So i was just looking at the drakewarden since i thought i might try making one and i can't help but think the Drake's health is..... really really abysmal.
5 + five times your ranger level (the drake has a number of hit dice [d10s] equal to your ranger level) +2 of that health is from con given normal understanding of health. So the drake gets 3 health every level from a d10.
With the same constitution of 14 a wizard gets more health from a d6.
i get that a companion is intended to be weaker than player characters on account of them being features of those characters. But given how heavily the drakewarden relies on the drake for power and its identity as a whole, i wish it were a bit less easy to blast away. at the very least be a bit more honest and call their hit dice d4s since that's what they actually are.
Don't forget you can conjure a drake with full resources (HP, etc) with an action and a 1st level spell slot, whereas your poor wizard friend will likely suffer both a bruised ego and sore ribs for the rest of the day!
If anything, I am more upset about the abysmal fly speed at cap.
Interesting way to read the stat block. I read it as 5+ (5x RL) + (2x RL) ( the con bonus hit points) so a L10 Drakewarden with a 14 Con would have 55+20 =75 HP and so would the drake. With the drake having an AC of 14+4+1=19 .
It's actually quite robust for something so easily and cheaply replaced. You'd have a good argument if you could revive that wizard with a level 1 spell slot. You see the "hit dice" as a slight, I see it as generously providing more healing potential than it really should have.
The only reason the Drake Companion even gets hit dice is so that it can self-heal during short rests. Monster hit dice are determined by creature size, which means that the Drake Companion should start with d6 hit dice, which grow to d8s at 7th level and don't become d10s until you're 15th level.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
You know, there are a lot of good points that people have made. Even with how easy it would be for it to die mid flight assuming you get to levels where that's plausible, it does have comparably great rest SR healing and is easily resummonable with nothing but a level 1 spell slot, which arguably makes it a spectacular level 1 summoning spell that's immune to counterspell. Also after going over the ranger spells again and re-realizing how many of their spells require concentration, is an excellent way to use spell slots that otherwise might not get used at all. Gonna have to take a loss here and admit I horribly misjudged it.
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So i was just looking at the drakewarden since i thought i might try making one and i can't help but think the Drake's health is..... really really abysmal.
5 + five times your ranger level (the drake has a number of hit dice [d10s] equal to your ranger level)
+2 of that health is from con given normal understanding of health.
So the drake gets 3 health every level from a d10.
With the same constitution of 14 a wizard gets more health from a d6.
i get that a companion is intended to be weaker than player characters on account of them being features of those characters. But given how heavily the drakewarden relies on the drake for power and its identity as a whole, i wish it were a bit less easy to blast away. at the very least be a bit more honest and call their hit dice d4s since that's what they actually are.
Don't forget you can conjure a drake with full resources (HP, etc) with an action and a 1st level spell slot, whereas your poor wizard friend will likely suffer both a bruised ego and sore ribs for the rest of the day!
If anything, I am more upset about the abysmal fly speed at cap.
Interesting way to read the stat block. I read it as 5+ (5x RL) + (2x RL) ( the con bonus hit points) so a L10 Drakewarden with a 14 Con would have 55+20 =75 HP and so would the drake. With the drake having an AC of 14+4+1=19 .
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
It's actually quite robust for something so easily and cheaply replaced. You'd have a good argument if you could revive that wizard with a level 1 spell slot. You see the "hit dice" as a slight, I see it as generously providing more healing potential than it really should have.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
The only reason the Drake Companion even gets hit dice is so that it can self-heal during short rests. Monster hit dice are determined by creature size, which means that the Drake Companion should start with d6 hit dice, which grow to d8s at 7th level and don't become d10s until you're 15th level.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
You know, there are a lot of good points that people have made. Even with how easy it would be for it to die mid flight assuming you get to levels where that's plausible, it does have comparably great rest SR healing and is easily resummonable with nothing but a level 1 spell slot, which arguably makes it a spectacular level 1 summoning spell that's immune to counterspell. Also after going over the ranger spells again and re-realizing how many of their spells require concentration, is an excellent way to use spell slots that otherwise might not get used at all. Gonna have to take a loss here and admit I horribly misjudged it.