Author Topic: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff  (Read 45164 times)

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Suzerain

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Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« on: August 25, 2009, 12:52:02 AM »
Let's make this a compilation thread for all the stuff from Dragon Magazine that COers use more frequently.

See also: Useful Dungeon Magazine Finds for stuff from Dungeon Magazine.

I don't want this to grow into a list of all dragon magazine stuff (though something like that would be handy), I just wanted to have a list of nifty things people may want to use if allowed. Stuff that was updated to 3.5 in Dragon would be handy, though. Sources are important in cases of someone having access only to certain issues of Dragon. If anything like this already exists, let me know (Google or The Web Archive will have copies).

Note: Some of the descriptions are copied almost verbatim from community member Emy.

Nifty stuff
  • Alternative Source Spell (metamagic feat), makes you able to prepare a spell as either divine or arcane at -2 CL (mind the prereqs). [DR #325 p61]
  • Chaos Music (feat), think Practiced Spellcaster, only for bardic music. [DR #326 p80]
  • Customize Domain (feat), swap one domain's spells out for some more to your liking from "any spell list you have access to". There's some rather harsh restrictions for standard domains, too. [DR #325 p61]
  • Dead Eye (feat), add dex to damage with ranged weapons you took Weapon Focus for, up to 30ft. [DR #304 p??]
  • Death Master (class), has Animate Dead as 2nd level spell. This means that Artificers can make scrolls of Animate Dead at level 1. [DR Comp p29]
  • Easy Metamagic (feat), lowers the cost of one metamagic feat by one. [DR #325 p62]
  • Enspell Familiar (feat) You're considered to be in contact with your familiar as long as it's within 1 mile of you. So, for example, you can share buffs with it while it's sneaking into a castle. Or have it deliver touch spells while you're at a distance. [DR Comp p97]
  • Extra Curse (feat), simple: gain more uses of your Hexblade's Curse ability. [DR #339 p??]
  • Extra Familiar (feat), 1 extra familiar per feat used. The win is obvious. [DR #280 p62]
  • Faerie Mysteries Initiate (greyhawk regional feat), replaces con with int to determine HP. [DR #319 p58]
  • Focused Performance (feat), spend bardic music uses for a variety of effects, the biggest among which are: 1) doubling the bonuses/penalties of bardic music; only affects one creature 2) maintaining two instance of bardic music in parallel. [DR #338 p89]
  • Green Whisperer (prestige class), the ideal class to fill the gaps in a Fochlucan Lyrist build. Advances bard and druid casting and bardic knowledge+music. [DR #311 p69]
  • Half-Minotaur (template)
  • Heartfire Fanner (prestige class), known for its ability to grant bonus feats to allies. Must be a fighter feat or a feat the HF possesses. Five levels, full casting, full bardic music progression. Also grants bardic music as Bard 5 if the character doesn't have the bardic music class feature already. Hard entry requirements for non-bards (need perform and diplomacy as class skills). [DR #314 p23]
  • Hummingbird familiar (alternate familiar), grants +4 to init. You're a wizard. You're probably playing rocket tag. Increased init means you shoot your rocket first. Combine with elven generalist to double the bonus. [DR #323 p98]
  • Keen Intellect (rokugan regional feat), replaces wis with int for will saves and heal, sense motive, spot and survival [DR #318 p38]
  • Kung Fu Genius (feat), use intelligence for all your monk abilities. Mostly used to get around the LG restriction on Carmendine Monk. [DR Comp p101]
  • Magic-blooded (template), +2 Cha, -2 wis, and some other minor bonuses, for +0 LA. Not to be confused with the feat "magic in the blood". [DR #280 p46]
  • Martial Monk (alternate base class), choose monk bonus feats from the fighter bonus feat list. Monk bonus feats don't need to meet prerequisites. Grab Weapon Supremacy and Shock Trooper in 2 levels of monk. [DR #310 p45]
  • Mystic Ranger (alternate base class), grants improved spell progression and spell list in exchange for an animal companion and slower access to combat style mastery (ranged only). Often used with the Sword of the Arcane Order feat. [DR #336 p105]
  • Serenity (feat), makes your paladin abilities use wis instead of cha, including turning. Good in prestige paladin builds if you want to dump cha. [DR #306 p100]
  • Secret of the Firebrands (greyhawk feat), paladins can now make (and "use") renaissance firearms (afaics, the pistol and the musket, as per DMG p145), even though the rest of the world hasn't figured them out yet. 3E and tied to a greyhawk deity, though, so be careful. Better on a cohort, imho. [DR #306 p98]
  • Tome Dragon (monster/race), as wyrmling, grants 3 sorc casting levels for 3HD and +5LA. Gets all sorc conjuration/divination spells and spells from the knowledge domain as bonus spells known. [DR #343, p42]
  • Troll-Blooded (greyhawk regional feat), grants regeneration 1 and makes you fatigued in sunlight. I'll type that again. It's a feat that grants regeneration 1. [DR #319 p61]
  • Unseelie Fey (template), -2 str, +2 dex, -2 con, +2 cha, a choice between: permanent magic circle-like ability, a no-save 5ft debuff aura (-saves = cha-mod), targeted dispel magic cha+1/day or the ability to remove dazed, nauseated, fatigued, and exhausted conditions at will; also random wings and vision and some DR/cold iron depending on HD, for the price of +0LA. [DR Comp p222]
  • Wedded to History (feat), can only be taken at 1st level, arguably makes you "immortal" and gives one of a list of little perks, some of which are actually useful. One makes UMD a class skill and more, and another makes you impervious to attacks based on your creature type. Yet another lets you communicate in any language with a DC15 int check. [DR #354 p54]

Updated to 3.5
- empty -
« Last Edit: February 13, 2011, 12:36:20 PM by Suzerain »

KellKheraptis

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2009, 12:56:24 AM »
Not sure the issue, but isn't Alternate Source Spell from a Dragon?  And omfg, Unseelie Fey template is LA +0 ?!?  Combine with Dragonborn to pwn?  On a Mystic Ranger!  o.o
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Suzerain

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2009, 01:05:23 AM »
Not sure the issue, but isn't Alternate Source Spell from a Dragon?
You're right, it is. I just noticed it has the prereq of being able to cast both arcane and divine spells. Check your builds ;)

KellKheraptis

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2009, 01:11:30 AM »
Not sure the issue, but isn't Alternate Source Spell from a Dragon?
You're right, it is. I just noticed it has the prereq of being able to cast both arcane and divine spells. Check your builds ;)

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Emy

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2009, 02:53:38 AM »
Fell Energy Spell [Metamagic]. Increases the bonuses a spell grants by +2, for undead affected by the spell. Note that it's easy to count as undead. Just use shroud of undeath.

Also from the A Surge of Theurgy article (as Alternative Source Spell is):
Aligned Theurgy and Theurgic Specialist (useful to increase CL a lot, for a theurgic necromancer)
Theurgic Bond, Theurgic Mount and Holy MountEnspell Familiar You're always considered to be in contact with your familiar. So, for example, you can share buffs with it while it's sneaking into a castle. Or have it deliver touch spells while you're at a distance.
Extra Familiar 1 extra familiar per feat used. You could simulate an entire party pretty easily this way. (Not that wizard's can't already do so.)

From that one Environmental Racial Variants article (Dragon 280):
Magic-blooded template (also called Spark): +2 Cha, -2 wis, and some other minor bonuses, for +0 LA.

Troll-Blooded It's a regional feat that grants regeneration 1 and makes you fatigued in sunlight. I'll type that again. It's a feat that grants regeneration 1.

Dragon 310:
Martial Monk: choose your monk bonus feats from the fighter bonus feat list. Monk bonus feats don't need to meet prerequisites. Grab Weapon Supremacy and Shock Trooper in 2 levels of monk.

Dragon 323:
Hummingbird familiar: You're a wizard. You're probably playing rocket tag. Increased init means you shoot your rocket first.

Dragon Compendium:
Death Master class: Not because it's a great class, but because its spell list means that Artificers can make scrolls of Animate Dead at level 1.

Dragon 313:
Half-Minotaur template: Apply to a small race for strength++. Though I may be thinking of half-ogre

Dragon 327:
Diaboli race: Another LA +0 outsider race, in case your DM is sick of Neraphs and Otherworldly elves. Weapon familiarity may qualify them for certain PrCs, I'm not really sure. Also, they're good at intimidation but bad at talking to people (who cares? :p)

Dragon 343:
Tome dragons: I've never actually made a build with one, but they were mentioned in the "dragon pc races" thread.

That's all that comes to immediately to mind.


bearsarebrown

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2009, 03:12:09 AM »

Dragon 313:
Half-Minotaur template: Apply to a small race for strength++. Though I may be thinking of half-ogre


If applied to a small or medium you gain a Size Progression.

+8 str, +4 con, -2 dex, +3 natural armor.

On top of +4 str, +4con, Scent, Track, Gore Attack, +2 natural armor and something else I believe.

For +1.

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2009, 03:39:31 AM »
This is a good idea. The 3.5 update issues 310-312 (I think) had a lot of variant ideas for character classes. Each issue focused on warrior types, casters, etc. The caster issue (311 I believe) had a variant cleric that could learn arcane spells at each level. I will go through my collection tomorrow to find out what all it trades for this. I do not own the Dragon Compendium (couldn't find a hard copy for less than $50) so I do not know if there have been any changes.
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Emy

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2009, 03:45:36 AM »
If applied to a small or medium you gain a Size Progression.

+8 str, +4 con, -2 dex, +3 natural armor.

On top of +4 str, +4con, Scent, Track, Gore Attack, +2 natural armor and something else I believe.

For +1.
Ah, I misremembered it. I thought it changed size to large. It just increases by 1 category, so you want to apply it to a medium creature.

Say, a Greensnake Naga from Oriental Adventures.

+14 Str, +2 Dex, +10 Con, Wis +2, natural armor 6, 40ft speed, scent, minotaur cunning, darkvision, Gore 1d8, track, poison, and if female, Alternate Form (only gives you legs, sadly. There must be some way to use this, even if it doesn't qualify for Warshaper.). +2 LA.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2009, 03:55:25 AM by Emy »

Rebel7284

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2009, 03:52:00 AM »
I would like to point out that counting size bonuses for half minotaur is certainly not RAI.  The numbers given are _guidelines_ from the monster manual for increasing the size of monsters.  It would make sense that the specific numbers in the template overwrite the general guideline.
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Emy

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2009, 03:54:46 AM »
I would like to point out that counting size bonuses for half minotaur is certainly not RAI.  The numbers given are _guidelines_ from the monster manual for increasing the size of monsters.  It would make sense that the specific numbers in the template overwrite the general guideline.

 :lmao

The template specifically says to look at that size change table, and says "The changes in this template are in addition to the changes outlined there."

Akalsaris

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2009, 04:05:53 AM »
Though I think that it's pretty much a given that they didn't INTEND to say what they actually said  :lmao

JaronK

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2009, 04:40:15 AM »
Perfect example of people assuming anything strong is not as intended.  Moral of the story: some of the designers really don't understand game balance, and really did intend something to be that strong (without realizing how silly that was).

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Suzerain

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2009, 11:20:21 AM »
Emy, do you mind if I use your descriptions, though slightly changed, in my post?
« Last Edit: August 25, 2009, 11:30:56 AM by Suzerain »

Emy

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2009, 11:42:02 AM »
Go ahead.

PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #14 on: August 25, 2009, 11:42:40 AM »
This thread is made of win.

Btw I created a spreadsheet form of all useful dragon mag stuff. Feats, magic items, spells, etc. But I haven't bothered to go through it all... its a lot.
[Spoiler]
Quote
An interesting read, nice to see a civil discussion
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And healed. Don't forget that.
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bearsarebrown

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2009, 12:03:00 PM »
HalfMinotaur EXPLICITLY says that it does stack. Like I don't see how there is even an argument. Clearly RAW and RAI.

People like to bring up that a HalfMinotaur human has a larger strength bonus then a real Minotaur. But it still makes sense. A HalfMinotaur gets half the strength bonus that a real one does, but it also gets larger. Larger things are stronger.

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #16 on: August 25, 2009, 12:03:33 PM »
This thread is made of win.

Btw I created a spreadsheet form of all useful dragon mag stuff. Feats, magic items, spells, etc. But I haven't bothered to go through it all... its a lot.
Wow... you are either crazy or have waaaaay too much time on your hands (or both :P ).

This list could consume the entire boards, I fear. :D Here is my 2 bits, though: Dragon 318 has the 3.5 update to Oriental Adventures, and Dragon 319 has the Kung Fu Genius feat (which is like Carmendine Monk, without the RP restrictions).
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
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PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2009, 02:55:06 PM »
This thread is made of win.

Btw I created a spreadsheet form of all useful dragon mag stuff. Feats, magic items, spells, etc. But I haven't bothered to go through it all... its a lot.
Wow... you are either crazy or have waaaaay too much time on your hands (or both :P ).
I'm nuts dude. I never claimed to be sane. Only fair ;)
[Spoiler]
Quote
An interesting read, nice to see a civil discussion
The point of Spell Resistance is to make it harder to get buffed.
And healed. Don't forget that.
Huge amounts of people are fuckwits. That doesn't mean that fuckwit is a valid lifestyle.
[/Spoiler]

Old Geezer's Law of Hobby Taste: The more objectively inconsequential a hobby is, the more disagreements within the community will be expressed in outrageously insulting, overblown, and ludicrously emotionally laden terms.

More Funny than Humble[Spoiler]
Quote from: PlzBreakMyCampaign
Your a shifter... you have all you ever need.
It blows MoMF out of the water

But if your greedy for more [Wish] for something that only effects you, like another class level or two that doesn't count against your ECL.
Quote from: hungryhungryhippo987
Yes, I'm the 3.0 "Masters of the Wild" shifter, the awesome kind. My favorite form to take is Force Dragon. Yes, I am immortal ... My character is hands down the coolest guy in the campaign and there is nothing I could possibly want.
PBMC gets a cookie for DotA r

johnboy069

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #18 on: August 25, 2009, 04:27:16 PM »
This is a good idea. The 3.5 update issues 310-312 (I think) had a lot of variant ideas for character classes. Each issue focused on warrior types, casters, etc. The caster issue (311 I believe) had a variant cleric that could learn arcane spells at each level. I will go through my collection tomorrow to find out what all it trades for this. I do not own the Dragon Compendium (couldn't find a hard copy for less than $50) so I do not know if there have been any changes.

This cleric variant is called the Arcane Disciple. You trade your spontaneous casting, turn undead, and domains for the opportunity to learn arcane spells from the sorcerer/wizard list up to one level lower than you could normally learn (the highest you could learn is 8th). You go down to a d6 Hit Die, but retain your weapon and armor proficiency. Multiclass into Dread Necro or something else that grants turn/rebuke undead and you could persist arcane spells you learn (because they are divine when you cast them) as well as divine spells to become a very formidable threat.
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Prime32

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Re: Useful Dragon Magazine Stuff
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2009, 05:18:52 PM »
And omfg, Unseelie Fey template is LA +0 ?!?
I'm pretty sure that the only reason it even has an LA is an editing mistake (there is no LA listed for the template itself, only the example monster - they probably copy-pasted an existing monster entry and forgot to change the Level Adjustment part).
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The tier system in a nutshell:
[spoiler]Tier 6: A cartographer.
Tier 5: An expert cartographer or a decent marksman.
Tier 4: An expert marksman.
Tier 3: An expert marksman, cartographer and chef who can tie strong knots and is trained in hostage negotiation or a marksman so good he can shoot down every bullet fired by a minigun while armed with a rusted single-shot pistol that veers to the left.
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Tier 1: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything and the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.[/spoiler]