Draconian Colors Idea

[dynast]

Its has been bugging me for a while so i decided to brainstorm about it, any feedback is welcome.


Bad Design:


Draconian colors tries to be a mix of drakes and dragons which results in some less powerful, more vulnerable colors that gives the player the "short stick" whenever they get it.

The pale draconian doesnt have any resistances or decent aptitudes but a unreliable utility breath. Also they no longer grow large wings for some reason.

The Mottled draconian is a weaker version of the red draconian, no resistances or good aptidudes, can only breath at units close to it and it can be avoided.

Also, Draconian colors may conflict or cause confusion over the color of other dragons or creatures.


Proposed changes:


Remove pale and mottled draconians;

Increase yellow draconian transmutations aptitude to +2;

Change purple draconian to Quicksilver draconian;

Change black draconian to Storm/blue/cyan draconian;


Add the following colors:

Shadow/black draconian - Receives rot immunity, miasma breath(affects a single tile like red draconians' breath), necromancy aptitude +2 and its dragon form gives RN+;

Purple draconian - Breath orb of energy(breathes randomly between a magic dart, Iskenderun's Mystic Blast or Orb of destruction) and conjuration aptitude +3.

Phase draconian - Convert scale's AC to EV, has no breath but the ability to blink and aptitude to translocations +2;

Fairie draconian - Breath Hallucination clouds(works like a ghost crab's breath, but summons weaker critters illusions to attack whoever stands on it), warding and aptitude to summoning +2;

[Jarlyk]

Pale draconian is one of the stronger colors, as being able to manipulate LOS is extremely powerful. They still do that, right?

[Siegurt]

Note that mottled dragon breath can hit multiple creatures and does more damage than any other dragon breath. rSticky isn't all that useful, but they do get a bonus fire aptitude, with no negative, which I think is a fair trade for red drac's +2 fire and -2 ice.

Pale dracoinian breath is actually the single most useful dragon breath in the game (at-will-fog on a breath timer) (Admittedly it's defensive rather than offensive, so this is often overlooked or confusing for new players who don't understand how to use fog effectively) It's certainly not "unreliable" Also rSteam is pretty useless, but they get +1 fire, +1 air, and +1 evocation, with no drawback, Pale draconians are pretty much the best color you could ask for.

It's not explicit, but I think since the tile and console gyph are blue it makes sense to make Black draconians->Blue draconians, and either make Quicksilver dragons purple or purple draconians "quicksilver" would probably also increase clarity.

I like:
Shadow (although miasma is a really powerful breath weapon, so it probably needs to lose or have one of it's other bonuses toned down slightly)
Phase (I might actually remove blink and give them a 'teleport other' breath weapon)

I don't like purple. And I think faerie might have potential, but the breath weapon is too powerful, even if it only summoned butterflies it would be more powerful than a breath weapon should be.

[jejorda2]

If Steam Draconian and Storm Draconian are clearer than Pale and Black, I guess that's okay.
Ditch the colors then, and make the set:
Acid Draconian (yellow)
Bone Draconian (grey)
Fire Draconian (red)
Ice Draconian (white)
Napalm Draconian (mottled)
Steam Draconian (pale)
Storm Draconian (black)
Quicksilver Draconian (purple)
Venom Draconian (green)

I think I would always be disappointed to roll a phase draconian. All draconians have a tendency towards weak AC, and these would be worse off. Breath of displacement (blink other) would be better than a blink self ability. Blink is already very common.

[dynast]

I think the only thing i dont like about pale is that its dragon form only receive rpois, making it very vulnerable. The mottled draconian breath is the strongest, but it can miss, as it does a lot.

[PleasingFungus]

Red - +3 Fire; -2 Ice. rF+ Breath unchanged.
Mottled - +2 Fire; +1 Spellcasting; -2 Ice. rSticky Breath unchanged.
Purple - +3 Spellcasting; -2 Fighting. MR+. Breath unchanged.
White - +3 Ice; -2 Fire. rC+ Breath changed to freezing/slowing effect like Glaciate. Damage uneffected.
Silver - +3 Earth; -2 Necro. AC+ Breath based on Metal Splinters dragon effect (ranged powerful pure physical, checks AC).
Cyan - +3 Air; -2 Earth. Fast 1. Air Blast: Weak physical damage, ignores AR; knocks target back 1d4 spaces. Increased damage if they hit something.
Brown - +2 Earth; +1 Fighting ; -2 Air. Robust 1 Calcifying Breath: AoE Petrify using similar rules to Catoblepas breath.
Black - +3 Necro; -2 Pois. Saprovore. Draining breath.
Pearl - +3 Fighting; -2 Spellcasting. rN. Holy breath; may paralyze demons. (Would be only non-TSO source of ranged holy).
Orange - +2 Air, -1 Translocations. rElec. Uses what is now Black's breath.
Green - +3 Summoning, -2 Translocations. rCorr. Fertile breath: Summons briars, mushrooms and plants between you and target.
Yellow - +3 Poison, -2 Necromancy. rPois. Combines current green and yellow (Weak attack can corrode and/or poison.)
Pale - +1 Ice, +1 Translocations -1 Fire. LoS -1. Breaths fog (no damage; but blocks LoS).
Grey - +3 Translocations; -2 Summoning. cTele. Teleport other breath.
Pink - +2 Hexes; -1 Charms. Clarity. Ensorcering Breath - Uses Level vs. target's HD to try to pacify or enslave (both effects temporary).
Shiny - +2 Charms; -1 Hexes. EV+. Has ability to evoke Repel Missiles instead of breath.

[XuaXua]

DWACONIANZ!

What about their associated Dragon Form forms?

Also, one could imagine Black (with draining breath) also having some innate rN+, and would be good-diety-restricted.

[and into]

PleasingFungus: Whatever happens to the playable species, please don't add that many draconian enemy types to the game.

[tasonir]

I actually rather like PF's list, if it's considered acceptable to have that many draconian types.

edit: nevermind, ac from gray was moved to silver, I see now.

[duvessa]

I thought he was joking.

[XuaXua]

I thought he was joking.

A lot of effort for a joke. Subtle.

[PleasingFungus]

A lot of effort for a joke. Subtle.

it was actually very little work at all

(many thanks to bcadren for the list!)

[twelwe]

A lot of effort for a joke. Subtle.

show me an effortless joke and i will show you an ordinary line of text

[eharper256]

Red - +3 Fire; -2 Ice. rF+ Breath unchanged.
Mottled - +2 Fire; +1 Spellcasting; -2 Ice. rSticky Breath unchanged.
Purple - +3 Spellcasting; -2 Fighting. MR+. Breath unchanged.
White - +3 Ice; -2 Fire. rC+ Breath changed to freezing/slowing effect like Glaciate. Damage uneffected.
Silver - +3 Earth; -2 Necro. AC+ Breath based on Metal Splinters dragon effect (ranged powerful pure physical, checks AC).
Cyan - +3 Air; -2 Earth. Fast 1. Air Blast: Weak physical damage, ignores AR; knocks target back 1d4 spaces. Increased damage if they hit something.
Brown - +2 Earth; +1 Fighting ; -2 Air. Robust 1 Calcifying Breath: AoE Petrify using similar rules to Catoblepas breath.
Black - +3 Necro; -2 Pois. Saprovore. Draining breath.
Pearl - +3 Fighting; -2 Spellcasting. rN. Holy breath; may paralyze demons. (Would be only non-TSO source of ranged holy).
Orange - +2 Air, -1 Translocations. rElec. Uses what is now Black's breath.
Green - +3 Summoning, -2 Translocations. rCorr. Fertile breath: Summons briars, mushrooms and plants between you and target.
Yellow - +3 Poison, -2 Necromancy. rPois. Combines current green and yellow (Weak attack can corrode and/or poison.)
Pale - +1 Ice, +1 Translocations -1 Fire. LoS -1. Breaths fog (no damage; but blocks LoS).
Grey - +3 Translocations; -2 Summoning. cTele. Teleport other breath.
Pink - +2 Hexes; -1 Charms. Clarity. Ensorcering Breath - Uses Level vs. target's HD to try to pacify or enslave (both effects temporary).
Shiny - +2 Charms; -1 Hexes. EV+. Has ability to evoke Repel Missiles instead of breath.

Also add Gold/Holy draconian that has an Invocations boost (+2)/stealth malus (-1) and fires searing ray as its breath, rTorment, and I'll be happy.

[wisp412]

Red - +3 Fire; -2 Ice. rF+ Breath unchanged.
Mottled - +2 Fire; +1 Spellcasting; -2 Ice. rSticky Breath unchanged.
Purple - +3 Spellcasting; -2 Fighting. MR+. Breath unchanged.
White - +3 Ice; -2 Fire. rC+ Breath changed to freezing/slowing effect like Glaciate. Damage uneffected.
Silver - +3 Earth; -2 Necro. AC+ Breath based on Metal Splinters dragon effect (ranged powerful pure physical, checks AC).
Cyan - +3 Air; -2 Earth. Fast 1. Air Blast: Weak physical damage, ignores AR; knocks target back 1d4 spaces. Increased damage if they hit something.
Brown - +2 Earth; +1 Fighting ; -2 Air. Robust 1 Calcifying Breath: AoE Petrify using similar rules to Catoblepas breath.
Black - +3 Necro; -2 Pois. Saprovore. Draining breath.
Pearl - +3 Fighting; -2 Spellcasting. rN. Holy breath; may paralyze demons. (Would be only non-TSO source of ranged holy).
Orange - +2 Air, -1 Translocations. rElec. Uses what is now Black's breath.
Green - +3 Summoning, -2 Translocations. rCorr. Fertile breath: Summons briars, mushrooms and plants between you and target.
Yellow - +3 Poison, -2 Necromancy. rPois. Combines current green and yellow (Weak attack can corrode and/or poison.)
Pale - +1 Ice, +1 Translocations -1 Fire. LoS -1. Breaths fog (no damage; but blocks LoS).
Grey - +3 Translocations; -2 Summoning. cTele. Teleport other breath.
Pink - +2 Hexes; -1 Charms. Clarity. Ensorcering Breath - Uses Level vs. target's HD to try to pacify or enslave (both effects temporary).
Shiny - +2 Charms; -1 Hexes. EV+. Has ability to evoke Repel Missiles instead of breath.

These are really amazing. Maybe Grey Drac breath should cause random blink away, with a chance to teleport? Teleport other 100% seems too strong, and rolling for success seems bad as well. Green breath should probably summon random animals to avoid overlap with Fedhas' plants. Perhaps Pink could have a chance to confuse or sleep as well. Everything else looks amazing, and it would be unbelievable to have such a large list of Drac colors to roll from! This would end up as my most played race easily.