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taltamir
2009-10-23, 06:39 PM
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870010/The_Familiars_Handbook__2007?num=10&pg=1
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/dragonTrue.htm

Gold dragon wyrmling:

STR17 Dex10 Con15 Int14 Wis15 Cha14
breath weapon2d10 (16)

1. When it ages it leaves, but without the XP penalty and it remains friendly towards you assuming your relationship was good and you weren't abusive. (only 5 years from hatching untill it leaves though). But that can be a bonus... every five years get another loyal dragon friend :) while the previous ones are just getting more powerful friends and allies with age.
2. It is medium sized.
3. It starts with really good abilities, skills, feats and HD.
4. It has the ability to assume a human shape. and stay in said shape.
5. requires the dragon familiar feat and caster level 14.


Alternate Form (Su)
A gold dragon can assume any animal or humanoid form of Medium size or smaller as a standard action three times per day. The dragon can remain in its animal or humanoid form until it chooses to assume a new one or return to its natural form.

So a gold wyrmling dragon can just stay in human form all the time (unless it specifically needs to change)... wear magic items, activate magic items, use UMD (which it should have from its own natural HD) to activate wands, scrolls, or use items, etc...
It is essentially a cohort, and a familiar. and thanks to it being a familiar it gets natural armor while being in human shape from being a familiar (since its min level is level 14... thats is a min of +7 natural AC).

So what would be the best use for a humanoid with 7 natural AC, half the HP of a wizard, and ability to use any magic item it wants?
Would its limited HP make it a bad tank? would it be functional as a gish? how much magic items does it need to be effective?

sofawall
2009-10-23, 06:43 PM
Not a good frontliner. Only way to boost its HP is to boost yours.

Dusk Eclipse
2009-10-23, 06:51 PM
If you have a small character you can use it as a mount (if he allows yo to) in either animal or normal form. also I think it could be better suited to a support role than to a frontline one, from the reasons the above poster mentioned.

As a support character you can give him IDK wand os CLW or lesser viggor or stuff like that, and maybe a combat wand (Scorching ray? Magic Missile?) to defend itself or to help another character.

Frosty
2009-10-23, 07:09 PM
IF you are a gbome or halfling, you can ride that familiar then.

paddyfool
2009-10-24, 05:33 AM
So, good uses:

- A scout (using a sparrow or somesuch as an alternate form, and preferably under the effect of silence and/or invisibility to negate the absence of hide or move silently as a class skill)
- A night watchman
- As a utility wand/scroll user
- Standard familiar uses

Obviously, you should max out his spot, listen, and use magic device. As for feats... I'd suggest considering Improved Initiative. Considering his low HP, that initiative mod of +0 could easily be fatal in the first round.

Of course, the one thing you should never forget with familiars is that they share your personal-range buffs. You can have some fun with this - if he uses alternate form to look like you, and you cast mirror image, for instance. It may also be worth considering using buffs you wouldn't normally that would be particularly beneficial to him, such as scintillating scales (touch AC being the usual achilles heel of dragons).

AstralFire
2009-10-24, 08:25 AM
Dragon flank steaks.

The best use of any dragon.

deuxhero
2009-10-24, 10:44 AM
Dragon hit dice has UMD as a class skill.

taltamir
2009-10-24, 02:25 PM
actually... thinking about it the ideal way to use a dragon familiar is to have lots of them grow up...

Play something that lives a long time, like an elf or an elan... At age 5 years a dragon familiar leaves but is still close friend. Well, become a dragon nursery of sort. Rear powerful dragons for the first few years of their life, as a familiar... In a campaign with a lot of downtime you will end up with a lot of very powerful friends.

Moriato
2009-10-24, 03:35 PM
Dragon flank steaks.

The best use of any dragon.

Are flank steaks the ones that either give you +2 to deliciousness or give themselves -2 to toughness?

Can a rogue only eat a flank steak if he's 3 levels higher than the creature it came from?

krossbow
2009-10-24, 03:53 PM
does the fact that your bringing the equivilent of a toddler into life and death situations not alarm you?

Dusk Eclipse
2009-10-24, 03:56 PM
does the fact that your bringing the equivilent of a toddler into life and death situations not alarm you?

....you know I have never though about it that way, but I assume that If the parent of the wyrmling is ok with it, he/she expects that the wyrmling can take care of him/herself.

Tiki Snakes
2009-10-24, 03:59 PM
I'd imagine Dragons would be, in many ways, comparable to Crocodiles as parents. VERY caring and protective for a little while, then the little blighters are pretty much on their own.

All with the expectation that most of them will (or even really should) fail to survive even to adolescance, let alone adulthood. Dragons have children by broods worth of eggs, but a single dragon would be the top predator for many miles.

Fostering one of your favoured hatchlings with an adventurer is a good way to give the little fella a headstart over his siblings, who would otherwise have to make it in the wild on their own.

Magnor Criol
2009-10-24, 04:01 PM
Can a rogue only eat a flank steak if he's 3 levels higher than the creature it came from?

Congratulations sir, this pun made me groan. :D


does the fact that your bringing the equivilent of a toddler into life and death situations not alarm you?

It's like a hyperintelligent toddler who is, in fact, a good deal more intelligent, wise, and charismatic than an average human. I think it's smart enough to handle itself alright - although you should beware what's likely to be an equally hyperactive curiosity.

Actually, that's something to keep in mind. This isn't like a typical animal familiar that's only somewhat intelligent; this is a dragon. Is your DM going to be "playing" your familiar's personality for you?

Moriato
2009-10-24, 04:10 PM
Congratulations sir, this pun made me groan. :D


Seems that my job here is done.

hamishspence
2009-10-24, 04:45 PM
Besides Draconomicon, Dragon Magazine 320 (June 2004) also had an interesting article on fostered dragon wyrmlings.

Among other things, all dragons, even metallics, are prone to thievery at a young age, and it requires a lot of work to keep your gold wyrmling out of trouble.

taltamir
2009-10-29, 06:21 PM
does the fact that your bringing the equivilent of a toddler into life and death situations not alarm you?

its tough love... without bringing him into life and death situations he wouldn't gain XP, without XP he will be easy pray.

KillianHawkeye
2009-10-29, 07:55 PM
Blindsense (Ex)

Dragons can pinpoint creatures within a distance of 60 feet. Opponents the dragon can’t actually see still have total concealment against the dragon.


Give it a wand of glitterdust.

taltamir
2009-10-29, 08:10 PM
can you make a wand with metamagic? cause Iam just going to start dropping SHAPED glitterdusts (convert a single 10 foot diameter burst into 4 seperate 10 foot diameter bursts for a +1) on people :)