Elemental Master

When a dragon ascendant reaches 5th level, it can choose to modify its aura to inspire resolve in its allies and dread in its enemies. All allies of the dragon within the radius of its aura receive a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and checks. The dragon’s foes must succeed on a Will saving throw or take a –4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks.

When a dragon ascendant reaches 10th level, it gains a third option for its aura. The dragon can cause affected creatures to become dazed, simply staring at the dragon in fascinated awe, if they fail their Will saves. As with the fear aspect of the aura, the dragon can choose to exclude its allies from the effects of the aura.

All uses of a dragon’s awesome aura are mind-affecting effects.

Hit Point Increase (Ex): At 2nd level, and every two levels thereafter, a dragon ascendant gains 1 hit point per Hit Die it possesses, including all its dragon Hit Dice and those gained from class levels. This benefit can never increase a dragon’s hit points above the maximum for its Hit Dice and Constitution bonus.

At 12th level, a dragon ascendant’s hit points are equal to the maximum for its Hit Dice and Constitution bonus.

Transmutation Immunity (Ex): At 3rd level, a dragon ascendant gains immunity to polymorphing, petrification, and any other attack that would alter its form. Any shape-altering powers or spells the dragon has work normally on itself.

Increased Damage Reduction (Su): At 4th level, a dragon ascendant’s damage reduction can be overcome only by epic weapons. At 8th level, the amount of the dragon’s damage reduction (the number before the slash) is increased by 5. For example, an ancient black dragon/8th-level dragon ascendant has damage reduction 20/epic.

Lifewarding (Ex): At 6th level, a dragon ascendant is no longer vulnerable to attacks that cause energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage.

Deflection Bonus (Su): At 7th level, a dragon ascendant gains a deflection bonus to its Armor Class equal to its Charisma bonus, if any.

Iron Mind (Ex): At 9th level, a dragon ascendant becomes immune to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).

Resistance to Fire (Ex): At 11th level, a dragon ascendant gains resistance to fire 20, if it does not already possess immunity to fire.

Spell Resistance (Ex): At 11th level, a dragon ascendant’s spell resistance increases to 33.

Immortality (Ex): A 12th-level dragon ascendant is actually a quasi-deity, and can no longer die from natural causes. It does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe. It can still be slain in physical or magical combat, and it is still subject to death from massive damage.

Code of Conduct: A dragon ascendant must be absolutely true to the principles of its alignment, whatever they may be. A dragon ascendant loses its awesome aura if it ever willingly commits an act opposed to its alignment (and it does not regain its frightful presence), and it cannot gain more levels as a dragon ascendant. The dragon can regain its awesome aura and once more advance in the dragon ascendant prestige class if it atones for its violations (see the atonement spell in the Player’s Handbook), as appropriate.

ELEMENTAL MASTER

Dragons are creatures of raw elemental power. Two mighty forces rage within their veins: the energy that powers their breath weapons, and the elemental nature that forms the core of their being. Elemental masters strive to attain the purity of perfect attunement with both of these forces.

The path of the elemental master is almost exclusively pursued by true dragons, since the class requires a connection to elemental and energy forces. Some dragons have levels in other classes, commonly wizard or sorcerer, before adopting this prestige class, but many others do not.

Elemental masters are the most solitary and reclusive of dragons, spending their lives in communion with the natural forces of the universe rather than interacting with creatures they consider to be lesser life forms. When they do cooperate with other creatures, they choose elementals and outsiders from the elemental planes as their allies, and occasionally younger dragons of the same variety.

Hit Die: d12.

Requirements

To qualify to become an elemental master, a dragon must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Any dragon.

Base Attack Bonus: +20.

Feats: Any three metabreath feats.

Spells: Able to cast arcane spells.

Special: Elemental Attunement: The dragon must have an energy or elemental subtype, such as air, cold, earth, electricity, fire, or water.

Breath Weapon: The dragon must have a breath weapon that deals energy damage.

Class Skills

The elemental master’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and

Survival (Wis). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the elemental master prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An elemental master gains no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.

Element Mastery (Ex): At 1st level, an elemental master gains an additional attunement to the element type that corresponds to its subtype.

Dragons with the air or electricity subtype (including emerald, green, crystal, fang, and song dragons) gain air mastery: Any airborne creature takes a –1 penalty on attack and damage rolls made against the dragon.

Dragons with the earth subtype (including blue, copper, amethyst, brown, deep, and sapphire dragons) gain earth mastery: The dragon gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground.

Dragons with the fire subtype (including red, gold, and brass dragons, as well as hellfire wyrms) gain fire mastery: The dragon gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching fire or using weapons with the flaming or flaming burst special abilities.

Dragons with the water subtype (including black, bronze, and topaz dragons) gain water mastery: The dragon gains a +1 bonus on its attack and damage rolls if both it and its opponent are touching water.

Dragons with the cold subtype (silver and white dragons) gain cold mastery: The dragon gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching ice or using weapons with the frost or icy burst special abilities.

Elemental Command (Su): An elemental master can turn or destroy creatures of the elemental subtype opposed to its own subtype, just as a good cleric turns undead. It can rebuke or command creatures of its own elemental subtype, as an evil cleric rebukes undead. The dragon can use these abilities a total number of times per day equal to 3 + its Charisma modifier.

Air and earth are opposed elemental subtypes; fire and water are opposed. Dragons with the cold subtype can rebuke cold creatures and turn fire creatures.

Energy Attunement (Ex): An elemental master is attuned to the energy type that powers its breath weapon. Dragons with more than one breath weapon gain attunement to the one that deals energy damage, usually acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic energy. A dragon with multiple energy breath weapons can choose a single energy type it is attuned to. This ability grants the dragon no special powers, but determines the form of powers it gains later, including energy substitution, energy focus, energy burst, and energy storm.

Energy Substitution (Ex): At 2nd level, an elemental master gains the ability to modify its spells that have an energy descriptor so that they use the dragon’s attuned energy instead. The substituted spell works normally in all respects except the type of damage dealt.

Summon Elemental (Sp): Once per day, starting at 2nd level, an elemental master can use its breath weapon to summon a Medium elemental corresponding to its elemental subtype. The dragon breathes as normal, but in the wake of its breath the elemental appears, attacking in the next round. If it chooses, the dragon can instead summon an adult arrowhawk (air or cold), average salamander (fire), adult tojanida (water), or average xorn (earth). This ability works like the summon nature’s ally V spell, with the dragon’s class level as its caster level. A dragon with the cold subtype can summon a Medium water elemental or an adult tojanida.

At 5th level, an elemental master can summon one Large elemental or two Medium elementals. This ability works like the summon nature’s ally VI spell.

At 8th level, an elemental master can summon one Huge elemental, two Large elementals, or four Medium elementals. Instead, the dragon can summon one elder arrowhawk, noble salamander, elder tojanida, or elder xorn, or four

An elemental master