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Faediira
Acolyte
USA
19 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 01:07:47
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I have an ongoing campaign timeline that i decided to fill in and one of the characters is a deep dragon she likes to polymorph into drow form but I need to know how long she can stay in that form during a normal 24 hour day.
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May the light of Eilistraee burn bright in the face of evil...bastard swords high. |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1152 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 01:34:07
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It depends on how old she is. Young dragons should be the eldest ones playable by PCs ideally. A young dragon could do it for 12 minutes per use of her ability. Unless later taken as a spell as well, said ability can only be used 3 times per day for a young dragon.
So a young deep dragon could be polymorphed for 36 minutes per day. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
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Edited by - hashimashadoo on 01 Mar 2015 01:47:22 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 03:48:56
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| How long do you need her polymorphed? You could easily give her a magical item that extends the duration of that spell alone, or perhaps one that does nothing but allow dragons to assume human/demihuman form. |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 05:44:16
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Don't be afraid to look at rules as guidelines, and go with whatever works best for the story. Perhaps the ability isn't all that predictable, and has a tendency to "flicker" every once in a while and fail in stressful moments. This is especially appropriate at low levels and young ages. It's a useful ability, for sure, but I wouldn't want to see players get dependent on it. Maybe it's just the players I've had, but it's more memorable if they sweat a little... in this case, when trying to be a drow more than a couple of rounds during negotiations or interrogations, or when running over trap doors that everyone knows the dragon's weight would trigger. I think the "run fast, talk faster" and the "I wonder if it will last long enough this time" thing can be more fun than "x rounds per day."
The player can be given some "control" over it by rolling a saving throw every couple rounds, or every time the stress level rises, with a small cumulative penalty to the roll for each previous roll.
Just my 2 cents. Have fun! 
Edit: and ppbbbtttt at limiting the player's age category. Story > rules. |
Edited by - xaeyruudh on 01 Mar 2015 05:45:30 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 08:18:56
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| Or you could go with the 2e version of the deep dragon, where the transformation lasts until the dragon decides to take another form. So if she wanted to stay in drow form for days, she could. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 12:41:08
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The spell-like ability in 3e works just like a Sorcerer's spell with the dragons age category or its assigned caster level (whichever is higher) to determine how powerful its effects are. A deep dragon acquires humanoid form at age category 3, "young," and it uses the rules for the Wiz/Sor polymorph spell with 1 minute/caster level duration. The breakdown is as follows:
- Young - 3 Minutes
- Juvenile - 4 Minutes increases to 4/day
- Young Adult - 5 Minutes
- Adult - 6 Minutes
- Mature Adult - 7 Minutes
- Old - 9 Minutes
- Very Old - 11 Minutes
- Ancient - 13 Minutes
- Wyrm - 15 Minutes
- Great Wyrm - 17 Minutes
As for magic items with extended durations I have found the Dragonshape "ring" which is from the Dragonomicon. It allows the "ring" wearer to polymorph into a specific dragon for up to 1 hour 1/day. The reverse is possible using this as an example. Crafting a magic item the would make a continuous polymorph effect would be for an insanely expensive product (4 spell levels x 7 caster levels x base 2000 x 2 continuous effect from min/level duration) 112,000 gp!
I don't know how this is handled in either 4e or 5e so if either is the system you are running then I'm not of much use.
quote:
Originally posted by xaeyruudh
Edit: and ppbbbtttt at limiting the player's age category. Story > rules.
If story is greater than rules then why roll anything at all during the climactic action scenes? For that matter, why roll for anything when you can let the story dictate the flow of who succeeds or fails at what for purposes of plot. At that point you might as well be playing Amber or something other than D&D. Me? I think D&D is a game that should be fair to all involved with dice rolls in the open. The story is only the reason why we gamble and take risks with our characters with the full knowledge of the rewards for our successes and consequences for our failures.
By the by, hashimashadoo stated what he or she considered "ideal" starting dragon PC limitations without elaborating more on those ideals and not quoting any particular rule. |
Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 14:32:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Hoondatha
Or you could go with the 2e version of the deep dragon, where the transformation lasts until the dragon decides to take another form. So if she wanted to stay in drow form for days, she could.
I'd go with this, but that's just me. Just chalk it up to the magical perk of being a dragon. Especially if you need it for the story or to keep the PC's in the dark. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36803 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 14:47:19
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| Another fun idea, though one you'd have to have the player's approval on (and possibly revamping the back story): the dragon is trapped in human/demihuman form, and must break the curse/earn their freedom. |
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Stormlord
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 18:18:41
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Greetings,
Deep Dragons were updated in the Drow of the Underdark (3.5 version, pages 114 to 117). They were given the Change Shape supernatural ability.
The Change Shape ability states: "The dragon can remain in an alternate form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form." It also states, "A deep dragon can assume a humanoid form of Medium size or smaller three times per day at young age and four times per day at juvenile age or older." |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1152 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 18:41:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Stormlord
Greetings,
Deep Dragons were updated in the Drow of the Underdark (3.5 version, pages 114 to 117). They were given the Change Shape supernatural ability.
Need to make a note of this. While I was looking it up last night I wondered if it had been updated so I googled it and was told it'd been updated in Fane of the Drow. I looked in there and couldn't find it so I just went with the original in MoF.
Just goes to show that the highest google result can't always be trusted. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2015 : 20:17:42
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Ditto.
I also find it annoying that the WotC PGtF web enhancement that was specifically the monster update to 3.5 for Monsters of Faerun doesn't even mention that at all.quote:
Dragon, Deep: Dragon (earth); young adult 5/magic; mature adult 10/magic; very old 15/magic; wyrm 20/magic; LA wyrmling +4, very young +4, young +5. Refer to Monster Manual entry on true dragons for introductory material; increase Challenge Rating at each age category by +1.
Skills: Hide, Move Silently, and Swim are considered class skills for deep dragons. These are in addition to the skills noted in the Monster Manual as class skills for all dragons.
I found an online source for the Drow of the Underdark version here |
Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
Edited by - SaMoCon on 01 Mar 2015 20:19:24 |
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Deep Dragon
