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A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

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I don't see an issue with asking more questions, if we have any, but I don't think now is the time to try to negotiate further with Galzerai. We had a good, productive meeting, said what needed to be said and got some valuable intel out of it. Now we have a very good reason to speak with the Kelasi Emir.
 
[X] Incline your head slightly, letting none of your surprise show. "Fairly said, I would not wish to betray the confidence of even my own hostages." Though you value your given word equally as much, even somewhat for pride's sake, that you have seen fit to adhere to it as much as possible, you know he likely feels little of the sympathy for the Princess that you felt for your cousin Stannis at the time. "I will see to it that the Emir knows your mind on this matter."
-[X] "Elder Cousin, this discussion has proven not only productive, but insightful. I would not wish to tarry more than necessary, but should you wish to engage in further dialogue, be it with fruitful exchanges in mind or merely slaking one's curiosity, know I too hold you in high esteem for the courtesy shown, and would in similar regard grant you passage to my realm at a time of your choosing. Further, I offer you the opportunity to open an Embassy in Sorcerer's Deep."
-[X] Depart for the Kelasi Emirate.
 
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Crake said:
[X] Incline your head slightly, letting none of your surprise show. "Fairly said, I would not wish to betray the confidence of even my own hostages." Though you value your given word equally as much, even somewhat for pride's sake, that you have seen fit to adhere to it as much as possible, you know he likely feels little of the sympathy for the Princess that you felt for your cousin Stannis at the time. "I will see to it that the Emir knows your mind on this matter."
-[X] "Elder Cousin, this discussion has proven not only productive, but insightful. I would not wish to tarry more than necessary, but should you wish to engage in further dialogue, be it with fruitful exchanges in mind or merely slaking one's curiosity, know I too hold you in high esteem for the courtesy shown, and would in similar regard grant you passage to my realm at a time of your choosing. Further, I offer you the opportunity to open an Embassy in Dragonsong Sanctum off the coast of my demesne upon its completion."
-[X] Depart for the Kelasi Emirate.
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Is there a reason we're putting the dragon embassies close to our feral dragon habitat?
 
Duesal said:
Is there a reason we're putting the dragon embassies close to our feral dragon habitat?
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Claw Isle is near Bloodstone. Dragonsong Sanctum is basically based around that spit of rock near Sorcerer's Deep.

Geography on the maps.

Edit: By "spit of rock", I mean that one tiny landmark the Tritons settled into with some sea caves. We're building an aquatic settlement near that area. It's over a hundred miles away from Claw Isle, much less Bloodstone.
 
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Crake said:
Claw Isle is near Bloodstone. Dragonsong Sanctum is basically based around that spit of rock near Sorcerer's Deep.

Geography on the maps.

Edit: By "spit of rock", I mean that one tiny landmark the Tritons settled into with some sea caves. We're building an aquatic settlement near that area. It's over a hundred miles away from Claw Isle, much less Bloodstone.
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Why not just have the embassy in Sorcerer's Deep itself like every other embassy? That's our best shot at keeping an eye on them and Kelasi and making sure they don't do anything hostile on our territory.
 
It's not a big deal, I just thought it would be neat to diversify our diplomatic venues. It's kind of a tourist attraction though, I admit. I'll change it to SD if you care that much.
 
Crake said:
It's not a big deal, I just thought it would be neat to diversify our diplomatic venues. It's kind of a tourist attraction though, I admit. I'll change it to SD if you care that much.
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e
It's more of a security concern than anything else. I'd rather have all the extraplanar powers keep their embassies where it's easiest for the Inquisition to keep an eye on them. Especially when we're going into this knowing that a few of them are hostile towards each other, and we need to make sure they play nice.
 
Crake said:
It's not a big deal, I just thought it would be neat to diversify our diplomatic venues. It's kind of a tourist attraction though, I admit. I'll change it to SD if you care that much.
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I figured Galzerai would appreciate his embassy being out in the water a bit, since he's a Brine Dragon and all of his subjects are aquatic.

I guess they could get by just as comfortably in Sorcerer Deep's aquatic district.
 
20 bucks says the Princess and the Dragon will have a tryst going by weeks end.

A polite dragon that not only considers her honor, but actually used discretion when talking about matter she'd rather keep private, and is a rather accomplished dragon if his throne is any indication?

It sounds like a goddamn YA novel plot, and I work in a library, I know my YA novel plots.
 
Goldfish said:
I figured Galzerai would appreciate his embassy being out in the water a bit, since he's a Brine Dragon and all of his subjects are aquatic.

I guess they could get by just as comfortably in Sorcerer Deep's aquatic district.
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Dragonsong is the aquatic district. I expect it to expand so much that it doesn't make sense to place it near a land settlement where, even with how careful we are about pollution, there is still a lot of traffic coming into the area and ships are still kinda filthy.
 
Goldfish said:
I figured Galzerai would appreciate his embassy being out in the water a bit, since he's a Brine Dragon and all of his subjects are aquatic.

I guess they could get by just as comfortably in Sorcerer Deep's aquatic district.
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This wouldn't be as much of an issue if we were utterly confident that the Inquisition has expanded into the aquatic sectors. An embassy by the harbor could be okay, but one that we don't actually have the means to watch within the water itself is less than ideal.

[X] Crake
 
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Duesal said:
This wouldn't be as much of an issue if we were utterly confident that the Inquisition has expanded into the aquatic sectors. An embassy by the harbor could be okay, but one that we don't actually have the means to watch within the water itself is less than ideal.
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That's a pretty safe assumption to make, IMO, considering how many aquatic subjects we now have in the growing Triton population, the numerous aquatic Plant creatures who serve us, and the many easy methods of providing non-aquatic people the means to remain underwater for extended periods of time.
 
Goldfish said:
That's a pretty safe assumption to make, IMO, considering how many aquatic subjects we now have in the growing Triton population, the numerous aquatic Plant creatures who serve us, and the many easy methods of providing non-aquatic people the means to remain underwater for extended periods of time.
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I've learned the hard way not to assume anything in this quest.
 
Duesal said:
This wouldn't be as much of an issue if we were utterly confident that the Inquisition has expanded into the aquatic sectors. An embassy by the harbor could be okay, but one that we don't actually have the means to watch within the water itself is less than ideal.

[X] Crake
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The Sanctum is sort of half-aquatic, half air. It's only the lower portions where the Tritons live that are completely aquatic. The middle portion are glass encased layers split between aquatic and non-aquatic or half and half. The surface portion is basically Ahto City from Manaan.
 
Goldfish said:
Dunno if I would call this a challenge, but maybe more of a thought experiment. It's @TalonofAnathrax's fault for putting me in the right mindset for this.

This is a multi-part challenge.

First, you must decide if you want to be a Mind Dragon or a Mighty Mind Dragon. Each of them are spoiler'd below for ease of reference. "Mighty" is a very strong template, so why would you want to pass on it? It comes with a straight power boost, including tons of bonus HP, enhanced AC, BAB, and melee damage, spell power, poison potency, skill points, etc.

If you choose to be a regular Adult Mind Dragon, however, you also start with five additional class levels (or PRC levels if you qualify for them) and the ability to further customize yourself using a Sovereign Archetype. Basically, you'll be a CR 15 Dragon regardless of your choice.

For example, you could choose the Loredrake Sovereign Archetype and complete five levels of Dragon Mystic (or any other full caster progression), which allow raise your caster level to at least 19th level and you would be able to cast up to 8th level spells. Or you could go in a completely different direction and use the Wyrm of War Archetype to gain some extra combat feats and become a Martial Initiator. There are other Archetypes which would give you other abilities, including access to Cleric spells, though you wouldn't be able to start with the ability to cast any spells higher than 7th level.

Either way you choose, nothing stops you from advancing further after you start, except for the difficulty involved in a CR 15 creature gathering enough XP to level.


Adult Mind Dragon - 61 to 1,000 years (CR 10)
Size/Type: Huge Dragon
Hit Dice: 12d12 + 72 (150 HP)
Initiative: +0
Speed: Ground: 60 ft, Fly: 240 ft (Good)
Armor Class: 23 (-2 Size, +15 Natural), Touch 8, Flat-Footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+20
Attack: Tail Sting +20 (2d6+15 plus poison)
Full Attack: Tail Sting +20 (2d6+15 plus poison), Bite +15 (2d8+10), 2 Claws +15 (2d6+5), 2 Wings +15 (1d8+5), Crush +20 (2d8+15)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. (10ft. with bite, 30 ft. with tail)
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Blindsense 60 ft, Darkvision 120 ft, Low-Light Vision, Immunity to Sleep & Paralysis, Spell Resistance 24, Telepathy 240 ft
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +13
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 18
Skills: Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Sense Motive +5, plus 135 points
Feats: Iron Will(B), Mindsight(B), Practiced Spellcaster(B), plus 5 feats
Languages: Draconic, plus 3 languages
Alignment: Any Good

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 24; Initial Damage: 1d6 Wisdom damage, plus Dazed for 1 round, Secondary Damage: 2d6 Wisdom damage, plus Stunned for 1d4 minutes. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 Racial bonus.

Spell Tail (Ex): By default, Mind Dragons deliver Touch spells using their long flexible tails rather than their shorter less dexterous claws. They can choose whether or not to inflict damage or inject their poison when making tail-based Touch attacks.

Alternate Forms (Su): If they learn the Alter Self spell, Adult Mind Dragons can assume one of two different forms, that of either a Tiny-sized Pseudodragon or a unique Medium-sized Human.

Telepathy (Su): Mind Dragons can communicate Telepathically with any creature who speaks one of its known languages, provided they are within 240 feet.

Informed Prediction (Su): If the Mind Dragon has successfully used Detect Thoughts against a creature within 24 hours, it gains a +2 Dodge bonus against that creature's attacks and a +2 Insight bonus on saves against that creature's spells and special attacks.

Skills: Mind Dragons gain a +5 Racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Caster Level: 12th, At Will: Detect Thoughts (DC 16), 1/Day: Dream, Mind Blank, Phantasmal Killer (DC 18), Telepathic Bond.

Spellcasting: Adult Mind Dragons cast spells as 9th level Sorcerers.

Spells Known (Caster Level 12th): Spell DC = 10 + 4 (CHA) + Spell Level
Level 0: Eight spells known (6/day)
Level 1: Five spells known (6+1/day)
Level 2: Four spells known (6+1/day)
Level 3: Three spells known (6+1/day)
Level 4: Two spell known (4+1/day)



Mighty Adult Mind Dragon (CR 15)
Size/Type: Huge Dragon
Hit Dice: 12d12 + 72 + 120[Mighty] (274 HP)
Initiative: +5 (Mighty)
Speed: Ground: 90 ft, Fly: 270 ft (Good)
Armor Class: 28 (-2 Size, +5 Dodge, +15 Natural), Touch 13, Flat-Footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +17/+25; Melee (+25/+33), Ranged (+15)
Attack: Tail Sting +25 (2d6+20 plus poison)
Full Attack: Tail Sting +25 (2d6+20 plus poison), Bite +20 (2d8+15), 2 Claws +20 (2d6+10), 2 Wings +20 (1d8+10), Crush +20 (2d8+20)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. (10ft. with bite, 30 ft. with tail)
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 4/--, Blindsense 60 ft, Darkvision 120 ft, Low-Light Vision, Immunity to Sleep & Paralysis, Immunity to Mind-Affecting effects, Spell Resistance 27, Telepathy 240 ft
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +13, Will +18
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 11, Con 23, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 18
Skills*: Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Sense Motive +5, plus 135 Skill Points; *NOTE: All skills, even untrained ones, benefit from a +5 Competence bonus to all skill checks.
Feats: Iron Will(B), Mindsight(B), Practiced Spellcaster(B), plus 5 feats
Languages: Draconic, plus 3 Languages
Alignment: Any Good

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 31; Initial Damage: 1d6 Wisdom damage, plus Dazed for 1 round, Secondary Damage: 2d6 Wisdom damage, plus Stunned for 1d4 minutes. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 Racial bonus.

Spell Tail (Ex): By default, Mind Dragons deliver Touch spells using their long flexible tails rather than their shorter less dexterous claws. They can choose whether or not to inflict damage or inject their poison when making tail-based Touch attacks.

Alternate Forms (Su): Using their Alter Self spell, Mind Dragons can assume one of two different forms, that of either a Tiny-sized Pseudodragon or a unique Medium-sized Human.

Telepathy (Su): Mind Dragons can communicate Telepathically with any creature who speaks one of its known languages, provided they are within 240 feet.

Informed Prediction (Su): If the Mind Dragon has successfully used Detect Thoughts against a creature within 24 hours, it gains a +2 Dodge bonus against that creature's attacks and a +2 Insight bonus on saves against that creature's spells and special attacks.

Skills: Mind Dragons gain a +5 Racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Caster Level: 12th, At Will: Detect Thoughts (DC 23), 1/Day: Dream, Mind Blank, Phantasmal Killer (DC 25), Telepathic Bond

Spellcasting: Adult Mind Dragons cast spells as 9th level Sorcerers.

Spells Known (Caster Level 12th): Spell DC: 10 + 4 (CHA) + 7 (Mighty) = 21 + Spell Level
Level 0: Eight spells known (6/day)
Level 1: Five spells known (6+1/day)
Level 2: Four spells known (6+1/day)
Level 3: Three spells known (6+1/day)
Level 4: Two spells known (4+1/day)

Second, you have to choose when and where you start.

Option 1) You wake up in the Flesh Forge among the latest batch of Mind Dragons grown by the Imperium. You are either a standard Mighty Mind Dragon or a customized Mind Dragon which developed far outside the expectations of the Fleshcrafters. Dragon Dreams are funny like that! The advantages of this choice should be obvious; You aren't alone, but are instead surrounded by friends and allies, the Imperium spares no expense to equip you in enchanted equipment worth a king's ransom, and should you fall in battle, only the most catastrophic turn of events will prevent your Resurrection from being a priority. Disadvantages of this option include A) Your meta-knowledge is of very little use, B) You've got a boss (a pretty good boss by any standards, but still...), and the Imperium has a lot of enemies.

Option 2) You wake up in the Flesh Forge as it explodes in a fiery conflagration which completely destroys the structure and much of the ruins of Goggossos, though you are unscathed except for a few scrapes and bruises. It is the 12th Day of the Ninth Month, 289 AC, the day the quest starts and ASWAH diverges from ASOIAF canon. You should have been decanted from your pod as in Option 1, but something went very wrong and Tiamat was able to strike against the Imperium's affront to Dragonkind (i.e. Tiamat). Among the advantages of this start, you have years of priceless meta-knowledge, you're a CR 15 Dragon(!), and for a long time to come you will be among the Powers (with a capital P) with very little that can stand in the way of your plans. Unfortunately, you can't have the good without the bad. The Flesh Forge, a priceless relic of a bygone era, has been destroyed. In the not so distant future it could have been critical to the survival of humanity upon Planetos. You're alone, short on funds, and you have no enchanted gear. Worst of all, however, is that you have Tiamat's attention. She doesn't know what happened (no knowledge from her future self made the trip back with you), but she got a whiff of her own power and turned her attention to the exploding Flesh Forge quickly enough to get a metaphysical eye full of you. A new species of Dragon that she wasn't aware of, who doesn't worship her, and who somehow came into being in an explosion caused, at least in part, by her power. You better keep your Mind Blank SLA running 24/7 and it would be advised to take advantage of shape-shifting magic as often as possible.

Option 3) Sorta like Option 2, but Tiamat exploded the Flesh Forge extra hard. She didn't knock you into the past, but into an alternate reality entirely. You wake up to an exploding Flesh Forge in 298 AC, on the day Jon Arryn dies by poison. It's ASOIAF canon...except magic has just awakened and the Plane of Balance is once again open for business. All of the threats from ASWAH, not to mention those one is exposed to by simply existing in the D&D 3.5/Pathfinder cosmology, are now on the table, with just one exception. There is no Void and the Celestial Planes were never sundered. The Others are still a threat, of course, but they're no longer linked to the non-existent Void. Your meta-knowledge is still good up to a certain point, but that will rapidly change, so you will have to be quick if you want to exploit it to any significant degree. There might not be a Void nibbling at the edges of reality, but shit is still pretty screwed up and will only get worse as magic returns, and this time there is no Viserys around to save everyone. The Viserys in this timeline is, of course, a delusional cunt and completely useless.

So, what would you do?
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Lots of neat responses from this! :)

I would choose the customized Mind Dragon option, and like @TalonofAnathrax, start with the Loredrake Archetype as a Concept Cleric 1/Dweomerkeeper 4. Beyond taking the Magic Domain (required for Dweomerkeeper), I would also select the Planning Domain, which comes with the Extend Spell feat and helps offset the requirements to enter the Dweomerkeeper PRC. A couple of flaws, Grudgekeeper and Insomnia, let me pick up Craft Wondrous Item to finish meeting the PRC requirements with an extra feat left over.

The Cleric dip hurts a bit to start with, as I initially would be limited to 7th level spells, but that's what XP is for (and I can't think of a rules legal way to bypass it). It's worth the delay, though, to gain the Supernatural Spell power of Dweomerkeeper. Despite being usable just once per day at the start, being able to cast a spell without any components is amazing. At first it would probably be Blood Wish whose components I would ignore, but there are a lot of costly spells, in materials or XP, that aren't normally as attractive to cast too often. In a few levels, I could cast Supernatural Spell Wishes which wouldn't cost any XP. :evil:

As for destinations, Option 1 is tempting. Being a powerful member of the Imperium would be neat and coming right out of the pod with a full suite of enchanted gear waiting for me is a nice perk. Lots of allies and potential friends, a quickly advancing society, and plenty of conflict to earn more XP are all attractive...but it's all a bit too much for me. Wars and seemingly endless enemies, a broken reality, one apocalypse after another, those make for an interesting quest so long as I'm not directly living in that setting. Option 2 is much the same, though I would have to worry about screwing up a timeline which has managed perfectly well without my interference. In other words, don't fix what ain't broke.

That means Option 3 would be my choice. Planetos is still a crapsack, but reality is whole and functioning more or less as intended. I'm not a big fan of the Celestial Planes, but they served as an important balancing factor for some of the darker powers. I've not got much urge to go about fixing Planetos, despite it being very definitely broken, so I certainly won't be trying to drag everyone into enlightenment or marshal the forces of Humanity against the Others or anything else the return of magic has awakened or allowed to slip through the Planar boundaries. That said, a bit of judicious killing in a short period of time, mostly in Westeros but some in Essos as well, could do a lot to lessen Planetos' crapsack quotient; Varys, Baelish, Tywin, Cersei, Joffrey, Illyrio, Viserys, etc. In between bouts of murder, I would channel my inner @Duesal and loot the everliving fuck out of several places. Illyrio's wealth? Yoink. Casterly Rock's gold reserves? Yoink. Every magical item the Citadel has collected? Turbo-Yoink! Etc, etc, etc.

Then I'm off to Armun Kelisk to convert my ill-gotten gains (and as much in valuable Plance of Balance trade goods as I can carry) into Wind Notes and other Planar currency so I can commission a full set of gear. That'll take a while to be completed, so I'd idle my time killing Dothraki before they all get massacred by the vengeful Undead of Sarnor, then I'd move on to those Undead. There are a lot of great opportunities to earn serious XP early on while magic is still fresh and the opposition weak or scattered.

I'm sure I would check in on Planetos every so often, if only to refresh my coffers and get a read on how the place is developing with magic added to the mix, but I'm going full adventurer. As a Mind Blanked Dragon capable of assuming Human form, it would be easy to pass myself off as a regular mortal (as regular as any mortal Archmage is, at least) fond of using an unusual Draconic form. Eventually I would settle down somewhere nice and see about building up a powerbase, though for now the Planes are my oyster and I'm gonna have fun exploring them.
 
Don't forget to vote, y'all.
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Jan 22, 2020 at 8:14 PM, finished with 28 posts and 6 votes.
  • [X] Incline your head slightly, letting none of your surprise show. "Fairly said, I would not wish to betray the confidence of even my own hostages." Though you value your given word equally as much, even somewhat for pride's sake, that you have seen fit to adhere to it as much as possible, you know he likely feels little of the sympathy for the Princess that you felt for your cousin Stannis at the time. "I will see to it that the Emir knows your mind on this matter."
    -[X] "Elder Cousin, this discussion has proven not only productive, but insightful. I would not wish to tarry more than necessary, but should you wish to engage in further dialogue, be it with fruitful exchanges in mind or merely slaking one's curiosity, know I too hold you in high esteem for the courtesy shown, and would in similar regard grant you passage to my realm at a time of your choosing. Further, I offer you the opportunity to open an Embassy in Sorcerer's Deep."
    -[X] Depart for the Kelasi Emirate.
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