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Krimm_Blackleaf
2009-02-02, 12:02 AM
Draconic Partisan
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/Nny2/DraconicPartisan.jpg
Draena Razormane, green dragon totem draconic partisan

Dragons are known to be superior creatures to most others in almost every respect. One aspect most dragons share is that they are masters of close combat, attacking with tooth and claw and if at a distance, with breath weapons. Draconic partisans are humans in worship or devotion to a particular type of dragon, gaining skill with their breath weapon and most of all with their martial talent. Each draconic partisan working through the use of an energy-based discipline as associated with their breath weapon, disciplines first through to have been taught by the ancient dragons themselves.

HD: d10

Requirements
BAB: +4
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 6 ranks, Martial Lore 2 ranks, Speak Language (Draconic) and at least 6 ranks in one of your Totem Dragon's class skills.
Feats: Heighten Breath (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Heighten_Breath,all)
Maneuvers: Ability to use 2nd level maneuvers of the Desert Wind, Shocking Sky, Frozen Zephyr or Caustic Tempest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67570) disciplines, including at least once stance. The associated energy type of the discipline(or variant thereof) must be the same as the damage type as your breath weapon.
Draconic Auras: Must be able to use 4 draconic auras, including the aura of Power.
Special: Must spend at least one month training with your totem dragon, sparring and facing combat with him. Whether it is fatal or not is up to the DM. Must have the breath weapon class feature.

Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Martial Lore, Search, Swim, Tumble and the three class skills associated with your totem dragon(see dragon shaman).
Skill-points per level: 4+Int modifier

{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Blades of breath, breath weapon, draconic auras
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Strike of dragon's fire
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Skin of dragon's scales
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Breathstrike
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Great dragon's breath stance
6th|+6|+5|+2|+2|Improved skin of dragon's scales
7th|+7|+5|+2|+2|Talent of dragonkin
8th|+8|+6|+2|+2|Draconic wings
9th|+9|+6|+3|+3|Great skin of dragon's scales
10th|+10|+7|+3|+3|Stance of dragon's blood
[/table]

{table="head"]Level|Man. Known|Man. Readied|Stances Known
1st|1|0|0
2nd|0|1|0
3rd|1|0|0
4th|0|0|0
5th|1|0|1
6th|0|1|0
7th|1|0|0
8th|0|0|0
9th|1|0|0
10th|0|1|0
[/table]

Weapon and armor proficiencies: Draconic partisans gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers: At every odd-numbered level, a draconic partisan gains new maneuvers known from the Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw disciplines, as well as the Desert Wind, Shocking Sky, Frozen Zephyr or Caustic Tempest disciplines, depending on the type of damage your breath weapon deals. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it. You add your full draconic partisan levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
At 2nd, 6th and 10th levels, you gain additional maneuvers readied per day.

Stances: At 5th level, you learn a new martial stance from the Stone Dragon and Tiger Claw disciplines, as well as the Desert Wind, Shocking Sky, Frozen Zephyr or Caustic Tempest disciplines, depending on the type of damage your breath weapon deals.. You must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.

Blades of Breath (Su): The weapons you wield hold the same power as the breath of the dragons you worship or bond with. Any melee weapon you wield deals an additional amount of damage equal to 1d6 plus your Cha modifier.

Breath Weapon: Your breath weapon and martial talent continue to advance down the same path at once. Your draconic partisan and dragon shaman levels stack to determine the strength and power of your breath weapon class feature.

Draconic Auras: In addition to your martial skill and draconic breath abilities, your powerful auras continue to advance as well. Your draconic partisan and dragon shaman levels stack for determining the number of draconic auras you have and the power of the auras.

Strike of Dragon's Fire (Su): At 2nd level, you gain a special strike that draws your breath from you to surround your weapon to strike out at your foes. This is treated just as a normal martial maneuver: you must ready it and expend it normally. It is a 4th level strike, and belongs to either the Desert Wind, Caustic Tempest, Frozen Zephyr or Shocking Sky discipline, depending on what type of energy your breath weapon does. By initiating this maneuver, you must take a full round action to make two melee attacks, which need not be focused on a single target. Each attack takes a -2 penalty to the roll, but if each one strikes it deals an additional amount of damage equal to your breath weapon, and of the same energy type. This damage does not stack with the blades of breath class feature(see above).

Skin of Dragon's Scales (Ex): At 3rd level, your skin takes on the traits of your totem dragon, taking on a color and shine like theirs as well as thick scales. You gain DR 5/magic and a +2 natural armor bonus.

Breathstrike (Su): At 4th level, you gain the unique ability to use your martial talents through your very breath weapon. Once per encounter, you may channel any martial strike or boost through your breath weapon just as if anyone caught in it were struck by it in melee. If the victim of the breath weapon makes their Ref save for half damage, and the maneuver used with the breathstrike has a saving throw, the victim gains a +2 bonus against it. If they have the evasion or improved evasion class features, they instead gain the ability to avoid the strike entirely. At 8th level, you may instead use it twice per encounter.

Great Dragon's Breath Stance (Su): At 5th level, you learn a stance that enhances the effects of your breath weapon on those it overcomes. You take a swift action to lose the benefits of any stance you're in to gain the benefits granted by this stance. When you are in this stance, your breath weapons have a secondary effect. The save DC for all of these abilities are equal to 10+half your initiator level+Con modifier.
{table="head"]Dmg. type|Sec. effect
Fire|Your victim must make a second Reflex save, if he fails he catches fire. The target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage each round. If desired, the target can use a full-round action to attempt to extinguish the flames before taking this additional damage. Extinguishing the flames requires a Reflex save. Rolling on the ground provides the target a +2 bonus on the save. Leaping into a lake or magically extinguishing the flames automatically smothers the fire.
Cold|The victim must make a Fort save or be effected by frostbite. The rules for frostbite are covered in the Frostburn supplement book.
Electricity|The victim must make a Fort save or be stunned for one round.
Acid|The victim must make an additional Ref save or take half the damage of the breath weapon the next round.
[/table]

Improved Skin of Dragon's Scales (Ex): At 6th level, your hue of skin and thickness of scales improve beyond what they were before. Your DR increases to 10/magic and your natural armor becomes +4 instead of +2.

Talent of Dragonkin (Ex): Your skill in your totem dragon's arsenal improves through natural talent. At 7th level, you add your Cha modifier to all skill checks of the associated class skills of your totem dragon. If you already add your Cha to said skills, you instead add double your Cha modifier.

Dragon Wings (Ex): At 8th level, a pair of great leathery wings much like those of your totem dragon spring from your back. You gain a fly speed equal to twice your base land speed with average maneuverability.

Great Skin of Dragon's Scales (Ex): Your skin becomes ever thicker, to become almost identical to dragon's scales. At 9th level, your DR increases to 15/magic and your natural armor becomes +6 instead of +4.

Stance of Dragon's Blood (Su): At 10th level you gain the ultimate in the exploitation of your devotion to your totem dragon. You take a swift action to lose the benefits of any stance you're in to gain the benefits granted by this stance. While in this stance, you gain the half-dragon template, with the exception of the breath weapon feature of the template(using your own breath weapon instead). The type of dragon used with the template must be of the same type as your totem dragon.

Stycotl
2009-02-02, 02:54 AM
looks pretty good. i almost thought that the capstone wasn't worth it; it seemed a little too close to what you already had as a dragon shaman and draconic partisan. but as i look at it, you still get a +4 natural armor on top of what ever else you had, a couple of hefty ability bonuses, and some measly bite and claw attacks. so it's not all that bad.

other than that, the only gripe i have is the name. partisan doesn't even remotely sound like what i think you were going for. that's a minor issue though. over all, i like this and will probably use it.

Pramxnim
2009-02-04, 03:26 AM
Really nice class there! Now you've made me want to play a Dragon Shaman/Swordsage character. It's too bad the DMs I usually play with don't like ToB too much.

There's just one thing I notice about the class that seems to be a typo. It seems you've intended the class to be accessible by 7th lvl (BAB of +4 is available at 6th lvl for a 3/4 BAB class, 4 auras and breath weapon are accessible at Dragon Shaman 4), however one cannot have 3rd level maneuvers at lvl 6 unless you play in a Gestalt game. That is because of how Initiator levels stack for multiclassing adept classes.

To be able to use 3rd level maneuvers, you need an IL of at least 5, but the only combination that would satisfy this requirement (taking into account the others as well) is Dragon Shaman 4/Swordsage 3, since only half the Dragon Shaman levels count as Initiator Levels. I suggest you lower the level of the maneuver required to 2, since with the other requirements, a character would still need to be at least level 6 before he can take this prestige class.

Other than that, nice work!

Krimm_Blackleaf
2009-02-04, 03:58 AM
Really nice class there! Now you've made me want to play a Dragon Shaman/Swordsage character. It's too bad the DMs I usually play with don't like ToB too much.

There's just one thing I notice about the class that seems to be a typo. It seems you've intended the class to be accessible by 7th lvl (BAB of +4 is available at 6th lvl for a 3/4 BAB class, 4 auras and breath weapon are accessible at Dragon Shaman 4), however one cannot have 3rd level maneuvers at lvl 6 unless you play in a Gestalt game. That is because of how Initiator levels stack for multiclassing adept classes.

To be able to use 3rd level maneuvers, you need an IL of at least 5, but the only combination that would satisfy this requirement (taking into account the others as well) is Dragon Shaman 4/Swordsage 3, since only half the Dragon Shaman levels count as Initiator Levels. I suggest you lower the level of the maneuver required to 2, since with the other requirements, a character would still need to be at least level 6 before he can take this prestige class.

Other than that, nice work!

Oh woops, I meant to type 2nd but I guess at the time I was thinking about the number 3 for one reason or another... I'll edit that.

Pramxnim
2009-02-08, 04:18 AM
Ah, I've just noticed one more thing that's not quite there with the class. You've listed Knowledge (Arcana) as a prerequisite skill, however neither the Dragon Shaman nor the Swordsage get that as a class skill. Now I know this is already homebrew and that there are sure to be other homebrew martial adept classes that have knowledge (arcana) as a class skill, but as it is the class can only be accessible by 8th level by a normal Dragon Shaman 4/ Swordsage 2 or through some contrived thinking to acquire Knowledge (arcana) as a class skill. That or someone will homebrew the skill into one of these existing classes.

I think that's just too clunky. Now I know that Knowledge (arcana) covers dragons, but as the readily available non-homebrew classes that lead up to this class don't gain that as a class skill, maybe you might want to consider changing it to another skill. Knowledge (nature) maybe? That or include somewhere that Dragon Shamans may take Knowledge (arcana) as a class skill if the player ever wants to aspire to be this class.

Cheers!