Dragon PC: Azca'Vyna the Hellfire Scourge

[Ruethgar]

Looking for any advice on the build. I got the basics down for the fluff of what she's supposed to look like, but don't know how to focus on fire to good effect.
Azca'Vyna was born in the land of Antagarich. She was sired by a black dragon of little note from that world and laid by Gnarlack, a fiendish dragon of ineffable power. She took strongly after the fiendish nature of her mother and the destructive nature of her fire breathing father and after a brief developmental period became a terror of fire and darkness. Azca'Vyna is quick to anger and wrathful to the extreme, but like her mother, appreciates life and nature though often to the exclusion of most industrial humanoids. And while Gnarlack created life, Azca'Vyna enjoys destroying so life can grow anew. As with all dragons, she suffers from a burning lust for gold.
Race: Red Dragon Hatchling(Medium, Fire Subtype, 30ft speed, True Dragon Qualities)
Attributes: Rolled 18, 16, 13, 13, 10, 7
Class: Major Mudblood (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?204147-3-5e-Bloodline-So-I-heard-you-liked-Bloodlines-(PEACH)) 3 (approved for normal bloodlines) Intermediate Demon and Fire Elemental and Pyroclastic Half Dragon 3
Alighnment: Neutral Evil
Feats: (Improveed)Dragon Wings, Dragons Breath, Alternate and Half Dragon Form(if I can)

That puts me at the cheesy least -3000xp and ECL 0, at most -10000 and ECL 0 and covers the base of the creature's thematic as a fiery demon dragon. By the Dragon #332 rules I do not(and will not)have to take dragon levels. Some effects that I want are lots of fire, lava, and preferably some hellfire. But also fire or demonic based utility abilities if at all possible. War Wyrm is entirely likely, Loredrake not so much. I want her to primarily use magic but be able to hold her own in melee. If Desert Wind weren't laden with such easily resistible fire, a few Swordsage levels later on would be perfect to represent this and the War Wyrm is further intended to help make her melee not suck without too much investment. Any suggestions for becoming a master of fire with a minor in melee?

[Kahlendrrari]

Blacks have acid breath, not fire....

[Draconium]

The Pyroclastic Half-Dragon Template, though, gives you a choice between Fire or Sonic for it's breath weapon. And it is legal to apply Half-Dragon to a Dragon by RAW.

Honestly, I don't think you actually need so many templates and bloodlines, though if you want to keep them, that's fine. I recommend checking out WhamBamSam's The Truest of the True (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?303204-The-Truest-of-the-True-A-Handbook-to-non-Kobold-Dragons-(WIP)) handbook for playing true dragons. It's chock full of useful tips, tricks, and pointers for dragon PCs. I know I've found it useful.

Also, if you're not opposed to homebrew, Oslecamo on the Brilliant Gamologists forum has created many PC monster classes (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=270.0), including several for dragons. Choosing one of those could be a lot of fun, although they tend to be more powerful than normal PC classes.

[Ruethgar]

Blacks have acid breath, not fire....
If you look at the location she was born in, you'll find that to be false.


The Pyroclastic Half-Dragon Template, though, gives you a choice between Fire or Sonic for it's breath weapon. And it is legal to apply Half-Dragon to a Dragon by RAW.

Honestly, I don't think you actually need so many templates and bloodlines, though if you want to keep them, that's fine. I recommend checking out WhamBamSam's The Truest of the True (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?303204-The-Truest-of-the-True-A-Handbook-to-non-Kobold-Dragons-(WIP)) handbook for playing true dragons. It's chock full of useful tips, tricks, and pointers for dragon PCs. I know I've found it useful.

Also, if you're not opposed to homebrew, Oslecamo on the Brilliant Gamologists forum has created many PC monster classes (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=270.0), including several for dragons. Choosing one of those could be a lot of fun, although they tend to be more powerful than normal PC classes.

It is illegal to apply the half-dragon template to a dragon, however the Draconic and Half-Dragon classes have no such limitation. Futhermore, the Pyroclastic does not grant fire or sonic but rather half of each which was the closest I could get to a Hellfire breathe weapon effect. The immunity is however for one or the other(sonic in this case of course).

It is only one template and one bloodline and they are only there to get thematics largely out of the way without expending too many real resources on them. XP is a river after all. The Truest of the True and those classes suffer from actually taking the LA and RHD, as stated in the OP, I'm using the Dragon Mag #332 rules so I can avoid that and be able to have the majority of the build open for whatever fits best.

[Draconium]

From the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/halfDragon.htm):


"Half-dragon" is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

So it's technically not illegal. :smallamused:

Even though Truest of the True is written under the assumption that you'll be using RHD and LA, it still has good pointers for classes, feats, templates, archetypes, and such you can use on a dragon class.

I'm honestly not familiar with Pyroclastic too much, so I'll have to check. I also haven't read Dragon 332, so I'm not sure what you're referring to...

[Ruethgar]

Dragon #332 presents the Chromatic Dragon Racial Classes. It allows you to take the minimum level to complete an age category in the dragon class before you multiclass but it also adds a new age category completed upon picking the race. So as long as I never take levels in one of the dragon classes, I never reach wyrmling or gain things like natural attacks, breath weapons, flight or natural armor that a normal recently hatched dragon would get.

Must have been the 3.0 half dragon I was thinking of.

Thank you for the suggestions. Have any for dealing with fire effectively for both blasting and utility?

[Draconium]

Thank you for the suggestions. Have any for dealing with fire effectively for both blasting and utility?

Hmm, let's see... spell-wise, there's a metamagic feat called Searing Spell. For +1 level, your fire spells ignore Fire Resistance, and still deal half damage on Fire Immune creatures. There's also a Draconomicon spell called Breath Weapon Substitution, which allows you to chance your breath weapon's energy type. I'm not sure, but I think it might be possible to use those together somehow.

EDIT: Nope, you can't use the spell to substitute your normal energy, so you can't just cast it to add Searing Spell to it. That's annoying. There might be another way to have your breath weapon overcome resistance, but I'm not sure of what it might be.

[Ruethgar]

Searing is a given. Hadn't heard of that spell, will check it out, though being half fire half sonic is already pretty good at circumventing resistance. Was considering setting up a mana system with Sculpt Self for Bio Chargers and a Staff and just cherry pick scaling abilities. Also considered just straight Stalwart Battle Draconic Fire Sphere Sorcerer for build in gishyness and not overshadowing people as you know, a freaking dragon. It would also give me access to Alternate Form.

Edit: It was Draconic I was thinking of as illegally targeting a Dragon. Could have swore RotD had something about that for Half-Dragons as well but I can't find it.