Quietus
2009-06-03, 06:42 PM
An idea I've had for my world of Vethedar is a new race of draconic-blooded humans, to allow me to directly tie draconic feel into the low level game without having to go overboard using actual dragons. I'm open to suggestions on how to better balance them, and I'm toying with giving them low-light/darkvision rather than the +2 spot/listen bonus.
Dragonkin (name in progress)
The reason for their appearance is a mystery, but of late, some rare children have been born to fully Human parents who bear some trace of draconic blood. At birth, these people - dragonkin, as they've come to be called - seem to be perfectly normal human children. On reaching puberty, however, they begin to take on some minor draconic traits, growing a thin sheen of scales over their body, and a much clearer sense of individuality borne of their distinct difference from those around them. Some even grow small horns, or vestigal tails, though these are uncommon even among the few who undergo these changes.
Scholars who have studied the process have been unable to tell the exact reason why these children have taken on monstrous traits, but the most common suggestion is that many, many generations back, there was true Dragon blood in their bloodline, and some convergence has caused it to wake in these children after having been all but bred out. Less plausible, but still occasionally accepted theories exist, such as the possibility of nefarious forces at work forcibly changing these children, or that they are an omen of times to come, a forewarning of sorts that Dragons are beginning to rise in power once more. Some even fear that they mark the reawakening of Maulisauna.
Whatever the reason, these children are at best mistrusted, and at worst beaten and killed for what they are. The common people of Vethedar have fought long and hard to throw off the shackles of slavery at the hands of Dragons, and the sudden appearance of draconic blood among their own children is, for many, an abomination fit only for destruction. It doesn't help the dragonkin's case that they aren't all that different from the humans that persecute them, and are just as vulnerable to sword and fist as anyone else. Their scales do afford them some protection, but ultimately, they also restrict their movement, making them slightly awkward. The only saving grace they have is that by virtue of their draconic blood, they also come naturally into sorcery; Magic runs in their very veins, and many dragonkin - even those that don't spend their time honing that power - can cast at least some of the weakest cantrips.
Racial traits
-2 dex, +2 cha - Dragonkin's scales get in the way of their movement, but magical power flows strong in their veins.
Medium : As medium creatures, dragonkin have no special bonuses or penalties due to size
Dragonkin base land speed is 30 feet
+1 Natural Armor
+4 racial bonus on saving throws against Sleep and Paralysis effects
+2 racial bonus on Spot, Listen, and Intimidate checks; Dragonkin inherit their ancestor's sharp senses, and can play on the general fear of Dragons that many still possess.
Automatic languages : Common
Favored Class : Sorcerer
Dragonkin (name in progress)
The reason for their appearance is a mystery, but of late, some rare children have been born to fully Human parents who bear some trace of draconic blood. At birth, these people - dragonkin, as they've come to be called - seem to be perfectly normal human children. On reaching puberty, however, they begin to take on some minor draconic traits, growing a thin sheen of scales over their body, and a much clearer sense of individuality borne of their distinct difference from those around them. Some even grow small horns, or vestigal tails, though these are uncommon even among the few who undergo these changes.
Scholars who have studied the process have been unable to tell the exact reason why these children have taken on monstrous traits, but the most common suggestion is that many, many generations back, there was true Dragon blood in their bloodline, and some convergence has caused it to wake in these children after having been all but bred out. Less plausible, but still occasionally accepted theories exist, such as the possibility of nefarious forces at work forcibly changing these children, or that they are an omen of times to come, a forewarning of sorts that Dragons are beginning to rise in power once more. Some even fear that they mark the reawakening of Maulisauna.
Whatever the reason, these children are at best mistrusted, and at worst beaten and killed for what they are. The common people of Vethedar have fought long and hard to throw off the shackles of slavery at the hands of Dragons, and the sudden appearance of draconic blood among their own children is, for many, an abomination fit only for destruction. It doesn't help the dragonkin's case that they aren't all that different from the humans that persecute them, and are just as vulnerable to sword and fist as anyone else. Their scales do afford them some protection, but ultimately, they also restrict their movement, making them slightly awkward. The only saving grace they have is that by virtue of their draconic blood, they also come naturally into sorcery; Magic runs in their very veins, and many dragonkin - even those that don't spend their time honing that power - can cast at least some of the weakest cantrips.
Racial traits
-2 dex, +2 cha - Dragonkin's scales get in the way of their movement, but magical power flows strong in their veins.
Medium : As medium creatures, dragonkin have no special bonuses or penalties due to size
Dragonkin base land speed is 30 feet
+1 Natural Armor
+4 racial bonus on saving throws against Sleep and Paralysis effects
+2 racial bonus on Spot, Listen, and Intimidate checks; Dragonkin inherit their ancestor's sharp senses, and can play on the general fear of Dragons that many still possess.
Automatic languages : Common
Favored Class : Sorcerer