Viktyr Gehrig
2011-04-17, 08:16 AM
Crossposted at Paizo and EN World.
I've been a little obsessed with the Dragonfire Adept lately. It's my new favorite class for 3.X, and I wanted to write it up for use in Pathfinder, if ever I'm lucky enough to find a DM who will allow 3.5 material and/or crazy homebrew stuff.
One thing I try to do when converting material over is to combine thematically similar classes, since there's generally more classes than there is conceptual space to house them, and it goes a long way in covering the difference between 3.5 classes and Pathfinder classes. In this case, I've combined the Dragon Shaman with the Dragonfire Adept; I see little need for two firebreathing dragon worshiping base classes, and the Dragonfire Adept is already capable of imitating (or surpassing) everything the Dragon Shaman can do.
I gave the new class everything that the two classes had in common, and then the major features of both classes. The Dragonfire Adept loses Damage Reduction and Dragonkin, which it can regain with the appropriate draconic auras. The Dragon Shaman loses Draconic Adaptation, Touch of Vitality, Energy Immunity, and Commune with Dragon Spirit, most of which can be replaced with invocations.
Touch of Vitality was a sticky issue, because it's the one thing that the Dragonfire Adept couldn't naturally imitate; in the 3.5 rules it was a pumped up versions of Lay on Hands, while in Pathfinder it would be a pale imitation. I was tempted to give them a comparable ability, but I'm already worried about the class being overpowered. I did give it to the dragonfire/divine multicaster Prestige Class, and I'm considering adding it back at the expense of reducing the BAB and HD and limiting the breath weapon to once every 1d4 rounds. Of course... that would turn around and make them eligible for metabreath feats, and leave them with nothing to do on the rounds between breath weapons.
Dragonfire Adept
HD: d8
BAB: Medium
Saves: Good Fort and Will
Proficiencies: Simple weapons, no armor or shield.
Skill Points: 4 + Int mod
Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge, Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, Use Magic Device.
Breath Weapon: As Dragonfire Adept, damage increases by +1d6 every odd level. Length of the breath weapon doubles at 10th level and 20th level.
Invocations: As Dragonfire Adept.
Draconic Aura: As Dragon Shaman, except the Dragonfire Adept starts with only 1 Draconic Aura and learns 1 additional aura at 4th level and every 4th level thereafter.
Dragontouched: As the feat.
Natural Armor: At 2nd level, the Dragonfire Adept's natural armor improves by +1, and another +1 at 6th level and every four levels thereafter.
Bonus Feat: At 4th level and every 4th level thereafter, Dragonfire Adepts may pick a bonus feat from the following list: Any Draconic feat, Draconic Aura, Extra Breath Effect, Extra Invocation, Ability Focus (breath weapon or individual invocation), Skill Focus (any class skill).
Draconic Resolve: At 4th level, Dragonfire Adepts gain a +1 bonus to saving throws versus sleep, paralysis, and fear effects. This bonus improves by +1 at 8th level and every 4th level thereafter.
Apotheosis: At 20th level, the Dragonfire Adept's type changes to dragon. He becomes immune to sleep and paralysis effects. He gains low-light vision and darkvision 60 feet if he does not already possess them. A 20th level Dragonfire Adept does not suffer any penalties for aging.
And now, to make the Dragonfire Adept multiclass friendly, the Prestige Classes. I kept the names Dragonheart Mage and Dragon Shaman because they're evocative, and the classes themselves have similar function to the original classes of those names; the Dragonheart Mage focuses on his breath weapon while the Dragon Shaman focuses on his auras and gains additional healing.
Dragonheart Mage:
Add breath weapon 2d6 and spontaneous 2nd level arcane spells to the prerequisite list; if character has a bloodline it must be Draconic. Reduce Knowledge (arcana) ranks to 5.
The Dragonheart Mage loses Draconic Breath and bonus Draconic feats.
At every level except 1st and 6th, Dragonheart Mage grants +1 caster level in an arcane class and an invocation class.
Dragonfire Adept and Dragonheart Mage levels stack for breath effect prerequisites and Dragonheart Mage grants a breath effect at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level.
Apotheosis at 10th.
Like the Dragon Disciple, levels in Dragonheart Mage stack with levels of Sorcerer for Draconic bloodline abilities.
Dragon Shaman:
Prerequisites: breath weapon, least invocations, 1st level divine, 6 ranks in Knowledge (religion) and Knowledge (arcana), speak Draconic.
3/4 BAB
Grants +1 caster level to divine and invocation class each level.
Touch of Vitality: Lay on Hands as Paladin of class level, has no effect on Undead; stacks with Paladin level if any.
Mercy every even level.
Dragonfire Adept and Dragon Shaman levels stack to determine aura effects.
Commune as spell-like with no material component 1/week at 10th.
I've been a little obsessed with the Dragonfire Adept lately. It's my new favorite class for 3.X, and I wanted to write it up for use in Pathfinder, if ever I'm lucky enough to find a DM who will allow 3.5 material and/or crazy homebrew stuff.
One thing I try to do when converting material over is to combine thematically similar classes, since there's generally more classes than there is conceptual space to house them, and it goes a long way in covering the difference between 3.5 classes and Pathfinder classes. In this case, I've combined the Dragon Shaman with the Dragonfire Adept; I see little need for two firebreathing dragon worshiping base classes, and the Dragonfire Adept is already capable of imitating (or surpassing) everything the Dragon Shaman can do.
I gave the new class everything that the two classes had in common, and then the major features of both classes. The Dragonfire Adept loses Damage Reduction and Dragonkin, which it can regain with the appropriate draconic auras. The Dragon Shaman loses Draconic Adaptation, Touch of Vitality, Energy Immunity, and Commune with Dragon Spirit, most of which can be replaced with invocations.
Touch of Vitality was a sticky issue, because it's the one thing that the Dragonfire Adept couldn't naturally imitate; in the 3.5 rules it was a pumped up versions of Lay on Hands, while in Pathfinder it would be a pale imitation. I was tempted to give them a comparable ability, but I'm already worried about the class being overpowered. I did give it to the dragonfire/divine multicaster Prestige Class, and I'm considering adding it back at the expense of reducing the BAB and HD and limiting the breath weapon to once every 1d4 rounds. Of course... that would turn around and make them eligible for metabreath feats, and leave them with nothing to do on the rounds between breath weapons.
Dragonfire Adept
HD: d8
BAB: Medium
Saves: Good Fort and Will
Proficiencies: Simple weapons, no armor or shield.
Skill Points: 4 + Int mod
Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge, Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival, Use Magic Device.
Breath Weapon: As Dragonfire Adept, damage increases by +1d6 every odd level. Length of the breath weapon doubles at 10th level and 20th level.
Invocations: As Dragonfire Adept.
Draconic Aura: As Dragon Shaman, except the Dragonfire Adept starts with only 1 Draconic Aura and learns 1 additional aura at 4th level and every 4th level thereafter.
Dragontouched: As the feat.
Natural Armor: At 2nd level, the Dragonfire Adept's natural armor improves by +1, and another +1 at 6th level and every four levels thereafter.
Bonus Feat: At 4th level and every 4th level thereafter, Dragonfire Adepts may pick a bonus feat from the following list: Any Draconic feat, Draconic Aura, Extra Breath Effect, Extra Invocation, Ability Focus (breath weapon or individual invocation), Skill Focus (any class skill).
Draconic Resolve: At 4th level, Dragonfire Adepts gain a +1 bonus to saving throws versus sleep, paralysis, and fear effects. This bonus improves by +1 at 8th level and every 4th level thereafter.
Apotheosis: At 20th level, the Dragonfire Adept's type changes to dragon. He becomes immune to sleep and paralysis effects. He gains low-light vision and darkvision 60 feet if he does not already possess them. A 20th level Dragonfire Adept does not suffer any penalties for aging.
And now, to make the Dragonfire Adept multiclass friendly, the Prestige Classes. I kept the names Dragonheart Mage and Dragon Shaman because they're evocative, and the classes themselves have similar function to the original classes of those names; the Dragonheart Mage focuses on his breath weapon while the Dragon Shaman focuses on his auras and gains additional healing.
Dragonheart Mage:
Add breath weapon 2d6 and spontaneous 2nd level arcane spells to the prerequisite list; if character has a bloodline it must be Draconic. Reduce Knowledge (arcana) ranks to 5.
The Dragonheart Mage loses Draconic Breath and bonus Draconic feats.
At every level except 1st and 6th, Dragonheart Mage grants +1 caster level in an arcane class and an invocation class.
Dragonfire Adept and Dragonheart Mage levels stack for breath effect prerequisites and Dragonheart Mage grants a breath effect at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level.
Apotheosis at 10th.
Like the Dragon Disciple, levels in Dragonheart Mage stack with levels of Sorcerer for Draconic bloodline abilities.
Dragon Shaman:
Prerequisites: breath weapon, least invocations, 1st level divine, 6 ranks in Knowledge (religion) and Knowledge (arcana), speak Draconic.
3/4 BAB
Grants +1 caster level to divine and invocation class each level.
Touch of Vitality: Lay on Hands as Paladin of class level, has no effect on Undead; stacks with Paladin level if any.
Mercy every even level.
Dragonfire Adept and Dragon Shaman levels stack to determine aura effects.
Commune as spell-like with no material component 1/week at 10th.