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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next [PEACH] - Dragon Monster Class



JonasBell
2015-11-30, 07:01 PM
Ok, so my friend is planning a Rifts campaign using the 5e game system. For those who don't know, Rifts is an older tabletop game that is, to put it bluntly, spectacularly incompatible with 5e's idea of balance. I have the job of making the crunch of the new game something actually workable. One of the players wants to use the "dragon hatchling" race/class and it falls to me to design something that can be used without being overpowered. Mind letting me know how I've done so far?

[haven't written this up yet, but a dragon has the same racials as a dragonborn but without the breath weapon/resistance and the stuff noted below.]

Quadruped: A dragon is a quadrupedal creatures. This has the following effects:


A quadruped cannot move more than 10 feet while it has a weapon drawn (if able to use a weapon at all)
A quadruped needs armor to be specially made for them. All armor costs are double the listed price.
Base speed is increased by 10 feet.
Can be used as a mount by bipedal creatures up to one size smaller than the quadruped.
If standing still, have advantage on Strength or Dexterity checks and saves made to avoid being knocked prone.
Certain tasks, such as climbing, may be made at advantage or disadvantage depending on circumstance and subject to DM discretion.
A quadruped’s forelegs/forepaws are considered arms and hands for the purposes of equipment slots.

Size: A dragon is a Small creature.

Hit Dice: 1d10 per dragon level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier

Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Constitution, Strength
Skills: Intimidation plus two from Animal Handling, Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight, Nature, Persuasion

Ability DC: The dragon has several supernatural abilities, some of which require a saving throw. The dragon’s ability DC is 8 + Proficiency + Constitution or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.

Breath Weapon: As an action, exhale a 5 x 30 foot line of energy. Targets that succeed on a Dexterity save against your ability DC take half damage. The breath weapon deals 2d6 damage and increases at the noted times:

5th level: 4d6
11th level: 5d8
17th level: 8d8

Once expended, the breath weapon cannot be used again until after completing a short or long rest.

Natural Weapons: A dragon is skilled in using their body as a lethal weapon. Their claws, teeth, and tail are always considered to deal MD damage. A dragon’s natural weapons start by dealing 1d6 + Strength modifier damage at 1st level and increase at the noted times:

5th level: 1d8
11th level: 1d10
17th level: 1d12

Additionally, when a dragon successfully strikes with an attack, they can use a bonus action to make an additional attack against an enemy within 5 feet.

Natural Defenses: A dragon’s hide is supernaturally tough and provides an armor class of 13 + Dexterity modifier.

Draconic Breed: Starting at 1st level, a dragon’s breed begins to manifest and they develop unique abilities based on their type at levels 1, 3, 7, 11, 13, and 17. For now, only the flame wind dragon breed is available.

A flame wind dragon has resistance to fire damage and their breath weapon attribute is fire.

Draconic Essence: Starting at 2nd level, a dragon begins developing a set of special powers. The dragon has a pool of essence that they use to fuel these abilities equal to their Constitution modifier + ½ their dragon level (minimum 1). Only one essence ability can be used each turn. You regain all essence points after finishing a long rest.

You begin with the following essence abilities:


Essence Charge: As a bonus action, spend 1 essence point and regain the use of your expended breath weapon.
Multiattack: When you finish an attack action after successfully striking at least once, spend 1 essence point to immediately make two extra attacks against targets within 5 feet.

Guise: Starting at 2nd level, a dragon begins to develop minor magical abilities that allow them to hide their identity. As an action, a dragon can create an illusion so that they appear to be someone else. The dragon can only create illusions of other living creatures that they have seen. An illusion created by this ability must be of the same size as the dragon.

A Guise is a powerful form of glamour and will fool tactile and auditory senses so long as the dragon does not do anything to contradict its projected image. It is possible to use this ability to disguise oneself as a specific individual, in which case the dragon gets advantage on any Charisma (Deception) checks made to impersonate them.

Guise lasts 1 hour per dragon level and uses of the ability are spent in 10 minute increments (rounded up to the closest 10min). A Guise can persist while sleeping but immediately ends when the dragon is forcibly knocked unconscious, killed, or subject to a dispel or antimagic magic effect.

Draconic Breed: At level 3 a flame wind dragon gains the following abilities:

Control Flame: As an action, a flame wind dragon can target a nonmagical flame they can see within 60 feet and which would fit within a 5 foot cube. They can make it do one of the following:

Expand up to 5 feet in one direction, provided there is proper fuel.
Instantly extinguish.
Double or halve the brightness of the flame, change its colour, shape, or both.
Create shapes to appear within the flames and animate as the dragon chooses.
You can have up to 3 of the non instantaneous effects active at a time.

Consume Flame: A flame wind dragon is capable of drawing nourishment from raw fire. A flame wind dragon can spend an action to eat a nonmagical flames at least large enough to fit within a 5 foot cube. Once a flame has been consumed, choose one of the following:

You regain hitpoints equal to 1d10 + dragon level
You gain an extra essence point. This point is lost if not used within the next minute.

Once Consume Flame has been used, it cannot be used again until you take a long rest.

A flame wind dragon also gains the following essence power:

Ashen Breath: As an action, spend 1 essence point and exhale a gout of smoke, sparks, and ash that settles into a 20-foot radius cloud at a point within 60 feet. The cloud is heavily obscured, will move around corners, and persists for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it. Creatures within the cloud when it lands must succeed on a Constitution save or else be blinded until the end of your next turn.

Ability Score Improvement: When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level you can increase one ability score by 2 or two ability scores by 1 each. You cannot improve an ability score above 20.

Size Increase: At 5th level, a dragon increases in size. It is now a Medium creature.

Shift: Starting at 5th level, a dragon gains the ability to alter its own size. As an action, a dragon may reduce its size up to Small or increase it up to its largest natural size available. If a dragon attempts to increase its size in a space that cannot contain it, it fills the space as much as possible and is effectively restrained. A dragon will return to its highest natural size when forcibly rendered unconscious or killed.

Regeneration: Starting at 6th level, a dragon develops regenerative abilities. When the dragon begins a round under half health, they heal damage equal to their Constitution modifier.

Draconic Breed: At 7th level, a flame wind dragon develops further abilities.


Burn Corruption: By spending 1 essence point as a bonus action, the flame wind dragon can end any poison and disease effects on them.
Cauterize: The flame wind dragon’s regeneration ability now restores health equal to their Constitution modifier + ½ dragon level.
Siphon Flame: If an ally within 10 feet of the flame wind dragon would take fire damage from a source other than you, the flame wind dragon can use their reaction to suck up part of the flame. This halves the damage the ally would take and lets you benefit as if you had used the Consume Flame ability. Siphon Flame cannot be used again until you have taken a long rest.

Sensitivity: At 9th level, a dragon’s psionic intuition develops to the point where they are able to detect the thoughts of other creatures. By spending 1 essence point, the dragon gains blindsense up to 60 feet for 1 minute.

Size Increase: From level 10 onward, the dragon’s highest natural size is Large.

Flight: From level 10 onward, the dragon’s wings have developed enough to grant them a flight speed of 60 feet.

Frightful Presence: Starting at level 10, a dragon can use an action to spend 1 action point and terrify any enemy creatures that can see it within 60 feet. Those creatures must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be feared for 1 minute. Affected creatures can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns. A creature who succeeds on the save is not affected by this ability for 24 hours.

Draconic Breed: At 11th level, the flame wind dragon’s fire resistance becomes immunity and they gain the following ability:

Flame Incarnate: By using a bonus action to spend an essence point, a flame wind dragon can turn themselves into a being of living flame for 10 minutes or until ended (no action). You can only use Flame Incarnate in an environment with oxygen, even if you are not able to access it (such as underwater). While in this state, the flame wind dragon has the following traits:


Resistance to cold damage.
You shed light up to 60 feet and dim light for up to 30 feet beyond that.
Any creature that moves within 5 feet of you for the first time each turn, or ends their turn in this range, takes 1d12 fire damage and must make a Dexterity save or catch on fire. Certain unattended objects in this range may also catch fire.
You can use your action to cause your flaming body to violently erupt and lash out, inflicting 1d12 fire damage to all enemies within 10 feet.
You can use half your movement to squeeze through openings at least an inch in diameter.
Your attacks all deal an extra 1d8 fire damage.
You treat an enemy's fire immunity as fire resistance instead.


Once expended, Flame Incarnate cannot be used until you complete a long rest.

JNAProductions
2015-11-30, 07:22 PM
Improved Draconic Defense is way too powerful. That's better than a Barbarian with a shield.

The Breath Weapon, as written, can be used at will. That's far too often. I believe that is a typo, though.

JonasBell
2015-11-30, 07:47 PM
Breath weapon is supposed to need a short rest to recharge unless using essence, I'll correct it. Still mulling over draconic defense but I didn't think of how it compared to the barbarian (which is weird since I got the idea from them).

JonasBell
2015-11-30, 08:04 PM
Changelog:


Ability DC can now use the Charisma modifier if it is higher (to allow for different builds if I develop more subclasses)
Regeneration has been replaced by Prescience. Regeneration moved to 6th level. Psionics are part of Rifts dragons and I wanted them introduced earlier.
Draconic Defense now can be either Dexterity or Constitution, Improved Draconic Defense removed.
Clarified that Siphon Flame cannot be used on fire damage you caused.
Levels 6-11 added.
Fixed some typos.


Current thoughts:

Feels like level 5 might need more 'oomph' now that draconic defense isn't getting improved.
I know flight is something most non-casters get only at level 11, but I have that one staked out already and wanted to deliver flight, size increase, and frightful presence at the same time.

sephorth
2016-08-16, 02:38 PM
Looks good to me!