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Debihuman
2008-07-22, 09:38 AM
Pearl Dragon
Tiny Dragon
Hit Dice: 5d12+5 (37 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 60 ft, fly 100 ft. (Average), Sw 60 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+2 Size, +3 Natural), Touch 12, Flat-footed 15
BAB/Grapple: +5/-3
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d4) plus poison or Claw +2 melee (1d3)
Full Attack: Bite + 7 melee (1d4) plus poison and 2 Claws + 2 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft. (5 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, spell-like ability, spells
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, immune to sleep and paralysis effects, waterbreathing
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +8 (in sea foam day +10 ) (in sea foam night +14), Listen +8, Search +8, Spot +8, Concentration +8, Diplomacy +8, Sense Motive +8, Use Magic Device +8
Feats: Hover, Improved Initiative
Environment: Temperate to cool coastal areas and islands
Organization: Rarely singly, or pair, usually wing (6-24)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Double Standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Good
Advancement: by Class (Preferred Class: Sorcerer)
Level Adjustment: +4

Pearl dragons are either iridescent white or iridescent black. Their coloration depends on the time of day. During daylight hours, the dragon’s scales are white and gradually darken as the light fades until the dragon is an iridescent black.

Pearl dragons are smaller and shorter-lived than most dragons, rarely exceeding a century in age. However, they are far more prolific, laying 30-40 iridescent eggs twice a year. Pearl dragon eggs are highly prized as a delicacy in some cultures and their shells are often used in jewelry and art.

Once hatched, the young pearl dragons are left on their own. Many are eaten by predators, but a few escape that fate. They grow rapidly attaining full size in about 6 months.

Pearl dragons are the most social dragons, and are seldom found alone, though numbers greater than a few dozen are rarely seen. A group of pearl dragons is known as a "wing."

Pearl Dragons speak Draconic and Common.

Combat

Pearl dragons begin combat by casting mage armor and true strike on themselves. They prefer to use their ray of frost or breath weapon then flee. If cornered, Pearl dragons will use their poisonous bite to wound opponents.

Breath Weapon (Su): Pearl dragons have a 30-foot line of mist that does 2d6 points of cold damage and slows creatures for 1d6 rounds. Underwater, this mist appears as fine bubbles. Reflex save (DC 13) halves the cold damage but not the slow effect.

Poison (Ex): The bite of a pearl dragon causes 1d4 points of damage and its fangs release a poison, Fortitude DC 13, nauseated 1d4 hours/1d3 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based. A creature that makes its saving throw against the poison’s initial damage is instead sickened for 1d6 rounds.

Water Breathing (Ex): A pearl dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells, and other abilities while submerged.

Spell-like Ability (Sp): 1/day: ray of frost

Spells: Pearl dragons cast spells as 5th level Sorcerers.
Typical Spells Known:
0-level: Daze, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Message, Prestidigitation, Touch of Fatigue
1st-level: Alarm, Color spray, Mage Armor, True Strike
2nd-level: Blur, Hypnotic Pattern

Skills: Pearl dragons have a +2 racial bonus to Hide in sea foam during the day; at night, this bonus increases to +6. They have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform a special action or avoid a hazard. A pearl dragon always can choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. It can use the run action while swimming, provided that it swims in a straight line.

Debby

FireSpark
2008-07-22, 11:12 AM
A cute little dragon, and seemingly well balanced. Though there are a just one or two things in the stat block that need to be addressed, but they could simply be typos.


Pearl Dragon
Tiny Dragon
Hit Dice: 5d12 (32 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 60 ft, fly 100 ft. (Average), Sw 60 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+2 Size, +3 Natural, +4 Mage Armor), Touch 16, Flat-footed 19
BAB/Grapple: +5/-3
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d4) plus poison or Claw +2 melee (1d3)
Full Attack: Bite + 7 melee (1d4) plus poison and 2 Claws + 2 melee (1d3)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft. (5 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks: Breath Weapon, spell-like ability spells
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, immune to sleep and paralysis effects, waterbreathing
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +10 (day) (+14 night), Listen +8, Search +8, Spot +8, Concentration +8, Diplomacy +8, Sense Motive +8, Use Magic Device +8
Feats: Hover, Improved Initiative
Environment: Temperate to cool coastal areas and islands
Organization: Rarely singly or as a pair, usually wing (6-24)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Double Standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Good
Advancement: by Class (Preferred Class: Sorcerer)
Level Adjustment: +4


I've highlighted the things that I spotted as needed adjustemnt, or needing rethink.

1) Hit Dice: Hit dice for monsters are usually calculated using the average mean method (in the case of d12's, the average mean is 6.5). Thus this creature would have 36 hit points from hit dice. Also, it looks like you may have forgotten to add the Con mod bonus, making the creatures Hit Dice 5d12+5 (41).

2) Armor Class: Typically, AC bonuses granted by non-permanent spell effects are not listed in this portion of the block, but that's not too much of a problem. The miscalculation is with your touch AC, which should only be a 12. Mage armor is used vs. touch attacks when it's an incoporeal (or similar) touch attack.

3) Challenge Rating: Taking into account the low lethality of many of the creature's attacks, and the now much lower touch AC (combined with no SR) means that this creature wouldn't be much of a challenge for four 5th-level characters. A 5th-level wizard, lobbing a magic missile spell, will average 10 damage (but he'll have some much more potent spells available). An optimized 5th-level fighter swinging a great sword hits an AC 19 about 60% of the time, averaging about 13 damage. And then if a rogue flanks it's all over. So an average encouter would be over in about a round, maybe two if the party was surprised. I would say that this monster would qualify for about a weak CR 4 or a strong CR 3.

Overall a good job done, though.

Debihuman
2008-07-22, 11:26 AM
Thanks. I did forget the Con bonus (mostly because I was playing around with the stats a bit so as to keep this low powered). 6.5X5=32.5 +5 = 37.5 so they should have 37 hit points.

As to Mage Armor: since it's put in the combat section, I think it is appropriate to add it to the combat line. I realize my mistake with the touch as it should be 12.

I'm really awful at estimating CR. 5 was a W.A.G. I'll defer to your suggestion on this so 4 it is.

I'll make the changes that you suggested.

Thanks.

Debby

DracoDei
2008-07-22, 01:16 PM
Well, lookd at from the perspective of a 5th level sorcerer (considered a CR 5 encounter), I would think it would be even tougher since it has more HP, good BAB, better saves, not to mention poison, breath weapon, and fly speed in addition to its spells.

Further thoughts:

Giving a 1/day 0th level spell whose only strength over the BW is range seems a little... extranious. Or maybe it is meant for flavor?
Isn't the racial hide bonus only applicable in sea foam? If so the skills line is misleading.
You are missing a comma in the "Organization" line.

The_Ferg
2008-07-22, 03:17 PM
I think you have an excellent monster here, and it should promptly be submitted in one of Wizards' design contests. I'm serious; it's that good.

Debihuman
2008-07-22, 04:54 PM
Well, lookd at from the perspective of a 5th level sorcerer (considered a CR 5 encounter), I would think it would be even tougher since it has more HP, good BAB, better saves, not to mention poison, breath weapon, and fly speed in addition to its spells.

Further thoughts:

Giving a 1/day 0th level spell whose only strength over the BW is range seems a little... extranious. Or maybe it is meant for flavor?
Isn't the racial hide bonus only applicable in sea foam? If so the skills line is misleading.
You are missing a comma in the "Organization" line.

Well, I think it is comparable to other dragons [A 5 HD Green Dragon is CR 3 and this one is slighly better, so 4 seems to fit appropriately].

The spell-like ability was more for flavor than anything else.

I'll fix the Hide.

P.S. Thanks Ferg for your support.

Debby

Bhu
2008-07-23, 03:33 AM
Thumbs up from kitteh. You have done most well :smallbiggrin: