-level PCs are around 8th, we've been at this since 2004, and about three years of game time have passed. The amount of XP required is about as much as it takes to go from 6th level to 8th, so it may take a while, but it's thoroughly doable. Advancing beyond that would require an additional ten years of game time, or perhaps some meddling with the forces of time (and out on the Planes, that's entirely possible). |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 20, 2009 9:00:00 GMT -5
So, a very sensible and safe place for some protective parents to tuck an egg or a hatchling, giving her a chance to hatch and grow in safety and comfort.
By the same token, it's probably got some limitations for an older hatchling hoping to grow up. It's not obviously a great place for treasure hunting or concentrated experience acquisition. As a good-aligned creature in a good-aligned realm, Tllith (tentative name) isn't going to go rampaging or massacring and looting the natives.
From the sound of it, Tllith doesn't know any other dragons, and none live anywhere close. Most dragons of Elysium are likely to be neutral-good varieties, not chaotic-good brasses, anyhow. So what she knows about her own kind is mostly indirect, stories from generally sympathetic but somewhat snarky storytellers and song-monks.
Still, it's home. When Tllith starts getting the urge to collect a hoard and get some experience, she'll try to do it in good Elysium style: entirely with Good-aligned deeds, entirely on Elysium. And she's got a few useful skills...
Her first thought is to try to set up a business collecting exotic animals for menagerie-keepers. The heart of the business is pretty simple: she should be able to get around the wilder parts of Elysium pretty well, talk to the animals she's trying to collect, and persuade them to come back and live in comfort and splendor in menageries. Of course, this plan only works if there are menageries around, and rich sedentary animal-collectors. So she'll ask the monks about that.
Oops, that's forestory. One backstory incident: Presumably there are farmers or other family types in the area. Once, perhaps two years ago, she heard a baby human crying for the first time. She trotted over to see what was wrong. The mother explained that the baby was very tired and having trouble going to sleep. "I can help!" chirped Tllith, and blasted the baby with sleep breath. Which did, technically, solve the immediate problem, but lead to a protracted lesson in manners and proper behavior. Only part of which stuck, given Tllith's essentially chaotic nature.
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Post by Tllith on Sept 20, 2009 22:15:19 GMT -5
I found this: www.dragnix.net/Role_Playing/Brass.docwhich seems to agree with everything you've said about brass dragons. Is it right about other things too? A couple questions, especially assuming it's right. * Do attributes modify combat stats? E.g, if I get a 21 Strength, does that give bonuses to damage and such? * Do I get one or two claw attacks? * How often do I get to use breath weapons? * You said that hatchlings can't fly. Can they glide? E.g., can Tllith jump out of a high window, spread her wings, and get down safely -- if not necessarily exactly where she intended to go? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I don't know how character points work. At a guess, I can buy some CPs by taking some disadvantages, and then get some advantages for those. Here are some disadvantages I am considering. Are they OK? Are they not insanely stupid for some reason I'm not thinking of? Can I take this many? Clumsiness, moderate: (4). Emphasis on knocking things over with tail or wings. An actual brass dragon parent could have trained Tllith to deal with her brass-dragon dex penalty, but bipeds didn't know that they needed to. So she's kinda clumsy. Phobia - Crowds. This is a very practical sort of phobia. In particular, crowds of people who are of a much different size from Tllith displease her considerably: bigger people will step on her; smaller ones -- in the future -- she may step on. When she was somewhat younger, she was at a festival, in a crowd of people. A few teenagers were doing a spontaneous ring-dance behind her, and one of them stepped on her tail. She instinctively turned and blasted them all with heat breath, which was very much Not A Good Thing. This being a religious festival on a plane of Good, everyone was very understanding, and there were plenty of clerics around -- and zero-level hatchling breath isn't that dangerous anyhow, so the physical damage was pretty minor. In any case, she doesn't like being in a crowd, for a very good reason, and has avoided them since then. (4) Vice - Conversation! Brass dragons love to talk -- and everyone knows this, so it's an easy vice for enemies to exploit. (5) -- note Wis check, so I'd want to take a high Wis if I took this disad. Awkward Casting Method (5) -- Tllith does the same gesture to cast a spell as she does to breathe, and the spell is accompanied by a harmless but very obvious gust of heat. Maybe: Compulsively Truthful: Tllith refuses to actually tell a lie. However, she can be as misleading as she likes without actually lying. [This is a characteristic of dragons in my novel. Their reason doesn't apply to Tllith, but it's a nice if fairly minor character point, which maybe counts as a sufficient disad.] (maybe: 3? Far less than Compulsive Honesty's (8), in any case.) Maybe: Powerful Enemy -- comes with the scenario? (10?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And here are some advantages that caught my eye. Again, are they OK and not insanely stupid for some reason? Animal Empathy (4) -- presumably this would work fairly nicely for someone who can talk to animals. Glibness (4) -- Yes, Tllith can get distracted by conversations ... but conversations are my natural habitat, and Tllth Keen <sense> (5-6) -- In 3d edition dragons have pretty keen senses. How about 2nd edition? Lucky - "situation somehow turns to advantage" if cha check, 1/day (6) Resist Cold (4) Bonus Spell (15) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I didn't quite get how rolling stats worked from darkoftheday.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rules&action=display&thread=1069It sounded like I could try methods I - VI once each, in any order I chose, and if I didn't like one result I could toss it out and try a different method -- one try per method at most. If none of those satisfied me, I could pick one of the later methods. (But I could *not* do all of I - VI at once and take whichever of them I liked best.) Assuming that, I started with VI choice B, and got numbers that were worth sticking with. After arranging, I'd probably want: Str Int Wis Con Dex Cha Method VIB (+ 18 16 14 13 11 17) And then I guess I get +3 on Str, +1 on Int, and -1 on Dex...? Am I doing this right? |
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Post by Stix on Sept 21, 2009 3:30:21 GMT -5
Wow! Yup, that's verbatim out of Council of Wyrms. I wish I'd found that before I started typing all this stuff out myself.  As far as stats and proficiencies go... Dragons have a "combat modifier" (their age category) that provides bonuses to attack and damage. Strength still determines the amount of weight they can carry, of course. While brass dragons receive a +3 Strength modifier, hatchlings suffer a -6 penalty. At each age category, the Strength score increases by one point. Dexterity doesn't represent overall bodily coordination, but instead determines the manual dexterity of one's claws (dragons with a low Dex have more animalistic paws, while those with high Dex can probably master the art of calligraphy, if they so choose). To pull off the somatic components required for spellwork, dragon-mages must have a Dex of 13. A hatchling is lethal right out of the shell; its full capabilities are determined by combat proficiencies. There are three available to a brass dragon hatchling, and you'll get to choose two. Claw/Claw/Bite Breath Weapon: Gas Breath Weapon: Heat By default, hatchlings can use either a bite or two claw attacks. Claw/Claw/Bite proficiency allows three attacks in a round, and a proficiency must be taken for each breath weapon the dragon learns to use. Every three rounds, a dragon can use a breath attack; after three breath attacks in one day, there is a Constitution check required for each further attempt (each attempt gets a little more difficult, and if a check fails the action is wasted and the dragon has to rest before able to make another breath attack). Hatchlings' wing structures and muscles are still too weak to accomplish much more than the wings of a baby bird. I'll need some time to look over and consider all the CP stuff, I just wanted to get back to you with some of these details as soon as possible. As far as rolling stats, you can go ahead and roll all the methods at once, then choose which method you prefer. All the die rolls can be done on the site (in your handy new "Die Rolls" sub-board, which, I apologize, I'd forgotten to create for you). [ dice=6 ] The above code, without the superfluous spaces, rolls a d6. When you submit the post, it'll turn out like this: [dice=6] Therefore, [ dice=6 ][ dice=6 ][ dice=6 ], when the spaces are removed, rolls 3d6, like so: [dice=6][dice=6][dice=6] Be sure to start a new thread for each die roll method. The dice code can only handle so many iterations per page, and after that it breaks.[rand=75338273745046086197924770301451435223995236250223885727214324737] |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 21, 2009 8:41:56 GMT -5
Hopefully they were typing it at the same time you were.
To see if I understand: strength, dex, and con don't influence combat stats and hit points? They just have their non-combat effects?
This is presumably something different than the "Dragon Proficiency Slots" listed in a table at the end of the document? (Or a typo in the table, a house rule, or me misunderstanding something?)
I think I will not try to do the compulsively-truthful flaw even if it were acceptable. It works in a novel, because my readers cannot quarrel with me about Jyothky's interpretation of "truthful". I don't think it would work very well in a game.
Aha!
*clatter* Um, I think I'll take one of the point-buy methods.
And, since one of my real-life combat proficiencies is finding certain kinds of flaws in formal systems, I have to ask: What, other than honesty, prevents an unscrupulous person from rolling dice on "Die Rolls", deciding they don't like the results, deleting the post, and trying again?
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Post by Stix on Sept 21, 2009 12:17:42 GMT -5
To see if I understand: strength, dex, and con don't influence combat stats and hit points? They just have their non-combat effects? Constitution does improve HP, actually, but for the other two, you're correct. This is presumably something different than the "Dragon Proficiency Slots" listed in a table at the end of the document? (Or a typo in the table, a house rule, or me misunderstanding something?) Not exactly, I just went for the simplest explanation. Every dragon gets Claw Attack as a bonus proficiency, and dragon-mages have one less combat proficiency slot. Technically, there are five proficiencies available, of which you'd be choosing four: Claw/Claw, Bite, Claw/Claw/Bite, BW: Gas and BW: Heat. Given that Claw/Claw and Bite are prerequisites you'd have to select before Claw/Claw/Bite, that uses two of those four slots (any slots unused at 1st level are lost). For Non-Combat Proficiencies, you'll have the standard three slots, plus Debate, Spellcraft, and Reading/Writing [probably in Common, since that's at least what your tutor would've known]. Hatchlings can spend slots on any of the following: Alertness Burrow Danger Sense Fishing Hunting Observation Singing Survival (one terrain type, costs two slots) Swimming And, since one of my real-life combat proficiencies is finding certain kinds of flaws in formal systems, I have to ask: What, other than honesty, prevents an unscrupulous person from rolling dice on "Die Rolls", deciding they don't like the results, deleting the post, and trying again? Well, the only thing that prevents it, per se, is honesty. But I do have a security log that lists every deleted or modified post -- it wouldn't stop anybody, but it'd catch them every time. Method I: 13, 8, 14, 13, 11, 11 Method II: 9, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12 Method III: 13, 14, 8, 8, 13, 13 Method IV: 9, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12 Method V: 15, 11, 12, 14, 14, 12 Method VI: 10, 11, 12, 12, 14, 15 ...Yeah. So, point-buy. Just so you know: racial adjustments are used a little differently in the point-buy systems (which will be a little different in turn due to the draconic stat adjustments). Instead of adding directly to a score, racial adjustments are used to determine the minimum and maximum scores to be purchased. For a brass hatchling dragon-mage, these are: Strength: 4-15 Dexterity: 13-17 Constitution: 7-18 Intelligence: 13-19 Wisdom: 7-18 Charisma: 7-18 Since a brass hatchling's net ability score adjustment is -3 (-3 Str, -1 Dex, +1 Int), the methods given on the character creation page will have three fewer points each. Here's the new setup: Method VII: Distribute 87 points among your ability scores, you may have three stats as high as 15. Method VIII: A) Distribute 86 points among your ability scores, you may have one stat as high as 16; or B) Distribute 85 points among your ability scores, you may have two stats as high as 16. Method IX: A) Distribute 84 points among your ability scores, you may have three stats as high as 16; or B) Distribute 83 points among your ability scores, you may have one stat as high as 17. Method X: A) Distribute 82 points among your ability scores, you may have two stats as high as 17; or B) Distribute 81 points among your ability scores, you may have three stats as high as 17. Method XI: A) Distribute 80 points among your ability scores, you may have one stat as high as 18; or B) Distribute 79 points among your ability scores, you may have two stats as high as 18. Method XII: A) Distribute 78 points among your ability scores, you may have three stats as high as 18; or B) Distribute 77 points among your ability scores, you may have one stat as high as 19. |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 21, 2009 12:53:55 GMT -5
Ah! But I can get confused by any explanation from simplest to most complex.
So, from my (short-term) point of view, I'm trading my ability to use one breath weapon for one first-level spell slot? Not so cheap, given that any single heat breath is more dangerous than any first-level spell I could cast, and I'd get at least three of them ... but still, since I'm obviously staying in nice safe Elysium for a long time (Bard looks dubiously at Tllith), it's probably OK.
Do I get another proficiency slot sometime?
Given that brass dragons can eat almost anything, and like dew, and dew is probably pretty common in Elysium, hunting and fishing seem more like recreational activities than anything. Burrowing probably takes more strength than I've got, survival is expensive, and swimming isn't inspiring for someone who expects to be able to fly not that long from now and who is built to live in the desert.
Singing seems pretty much inevitable for someone raised in Conclave Fidelis, so I'm obviously going for that.
Could you tell me a little about Alertness, Danger Sense, and Observation? 'cause I'm probably picking two of them.
So, taking the 79-point option that gives two 18's, I wind up with a rather min-maxed:
str 6 int 18 wis 8 con 16 dex 13 cha 18
(Though I'm fussing about dropping int to 17 and adding two points to str)
Taking Strength as a dump stat for someone who's quite literally a combat monster is kind of amusing. (Tllith to Bard: "I'm not weak. I'm gracile." Bard to Tllith: "Actually, you're not a combat monster. You're a conversation monster.)
The characteristic tables (http://darkoftheday.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rules&action=display&thread=1110) have a column of "additional Character Points and Proficiency slots", which sounds awfully useful. Do I get those, and, if so, what can I use them for?
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Post by Stix on Sept 21, 2009 14:42:01 GMT -5
So, from my (short-term) point of view, I'm trading my ability to use one breath weapon for one first-level spell slot? Not so cheap, given that any single heat breath is more dangerous than any first-level spell I could cast, and I'd get at least three of them ... but still, since I'm obviously staying in nice safe Elysium for a long time (Bard looks dubiously at Tllith), it's probably OK. Well, a dragon's casting level is equal to Hit Dice + Age Category. So, while she's just a toddler, that Magic Missile is firing off four bolts for 1d4+1 apiece. That might be some consolation. Do I get another proficiency slot sometime? At age category 2 (one year and 125,000 XP), you'll get one more slot of each kind. Presumably, the combat proficiency will go to Flight. Proficiencies of either variety can be purchased for 3 CP. See below for what I have to say about Intelligence. Burrowing probably takes more strength than I've got Brass dragons are exceptional burrowers, regardless of strength -- with the proficiency, she'd be able to burrow at a movement rate of 3 (roughly one mile per hour). Could you tell me a little about Alertness, Danger Sense, and Observation? 'cause I'm probably picking two of them. Alertness provides a +1 bonus to any surprise check (a character is surprised on a roll of 1, 2, or 3 on 1d10; with the proficiency, only a natural 1 or 2). Danger Sense allows you to make a Wisdom check to determine if the current situation could become threatening or hostile. Observation is a knack for picking out and recalling details that others may have missed. So, taking the 79-point option that gives two 18's, I wind up with a rather min-maxed: str 6 int 18 wis 8 con 16 dex 13 cha 18 (Though I'm fussing about dropping int to 17 and adding two points to str) Taking Strength as a dump stat for someone who's quite literally a combat monster is kind of amusing. (Tllith to Bard: "I'm not weak. I'm gracile." Bard to Tllith: "Actually, you're not a combat monster. You're a conversation monster.) It's true. As an added bonus, if you go with claw/claw/bite, you'll have three attacks in a round, for 1d6+1/1d6+1/4d4+1. The characteristic tables (http://darkoftheday.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rules&action=display&thread=1110) have a column of "additional Character Points and Proficiency slots", which sounds awfully useful. Do I get those, and, if so, what can I use them for? That you do -- 7 slots in all for 18 Intelligence. Of these, at least three must be spent on languages (you have Metallic Draconic as a racial tongue, and can learn High Draconic ["Common" for dragons], and of course Common is recommended). The remaining four can go to combat or noncombat proficiencies on a one-for-one basis (so you could add on your other breath weapon, for starters). They can also be applied to proficiencies from the Wizard list, with approval. Planewalking abilities like Vapor Weave and Spell Recovery would be a bit beyond you until you've been off-plane, but Spellweaving may be useful (it's the ability to make "nontraditional" spellbooks -- hiding your arcane notes in a tattoo, wallhanging, or some work of art or handicraft). |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 21, 2009 16:16:40 GMT -5
Spiffy! Engraved on selected scales, so that I study spells by curling up with my head under my wing, as if I'm sleeping? Corn snakes don't lose scales generally -- the ones in my RL living room have kept theirs through sickness and other doom, at least. Do dragons scales work the same --- or, rather, does Tllith think they work the same? And there's only so much fancy magic that even a very smart dragonet is going to absorb. I'll stick with hatchling-list stuff except for your suggestion, I think. Song Mage?On the Thaumatury list there's a "Song Mage". Could I take that? It seems a likely sort of mage to be at Conclave Fidelis, and skipping somatic and material components would be pretty convenient. Would I still need the good dex? (There goes that spiffy Magic Missile, if so, and the Shield spell I was expecting to use mostly, too; but it does fit the backstory.) Other stuff from off the listStaring at the proficiency list, I see Reading/Writing: I really don't want to be illiterate. Do mages generally need to pay for it, though? Is there anything else that I ought to be taking that I'm missing? So:Combat Proficiencies {phrased simply}: 1. Claw/claw/bite 2. Sleep gas breath Non-Combat Proficiencies: 1. Singing 2. Observation 3. Alertness Bonus Proficiencies: 1. Metallic Draconic 2. High Draconic 3. Common 4. Heat Breath 5. Spellweaving 6. Reading/Writing 7. Burrowing And...I'm still interested in these: - Phobia:Crowds, from having gotten stepped on by mistake and responded with a heat blast. I'm keeping that backstory and will roleplay the phobia whether I get goodies for it or not.
- Vice: conversation. (And I didn't take a very good Wisdom, so this vice will bite me a lot.)
- Awkward Casting Method: breath weapon gesture, plus accompanying gust of nondamaging but very obvious heat.
- Clumsiness, moderate
- Powerful Enemy (viz. council of evil dragons), if it comes as part of the scenario anyways.
- Glibness
- Animal Empathy
- Various Keen Sense advantages (especially if dragons don't ordinarily have them)
- Bonus Spell
- Other hatchling proficiencies if there are a few points left over.
Finally...I'm looking forward to getting started. Tllith's getting some personality already... |
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Post by Stix on Sept 22, 2009 12:54:46 GMT -5
Engraved on selected scales, so that I study spells by curling up with my head under my wing, as if I'm sleeping? Corn snakes don't lose scales generally -- the ones in my RL living room have kept theirs through sickness and other doom, at least. Do dragons scales work the same --- or, rather, does Tllith think they work the same? Dragons do molt (Tllith will have done so once already), but it's mentioned that dragon-priests often engrave their holy symbols permanently into their scales, so I'd have to imagine that mages with spellweaving could accomplish the same things with their spells (though a major injury or massive scarring would render them unreadable, so a backup plan might be a good idea). Other stuff from off the listStaring at the proficiency list, I see Reading/Writing: I really don't want to be illiterate. Do mages generally need to pay for it, though? Is there anything else that I ought to be taking that I'm missing? So:Combat Proficiencies {phrased simply}: 1. Claw/claw/bite 2. Sleep gas breath Non-Combat Proficiencies: 1. Singing 2. Observation 3. Alertness Bonus Proficiencies: 1. Metallic Draconic 2. High Draconic 3. Common 4. Heat Breath 5. Spellweaving 6. Reading/Writing 7. Burrowing As a brass dragon-mage, Tllith will have Spellcraft, Reading/Writing (Common) and Debate as bonuses. Metallic Draconic, as a native language, also doesn't cost a slot, so you'll have one more language and one more general proficiency. And...I'm still interested in these: - Phobia:Crowds, from having gotten stepped on by mistake and responded with a heat blast. I'm keeping that backstory and will roleplay the phobia whether I get goodies for it or not.
- Vice: conversation. (And I didn't take a very good Wisdom, so this vice will bite me a lot.)
- Awkward Casting Method: breath weapon gesture, plus accompanying gust of nondamaging but very obvious heat.
- Clumsiness, moderate
- Powerful Enemy (viz. council of evil dragons), if it comes as part of the scenario anyways.
- Glibness
- Animal Empathy
- Various Keen Sense advantages (especially if dragons don't ordinarily have them)
- Bonus Spell
- Other hatchling proficiencies if there are a few points left over.
Regarding the story behind the crowds phobia... yes, Elysium is NG, but even good-aligned people frown on being roasted alive (2d4+1 damage is enough to kill the average person), and I keep magical healing much rarer than in traditional D&D settings. Outcomes might involve banishment, leaving in shame, or being chased out. A vice should be a self-destructive, risky or illegal habit, such as an addiction to Carcerian Nightflower or gambling away your last coin. As for powerful enemy, I don't want to say too much, but I'd prefer that it not be selected as a flaw at this time. We can determine that in the future, as it comes up in play. |
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Post by Tllith on Sept 22, 2009 13:41:40 GMT -5
General: swimming, I guess.
Language: Something that was spoken around her egg?
(Bard remembers an essay it wrote for a very old D&D mailing list about how many things were fatal to ordinary people in AD&D.) Ah, right.
A blast of sleep breath would rather put a damper on the festival, without actually killing anyone, so I could use that in the story instead. Tllith would be pretty embarrassed about that, and the festivallers not entirely pleased ... and Tllith is surely worried that the next time she'll roast people instead of sleeping them. Which she might, if she's in a crowd and suddenly decides that she should not be in the crowd and someone doesn't get out of her way as quickly as she likes.
(Killing some people and leaving in shame would be one way to get her out of town if desired, but I don't much feel like having her start off as a miserable beast. That can come later.)
So: is the crowd phobia OK with this variant of the story?
OK. I'm thinking of Ars Magica style personality disadvantages, which are somewhat smaller. I could try to argue that giving any opponent an easy way to make Tllith save vs. her mediocre Wisdom or stop fighting them was risky, if not outright self-destructive ... but I will skip this as a formal Vice.
Makes sense.
So ... Moderate Crowd Phobia (-4), Awkward Casting Method (-5), and Moderate Clumsiness (-4), and Animal Empathy (+4), Glibness (+4), and Something Or Other (+5)?
Or am I still trying to do Ars Magica style character creation, not D&D?
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Post by Stix on Sept 25, 2009 8:45:32 GMT -5
Language: Something that was spoken around her egg? Or something she's learned since while in Elysium. So: is the crowd phobia OK with this variant of the story? Sounds good to me. So ... Moderate Crowd Phobia (-4), Awkward Casting Method (-5), and Moderate Clumsiness (-4), and Animal Empathy (+4), Glibness (+4), and Something Or Other (+5)? Dragons can be mages, but not thaumaturges (so Song Mage is a no go), but these are all fine. Also, for being "1st" level (as opposed to "Hatchling" level), you'll have 5 bonus CPs. Feel free to buy mage class features, improve your proficiencies, or save them for use in play. |
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