The green dragon breath weapon

[Aries_Omega]

I know this has been changed a long time ago, but I was going through my box of old school D&D stuff and found a character that was a green dragon hunter and had a wooden mask that made it so he could breath when a green dragon called "Choking Death" used his chlorine gas breath weapon. What ever happened to the "I breath on you and you cough to death" green dragon? Why is the lovable green dragon now "I am a cone breath weapon version of the black dragon". Has anyone redone the green dragon back to it's original state? I'd like to but have no 3.5 point of reference to use for a "choking breath weapon".

 

[lukelightning]

Because too many things are immune to poison, and players always insist that they can hold their breath. The party could just cast neutralize poison on the whole party and be totally immune to the breath weapon (prophylactic casting of neutralize poison is an often overlooked tactic).

And if it was gas, then it would call for a fortitude save, not a reflex save, and make fighters and clerics the supreme green dragon killers.

 

[Aries_Omega]

...and players always insist that they can hold their breath.

Very true. Back in the old days we said that holding breath didn't work. The gas is acidic, not enough to cause damage on skin but discolors things and enough to make you suck in air because of the pain on the sensitive tissues in your body it was affecting...such as the inside of the nose .

And if it was gas, then it would call for a fortitude save, not a reflex save, and make fighters and clerics the supreme green dragon killers.

I kind of like the idea....so keep the damage as is...but make it a Fort save is what you are suggesting?

 

[lukelightning]

I'm not suggesting changing to "poison gas" but if you did, you'd have to make it a fortitude save like every other poison effect.

To make it more complicated, poisons rarely do hit point damage, and require a second save a minute later. Unless you make the breath weapon "poison...sort of...but it's different" which would require tinkering with mechanics or making a new effect or at the very least cause confusion when it is treated as poison in some ways but not in others.

Now that I think of it, the old GD's breath weapon was a cloud, not a cone. Perhaps you could use DM perogative to sneak a special secondary breath weapon into the green dragon abilities; in addition to a cone of acid they can breath a 40' cloud of harmful vapors. Given the incredibly large DCs of dragon breaths I'd steer away from ability damage and give it something like nauseating and blinding for 1d6 rounds, similar to good dragons' secondary breath weapons.

 

[atomn]

...and players always insist that they can hold their breath.

Although now it looks like holding your breath for any inhaled poison doesn't fly.

Ala SRD: "Holding one’s breath is ineffective against inhaled poisons; they affect the nasal membranes, tear ducts, and other parts of the body."

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#poison

 

[Beckett]

Holding your breath was ineffective even in the early days of 2ndEd. "The Ecology of the Dragon" from an issue of Dragon around that time stated the chlorine gas would burn skin. I think only a necklace of adaptation would save you if a green breathed on you.

 

[lukelightning]

How about poison immunity?

 

[blargney the second]

You could always go the "it's poisonous because it's acid" route.

 

[kaomera]

Just make it equal to an Acid Fog plus a Cloudkill...

 

[Three_Haligonians]

Hmm.. perhaps I am setting myself up for a lynching but I feel a different solution is in order.

5 Chromatic Dragons and 5 Energy Types.. doesn't take a genius to figure this out:

Red: Fire
Blue: Electricity
White: Cold
Black: Acid
Green: Sonic

It's a nice, neat package..

J from Three Haligonians