Main» Dragon Disciple

It is known that certain dragons can take humanoid form and even have humanoid lovers. Sometimes a child is born of this union, and every child of that child unto the thousandth generation claims a bit of dragon blood, be it ever so small. Usually, little comes of it, though mighty sorcerers occasionally credit their powers to draconic heritage. For some, however, dragon blood beckons irresistibly. These characters become dragon disciples, who use their magical power as a catalyst to ignite their dragon blood, realizing its fullest potential.

Dragon disciples prefer a life of exploration to a cloistered existence. Most are barbarians, fighters, or rangers who have dabbled as sorcerers or bards. Occasionally, a serious spellcaster explores the path to further a goal of finding out more about his draconic heritage, though at the expense of his arcane studies. Clerics and druids rarely choose to become dragon disciples. Already adept at magic, many dragon disciples pursue adventure, especially if it furthers their goal of finding out more about their draconic heritage. All dragon disciples are drawn to areas known to harbor dragons.

Hit Die

d12.

Requirements

To qualify to become a dragon disciple, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race

Any nondragon (cannot already be a half-dragon).

Skills

Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks.

Languages

Draconic.

Spellcasting

Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation.

Special

The player chooses a dragon variety when taking the first level in this prestige class, subject to the DM’s approval.

Class Skills

The dragon disciple’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Speak Language (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level

4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the dragon disciple prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Dragon disciples gain no proficiency in any weapons or armor.

Spells per Day/Spells Known

At the indicated levels, dragon disciple level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spontaneous arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain all the benefits and class features a character of the class would have gained. If a character had more than one such class before becoming a dragon disciple, she must decide to which class she adds the new level for the purposes of determining spells per day.

Draconic Skills

In addition to the class skills available to all dragon disciples, a dragon disciple gains several class skills based on his draconic ancestor (see table below).

Table: Draconic Skills
Dragon Variety	Associated Class Skills
Black	Intimidate, Move Silently, Swim
Blue	Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate
Green	Bluff, Knowledge (nature), Sense Motive
Red	Appraise, Intimidate, Jump, Search
White	Climb, Hide, Survival
Brass	Diplomacy, Gather Information, Hide
Bronze	Diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Swim
Copper	Appraise, Disguise, Perform, Sleight of Hand
Gold	Diplomacy, Heal, Sense Motive
Silver	Decipher Script, Disguise, Heal
Oceanus	Knowledge (the planes), Sense Motive, Swim
Styx	Bluff, Knowledge (the planes), Swim
Pyroclastic	Balance, Climb, Intimidate
Tarterian	Escape Artist, Intimidate, Sense Motive
Shadow	Bluff, Hide, Move Silently

Dragon Claws

At 1st level, a dragon disciple gains claw attacks if he does not already have them. These claws do 1d6 points of damage (for a Medium-sized character), and are considered to be primary natural attacks (i.e. they are made at the dragon disciple’s full base attack bonus and add his full Strength bonus to damage). A dragon disciple is considered to be proficient with these attacks.

Energy Resistance (Ex)

At 1st level, the dragon disciple gains energy resistance 10 to the damage type of his draconic ancestor’s breath weapon (if the dragon has multiple breath weapons, the dragon disciple gains resistance to the damage type of the breath weapon granted by the class). This resistance increases to 20 at 4th level and to 30 at 7th level. At 10th class level, the dragon disciple becomes immune to this type of damage.

Natural Armor Increase

At 2nd and 7th level, a dragon disciple becomes more draconic in appearance. His skin develops tiny iridescent scales, nearly invisible at first but becoming more noticeable at higher levels. This provides a cumulative +1 increase to the character’s existing natural armor (if any). As his skin thickens, a dragon disciple takes on more and more of his progenitor’s physical aspect.

Ability Boost (Ex)

As a dragon disciple gains levels in this prestige class, his ability scores increase as noted on the table (at 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th level). These increases stack and are gained as if through level advancement.

Bonus Feats

At 2nd, 5th, and 8th level, the dragon disciple gains a bonus feat, which he can select from the following list of feats:

• Arcane Strike ^CW
• Awaken Draconic Power
• Blind-Fight ^PHB
• Combat Casting ^PHB
• Energy Admixture ^CA
• Energy Substitution ^CA
• Force of Personality ^CV
• Improved Critical
• Improved Flight ^CV
• Intimidating Strike ^PHB2
• Power Attack
• Staggering Strike ^CV

The dragon disciple can also select from additional bonus feat options depending on the type of his draconic ancestor (see table below).

Breath Weapon (Su)

At 3rd level, a dragon disciple gains a breath weapon, derived from his draconic ancestor. The type, shape, and damage depend on the dragon variety whose heritage he enjoys (see table above). The breath weapon may be used 3 times per day, but no more than once every 1d4+1 rounds.

At 7th level, the breath weapon may be used a number of times per day equal to 3 + the dragon disciple’s Constitution bonus (minimum 1), and when a disciple attains draconic apotheosis at 10th level, there is no limitation on the number of times per day it may be used (although it may still only be used once every 1d4+1 rounds). Use all the rules for dragon breath weapons (see page 69 of the Monster Manual) except as specified here.

The DC of the breath weapon is 10 + one-half the dragon disciple’s hit dice + his Con modifier. A line-shaped breath weapon is 5 feet high, 5 feet wide, and 60 feet long. A cone-shaped breath weapon is 30 feet long.

Spell Knowledge

At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the dragon disciple adds several spells to his known spells (for whatever class in which he has chosen to advance his spellcasting level), as his draconic heritage awakens racial memories of his ancestors’ arcane might. The spells he gains depend on his draconic ancestor (see table, at right). These spells do not count toward the dragon disciple’s normal limit of spells known per level in his spellcasting class progression.

This class feature does not change the level of the spell. A dragon disciple still must have a spell slot of the appropriate level to cast a spell acquired in this way.

Blindsense (Ex)

At 5th level, the dragon disciple gains blindsense with a range of 30 feet. Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, the dragon disciple notices things he cannot see. He usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice and pinpoint the location of creatures within range of his blindsense ability, provided that he has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the dragon disciple cannot see still has total concealment against him, and the dragon disciple still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see. At 10th level, the range of this ability increases to 60 feet.

Dragon Wings

At 9th level, a dragon disciple grows a set of draconic wings. He may now fly at a speed equal to his normal land speed, with average maneuverability.

Draconic Apotheosis

At 10th level, a dragon disciple fully realizes his draconic heritage. His type changes to dragon, and he gains the augmented subtype for his previous type. His breath weapon can now be used without a daily limit (as noted above). His natural armor bonus increases by an additional +1, and he acquires low-light vision, 60-foot darkvision, immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, and immunity to the energy type used by his breath weapon (see above).

New Feats

The following new feats are particularly suitable for dragon disciples (though they’re available to any character that meets their prerequisites).

Awaken Draconic Power

Your connection to your draconic ancestor grows stronger, granting you one of the powers of such dragons.

Prerequisite: Draconic ancestry of sufficient strength (at least one level in the dragon disciple prestige class, or otherwise per the DM’s approval).

Note that when an ability listed below adds certain spells to your list of spells known, you cannot actually cast those spells unless you have spell slots of the requisite level.

Benefit: You gain one of the special abilities possessed by dragons of your ancestor’s kind. The table below lists available abilities for each type of dragon.

Dragon Special Abilities
Dragon Variety	Special Ability
Black	bog dweller (Ex) you gain a swim speed equal to half your normal move speed; you are able to breathe underwater; you cannot contract diseases from foul water; water creatures you summon carry blinding sickness, and spread it with their melee attacks darkness magic (Su) add darkness, deeper darkness, and damning darknessBoVD to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, it is considered to be one level higher than its actual spell level for the purpose of interaction with light spells plant control (Su) add animate plants, command plants, control plants, diminish plants (stunt growth only), entangle, and plant growth (overgrowth only) to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, the affected plants take on a twisted and corrupt appearance, and any opponents that are entangled or damaged by the affected plants are shaken for 1 minute (Will negates)
Blue	treachery of earth (Ex) you gain a burrow speed equal to half your normal move speed (you can burrow through sand and soft earth only); you gain tremorsense 60 ft. while burrowing; add soften earth and stone, transmute mud to rock, transmute rock to mud, and earthquake to your spells known suzerainty (Su) add command, greater command, dominate person, and dominate monster to your spells known; you cast compulsion spells at +1 caster level and +1 save DC mirage mastery (Su) add false vision, hallucinatory terrain, mirage arcana, screen, seeming, and veil to your spells known; the DC of any saving throw or skill check made to pierce any of your illusion spells (not including shadow spells) is increased by 2
Green	insidious fog (Su) add obscuring mist, fog cloud, solid fog, and acid fog to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, it acts as a mind fog, in addition to its normal effects poison thorns (Su) add entangle, command plants, control plants, animate plants, and wall of thorns to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, any opponents that are entangled or damaged by the affected plants are exposed to a paralyzing poison (Dex, 1/round for 2 rounds, cure 1 save, end state immobile) corruptor of thoughts (Su) any creature whom you have successfully affected with any charm, fear, or insanity (e.g. confusion) effect takes a −2 penalty on all saving throws and skill checks made to resist or oppose your mental influence; this penalty ends for the affected creature when it makes a successful check or save against your influence
Red	chaos magic (Ex) treat all Chaos, Evil, and Fire spells as being on your spell list for any spellcasting class you have (a spell of a different type—arcane vs. divine—that is not normally on your spell list is treated as being 1 level higher than normal; this ability does not include Corrupt spells, domain-only spells, rare spells, spells gained only via prestige classes, or spells that are otherwise not found on the spell list of any base class); you cast all such spells at +1 caster level covetous insight (Su) add detect secret doors, discern location, find the path, identify, locate creature, and locate object to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, you do not require any focus or material components dominion over flame (Su) you can rebuke, command, or bolster fire creatures as an evil cleric rebukes undead, a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier (using your character level as your cleric level); alternatively, you may use one of your rebuke attempts to exert control over one or more fire sources, as control flames
White	icewalking (Ex) as the white dragon ability; you also gain tremorsense 60 ft. when icewalking; you can see as normal up to 60 ft. through chill mists, including those created by spells chill mists (Su) add obscuring mist, fog cloud, and solid fog to your spells known; when you cast one of these spells, the temperature in the spell’s area is lowered by one temperature band per effective spell level; if the resulting temperature is below freezing, an icy slick forms on all surfaces within the spell’s area, making them slippery, as per a white dragon’s freezing fog ability draconic rage (Ex) thrice per day, you can fly into a rage (the effects of which are as the rage spell) as a free action; if you have at least 6 dragon disciple levels, the bonuses from the rage are doubled
Brass	speak with animals (Su) [5] draconic memory (Su) [7] (can cast ex nihilo-information-generating spells—divination, commune, etc.—without material or XP components; but answers are false or misleading if DM’s d% roll result exceeds the sum of all your Knowledge skill ranks, or if 100 is rolled) control environment 3/day (Sp) [11] (can cast any spell that adjusts environmental conditions—control temperature, control winds, control weather, etc.—as a druid of 4 levels lower than your character level)
Bronze	speak with animals (Su) [5] detect thoughts 3/day (Sp) [9] alternate form (Su) [11] (you can turn into any animal smaller than your normal size, as polymorph; you do not regain hit points for doing so)
Copper	trickery (Su) [3] (you gain all spells of the Trickery domain as spells known, or automatically add them to your spellbook, or otherwise learn them, when you become able to cast spells of the appropriate level) spider climb (Su) [7] work earth or stone 3/day (Sp) [9] (cast any spell that moves or shapes earth or stone—move earth, stone shape, transmute rock to mud, etc.—as a cleric of 4 levels lower than your character level)
Gold	good fortune (Su) [5] (you gain the granted power of the Luck domain; at 13th level you can use it twice per day) bless 3/day (Sp) [7] (at 13th level, you can use this ability as a swift action) healing magic (Su) [7] (treat all cure … wounds spells as being on your spell list)
Silver	cloud stride (Sp/Su) [5] (you can cast feather fall 3/day; at 9th level, you can choose to cast air walk instead; at 13th level, you gain cloudwalking) gravity command (Su) [7] (you can treat local gravity as being subjective directional for 1 round per day per level, but never in any two consecutive rounds) alternate form (Su) [9] (take the shape of any humanoid of your size or one size smaller)
Oceanus	smite evil 3/day (Su) [5] (as the paladin ability, using one-half your character level as your paladin level) holy magic 3/day (Sp) [7] (you can cast any of detect evil, holy smite, dispel evil, or holy word as a cleric of 4 levels lower than your character level) damage reduction (Su) [9] (you gain DR/evil equal to [(your character level + 1) / 3])
Styx	pollution resistance [7] (you gain a bonus equal to [(your character level + 1) / 3] on saves against poison and disease, and an equal amount of resistance to poison damage) vile mists 3/day (Sp) [9] (cast any of fog cloud, stinking cloud, mind fog, or cloudkill as a sorcerer of 4 levels lower than your character level) damage reduction (Su) [9] (you gain DR/good equal to [(your character level + 1) / 3])
Tarterian	immovable and unstoppable (Su) [7] (you gain a +4 racial bonus on saves against force effects, charms, compulsions, and any effect that would slow you, bind you, restrict your movement, or move you against your will) soul warden (Su) [9] (you treat all spells that bind, imprison, or otherwise restrain creatures’ bodies or souls—Otiluke’s resilient sphere, maze, forcecage, imprisonment, trap the soul, etc.—as being on your spell list; if they are already on your spell list, treat them as being 1 level lower) damage reduction (Su) [11] (you gain DR/good equal to [(your character level + 1) / 3])
Pyroclastic	fire magic 3/day (Sp) [7] (cast any of pyrotechnics, produce flame, wall of fire, fire storm, or incendiary cloud as a sorcerer of 4 levels lower than your character level) sonic magic 3/day (Sp) [7] (cast any of sound burst, shatter, shout, or power word: stun as a sorcerer of 4 levels lower than your character level) enhanced resistance (Su) [9] (you gain acid resistance equal to your fire/sonic resistance)
Shadow	trickery 3/day (Sp) [5] (cast any of misdirection, nondetection, mirror image, translocation trick, or mislead as a sorcerer of 4 levels lower than your character level) shadow blend (Su) [7] (as the shadow dragon ability) shadow magic (Su) [9] (treat all shadow spells as being on your spell list; if they are already on your spell list, treat them as being 1 level lower)

Special: You can take this feat multiple times, gaining a new ability each time.

Clinging Breath (metabreath)

Your breath weapon clings to creatures and continues to affect them in the round after you breathe.

Prerequisites: Con 13, breath weapon.

Benefit: Your breath weapon has its normal effect, but also clings to anything caught in its area. A clinging breath weapon lasts for 1 round. In the round after you breathe, the clinging breath weapon deals half of the damage it dealt in the previous round. Creatures that avoid damage from the breath weapon (such as creatures with the evasion special quality or incorporeal creatures) do not take the extra damage. For example, an old silver dragon uses its cold breath and deals 72 points of cold damage (or 36 points against a target that makes its save). In the following round, foes that failed their saves against the breath weapon initially take an additional 36 points of cold damage, and foes that succeeded on their saves take 18 points of cold damage.

A foe can take a full-round action to attempt to remove the clinging breath weapon before taking any additional damage. It takes a successful Reflex saving throw (same DC as your normal breath weapon) to remove the effect. Rolling around on the ground grants a +2 bonus on the saving throw, but leaves the foe prone. A clinging breath weapon cannot be removed or smothered by jumping into water.

This feat only works on a breath weapon that has instantaneous duration and that deals some kind of damage, such as energy damage (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic), ability damage, or negative levels.

When you use this feat, add +1 to the number of rounds you must wait before using your breath weapon again.

Enlarge Breath (metabreath)

Your breath weapon is larger than normal.

Prerequisites: Con 13, breath weapon.

Benefit: The length of your breath weapon increases by 50% (round down to the nearest multiple of 5). For example, an old silver dragon breathing an enlarged cone of cold produces a 75-foot cone instead of a 50-foot cone. Cone-shaped breath weapons get wider when they get longer, but line-shaped breath weapons do not.

When you use this feat, add +1 to the number of rounds you must wait before using your breath weapon again.

Enhanced Breath

Your breath weapon has an additional effect.

Prerequisites: Con 13, breath weapon that does energy damage, any metabreath feat.

Benefit: Creatures who take damage from your breath weapon must succeed at a second saving throw (at the same DC) or suffer an additional effect. The effect depends on the sort of damage your breath weapon does.

• Fire: Creatures who take damage from your fire breath must succeed at a Reflex save or catch fire. On subsequent rounds, any creature that caught fire takes 1d6 points of fire damage per 25 points of fire damage dealt by your breath weapon (before calculating saving throws, resistances, etc.; minimum 1d6). (A creature that has caught on fire may attempt a Reflex saving throw, DC 20, as a full-round action to put out the flames, by rolling on the ground, etc. The fire may also be smothered via immersion in water, etc.)
• Cold: Creatures who take damage from your cold breath must succeed at a Fortitude save or be slowed for a number of rounds equal to the number of damage dice your breath weapon does. Affected creatures may attempt new saving throws each round after the first to shake off the effect.
• Acid: Your acid breath corrodes the nervous systems of living creatures, acting as a paralyzing poison. Living creatures who take damage from your acid breath must succeed at a Fortitude save or be affected as if exposed to Dexterity poison. The poison’s duration is 1 round per 25 points of acid damage dealt by your breath weapon (before calculating saving throws, resistances, etc.; minimum 1 round).
• Electricity: Creatures wearing metal armor, or carrying a great deal of metal, suffer a −3 penalty on saving throws against your lightning breath. Additionally, living creatures who take damage from your lightning breath must succeed at a Fortitude save or be slowed for 1 round plus 1 round per 50 damage dealt by your breath weapon (before calculating saving throws, resistances, etc.). Affected creatures may attempt new saving throws each round after the first to shake off the effect.
• Force: Creatures who take damage from your force breath may be knocked prone. Make a trip check, using one-half the number of damage dice done by your breath as the bonus on the check; affected creatures may oppose this check in the usual way.
• Pyroclasm: Creatures who take damage from your pyroclastic breath must succeed at a Fortitude save or advance one step on the Constitution damage track as your breath weapon’s damage crushes their bones and boils their internal organs.
• Negative energy: Creatures who take damage from your negative energy breath must succeed at a Fortitude save or gain one negative level.

Lingering Breath (metabreath)

Your breath weapon forms a lingering cloud.

Prerequisites: Con 15, breath weapon, Clinging Breath.

Benefit: Your breath weapon has its normal effects, but also remains as a lingering cloud of the same shape and size as the original breath weapon. This cloud lasts 1 round.

Foes caught in the breath weapon’s area when you breathe take no additional damage from the lingering breath weapon, provided they leave the cloud by the shortest available route on their next turn. Otherwise, anyone who touches or enters the cloud while it lasts takes one-half of the breath weapon’s normal effects; any saving throw the breath weapon normally allows still applies. Damaging breath weapons deal one-half their normal damage, and breath weapons with effects that have durations last for half the normal time. If a creature is affected by the same non- damaging breath weapon twice, the effects do not stack.

For example, an old silver dragon uses this feat on its cold breath weapon. Creatures caught in the 50-foot cone take 16d8 points of cold damage, and a DC 31 Reflex save reduces the damage by half. The 50-foot cone lingers for 1 round. While the cone lasts, anyone touching or entering it takes 8d8 points of cold damage, and a DC 31 Reflex save reduces the cold damage to 4d8 points. Creatures in the cone when the dragon breathed take no additional damage if they leave by the shortest available route on their next turn.

If the same dragon uses this feat on its paralyzing breath weapon, a creature caught in the 50-foot cone must make a DC 31 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d6+8 rounds. The 50-foot cone lingers for 1 round. While the cone lasts, anyone touching or entering it must make a DC 31 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d3+4 rounds. Creatures in the cone when the dragon breathed take no additional damage if they leave by the shortest available route on their next turn. Creatures paralyzed by the initial breath cannot leave the cloud, but suffer no additional effects because the paralyzing effects do not stack.

When you use this feat, add +2 to the number of rounds you must wait before using your breath weapon again.

Special: You can apply this feat to a breath weapon that also has received the Clinging Breath feat, but the resulting breath clings only to foes caught in the initial breath.

Powerful Breath

Your breath weapon does more damage.

Prerequisites: Breath weapon that does damage.

Benefit: When you take this feat, the damage done by your breath weapon increases by 2 damage dice (to a maximum number of damage dice equal to your hit dice).

Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time you take it, the number of additional damage dice you add to your breath weapon increases by 1 (thus you gain 3 damage dice the second time you take it, 4 damage dice the third time, etc.).

Shape Breath (metabreath)

You can make the area of your breath weapon a cone or a line, as you see fit.

Prerequisites: Con 13, breath weapon, size Small or larger.

Benefit: If you have a line-shaped breath weapon, you can opt to shape it into a cone. Likewise, if you have a cone-shaped breath weapon, you can shape it into a line.

Special: When you use this feat, add +1 to the number of rounds you must wait before using your breath weapon again.