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DonQuixote

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Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« on: December 14, 2010, 09:11:17 PM »
I have always had a bit of a special place in my heart for dragons.  In my old room back at my parent's house, the top of my dresser is absolutely covered in various dragon-related paraphernalia.  A sword, a candle, a stein...the list goes on and on.  So, let me tell you, I was pretty excited when I heard that there were dragon-related classes.

I quickly narrowed my gaze to Dragon Disciple, Dragon Shaman, and Dragonfire Adept.  Each had part of what I was looking for.  But only part.  Each one felt incomplete.

So, over the course of about two months, I put together a little something called the Dragon Aspirant.  The basic concept is that, as you level, you slowly take on the aspects of a dragon, including the wings, natural weapons, and scales.  Invocations are in place to mimic dragons' spell-like abilities, with Breath Effects to account for dragons with breath-modifying sorcerer spells.  The breath weapon is fairly standard.  So, without further ado:

Dragon Aspirant

Hit Die: d10

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level): Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha), Tumble (Dex).


Level   Base Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialDraconic Invocations KnownDraconic Auras Known
1+1+2+0+2Breath weapon 1d6, draconic aura +1, totem dragon, Dragontouched-3
2+2+3+0+3Breath effect-3
3+3+3+1+3Breath weapon 2d6, Bite Attack-4
4+4+4+1+4Least invocations, Scales14
5+5+4+1+4Breath weapon 3d6, breath effect, draconic aura +215
6+6/+1+5+2+5Wings, empowered breath weapon25
7+7/+2+5+2+5Breath weapon 4d6, breath effect26
8+8/+3+6+2+6Claw Attack26
9+9/+4+6+3+6Breath weapon 5d6, lesser invocations37
10+10/+5+7+3+7Draconic anagnorisis, breath effect, draconic aura +337
11+11/+6/+1+7+3+7Breath weapon 6d6, breath weapon range doubles47
12+12/+7/+2+8+4+8Breath effect, Immunities47
13+13/+8/+3+8+4+8Breath weapon 7d6, Frightful Crest47
14+14/+9/+4+9+4+9Greater invocations, Tail Slap57
15+15/+10/+5+9+5+9Breath weapon 8d6, breath effect, draconic aura +457
16+16/+11/+6/+1+10+5+10Sorcerous knack67
17+17/+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Breath weapon 9d6, Forceful Roar, breath effect67
18+18/+13/+8/+3+11+6+11Wing Slam67
19+19/+14/+9/+4+11+6+11Breath weapon 10d6, dark invocations77
20+20/+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Dragonform, breath effect, draconic aura +587


Class Features:
All of the following are class features of dragon aspirants.

   Weapon and Armor Proficiency:Bonus Languages:Totem Dragon: You must choose a totem dragon from among the true dragons appearing in the Monster Manual (black, blue, brass, bronze, copper, gold, green, red, silver, or white).
   You must choose a dragon whose alignment is within one step of yours, as described in the following table.  You gain a particular sort of breath weapon based on the dragon you select as your totem.
   Unlike a dragon shaman, you do not lose your class abilities if your alignment changes to one that is inappropriate to your totem dragon.  However, if your alignment is no longer acceptable, you can choose to devote yourself to a new totem dragon by crafting a symbolic egg and meditating inside of it for 24 hours.  The egg costs 100gp to create and requires a handful of scales from your new totem dragon.  Over the course of the ritual, your breath weapon and physical attributes will change to match those of your new totem dragon.

Totem Dragon    Acceptable Alignment    Breath Weapon Energy Type
Black    NE, CE, CN    Acid
Blue    NE, LE, LN    Electricity
Brass    NG, CG, CN    Fire
Bronze    NG, LG, LN    Electricity
Copper    NG, CG, CN    Acid
Gold    NG, LG, LN    Fire
Green    NE, LE, LN    Acid
Red    NE, CE, CN    Fire
Silver    NG, LG, LN    Cold
White    NE, CE, CN    Cold

   Breath Weapon (Su): Draconic Aura (Su): You can channel the mighty powers of dragonkind to project an aura that grants you and nearby allies a special benefit.
   Projecting an aura is a swift action, and you can only project one draconic aura at a time.  An aura remains in effect until you use a free action to dismiss it or you activate another aura in its place.  You can have a draconic aura active continually; thus, an aura can be in effect at the start of an encounter even before you take your first turn.
Unless otherwise noted, your draconic aura affects all allies within 30 feet (including yourself) with line of effect to you.  Your aura is dismissed if you become unconscious or are slain, but otherwise it remains in effect even if you are incapable of acting.
   The bonus granted by your aura begins at +1 and increases to +2 at 5th level, +3 at 10th level, +4 at 15th level, and +5 at 20th level.  As a 1st-level dragon aspirant, you know how to project three auras chosen from the list below.  At every odd-numbered level after that, you learn one additional draconic aura of your choice, until all seven auras are known at 9th level.  Each time you activate a draconic aura, you can choose from any of the auras that you know.
   Energy Shield:Power: This aura grants a bonus on melee damage rolls equal to your aura bonus.
   Resistance:Resolve: This aura grants a bonus on Concentration checks and on saves against fear, paralysis, and sleep effects equal to your aura bonus.
   Senses: This aura grants a bonus on Listen and Spot checks, as well as on Initiative checks, equal to your aura bonus.
   Toughness:Vigor: This aura grants fast healing 1 for each point of your aura bonus, but only affecting characters at or below one-half their full normal hit points.

   Dragontouched: At 1st level, you gain Dragontouched as a bonus feat.

   Breath Effect:Bite Attack (Ex): At 3rd level, your teeth are replaced by the razor-sharp teeth of a dragon.  You can use these as a primary natural weapon, gaining a bite attack if you did not already have one.  Your bite attack deals the indicated damage (or the amount of damage of your original bite attack, if the value is higher) plus your Strength bonus.
   You are considered proficient with these attacks.  When making a full attack, you use your full base attack bonus with your bite attack.

Natural Attacks
Size 1 Bite 2 Claws 1 Tail 2 Wings
Small 1d6 1d3 1d4 1d3
Medium 1d8 1d4 1d6 1d4
Large 2d6 1d6 1d8 1d6

   Invocations: Scales (Ex):Wings (Ex): Claw Attack (Ex):Draconic Anagnorisis: By 10th level, you have completed your draconic transformations.  Your scales have covered your entire body, your wings have reached their full span, you have grown a draconic tail, and you proudly bear the horns and cranial features of your totem dragon.
   You gain a +4 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks made to influence the attitude of dragons or creatures of the dragonblood subtype and are treated as a dragon for the purpose of determining whether frightful presence can affect you.  In addition, your tail grants you a +2 bonus on Balance checks and Swim checks.

   Immunities (Ex): At 12th level, you gain immunity to paralysis and sleep.

   Frightful Crest (Ex):Tail Slap (Ex):Sorcerous Knack (Sp):Forceful Roar (Ex):Wing Slam (Ex): Dragonform (Su):
« Last Edit: December 29, 2010, 05:42:54 PM by DonQuixote »

DonQuixote

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2010, 09:12:43 PM »
Draconic Invocations:
The following are the invocations available to dragon aspirants.

[spoiler]

Least

   Aquatic Adaptation:Beguiling Influence:Breath of the Night:  fog cloud.  The fog does not block line of sight, but all creatures in the fog have concealment.  A moderate wind or any fire larger than a torch immediately disperses the fog.  Otherwise, the fog disperses on its own after 1 minute.

   Call of the Beast: speak with animals.  This invocation lasts for 24 hours.

   Darkness: darkness spell.

   Draconic Knowledge:Endure Exposure:endure elementsMagic Insight:detect magic as the spell.  While the invocation is active, you can end the effect as a full-round action to determine all properties of a single touched item (as the identify spell, but with no components required).

   Scalding Gust:gust of wind spell, except that the duration is instantaneous).  Any creature within the effect takes 1 point of fire damage per caster level, regardless of whether it succeeds on the Fortitude save to avoid the gust.

   See the Unseen:see invisibility spell.  You also gain darkvision out to 60 feet for 24 hours.


Lesser

   Charm:charm monster spell.  You can never have more than one target charmed at a time with this ability.  If a second creature is charmed, you lose your hold on the first creature.

   Energy Resistance: Enthralling Voice:fascinated.  To be affected, targets must have Hit Dice equal to or less than your caster level and must be able to hear you, but you need not share a common language.  Affected targets remain fascinated for as long as you continue to speak and concentrate on the effect (up to a maximum of 1 round per level), plus 5 rounds thereafter.
   Even after the effect ends, any creature that failed its Will save regards you in a better light than it did previously.  Its attitude to you is adjusted one step toward friendly for the next 24 hours.  Multiple uses of this invocation do not further adjust the attitude.
   This is a mind-altering effect.

   Humanoid Shape:Thoughtcast:detect thoughts as the spell.  While the invocation is active, you can end the effect as a full-round action to implant a thought in a target (as the suggestion spell.)

   Voidsense:Voracious Dispelling: dispel magic as the spell.  Any creature with an active spell effect dispelled by this invocation takes 1 point of damage per level of the spell effect (no save).

   Walk Unseen:invisibility (self only) as the spell, except that the duration is 24 hours.


Greater

   Baleful Geas:geas/quest spell.

   Chilling Fog:solid fog spell.  Each creature within the area takes 2d6 points of cold damage at the start of its turn.  You can have only one chilling fog in place at a time; creating a second chilling fog automatically dismisses any chilling fog you previously created.

   Devour Magic:greater dispel magic with your touch, gaining 5 temporary hit points for each spell level dispelled.  These temporary hit points fade after 1 minute and do not stack with other temporary hit points.  If you devour a new spell, you can replace the old temporary hit points with the hit points gained from the more recent spell, thus resetting the duration.  You cannot devour your own invocations.

   Draconic Toughness:Primal Swiftness:Sanguine Infusion:Wingstorm: Dark

   Draconic Foresight:foresight as the spell with this invocation.  If you are within 100 feet of and have line of sight to the target of the ability, you can communicate telepathically with the target.

   Energy Immunity:Instill Vulnerability:Perilous Veil: veil spell.  Any creature that succeeds on a Will save to disbelieve (and thus see through) the glamour takes 5d6 points of damage.  Spell resistance applies against this secondary effect.
   
[/spoiler]

Breath Effects:
The following are the effects that dragon aspirants can apply to their breath attacks.

[spoiler]

Minimum Level Two

   Precision Breath:  This breath effect allows you to wield your breath weapon with pinpoint accuracy, rather than simply engulfing an area.  When you apply this breath effect, you use your breath weapon as a ray with a range equal to the length of your line-shaped breath weapon.  A breath weapon modified in this way is a ranged touch attack that affects a single target, allows no saving throw, and is subject to spell resistance.

   Sickening Breath: This breath effect causes your breath weapon to nauseate all creatures in its area.  Any creature that takes damage from a breath weapon modified by this breath effect becomes sickened for 2 rounds.  A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round.
   You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.

   Split Breath: This breath effect splits your breath weapon into two separate blasts.  Your breath weapon retains its size and shape, but splits into two areas that you aim separately.  Each portion deals half the damage the breath weapon normally deals or lasts half as long as the effect normally lasts.
   You can aim the split breath weapons so that their areas overlap.  Creatures caught in the area of overlap are struck by both weapons and are affected twice, subject to all the normal rules for stacking magical effects.
You can choose to apply any one other breath effect that you know to the same breath weapon.


Minimum Level Five

   Destructive Breath:Shaped Breath:Slowing Breath: Weakening Breath: This breath effect causes your breath weapon to sap the strength of all creatures in its area.  Any creature that takes damage from a breath weapon modified by this breath effect receives a -6 penalty to its Strength score for 4 rounds.  A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 2 rounds.
   You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.


Minimum Level Ten

   Cloud Breath: Your breath weapon takes the form of a 20-foot-radius spread, centered on you.  You can choose to apply any one other breath effect that you know to the same breath weapon, as long as it can be applied to a cone-shaped breath weapon.

   Elemental Mastery:Enduring Breath: Your breath weapon deals damage over 2 consecutive rounds.  When you use Enduring Breath, the target takes the normal amount of damage from your breath weapon.  In the next round, the same target takes half that amount of damage.  A creature that takes no damage from the initial use (whether because of evasion, resistance, immunity, or any other reason) also takes no damage in the next round.  No save is allowed against this damage.

   Sleep Breath: This breath effect causes your breath weapon to compel creatures in its area to fall asleep.  Any creature that takes damage from a breath weapon modified by this breath effect must succeed on a Will save or fall asleep for 1 round.  Any creature that succeeds on this save is instead exhausted for 1 round.  Any creature whose Hit Dice exceeds your class level is unaffected by this breath effect.
   You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
   

Minimum Level Fifteen

   Breathwalk: Force Breath: Your breath weapon becomes a force effect.  Its damage has no energy type, but it affects incorporeal creatures normally.  You can apply this breath effect only to a line-shaped breath weapon.

   Paralyzing Breath: This breath effect causes your breath weapon to paralyze all creatures in its area.  Any creature that takes damage from a breath weapon modified by this breath effect is paralyzed for 1 round.  A successful Fortitude save negates this effect.
   You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.


Minimum Level Twenty

   Animated Breath: This breath effect allows you to imbue the energy of your breath weapon with coherence, mobility, and a semblance of life.  The animated breath then attacks whomever or whatever you designate.  This breath effect works only on breath weapons that deal energy damage.  The animated breath uses the statistics of a Greater fire elemental, with the following exceptions:
  • The creature deals 2d8 points of damage of the same type as the breath weapon with each successful slam attack, instead of 2d8 points of fire.
  • The creature has immunity to its own energy type, but no vulnerability to another energy type.
    • Dissolve (Ex):
    • Freeze (Ex):
    • Shock (Ex):
    • Burn (Ex):
When you use this breath effect, your breath weapon immediately takes animate form and attacks.  It does not form as a cone or a line, and does not deal damage when it is used with this breath effect.  The animated breath lasts for 10 rounds.

   Fivefold Breath of Tiamat:Notes
  • When the Draconic Anagnorisis class feature says "You have completed your draconic transformations," it does not mean that you have turned into a dragon.  At that point, you've basically become a dragonkin--or, to be more in line with what I had in mind at the time, a draconian from the Dragonlance campaign setting.  That's visually, anyway.  What you actually are is a humanoid who, through dedication, perseverance, and magic, has managed to become incredibly draconic.  You still walk upright, use normal items, and are a humanoid.  Even at level twenty, you are best described as a humanoid dragon, unless you are currently using the Dragonform ability.
  • Speaking of which, the Dragonform ability is, flavor-wise, an actual transformation into a dragon.  However, mechanics-wise, it works exactly as described.  This is mainly due to my desire for you to be using your class abilities as well as using Dragonform.  So, instead of messing around with shape-changing abilities, I gave you a supernatural ability that boosted those things that dragons love.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2010, 05:02:42 AM by DonQuixote »

Garryl

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2010, 09:41:01 PM »
First thoughts: Dragonfire Adept//Dragon Shaman gestalt. Trades the speed at which it acquires invocations (not the total or power) for draconic auras and extra class features, like wings and natural weapons. Breath having the Dragon Shaman's recharge (1d4 rounds) gives a good reason to use natural weapons and prevents class from being straight more powerful than DFA.

Forceful Roar: Should probably be a breath effect. Are creatures that fail the save sickened as well?

Sorcerous Knack: Wish 3/day at level 16 = win?

Sorry for the short response. I don't have much time to look it over in detail at the moment.
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Bozwevial

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2010, 09:44:32 PM »
DR/magic is going to be easily mitigated by the time you get to a +2 or +3 draconic aura. Maybe change it to DR/--?

DonQuixote

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #4 on: December 14, 2010, 10:02:48 PM »
First thoughts: Dragonfire Adept//Dragon Shaman gestalt. Trades the speed at which it acquires invocations (not the total or power) for draconic auras and extra class features, like wings and natural weapons. Breath having the Dragon Shaman's recharge (1d4 rounds) gives a good reason to use natural weapons and prevents class from being straight more powerful than DFA.

Basically, yes, though some things came from other places.  Also, the invocation list was modified somewhat, as were the breath effects.

Quote
Forceful Roar: Should probably be a breath effect. Are creatures that fail the save sickened as well?

I actually found the roar in a dragon-related area of a source book.  Modified it slightly and then made it into a class feature.  Not being a breath effect means that you don't have to blow your breath weapon recharge on it, which is nice.  Also, roaring is distinctly different from breathing a stream of energy.  Just personal opinion on that one.  And, given that every level offers at least something, they don't all have to be winners.

Of course, if you think the roar is too powerful not being a breath effect, I would counter by limiting the uses per day.

And I'm pretty sure you trade deafened for sickened when you make the save.

Quote
Sorcerous Knack: Wish 3/day at level 16 = win?

That slap you just heard was my palm hitting my forehead.  You would think that these things would occur to me.  Perhaps limiting it to 7th-level and lower?

DR/magic is going to be easily mitigated by the time you get to a +2 or +3 draconic aura. Maybe change it to DR/--?

That's the aura as it was lifted from dragon shaman.  I'm actually thinking of replacing it entirely, since Scales also grant DR/magic, but I can't figure out something non-DR to switch it to.  'Course, given that this class has a bunch of things, I suppose I could justify just dropping an aura.

Garryl

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2010, 10:31:07 PM »
Nah, Forceful Roar is fine as it is. It was just my first thought after noticing the similarities in targeting between it and the breath weapon (but before noticing that the breath had a recharge time; I'd assumed it was 1/round like DFA). But again, are creatures that fail the save sickened like those that succeed? Deafness just isn't that useful an effect after initiative has been rolled, although it is slightly useful against spellcasters and creatures with blindsense/blindsight. Knocking prone is a nice touch, but isn't always relevant. Sickened isn't huge, but it applies a nontrivial penalty to a lot of rolls.


Breath Effects: "The chosen effect either replaces the normal fire damage dealt by your breath weapon..." should say "damage type" instead.
The Animated Breath needs statistics for Large through Gargantuan size. Also, the creature really sucks for the level. It will be doing, at best, 2d6 points of damage per attack with a +8 attack bonus. Its saves and AC are weak, everything even 10 levels lower can hit it without trying. It's mindless, so it can't even scout and report for you. Only electricity has a decent movement speed (and it is miles ahead of every other option). And the formatting should be changed, it's really easy to miss the duration hidden at the bottom.
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DonQuixote

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2010, 01:09:31 AM »
Nah, Forceful Roar is fine as it is. It was just my first thought after noticing the similarities in targeting between it and the breath weapon (but before noticing that the breath had a recharge time; I'd assumed it was 1/round like DFA). But again, are creatures that fail the save sickened like those that succeed? Deafness just isn't that useful an effect after initiative has been rolled, although it is slightly useful against spellcasters and creatures with blindsense/blindsight. Knocking prone is a nice touch, but isn't always relevant. Sickened isn't huge, but it applies a nontrivial penalty to a lot of rolls.

No reason not to put sickened on, I suppose.  Hya!  Changed.

Breath Effects: "The chosen effect either replaces the normal fire damage dealt by your breath weapon..." should say "damage type" instead.
The Animated Breath needs statistics for Large through Gargantuan size. Also, the creature really sucks for the level. It will be doing, at best, 2d6 points of damage per attack with a +8 attack bonus. Its saves and AC are weak, everything even 10 levels lower can hit it without trying. It's mindless, so it can't even scout and report for you. Only electricity has a decent movement speed (and it is miles ahead of every other option). And the formatting should be changed, it's really easy to miss the duration hidden at the bottom.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2010, 02:05:27 AM by DonQuixote »

Garryl

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2010, 03:12:06 AM »
Cool. I'd suggest making the elemental a Greater or Elder elemental instead of a Huge one, though. Huge elementals are summoned by Summon Monster 7 and Summon Nature's Ally 6 for reference. For a level 20 ability, I think emulating a limited version of an 8th level spell is more appropriate than emulating a similarly limited 6th or 7th level spell.

If you want to spruce the elementals up a bit, I'd like to plug my 3.5E update of the Kineticist. Specifically, the 10th level Energy Lord ability. I made replacements to the Burn ability for all 5 major energy types (the Acid/Electricity/Sonic subtypes are from the original version).

It just hit me why you have Empowered Breath in there at 6th level. DAs only get one breath weapon energy type, like DSs. DFAs can at least change their energy type with breath effects, but I don't see any of those on the DA list.
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DonQuixote

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2010, 02:09:21 PM »
Cool. I'd suggest making the elemental a Greater or Elder elemental instead of a Huge one, though. Huge elementals are summoned by Summon Monster 7 and Summon Nature's Ally 6 for reference. For a level 20 ability, I think emulating a limited version of an 8th level spell is more appropriate than emulating a similarly limited 6th or 7th level spell.

If you want to spruce the elementals up a bit, I'd like to plug my 3.5E update of the Kineticist. Specifically, the 10th level Energy Lord ability. I made replacements to the Burn ability for all 5 major energy types (the Acid/Electricity/Sonic subtypes are from the original version).

All right, I'll give that a look in a bit.  I wasn't sure exactly what would be considered balanced in terms of adding an elemental to this class, so I appreciate the feedback!

It just hit me why you have Empowered Breath in there at 6th level. DAs only get one breath weapon energy type, like DSs. DFAs can at least change their energy type with breath effects, but I don't see any of those on the DA list.

Elemental Mastery.  It's a tenth-level breath effect that lets you swap the energy damage of your breath weapon to any of the usual dragon breath weapons (acid, cold, electricity, and fire).  While it makes sense that Dragonfire Adepts would work with changing energy types all over the place, I felt that having a totem dragon with which you specifically identified would make it a little silly to have so many breath effects devoted to different energy types.

Also, what is your opinion on the ability of this class to give up an invocation in exchange for a dragonpact?  I feel it makes some sense, but am uncertain of whether certain pacts might lead to massive imbalance.  Especially since you could basically take a Dragonpact as a feat by picking up Extra Invocation and grabbing an invocation that wouldn't be useful in your party/campaign as pact-fodder.

Garryl

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2010, 02:20:30 PM »
I did not notice Elemental Mastery. I definitely approve of it, though. It reduces the clutter of having a half dozen different options that do basically the same thing, but each cost part of your available resources and options (the different energy type breath effects).

I'm not familiar with Dragonpacts. Where are they found and what's the short version of what they do? What kind of power are you afraid of?
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DonQuixote

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Re: Dragon Aspirant [3.5 Base Class]
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2010, 03:01:18 PM »
I'm not familiar with Dragonpacts. Where are they found and what's the short version of what they do? What kind of power are you afraid of?

They're in Dragon Magic, near the end of Chapter 3.  Basically, you trade a spell slot--or, in this particular case, an invocation--in exchange for spell-like abilities a certain number of times per day.  The number of abilities and the number of uses per day depends on the level of the spell slot you traded away--or, in this case, the equivalent level of the invocation.  There's nothing that looks game-breakingly powerful, but I just wanted it checked out.  Given that I already missed the "Wish 3/day at level sixteen" loophole, I'm less than certain of my abilities to avoid silliness.