Fluff As Necessary: Help me make Dragonborn (D&D 4e) not stupid

[Zaq]

So, I'm a hearty believer in refluffing anything and everything. Sometimes you like the mechanics for something, and the writers just did a terrible job with the part that came before the interesting numbers and effects, but that shouldn't stop you from playing a character you find mechanically interesting, nor should it force you into playing something you find repugnant just to get a certain effect.

I'm currently in that situation when it comes to the 4e version of Dragonborn. (I don't like the 3.5 version either, but that's neither here nor there.) Basically, I don't like dragons. At all. I'm going to be very closed-minded about this; I simply don't like them. That said, I like the mechanical effects that Dragonborn have in 4e, but I'm not going to be caught dead playing a dwagon. Most races are very easy to refluff, on the whole, but the whole "suddenly I breathe fire or whatever kind of energy!" thing is kind of, well, noticeable and tricky.

So, how would you fluff a Dragonborn in a way that has nothing to do with dwagons? The stat bonuses are easy (hell, they're invisible, really), but the ability to suddenly spew energy all over the place makes things a little bit trickier than, well, most races. I suppose I could fluff it as a different flavor of Genasi, but I tend to try to stay clear of existing fluff when possible, you know? Anyway, any suggestions?

[Sir_Elderberry]

They're people who were born at a particular astrological time, which allowed the element in question to take root in their soul. Adventurerer Planeborn have learned to channel it from their body/eyes/hands/weapons.

[awa]

you could also pick a diffrent non dragon creature for them to draw energy from such as say a phoenix

[Tiki Snakes]

Yeah, really. It is possible to remove the dragon, fluffwise, from Dragonborn.

But that's no small task, considering...you know. :smallconfused:

I take it that simply playing something of another race isn't going to do it, eh? Hmm. No, I don't really see any obvious, iconic or easy overlays for this.

The best I can suggest is that it could simply be some kind of tough, monstrous creature with strong elemental ties. Doesn't really bring anything to mind, so you're basically talking about refluffing from scratch.

Assuming this is for a PC, how about you let us know a little more about the DM's campaign setting, the class/build you're thinking of for the character, etc.

[erikun]

Change them into Genasi. They are elemental creatures who can build up and let loose a burst/vortex of elemental energy.

[Swordgleam]

Do you need to refluff the entire race, or just your character? Say you're a member of any other race, who happens to be able to shoot fire/whatever from his hands because he helped out a wizard once, and the wizard taught him a few tricks. If you're an arcane or divine class already, then just pretend it's one of your class abilities.

If you have to refluff the entire race, is anyone else playing one? Does the DM care? If "no" to both, pick whatever element you want your breath weapon to be, and focus on that. Much easier than explaining away all of them. Oh, this race? They're swamp dwellers who can breathe clouds of poison as part of their adaptation to the poisonous swamps. You'd rather shoot lighting? They're all beloved of Zeus/Kord/Whomever.

If you have to refluff the entire race including the elements, I'd do some kind of elemental version of tieflings: a race whose ancestors meddled with the elements somehow, and it got into their blood and shows up sometimes in their descendants.

[Mando Knight]

Basically, I don't like dragons. At all. I'm going to be very closed-minded about this; I simply don't like them.

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My avatar has nothing to say to you.

[Reluctance]

If you're DM, just chop the race entirely, and put the onus on the player who wants to play one to refluff it. Oddball Genasi or Mad Scientist's Creation are a lot less jarring when there's only the one.

[Gralamin]

So, I'm a hearty believer in refluffing anything and everything. Sometimes you like the mechanics for something, and the writers just did a terrible job with the part that came before the interesting numbers and effects, but that shouldn't stop you from playing a character you find mechanically interesting, nor should it force you into playing something you find repugnant just to get a certain effect.

I'm currently in that situation when it comes to the 4e version of Dragonborn. (I don't like the 3.5 version either, but that's neither here nor there.) Basically, I don't like dragons. At all. I'm going to be very closed-minded about this; I simply don't like them. That said, I like the mechanical effects that Dragonborn have in 4e, but I'm not going to be caught dead playing a dwagon. Most races are very easy to refluff, on the whole, but the whole "suddenly I breathe fire or whatever kind of energy!" thing is kind of, well, noticeable and tricky.

So, how would you fluff a Dragonborn in a way that has nothing to do with dwagons? The stat bonuses are easy (hell, they're invisible, really), but the ability to suddenly spew energy all over the place makes things a little bit trickier than, well, most races. I suppose I could fluff it as a different flavor of Genasi, but I tend to try to stay clear of existing fluff when possible, you know? Anyway, any suggestions?

Well, Dragonborn have the following abilities:
Strong and Charismatic
Good at History and Intimidation
Fights harder when near death
Heals/Rests more efficiently
Can breathe Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Poison.

So, fluff for them should include these things. Lets take the Breath Weapon out of the picture for a bit. The rest of the traits seem to resemble a "Determinator" style of character. This could be fitted onto any race pretty easily.

So lets focus on the breathe weapon. Most intuitively, they should be connected to the elements somehow. Perhaps weak Demons who have wondered onto the material plane? Special Humans who have been infused with elemental energy? Really strange Dromites?

[cupkeyk]

As for breatn weapon, i like the 3.5 dragon explanation. as the primary predator of their terrain, they eat creatures that have been affected by that terrain. White dragons breath ice because they more efficiently digest frozen food. Red burnt, blue ionized, black corroded, green poisoned, deep decomposing, rage battered/liquified. The breath weapon is actually vomitus made of their digestive juices.

[NeoVid]

Basically, I don't like dragons. At all.

So you only play D&, I assume.

[TheMadLinguist]

So you only play D&, I assume.

No, he just has a really good reason to kill off as many of them as he can.

[Decoy Lockbox]

I didn't like the new look for the dragonborn, tieflings or genasi, so I "reskinned" them for my campaign.

Dragonborn are replaced with dragonblooded, who are sorta like tieflings were in 3.5, but with dragons instead of fiends. So a dragonblooded might have red eyes, or a forked tongue, or vaguely scaly skin, or skin that gets eletric-y when he gets mad....but other than that he looks like a normal person of whatever race he is. Essentially the players say "I'm a dragonblooded dwarf", their race counts as dragonborn (the dragonblood overpowers the other racial characteristics), but they just look like a slightly abnormal member of their race.

Tieflings...I just use the oldschool tieflings. Maybye you have a small tail, or little horns, or sharp teeth....maybye not?

[Eric Tolle]

*shrug* They're dinosaurs. After all, ask any 10 year-old, and they will tell you there is nothing as badass or as cool as dinosaurs. As for the breath weapon? Well of course dinosaurs have breath weapons. Why do you think they all died out except for the Dinosaur-born?

Bear in mind that Dinosaur-born all keep growing throughout their lives. So by the time they hit 30th level, they may look like this:

http://godzilla.monstrous.com/godzilla_atomic_breath.jpg

[Inyssius Tor]

Well, Dragonborn have the following abilities:
Strong and Charismatic
Good at History and Intimidation
Fights harder when near death
Heals/Rests more efficiently
Can breathe Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Poison.

So, fluff for them should include these things. Lets take the Breath Weapon out of the picture for a bit. The rest of the traits seem to resemble a "Determinator" style of character. This could be fitted onto any race pretty easily.

Ayep.

One other thing: they don't actually need to breathe Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Poison. It's a close-range multi-target attack that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage, but it needn't be a breath weapon as such. Maybe they speak lesser words of power. Maybe they shoot lasers from their eyes. Maybe they have flamethrowers in their arms. Maybe they can launch poison darts from their beards. Maybe their icy shadow whips around and smothers you. Whatever.

You could also rule that every member of this race has essentially "taken the Radiant Breath feat", and so their multi-target attack deals radiant damage in addition to whatever else. Or the equivalent of the Hurl Breath feat, so their multi-target attack is an area burst 2 instead of a close blast 3.

Or you could monkey with the damage types, which really isn't going to make a huge difference. There are a few things: Radiant damage is quite good, so if you just outright change the racial power to Radiant without having it take up a feat slot you're probably going to cut 1d4 out of the damage expression; and Necrotic damage is bad in pretty much equal degree, so add 1d4 in that case. Psychic, Thunder, and Force are all about as good as Acid, so you could reasonably substitute any of them in with little difficulty.

[Pronounceable]

I'd say it's a lost battle and be done, but the title is misleading. As stated clearly in OP, it is possible to make dragonborn not suck and blow at the same time: make them not dragonborn.

Since you want some sort of new fluff, I'll suggest elemental possession: You know how tieflings and various other templated stuff happen. Therefore having an ancestor who dallied with elementals isn't original at all. However! Golems all got elemental spirits. When golems are destroyed, said spirits usually go back to their plane. But sometimes, such spirits manage to anchor themselves to something, which is usually someone who's close to the now defunct golem. And these fickle beings sometimes pass down the bloodline for no apparent reason. Net result: You got magic powers not cos some dragon decided to rape your great great great grandma, but cos she was a badass warrior who went around destroying golems.

[TheThan]

Change them into Genasi. They are elemental creatures who can build up and let loose a burst/vortex of elemental energy.
I like this.
Lizardfolk might work as well.

[HenryHankovitch]

Is there some particular problem with making them reptilian humanoids who don't happen to have anything in particular to do with dragons? I mean, we've already got lizardfolk, troglodytes, kuan-toa, etc. No reason you can't have "big strong guys with scaly skin and iguana-like horns who can spit aerated flammable 'venom,'" or what have you.

You could make them the descendants of a cross-planar "refugee" race, with the assorted supernatural benefits that implies. Maybe their original home was overrun with slaads, or something like that.

I don't personally see the issue with Dragonborn, fluff-wise. They're less unoriginal, or biologically stupid, than shifters, tieflings, or half-orcs. Never mind fricken' genasi. And at least they don't look like rubber-forehead humans.

Edit: or heck, just make 'em Krogan. Not that D&D really needs yet another race of big strong guys who aren't too bright and love to fight way too much.