Feat: Awaken Caster Level

[Melatuis]

I am playing a wyrmling silver dragon in a game using "Dragon, Player Charachters" article from the June 2004, Dragon Magazine. I have found that for a 13th Level charater he is not real good at any thing. So instead of taking Sororer levels I made a feat using Awaken Frightful Presence [Monstrous] and Awaken Spell Resistance [Monstrous] from pg 67, Draconomicon as models. Please make commets good or bad or how it could be improved. Thank You.

Awaken Caster Level
Type: Monstrous
Source: Melatuis
You gain spell casting levels.
Prerequisite: Cha 13, dragon type that gains racial age category casting levels.
Benefit: You gain innate spell casting ability equal your age category.
Special: If your racial age category increase after you gain this feat your spell casting level increases as well. If you have this feat and you also have (or later gain) spell casting as a racial ability, your spell casting level is equal to your age category casting level +2.
Normal: For example, an old silver dragon that has taken this feat would be caster level 13.
Wyrmling silver dragon that had this feat would be caster lvl 1.
Very young silver dragon that had this feat would be caster lvl 2.
Young silver dragon that had this feat would be caster lvl 3.

 

[Runestar]

Seems to be of limited use in the hands of a PC, since even 1st lv casting is of little use to you at lv13. Great for npc dragons though, since this will augment their innate spellcasting capabilities.

As a wyrmling silver dragon, your strengths lie in your good skill list and breath weapon, so you may want to focus on those areas instead.

 

[Shin Okada]

Special: If your racial age category increase after you gain this feat your spell casting level increases as well. If you have this feat and you also have (or later gain) spell casting as a racial ability, your spell casting level is equal to your age category casting level +2.

What do you mean "spell casting level" in this case? Do you mean virtual sorcerer level for spell casting? If so, it seems to be too strong as a feat for someone who can already cast spells as a sorcerer, or someone with sorcerer levels.

Usually, it takes two feats (Draconic Heritage and Draconic Power) to just increase a sorcerer's caster level (not the virtual sorcerer level) by 1.

 

[Melatuis]

My dragon character's AC is only 19 at 13th Lvl and does not do damage equal to the creatures we are encountering. I wanted to have caster lvls at wyrmling and very young age catagories, to cast mage armor.

This feat is designed for dragons that gain caster levels as a racial ablitiy only, I hope. Not half-dragon sorcerers ect.

Its my observation that dragons do not make good player characters. My 13th Lvl ranger does more damage and has a higher AC.

 

[Shin Okada]

The problem is, there is no such thing as PC only feat. So, NPC dragons, your opponents, can take the same feat. And if that feat is in your campaign, it is not so realistic that no evil opponent dragons are taking it. So, even if it will not make your PC significantly stronger, if that feat makes someone too strong, that is a bad house rule. Same can be said for spells, magic items and such.

IMHO, if it seems that making a useful PC with current LA rule is impossible, you would better talk with your DM to change LA than to make something which makes true dragons even more powerful than they are with current rules.

But to be honest. You are not meant to play a Silver Dragon at ECL 13 I guess. High LA may better work at, say, campaigns in Epic levels.

 

[moritheil]

Its my observation that dragons do not make good player characters. My 13th Lvl ranger does more damage and has a higher AC.

I'd imagine your ranger has more hit points, too.

I have seen dragons successfully played - but only in epic campaigns. LA +7 or so matters less when you have 30 levels.

It's best to not play anything where LA is the bulk of your levels - you can do it, but encounters tend to be one-sided in your favor or against you, which for many people is no fun.

As for the player in your campaign, I'm with Shin on this one - reduce the LA for wyrmling by 1 and give him 1 sorcerer level.

 

[Runestar]

My dragon character's AC is only 19 at 13th Lvl and does not do damage equal to the creatures we are encountering. I wanted to have caster lvls at wyrmling and very young age catagories, to cast mage armor.

At that lv, I am sure you are easily accessing an armour bonus of that value or greater, be it via bracers of armour, mithral barding or mage armour cast by the friendly party wizard. Plus, you should have access to other AC boosting eq such as ring of deflection and amulet of NA, in addition to your own NA.

If you want to do damage, I don't think dragons are the ideal race to play. Small sized dragons seem to make ideal scouts and skill monkeys, and perhaps support-style PCs. Melee combat is definitely not their forte.

 

[Melatuis]

I have revised the feat below:

Awaken Dragon Caster Level
Type: Monstrous, Dragon
Source: Melatuis
True Dragon gains Caster Level ability early.
Prerequisite: Cha 13, true dragon that gains age category caster levels
Benefit: Dragon beginning caster level is moved to the age category that feat is taken. The dragon gains two caster levels every age category from there after.
Sorcerer levels will stack with this feat.
Note: This feat can not be taken if the dragon has already gained age category caster levels.

 

[Melatuis]

Clairifcation:

A Silver Dragon taking Awaken Dragon Caster Level feat as a
Wyrmling gains Caster Lvl 1st.
Very young is caster level 3rd
Young is caster level 5th
Juvenile is caster level 7th
Young Adult is caster level 9th
Adult is caster level 11th
Mature Adult is caster level 13th
Old is caster level 15th
Very Old is caster level 17th
Ancient is caster level 19th
Wyrm is caster level 21st*
Great Wyrm is caster level 23rd*

* may take epic sorcerer feats.

 

[pawsplay]

Does this feat do anything that can't be covered by Sorcerer levels?

As a personal guideline, my suggestion is for LA for a fairly normal character to not exceed 1/4 of your actual ECL. For instance, I'd want to add at least two levels to an Ogre before I would play one. Otherwise, hit points are too low, and class abilities come too late.

I'd be willing to let LA equal your HD if the purpose of the character is specifically to use certain special abilities. While a pixie is not ideal in some ways, with four class levels they can at least hold their own. A 1st level pixie is in danger of getting wiped out with a single fireball.