Often, dragons affect not only the races of the world but also how adventurers develop over time. Barbarians in a dragon-heavy region might not behave the same way as barbarians from a realm with fewer terrible wyrms, and the same goes for many other classes. This section provides alternative class features for standard classes from the Player’s Handbook and other sources.
Alternative class features replace class features found in the original class description. If you have already reached or passed the level at which you can take the feature, you can use the retraining option described in Player’s Handbook II to gain an alternative class feature in place of a standard feature gained at that level.
The format for alternative class features is summarized below.
A general description of the ability and why you might want to consider it.
Class: The class or classes whose members can select this class feature.
Level: The level or levels at which you can select this class feature. You can select a feature only at the indicated level(s), not at a higher level. In some cases (such as the drakken familiar class feature), different levels are noted for different classes.
Special Requirement: Any special requirements you must meet before selecting the class feature. If the feature has no special requirements, this entry is absent.
Replaces: The ability you must sacrifice to gain the class feature.
Benefit: The game effects of the new ability.
Most druids revere animals as emblems of the natural world, but a few consider dragons even more deserving of their attention. Those who feel this way show their respect by mimicking physical or mental aspects of dragon-kind instead of taking the forms of lesser creatures.
Class: Druid.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain wild shape (or any later improvements to that class feature, except for the ability to wild shape into an elemental).
Benefit: You can take on aspects of dragon-kind. Taking on one or more aspects is a swift action, and the effect lasts for 1 hour or until you dismiss it (a free action). The various aspects are described below.
At 5th level, you can have only one aspect in effect at a time.
At 8th level, you can take on up to two aspects simultaneously.
At 11th level, you can take on up to three aspects simultaneously.
At 15th level, the limit increases to its maximum of four simultaneous aspects. Each aspect taken on counts as one daily use of the ability (see below). Multiple versions of the same aspect don’t stack.
At 5th level, you can use this ability once per day. You gain additional uses per day at the same rate that you would normally gain uses of wild shape (from two per day at 6th level up to six per day at 18th level).
You are considered proficient with any natural attacks granted by the aspect, and you retain all your special abilities (unless the aspect specifically replaces them, such as the claws of the dragon aspect replacing your own claw attack, if you have one).
Breath of the Dragon: You can breathe a 30-foot cone of fire as a standard action. The cone deals 1d6 points of damage per two druid levels; a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ your druid level + your Con modifier) halves this damage. Each time you breathe, you must wait 1d4 rounds before you can use this breath weapon again.
Claws of the Dragon: You gain a +4 bonus to Strength, and your hands grow claws that can be used as primary natural attacks. Each claw deals a certain amount of damage (1d6 points if you are Medium, 1d4 if you are Small, and 1d8 if you are Large) plus your Strength modifier. These claws are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Heart of the Dragon: You gain a +4 bonus to Constitution and immunity to paralysis.
Mind of the Dragon: You gain a +4 bonus to Wisdom, darkvision out to 60 feet, low-light vision and immunity to sleep effects.
Wings of the Dragon: You grow draconic wings that allow you to fly at your land speed with good manoeuvrability. You can’t fly if you are wearing heavy armour or carrying a heavy load.
Rogues are among the best dragon hunters in the world, and they have developed a special attack to counter the powerful signature ability of these great beasts. Any rogue who expects to face dragons is advised to select this class feature.
Class: Rogue.
Level: 10th, 13th, 16th, or 19th. (You can choose this alternative class feature at any of the given levels.)
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the standard rogue’s special ability granted at that level.
Benefit: If you deliver a sneak attack against a dragon, you can choose to sacrifice two or more dice of extra damage that you would normally deal to delay the creature’s next use of its breath weapon. The delay is a number of rounds equal to ½ the number of dice sacrificed. If the dragon is currently recharging its breath weapon, this delay replaces the normal recharge time (usually once every 1d4 rounds) if it is longer.
Multiple uses of this ability don’t stack; use only the longer delay. A dragon immune to extra damage from critical hits or sneak attacks is immune to this ability.
Monks who follow the Way of the Draconic Fist seek to harness their inner ki just as dragons harness their innate magical ability. While you give up versatility in combat, the ability to add energy to your unarmed strikes makes them more potent against a wide range of foes.
Class: Monk.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the standard monk’s bonus feat at 1st level.
Benefit: When you select this class feature, choose one energy type from among acid, cold, electricity or fire. As a swift action, you can choose for your next unarmed attack made in this round to deal an extra 1d6 points of damage of the chosen energy type. This extra damage improves to 2d6 points at 5th level, and by another 1d6 points every five levels thereafter. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your class level.
Any warrior knows that skill in battle isn’t enough; you must also guard against the attacks of your enemies. A well-forged suit of armour can mean the difference between life and death, but a warrior whose very body is his armour has an immediate advantage. Those who have the blood of dragons running in their veins can gain this benefit.
Class: Any standard class that grants proficiency in heavy armour, such as fighter or paladin.
Level: 1st (unless the class grants proficiency in heavy armour at a level other than 1st, in which case this feature can be taken only at that level).
Special Requirement: You must be of the dragonblood subtype to select this alternative class feature. As long as you gain the dragonblood subtype at the same level that you would gain heavy armour proficiency, you can select this class feature, even if you would normally choose class features before selecting the option that grants you the subtype. For example, a 1st-level human fighter who takes Dragontouched one of his 1st-level feats could also select this class feature.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain proficiency with any kind of armour. If you would later gain some form of armour proficiency (such as by multiclassing or taking a feat), you can choose at that time to gain that proficiency, but you then lose this class feature. If you already have proficiency with any kind of armour, you must lose that proficiency in order to select this class feature.
Benefit: You gain the extraordinary ability to grow a thick, scaly hide that protects you like armour. The dragonscale husk resembles the scales of a dragon of your choice (selected when you gain the class feature). The husk requires 8 hours to grow, but this process can take place at night while you are sleeping.
Your scaled hide grants you a bonus to your Armour Class equal to 6 + ⅓ your class level in the class that granted you heavy armour proficiency (+7 bonus to AC at 3rd level, +8 bonus to AC at 6th level, and so on, up to a maximum +12 bonus to AC at 18th level). Multiple classes that grant this proficiency stack for determining the dragonscale husk’s total bonus. This bonus doesn’t stack with any feat, racial trait or other special ability that would grant you a bonus to Armour Class.
In addition, as you attain higher levels, your husk grants you increasing resistance to acid, cold, electricity and fire. You gain resistance 5 at 5th level, resistance 10 at 10th level, resistance 15 at 15th level and resistance 20 at 20th level.
Your dragonscale husk is treated as medium armour for the purpose of determining your speed and whether you can use class features or other special abilities. It allows a maximum Dexterity bonus to Armour Class of +2 and has an armour check penalty of -4. You can sleep in your husk without penalty. You cannot wear any other armour while your husk is present.
Your husk isn’t treated as armour for the purpose of being affected by spells or other abilities. You can’t grant it an enhancement bonus with magic vestment, nor can you imbue it with special properties, as you could a normal suit of armour.
You can’t take off your dragonscale husk, but you can choose to shed it. Doing this requires 10 minutes of concentration and results in your sloughing off a pile of scales that crumble to dust if handled.
Arcane spellcasters, even those who don’t claim the blood of dragons as their own, often have a special link with dragonkind. One manifestation of this link is the caster’s familiar, which can take on draconic characteristics.
Class: Hexblade, sorcerer or wizard.
Level: 4th (hexblade) or 1st (sorcerer or wizard).
Replaces: If you select this class feature, your familiar does not gain all the benefits normally accorded to a familiar. See below to determine which alternative benefits it gains, and which standard benefits these replace.
Benefit: Your familiar is a drakken version of a normal animal. It gains the dragonblood subtype and all the benefits of being a familiar, except as described below.
When your familiar would normally gain the ability to deliver touch spells, it gains a breath weapon instead. This breath is a 15-foot cone of fire, usable once per hour, that deals a number of points of damage equal to 1d6 + twice your class level (levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for this purpose). A successful Reflex save (10 + ½ your total class levels for determining the familiar’s abilities) halves the damage dealt.
When your familiar would normally gain the ability to speak with animals of its kind, it instead gains the ability to speak with creatures of the dragon type.
Paladins who revere dragons or draconic deities, though few in number, sometimes summon dragon-descended beasts known as drakkensteeds to serve as their special mounts. Unlike a standard warhorse, unicorn or other special mount used by paladins, drakkensteeds are more than just outstanding members of mundane races — they are nearly legendary beasts seen by few and mastered by even fewer.
Class: Paladin.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the standard paladin’s special mount.
Benefit: You gain the service of a loyal drakkensteed. It functions in all ways as any other special mount gained by a paladin (including advancing its statistics, gaining special abilities, and so forth), except that it can’t command animals.
Although humanoid worshippers of draconic gods are unusual, their numbers are growing. No one knows whether these deities have taken an active hand in gifting lesser creatures with divine blessings, or whether the ranks of the faithful swell only by chance. Either way, those who serve Bahamut or Tiamat as divine emissaries can manifest draconic abilities and sorcerous powers, much to the surprise of their enemies.
Class: Favoured soul.
Level: 3rd.
Special Requirement: You must be devoted to either Bahamut or Tiamat to select this class feature.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the Weapon Focus feat with your deity’s favoured weapon at 3rd level, and you do not gain the Weapon Specialization feat with your deity’s favoured weapon at 12th level. Furthermore, other class features gained at later levels change, as described below.
Benefit: You grow claws that deal damage (1d6 points if you are Medium, 1d4 if you are Small, and 1d8 if you are Large). As a full attack, you can make one primary natural attack with each of your two extremities, or you can make one secondary natural attack with one claw when attacking with a melee weapon. The claws are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
In addition, you can choose a sorcerer spell (rather than a cleric spell) as your newly learned 1st-level spell. As long as the spell remains on your list of spells known, you can treat it as being on your class spell list for all purposes. You also gain the Dragontouched feat as a bonus feat.
At 12th level, you can learn one additional sorcerer spell as if it were a cleric spell. This spell can be one of your newly learned 5th- or 6th-level spells, or you can use your ability to replace an existing known spell with a new sorcerer spell.
At 17th level, instead of growing bat-like or feathered wings, you grow draconic wings that resemble those of your deity.
At 20th level, instead of gaining damage reduction 10/silver or 10/cold iron, you gain damage reduction 10/epic.
Though occasionally derided as the “weak cousin” of the sorcerer, a bard can tap into a fragment of the same draconic power that fuels sorcerer magic. A bard who learns this ability no longer inspires courage in his allies, but instead creates fear in those who oppose him.
Class: Bard.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain inspire courage (or any later improvements to that class feature).
Benefit: A bard with 3 or more ranks in a Perform skill can use song or poetics to inspire awe in his enemies, rendering them shaken. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and be able to hear the bard perform. The effect lasts for as long as the enemy hears the bard perform and for 1 round thereafter. Each enemy can attempt a Will save to negate the effect; the DC is equal to the bard’s Perform check result. Regardless of the success or failure of the save, no creature can be affected by inspire awe more than once in a 24-hour period. Inspire awe is a mind-affecting fear effect.
At 8th level, the range of this effect extends to 60 feet.
At 14th level, the effect lasts for 5 rounds after the enemy can no longer hear the bard perform.
At 20th level, any enemy who fails to save becomes frightened for 1 round, then shaken for the remainder of the duration.
A druid or ranger who adventures in regions rich with draconic influence can gain an alternative animal companion, a phynxkin, that serves him as loyally as any other animal companion would.
Class: Druid or ranger.
Level: 1st (druid) or 4th (ranger).
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you give up your standard choice of animal companion, and your animal companion does not gain all benefits normally accorded to it (see below).
Benefit: You gain a phynxkin as an animal companion. Treat it as an animal for the purpose of determining the effects of your skills, feats, spells and other abilities.
When your phynxkin would normally gain the devotion special quality, both you and the phynxkin instead gain immunity to fear effects, but only while you are within 30 feet of each other.
When your effective druid level for determining your animal companion’s abilities reaches 7th, you can replace your animal companion with a dire phynxkin animal companion. Doing this reduces your effective druid level for determining its abilities by six.
Though the destruction (or control) of undead is common to many divinely oriented characters, the deities also recognize the ancient power of the dragons as a primal force. Some reward their followers with the ability to instill such creatures with awe or command them as minions.
Class: Cleric or paladin.
Level: 1st (cleric) or 4th (paladin).
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain the ability to turn or rebuke undead.
Benefit: You channel divine energy to rebuke (awe) or command (control) dragons. This ability functions as an evil cleric rebuking undead.
It is more difficult to rebuke or command dragons that share your moral or ethical bent. Any dragon that shares one alignment component with you is treated as having turn resistance +2 against this ability. Any dragon that shares both alignment components with you is treated as having turn resistance +4 against this ability.
You can also use this ability to bolster a dragon against an attempt by another creature to use its own rebuke dragons ability (the same way an evil cleric can bolster undead against turning). To bolster a dragon, you must share at least one alignment component with the dragon.
An attempt to rebuke dragons counts as an attempt to turn or rebuke undead for the purpose of qualifying for or activating divine feats, or for using other abilities that require you to expend a use of your turn or rebuke ability.
Most dragon shamans channel the raw power of dragon-kind through their auras and breath weapons. Some, thanks to a stronger spiritual link to their totem, learn a more advanced method of wielding draconic power: the invocations normally associated with dragonfire adepts. Though they never display the range and skill of dragonfire adepts, the shamans enjoy the versatility of the invocations.
Class: Dragon Shaman.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not learn a new draconic aura at 5th level (and can never know more than six draconic auras, at 9th level and higher).
Benefit: You learn one of the least draconic invocations available to dragonfire adepts. Using this invocation follows all the standard rules applicable to dragonfire adepts, except that you ignore any arcane spell failure chance. Your caster level for the invocation is equal to your dragon shaman level minus four.
Many barbarian tribes revere dragons, while others see them as akin to natural disasters. Regardless, some barbarians learn to steel themselves against the blood-curdling fear that these great beasts can create in weak-minded targets. This ability also benefits rogues who try to plunder dragon hoards. Although they hope to complete the task without awakening the dragon, only the truly stupid fail to plan for such a possibility.
Class: Barbarian or Rogue.
Level: 5th (barbarian) or 8th (rogue).
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain improved uncanny dodge.
Benefit: You are immune to the frightful presence of dragons. You gain a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against all other forms of fear.
Source: Dragon Magic (Page 11)