“Half-dragon” is an inherited template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A half-dragon uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to dragon. Size is unchanged. Do not recalculate base attack bonus or saves.
Hit Dice: Increase base creature’s racial HD by one die size, to a maximum of d12. Do not increase class HD.
Speed: A half-dragon that is Large or larger has wings and can fly at twice its base land speed (maximum 120 ft.) with average maneuverability. A half-dragon that is Medium or smaller does not have wings.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4.
Attack: A half-dragon has two claw attacks and a bite attack, and the claws are the primary natural weapon. If the base creature can use weapons, the half-dragon retains this ability. A half-dragon fighting without weapons uses a claw when making an attack action. When it has a weapon, it usually uses the weapon instead.
Full Attack: A half-dragon fighting without weapons uses both claws and its bite when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and its bite as a natural secondary attack. If it has a hand free, it uses a claw as an additional natural secondary attack.
Damage: Half-dragons have bite and claw attacks. If the base creature does not have these attack forms, use the damage values in the table below. Otherwise, use the values below or the base creature’s damage values, whichever are greater.
Special Attacks: A half-dragon retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains a breath weapon based on the dragon variety (see table), usable once per day. A half-dragon’s breath weapon deals 6d8 points of damage. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ half-dragon’s racial HD + half-dragon’s Con modifier) reduces damage by half.
Special Qualities: A half-dragon has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. A half-dragon has immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, and an additional immunity based on its dragon variety.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +8, Con +2, Int +2, Cha +2.
Skills: A half-dragon gains skill points as a dragon and has skill points equal to (6 + Int modifier) × (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation—the half-dragon gains dragon skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature’s list as class skills, and other skills as cross-class.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +3.
| Size | Bite Damage | Claw Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | 1 | — |
| Diminutive | 1d2 | 1 |
| Tiny | 1d3 | 1d2 |
| Small | 1d4 | 1d3 |
| Medium | 1d6 | 1d4 |
| Large | 1d8 | 1d6 |
| Huge | 2d6 | 1d8 |
| Gargantuan | 3d6 | 2d6 |
| Colossal | 4d6 | 3d6 |
Special Abilities
The list below provides the special abilities gained by a half-dragon based on its draconic parent, as well as the alignment of the character or the choices of alignment open to a half-dragon of the indicated kind.
Each entry in the list includes four elements, in this order: the half-dragon’s kind: its special attack form / the special quality it gains / its alignment or alignment choices. The source for each dragon’s description is given as a superscript tag after its name: Dr (Draconomicon), ELH (Epic Level Handbook), MM (Monster Manual), MM2 (Monster Manual II), Mon (Monsters of Faerûn), OA (Oriental Adventures), or Sa (Sandstorm).
If a special attack entry mentions “line” or “cone,” the half-dragon has a breath weapon of the indicated kind with the normal parameters dictated by the half-dragon template.
Some dragons lack a breath weapon, an immunity, or both. Half-dragons descended from certain dragons (most of which originally appeared in Oriental Adventures) gain a different kind of special attack and/or special quality.
These special abilities, marked with asterisks in the list, are explained after the end of the list. The save DC for a special attack is 10 + 1/2 the half-dragon’s racial HD + its Con modifier.
If a half-dragon with a special attack mentioned on the list below would otherwise gain the ability to use its half-dragon breath weapon more than once per day (such as from the Extra Exhalation feat; see RoD page 102),
it can instead use its special attack that many times per day. Special abilities that increase the damage of a halfdragon’s breath weapon have no effect on any half-dragon’s special attack.
AmethystMM2: Line of force / Immunity to poison / Neutral
BattleDr: Cone of sonic energy / Immunity to sonic / Neutral good
BlackMM: Line of acid / Immunity to acid / Chaotic evil
BlueMM: Line of electricity / Immunity to electricity / Lawful evil
BrassMM: Line of fi re / Immunity to fi re / Chaotic good
BronzeMM: Line of electricity / Immunity to electricity / Lawful good
BrownMon: Line of acid / Immunity to acid / Neutral evil
ChaosDr: Line of random energy (roll d% when breath is used: 01–20 acid, 21–40 cold, 41–60 electricity, 61–80 fire, 81–100 sonic) / Immunity to confusion / Chaotic good, chaotic neutral, or chaotic evil (player’s choice)
Chiang lungOA: Cause rain* / Water breathing / Lawful neutral
CopperMM: Line of acid / Immunity to acid / Chaotic good
CrystalMM2: Cone of light / Immunity to cold / Chaotic neutral
DeepMon: Cone of acidic gas (deals acid damage) / Immunity to charm effects / Chaotic evil
EmeraldMM2: Cone of sonic energy / Immunity to sonic / Lawful neutral
EtherealDr: Cone of force / None / Neutral
FangDr, Mon: Ability drain* / None / Chaotic neutral
ForceELH: Cone of force / None / Neutral
GoldMM: Cone of fi re / Immunity to fi re / Lawful good
GreenMM: Cone of acid / Immunity to acid / Lawful evil
HowlingDr: Cone of sonic energy / Immunity to sonic / Chaotic evil or chaotic neutral (player’s choice)
Li lungOA: Roar* / Burrow* / Neutral
Lung wangOA: Cone of steam (deals fi re damage) / Water breathing / Neutral
OceanusDr: Line of electricity / Immunity to electricity / Neutral good
Pan lungOA: Water fire* / Water breathing / Lawful neutral
PrismaticELH: Searing light* / Immunity to blindness / Neutral
PyroclasticDr: Cone of fi re and sonic energy (half damage of each type) / Immunity to fire or sonic (player’s choice) / Lawful evil or neutral evil player’s choice)
RadiantDr: Line of force / None / Lawful good
RedMM: Cone of fi re / Immunity to fi re / Chaotic evil
RustDr: Line of acid / None / Lawful evil or lawful neutral (player’s choice)
SandSa: Cone of grit (no energy type) / Immunity to fire / Chaotic neutral
SapphireMM2: Cone of sonic energy / Immunity to electricity / Lawful neutral
ShadowDr, Mon: Cone of energy drain* / Immunity to energy drain / Chaotic evil
Shen lungOA: Water fi re* / Water breathing / Lawful neutral
SilverMM: Cone of cold / Immunity to cold / Lawful good
SongMon: Cone of charged gas (deals electricity damage) / Immunity to electricity / Chaotic neutral or chaotic good (player’s choice)
StyxDr: Line of acid / Immunity to disease and poison / Neutral evil
TarterianDr: Line of force / None / Neutral evil or chaotic evil (player’s choice)
T’ien lungOA: Cone of fi re / Water breathing / Lawful neutral
TopazMM2: Cone of dehydration (no damage type) / Immunity to cold / Chaotic neutral
Tun mi lungOA: Gust of wind* / Water breathing / Neutral evil
WhiteMM: Cone of cold / Immunity to cold / Chaotic evil
Yu lungOA: None / Water breathing / Neutral
Ability Descriptions
Ability Drain (Su): Three times per day, a half-fang dragon can choose to deal 1d4 points of Constitution drain
with its bite attack (Fortitude negates). The decision to use this ability must be made before the attack roll is made. Burrow: A half-li lung dragon has a burrow speed of 10 feet.
Cause Rain (Su): A half-chiang lung dragon can breathe storm clouds three times per day, causing rain. The rain lasts for 2d4 hours and extends in a 2-mile radius centered on the half-dragon.
Cone of Energy Drain (Su): A half-shadow dragon’s breath weapon is a cone that bestows one negative level (Reflex negates).
Gust of Wind (Su): A half-tun mi lung dragon’s breath weapon is equivalent to a gust of wind spell with an instantaneous duration.
Searing Light (Su): A half-prismatic dragon’s breath weapon is the equivalent of a searing light spell (caster level 8th) with a range of 60 feet.
Roar (Ex): A halfli lung dragon can roar three times per day, creating a sound resembling metal scraping against stone. All creatures within 60 feet of the creature are automatically deafened for 1 round (no saving throw).
Water Fire (Su): Three times per day, a half-pan lung dragon or half-shen lung dragon that is touching or submerged in water can surround itself in an aura of ghostly, multicolored flames. These flames deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage to any creature that successfully strikes the protected half-dragon with a melee attack. (Such successful attacks still deal normal damage to the half-dragon normal damage.) Lung dragons and half-lung dragons are immune to this special attack.
Water fire lasts for 1 minute or until it is exposed to normal or magical fire. If the effect is negated by normal or magical fire, the half-dragon can’t activate the ability again for 2d6 minutes.