Dragon Devotee

Description

---

Dragon Devotees are born from intense curiosity and ambition for power, attracting those who are obsessed with not the beauty and majesty of dragons but their legendary power and indomitable resilience. They will stop at nothing to emulate such power through means that are so abhorrent and perilous that the mere mention of them would encourage most mortals to question the very sanity of the individual through whose lips those words passed. A devotee’s journey is not one forged from inheritance or birthright; however. Rather, it is a path beginning with a sorcerous lineage that merely hints at an ancient connection to draconic forces - perhaps due to a long-forgotten oath or geas to a dragon an ancestor of theirs took many generations ago, or a similarly distant and tenuous connection.

Delving into forbidden, and most likely illegal, alchemical practices, a true devotee subjects themselves to brutal self-experimentation, ingesting concoctions that no sane alchemist would dare touch and repeatedly exposing themselves to near-deadly amounts of their draconic element. The substances they use are of such volatile potency that they provoke severe and unsightly mutations, permanently warping their flesh. Their skin becomes a tapestry to their obsession, irreversibly scarred by blisters and tumors that harden over time. These physical changes may well grant them the elemental resilience of dragons, in addition to enhanced physical ability and an unnerving aura, but at the cost of their former appearance. Their new visage is hideous and twisted, and they must suffer perpetual pain which serves as a reminder of what their ravenous lust for power has cost them. The process is more of a ritual than it is a transformation, each step further alienating them from their humanity until it is nothing more than a faint whisper in their addled mind, infested with only thoughts of their depraved experiments.

The devotee’s appearance becomes a barrier; their grotesque mutations are a subject of fear and revulsion. Society shuns them, not merely for their countenance but for what they represent: an unnerving testament to the lengths of which obsession and the pursuit of power can lead. They are reminders of the precarious boundary between ambition and madness, where the unreasonable and reckless desire to embody the attributes of a creature far removed from them leads to sacrifices too grim for most to comprehend. In their relentless pursuit of draconic might and resilience, most would agree that a devotee loses substantially more than they gain, embodying a tragic irony where chasing an impossible ideal leaves them less than they once were - feared and misunderstood by the world they sought to impress.

NOTE: This class is universally treated as undesirable due to both their grotesque appearance and twisted practices. It is generally likely to struggle within the setting of TDN, especially upon the acquisition of Natural Armor. What this inherently entails is a greater likelihood of permadeath. As such, Dragon Devotee isn't recommended for new players or those who shy from hardship, confrontation, and conflict in storytelling.

Alignment Restriction: None

Hit Die: d8

Proficiencies: No additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Skill Points: 5 + INT modifier

Class Skills: All Knowledges, Barter, Bluff, Concentration, Craft Trap, Diplomacy, Discipline, Heal, Intimidate, Perform, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Taunt

Primary Saving Throws: Fortitude & Will

Base Attack Bonus: + 1 Levels

Requirements

---

• Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 11 ranks
• Languages: Draconic.
• Spellcasting: Requires at least 3 levels in sorcerer with the draconic bloodline

Level Progression

---

*: Only character levels up to 11 will grant hit dice and base attack bonus is averaged after character level 11 as per standard TDN progression rules.

Spellcasting: The dragon devotee gains new spells per day as if they had also gained a level in sorcerer at level 1 and level 4.. They do not learn new spells at these levels.

Draconic Resistance: Blisters immediately begin to form on the dragon devotee's skin due to the alchemical mixtures they religiously apply to it. Though soft, the blisters offer elemental protection. They gain the Resist Energy feat to match their draconic bloodline.

Ability Increase: The devotee's demented self-experiments further their abilities. Their Charisma score is permanently increased by 2 points as their mere presence becomes tangibly alarming at level 2. Their Constitution score is permanently increased by 2 points as the devotee develops increased pain tolerance from their self-mutilation at level 3. Their Strength score is permanently increased by 2 points as their experiments finally bear abhorrent fruit in drawing out preternatural might at level 5.

Bonus Feat: The devotee's obsession fuels the frantic pursuit of knowledge. They are granted bonus feats at level 2 and level 4 and are selected from the standard pool of feats.

Natural Armor: Through repeated experimentation, the blisters covering the dragon devotee's skin harden into horrifying tumors, acquiring a toughness akin to bone. They gain protection against physical attacks in addition to their elemental resistance, providing a +1 natural bonus to armor class.

Ignore Spell Failure: The dragon devotee embraces what to most would be considered insanity, and their body becomes accustomed to self-inflicted pain and hardship. This disturbing detachment from reality in both body and mind allows them to ignore the weight and discomfort of some armor while performing the components of their spells. They gain a 20% reduction in arcane spell failure.

Dev Note: Due to an NWN Engine issue, Spell failure does not show properly on your character sheet from time to time. Please reference the Spell Failure listed in the Combat Log for the correct value.