[3.5] My Friend Here Wants a Pet Dragon...

[balistafreak]

I have a player of mine sitting next to me who desperately wants a "pet baby dragon". I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to handle it without resorting straight to DM fiat, because quite frankly defaulting to that is lame.

He's (going to be) 6th level. Dragon Cohort requires 9th level, Dragon Familiar takes 7th level plus prerequisites. My first instinct is to spring for Leadership/Wild Cohort to do so, but if there's a more elegant way to do so, can ya point it out?

[The Glyphstone]

Will he settle for a Pseudodragon? If he's an arcane caster, they're an option for Improved Familiar.

EDIT: At...7th level. Argh. Maybe a Reserve feat, to improve caster level with a specific type of spell, and thus technically meet the "Arcane Caster level 7th" requirement?

[Ormagoden]

1) Use draconomicon
2) Give the character an Egg somehow
3) Make character rear egg
4) Wait till appropriate level
5) ???
6) Profit

[Snake-Aes]

Give him the egg to hatch and have it born at level 8, and ready to use at 9 when he can take dragon cohort.
edit:Swordsaged.

[gallagher]

Give him the egg to hatch and have it born at level 8, and ready to use at 9 when he can take dragon cohort.
edit:Swordsaged.

or make the training take until he is of an appropraite level

[TreefolkTrample]

Yes this friend would be me :P I'm fairly new to DnD and wouldn't mind reading all the materials involved in this if someone would point me to the correct books I would greatly appreciate it!

[Eldariel]

@TreefolkTrample: Unsurprisingly Draconomicon, Book of the Dragons, is the source you want for Dragon companions. There's Dragon Cohort, Dragon Steed (for Paladin) and others.

[Alaris]

Well, I wouldn't say just give it to him for free, or railroad him to it. You can make it a reward for a quest. Payment for a service. This way you're not just randomly giving it to him, and he doesn't have to worry about the level thing. And later, if he so desires the dragon to be his cohort or whatever, he can take the appropriate feat and work it out.

[Akal Saris]

If you're making a character who already has a baby dragon, then I'd say the easiest solution is for you to take the dragon cohort feat and just haveb the DM house-rule that it requires PC level 6 rather than 9th. Sorry DM.

That would let the player have a wyrmling Black, Copper, Brass, White, or a Pseudodragon. None of those are going to break the game any more at 6th than they would at 9th.

[Vizzerdrix]

An Elder Eidolon (LoM 146) Psudodragon. With one of the construct templates that gives it an Int score.

Sharn City of Towers has the Spiretop Dragon. It's tiny, has a LA of 2 and 2HD. Should be able to use leadership to get one. Would make an okay warlock.

[BlueWizard]

Let him earn it.

At Epic levels you need to reward your PCs somehow.

[Fax Celestis]

...isn't there a Races of the Dragon or Dragon Magic racial sub level that gives a wyrmling familiar or something? Just file off the racial requirement and be done with it.

[Runeclaw]

He's (going to be) 6th level. Dragon Cohort requires 9th level, Dragon Familiar takes 7th level plus prerequisites. My first instinct is to spring for Leadership/Wild Cohort to do so, but if there's a more elegant way to do so, can ya point it out?

Leadership is gonna be tough for a True Dragon - I think that even the youngest have an ECL greater than 4.

[true_shinken]

...isn't there a Races of the Dragon or Dragon Magic racial sub level that gives a wyrmling familiar or something? Just file off the racial requirement and be done with it.

This. I believe it's called Drakken Familiar.

Leadership is gonna be tough for a True Dragon - I think that even the youngest have an ECL greater than 4.

I believe a wyrmling steel dragon is around ECL 6-8.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

Regular leadership can get you a psuedodragon at 6th. If you do not want a pseudo dragon then you could hypothetically reduce a higher level wyrmlings ecl.

Brass for example is only 2 ECL too high. . . go in and reduce that ECL. Just drop 2 hit dice and reverse the progression by 2 Dragon levels and say the baby dragon was prematurely hatched. The character "saved" it and has managed to keep it alive. this gives it the appropriate ecl and a RP reason why the dragon would LOVE the characer. for the next 2 levels give the baby dragon back one level of HD progression until at 8th it is a regular wyrmling brass dragon.

[Runeclaw]

Regular leadership can get you a psuedodragon at 6th.

Max cohort ECL would be 4, wouldn't it? Pseudo Dragon has 2 RHD and +3 LA.

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

Max cohort ECL would be 4, wouldn't it? Pseudo Dragon has 2 RHD and +3 LA.

Dragonomicon page 139. it has a list of dragons and what their ECL would be for leadership. if you have dragon cohort you can subtract 3 from the level listed on the table.

if there is an inconsistency i blame WOTC. . . they're good at that.

[Mastikator]

Dude, dragons takes humans as pets, not the other way around.

[Vizzerdrix]

Max cohort ECL would be 4, wouldn't it? Pseudo Dragon has 2 RHD and +3 LA.

The dragon I pointed out earlier has 2 RHD and a LA of 2. should be okay.

[Serpentine]

Three possibilities, not all mutually exclusive:
-Have him rescue a pseudodragon, and spend at least a level or two training and bonding with it before granting a feat.
-There is no problem with a character having a pet or a friend. A Druid, for example, could have an entire pack of wolves for pets, but only one can be their companion. For the friend route, you could just play it as a DMPC/party-attached NPC, until they are bonded enough (aka he's ready to take an appropriate feat) for the player to take it over.
-Have an encounter in a recently-destroyed dragon nest. Have him find one surviving egg/newborn wyrmling. Because of its poor start to life, it's very weak and/or mentally undeveloped. Have him raise it from this point - no benefits or practical use, just responsibility - and bonding with it until it's strong and healthy enough to be of help (aka he's ready to take an appropriate feat). If the ECL of the wyrmling is too high even then, homebrew it into a weaker, more runty version.

[Runeclaw]

You could maybe also do some kind of Half Dragon animal. Like a lizard or snake maybe. You could probably do that with Leadership or Wild Cohort (though it would take a little bit of fudging if the base creature has LA -)

[aivanther]

Dracolyte prestige class.
/thread

[Morph Bark]

Isn't there a feat that gives you a Dragonel (sp?)? Not quite what he wants perhaps, unless you say that it is still a baby. You could otherwise just give him a baby dragon (but not a true dragon's wyrmling kiddo) and once he hits a level where he can take an appropriate feat and takes it, the dragon actually gains abilities to use.

[zagan]

There's the Huitzil in Dragon magic p115 that can be taken as a standard familliar.
Technically it's an animal with the dragonblood subtype but it look like a dragon and it's easier to obtain.
Once the player reach the appropriate level he could take improve familliar and his Huitzil could be replace by a pseudodragon. (or transformed into one by a magic ritual or something, fluff as you wish)

[Kosjsjach]

There's the Huitzil in Dragon magic p115 that can be taken as a standard familliar.
Technically it's an animal with the dragonblood subtype but it look like a dragon and it's easier to obtain.
Once the player reach the appropriate level he could take improve familliar and his Huitzil could be replace by a pseudodragon. (or transformed into one by a magic ritual or something, fluff as you wish)

I know if I were looking for a dragon companion, it wouldn't look like this:

Spoiler

Show

(above: the Huitzil)

That said, what would be expected from his dragon? A conversation buddy? A future mount? An adventuring compatriot? A gofer? An accessory?

[Eldariel]

Dude, dragons takes humans as pets, not the other way around.

Maybe he's playing an Elf?

[Morph Bark]

Maybe he's playing an Elf?

Elves take humans as pets too, especially Drow.

[TreefolkTrample]

I'm specifically looking at acquiring a Baby Blue Dragon as an adventuring buddy for kicks and giggles.

[Akal Saris]

I know if I were looking for a dragon companion, it wouldn't look like this:

Spoiler

Show

(above: the Huitzil)

That said, what would be expected from his dragon? A conversation buddy? A future mount? An adventuring compatriot? A gofer? An accessory?

Damn it Huitzil, did you get into the keg again?!

Seriously, that looks like a pseudodragon with a beer belly and tiny t-rex arms to me :P

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

theres actually a feat (Drakken Familar: Dragon Magic PG 12) that will let you get dragonblooded familiar. . . its a regular familiar but instead of getting regular familiar bonuses it's gets a little breath weapon. .

attatch that to an iguana(lizard familiar) and POOF you have MUSHU from Mulan. . . this would work well. . .