dragon-magic-oef

CHAPTER 2
DRAGON
ASPIRANTS
48
Advancement
Your first steps toward becoming a pact-bound adept were
those you took into a dragon’s lair. After learning that the
legendary beasts could grant great power, you dedicated
yourself to a path that allows you to study under the wisest
dragon sorcerers. Your entry into a dragonpact marked the
beginning of your journey and unlocked the first of many
new abilities that other casters can only dream about.
As a pact-bound adept, you constantly seek new ways to tap
into the source of magic. Since you have accepted your draconic
heritage, you spend your days attempting to strengthen
that connection and learning to cast spells instinctively. As
your knowledge grows, you can cast spells without worrying
about simplistic humanoid spellcasting concepts.
Now that you have increased your natural aptitude for
spellcasting, you can focus on expanding your raw magical
knowledge. Metamagic feats should make up a large portion
of your feat choices, giving you new options when casting
spells and compensating for a slightly reduced overall spellcasting
power level. Additionally, draconic feats provide extra
abilities when casting spells; those that provide extra benefits
each time a spell is cast allow you to gain the maximum effect
from every spell.
Resources
Very few other individuals see the world as you do. Fellow
pact-bound adepts are few and far between, and most other
sorcerers and wizards think that dealing with dragons is
asking for trouble. Most divine spellcasters consider you to
be a heretic, leaving you very few places to turn. No official
organization exists to provide you with aid or resources, but
most pact-bound adepts have crossed paths with at least one
or two others like themselves.
Despite these difficulties, you do have one group on your
side: friendly true dragons. They rarely act directly on your
behalf, but most view you as a student seeking enlightenment,
and they eagerly provide you with knowledge. Given their
long lives and knowledge of the past, friendly dragons are
especially helpful when you need information of almost any
kind. Additionally, friendly dragons are much more likely to
enter into dragonpacts with you due to an increased level of
trust. On rare occasions, these dragons will provide monetary
assistance.
PACT-BOUND ADEPTS
IN THE WORLD
“These heretics preach the blasphemy that dragons are the way to
true enlightenment, but do not be fooled. Only the deities grant
miracles, no matter what these so-called adepts claim. They have
bartered their very souls away for a taste of power, but in the end
they have damned themselves by turning away from the gods and
prostrating themselves before these covetous beasts.”
—Pharsis the Pious, Inquisitor
Pact-bound adepts are easily integrated into any setting where
sorcerers can be found. In essence, a pact-bound adept is a
sorcerer who has followed a slightly different path. Rather
than focusing on learning many new spells of higher levels,
a pact-bound adept seeks to make the most of the spellcasting
ability she already possesses. However, the local public
attitude toward dragons quickly comes to be associated with
the character as well. If a community receives aid from a
benevolent silver dragon, a pact-bound adept might be considered
an ambassador between the people and dragonkind.
If, on the other hand, a city is constantly terrorized by a
violent red dragon, a pact-bound adept might be seen as one
who consorts with the enemy and could face prejudice or
violence. In many ways, pact-bound adepts fit into the world
in much the same way as dragons do.
Organization
A pact-bound adept usually finds a role in an adventuring
party or other organization that allows her time to explore her
spellcasting ability freely. Since no organization specifically
caters to pact-bound adepts, many find themselves in drastically
different circumstances from those of their comrades.
Some join organizations that work with or for dragons, using
this association to bring themselves closer to the creatures.
For example, a pact-bound adept might join a church that
reveres the dragon deities, working as an acolyte to make
contact with dragon worshipers of those gods. Alternatively,
a pact-bound adept might seek out a college of wizardry that
has a standing agreement with a dragon to share knowledge,
working as a researcher or aide while spending time getting
acquainted with the drake.
Within the ranks of pact-bound adepts, prestige and influence
is measured by the depth of their devotion to draconic
magic. The most highly revered are those who have forged
dragonpacts with a number of dragons, especially if the
dragons are of different varieties. A widely traveled pactbound
adept with numerous dragonpacts and abilities is
thought to be living her best possible life. When two or more
pact-bound adepts come into conflict, they usually defer to
the one with a greater knowledge of draconic spellcasting,
relying on her wisdom and experiences to provide a reasonable
solution.
NPC Reactions
Clerics, paladins, and other spellcasters who specialize in
divine magic often view pact-bound adepts as heretics and
blasphemers who have put their faith in false deities (dragons)
and forsaken the righteous path in favor of idolatry. This
viewpoint tends to make religious characters unfriendly or
hostile toward pact-bound adepts, though the more tolerant
religions are usually indifferent. Similarly, characters
who live in communities terrorized by evil dragons are
likely unfriendly toward pact-bound adepts, fearing them
to be collaborators out to sabotage local defenses against the
monsters. Whether or not this is true is immaterial to these