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CHAPTER 2 DRAGON ASPIRANTS 28 HUMAN DRAGONFIRE ADEPT STARTING PACKAGE Weapons: Morningstar (1d8, crit ×2, 6 lb., one-handed, bludgeoning and piercing). Light crossbow (1d8, crit 19–20 ×2, range inc. 80 ft., 4 lb., piercing). Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 5 + Int modifier. Armor Check Skill Ranks Ability Penalty Appraise 4 Int — Bluff 4 Cha — Diplomacy 4 Cha — Intimidate 4 Cha — Knowledge (arcana) 4 Int — Knowledge (nature) 4 Int — Knowledge (the planes) 4 Int — Knowledge (religion) 4 Int — Spot 4 Wis — Feat: Ability Focus (breath weapon). Bonus Feats: Dragontouched (class), Improved Initiative (race). Gear: Backpack with waterskin, one day’s trail rations, bedroll, sack, flint and steel, quiver with 20 bolts, hooded lantern, 3 pints of oil. Gold: 1d4 gp. DRAGONFIRE ADEPTS IN THE WORLD “Tatiana is effective, devoted, and loyal, but she’s disturbing. Dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to becoming something better, that I understand. Dedicating yourself to becoming something inhuman—that I don’t.” —Ember, human monk Dragonfire adepts allow players to take the roles of dragons without eclipsing other characters. A dragonfire adept can serve as a wise sage, a heavy-hitting source of mystic damage, or a crafty ally who confuses and weakens foes with invocations and breath effects. Though its primary abilities are based on familiar game mechanics, this class gives players new options without making other classes obsolete. It also brings dragons to the fore in a campaign, which gives players and Dungeon Masters alike new opportunities. Daily Life Dragonfire adepts divide their time between practicing the power of their breath weapon, undertaking study of their arcane invocations, and working to build a strong base of allies and friends. Good-aligned dragonfire adepts defend the weak and frightened, bringing the power of dragons to the aid of those in need. Evil dragonfire adepts chase after more treasure and more power, not caring who they harm in the process. Dragonfire adepts of all alignments remain alert for new sources of draconic lore and investigate likely leads or promising instructors. Notables Dragonfire adepts know they are constantly struggling to become more like a race other than their own, and they revere figures in history who accomplished this to an amazing degree. Among these notables, dragonfire adepts most commonly speak of Gannon Darkheart and Vorelei Frilltips. Both rose to master the draconic arts so perfectly that they were accepted by true dragons as equals, though not without trials and setbacks. Gannon was a human of draconic heritage, the blood of black dragons having mixed into his family generations earlier. Though born into the noble life, his avarice and wild temper made him an outcast, and he sought to become more dragonlike to punish his community for spurning him. He had no concern for good or evil and willingly allied with any creature that could help him accomplish his goal. Though not actively evil, Gannon could not be trusted to keep his word or honor any deal or agreement he struck. He focused on the most damaging invocations and breath effects, charging heedlessly into battle under the assumption that he could kill any foe before it had a chance to seriously harm him. Gannon earned his place beside true dragons after defeating the gold dragon Aghutyr in single combat and taking its lair as his own. He established a small kingdom from Aghutyr’s tower, slowly changing the surrounding territory into a dread marsh. By contrast, Vorelei Frilltips began life poor and homeless on the streets of a large elf city, but she had an innate sense of fair play and concern for those in trouble. Her bravery drew the attention of Gaulirden, a silver dragon living incognito in the city. Gaulirden took her under his wing and raised her with his older children. Constantly surrounded by dragons, Vorelei learned their ways and assumed their powers as a means of helping the less fortunate. She was responsible for destroying the Circle of Fire, a vile school for evil wizards, and she gave her life defending a town from a blackguard’s army long enough for the innocent to escape. After she fell, a council of good dragons buried her as one of their own, granting her in death an honor she never asked for in life. If dragonfire adepts are a new element of your campaign, the stories of these notables might refer to legends from the ancient past or tales of dragonfire adepts on other worlds. They could also exist as allegories—stories of fictional figures that all dragonfire adepts use to explore their philosophies and beliefs. NPC Reactions The reactions dragonfire adepts receive from communities are directly tied to how those cultures regard dragons and those who wish to emulate them. Residents who have suffered under the ravages of evil dragons are often fearful of—or hostile to—anyone who walks into town and lights a fireplace with a breath weapon, no matter her alignment. In places where dragons are seen as defenders, or at least neutral sages, dragonfire adepts are more likely to be received as great manipulators of magic similar to sorcerers. Kingdoms in
which dragonfire adepts are common are often more savvy in their dealings with the class. Races: Dwarves are extremely suspicious of dragonfire adepts, viewing them as two-legged versions of the greedy, treasure-loving monsters that often raid their settlements. They are especially doubtful of dwarf dragonfire adepts, who are seen as traitors to their own race. Other Classes: Sorcerers are drawn strongly to dragonfire adepts because the two classes share a primal link to dragonkind. Monks, however, are often puzzled, branding dragonfire adepts as fools who seek to become something that is at best freakish and at worst monstrous. Tatiana Flameworthy, a dragonfire adept DRAGONFIRE ADEPT LORE Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can research dragonfire adepts to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs. DC 10: Dragonfire adepts are manipulators of arcane power who focus on breath weapon abilities. DC 15: Dragonfire adepts access draconic magic not through the mystic spells of sorcerers but through invocations that give them dragonlike power. Despite this strong connection to magic, they are not spellcasters. DC 20: Dragonfire adepts can do things with breath weapons that even dragons can’t match, allowing them to harm, hamper, or demoralize foes with a range of line and cone effects. DRAGONFIRE ADEPTS IN THE GAME As bottomless sources of arcane damage, dragonfire adepts serve roles similar to those of sorcerers and fighters, though they duplicate the abilities of neither. They also contribute to overall party support, as do bards and clerics, though this is not their primary role. The class should suit players who dislike the bookkeeping that comes with spellcasters but still want to experiment with arcane options and work with other characters to bring down particularly formidable foes. Though the dragonfire adept class is not more powerful than other standard classes, it allows characters to forge a close connection to one of the most popular elements of the game—dragons. Even if a dragonfire adept never faces other draconic foes, the player gets to call on dragonlike abilities often enough to feel important and special. The DM should make sure that NPCs occasionally react to a character who commands the breath weapon of a dragon with the respect and awe the player is likely to expect. Generally, dragonfire adepts act similarly to dragons of the same alignment, but they often display the concerns and biases of their own race as well. An elf dragonfire adept can be found defending the forest home of his ancestors, or a half-orc dragonfire adept leading a raiding party into human territories. Rather than devote their lives purely to the draconic, they add their desire to prove their dragonlike nature on top of more typical concerns. Adaptation With some work, it’s possible to link dragonfire adepts to other powerful mythic creatures instead. Any beast with a breath weapon and a tie to arcane magic can replace the dragon, allowing for winter wolf adepts or similar variants. The class can also be adapted to elemental powers, making them closely related to genies or elemental outsiders. Sample Encounter Dragonfire adept NPCs can take the place of fighters or true dragons in any encounter. At first, the player characters should know them only as leaders and commanders, not rank-and-file flunkies or hirelings. If the class becomes more commonplace in the campaign, the DM can begin adding them to the background of larger groups. EL 5: Tatiana Flameworthy is a devoted champion of the weak and downtrodden who actively pursues evildoers. A strong believer in vengeance, she is tracking a band of marauding raiders who pose as adventurers. In this quest, she comes upon the PCs, whom she suspects of being the criminals she seeks. Knowing that she is a better bluffer and diplomat than a judge of character, she tries to draw the PCs into a discussion of their goals and recent activities. If they convince her of their innocence, she asks their aid in hunting down the group responsible for the crimes. Tatiana Flameworthy CR 5 Female human dragonfire adept 5 LG Medium humanoid (human, dragonblood) Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 feet, see invisibility, Listen +2, Spot +10 Languages Common, Draconic AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 bracers) hp 38 (5 HD) Fort +8, Ref +3, Will +5; +1 against paralysis and sleep effects Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee mwk morningstar +2 (1d8+1) Base Atk +2; Grp +3 Illus. by R. Horsley CHAPTER 2 DRAGON ASPIRANTS 29
Page 3 and 4: Contents Introduction. . . . . . .
Page 5 and 6: Illus. by R. Horsley xcept in a few
Page 7 and 8: CHAPTER 1 DRAGONBOUND HEROES —Dee
Page 9 and 10: Stonehunter gnomes have very dark s
Page 11 and 12: DRACONIC CLASS FEATURES Often, drag
Page 13 and 14: Class: Hexblade (see Complete Warri
Page 15 and 16: enefit of a divine feat you have. Y
Page 17 and 18: Special: If you are of the dragonbl
Page 19 and 20: Table 1-1: New Feats (cont.) Dracon
Page 21 and 22: INITIATE OF HLAL [INITIATE] Fueled
Page 23 and 24: Illus. by R. Horsley ragons are kno
Page 25 and 26: Table 2-1: The Dragonfire Adept Hit
Page 27: Greater Invocations Aura of Flame:
Page 31 and 32: Table 2-3: The Diamond Dragon Hit D
Page 33 and 34: ence between the manifesting classe
Page 35 and 36: ecome immune to fear and gain a +1
Page 37 and 38: DRAGON DESCENDANTS IN THE WORLD “
Page 39 and 40: Entry Requirements Base Attack Bonu
Page 41 and 42: Combat If you can win a battle with
Page 43 and 44: HAND OF THE WINGED MASTERS “By th
Page 45 and 46: Resources If you absolutely must ha
Page 47 and 48: Table 2-7: The Pact-Bound Adept Hit
Page 49 and 50: CHAPTER 2 DRAGON ASPIRANTS people
Page 51 and 52: Table 2-8: The Swift Wing Hit Die:
Page 53 and 54: to seek out her own allies. She kno
Page 55 and 56: WYRM WIZARD “Every dragon is like
Page 57 and 58: Wyrm wizards choose living creature
Page 59 and 60: Illus. by R. Horsley ore than any o
Page 61 and 62: of writing in some manner (even a p
Page 63 and 64: Primal Instinct: Gain a +5 bonus on
Page 65 and 66: You create a burst of icy energy th
Page 67 and 68: Vague, translucent shadows of your
Page 69 and 70: to your attackers. While this spell
Page 71 and 72: PATH OF FROST Transmutation [Cold]
Page 73 and 74: Casting Time: 1 standard action Ran
Page 75 and 76: • A 20-foot-radius cloud of fog c
Page 77 and 78: DRAGONFIRE ADEPT BREATH EFFECTS The
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Humanoid Shape: Take the form of an
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INSTILL VULNERABILITY Dark; 7th You
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format and rules for soulmelds, wit
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A serpentine dragon of blue fire co
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Energy: This aura grants you a bonu
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dead party returns to life within t
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8th 9th ray of enfeeblement 3/day,
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AMULET OF FEARSOME MIGHT This amule
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ROD OF THE DRAGON HEART Dragon lord
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attacks the tome’s owner or the o
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Aura/Caster Level: Moderate abjurat
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EMERALD EYE PATCH Prized by charact
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Activation: An opalescent amulet fu
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over legions of weaker monsters and
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Illus. by R. Horsley n a world wher
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STRATEGIES AND TACTICS An aspect of
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Typical Physical Characteristics: L
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DRAKKENSTEED “Fitting that those
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STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Huitzils are
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Phynxkin SAMPLE ENCOUNTER Phynxkin
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pqqqqqqqqqrs REDSPAWN BERSERKER LOR
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pqqqqqqqqqrs SPELLEATER LORE Charac
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TWILIGHT GUARDIANS IN FAERÛN Twili
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VELROCS IN FAERÛN Velrocs are less
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Black Dragon Sinister black dragons
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Immunity to Poison (Ex): All copper
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Illus. by R. Horsley ragons are an
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ed to understand the strange develo
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or other legendary dragons from the
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usually at the cost of protecting t
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ing with the creature is straightfo
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to limiting the political, magical,
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Affiliation Score Title: Benefits a
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flowed. This attitude grew as the o
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CHAPTER 5 DRACONIC CAMPAIGNS 147
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shelves lined with books the size o
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where tyrannical dragons demand wor
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CHAPTER 5 DRACONIC CAMPAIGNS Illus.
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5. Confrontation with Heldrivor (EL
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CHAPTER 5 DRACONIC CAMPAIGNS This i
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