|
1 year ago ::
Mar 06, 2012 - 6:04AM
#1
|
|
|
My friends and I thought it would be fun to play a campaign with dragons as characters. This brought up a question I can't seem to find an answear to. Can dragons as characters use weapons, gear, or any other form of equipment used by the standard adventurer? I know it's probably a silly question lol, but any help would be much appreciated, I also want to apologize if by chance this has been answered already in a forum post I couldn't find.
Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 06, 2012 - 7:04AM
#2
|
Date Joined:
May 12, 2009
|
If Dragons are decided to be Playable Characters, i can't see why they couldn't be allowed to use Magic Items if its what the party wants. For size issue, just say Magic Items always shrink/enlarge to fit the any wearrer's size Looks like a fun idea 
Yan
Montréal, Canada
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 06, 2012 - 5:25PM
#3
|
Date Joined:
Aug 19, 2007
|
In previous editions, most magic items (and explicitly magic armor) enlarged or shrunk to fit their current owners, and many adventurers found themselves facing dragons or other creatures wearing amulets as rings or belts as bracelets, etc...
(I had a pseudodragon familiar in 2nd Ed. who, with the DM's permission, wore a bracer of defense as a collar.)
In a world where it's common for dragons to be adventurers, it's also logical for wizards or other crafters to make magic items specifically sized for use by dragons...
Spoiler:
Show
I am the Magic Man.
(Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.)
I am the Lawnmower Man.
(I AM GOD HERE!)
I am the Skull God.
(Koo Koo Ka Choo)
There are reasons they call me Mad...
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 06, 2012 - 6:03PM
#4
|
|
|
In previous editions, most magic items (and explicitly magic armor) enlarged or shrunk to fit their current owners, and many adventurers found themselves facing dragons or other creatures wearing amulets as rings or belts as bracelets, etc...
In 4e, that requires the Enchant Magic Item ritual ... which is no big deal for a dragon to know, really.
Another day, another three or four entries to my Ignore List.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 06, 2012 - 8:49PM
#5
|
Date Joined:
Nov 17, 2009
|
In case if you were talking about adding the stat bonuses of magic items to NPCs:
Watch out. The enhancement bonuses of armor/neck/weapons may make your dangerous beastie turn into an unfun monster to fight for a variety of reasons. Not being able to hit the dragon or not being able to dodge the dragon's attacks take a lot of fun out of the game and might end up making the encounter a TPK.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 07, 2012 - 9:53PM
#6
|
|
|
Yes they can.
We just killed a dragon that had 4 Iron Armbands of Power on his horns xD
The only problems would be weapons, feet item and hands, but these can all be reflavoured into something else :D
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 09, 2012 - 10:48AM
#7
|
Date Joined:
Nov 15, 2007
|
In case if you were talking about adding the stat bonuses of magic items to NPCs:
Watch out. The enhancement bonuses of armor/neck/weapons may make your dangerous beastie turn into an unfun monster to fight for a variety of reasons. Not being able to hit the dragon or not being able to dodge the dragon's attacks take a lot of fun out of the game and might end up making the encounter a TPK.
This. The way I see it, NPC/monster stats include "virtual" enhancement bonuses (similar to the inherent bonus system). So a bugbear berzerker's attack will not suddenly become 10% better just for picking up a +2 battle axe. It's kind of like assuming the critter already has an unlootable magic weapon already.
However, is much less damaging, and more interesting, to have monsters use items with encounter powers.
And in any case, if you make a monster more powerful, PCs should get more xp for defeating it.
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 09, 2012 - 6:31PM
#8
|
|
|
In case if you were talking about adding the stat bonuses of magic items to NPCs:
Watch out. The enhancement bonuses of armor/neck/weapons may make your dangerous beastie turn into an unfun monster to fight for a variety of reasons. Not being able to hit the dragon or not being able to dodge the dragon's attacks take a lot of fun out of the game and might end up making the encounter a TPK.
This. The way I see it, NPC/monster stats include "virtual" enhancement bonuses (similar to the inherent bonus system). So a bugbear berzerker's attack will not suddenly become 10% better just for picking up a +2 battle axe. It's kind of like assuming the critter already has an unlootable magic weapon already.
However, is much less damaging, and more interesting, to have monsters use items with encounter powers.
And in any case, if you make a monster more powerful, PCs should get more xp for defeating it.
Yeah, just make the monster higher level. Got an orc that wields a magic battleaxe? Just count him as being a level higher than normal. It will probably work out great, maybe he gets a +2 to-hit and some damage bonus, but his other stats will be normal. It won't be a really big deal balance-wise, and for some monsters it can make them better (IE like most MM1 monsters, lol).
As for PCs, yeah, I'd just let a dragon PC do the same things as other PCs can, why not? Its likely to be hard to balance them against 'normal' PCs of the same level and have them work the way you want anyway, so there's no real reason to stick with the letter of any of the other rules (if there ever really was such a reason).
That is not dead which may eternal lie
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 10, 2012 - 2:31PM
#9
|
|
|
Now I'm confused, are we talking about PC race/class combination that's a dragon, or the monster template used for a player?
If you are using a PC race/class combination, then use weapons all you want, just make them make sense.
However, for monsters wielding magic items, look up the rules of magic item threshold for monsters in the DMG1
|
|
|
|
1 year ago ::
Mar 10, 2012 - 7:07PM
#10
|
Date Joined:
Aug 30, 2010
|
I seem to recall somewhere that dragons swallowed magic items to gain the use of them, but I can't remember if that was in 3.5 or 4e. I'm guessing 3.5...
|
|
|
