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View Full Version : Lifespans for the other kinds of true dragons. (3.5)



Volkov
2010-01-30, 11:27 AM
The Draconomicon gives us a system to see how long a Chromatic or Metallic dragon will live based on it's charisma score. 50 x it's charisma score as a great wyrm for Chromatic dragons. 100 x it's charisma score as a great wyrm for metallic. Of course, this doesn't tell us how virtual age categories factor into this and how many years does it take for a dragon to gain an virtual age category but I digress.

So for the other kinds of true dragons I have formulated a system.

200 x cha score as a great wyrm for Gem dragons, as we generally think of gems as something permanent and unchanging, thus Gem dragons should get a longer life span than their Chromatic or Metallic counter parts.

400 x Cha score as a great wyrm for Planar dragons, since they share space with outsiders, shouldn't they get a lifespan comparable to one as well? Of course I know outsiders are generally biologically immortal, but most die from violence before reaching the ten thousand year mark.

800 x Cha score as a great wyrm for shadow dragons, darkness is something that we think of as something that will last forever, something that can be driven away, but will always be back the instant the light goes out, thus they should get a very long life span for a dragon.

1600 x Cha score as a great wyrm for Epic dragons, as they take twice as long to reach new age categories as other kinds of dragon, and are the most powerful group of dragons, it's only fair for them to have by far the longest life span.

Fang dragons in my opinion, should get the same life span formula as Chromatic dragons, as they share the most traits with them.

Read and Discuss please. If you know of any other kinds of true dragons that are not in any of these categories, please inform me of them and give me a description and I'll work out a formula for them based on their traits.

Zaydos
2010-01-30, 11:33 AM
I'd give Shadow Dragons the same lifespan as Chromatic Dragons (same with Deep, the three from the Dragon Magazine Compendium, and most evil dragons). They'll still be about the longest lived evil dragons what with their high Cha.

I can see the argument for Gem dragons, although I really don't think they should live longer than Metallic so I'd put them at 100 x Cha or 150 x at most. This is just what feels right to me and is my own opinion.

I'd put planar dragons at 50 more than the Gem dragons, and put epic dragons at 300 or 400 x Cha.

As for virtual age categories I have no idea. I've actually never used both virtual age categories and maximum age for dragons at the same time (although I had 1 campaign where only 2 dragons were immortal and had virtual age categories). Usually in my games dragons only start truly aging when they stop growing in innate power.

Volkov
2010-01-30, 12:11 PM
Also, the age system can be exploited by a dragon who takes levels in something just to raise his Cha score as much as possible while using wish or a tome to increase his cha score, and I am still confused as to how the extend lifespan feat would work on a dragon.

Johel
2010-01-30, 03:34 PM
Also, the age system can be exploited by a dragon who takes levels in something just to raise his Cha score as much as possible while using wish or a tome to increase his cha score, and I am still confused as to how the extend lifespan feat would work on a dragon.

Short crunchy answer :
Feat works.
It simply does nothing because Dragons don't have a modifier to calculate their age categories.

Long fluffy answer :
Epic dragons don't take puny feat. If they care about living forever, they simply do.
Good and Neutral epic dragons are smart enough to find something. And even if they can't trick the universe, the mental exercise alone would have made it worth trying. Damn, the simple fact that they spent centuries on that one might count as some "unresolved business" and make them ghosts who have to wander until they DO find a way to become truly immortal !! A nice paradox...
Evil epic dragons go the short but less risky way and become dracoliches. Some, like Klauth, actually find even more abject ways to stay alive. But for the most part, they get killed before getting past their first millennium.

Zaydos
2010-01-30, 04:07 PM
Draconomicon provides a prestige class (12 levels) Dragon Ascendant whose capstone is Immortality. So it's not too hard for a good/neutral dragon to become immortal (if they're willing to sacrifice their entire hoard at some point).

mostlyharmful
2010-01-30, 04:16 PM
only the once, you can start rebuilding it afterwards... and as a partially divine humongous dragon it shouldn't be too hard to make a fast buck:smallbiggrin:

Lapak
2010-01-30, 07:49 PM
While I understand wanting to categorize it, I've always been of the 'Dragons live until they're killed somehow' school.

That said, I'm not sure that I buy the original post's reasoning on Shadow dragons. Shadows are fleeting things. The Gem argument is a little more solid. I'd go Shadow x50, Planar x100, Gem x200, Epic x300.