Wishing I was a Half-Dragon

[Ace Nex]

What is the limitations on wishing for a template? Using either wish or miracle, could someone get a half fiend, dragon, or angel template?

[Flickerdart]

In Savage Species, wish is described as one way to gain a subtype. Those templates are much more extensive than a subtype, which leads me to believe that you'd get partial fulfillment: dragonborn if you wanted half-dragon, perhaps, or one of those spells that temporarily grants you one of the templates.

[awa]

that is not one of the listed default uses of the spell and thus falls into the dm get to mess with you category for example you may wish to be a half dragon and then lose levels equal to the templates la so your ecl does not change

[Elderand]

or dms turn you exactly into what you asked. Half dragon, the back half and your puny normal race torso stick out from it.

[Flickerdart]

or dms turn you exactly into what you asked. Half dragon, the back half and your puny normal race torso stick out from it.
Great, that's still a tail slap attack! :smallbiggrin:

[KillingAScarab]

This looks like a job for Sean K. Reynolds (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a).


"Half-dragon" is usually an inherited template, but it could be acquired through special magical rituals as well.

With that route, you would spend the next three levels changing rather than taking class levels. It doesn't say if you actually had racial hit dice that they would change, however, so I'm assuming you miss out on recalculating HP, BAB, base save bonuses and skill points. There were also Aasimar-to-Half-Celestial and Tiefling-to-Half-Fiendish transition classes (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040319a) which could be started from their respective racial classes (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a).

[Seharvepernfan]

What is the limitations on wishing for a template? Using either wish or miracle, could someone get a half fiend, dragon, or angel template?

As others have said, it's up to the DM, but consider this: there are spells that grant you a template (like half-fiend and half-celestial) for a period of time. Just get an item (or better yet, a tattoo) of one of those spells, where you can have it permanent.

You might mean that you want to actually become one of those things, in which case, other than prestige/racial classes, it's up to your DM.

[Gavinfoxx]

Why would you want to? It isn't worth the LA...

[Thomar_of_Uointer]

In Savage Species, wish is described as one way to gain a subtype. Those templates are much more extensive than a subtype, which leads me to believe that you'd get partial fulfillment: dragonborn if you wanted half-dragon, perhaps, or one of those spells that temporarily grants you one of the templates.

If you are very lucky, word your wish very well, and your GM decides he's in a good mood during the session, then the spell could actually give you the half-dragon template but with three permanent negative levels alongside it just for balance's sake.

It might also cause you to slowly turn into a half-dragon over the next three levels according to this Savage Progressions article. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a)


Why would you want to? It isn't worth the LA...

It is if you're a melee warrior. It grants +8 Strength in exchange for 3 levels. That's a net to-hit bonus of +1, plus 6 points of damage if you're swinging two-handed (you could get the same damage from Power Attack, but at a -3 penalty instead). It also gives you an AOE breath weapon nuke you can use once per day. Finally, it grants you immunity to a slew of pesky low-level save-or-suck spells, most importantly hold person and hold monster. It also grants you a +2 Constitution bonus, so if you're a fighter you'll make up for the lost hit points around ECL 15 or so (and the higher AC will more than make up for it in the meantime).

Anyways, as mentioned above the stat boosts alone are way better than the normal +1 to an attribute. According to the text of wish, the list of safe wishes are things you can wish for safely. The moment you wish for something more powerful than a safe wish the GM has free reign to screw with your character as much as he wants. For example, the spell might turn you into a bisected dragon (which would cause you to promptly expire). The spell might turn about fifty percent of your body parts into the limbs and appendages of a dragon, maybe giving you some natural armor but with penalties to movement and Dexterity.


What is the limitations on wishing for a template? Using either wish or miracle, could someone get a half fiend, dragon, or angel template?

Talk to your GM about how you want to handle it. His primary concern should be party balance. If you can convince him that there's a way to do it while sticking to the ECL rules he may decide that it's a balanced wish and allow it. Either ask him if you can take three negative levels to make up for the LA, or show him the Savage Progressions article.

If I were to run a campaign, then using Savage Species style progressions or taking negative levels would allow for safe wishing for templates that would normally be inherited.