dragon-magic-oef

INTRODUCTION
4
Introduction
Ember moved quietly from behind the rocks blocking the path down
into the valley. Her comrades watched her with eager eyes, waiting
to hear about what she had seen on her scouting mission.
“It is as Soveliss feared. The tracks belong to a dragon, a fair-sized
red. It sits at the foot of the mountain, at the entrance to the valley.
It seems to be protecting the valley, as if it had some reason to watch
over the towns below. I even saw a caravan pass by it, and the red
made no effort to demand tribute or consume their horses.”
”It’s not the only dragon in these mountains,” Soveliss whispered
with sudden urgency. “Look!”
The other adventurers followed the line of his pointing finger. A
large lizard, wingless but clearly dragonlike in nature, had crept into
view among the rocks above their camp. No larger than a horse, the
wingless dragon reacted to their sudden recognition of its presence
by starting to crawl down the mountainside toward them.
“If it’s a fight the monster wants . . .” Krusk growled, drawing his
axe with one easy motion.
“You have no need of your weapons,” rang out a voice from behind
the wingless dragon. A woman in scale armor stepped out from
behind the creature, placing a hand gently on its shoulder. “Fersyl
is my friend and companion. He attacks only my foes, and I hope
you shall not be among them.”
Hennet moved up and spoke to the visitor in Draconic.
“Are you a sorcerer, perhaps, or a dragon in human form?”
The woman replied in the same tongue.
“I am no spellcaster, and my true form is as you see it. My name
is Tatiana, and I am dragontouched.”
Hennet switched back to the common language.
“What is a dragontouched, and why do you spy on our camp?”
Tatiana smiled grimly.
“Time enough to learn what I can do later, spellslinger. I am
here for the sake of the same cause that has drawn you, though I
see you do not yet understand what has happened. The red dragon
in the valley is but a knight in the service of the new king of these
lands. The red is a powerful foe to be sure, but one just learning the
dragon magic known by the Scaled King.”
“Dragon magic?” asked Hennet, his voice revealing his interest.
Tatiana smiled again.
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THE DRAGONBLOOD SUBTYPE
Races that have a strong affinity to dragons are of the dragonblood
subtype. (This method of classification, introduced in
Races of the Dragon, is referred to frequently in this book.)
Spells, effects, powers, and abilities that affect or target
dragons also affect dragonblood creatures. The subtype
qualifies a creature to use magic items normally only usable
by dragons, and it qualifies the creature to take feats that have
the subtype as a prerequisite.
The dragonblood subtype does not confer the dragon type
or any traits associated with that type. For instance, it does not
give a creature frightful presence.
Dragons automatically qualify for any classes, prestige
classes, racial substitution levels, feats, powers, or spells that
require the dragonblood subtype. If a creature acquires the
dragon type, it loses the dragonblood subtype.
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“Oh, yes, sorcerer. Many creatures that have come to this realm
with the new king know the magic of dragons. And you are going
to need my help to deal with them.”
WHAT IS DRAGON MAGIC?
In most D&D campaigns, dragons are detached from the
rest of civilization. They live in distant places and show
little regard or interest for the communities of humans and
other tiny creatures that inhabit “their” world. Notable exceptions
exist—the polymorphed silver dragon that befriends
humans, the rampaging red dragon that preys on remote
settlements. However, by and large, dragons in the D&D
game keep mostly to themselves.
Dragon Magic changes the way dragons are used in a D&D
campaign by suggesting a stronger connection between them
and the various humanoid races (humans, dwarves, elves, and
such). This book presupposes a world in which the dragons
are actively invested, one in which dragons openly share
their magical secrets with humans and the other core races.
Using the details in this book, you can:
• Play a gnome sorcerer who has learned ceremonial rituals
from a brass dragon, enabling him to adopt dragonlike
characteristics.
• Adventure in a kingdom ruled (or tyrannized) by
dragons.
• Play a half-elf dragonmaster who has learned secret magic
auras from a silver dragon covenant and won the trust of
a trusty drake companion.
• Play a half-orc fighter who has weathered the tyranny of a
red dragon long enough to master some new dragon-related
feats.
At its core, Dragon Magic is all about what happens when
“lesser” races form loose pacts or associations with dragons
and learn the creatures’ ancient secrets.
Dragon Magic includes new options for characters who wish
to be more dragonlike, including a new standard character
class, level substitutions, rituals, auras, organizations, feats,
and prestige classes. It also has advice for running more
dragon-based campaigns, draconic locations, dragonblood
monsters, as well as a selection of new dragon-themed powers:
spells for arcane and divine casters, invocations for warlocks,
soulmelds for meldshapers, and psionic powers for psions.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
Dragon Magic makes use of the information in the three D&D
core rulebooks—Player’s Handbook (PH), Dungeon Master’s
Guide (DMG), and Monster Manual (MM). In addition, it refers
to or draws upon material presented in several D&D supplements,
especially Draconomicon and Races of the Dragon.
Although having of any or all of the supplements referenced
herein will enhance your enjoyment of Dragon Magic,
they are not strictly necessary. In many cases, the details you
need to make use of a particular creature or rule from another
source are provided in this book.