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Can I edit my entry after I have submitted it?
NO! Well actually you have 15 minutes to edit it but it's probably not worth risking it. This has caused DQs in the previous 2 competitions.

Can I use (Epic/ Evil/ Non-Core/ Whatever) Material?
When you write your entry write it for a DM who will use it in locked in a room with your entry printed out and no sources beyond the DMG, PHB, and MM. This DM likes to keep his game basic and has little interest in experimenting with variant rules. The players he is working with most likely have characters with good or neutral alignment between character level 1 and 20. Finally, that DM is running his own campaign setting and most desires something he can just drop into his setting without altering his setting or your entry.

The goal of your entry is to make that DM happy.

Does the betrayal have to be voluntary, or can the traitor have been duped/spelled into betraying the PCs by a third party?
If you can work it into a good story, it's fine. How or why the traitor does his/her/its dirty work is up to the entrant.

Does this mean s/he does not plan to personally engage them in combat, or will him/her leading the PC's into a combat-situation and then dissapearing disqualify you from this? [technically s/he would be "engaging" the PCs against monsters...in a sense of the word.]
The traitor does not expect to personally cross swords with the PCs. Leading them into a trap is fair game (It is in fact one of the sample entries modes of operation).

Hopefully Wrecan won't mind me stealing this wholesale as a sample entry, in any case he's on vacation It's a little weak on one thematic element but otherwise...



Porphyria comes from a long proud line of pseudodragons who have served as improved familiars for some of the most esteemed wizards throughout history, a heritage of which her family is very proud. Her mother, a sapphire-scaled pseudodragon named Azure, served as the improved familiar for one of the most esteemed wizards of her age, a goodly wizard and renowned hero named Gerome.

After Gerome retired, and secluded himself in his tower to continue his arcane studies, Azure decided it was time to produce an heir and continue her family's long tradition of producing improved familiars for heroic wizards. Gerome's own former apprentice was nearing the power at which point he might seek out an Improved Familiar. So Azure began to seek out a mate. She was courted quite insistently by a promising and virile ruby-scaled pseudodragon and after some time, she consented to be his mate.

Soon thereafter, she hatched a red-colored egg. When it hatched, the young hatchling was covered in amethyst-colored scales, appropriately a mix of her blue and the father's red. Gerome named her Porphyria after the color of her scales and Azure began to instruct Porphyria of her esteemed family heritage.

Azure noted that Porphyria was not like other pseudo-dragon hatchlings. She was cruel, quick to anger, paranoid and even more proud than other pseudodragons. Her master Gerome had little time to help her (and little interest in pseudodragon biology at any rate) because a mysterious arsonist had been ransacking his library and wreaking havoc in his kitchen. Still Azure, the ever-loving mother, continued to instruct her child in the ways of pseudodragons.

Porphyria grew strong, surprisingly stronger than other pseudodragons. She was also smarter and more robust. And more difficult to control. Still, Porphyria seemed very interested in becoming a wizard's familiar, so Azure put her doubts aside.

When Gerome's former apprentice was ready to select a familiar, he cast the enchantment. To everyone's surprise, Porphyria was not selected as his familiar. Nobody could understand why, until Gerome's studied Porphyria more closely. To Gerome's horror he realized that Porphyria was no ordinary pseudodragon. Her father, that mysterious ruby-scaled dragon was in fact (and ironically) faking the "pseudo" part. He was, in actuality, a true dragon, a red dragon, the most evil and sinister of the dragons. In fact, Porphyria's father was none other than Albezzoran, a dragon whose hoard Gerome and his friends had once ransacked. Albezzoran had been thought slain, but had in fact escaped. And now he sought revenge.

At that moment of discovery, Porphyria's father attacked the tower. He had contacted Porphyria at an early age and taught her about her heritage. Porphyria was torn by the promise of being an honored and famous wizard's familiar and the power her father promised her if he helped. When Gerome's apprentice's spell failed, she realized her father was right. She was not a true pseudodragon, but pseudo-true dragon. She was a red dragon writ small and she could never deny her heritage. Porphyria told her father all about the magical defenses in the tower (which she had learned from her mother).

In the midst of her father's assault on Gerome's tower (and all within were slain thanks to Porphyria's information), Porphyria escaped. Free now to choose her own destiny, she lamented her fate. Her legacy should have been to be a familiar, and with her true dragon heritage she would have been the best familiar the world had ever seen! Like her father before her, she chose to pursue a path of vengeance.

Porphyria now stalks the pseudodragon familiars of other wizards, following them -- sometimes befriending them -- and then killing them. She has slain a half-dozen familiars already. She is also cultivating contacts with evil wizards, seeking to determine if she could ever be a familiar to them. She trades rare components from the forests -- which she gathers using her tracking skills -- with these evil wizards in exchange for information about any psuedodragon familiars they might see while walking about the towns and cities that are near the forest in which she lairs. She has no lair of her own, but travels throughout her forest, hunting down valuable goods and noting the presence of any monsters she can use to her advantage.

Recently Porphyria was attacked by a group of pseudodragon hunters who tracked her down using a Ring of Pseudodragon Finding (see details below). Thinking she was a normal pseudodragon the group tried to capture Porphyria and for a brief time they were greatly surprised. Porphyria now utilizes her prized ring to help her find prey which will likely be how she finds the party...

Encountering Porphyria
A party is most likely to meet Porphyria when she is stalking new prey... a pseudodragon familiar. Most likely, it would occur if the party wizard or sorcerer has recently gained a pseudodragon as an Improved Familiar (at 7th level). Porphyria usually arranges to set herself up as a hostage of sorts, such that the party rescues her from another creature, like monstrous spiders, or ettercaps. She will befriend the party's familiar. She will then tell the party that she too is a wizard's familiar, the wizard having been trapped by some evil villain. She asks the party to rescue her master.

In truth, she is observing the party and their weaknesses and leading them into a trap. Using her expertise in hiding and tracking, she knows of all the monstrous creatures in the vicinity and she will lead the party into the lair, while telling them stories that make them utterly unprepared. (I.e., if she leads them to fire-breathing creature, she will tell them they will be facing ice mephits.)

When the trap is sprung, she will unleash her breath weapon against the party's pseudodragon familiar (and as many other party members as possible), and then withdraw from the scene. If possible, she might grapple the pseudodragon and then fly away with it in her talons so she can tear it apart at her leisure while the party deals with the trap.

If the party captures her, she does have one piece of information with which she can entice players to let her go... she knows the location of her father Albezzoran, and his newly reconstructed hoard. If they let her go, she will tell them where it is... (a possible story hook).

If Porphyria escapes (successful or not), the party could encounter her again. Prophyria might agree to become a consort (effectively level 7) of an evil wizard, calling herself his familiar. (He would not have a familiar of his own... Porphyria would never allow that.) As she gained experience, she would gain levels in Sorcerer. Eventually, her powers would be such that her father Albezzoran might recruit her as a spy and assassin. If Albezzoran (or an appropriate red dragon in your own campaign) is to be a recurring foe, having Porphyria surprise the party by reappearing at her father's side would make a nice way to make the battle personal to the PCs.

Half-Red Dragon Advanced Pseudodragon
Tiny Dragon, HD 4d12+8 (34 hp), Init +3, Spd 15 ft. (3 squares), fly 60 ft. (good), AC 23 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 20, BAB/Grp +4/-2, AT Sting +9 melee (1d3+2 plus poison) or claws +7 melee (1d2+2), FAt Sting +9 melee (1d3+2 plus poison) and bite +4 melee (1d3+2) or 2 claws +7/+7 melee (1d2+2) and bite +2 melee (1d3+2), S/R 2½ ft./0 ft. (5 ft. with tail), SA Breath weapon, poison, SQ Blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, spell resistance 19, telepathy 60 ft., Saves Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +5, Abilities Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 12, Skills Diplomacy +3, Hide +22 (+26 in forests or overgrown areas), Knowledge (nature)[sup]cc[/sup] +8, Listen +8, Search +8, Sense Motive +8, Spot +10, Survival +7 (+9 following tracks and when in aboveground natural environments), Feats Alertness, Track, Weapon Finesse[sup]B[/sup], CR 4, AL CE.

Description: Porphyria appears to be a purple-scaled pseudodragon. She is a few inches longer than and a few pounds heavier than a typical pseudodragon. Only someone truly knowledgeable about half-dragons could know from looking at her of her half-dragon heritage.

Blindsense (Ex): A pseudodragon can locate creatures within 60 feet by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent, but also by noticing vibration and other environmental clues). Opponents the pseudodragon can’t actually see still have total concealment against the pseudodragon.

Breath Weapon (Su): 30-foot cone of fire 6d8 fire damage, (Ref DC 12 for half-damage), 1/day.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial damage sleep for 1 minute, secondary damage sleep for 1d3 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Telepathy (Su): Pseudodragons can communicate telepathically with creatures that speak Common or Sylvan, provided they are within 60 feet.

Possessions: Ring of Pseudodragon Finding - These rings are often worn by unethical magical component hunters looking to hunt down and kill pseudodragons so they can harvest the bodies for use in magical and alchemical items. By closing her eyes and concentrating the wearer of this ring can locate the nearest pseudodragon as per the Locate Creature spell. This ability can be used 3 times per day. - Price 2,500gp/ Cost to Create 1250gp, 15exp

Required Elements
A. Provide a stat block that contains all the information a DM would need for an adventuring party to encounter a traitor. Done.

B. Describe the traitors history. Done.

C. Describe the circumstances under which the players might discover the betrayal OR how the traitor plans to betray the party. Done.

D. Briefly describe the dragon’s personality, background and likely behavior. Done.

Thematic Elements
6. The traitor does not plan to engage the PCs in combat. (she has no plans to fight the PCs, just the familiar.)
9. The traitor is of a kind that is usually above all suspicion.
10. The traitor makes use of a custom spell or magic item in the betrayal, which is described in the entry. (Ring of Pseudodragon Finding above).

Does the betrayal have to be voluntary, or can the traitor have been duped/spelled into betraying the PCs by a third party?

dawnbringer wrote:

Also, Using prestigue classes from non-core won't count against adaptability right? Seeing as the prestige class wil be in the stat block and you don't have to do work to add it.

As far as *my* judging goes, using non-Core material only hurts Adaptability if the following holds true: the 'locked in the room' DM could *not* use your entry without said materials.

If you provide enough information about how it works, integrate it into the stats so it sort of 'disappears', or provide a Core alternative, you'll not lose any Adaptability points.

so really, I could just make a mysterious figure with a prestige class and not say that i've added a prestige class, and you would be none the wiser and my adaptability wouldn't suffer at all.