dragon-magic-oef

A serpentine dragon of blue fire coils in the air above your head,
twisting and undulating in response to your own movements.
Any dragonblooded creature has a link, however tenuous, to
the spirit of a full-blooded dragon ancestor. This soulmeld
calls on that ancient link to bring forth a wisp of the dragon’s
soul. You gain a +4 insight bonus on Knowledge (arcana),
Knowledge (history), and Use Magic Device checks, and you
can make these checks untrained.
Essentia: Every point of essentia you have invested in
your elder spirit increases the insight bonus by 2.
Chakra Bind (Crown)
The dragon coils around your forehead, its
facial expression matching your own.
You are immune to frightful presence,
sleep, and paralysis effects as if you were
a dragon. You gain a +4 insight bonus on
Intimidate checks; each point of essentia
invested in your elder spirit increases
this bonus by 2.
Chakra Bind (Soul)
The dragon becomes a symbol on a heraldic
device of blue fire that settles onto your
chest.
You gain blindsense out to 5 feet per point
of essentia invested in your elder spirit.
ASHARDALON
NEW VESTIGE
This new vestige is intended for use by binders (see Tome of
Magic) who seek to access the powers of dragons through their
special pacts. For rules on binding the vestige of Ashardalon,
consult the pact magic rules presented in Tome of Magic.
ASHARDALON,
PYRE OF THE UNBORN
A seeker of pure power and wealth, the fiendish red dragon
Ashardalon was among the toughest creatures of his era.
Having escaped death more than once, he grants binders
some of his powers as a dragon and fiend, as well as a portion
of his great resilience.
Legend: Ashardalon was a red dragon of unusual greed
and power. He sought to control a vast stretch of land, and
ravaged it in cruel hunts for food, sport, and power. So great
was Ashardalon’s power that many cults grew to revere him
as a deity and followed him into what they believed were
holy wars. In time, however, an alliance of rangers and elves
managed to defeat Ashardalon’s armies. Shortly thereafter,
the dragon faced a powerful druid who had risen to defend
the land, and was nearly slain.
As a near god, however, Ashardalon was a force to be reckoned
with, even in defeat. He hid on the Outer Planes for
millennia and, through complex machinations, managed to
replace his heart with that of a balor, becoming a creature of
even greater supernatural evil. Renewed, the dragon made
an assault on the Bastion of Souls in an effort to destroy all
living creatures. There, Ashardalon faced a distant descendant
of the druid who had vanquished him once before and
was truly killed.
Still, his death at the birthplace of all souls (combined
with his nearly deific status) allowed him to resist a permanent
resting place. His essence lacked
the power to become a true immortal,
leaving him only the nebulous existence
of a vestige.
Manifestation: Ashardalon tears
open the ground with his long black
talons and hauls his massive body up
from a flaming pit. The red dragon is
wreathed in flames and has a burning
hole where his heart should be. He
bellows in anger before turning to the
binder and demanding to know why he
Vestige Level: 8th
has been disturbed.
Binding DC: 35
Sign: A patch of skin over your heart
Special
is marked by a deep-hued crimson sigil
Requirements: No
of a curled red dragon.
Influence: You greatly hunger for
The sign of Ashardalon
vengeance against those who harm or
slight you. Ashardalon requires you to
accept any opportunity to strike a foe who damages or insults
you in preference over any other target.
Granted Abilities: Ashardalon grants you some of the
vast power he collected during his life as a dragon and a
fiendish creature.
Ashardalon’s Greed: You gain a bonus on Appraise checks
and Search checks equal to your binder level. You can also
locate objects near you, as the spell locate object (PH 249).
Ashardalon’s Presence: You can strike fear into the hearts of
your foes. This acts as the fear spell (PH 229), except creatures
immune to a dragon’s fearful presence are immune to this
effect as well. Once you have used this ability, you cannot use
it again for 5 rounds. When you use this ability, the aspect’s
sign shows through any armor or clothing you wear for 1
round, burning like a fiery brand (though it doesn’t actually
deal damage or start a fire).
Ashardalon’s Vigor: Ashardalon grants you some of the vast
resilience he enjoyed in life. When you bind this vestige,
you gain temporary hit points equal to twice your binder
level. These temporary hit points last for up to 24 hours.
Fiend’s Heart: You share some of the defensive benefits
of the balor once bound to Ashardalon’s body. This effect
grants you damage reduction 10/cold iron and resistance
to fire 30.
Illus. by B. Hagan
CHAPTER 3
DRACONIC
MAGIC
85