Dragon-Descended PCs

CAMPAIGNS OF THE DRAGON

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1st—bane (DC 14), bless, command (DC 14), entropic shield, longstriderD 0—create water, detect poison (CL 6th), light, mending, virtue D: Domain spell. Domains: Knowledge, Travel Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 6th, 1d20+8 to overcome SR): 3rd (4/day)—fly 2nd (6/day)—invisibility, scorching ray (+6 ranged touch) 1st (8/day)—charm person (DC 16), enlarge person, magic missile, shield 0 (6/day)—detect magic (CL 7th), detect poison (CL 7th), open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost (+6 ranged touch), read magic (CL 7th), touch of fatigue (DC 15) Abilities Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 20 SQ blood quickening, familiar (none at present) Feats Craft Wondrous Item, Draconic Heritage (brass)*,

Scribe Scroll, Spell Penetration *New feat described on page 102 Skills Concentration +8, Knowledge (arcana) +8 Possessions combat gear plus masterwork longspear, cloak of Charisma +2, periapt of Wisdom +2, pearl of power (1st)

Spellscale Bard (CR 6)

Stefan has an extraordinarily large repertoire of lays and epics about the dragons of old. He is always interested in learning any bit of legend relating to dragons, and has made a name for himself for rushing headlong into danger without fear (or seemingly even good sense).

Stefan the Bold CR 6

Male spellscale bard 6 CG Medium humanoid (dragonblood) Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Listen +2, Spot +4 Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnome AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16; Dodge hp 23 (6 HD) Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +6 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee mwk longsword +6 (1d6+1/18–20) and claw +5 (1d3) or Ranged +1 longbow +6 (1d8+1/×3) Base Atk +4; Grp +5 Special Actions bardic music 6/day (suggestion, inspire competence, inspire courage +1, fascinate 2 targets, countersong) Combat Gear scroll of invisibility, potion of heroism, 2 potions of cure moderate wounds Bard Spells Known (CL 6th): 2nd (3/day)—glitterdust (DC 16), peaceful serenity of Io*, tongues 1st (4/day)—cure light wounds, identify, lesser confusion (DC 15), sleep (DC 15) 0 (3/day)—daze (DC 16), detect magic, lullaby (DC 16), mage hand, read magic, resistance *New spell described on page 115 Abilities Str 12, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18 SQ blood quickening, bardic knowledge +10 (+5 on any check related to dragons) Feats Dodge, Spell Rehearsal*, Scribe Scroll *New feat described on page 105 Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy +15, Disguise +4 (+6 acting), Gather Information +17, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (history) +11, Knowledge (local) +11, Listen +2, Perform (sing) +13, Search +3, Sense

Motive +10, Spot +4, Use Magic Device +8 Possessions combat gear plus +1 mithral chain shirt, masterwork longsword, +1 longbow with 20 arrows, 2 pearls (100 gp each)

DRAGON-DESCENDED PCS

Since a half-dragon or draconic character has a level adjustment, he or she might not be able to join a group of player characters right away, but must wait until the party level is compatible with the character’s ECL. In such a situation, a dragon-descended character’s fi rst meeting with a party might take the form of an encounter—and not necessarily a friendly one. Here are some ideas for a DM looking to introduce a dragon-descended PC into a group of adventurers. It’s a good idea to work with the player of the prospective party member to come up with a situation that fi ts in well with her character concept.

THE CHALLENGE

A ferocious half-dragon barbarian blocks the road that the PCs must travel on the way to a mission or when returning from an adventure. The barbarian demands that the party’s champion face him in single combat. The fi ght is not to the death; rendering the opponent helpless or extracting an admission of defeat is suffi cient. The barbarian feels a need to prove his worth whenever possible, having been reared in a society that values strength above all, and fi ghting is what he’s best at. He likewise respects only strength, and thus isn’t likely to be persuaded from his challenge by mere words. If he wins the battle, the barbarian boasts and demands that the PCs acknowledge his prowess. If they don’t, he insists that another challenger face him, or else they must pay him a large bribe. If the barbarian is bested in combat, he does not surrender and must be rendered unconsciousness. If he is defeated and revived by the PCs, he expresses humility before a greater warrior and offers his sword arm in service. This sort of encounter can be tricky to run. If the players know a new character is being created, the temptation to indulge in metagame thinking can interfere with the intended result. If the PCs in your campaign are the type who attack first and ask questions later, or slaughter everything they come across, that brand-new character might not survive his first meeting with them. You might have to emphasize the nonlethal nature of the combat in this case. Characters who prefer to negotiate rather than fight are likely to resist being railroaded into a confrontation—you might suggest that the barbarian a little more receptive to bribes or bargains, if that is the case.

THE UNWILLING EXAMPLE

The PCs come to an unfamiliar town, where the cleric wishes to visit the temple of his deity or the wizard seeks

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ADVENTURE IDEAS

Getting a campaign started can sometimes be the most difficult step for a Dungeon Master. All that is often needed is a simple concept to spark even more ideas in unexpected directions. Feel free to either select a draconic campaign idea from among those described here or determine one at random.

01–02 A dragonborn seeks allies to help slay an evil white dragon. 03–04 One of the player characters hears Bahamut’s call, offering to transform him into a dragonborn if he will commit his life to service. 05–06 An entire village is decimated by a green dragon. A dragonborn arrives seeking to avenge their deaths. 07–08 The players meet a dragonborn who had been an acquaintance of their in his former life as a halfl ing rogue. 09–10 A spellscale who had gained a reputation for ruthlessness now starts to do good deeds. 11–12 A spellscale mystic theurge starts a religion-based war. 13–14 The current leader of a spellscale community disappears. Arguments ensue about whether or not to hold another election. 15–16 A town ostracizes the spellscale community that settled in their old wharf district. 17–18 A draconic elf wizard seeks materials to create her phylactery, the last step in the process of becoming a lich. 19–20 An envoy of Chronepsis journeys to keep watch over a dying dragon. 21–22 A mountain temple that raises dragonwrought kobolds has been threatened by expansion of other races in the area, including gnomes. 23–24 Kobolds discover a large vein of adamantine, prompting increased dwarf raids. 25–26 A dragonwrought kobold seeks to depose the allwatcher of a lair and install himself as the new leader. 27–28 Territorial claims between lizardfolk and troglodytes spark a war that spills into kobold lands. 29–30 Kobold mining discovers new precious stones that have unusual effects on reptilian physiology. 31–32 A trapmaking competition between rival kobold lairs turns bloody. 33–34 Two chromatic dragons fight over a kobold lair for their supply of gold. 35–36 Kobold-minted coins start to become valuable in humanoid economies, increasing traffi c into the region. 37–38 A blue dragon wyrmling left in the care of a kobold tribe continually endangers itself. 39–40 Dwarves collapse the entrance of a lair and entomb the kobolds inside. 41–42 A kobold all-watcher dies of old age, prompting the tribe’s lead cleric and head sorcerer to compete for his position. 43–44 An unearthed crypt activates a curse that prevents kobold females from becoming pregnant. 45–46 Kobolds mine into an enormous forgotten dwarf city. 47–48 Ever since kobold mining hit a massive underground stone, time inside the lair moves slower than outside the lair. 49–50 Kobolds find the punished god of an ancient pantheon in the middle of a mountain, still alive and bound. 51–52 A comet strikes the ground during a meteor shower, causing dwarves and kobolds to race for the star metal. 53–54 A wandering kobold tribe, long in search of a mine, needs protection from wholesale slaughter. 55–56 After mining out a passageway under an entire mountain, kobolds find themselves in another plane of existence. 57–58 An inactive volcano beneath a kobold lair shows signs of erupting soon, prompting a natural disaster. 59–60 Not knowing anything about kobolds, starving nomadic humanoids emerge out of the wild to ask for help. 61–62 A kobold mining operation unexpectedly strikes oil, threatening to flood keys areas of the lair with crude. 63–64 A mob of mephits decides to make a kobold lair their home. 65–66 The discovery of a half-dragon/half-gnome prompts kobolds to hunt down the abomination. 67–68 A half-white dragon frost giant is rampaging in an arctic area, threatening the barbarian folk who live there. 69–70 A wyrmgrafter needs a dragon’s egg, preferably one that is in its second quarter. 71–72 A Singer of Concordance is traveling the countryside calling on all those of draconic descent to take a pilgrimage to an ancient gold dragon’s lair, there to receive enlightenment. 73–74 A paladin sworn to “cleanse the earth of half-breed monsters” has arrived in search of a half-dragon party member. 75–76 A drow city is tearing itself apart to claim possession of a half-dragon child. The child runs away and is discovered cowering in an underground cavern. 77–78 A silver dragon has lost her love, an elf king who would visit her every month. He has not come for several months now. Their child is still an infant, and she cannot leave her lair to seek her missing lover. 79–80 The local fi shers have been catching monstrous things in their nets, creatures with extra body parts and huge, snapping jaws. They suspect magical meddling is going on nearby. 81–82 A half-red dragon hobgoblin chief is leading especially aggressive raids against neighboring peoples. 83–84 A stranger arrives and introduces herself as the “daughter of the river.” She is a half-lung dragon who has come to petition the local rulers on behalf of her father, who wishes an end to hunting along his banks. 85–86 A traveling encampment of half-dragon and draconic beings has set up near town and is operating vending booths and entertainments. There has been a rash of crime since they arrived, however. 87–88 A half-gold dragon paladin riding a majestic dragonnel (Draconomicon page 151) is on a quest to slay an old red dragon who has killed all the defenders of a mountain castle and made it into a lair. 89–90 A great wyrm green dragon has claimed an expanse of the royal forest and is now creating draconic and halfdragon breeds of the forest animals. 91–92 Rumors of a “promised land” for the children of dragons are racing through the countryside. But those who undertake the journey disappear mysteriously only days after leaving. 93–94 Draconic nymphs are taking a more proactive approach to protecting their wild lands, blinding anyone who comes within an arbitrary distance. 95–96 A beholder wyrmgrafter has given itself a number of draconic grafts and is now terrorizing nearby villages. 97–98 A scaled child beset by bullies cried out—and burned the gang to a crisp, prompting the town to turn against him and his family. 99–100 A half-blue dragon elf seeks to kill his draconic parent, who is trying to thwart her child, and change his ancestry to something more suiting his ambitions. THE DRAGON CAMPAIGNS OF CHAPTER 9