Dragons PCs as spellcasters

[MonkeySage]

For a game I participated in recently, the dm has us playing as True Dragons. This is a new experience for me and I'm playing as a hybrid of black and silver, with his silver dragon traits being the dominant ones.

When looking at the tables for dragons, some gain their first spell like abilities shortly before reaching young adult age. But in many cases they gain CASTER LEVELS after learning this spell like ability. I'm wondering if this means they learn spells that are seperate from their spell like abilities or if they have to take class levels as a spellcaster for that. The dragonomicon seems to hint at the former, but other than that I can't find any clear answers in the monster manual or the dragonomicon.

[Alleran]

Dragons cast as sorcerers of the indicated spellcasting level on the table.

The best dragon spellcasters are either tome dragons or steel dragons.

[Eslin]

If eberron's allowed, you need to take Loredrake as soon as dragonly possible. +2 sorcerer level in exchange for one hit point per HD, bargain.

[TuggyNE]

For a game I participated in recently, the dm has us playing as True Dragons. This is a new experience for me and I'm playing as a hybrid of black and silver, with his silver dragon traits being the dominant ones.

That backstory must be pretty funky.


When looking at the tables for dragons, some gain their first spell like abilities shortly before reaching young adult age. But in many cases they gain CASTER LEVELS after learning this spell like ability. I'm wondering if this means they learn spells that are seperate from their spell like abilities or if they have to take class levels as a spellcaster for that. The dragonomicon seems to hint at the former, but other than that I can't find any clear answers in the monster manual or the dragonomicon.

The former.
Spells
A dragon knows and casts arcane spells as a sorcerer of the level indicated in its variety description, gaining bonus spells for a high Charisma score. Some dragons can also cast spells from the cleric list or cleric domain lists as arcane spells.

Spell-Like Abilities
A dragon’s spell-like abilities depend on its age and variety. It gains the abilities indicated for its age plus all previous ones. Its age category or its sorcerer caster level, whichever is higher, is the caster level for these abilities. The save DC is 10 + dragon’s Cha modifier + spell level. All spell-like abilities are usable once per day unless otherwise noted.

Note that dragons with Cleric/domain casting have to learn those spells in the usual sorcerer way; it merely expands their possible list, rather than granting extra spells known.

[MonkeySage]

Here's a back story for ya: Another in our group is playing as a hybrid of red and silver, and gains all the benefits of both. Yeah, we're pretty much all hybrid dragons, as we were encouraged to do so by the DM.

[Eslin]

That's weird, because fluff wise inter dragon breeding is supposed to be incredibly rare. Why are you all hybrids?

[Mato]

Because it sounds awesome?

And isn't that enough?

[Xervous]

Obviously there are two answers to that question.

1. A wizard did it.

2. Dragon's sleep with everything

[mattie_p]

Obviously there are two answers to that question.

1. A wizard did it.

2. Dragon's sleep with everything

I agree with 1, but I dispute number 2.

Dragons are clearly not at the top of the list of "sleeping with everything." (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3423588&postcount=13)

[Vknight]

No no

It's not Humans or Dragons

But those darn planar entities
Half-Celestial
Half-Fiendish
Aasimar, Tiefling etc

They get around a lot
The poor Humans don't have a chance. And the Dragons are too picky

Anyways No Psionic Dragons awww

[Elderand]

No, it's clearly dragon, at least celestial and fiends have a standard, it must be smarter than an animal, dragons have no such limits, it's alive and it got a body ? A dragon will bone that.

[Marnath]

No no

It's not Humans or Dragons

But those darn planar entities
Half-Celestial
Half-Fiendish
Aasimar, Tiefling etc

They get around a lot
The poor Humans don't have a chance. And the Dragons are too picky

Anyways No Psionic Dragons awww

No psionic dragons, aside from all of the gem dragons you mean?


No, it's clearly dragon, at least celestial and fiends have a standard, it must be smarter than an animal, dragons have no such limits, it's alive and it got a body ? A dragon will bone that.

That's just what they can breed with successfully. Doesn't mean some of them won't hit an undead either. And incorporeal stuff is just a trip to the Ethereal Plane away. :smallwink:

[MonkeySage]

Not actually sure why we're all hybrids, but then again i'm also not sure why we all have a distinct humanoid form seperate from our alternate self abilities. It's like we're literally playing two different characters with the same mind.

According to the dm it's some sort of spiritual merger between a humanoid and a dragon.

[Harrow]

Well, the half-dragon template can be added to anything living and corporeal. Half dragon ooze anyone? Half dragon beholder? Choker? Muckdweller? Mongrelfolk? I'm not even sure a half-dragon Hellbred makes sense... but you can do it.

As far as I can tell, the only reason inter-dragon breeding is so rare is because they are so busy mating with literally everything

[TypoNinja]

Well, the half-dragon template can be added to anything living and corporeal. Half dragon ooze anyone? Half dragon beholder? Choker? Muckdweller? Mongrelfolk? I'm not even sure a half-dragon Hellbred makes sense... but you can do it.

As far as I can tell, the only reason inter-dragon breeding is so rare is because they are so busy mating with literally everything

Probably a convenience thing.

Two Adult (or older) dragons meeting is potentially dangerous, and socially tricky, if you want to get your freak on its easier to just shape shift into whatever lives near by.

As for dragon spell casting, it gets ridiculous fast there are a lot of self only buffs on the sorc/wiz list that are balanced out by the fact that they have to be cast on a Spellcaster that's supposed to start out sucking at melee, that are just plain disgusting when used on a Dragon. Loins Charge, Wraith Strike, ect. Wings of Cover is already awesome, but turns disgusting when you give it to a Dragon who gets to now also shield his teammates. And thanks to age ups if you didn't dump Cha you probably have a disgusting number of spells a day. I have 9 2nd levels with my Fang Dragon.