Your favorite dragon magazine content?

[Voidstar01]

So I was looking through dragon magazine #331 for some extra familiar power stuff, normally I just look in the glossary and flip to the relevant page, but I couldn't find it in the glossary causing me to actually look through most of the magazine and I realized some of the stuff in there is pretty cool. I'm a university student so I don't exactly have time to read through all 400(?) issues of dragon, so i'm starting this thread to ask your favorite things from Dragon magazine (things a player can use), it doesn't need to be strong, just cool, unslotted +1 bonuses to skills like in #331 are also cool.

Edit: Please give an issue number if you can remember.

[Vizzerdrix]

Im a huge fan of the chocobo, plant companion, and the monster animal companions.

[StevenC21]

Easy Metamagic feats.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Mind Mage, for sure. #313.

[Troacctid]

There's a ton of issues, but only about 70 of them in the 3rd edition era, so it's not as overwhelming as you might think at first blush!

I love a lot of the stuff in Dragon Magazine. The first things that come to mind for me today: magical weather and the aeromancer prestige class; that one article with the bard prestige classes; and the Class Acts feature in general.

[pabelfly]

All the fighter variants in Dragon 310. Especially Kensai, Exoticist and Targetteer.

[Silvercrys]

Seconding the Fighter variants, they're pretty cool.

Also the variant Complete Adventurer Ninja in #354. Most of them are pretty terrible because they replace Ghost Step which is kind of required for Sudden Strike to even work... but I appreciate the attempt, anyway.

[martixy]

In 3.5 era: The Demonomicon of Iggwilv.
Also all of Dragon #359.

[Palanan]

My hands-down favorite is the Mystic Ranger, from #336.

I also like the Greensinger from #311, as well as several other items from that same issue.

[Bronk]

So I was looking through dragon magazine #331 for some extra familiar power stuff...

Actually, I’ve always thought the alternate magic conveyances from 331 were great, but especially the image of flying around in a hollowed out beholder...

[CIDE]

I have a few top picks. Someone already mentioned the Demonomicon. Time Dragons top the list too. Additionally, I love the monk variants. The Wildshape monk is just fun.

[Thurbane]

Off the top of my head: Knowstones. Dragon 333, from memory. Sorcerers best friend (also Bards, Favored Soul etc.) - use your WBL for more spells known. Slotless items too, which is nice.

[Arkhios]

Can't remember the issue, but it was the first Dragon Magazine I ever read and it had that article about Dark Sun (I was new to D&D back then and had never heard of it before). I was sold for the setting the moment I read it.

[CIDE]

Off the top of my head: Knowstones. Dragon 333, from memory. Sorcerers best friend (also Bards, Favored Soul etc.) - use your WBL for more spells known. Slotless items too, which is nice.

I completely forgot about those!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

The Harbinger variant Bard is pretty cool. Replaces all the buffing allies with debuffing enemies. Issue 337.

[Doctor Awkward]

By far, my favorite Dragon Mag content is the Charlatan prestige class in issue #335 on page 62.

It's a 5-level class that was the winner of the Origins prestige class design contest. It's the ultimate expression of "fake it until you make it" that specializes in the Bluff skill to pretend that you are actually an all-powerful archmage. Up to and including actually being able to counterspell with a successful Bluff check. I played one in a mid-level campaign with a changeling rogue/charlatan/chameleon named Thix and it was easily one of my most favorite characters.

[DrMotives]

#345 has sea serpents, which I really liked the way they handled them. They're true dragons, minus sorcery & wings but plus constricting attacks. It's really a little weird that such a classic monster as a sea serpent doesn't appear in a MM, in any edition that I've played.

[Saintheart]

Masters of the Four Winds, basically four themed prestige classes for monks. Dragon 314, and the article indicates the order's headquarters are a palace atop a mountain whose spires and minarets have been replaced with giant windmills. Just lovely fluff and not-bad prestige classes.

[Aniikinis]

From the Dragon Compendium
Races:
Diabolus - Demonic looking people who aren't demonic at all and actually react the same way to humans that humans would to seeing them.
Tibbit - Cat shapeshifters that are small
Lupin - Wolf-people who hate werewolves and all kinds of lycanthropes

Classes:
Death Master - Not too good but it's a nice way of making things that shouldn't be liches into liches
Jester(Base) - Reverse bard with like no support outside of the book, though I personally allow most bard stuff to work with it even though that goes against RAW
Mountebank - Infernal, diplomatic rogue
Force Missile Mage - Magic Missile: The Class. It's not super good imo

From 330
Lots of Far Realm Goodness
Lots of semi-useful tools for assassins and rogues
Some snake-based spells
Jester(Prestige) - Meh. It's only really notable that it made me do a double take the first time I saw it.
Various variant classes
The Commoner flaws and the wonderful Chicken Infested flaw that can break the game easily

From 350
Beliefs of Wee Jas
Arcane Pollution effects
Planetouched that are somewhat okay and the Worghest which is just cool
Extra clockwork horrors
Magical Items
Time Magic
Some more soulmelds, a psionic god, and some feats for archery

[WhamBamSam]

Death Master - Not too good but it's a nice way of making things that shouldn't be liches into liches

Mountebank - Infernal, diplomatic rogueI think Death Master is actually quite a good class. The list is small, but solid. Discounted Animate Dead is cool. The undead minion is really good at low levels and after level 9 you get it back every hour, which can be a lot of fun.

Mountebank is quite bad, but a class that I like for the flavor and the Alter Self SLA.

The Fighter variants others have mentioned are indeed cool.

I'll admit to liking the Commoner flaws and Martial Monk, even if I recognize them as bad design.

Eldritch Claws and Beast Strike are cool.

Cobalt Dragons from Dragon 356 are one of my favorite dragon varieties. I also really like Tome and Hex Dragons from 343, Dragon Psychoses from 313, and the Archdragon templates from 321 (though they're significantly under-CRed at only +1).

[Malphegor]

Alternative Source Spell, Dragon 325.

Honestly, too many builds would be more elegant with it.

Basically it lets you prepare an arcane spell as a divine spell and vice versa (with a tiny caster level decrease), which allows for things like wearing armor and ignoring certain specific caveats with spells.

[unseenmage]

The Kaiju template and the War Magic Study feat have provided loads of fun.

Theres an article that gives stats for some of the creatures from Shadow of the Colossus and another article that gives stats for the FF chocobo. I've enjoyed those as well.

[Buufreak]

By far, my favorite Dragon Mag content is the Charlatan prestige class in issue #335 on page 62.

It's a 5-level class that was the winner of the Origins prestige class design contest. It's the ultimate expression of "fake it until you make it" that specializes in the Bluff skill to pretend that you are actually an all-powerful archmage. Up to and including actually being able to counterspell with a successful Bluff check. I played one in a mid-level campaign with a changeling rogue/charlatan/chameleon named Thix and it was easily one of my most favorite characters.

I have for literal months been thinking of how to do this without any real casting or UMD abuse. Thank you, good sir.

[Vizzerdrix]

The Kaiju template and the War Magic Study feat have provided loads of fun.

Theres an article that gives stats for some of the creatures from Shadow of the Colossus and another article that gives stats for the FF chocobo. I've enjoyed those as well.

Yay! Another mention for chocobos! :smallbiggrin:

They are in issue 323.

[Uncle Pine]

A few assorted pieces of content that I really enjoyed:
- the "Ecology of the X" column as a whole (honorary mention to the gorgon's in Dragon #97, ettercap's in Dragon #343, and rust monster's in Dragon #346)
- ready-drink helm and gnome battlepack from Dragon #294
- "modern" magic items from Dragon #327
- Chicken Infested flaw and Searing Seed spell from Dragon #330 (note: both are exactly what they sound like)
- brainstealer dragon and illithocyte from Dragon #337
- Imbued Staff ACF from Dragon #338
- sea serpents from Dragon #345
- the d&d-styled dice and card games also from Dragon #346
- City Brawler ACF for Barbarians from Dragon #349
- Spell Sovereign PrC from Dragon #357 (when combined with changeling wizard 5 substitution level from RoE)

[WhamBamSam]

Spell Sovereign PrC from Dragon #357 (when combined with changeling wizard 5 substitution level from RoE)Oh yeah, Spell Sovereign is great fun and also reminds me of Extra Familiar from Dragon 280, which can be of help to builds of that nature.

[Bronk]

Hmm, I also like Golden the Clockwork Cat from Dragon 299, and also the Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows and the Girdle of Hate from Dragon 314. The pirate themed magic items from 318 are fun, especially the Ship in a Bottle. The Claw Extenders from 334 are useful.

[bean illus]

My favorite Dragon magazine content is the issue, back during AD&D where a module takes you through Disney World. It was written by my schoolmate the year after we graduated high school.

[Kaleph]

Dragon #315 is probably my favorite issue, as it contains a lot of hints/extra rules to "convert" old settings into the 3.5 - planescape being one of them. It also contains one of my favorite base classes: the sha'ir.
This vintage-settings-stream had also some follow-up issues, I guess around #335.

Dragon #318 has the oriental adventures 3.5 update, which is also cool since I liked the original splatbook.

[Flame of Anor]

Dead Eye: add your Dex bonus to ranged damage! Only within 30' but it's still neat.

Backstab, Improved Combat Reflexes, Two-Weapon Attack of Opportunity, etc.: put your rogue in flanking position, and they get effectively a free full attack (with sneak attack damage) if the enemy swings at someone else.

And of course who can forget Chicken-Infested?

[Tindragon]

#319 Troll Blooded (for those Warforged Juggs)

[Thurbane]

I like Awaken Magical Beast and Awaken Ooze spells from Dragon 304. I'm planning on having a particularly charming Owlbear as an NPC in my campaign. :smallbiggrin:

My only disappointment is than an Awakened Ooze becomes and Aberration...although it retains most Ooze qualities. The Sentry Ooze template may be a better option.

[Luckmann]

Yay! Another mention for chocobos! :smallbiggrin:

They are in issue 323.Oh, man, these are surprisingly great. Not only do I get a chocobo, but they can carry more than a donkey, almost as much as a mule. I'm going to ask my GM if I can have one to pull my cart.

[Karl Aegis]

Sacred Path / Sacred Strike Monk

Holy Monk, Hunter Monk, Vigilant Monk, Steadfast Monk, Raging Monk

Light Cavalry Scout

Gantrenachts

[Luckmann]

I've got a neat one. Noble Adventurer, from DraMag #307.

I realize it's not saying much, but it's strictly superior to Fighter in almost every way. It gets d8 HP (Fighters d10), but it has Full BAB, good Fort/Will (Fighters only have Fort), and gets 6 skill points/level (Fighters only get 2).

But the real kicker is that it can be entered as early as after lvl 4, only lasts 4 levels, and at lvls 2 and 4 you get an unrestricted bonus feat. And even with that, you get some small stuff at lvl 1 and 3, still.

[unseenmage]

Oh, man, these are surprisingly great. Not only do I get a chocobo, but they can carry more than a donkey, almost as much as a mule. I'm going to ask my GM if I can have one to pull my cart.

When I used them we applied the Winged Creature template then spray painted our chocobo for a black chocobo.

Later I played, briefly, an Anthropomorphic, Winged chocobo. Was adorable.

[Bronk]

I also like the Chaos Monk (335?) and the Ecology of the Inevitable (Dragon 341?)...

[Kalkra]

I just discovered the Figurine of Delivery from #327, and I'll promptly be using it for delivering bombs to all my favorite BBEGs.

[Drackstin]

I can't remember what book its from, but i was searching high and low for a template for my warforged one day. and i found one, it gives your character 4 arms and i think it also becomes large, or i got that from somewhere else. but i used it to make a warforged paladin/juggernaut/war hulk. it was glorious.

if anyone knows what book thats from please let me know.

Also my girlfriend loves to play a Tibbat. she bluffs the group into thinking she is a halfling, and steals all their gems every week by turning into a cat.

[Buufreak]

I can't remember what book its from, but i was searching high and low for a template for my warforged one day. and i found one, it gives your character 4 arms and i think it also becomes large, or i got that from somewhere else. but i used it to make a warforged paladin/juggernaut/war hulk. it was glorious.

if anyone knows what book thats from please let me know.

Also my girlfriend loves to play a Tibbat. she bluffs the group into thinking she is a halfling, and steals all their gems every week by turning into a cat.

Obadhai blessed. Can give +2 or +4 arms. I used it to make Gilgamesh once upon a time.

[Luckmann]

When I used them we applied the Winged Creature template then spray painted our chocobo for a black chocobo.Why? There's rules for black, flying, chocobo in the original article, already. There's no need for templates and paint-jobs, is there?

[Thurbane]

I don't have the magazine: are stats for a Chocobo significantly different to an Axebeak or Terror Bird?

[Xeni]

The x. of the mage feats from dragon 359 are pretty weak but god damn are they cool. super thematically badass if you want to have a mage that seems powerful regardless of stats. Good things to give a BBEG.

ears of the mage i think its called is my favorite, you can hear your name spoken anywhere in the world and know who spoke it if i remember correctly