dragon-magic-oef

CHAPTER 2
DRAGON
ASPIRANTS
SWIFT WINGS IN THE GAME
A swift wing requires no extensive organization or church
to support her. Any cleric or paladin who meets the entry
requirements can choose to follow this somewhat radical
path, knowing that she is putting herself apart from the
traditional ranks of her religion. All she needs is a gentle
push, perhaps from a lone older swift wing or a prayer book
or sermon that compares the agents of her deity to the might
of a dragon. From there, the swift wing must find her own
place, bolstered by her draconic powers and certain knowledge
of her god’s support.
Swift wings are self-confident characters who ignore the
limitations of their church hierarchies in favor of getting
things done. A player looking for a character who eschews
extensive limitations or support networks might enjoy a swift
wing’s independence. The prestige class should also appeal
to players who want to make their clerics more interesting,
experiment with draconic powers, or try a character similar
to a paladin but with different abilities.
Adaptation
Because this prestige class requires that an entrant have the
ability to turn (rather than rebuke) undead, the swift wing is
designed for good characters over evil ones, though a neutral
cleric could conceivably qualify. To make swift wings into
draconic agents of evil instead, the DM can simply change
the requirement to allow characters who can rebuke undead.
Such evil swift wings might be favored humanoid agents of
Tiamat or members of a church controlled by an evil dragon.
In an EBERRON campaign, the swift wing class could be linked
in some manner to dragonmarks, retaining the draconic connection
but altering it to better fit that world.
Sample Encounter
Player characters usually encounter a swift wing while she
is engaging in a dangerous task alone or looking for allies
to undertake such a task. Of course, if the adventurers have
a reputation (deserved or otherwise) for spreading evil or
destruction, she might hunt them down to demand an explanation
for their actions. A group that can reasonably claim to
have been mischaracterized as evil avoids immediate attack,
but the swift wing openly tags along with them for a time to
ensure that their actions match their words. A swift wing is
not afraid to take a group of adventurers to task if they prove
cruel or hazardous to the communities they visit.
EL 10: Orielle Bladeworthy, a swift wing of Pelor, is tracking
down a group of evil raiders she suspects of being in
league with shadow dragons. She has been hunting them for
weeks, but lacking the Track feat, she has little choice but to
fly in circles above the site of one of their assaults until she
spots something. Frustrated, she realizes she needs help to
bring the raiders to bay—help she hopes the PCs can provide,
once she sees them below her.
Orielle Bladeworthy CR 10
Female human cleric 5/swift wing 5
LG Medium humanoid
Init +1; Senses low-light vision, Listen +5, Spot +9
Languages Common, Draconic
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 20
(+1 Dex, +9 armor, +1 deflection)
hp 54 (10 HD)
Resist fire 20
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +8
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) in full plate, base 30 ft.; fly 40 ft.
(good)
Melee +1 morningstar +8/+3 (1d8+1)
Base Atk +6/+1; Grp +6
Special Actions breath of life, feat of strength 1/day, greater
turning 1/day, spontaneous casting (cure spells), turn
undead 9/day (+2, 2d6+7, level 5)
Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (50 charges)
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 8th):
4th—divine power, freedom of movement, fire shield D
3rd—dispel magic, invisibility purge, prayer, protection from
energy, searing light D (+7 ranged touch)
2nd—align weapon, bull’s strength D , hold person (DC 15),
resist energy, silence (DC 15)
1st—bless, command (DC 14), detect evil (2), enlarge
person D (DC 14), protection from evil
0—detect magic (3), guidance, resistance (2)
D: Domain spell. Deity: Pelor. Domains: Dragon,
Strength, Sun
Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 14
Feats Draconic Senses B †, Extra Turning, Improved
Counterspell, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus (morningstar)
Skills Concentration +14, Diplomacy +4 (+9 with gold
dragons), Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (religion)
+10, Knowledge (the planes) +4, Listen +5, Spellcraft +9,
Spot +9
Possessions combat gear plus +1 full plate, +1 morningstar,
ring of protection +1, periapt of Wisdom +2, elemental gem
(fire), divine scrolls of remove blindness/deafness, remove
curse, remove disease, and neutralize poison
Breath of Life (Su) As a standard action, Orielle can spend a
turn undead attempt to create a breath weapon (30-foot
cone) that deals 5d6 points of damage to undead (Reflex
DC 17 half). Living creatures caught in the breath weapon
are instead healed for 5 points of damage.
Feat of Strength (Su) As a free action, Orielle can grant
herself a +5 enhancement bonus to Strength for 1 round.
Dragon Affinity (Ex) Her affinity for gold dragons grants
Orielle a +5 circumstance bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy,
Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks made
regarding dragons of that variety.
Wings (Su) Orielle can grow and dismiss wings as a free
action. She can fly in light, medium, or heavy armor, but
not when carrying a heavy load. She can charge, make
double moves, or run while flying. Flying takes only as
much concentration as walking, freeing her to cast spells,
make ranged attacks, or take other actions.
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