Drow Dragon Disciple

[graymachine]

I'm building a character for a new game and put together the following to see what it would look like. The game is limited to the Core Books and the class variants out of UA.

Race: Drow
Class: Battle Sorceror 3/Paladin of Tyranny 2/ Dragon Disciple (blue) 5
ECL: 12

Str: 20
Dex: 13
Con: 16
Int: 12
Wis: 10
Cha: 20

Fort: 16
Reflex: 9
Will: 12

SR: 21

claws and bite attack
2d8 Breath Weapon

Spells: 4 0-lvl, 2 1st, plus bonus spells

I haven't bought equipment yet, but the build so far seems as though it isn't working very well. What does the playground think? Things to change?

[Chineselegolas]

Dragon Disciple is a neither here, nor there class. Best way to go in, one level of bard or sorcerer. If you want core gish, Eldritch Knight is the best option, though do need 6 levels of sorcerer to get in. Though if 2 LA, 6 sorcerer, 2 paladin, 2 EK, you'll have 7th level casting, BAB 7.
Battle sorcerer, better BAB, but less casting power.

If you want Dragon Disciple from the cool factor which is possesses, Sorcerer 1. Paladin 5, paying the cross class costs for the know. arcana, then into Dragon Disciple. No reason to take paladin 4 and not 5. Get the mount then 4 levels of dragon disciple.

Dragon Disciple is not a class for a caster, it is for a melee combatant with one or two low level utility spells.

[Mongoose87]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/pres...ragon-desciple

1. Show this to your DM.

2. Explain that it actually makes the Dragon Disciple useful.

3. Beg him on your hands and knees to let you use it.

[ericgrau]

Pssshh, just help him with his build. The dragon disciple is hands down the best core martial prc. It's only when people completely ignore the DMG recommendation and act like it's a caster prc that they run into trouble. So if anything I might get less sorcerer in that build.

That said an easy way to get a gish without putting in any extra gish levels in this build is to grab some wands, a staff and maybe some scrolls. It's already great martially even if you completely ignore the gish potential, but it only takes 1 level of sorcerer to use wands or staffs of any level, and wands and staffs don't have arcane spell failure from armor. Scrolls do, and it also requires a caster level check DC 1 + scroll caster level to use scrolls above your caster level, but they can still be good for utility purposes. Also try a rod of lesser quicken to combine with your true strikes. Neither true strike nor feather fall have somatic components, so they don't have arcane spell failure from armor.

[Runestar]

I would dump drow and go with a LA+0 race, namely, human. You need all the HD and bab you can muster.

Go bard4/barb1/RDD7. Choose mirror image as your 2nd lv spell, you will have a lot of castings with the bonus spell slots.

[ericgrau]

I like the idea of getting second level spells without losing any more BAB, but anything with a somatic component has a spell failure chance. Unless you wear light armor in which case you go from being a supreme melee character who happens to be able to use a few spells, to a lousy gish who can't do either very well. Or you get a wand of mirror image in which case sorcerer 1-2 and bard 1-4 are equally effective. Other thing is you only get 1d4+1 images at caster level 4, which against an archer or a caster might not last the round it took you to create them. As a bard you might also use-magic-device wands and staffs from all classes and levels, which is pretty sweet.

Here's a list of 1st and 2nd level bard spells without somatic components: flare, light, ventriloquism, blindness/deafness, darkness, feather fall, tongues. Feather fall and light are the only ones that jump out at me.

[LichPrinceAlim]

Here's my two cents (considering I'm running a Dragon Disciple myself ;3)

Race: Lesser Drow (basically, drow without the SR - 0LA)
Class: Battle Sorcerer 2/Cloistered Cleric 2/Drow Paragon 3/Dragon Disciple (Blue) 10/Half-Dragon Paragon

have fun with the rape-osity!

[Tytalus]

If you are set on playing a drow (it's a weak race), go for Runestar's suggestion. It's very solid.

Alternatively, be a human (you could even fluff it so that you have gray skin and white hair, perhaps due to a distant drow ancestor; just don't be a half-elf) and use the - also very solid - human paragon class:

Bard 2 / Human Paragon 3 / Dragon Disciple ++

That build is rather skill-friendly and gives you some nice stuff from being as Human Paragon. You also get into Dragon Disciple earlier. Finish off with the - sadly unspectacular - Half-Dragon Paragon or something martial.

Bard is better than Sorcerer since you can cast in light armor. Battle Sorcerer is an alternative, but it sports fewer skill points, worse saves and fewer spells known all for an extra ~2 HP and a few more spells/day.

Class: Battle Sorceror 3/Paladin of Tyranny 2/ Dragon Disciple (blue) 5

Battle Sorcerer 3 isn't really worth it, IMHO. A level of Barbarian would likely give you more. Paladin is ok, if you focus on CHA - but you likely won't since you are not really a caster. If you do go for PoT, however, do take the third level as well. The no-save debuff aura is very nice.

Race: Lesser Drow (basically, drow without the SR - 0LA)
Class: Battle Sorcerer 2/Cloistered Cleric 2/Drow Paragon 3/Dragon Disciple (Blue) 10/Half-Dragon Paragon

Lesser drow is not within the available books.

I'm also not sure if the clositered cleric levels are worth it if the OP is going for Dragon Disciple: it delays entry by two levels and costs another point of BAB. If you feel it's worth it, make it at least your first level (skill points) and just take one.

Drow Paragon doesn't progress Battle Sorcerer casting, so it's better to exchange a level of Battle Sorcerer for a third level of Cloistered Cleric. At least you end up with 3rd level spells.

[LichPrinceAlim]

Lesser drow is not within the available books.

I'm also not sure if the clositered cleric levels are worth it if the OP is going for Dragon Disciple: it delays entry by two levels and costs another point of BAB. If you feel it's worth it, make it at least your first level (skill points) and just take one.

Drow Paragon doesn't progress Battle Sorcerer casting, so it's better to exchange a level of Battle Sorcerer for a third level of Cloistered Cleric. At least you end up with 3rd level spells.

It's at least an option...

and Lesser Drow is on the Wizards Website (last I checked)

or better, Wizard 2/Battle Sorcerer 3/Drow Paragon 3/Dragon Disciple 10/Ultimate Magus 2

[Sinfire Titan]

It's at least an option...

and Lesser Drow is on the Wizards Website (last I checked)

or better, Wizard 2/Battle Sorcerer 3/Drow Paragon 3/Dragon Disciple 10/Ultimate Magus 2

Wait, you're suggesting the OP take levels in 2 spellcasting classes, and then advance one of those two for 12 levels, and then enter a PrC that advances both of those classes (assuming PF DD)?


Please stop suggesting things, it's going to give me an aneurysm.

[Doodleface]

Human Duskblade5/Dragon Disciple 10/Barbarian1/Fighter4

You'll get:
Highest BAB you can get (with 10 levels of Dragon Disciple)
Above average hitpoints
The ability to cast your arcane spells in medium armor
Lots of potential 'True Strike' spells (combine with your BAB sucked into Power Attack, and you'll have a +3 to hit, and +17 to damage!)
Plenty of feats to go around (although they come at later levels)