dragon-magic-oef

CHAPTER 1
DRAGONBOUND
HEROES
—Deepwyrm drow and half-drow lose the standard
+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like
abilities.
FIREBLOOD DWARVES
All dwarves bore into the earth to make their homes, but
few dig as deep as the ancient Fireblood clan. Particularly
fond of using dormant volcanoes as the entrances to their
homes, these dwarves followed volcanic trails and tunnels in
search of greater access to the world’s depths. Unfortunately,
this led to a horrific encounter with a nest of red dragons.
Outraged at the intrusion, the greedy dragons enslaved the
entire clan of dwarves. Instead of mining gold and gems for
the love of beauty and creation, the dwarves now labored
for the dragons.
Over time, the dwarves of the Fireblood clan began to take
on certain aspects that differentiated them from others of
their kind. No one knows if this was due to interbreeding
with dragons, natural mutation, or a magical effect. The result,
however, is an offshoot of the dwarf race singularly adapted
to high temperatures—and to battling dragonkind.
The Fireblood clan long ago won its freedom, but hatred of
red dragons (and by extension, evil dragons in general) still
burns in their souls. Descendants of these dwarves intermarried
with other dwarf families, spreading the bloodline across
many clans. Thus, a modern fireblood dwarf can be born to
any dwarf parents.
A deep dragon and a deepwyrm drow engage in dialogue
Fireblood dwarves appear much the same as standard dwarves
but have dark, red-brown skin. Most are bald and have only
the faintest of beards; their close proximity to the flames
deep beneath their volcanic homes tends to burn excess hair
away.
Otherwise, fireblood dwarves are identical to the dwarves
described in the Player’s Handbook, except as noted below.
—Dragonblood Subtype: Fireblood dwarves are of the
dragonblood subtype (see page 4).
—Dragon Dodge: Fireblood dwarves gain a +4 dodge
bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the dragon type. In
memory of their ancestors, fireblood dwarves train from an
early age to avoid surprise attacks from treacherous dragons.
Any time a fireblood dwarf loses his Dexterity bonus (if any)
to Armor Class, such as when he is caught flat-footed, he loses
this dodge bonus, too.
—Resistance to Fire 5: Fireblood dwarves have an exceptional
tolerance for heat and fire, inherited from their
enslaved forefathers.
—Fireblood dwarves do not have the standard dwarf +2
racial bonus on saving throws against poison. The environment
of their ancestors was free of such subtle means of
attack, so fireblood dwarves are no more resistant to poison
than other races.
—Fireblood dwarves do not have the standard dwarf’s +4
dodge bonus to Armor Class against creatures of the giant
type.
Illus. by F. Tsai
7