Cobalt Dragon Dungeoncrasher- Optimizing the breath attack

[Rakaydos]

So, there's an offhand remark in the dragon guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303204) here in the forums that Cobalt Dragons have a Line Breath weapon that does damage, and bull rushes everyone hit with a DC equal to the damage, and that this could go well with Dungeoncrasher with breath damage optimization.

What are the best ways of getting this optimization? How high can we pump the DC?

I'm assuming Gestalt rules, because dragon, so non wyrmling age categories are available. I'm also hoping for a playable build, so give me a lowest level for a reasonable DC and a few ways to keep up as I level.

[Darrin]

What are the best ways of getting this optimization? How high can we pump the DC?


Hmmm. Wand of blockade could be useful there: swift action to put an obstacle behind your target.

Or even better, take Shape Breath so you have a cone, fly above your targets, and bull rush them into the ground.

Hmmm. Looking at the text in Dragon #356, the DC of the bull rush is set by the damage dealt. It doesn't say if you get any other bull-rush related bonuses on top of that. So... buffing Str doesn't really help there, as it has no effect on the DC.

Other than boosting the damage... I'm not sure what else we could use. My first inclination was to use soulmelds, but I think only Mauling Gauntlets or Sphinx Claws help there, and that's only as a bonus to Str checks... which aren't factored into the DC for the breath weapon.

[Jeff the Green]

Maximize Breath and Empower Supernatural Ability will definitely help, Heighten Breath and Ability Focus might.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Strength is still going to be useful because it adds to your Dungeoncrasher damage.

Blockade summons a five-foot cube adjacent to the caster, so you'd have to use that and then move to the opposite side of your intended target.

The feat Power Surge in Dragon 313 can add +1 damage per die to a supernatural ability, and increases the wait between uses by one round.

Maximize Breath in the Draconomicon makes it deal max damage per die.

Note that the linked handbook is wrong, a Cobalt Dragon's LA is +4 at both wyrmling and very young, and +6 at young.

I'd try to get its breath attack via another method, such as Half-Dragon or adapting the Dragon Breath spell (SC) or maybe a custom Dragonfire Adept breath effect.

For the Dragon Breath spell, you could use Snowcasting, Energy Substitution: Electricity, Born of the Three Thunders, Maximize Spell, Empower Spell, and Persistent Spell (with Arcane Thesis and/or other metamagic shenanigans). It would probably deal 1d4 per two caster levels, the damage would be half electric and half sonic. At max level it would deal 20 electric damage, 20 sonic damage, 5d4 additional damage split between those types, it would bull rush for an average of 52, it would force a Fort save vs being stunned, then a Reflex save vs being knocked prone. You can also cast Blinding Breath (SC) so opponents who fail the Reflex save vs the breath's damage will also be permanently blinded. Edit: A character capable of casting this should also be able to use Melf's Unicorn Arrow (PH2), which also bull rushes up to three targets and it doesn't say the bull rush has to come from the direction of the caster.

For a Half-Cobalt-Dragon, you would want the Dragon Breath feat in Races of the Dragon that makes your normally 1/day breath usable every 1d4 rounds. Ideally you'll want to gradually gain (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030912a) and gradually buy off (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm) Half-Dragon. Put it on a large size or powerfully built race and you can also use Knock-Back with your Dungeoncrasher build, and you'll get wings from half-dragon.

A Dragonfire Adept breath effect would probably reduce the damage dice to d4's, and bull rush opponents instead of dealing damage as a 5th level breath effect. Otherwise you could modify the existing Force Breath effect to reduce the damage to d4's and add the bull rush, but that's not available until level 15.

In any of these cases you wouldn't even need to make a gestalt character to get the most out of it.

[sleepyphoenixx]

A Druid with Dragon Wild Shape can get up to juvenile Cobalt Dragon form at level 14. That gets you a 7d4 breath weapon which should be sufficient as a base. Add Maximize Breath, Recover Breath, Empower Supernatural Ability and maybe Shape Breath. 28 +7d4*0,5 DC (avg 42) bull rush as a line or a cone, before other modifiers. I don't recall any spells that enhance bull rush though, most only help resist it.
I haven't looked through feats, items or class abilities that specifically enhance bull rushes, though there may be some.

It also sets your strength to 21 before buffs to help with Dungeoncrasher damage and gets around the problem of time between breaths by the simple fact that you're a druid (not to mention that all those feats apply to any dragon form you feel like).
If your DM rules that size increases also increase a dragons breath weapon getting access to Giant Form or Expansion may be useful.

[WhamBamSam]

Note that the linked handbook is wrong, a Cobalt Dragon's LA is +4 at both wyrmling and very young, and +6 at young.I appear to have been misinformed. That's what I get for not tracking down the magazine myself.

I should really get around to updating that handbook at some point.



Even in Gestalt, a Wyrmling might be your best option if you're going to be sticking with the dragon itself instead of some manner of emulation, since you can get the breath damage as if Young with a Crown of the North Wind. I don't think the stat bonuses are going to be worth the levels lost.

If you're allowed Dragon Magazine material, the Ravening Psychosis is pretty spiffy. It gives you the ability to use your breath weapon three rounds in a row before recharging, regardless of what Metabreath effects you toss on. It also adds +4 Str which will help your Dungeoncrasher damage. You also take a -4 hit to Wis though, so plan accordingly.

A lot of the breath spells were updated in the Spell Compendium to be persistable, though putting the necessary resources toward that goal might be tricky what with all the levels of RHD, LA, and Fighter.

You'll probably want either Hustle or Travel Devotion, since Maximize Breath needs a Full Round Action and you'll want to ensure that you can point your breath weapon appropriately for dungeoncrashing.