[3.5] Looking for clarification on DragonWrought

[DragonBaneDM]

A friend of mine is making a Kobold...ninja

I'm ignoring his class. He plans on going Arcane Trickster later, which I'm half-ok with. I'll let him build what he wants, even if it gets him killed or overshadowed, we need a skill monkey.

Anyway, I told him what Dragonwrought works, and how it can be used to make himself venerable without physical penalties.

The only thing is, I'm not 100% sure WHY it works that way, and I think I should be before I have to explain it to our DM.

Could someone give me a page number I could show him or rule I could quote? I'd really appreciate it.

[Marnath]

It should be a footnote under the aging penalty table for regular kobolds.

[Tavar]

It has to do with dragons not suffering age penalties, and the dragonwrought feat turning them into dragons. I think.

[Douglas]

Races of the Dragon, page 39, table 3-3: Aging Effects, footnote 1:

Ability penalties due to age do not apply to dragonwrought kobolds. See the Dragonwrought feat, page 100.

[DragonBaneDM]

Races of the Dragon, page 39, table 3-3: Aging Effects, footnote 1:

Bingo bango. Thank you kindly douglas. Now I've gotta talk this guy into going SwordSage or something instead...

Non optimizers scare me.

[Triskavanski]

What is wrong with Ninja?

[Tavar]

From an outside view...well, it's weaker than the rouge, largely because it's special damage is much, much harder to activate. Plus, a swordsage does pretty much everything a ninja does, just better.

Still, it's his character. Best to let him do what he wants.

[Triskavanski]

Odd, cause with the ninja abilities I tend to think its easier to pull off.

Just poof, attack, poof, attack.

Throw in some dragon magazine stuff for some real fun with it though, otherwise it lacks too much just hard books.

[Amnestic]

Bingo bango. Thank you kindly douglas. Now I've gotta talk this guy into going SwordSage or something instead...

Non optimizers scare me.

Wouldn't a Factotum be better if you're after a skillmonkey?

[FMArthur]

Swordsages thematically and acrobatically replace Ninjas, but the idea that they obviate the class entirely is kind of a myth, with Ninjas having much more easily-sustained (action-wise) invisibility and scaling Sudden Strike damage that is hard for Swordsages to actually duplicate. It is also a lot easier to activate its precision damage for ranged warriors as a Ninja than for a Rogue, since flanking (which you can't do with ranged weaponry) is the only difference between Sudden Strike and Sneak Attack and Ninjas actually have built-in abilities for producing conditions for it.

That doesn't mean you aren't better off playing a Swordsage, but Ninja is workable with enough outside help. Swordsage levels on a primarily Ninja build (or just a few maneuvers taken as feats) improve their breadth of options quite a bit and improve Ninja features - Cloak of Shadows can effectively extend your number of daily Ghost Step uses by the number of encounters you enter, being nearly as good but as a renewable resource.