Dracomancer (4e Class)
| “ | You haven't been bit till a dragon does it. | ” |
| —Tamora Pierce, Emperor Mage | ||
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| Dragonborn - Dovahkiin by CohenR at DeviantArt |
| Class Traits |
| Role: Controller. Your half-dragon form gives you access to powers that provide control at close range, while your humanoid form allows you to hinder your opponents from a distance. Depending on your choice of class features and powers, you might lean toward either striker or leader as a secondary role. |
| Power Source: Draconic (Arcane). Dracomancers have existed for thousands of years, since ancient times when they first learned to communicate with the wise and mighty beings. You share your knowledge of the realm with many dragons who remain hidden from existence. In exchange for your dedication and service, the dragons grant you their power. Over time and with practice, you become kindred to them. |
| Key Abilities: Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution |
| Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide |
| Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Melee, simple ranged |
| Implements: Staffs, totems |
| Bonus to Defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will |
| Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution score |
| Hit Points per Level Gained: 5 |
| Healing Surges per Day: 7 + Constitution modifier |
| Trained Skills: Nature. From the class skills list below, choose 3 more trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Athletics (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), History (Int), Insight (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis) |
| Build Options: Predator Dracomancer, Guardian Dracomancer |
| Class Features: Draconic Balance, Draconic Aspect, Ritual Casting, dragon shape, chromatic breath, metallic flash. |
Because of their kinship with dragons, dracomancers have been shunned and driven from their homelands. Secretive and enigmatic, dracomancers call the territory of their dragon kin home. They are capable of running with lightning, speaking with ancient dragons, and watching firestorms from the backs of dragons themselves. They regard challenges as tests of their fitness and their connection to the elements. Though many dracomancers project an outward calm, they have the cunning a dragon and the strength of its jaws. Whether you were born to a territory or retreated from civilization, whether you chose your path or answered a call that whispered in your heart, you share a bond with the dragons. You may not be their master, but gold, silver, and bronze heed your words, for they recognize you as kin. Call to the souls of dragons, and their power will incinerate your foes, freeze armies to death, or strike down your enemies with lighting. Unleash your own soul, and you will become like them, uncaged and untamed.
Dracomancer Overview |
| Characteristics: You combine a number of potent ranged and area powers with the ability to take half-dragon form and bring the fight directly to your foes. Depending on the powers you choose, you can spend more combat time in half-dragon form or more in your humanoid form. |
| Religion: Most dracomancers are followers of Bahamut. Called the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. He commands his dracomancer followers to be constantly vigilant against evil dragons and oppose them on all fronts. However, some dracomancers are corrupted by their own power and become followers of Tiamat. Tiamat is the evil goddess of wealth, greed, and envy. She urges her followers to take vengeance for every slight, and is the patron of chromatic dragons. |
| Races: Elves and eladrin make excellent predator dracomancers, combining native insight and elemental harmony with grace and agility. Dwarves excel as guardian dracomancers; humans and goliath often follow that path as well. |
Dracomancer Class Features
Dracomancers have the following class features.
Draconic Balance
Some dracomancers favor being in half-dragon form, while others prefer being in humanoid form. However, just as dracomancers seek balance in the world between metallic and chromatic dragons, dracomancers pursue balance within their own minds and bodies. You begin with three at-will attack powers. Throughout your career, at least one of those powers, and no more than two, must have the half-dragon form keyword. By this means, you have access to useful attacks in either half-dragom form or humanoid form.
Draconic Aspect
In the beginning of the world, the gods gave life to the naked substance of the world forged by the primordials. During the days of creation, the gods forged countless mortal vessels, giving rise to all the races, beasts, and plants that would populate the world. But the deity Io chose to bend his will toward creating mortal vessels that would not only live in the world of elements, but would give life and soul to the elements themselves. To contain the awesome power of elements given life, Io had to shape mortal vessels of tremendous strength and hardiness. And so he created the most powerful of all mortal creatures: the dragons. As a dracomancer, you choose which aspect of the dragon you most strongly manifest with your powers. Choose one of these options. Your choice provides bonuses to certain dracomancer powers, as detailed in those powers.
- Draconic Predator: While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your speed.
- Draconic Guardian: While you are not wearing heavy armor, you can use your Constitution modifier in place of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to determine your AC.
Ritual Casting
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| Zodiac Ceremony by UdonCrew at DeviantArt |
You gain the Ritual Caster feat as a bonus feat, allowing you to use magical rituals. You own a ritual book, and it contains two rituals of your choice that you have mastered: Animal Messenger (Player’s Handbook, page 300) and another 1st-level ritual. Once per day, you can use Animal Messenger without expending components.
Dragon Shape
As a dracomancer, you have the ability to channel the elemental energy of dragons into your physical form and transform into a half-dragon. You have an at-will power, dragon shape, that allows you to assume the form of a half-dragon, and many dracomancer powers have the half-dragon form keyword and therefore can be used only while you are in half-dragon form. The dragon shape power lets you assume a form of your size that resembles a chromatic or metallic dragon, although certain half-dragon form powers specify changes to your form when you use them. When you create your character, if you want to be a chromatic half-dragon choose the variety red, white, blue or black. If you want to be a metallic half-dragon choose the variety, gold, silver, bronze or copper. The variety determines the element you resist while in half-dragon form as well as the damage type of your chromatic breath or metallic flash attack. This choice remains throughout your character's life and do not change the power's other effects.
Red: Resist 5 Fire
Gold: Resist 5 Fire
Brass: Resist 5 Fire
White: Resist 5 Cold
Silver: Resist 5 Cold
Blue: Resist 5 Lightning
Bronze: Resist 5 Lightning
Black: Resist 5 Acid
Copper: Resist 5 Acid
Chromatic Breath
You gain the power chromatic breath if you are a chromatic half-dragon. You can only use this power while in half-dragon form. Depending on the chromatic dragon variety of your half-dragon form the power’s damage type will be fire, cold, lightning or acid.
Red: Fire
White: Cold
Blue: Lightning
Black: Acid
Metallic Flash
You gain the power metallic flash if you are a metallic half-dragon. You can only use this power while in half-dragon form. Depending on the metallic dragon variety of your half-dragon form the power’s damage type will be fire, cold, lightning or acid.
Gold: Fire
Silver: Cold
Bronze: Lightning
Copper: Acid
Implements
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| + Dragon Lady + by kunkka at DeviantArt |
Dracomancers employ staffs and totems as a means of focusing their draconic power. Without an implement, you can still use these powers.
Creating A Dracomancer
Dracomancers rely on Wisdom, Dexterity, and Constitution for their powers. You can choose any powers you like, but many dracomancers choose powers that complement their choice of Draconic Aspect.
Predator Dracomancer
As a predator dracomancer, you hunt down and destroy those who would threaten to slay your dragons or steal their hoard. Yours is the magic of the bared fang, outstretched claw, and razor sharp wing. Your powers make striker your secondary role, with a focus on dealing significant damage along with your control effects. Make Wisdom your highest ability score to get the most out of your attacks, followed by Dexterity to enhance your predator powers.
- Suggested Feat: Draconic Fury, Enraged Half-Dragon Form
- Suggested Skills: Arcana, Athletics, Nature, Perception
- Suggested At-Will Powers: fire bolt, dragon pounce, savage rend
- Suggested Encounter Power: darting bite
- Suggested Daily Power: savage frenzy
Guardian Dracomancer
As a guardian dracomancer, you are a protector of your dragons territory and those who rely on it. Yours is the magic of swirling flames, deadly ice, and merciless storms, the enduring aspects of elements that outlive any mortal king. Your powers incline you toward leader as a secondary role. Wisdom should be your highest ability score, since your attack powers rely on it, but make Constitution your second-best score to heighten your endurance and your guardian powers.
- Suggested Feat: Draconic Instinct, Ferocious Half-Dragon Form
- Suggested Skills: Arcana, Endurance, Insight, Nature
- Suggested At-Will Powers: call of the dragon, chilling shout, grasping claws
- Suggested Encounter Power: frost flash
- Suggested Daily Power: fires of life
Dracomancer Powers
Your powers are evocations that call on the power of dragons to alter your physical form and hamper your enemies. You call up blasts of fire from the ground, summon lightning from the sky, engulf your enemies in blizzard, or transform yourself into a mighty half-dragon whose roar can shake your foes with fear.
Class Features
Each dracomancer has the powers dragon shape and chromatic breath or metallic flash.
| Dragon Shape | Dracomancer Class Feature |
| You assume your half-dragon form or return to your humanoid form. | |
At-Will  Polymorph, Draconic
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| Minor Action | Personal |
| Effect: You change from your humanoid form to half-dragon form or vice versa. When you change from half-dragon form back to your humanoid form, you shift 1 square. While you are in half-dragon form, you can’t use attack, utility, or feat powers that lack the half-dragon form keyword, although you can sustain such powers. The half-dragon form is your size and resembles a chromatic or metallic dragon. Your equipment becomes part of your half-dragon form, but you drop anything you are holding, except implements you can use. You continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear. You can use the properties and the powers of implements as well as magic items that you wear, but not the properties or the powers of weapons or the powers of wondrous items. While equipment is part of your half-dragon form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of your half-dragon form is inaccessible. | |
| Special: You can only use this power once per round. When you create your character, if you want to be a chromatic half-dragon choose the variety red, white, blue or black. If you want to be a metallic half-dragon choose the variety, gold, silver, bronze or copper. The variety determines the element you resist while in half-dragon form as well as the damage type of your chromatic or metallic flash attack. This choice remains throughout your character's life and do not change the power's other effects.
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| Chromatic Breath | Dracomancer Class Feature |
| As you open your mouth with a roar, the destructive power of your chromatic kin blasts forth to engulf your foes. | |
| Encounter Acid, Cold, Fire or Lighting
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| Minor Action | Close blast 3 |
| Target: All creatures in blast | |
| Attack: Wisdom + 2 Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: 1d6 + Wisdom modifier damage. | |
| Increase to +4 bonus and 2d6 + Wisdom modifier damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 3d6 + Wisdom modifier damage at 21st level. | |
| Special: You can only use this power while in half-dragon form. The chromatic dragon variety of your half-dragon form determines the power's damage type.
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| Metallic Flash | Dracomancer Class Feature |
| As you inhale, the deadly power of your metallic kin flares around you. When you shout, a flash of energy knocks your enemies to the ground. | |
| Encounter Acid, Cold, Fire or Lighting
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| Minor Action | Close burst 1 |
| Target: All creatures in burst | |
| Attack: Wisdom + 2 Vs. Reflex | |
| Hit: 1d6 + Wisdom modifier damage and you knock the target prone. | |
| Increase to +4 bonus and 2d6 + Wisdom modifier damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 3d6 + Wisdom modifier damage at 21st level. | |
| Special: You can only use this power while in half-dragon form. The metallic dragon variety of your half-dragon form determines the power's damage type.
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Choosing Dracomancer Powers
As you choose dracomancer powers, you have two factors to consider. One is how the powers fit into your character concept—whether you imagine your character as more of a predator or more of a guardian. The other is how much time you envision spending in half-dragon form. This factor is independent of your choice of build; both predator dracomancers and guardian dracomancers can choose powers that are mostly used in half-dragon form or mostly used in humanoid form. But it’s important for how your dracomancer feels during play. The easiest strategy is to choose the power at each level that appeals to you most. If most of those powers are half-dragon form powers, then you’ll spend a lot of time in half-dragon form, using powers that you enjoy. If most of those powers are ranged and area powers you use in humanoid form, that will change the way you play your character. As long as you enjoy the powers you’re using, that’s fine. If you need more guidance, choose half-dragon form powers for about half of your powers. At 1st level, choose one or two half-dragon form at-will attack powers, then choose either a half-dragon form encounter power or a half-dragon form daily power. As you advance in levels, continue trying to balance your power selections between half-dragon form powers and other powers. A list can be found Dracomancer Powers (4e Power List).
Dracomancer Feats
| Name | Description |
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| Dragon's Rage | Your power in your dragon form swells and you lash at others with it. |
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