Dragonborn acquiring the Half-Dragon Template

[Socko525]

I've always felt that dragonborn got the short end of the stick this edition with the limited number of racial features they received (especially compared with races like the genasi or the tieflings). So when looking through the Monster Manual I saw that the Half-dragon is technically a template that can be applied to any race. I feel like combining this template with some of the other races would be too powerful, but I think it fits and almost makes sense with the dragonborn.

The entry says there are other ways to become a half-dragon aside from being born one, so I was thinking of allowing this to be a quest for dragonborn players. My question to you all is: what level would this be appropriate for? Should all the features of the template be allowed?

My thoughts would be to give darkvision but not blindsight and the resistance would be the same they receive from being a dragonborn. I'm also stuck on breath weapon. Dragonborn's breath weapons is fairly weak, but it's a racial feature so that makes sense. I was thinking of just upgrading it to recharge on a 5-6. I think that giving a player the breath weapon of wyrmling might be too powerful. If I did agree to that, I'd say metallic based half dragons would have to choose between the damaging/CC breath weapon.

Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

[Lolzyking]

In my opinion the best course of action is increasing the damage by 1 dice at all levels of dragon born progression, and adding the recharge mechanic.

also at some point, when you feel your game has hit the midway point, make their damage resistance an immunity.


Another option is giving their breath Con stat scaling, and making it a to hit weapon instead of an easily avoidable save

[1Forge]

Simple give them stats of an adult red dragon fin

but no really what your suggesting sounds good but I'd make this a long term quest for the dragon born and give it a backstory (maybe shunned by more pure blooded dragon born so desires to be even more dragony then them)

[Atalas]

I told my dragonborn player that at a certain level he'd get the recharge ability of dragons/half-dragons. And at another level I had yet to determine, since he was metallic he'd get to pick between having the non-damaging breath or being able to create 'safe' zones in his breath where allies wouldn't be harmed.

Sadly he moved and his character was retired within the campaign before he got any of it.

[Ralanr]

I've always been of the idea of giving dragonborn a different racial ability based on their draconic heritage. Though so far the only one I can really think of is giving black dragonborn the same hold breath ability as lizardfolk.

[SouthpawSoldier]

In a Facebook group discussion I had a few months back,, a worldbuilding theory was advanced that Kobolds and Dragonborn are really neophyte dragon hatchlings, IIRC. The creator's idea was that either race has certain draconic qualities, and that finding a patron dragon and advancing that dragon's goals would be repaid with the dragon performing/using a magical ritual to change the character into a young dragon. Similar to how 3.5's dragonborn creation worked.

I'm a little fuzzy on the details of that discussion, but I remember being impressed on how it was worked out.