changing your dragons

[Braininthejar]

There is a lot of stories that involve monsters (often dragons, but also things like ogre magi) pretending to be humans.

However, since 3.5 doesn't have polymorph self anymore, such creatures would be stuck with transformations that last for 1 minute per level. (only a couple of true dragon species have custom transformation ability)

How do you approeach the problem in your games?

[linklord231]

Most shape-changing dragons have the Alternate Form ability now, and lasts until they choose to dismiss it.

[ksbsnowowl]

How do you approeach the problem in your games?

I use 3.0 Polymorph Other and nearly-3.0 Polymorph Self.

To me, keeping magic "true" to the myths that spawned fantasy is more important than game "balance."

Interestingly, I run a 10th level Gestalt game.  I even GAVE one of the characters polymorph self as a spell in his prayerbook.  He's used it twice.

[NiteCyper]

Most shape-changing dragons have the Alternate Form ability now, and lasts until they choose to dismiss it.

True...dragons with Alternate Form (Su) are young or older bronze, any gold, and silver. I colored the colors, but hyperlinking overrides. :\ Neither do Ogre Mages rely on the out-dated polymorph self, instead possessing the time-unlimited Change Shape (Su). I don't see the problem.

[ksbsnowowl]

I don't see the problem.

The lass who is going to bear that Half-Red-Dragon human sure does...

[ImperatorK]

Didn't Dragons of Eberron (or some other Eberron book) have a feat that gave a True Dragon the ability to change shape?

EDIT: Yup. Dragons of Eberron page 15.

[NiteCyper]

I don't see the problem.

The lass who is going to bear that Half-Red-Dragon human sure does...

I'd just prefer it if those who know not of such tales, such as I, could be pointed to such a canonical story.

[Braininthejar]

There was that book with ready-to-use villains... One of them was an old blue dragon female, ruling the desert with a tribe of her half-human descendants. Aparrently she kept a human male harem/snack box.

EDIT: Borak Sakhegirak in Exemplars of Evil.

[ksbsnowowl]

There was a 9th level adventure printed by Penumbra Press, written by Monte Cook (how much more cannon can you get than the man who designed 3rd edition?  ), "Beyond the Veil" I think it was titled, that dealt with a Ghost Young Adult Black dragon.  When you finally get to his lair, it is filled with half-dragon... everythings.  (It was described that before he died, he was a little... overactive, in the breeding department.)  There were half-black dragon drow, half-black dragon carrion crawlers, and other things, too.

But Braininthejar's example was actually published by WotC, so there you go.