General Prestige Class : Dragon Disciple
A dragon disciple is different. He always suspected, but the flying dreams confirm it. The experience is so vivid and real that other dreams are as dusty cinders in comparison. Hurtling through the sky, unfettered by the earth, the dreamer exults in his beautifully scaled wings pulling him through the clouds. His senses are alive as never before, allowing him to smell, hear, and see with a terrible clarity no mere human can ever really comprehend. A volatile power burns in his lungs, a potency he knows he could unleash with a mere breath. It's almost. . . draconic.
It is known that certain powerful dragons can take humanoid form and even have humanoid lovers. Sometimes a child is born of this union, and every child of that child unto the thousandth generation claims a bit of dragon blood, be it ever so small. Usually, little comes of it, though mighty sorcerers occasionally credit their powers to draconic heritage. For some, however, dragon blood beckons irresistibly. First come the dreams. Many dismiss them as nothing more than wish fulfillment (or even nightmares), and that's the end of it. But a few embrace the dreams, recognizing their allure as a promise. These become dragon disciples, who use their magical power as a catalyst to ignite their dragon blood, realizing its fullest potential.
Dragon disciples prefer a life of exploration to a cloistered existence. Most are sorcerers, but bards sometimes follow the path. Already adept at magic, many pursue adventure, especially if it furthers their goal of finding out more about their draconic heritage. All dragon disciples are drawn to areas known to harbor dragons.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Dragon Disciple, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Any non-dragon (cannot already be a half-dragon)
- Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8 ranks.
- Spells: Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation.
- Special: The player chooses a dragon type when taking the first level of this prestige class, subject to the DM's approval.
- Languages: Draconic.
Class Skills
The dragon disciple's class skills are Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Knowledge, Listen, Profession, Search, Speak language, Spellcraft, and Spot.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the dragon disciple prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dragon disciples gain no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Bonus Spells (Sp): Dragon disciples gain bonus spells as they gain levels in this prestige class, as if through having a high ability score, listed in the above table. A bonus spell can be added to any level of spells the disciple already has the ability to cast
If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a dragon disciple, he must decide to which class he adds the bonus spell(s). Once a bonus spell has been applied, it cannot be shifted.
Hit Die Increase: As a dragon disciple gains levels in this prestige class, his dragon nature expresses itself more. His base Hit Die type increases at 1st, 4th, and 6th level. This is not a retroactive benefit: Beginning at the appropriate level, the dragon disciple rolls for hit points with the increased Hit Die type.
Natural Armor: At 1st, 5th, and 8th level, a dragon disciple becomes more draconic in appearance. His skin develops tiny iridescent scales, nearly invisible at first but becoming more noticeable at higher levels. This provides increasing natural armor bonuses to his base Armor Class, as indicated in below (these bonuses do not stack). As his skin thickens, the dragon disciple takes on more and more of his progenitor's physical aspect.
Claws and Bite: At 2nd level, the dragon disciple gains claw and bite attacks if he does not already have them. Use the values below or the disciple's base claw and bite attacks, whichever are greater.
| Size | Bite Damage | Claw Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1d4 | 1d3 |
| Medium-size | 1d6 | 1d4 |
| Large | 1d8 | 1d6 |
Ability Boost: As the dragon disciple gains levels in this prestige class, his ability scores increase as noted in below. These increases stack and are gained as if through level advancement.
Breath Weapon (Su): At 3rd and 7th level, the dragon disciple begins to develop his ancestors signature ability - a breath weapon. The type depends on the dragon variety whose heritage he enjoys. The amount of damage dealt is one-third of full strength at 3rd level, increases to two-thirds at 7th level, and reaches full potency at 10th level (dragon apotheosis). Only the potential damage changes; the area and the save DC are as the full-strength weapon (see below). Regardless of its strength, the breath weapon can be used only once per day. Use all rules for dragon breath (see the Dragon entry in the Monster Manual) except as specified here.
Enlargement: At 5th level, the dragon disciple's size increases one step, from Small to Medium-size or from Medium-size to Large. (A character already of size large or larger does nor get any bigger.) The change in size affects the dragon disciple's base claw and bite damage (see above). In addition, he gains a -1 size modifier to his base attack bonus and Armor Class.
Wings: At 9th level, dragon disciples of size Large and above grow wings. They can now fly at their normal speed (average maneuverability). Smaller creatures have wings only if they already possessed them.
Dragon Apotheosis: At 10th level, the dragon disciple fully realizes his draconic heritage and takes on the half-dragon template. His breath weapon reaches full strength, and he gains an additional 4 points of Strength and 2 points of Charisma. His natural armor bonus increases to +4, and he acquires low-light vision, darkvision (60-ft. range), immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, and an additional immunity based on the dragon variety.
| Dragon Variety | Energy Type Resisted |
| Black | Acid |
| Blue | Electricity |
| Brass | Fire |
| Bronze | Electricity |
| Copper | Acid |
| Gold | Fire |
| Green | Acid |
| Red | Fire |
| Silver | Cold |
| White | Cold |
| Dragon Disciple | Hit Die: special | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Bonus Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Hit Die increase (d6), +1 natural armor | 1 |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Claws and bite, ability boost (Str +2) | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Breath weapon (1/3) | None |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Hit Die increase (d8), ability boost (Str +2) | 1 |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Enlargement, +2 natural armor | 1 |
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Hit Die increase (dial | 1 |
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Breath weapon (2/3), ability boost (Con +2) | None |
| 8th | +6 | +6 | +2 | +6 | +3 natural armor | 1 |
| 9th | +6 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Wings, ability boost (Int +2) | 1 |
| 10th | +7 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Dragon apotheosis | None |
| Dragon Variety | Breath Weapon | 3rd Level | 7th Level | 10th Level | Save DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Line* of acid | 2d4 | 4d4 | 6d4 | 17 |
| Blue | Line of lightning | 2d8 | 4d8 | 6d8 | 18 |
| Green | Cone** of gas | 2d6 | 4d6 | 6d6 | 17 |
| Red | Cone of fire | 2d10 | 4d10 | 6d10 | 19 |
| White | Cone of cold | 1d6 | 2d6 | 3d6 | 16 |
| Brass | Line of fire | 1d6 | 2d6 | 3d6 | 17 |
| Bronze | Line of lightning | 2d6 | 4d6 | 6d6 | 18 |
| Copper | Line of acid | 2d4 | 4d4 | 6d4 | 17 |
| Gold | Cone of fire | 2d10 | 4d10 | 6d10 | 20 |
| Silver | Cone of cold | 2d8 | 4d8 | 6d8 | 18 |
| *A line is always 5 ft. high, 5 ft. wide, and 60 ft. long.
**A cone is always 30 ft. long. | |||||
Source: Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5
Tome and Blood