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Thalassomedon
2011-09-22, 10:02 PM
Does anyone have a description or know I can find online a description of Udalaag?

Here is what I have so far on the description of my Half-Dragon (Black) Umber Hulk character. What do you think of the description and of it being a player character? I am not sure about the arms and legs right now. How many toes does each of a Black Dragon's feet have?

From a distance you see what appears to be Umber Hulk but it has features not found on an Umber Hulk. Large, thick, black scaly plates cover his chitinous body, Scatter through out his body are feelers that resemble sparse hair. Two vast dragon-like wings flare from his back. The wing membranes are marked with blobby stripes, and the leading edges of the wings are fringed near the tips. The top of his low, round head which appears to be skeletal, is crown with a row of hornlets.. Above his large compound eyes are two small dragon-like eyes. Both sets of his eyes are deep-socketed. He has massive jagged edged mandibles and rows of triangular teeth that are visible even when his mouth is closed. Jutting from his chin are a small pair of horns. The arms reach almost down to the ground. The hands end in thick clawed fingers with iron-hard ridges.
The Glyphstone
2011-09-22, 10:29 PM
What's an Udalaag?
Mr.Bookworm
2011-09-22, 10:32 PM
He's a character from one of Monte Cook's Ptolus adventures.

Here's a miniature of him (from Cook's site (http://www.montecook.com/ptolus_PCs.html)), OP guy.

http://www.montecook.com/images/Udalaag_300.jpg
Runestar
2011-09-23, 01:41 AM
Only problem playing one would be the hideous ECL you need to suck up. The umber hulk was given an ECL of 14 in Savage Species, IIRC, so a half-dragon variant would be ECL17!
Keneth
2011-09-23, 04:04 AM
More to the point, why would a dragon breed with an umberhulk? Or more importantly, how would they do that?
Runestar
2011-09-23, 05:18 AM
More to the point, why would a dragon breed with an umberhulk? Or more importantly, how would they do that?

Hey, if half-dragon oozes and treants are possible...:smalleek::smalltongue::smallamused:
Thalassomedon
2011-09-23, 09:20 AM
More to the point, why would a dragon breed with an umberhulk? Or more importantly, how would they do that?Polymorphing into an Umber Hulk.
The Glyphstone
2011-09-23, 10:18 AM
Only problem playing one would be the hideous ECL you need to suck up. The umber hulk was given an ECL of 14 in Savage Species, IIRC, so a half-dragon variant would be ECL17!

If he's playing under Pathfinder rules, it's not as awful.Umber Hulk is CR7 and Half-Dragon is CR+2, so it'd be an ECL9.
Thalassomedon
2011-09-23, 11:44 AM
I was thinking about using the Umber Hulk Monster Class from Savage Species.
Daftendirekt
2011-09-23, 12:18 PM
If he's playing under Pathfinder rules, it's not as awful.Umber Hulk is CR7 and Half-Dragon is CR+2, so it'd be an ECL9.

Not just PF either, 3.5 MM says CR7 for Umber Hulk.
The Glyphstone
2011-09-23, 04:08 PM
Not just PF either, 3.5 MM says CR7 for Umber Hulk.

That's what I meant. IN 3.5, a CR7 Umber Hulk would indeed be a ECL16 before class levels character from LA. In PF, the 'Monsters as PCs' rule sets a monster character's base ECL equal to their CR, so the same character in PF would be CR9 before class levels.
Thalassomedon
2011-11-19, 05:04 PM
I am getting that it would be not such a good idea to play as this character then. Am I right on that?
AslanCross
2011-11-19, 05:43 PM
I am getting that it would be not such a good idea to play as this character then. Am I right on that?

As a general rule, high ECL=not good, as you do get a bunch of good stats, but you don't get to do much. High ECL is usually only good when you take levels in a class that stacks with something you get from your RHD (such as racial spellcasting ie, Hobgoblin Warcaster, or the Naztharune Rakshasa's ability to give ANY class it takes Sneak Attack progression that stacks with its RHD).

Even so, you will still end up not leveling up while your party members do.

There's the Savage progression (introduced in Savage Species) where you start as a nerfed, "level 1" version of your monster, but not all DMs allow that.
hisnamehere
2011-11-20, 10:01 PM
I'm a big supporter of Savage Species and new/interesting races/characters. Probably because I like making so many of them.

The half-black dragon umber hulk is a great image, even just with the black carapace. I like your description.

However, ECL 17 might be unplayable.

I like to give such LA characters nerfed racial abilities on first level to allow them to take a class level. Each level afterward they progress along their racial LA's until all are accounted for. Gives the character a class basis at first level (rather than making every half-black dragon umber hulk exactly the same on first level).