Dragon Rider (5e Subclass)

Dragon Rider

Dragon Rider by Michael Komarck

Fighter Subclass

The Dragon Rider is a subclass of the Fighter class. Fighting side by side with their draconic companion, they are a force to be reckoned with. Some fighters are granted a blessing from time to time, they have, in some way or another, earned the trust of dragons, who in turn, have shown this trust by connecting them to a draco. Dracos are beings created by dragons through magic. They are around the size of dragon wyrmlings, and they don't grow much bigger, in the wild they are also terribly weaker than their creators. These creatures were created to serve the dragons. But when a dragon grants a fighter a draco, their loyalty shifts completely to their new master. And with this connection, and great training, they achieve greater powers than they would ever get from a life of nothing but servitude. Together, a rider and their draco are unstoppable.

Draco Cohort

Starting at 3rd level, you bond with a draco. To form this bond you take 8 hours, and must offer 50 gp to the dragon who acts as his patron, giving him the cohort. If your draco cohort is ever slain, you can use the bond to restore it to life. With an 8-hour ritual and an offering of 25 gp, your draconic patron can call forth your cohort spirit and bring it back to life, even if you don't have a single part of it's original body.

The cohort obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your cohort acts on its own.

Your cohort has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a draco cohort also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC. Your companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with two saving throws of your choice.

For each level you gain after 3rd, your draco cohort gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your cohort's abilities also improve. Your cohort can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

You can also speak, read and write Draconic.

Elemental Affinity

At 3rd level, your draco develops control over the element of the dragon who created it. It gains a breath weapon, which the type and shape determined by the damage type associated with your chosen draco. The type of the chosen draco is often the same as the type of the dragon who have created it. Chose one of the following types:

Draco Type	Damage Type	Breath Weapon Shape	Saving Throw
Black, Copper	Acid	5 by 30 ft. line	Dexterity
Brass, Gold, Red	Fire	15 ft. cone	Dexterity
Blue, Bronze	Lighting	5 by 30 ft. line	Dexterity
Silver, White	Cold	15 ft. cone	Constitution
Green	Poison	15 ft. cone	Constitution

The draco gains the following abilities, related to the chosen type:

As an action, you can command the draco to expel elemental destruction with its breath. It deals damage in an area according to your draco type. When you use your draco's breath weapon, each creature in the area must make a saving throw, the type of which is determined by its type. The DC of this saving throw is 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This damage increases as you gain levels in this class, becoming 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 9th, 5d6 at 12th, 6d6 at 15th and finally 9d6 at 18th level.

As you gain levels in this class, the breath weapon area becomes larger, increasing by 5 feet when you reach the 7th level, 10th, 15th and 18th. Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you complete a short or a long rest

In addition, your draco cohort can add a bonus to its damage rolls with its natural weapons equal to your proficiency bonus. The type is the same as the damage type your dragon is associated with.

Mount

At 3rd level, mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off it, you can automatically land on your feet if you aren’t incapacitated and you fall less than 10 feet. While riding your draco it acts on your initiative. Your draco is still inexperienced with carrying other creatures while flying. It can't fly while you're mounted on it.

You also gain proficiency with Animal Handling. If you already have this proficiency, you instead double your proficiency bonus for any ability checks that use the Animal Handling skill.

Mounted Combat

At 7th level, your draco is even more helpful in combat while you're mounting it. While you are mounted, your melee weapons gain 5 extra feet to their normal reach, thanks to the draco's limber body, that helps you move in the field of battle. Also, if you make a jump from the back of your draco, you gain a bonus equal to the draco's Strength modifier in feet for the distance of your jump.

In addition, when you are riding your draco, it can fly at half speed.

Linked Breath

At 10th level, you can share your companion's breath. You can use an action to make a breath attack, that works exactly like your draco's breath. This feature expends the draco's use of their breath.

In addition, when you are riding your dragon, it can fly at full speed.

Greater Draco

At 15th level, your draco has grown stronger than any wild draco, thanks to all of its training, and all of your care for it. Its Strength and Constitution ability scores both increase by 2, its breath weapon's range grows by 15 feet and its walking and flying speeds both increase by 30 feet respectively.

In addition, it gains resistance to one type of damage of your choice between, bludgeoning, slashing or piercing.

Draconic Link

At 18th level, your bond to your draco has grown so much, that it's granted you part of a dragon's heritage. You start to develop some draconic aspects, like horns, claws and maybe even a tail. You and your draco can communicate telepathically with each other from any distance, as long as you are on the same plane. You also gain scales that protect you, granting you a bonus of 1 to your AC, and resistance to the damage type associated with your draco. You also gain other draconic features, like horns, claws and maybe even a tail, but these are purely cosmetic

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