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dead party returns to life within that period, the benefits
immediately return, too.
Visible Signs of a Dragonpact
When a character enters a dragonpact, a certain degree of
draconic influence flows through the link between him and
the dragon. When the creature bestows spell-like abilities
upon the character, it also leaves behind traces of its unique
magical nature. The end result is that characters who enter
into dragonpacts exhibit draconic physical characteristics,
raging from minor cosmetic changes to major physical
alterations. These visual signs have no overt in-game
effect—cultural opinions toward dragons vary from land
to land, and as such any bias or prejudice depends on the
individual campaign. But they do visibly mark a character
as someone who bargains with dragonkind.
To determine the visual effects on a PC who enters into
a dragonpact, the DM can roll on the table below or simply
choose from the table as desired.
d20 Effect
1 Small, flaky scales of the dragon’s color appear on
the arms, face, and legs.
2 Eyes glow the dragon’s color faintly in the dark.
3 Hair changes to the color of the dragon’s scales.
4 Small horns or chitin protrusions form on the face.
5 Tongue becomes serpentine, visible when speaking.
6 Skin becomes faintly tinted the dragon’s color.
7 Voice becomes rough and gravelly, like that of a
dragon.
8 Eyes develop an additional set of nictitating
membranes, visible when the character blinks.
9 Bony protrusions grow from the knuckles, elbows,
and knees.
10 Faint wisps of odorless smoke occasionally drift
from the mouth and nose.
11 Fingernails become thick and curved, resembling
dragon talons.
12 Face becomes angular and vaguely draconic.
13 Teeth elongate and come to sharper points, visible
when speaking.
14 Elaborate draconic tattoos appear on the arms, back,
or face and seem to glow faintly.
15 Two bony ridges rise from the back, appearing as
lumps on the shoulder blades.
16 Bumps appear at the temples where a dragon would
have its horns.
17 Mottled spots the same color as the dragon’s scales
appear at the temples and jaw.
18 Hands and feet become slightly webbed with
elongated fingers and toes.
19 Skin becomes tough and leathery, giving the
appearance of a dragon’s hide.
20 Eyes develop slitlike irises, resembling a dragon’s eye.
RENEGOTIATING A DRAGONPACT
As a sorcerer gains the ability to cast more powerful spells,
he might wish to offer a higher-level spell slot as part of a
dragonpact. Renegotiating an existing dragonpact is simpler
than establishing a new one; doing so requires only a single
hour of meditation and no Concentration check. An additional
sacrifice of gold, gems, and/or art objects is required,
however. Subtract the average price for the previous spell slot
from the average price for the new spell slot to find the new
base price, and then roll the Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate
check as normal to determine the price adjustment of the
renegotiation. The success or failure of prior negotiations
has no effect on this check.
For example, if the sorcerer from the previous example
wished to offer a 5th-level slot in place of his 4th-level slot,
the new base price would be 900 gp (2,500–1,600), modified
by the result of his negotiation.
BREAKING A DRAGONPACT
Once a dragonpact is entered, it remains binding while both
parties are alive and for one year after the death of either
(dragons take the long view, and recognize the presence of
resurrection magic). However, as long as both parties still live,
either one can renounce the pact for any reason. Often, this
occurs when a player character decides to forge a different
pact with another dragon.
For a sorcerer to renounce a pact, he must forgo the use
of all spell-like abilities granted him by the pact for seven
consecutive days. At the end of this time, a simple 1-hour
ceremony of meditation allows him to break the pact.
For a dragon to renounce a pact, it must destroy treasure
from its hoard equal to the amount paid by the sorcerer to
enter the pact, and then perform its own hour-long ritual.
For obvious reasons, dragons hate doing this. If a dragon ever
desires to be free of a pact, it usually tries to manipulate the
sorcerer into being the one to break it, because that allows
the creature to keep its treasure.
Regardless of who breaks the dragonpact, once it ends,
both parties immediately lose the benefits of the pact. (If the
dragon broke the pact without the sorcerer’s prior knowledge,
the character will be surprised when he suddenly loses his
pact abilities.) The sorcerer regains his lost spell slot the next
time he would normally ready his spells. The dragon’s full
normal hit points return to their normal value, and the lost
hit points can be healed by any means.
DRAGONPACTS IN THE GAME
Dragonpacts offer characters the chance to give up one spell
to gain multiple uses of spell-like abilities. In effect, a pact
gives a player character more rounds of activity per day, allowing
him to continue adventuring for longer than normal.
Dragons, on the other hand, value the pacts not just for their
obvious benefits—additional spell slots and an increased
hoard—but also because they create a network of allies. Any
sorcerer who enters a dragonpact has good reason to want to
keep that dragon alive, or at least avoid actively seeking its
death.
This situation can create an interesting tension in the
campaign, particularly when a good-aligned sorcerer—knowingly
or unknowingly—enters into a pact with an evil
dragon. If, months later, the PCs encounter the dragon, the
CHAPTER 3
DRACONIC
MAGIC
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