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japanecake
2016-04-04, 12:07 AM
So in my new homebrew d&d adventure I'm thinking about giving my two players dragons, but I'm thinking dragons would be way to overpowered so I need help choosing some other dragon esc monster for them to have. At first I thought a drake would be good but they lack wings and feel a bit silly and aren't quit as smart as I would like them to be for this particular play through, and wyverns are out of the question becuase I and my friends who will be playing this home brew despise of wyverns, anyways if you guys can think of any dragon creatures in d&d I could use please tell me or if you have any home brew ideas that would also be amazing

Final Hyena
2016-04-04, 12:38 AM
Your player doesn't like wyverns and you want to give them a dragon, I mean they're very similar.

Anyway the easiest solution seems to me that you just make up a new dragon type that is weaker crystal, android, elemental, skeletal etc.

Esprit15
2016-04-04, 05:20 AM
Apply the half-dragon or draconic creature template to something, and describe it differently. If you want something that is able to be a mount, a half dragon war horse would be more than sufficient without being too powerful at all.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-04-04, 06:05 AM
a half dragon war horse

Or pegasus, if it's got to fly.


Your player doesn't like wyverns and you want to give them a dragon, I mean they're very similar.

Perhaps they grew up on Baldur's Gate? Combine constant random encounters with wyverns in the Cloakwood with AD&D poison rules and the fact that taking damage from a poison interrupts spellcasting and you could definitely end up with a lifelong vendetta against those foul monsters.

Esprit15
2016-04-04, 11:54 AM
Horses are large and therefor already would get wings with application of the template.

Ninja_Prawn
2016-04-04, 12:58 PM
Horses are large and therefor already would get wings with application of the template.

*checks which forum this is*

Oh, okay. Yeah, the 5e half-dragon template doesn't do that, but I shouldn't have assumed we were talking about that here. My bad.

ComaVision
2016-04-04, 01:05 PM
Dragonnel are a possibility. Alternatively, just flip through the DRACONOMICON until you find something you like.

Esprit15
2016-04-04, 04:54 PM
*checks which forum this is*

Oh, okay. Yeah, the 5e half-dragon template doesn't do that, but I shouldn't have assumed we were talking about that here. My bad.

No worries. The jist of the idea still holds true. And remember to not describe them as horses. You're just using them as a source for stats.

japanecake
2016-04-04, 06:23 PM
Would a drakken steed work? I need it to have atleast some inttelegence

Gildedragon
2016-04-04, 06:33 PM
Pseudodragons, there is also the draconic creature template, also dragon hatchlings

Lord Lemming
2016-04-07, 01:53 PM
You could use the Draconic Exemplar from Pathfinder. It's third party, from Rite Publishing; and consists of a race/class combination of a small-sized base race - the dragon-like Taninim - and their racial paragon class, Draconic Exemplar.

The idea is basically that you start off as a Halfling-sized lizard with vestigial wings, some melee capability, and not much else. But by level 4, you're medium-sized and flying, and you just keep getting bigger and stronger and with more draconic abilities (elemental breath, among others); allowing you to keep pace with your party without overshadowing them. By level 20, you're Colossal, and have pretty much everything dragon-related that you want.

Esprit15
2016-04-07, 02:24 PM
You could use the Draconic Exemplar from Pathfinder. It's third party, from Rite Publishing; and consists of a race/class combination of a small-sized base race - the dragon-like Taninim - and their racial paragon class, Draconic Exemplar.

The idea is basically that you start off as a Halfling-sized lizard with vestigial wings, some melee capability, and not much else. But by level 4, you're medium-sized and flying, and you just keep getting bigger and stronger and with more draconic abilities (elemental breath, among others); allowing you to keep pace with your party without overshadowing them. By level 20, you're Colossal, and have pretty much everything dragon-related that you want.

I don't think Parhfinder translates to 5e very well.

Lord Lemming
2016-04-07, 02:31 PM
I don't think Parhfinder translates to 5e very well.

This is for 5e? I don't think that was mentioned...

Inevitability
2016-04-07, 02:47 PM
If 5e: there's the guard drake in HotDQ.

If 3.5: you can take a look at Dragon Magic's dragonblooded animals, like the Phynxkin.

MrStabby
2016-04-07, 02:53 PM
So what are the characteristics of a good choice here?

1) Flying? (or is it something about wings themselves)
2) High intelligence (or any other mental stat? Should it support any casting ability?)
3) How dangerous should it be?
4) Is there a preferred alignment?

So outcomes could range from a sentient item magic carpet through to young dragons?

Maybe friendly air elementals with appropriate home-brew to take riders?

Bohandas
2016-04-07, 03:12 PM
There's always half-dragons. And young dragons. And some of the lower powered dragons from the draconomicon.

Or maybe an advanced pseudodragon

Bulhakov
2016-04-07, 03:19 PM
In Earthdawn there's a flying lizzard thing that's called an Espagra. I've had players try to tame and adopt a hatchling in two separate campaigns. I gave them agressive dog-like intelligence and raptor-like behaviors and descriptions (the young ones did not fly yet, the players needed to tame them for over a year).

However, if you're looking for specific DnD stats, I'd suggest moving the topic to the system's subforum.

Straybow
2016-04-09, 01:42 PM
Just tell the whiney-butt players to get over their feelings about wyverns.
Rename the wyverns "dragonnettes" or sumpin like that and tell the whiney-butt players to get over their feelings.

Vinyadan
2016-04-09, 05:34 PM
Maybe I'm the only one who didn't find the info, but what edition are you working with?

Bohandas
2016-04-10, 05:27 PM
Maybe I'm the only one who didn't find the info, but what edition are you working with?

Oh yeah. That would probably be useful info. I had just assumed either 3.X or Pathfinder.

If it is one of those, the faerie dragon (from Draconomicon, IIRC) might be worth looking into. Faerie dragons are also in 2e but I don't know which rulebook.

comk59
2016-04-10, 06:38 PM
For my campaign, I just took young dragon stat blocks, lowered all the mental stats to animalistic, and called them drakes. Would that work, or is them being especially smart a requirement for this?

TurboGhast
2016-04-10, 07:03 PM
Why do you and your friends dislike wyverns? If your problem with them is simple enough, it could be fixed by editing the wyvern stat block of the system you're using.

cobaltstarfire
2016-04-10, 07:15 PM
Refluff a gryphon or hippogryph as some sort of small dragon thing, describe them as however you want. They're big enough to be mounts, but small/weak enough to not be overpowering, can fly, and if they aren't smart enough for your liking just boost their intelligence some. (For 5e)