Is there any way for a True Dragon to change its colour

[Jowgen]

Simple question in title. Is there anything anywhere that would allow an e.g. Green Dragon to become some other kind of dragon? A ritual, spell, artifact, whatever?

Thanks.

[LTwerewolf]

Here you go. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphAnyObject.htm)

Same kingdom: +5
Same Class: +2
Same Size: +2

That's all you need to make it permanent. You can argue for related (dragon is to dragon), and do a different size, but you're still capped by hit dice so that won't really help much unless you're on the fence between sizes between the two.

[Jowgen]

Here you go. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphAnyObject.htm)

Technically a correct answer...

For clarification, I am looking for something instantaneous rather than permanent.

[Bronk]

Technically a correct answer...

For clarification, I am looking for something instantaneous rather than permanent.

There are the rituals and the new use of the 'wish' spell from Savage Species that would do it.

[Jowgen]

There are the rituals and the new use of the 'wish' spell from Savage Species that would do it.

I've had a look through the Rituals and there seem to be a few things that don't quite gel.

The Ritual of Unlearning requires a creature to gain class levels, but dragons advance through age categories. Furthermore, it doesn't cover what happens to RHD of the starting creature. Can't rightfully be 5 HD of X Dragon and 5 HD of Y Dragon.

The Ritual of Unlearning requires the spending of exp. Again, dragons advance in HD; although there is less of a gap in mechanics as Dragon Wyrmling X might have the same ECL as Dragon Wyrmling Y. Or less even. A Tome Dragon Wyrmling has 3 HD and +5 LA, for an ECL starting level of 8. A Green Dragon has 5 HD and a +5 LA. So, if the age were to be considered as equivalent to Exp for these purposes, then the ritual would cost be: 1000 x 8 x 8 = 64.000 gp.

Wish would naturally be cheaper and simpler, but isn't accessible as early barring cheese.

[Kraken]

True mind switch (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/mindSwitchTrue.htm) works, but the dragon would either need to be a psion or make one heck of a use psionic device check to activate a power stone containing true mind switch.

[Quertus]

Wish would naturally be cheaper and simpler, but isn't accessible as early barring cheese.

Dragon flies to wizard's tower, trades gold promises not to eat wizard able to cast wish services for the wish. And thus we get wizards towers "guarded" by dragons (while they are away). Or the half dragon race, depending on the services.

[John Longarrow]

Paint... Lots and lots of Paint. B-)

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[Eno Remnant]

Dragons typically use the Change Shape ability to appear to be a dragon of a different size or colour. An example being the white dragon in A Frigid Demise (a web 3.5 module) that disguises itself as dragons of different colours when it goes out hunting.

Not quite what you wanted, but all I could think of.

[the_david]

In addition to the other suggestions I can only add that there is a way for half-dragons to change their heritage. It's known as the Rite of Draconic Affinity and can be found in Races of the Dragon on page 59.

[Psyren]

Actually, there's an easy way right in core - Reincarnate.


For a humanoid creature, the new incarnation is determined using the following table. For nonhumanoid creatures, a similar table of creatures of the same type should be created.

A red dragon is definitely "similar" to a blue one etc. A dragon can cast it via Limited Wish (using an item or contingent spell if they aren't old enough to have the spell normally.)

Actually, the above raises another interesting question. If a Wyrmling dragon gets hold of a scroll of reincarnate or LW, and reincarnates themselves, will they come back as a Young Adult? Could baby dragons use this to leap into adulthood? (This is a bit of a shaft for an Ancient+ dragon, unless of course they're about to undergo the Twilight.)

[Ruethgar]

Coupled with the above Rite of Draconic Affinity, there is the little tid bit about the Draconic and Half-Dragon classes not having requirements so they can be added after the fact(or even with one another and the template)without SS rituals if your DM is a stickler on the definition of Half-Dragon. So you could have a Major Red Dragon Bloodline with Half-Gold, Half-Green, Half-Blue on a Purple Dragon for pretty damn close to a rainbow dragon. Unfortunately there is no legal way to add Orange or Yellow.

It should also be noted for further examples that Tome Dragons, Hex Dragons, a few of Fearunian dragons, and the Dragon Compendium chromatics are not True Dragons as RotD is the most recent definition and excludes them.

[John Longarrow]

Coupled with the above Rite of Draconic Affinity, there is the little tid bit about the Draconic and Half-Dragon classes not having requirements so they can be added after the fact(or even with one another and the template)without SS rituals if your DM is a stickler on the definition of Half-Dragon. So you could have a Major Red Dragon Bloodline with Half-Gold, Half-Green, Half-Blue on a Purple Dragon for pretty damn close to a rainbow dragon. Unfortunately there is no legal way to add Orange or Yellow.

It should also be noted for further examples that Tome Dragons, Hex Dragons, a few of Fearunian dragons, and the Dragon Compendium chromatics are not True Dragons as RotD is the most recent definition and excludes them.

Start with a blue dragon, remove the green. Poof! Instant Yellow!

[Jowgen]

I dismissed the rite of Draconic affinity, but re-reading it now... could it be possible to RAW-wriggle it to work for the intended purpose? Lets look at the letter of the word, and see whether it might actually be argued to let a dragon change color...

It says... "changes your draconic heritage from one kind to another" ... "anointing himself with the distilled essence of the dragon type he wishes to take on" ... "Only half-dragons or other characters with a defined draconic heritage [...] can undergo the Rite" ... "participant sheds his old heritage for the chosen new one" ... "change the kind of dragon in your heritage to a different kind of dragon"

And lastly: "All manifestations of your draconic heritage change to match the new dragon kind, including physical appearance, breath weapon type, and all other benefits."

If one accepted that being born an X dragon qualifies as having X dragon heritage, and that currently being an X dragon is a manifestation of said draconic heritage, then this Rite should actually do the job.

[Calimehter]

I'm guessing the PHBII Rebuilding rules are a little too DM-dependent for you? Otherwise, they do at least RAW cover the ability to shift to a similar race . . .

[WhamBamSam]

Actually, there's an easy way right in core - Reincarnate.



A red dragon is definitely "similar" to a blue one etc. A dragon can cast it via Limited Wish (using an item or contingent spell if they aren't old enough to have the spell normally.)

Actually, the above raises another interesting question. If a Wyrmling dragon gets hold of a scroll of reincarnate or LW, and reincarnates themselves, will they come back as a Young Adult? Could baby dragons use this to leap into adulthood? (This is a bit of a shaft for an Ancient+ dragon, unless of course they're about to undergo the Twilight.)Reincarnate seems like it should work as a method of fast aging, assuming the DM isn't being deliberately obstinate in their creation of the dragon-type reincarnate table, but the clauses about retaining your same hit points and BAB can get a little screwy when you're adding ~9 HD.