Balanced & Simplified Dragon Disciple Fix

[Biscuit]

D&D 3.5 - Dragon Disciple
(Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5, p. 183)

Author Note: The fact that a +3 LA template was spread over 10 prestige levels that requires but does not further spellcasting was utterly ridiculous. This is a version that increases spellcasting progression somewhat and provides a handful of draconic spells known, which is far more reasonable. A second, (Condensed) 5-level version that does not further spellcasting occupies the post below this one, for those who would rather use that instead.



Dragon disciples use their magic as a catalyst to ignite their dragon blood, eventually being transformed into a half-dragon. Half-dragon creatures are always more formidable than others of their kind that do not have dragon blood, and their appearance betrays their nature—scales, elongated features, reptilian eyes, and exaggerated teeth and claws, and even wings.

Requirements

Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8 ranks

Race: Any nondragon (cannot already be a dragon or half-dragon), but must be a living, corporeal creature.

Languages: Draconic

Spellcasting: Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation.

Special: The player chooses a dragon variety when taking the first level in this prestige class, subject to the DM's approval.


Hit die: d12

Skill points: 4 + Int

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Knowledge (All), Listen, Profession, Search, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device

Level	BAB	Fort	Reflex	Will	Class Features	Spellcasting Progression
1	+0	+2	+0	+2	Dragonblood, Bonus Spells Known, Natural Armor Increase	-
2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Ability Boost (Str +2), Claws & Bite	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Breath Weapon (2d8)	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Ability Boost (Str +2), Natural Armor Increase	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Blindsense (30')	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
6	+4	+5	+2	+5	Ability Boost (Con +2)	-
7	+5	+5	+2	+5	Breath Weapon (4d8), Natural Armor Increase	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
8	+6	+6	+2	+6	Ability Boost (Int +2)	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
9	+6	+6	+3	+6	Ability Boost (Str +2), Wings	+1 Level of Existing Spellcasting Class
10	+7	+7	+3	+7	Ability Boost (Cha +2, Str +2), Blindsense (60'), Breath Weapon (6d8), Half-Dragon Apotheosis, Natural Armor Increase	-

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dragon disciples gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spellcasting: At every level except the 1st, 6th, and 10th, a Dragon Disciple gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if they had also gained a level in an spellcasting class they belonged to before they added the prestige class. They do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character has levels in more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Dragon Disciple, they must decide to which class they add each level of Dragon Disciple for the purposes of determining spells per day.

Dragonblood: The Dragon Disciple gains the Dragonblood subtype.

Bonus Spells Known: Dragon disciples gain bonus spells known as part of their transformation into a half-dragon. They add the following spells to their Spells Known to the spontaneous arcane spellcasting class used to enter this prestige class if and when they gain access to the appropriate spell levels:

1. Breath Flare, Ghostly Tail
2. Tail Slap, Wings of Cover
3. Dragonskin, Least Dragonshape, Sense of the Dragon
4. Blinding Breath, Tail Sweep, Wings of Flurry
5. Breath Weapon Substitution, Dispelling Breath, Stunning Breath
6. Dragoncall, Lesser Dragonshape
7. Animate Breath, Kiss of Draconic Defiance
8. Greater Stunning Breath
9. Breath Weapon Admixture, Deafening Breath, Dragonshape, Enervating Breath

Natural Armor Increase (Ex): At 1st, 4th, and 7th level, a dragon disciple becomes more draconic in appearance. Their skin develops tiny iridescent scales, nearly invisible at first but becoming more noticeable at higher levels. This provides an increase to the character?s existing natural armor (if any), as indicated. As their skin thickens, a dragon disciple takes on more and more of their progenitor?s physical aspect.

Claws and Bite (Ex): At 2nd level, a dragon disciple gains claw and bite attacks if he does not already have them. Use the values above or the disciple?s base claw and bite damage values, whichever are greater.

Size	Bite Damage	Claw Damage
Fine*	1	-
Dimenutive*	1d2	1
Tiny*	1d3	1d2
Small	1d4	1d3
Medium	1d6	1d4
Large	1d8	1d6
Huge	2d6	1d8
Gargantuan	3d6	2d6
Colossal	4d6	3d6

*Creatures smaller than Small have no reach and can only make natural attacks while occupying the same square as their target. Fine creatures do not gain claw attacks.

A dragon disciple is considered proficient with these attacks. When making a full attack, a dragon disciple uses his full base attack bonus with his bite attack but takes a -5 penalty on claw attacks. The Multiattack feat (see page 304 of the Monster Manual) reduces this penalty to only 2, while the Improved Multiattack feat (see page 36 of Savage Species) elimenates this penalty completely.

Ability Boost (Ex): As a dragon disciple gains levels in this prestige class, his ability scores increase as noted on the Table above. These increases stack and are gained as if through level advancement.

Breath Weapon (Su): At 3rd level, a dragon disciple gains a minor breath weapon, derived from their draconic ancestor. The type and shape depend on the dragon variety whose heritage they enjoys (see below). Regardless of the ancestor, the breath weapon deals 2d8 points of damage of the appropriate energy type. At 7th level, the damage increases to 4d8, and when a disciple attains dragon apotheosis at 10th level it reaches its full power at 6d8. Regardless of its strength, the breath weapon can be used only once per day unless they take the Dragon Breath feat (see page 98 of Races of the Dragon) - which they can only take after having reached level 5 and attained Half-Dragon Apotheosis and thus the Half-Dragon Template. Use all the rules for dragon breath weapons (see page 69 of the Monster Manual) except as specified here. The DC of the breath weapon is 10 + class level + Con modifier. A line-shaped breath weapon is 5 feet high, 5 feet wide, and 60 feet long. A cone-shaped breath weapon is 30 feet long.

Core Dragon Variety	Breath Weapon	Immunity
Black	Line of Acid	Acid
Blue	Line of Lightning	Electricity
Green	Cone of Corrosive Gas (acid)	Acid
Red	Cone of Fire	Fire
White	Cone of Cold	Cold
Brass	Line of Fire	Fire
Bronze	Line of Electricity	Electricity
Copper	Line of Acid	Acid
Gold	Cone of Fire	Fire
Silver	Cone of Cold	Cold

If playing with the Races of the Dragon sourcebook, more options become available for your dragon Heritage:

Non-Core Dragon Variety	Breath Weapon	Immunity
Amethyst	Line of Force	Poison
Battle	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Brown	Line of Acid	Acid
Chaos	Line of Random* Energy	Confusion Effects
Crystal	Cone of Light	Cold
Deep	Cone of Acidic Gas (Acid)	Charm Effects
Emerald	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Ethereal	Cone of Force	None
Force	Cone of Force	None
Howling	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Oceanus	Line of Electricity	Electricity
Pyroclastic	Cone of 1/2 Fire & 1/2 Sonic Energy	Fire or Sonic (Pick 1)
Radiant	Line of Force	None
Rust	Line of Acid	None
Sand	Cone of Grit (No Energy Type)	Fire
Sapphire	Cone of Sonic Energy	Electricity
Song	Cone of Charged Gas (Electricity)	Electricity
Styx	Line of Acid	Disease & Poison
Tarterian	Line of Force	None

Note: For non-standard dragons that use mechanics other than damage-based breath weapons (see pages 70-71 of the Races of the Dragon), ask your DM for details on progression of their breath or breath-replacement abilities.

Blindsense (Ex): At 5th level, the dragon disciple gains blindsense with a range of 30 feet. Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, the dragon disciple notices things it cannot see. He usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice and pinpoint the location of creatures within range of his blindsense ability, provided that he has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the dragon disciple cannot see still has total concealment against him, and the dragon disciple still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see. At 10th level, the range of this ability increases to 60 feet.

Wings (Ex): At 9th level, a dragon disciple grows a set of draconic wings. He may now fly at a speed equal to his normal land speed, with average maneuverability. If and when they are Large sized or larger, their fly speed is instead [i]twice[/] their land speed (to a maximum of 120 feet).

Half-Dragon Apotheosis: At 10th level, a dragon disciple fully realizes his draconic heritage and takes on the half-dragon template (see page 146 of the Monster Manual), changing their Type to Dragon and losing the Subtype Dragonblood - this represents the natural armor increases, ability boosts, natural attacks, and breath weapon gained via this class. This means that they simply acquire low-light vision, 60-foot darkvision, immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, immunity to the energy type used by their breath weapon (see table above) along with their type change.

Spoiler: Author Notes and Changelog

Show

• Essentially replaced 'Bonus Spells' with actual casting progression and a handful of bonus spells known to make up for the 3 lost caster levels, representing the original +3 LA of the template they gain as a capstone.
• Gave them slightly better skill points (since Dragons normally get 3 times the amount the original class got) and access to Use Magic Device.
• Reworded some things to be more user-friendly.
• Expanded the Dragon Heritage options to include a separate optional table of the list of half-dragons in Races of the Dragon that use energy damage-based breath weapons.
• Expanded the natural attack damage table for ease of reference

[Biscuit]

D&D 3.5 - Dragon Disciple (Condensed)
(Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5, p. 183)

Author Note: The fact that a +3 LA template was spread over 10 prestige levels that requires but does not further spellcasting was utterly ridiculous. This is a condensed version (5 levels), which is far more reasonable if you like that model. I've removed the irrelevant fluff for this version that was added to the original prestige class to try and trick people into thinking it actually gained useful features in return for giving up the almighty spellcasting nearly entirely. A 10-level version occupies the post above this one, for those who would rather use that instead.



Dragon disciples use their magic as a catalyst to ignite their dragon blood, eventually being transformed into a half-dragon. Half-dragon creatures are always more formidable than others of their kind that do not have dragon blood, and their appearance betrays their nature—scales, elongated features, reptilian eyes, and exaggerated teeth and claws. Sometimes they even have wings.

Requirements

Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 8 ranks

Race: Any nondragon (cannot already be a dragon or half-dragon), but must be a living, corporeal creature.

Languages: Draconic

Spellcasting: Ability to cast arcane spells without preparation.

Special: The player chooses a dragon variety when taking the first level in this prestige class, subject to the DM's approval.


Hit die: d12

Skill points: 4 + Int

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Knowledge (All), Listen, Profession, Search, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device

Level	BAB	Fort	Reflex	Will	Class Features	Bonus Spells
1	+0	+2	+0	+2	Ability Boost (+2 Str), Dragonblood, Breath Weapon (2d8)	1
2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Ability Boost (+2 Str), Claws & Bite, Natural Armor increase (+2)	-
3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Ability Boost (+2 Str, +2 Int), Breath Weapon (4d8)	1
4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Ability Boost (+2 Str), Natural Armor increase (+2)	-
5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Ability Boost (+2 Con, +2 Cha), Breath Weapon (6d8), Half-Dragon Apotheosis	1

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dragon disciples gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Bonus Spells: Dragon disciples gain bonus spells as they gain levels in this prestige class, as if from having a high ability score, as given on this table. A bonus spell can be added to any level of spells the disciple already has the ability to cast. If a character has more than one spellcasting class, he must decide to which class he adds each bonus spell as it is gained. Once a bonus spell has been applied, it cannot be shifted.

Natural Armor Increase (Ex): At 2nd and 4th level, a dragon disciple becomes more draconic in appearance, gaining +2 at both even levels for a total of +4 at level 4. Their skin develops tiny iridescent scales, nearly invisible at first but becoming more noticeable at higher levels. This provides an increase to the character's existing natural armor (if any). As their skin thickens, a dragon disciple takes on more and more of his progenitor's physical aspect.

Claws and Bite (Ex): At 2nd level, a dragon disciple gains claw and bite attacks if he does not already have them. Use the values above or the disciple?s base claw and bite damage values, whichever are greater.

Size	Bite Damage	Claw Damage
Fine*	1	-
Dimenutive*	1d2	1
Tiny*	1d3	1d2
Small	1d4	1d3
Medium	1d6	1d4
Large	1d8	1d6
Huge	2d6	1d8
Gargantuan	3d6	2d6
Colossal	4d6	3d6

*Creatures smaller than Small have no reach and can only make natural attacks while occupying the same square as their target. Fine creatures do not gain claw attacks.

A dragon disciple is considered proficient with these attacks. When making a full attack, a dragon disciple uses his full base attack bonus with his bite attack but takes a -5 penalty on claw attacks. The Multiattack feat (see page 304 of the Monster Manual) reduces this penalty to only 2, while the Improved Multiattack feat (see page 36 of Savage Species) elimenates this penalty completely.

Ability Boost (Ex): As a dragon disciple gains levels in this prestige class, his ability scores increase as noted on the Table above. These increases stack and are gained as if through level advancement.

Breath Weapon (Su): At 1st level, a dragon disciple gains a minor breath weapon, derived from their draconic ancestor. The type and shape depend on the dragon variety whose heritage they enjoys (see below). Regardless of the ancestor, the breath weapon deals 2d8 points of damage of the appropriate energy type. At 3rd level, the damage increases to 4d8, and when a disciple attains dragon apotheosis at 5th level it reaches its full power at 6d8. Regardless of its strength, the breath weapon can be used only once per day unless they take the Dragon Breath feat (see page 98 of Races of the Dragon) - which they can only take after having reached level 5 and attained Half-Dragon Apotheosis and thus the Half-Dragon Template. Use all the rules for dragon breath weapons (see page 69 of the Monster Manual) except as specified here. The DC of the breath weapon is 10 + class level + Con modifier. A line-shaped breath weapon is 5 feet high, 5 feet wide, and 60 feet long. A cone-shaped breath weapon is 30 feet long.

Core Dragon Variety	Breath Weapon	Immunity
Black	Line of Acid	Acid
Blue	Line of Lightning	Electricity
Green	Cone of Corrosive Gas (acid)	Acid
Red	Cone of Fire	Fire
White	Cone of Cold	Cold
Brass	Line of Fire	Fire
Bronze	Line of Electricity	Electricity
Copper	Line of Acid	Acid
Gold	Cone of Fire	Fire
Silver	Cone of Cold	Cold

If playing with the Races of the Dragon sourcebook, more options become available for your dragon Heritage:

Non-Core Dragon Variety	Breath Weapon	Immunity
Amethyst	Line of Force	Poison
Battle	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Brown	Line of Acid	Acid
Chaos	Line of Random* Energy	Confusion Effects
Crystal	Cone of Light	Cold
Deep	Cone of Acidic Gas (Acid)	Charm Effects
Emerald	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Ethereal	Cone of Force	None
Force	Cone of Force	None
Howling	Cone of Sonic Energy	Sonic
Oceanus	Line of Electricity	Electricity
Pyroclastic	Cone of 1/2 Fire & 1/2 Sonic Energy	Fire or Sonic (Pick 1)
Radiant	Line of Force	None
Rust	Line of Acid	None
Sand	Cone of Grit (No Energy Type)	Fire
Sapphire	Cone of Sonic Energy	Electricity
Song	Cone of Charged Gas (Electricity)	Electricity
Styx	Line of Acid	Disease & Poison
Tarterian	Line of Force	None

Note: For non-standard dragons that use mechanics other than damage-based breath weapons (see pages 70-71 of the Races of the Dragon), ask your DM for details on progression of their breath or breath-replacement abilities.

Half-Dragon Apotheosis: At 5th level, a dragon disciple fully realizes his draconic heritage and takes on the half-dragon template (see page 146 of the Monster Manual), changing their Type to Dragon and losing the Subtype Dragonblood - this replaces all current benefits gained via this class except for the bonus spells gained. This means that they acquire low-light vision, 60-foot darkvision, immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, immunity to the energy type used by his breath weapon (see above), and if the Dragon Disciple is Large or larger has wings and can fly at twice its base land speed (maximum 120') with average maneuverability. A half-dragon that is Medium or smaller does not have wings, but grows wings if and when they become Large, and lose them again whenever they become smaller than Large.

Spoiler: Author Notes and Changelog

Show

• First off, I condensed the prestige class from 10 levels to 5, which is more appropriate to gain a +3 LA Template.
• I removed padding fluff like wings and blind sense because of this, and the fact they are not part of the half-draogn template you are gaining.
• This class now gives (balanced) HD, Skill Points and Bonus spells...and the Half-Dragon template. That's it. That is the whole class.
• The Skill Points was adjusted to be 4+Int because Dragons normally get 6+Int and the original class only had 2+Int, which is a big difference, and unnecessarily punishing - you are already giving up casting progression for 5 levels to gain a +3 LA template, and that is punishment enough.
• Language was added to make things clearer than originally written, and relevant source material was listed for reference.

[Biscuit]

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