Dragoon (3.5e Class)

Dragoon
In times of old, dragons ruled the earth instead of hiding their politics behind the shadow of the kingdoms of men. In those times, the scaled titans took humanoids under their wing, offering them magic and knowledge for service in their great armies and kingdoms they once ruled. While the Age of Dragons has passed and human empires dominate the land now, the draconic knight lives on in the form of the dragoon, an armored knight who in spite of his bulk can leap through the air as easily as a dragon can fly, and whose close bond to dragonkind grants him great powers.

Making a Dragoon
Abilities: As a melee class which needs to jump high and far, Strength is important, as is a solid Constitution score. Charisma helps with various class abilities, while Wisdom helps up shore a poor will save and aids in some important skills. Intelligence will help you have some skills when a lance to the face is not the answer. Dexterity won't matter so much in full plate, the armor of choice.

Races: Any race can produce dragoons, but due to the draconic nature of the class it is races that have good relations with the scaled titans that produce them in number.

Alignment: Any, although True Neutral dragoons are very rare due to the nature of their draconic bond.

Starting Gold: 5d4&times;10 gp (125 gp).

Starting Age: As fighter.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the dragoon.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dragoons are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

A dragoon must stay within one step of the alignment of his chosen dragon type or become an ex-dragoon. For example, a gold dragon based dragoon can be LG, LN, and NG. The dragoon gains the class skills associated with their chosen dragon as well. For example the blue dragon considers Bluff, Hide, and Spellcraft as class skills.

You may select the same dragon's blessing multiple times, their effects stack.


 *  (Su): You gain a breath weapon associated with your chosen dragon's element, in either a 30 foot cone or a 60 foot line shape selected when you obtain this ability. The breath weapon draws from a pool of energy equal to 3x your class level.  For each charge of energy used you deal 1d6 points of damage with your breath weapon, up to a maximum of 2d6 points in one breath.  For unusual breath energy types, such as force or sonic, the damage is measured in 1d4 for every charge.  You regain your energy charges through resting for 8 hours.  The breath weapon has a reflex save for your breath is DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Constitution modifier for half.  Each time you select this ability, the maximum cap how much you can breath at once rises by 2 points.  For example if you took this ability three times you could breath any amount from 1d6 to 6d6 points of damage.


 *  (Su): Your body gains the supernatural toughness of a dragon, granting you damage reduction 1/magic. This permits you to bypass DR/magic of your opponents with your attacks.  Each time you take this you gain the previous benefit +1 (that is DR 1/magic, +2, +3, +4, etc.)


 *  (Sp): You may learn an additional spell-like ability for your Dragon Magic class feature, which you may cast 1/day, but to the highest level ability you can cast. Alternatively you may choose to have a pre-existing spell-like ability increases its uses per day by +1.  To select this ability you must have at least 1st level Dragon Magic.  You are subject to the same limitations of the Dragon Magic class ability.


 *  (Ex): You can low-light vision and darkvision out to 30 feet. If taken a second time you gain superior low-light vision (out to four as far as normal) and darkvision to 60 feet.  If taken a third time, you gain blindsense out to 60 feet.  Unlike most dragon's blessings you may only take this one up to three times.


 *  (Su): You gain a dragon's frightful presence. Whenever you attack, charge, or otherwise pose hostile action all opponents in 30 feet with equal or less HD than you must make a Will save, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier to be shaken for 1 minute.  Those with less than half your HD are instead frightened for 1 minute, then shaken for 1 minute.  Those with more HD and creatures of the dragon type are immune.  This is a mind-affecting fear effect.  Each time you take this ability, the range increases by 10 feet and your effective HD for this ability goes up by 1.


 *  (Ex): Your body develops small colors scales on its body, granting you +2 natural armor. Each time you take it, you gain another +2 natural armor.

 (Ex): The blood of dragons is within you. Gain the dragonblood subtype, and you learn the language Draconic. If you already knew Draconic you may select a different language.

 (Ex): The classic dragoon ability, the dragoon leaps into the air ignoring all sense of gravity and weight and comes upon their opponent like a meteor. A dragoon never adds his armor check penalties to any jump checks he makes. As a standard action the dragoon may make a jump check with a DC equal to the height of the opponent (typically the size of the opponent's combat square, but exceptions exist). For example, to jump a medium creature the DC is 5, and to jump a gargantuan creature the DC is 20. On a successful jump, you make a single attack and deal an extra 1 point of damage per class level. You take no fall damage on landing and end in a space adjacent to your opponent.

Alternatively by jumping as a full round action, you hang in the air before coming down with greater force. You deal 1d6+1 points of damage per class level, but as you are airborne for the entire round the enemy has a chance to move out of the way. For each 5 points you exceed the required jump check, you may correct your path by 5 feet to ensure the opponent foes not escape your attack. For example if you jump a medium creature (DC 5) and obtain a result of 26, you may adjust your impact zone by 20 feet from your originally targeted square.

In both cases, you must still hit. If you have leapt over 10 feet above the enemy's square your dive is considered a charge, gaining a +2 bonus to attack and -2 AC as normal. For the purposes of feats, you are considered to be mounted while jumping and may take the Ride-By Attack and Spirited Charge feats, ignoring the Mounted Combat requirement and changing all Ride requirements to Jump. Ride-By Attack becomes Jump-By Attack, allowing you to jump, strike an opponent in mid air, and fall back to earth, making it an effective way to kill flying monsters if you lack flight.

' (Sp):''' At 2nd level the dragon's blood within grants the dragoon some arcane spell-like abilities. He may select a single 1st level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list. He may cast this as a spell-like ability 1/day. If the spell involves an expensive material component, focus, or xp cost, he must pay this cost as normal. At level 4 and every 2 levels beyond you gain another spell-like ability, up to a new maximum spell level or less, until a 9th level spell at 18th level. The spell-like abilities are Charisma based.

 (Ex): At 2nd level the dragoon gains the resistances of a dragon, obtaining 1/2 his class level to saving throws against sleep, paralysis, and the element associated with the dragon's breath weapon.

 (Ex): At 3rd level a dragoon is used to being covered in the heavy metallic scales of armor. He may move his normal speed in medium armor as if it were light armor. He may also wield a buckler or light shield while wielding a polearm, having found a means to hold onto it while freeing his hand to brace the weapon. At 6th level, he may move in heavy armor up to his normal speed as well, and may wield heavy shields with polearms.

 (Ex): At 3rd level a dragoon always makes Jump checks as if he was running and had the Run feat, enabling him to make long and high jumps without a running start, and granting a +4 bonus to her jump check.

You may select any of the following abilities. Unless otherwise specified you may only select an ability once.


 *  (Ex): Choose one weapon type (such as lances or longspears). You may either choose the critical multiplier to increase by one step (such as x3 to x4) or increase the threat range by one step (from 19-20/x2 to 18-20/x2).  You may only select one or the other, not both, and this does not stack with any similar class features or abilities.


 *  (Ex): Your knowledge of combat gives you insight on new tricks. You gain a bonus feat from the fighter bonus feat list.  You must qualify for the feat as normal.  Unlike most abilities you may take this ability multiple times.


 *  (Su): You may end your movement mid-jump and hang there as if it were a solid ground. You effectively are under the effect of air walk.  You may stay airborne for up to 1 round per class level per day.  The rounds do not need to be concecutive.


 *  (Ex): Your standard action jump attack deals 2 damage per class level, and your full-round action dive have the damage die increase by 1 step to 1d8+1 per class level. You may also delay your landing by an additional full-round action if you so choose.  In which case you deal 2d8+2 damage per class level.


 *  (Ex): Being able to jump so high grants strong leg muscles able to release energy at a moment's notice. You gain the ability to sprint 1/hour, allowing you to travel at up to x10 your normal speed in a straight line.  After you sprint, you are rendered fatigued.  If you were already fatigued you are now exhausted.


 *  (Ex): Your powerful blows from the sky allows you to bypass many of the traditional means of defense on creatures, striking true. You may ignore any damage reduction (except for DR/-) when using your Jump class skill.  You may perform this up to 4 + your Charisma modifier times per day (minimum 1).


 *  (Ex): When you strike your opponent you strike so hard you break the earth below you. All opponents in a 10 foot radius burst take the extra damage from your Jump attack with a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma) for half.  Unlike most abilities, you may take this power multiple times.  Each time you take it, the range increases by 10 feet and the DC increases by +1.

You gain the Dragon Familiar feat discribed in Draconomicon, pg 104, with your class level as your effective caster level.

 (Su): At 9th level you can charge up a jump so potent you (and possibly allies nearby) reach escape velocity and, surrounded in a bubble of protective magic, leap all the way across the other side of the world. You effectively duplicate a teleport spell, but you must have an open sky above your current location and your destination. You may perform a Global Jump up to your Cha/day (minimum 1) with an effective caster level equal to your character level.

 (Su): At 11th level your not merely a knight of dragons but also a slayer of dragons. Any weapons your wield gain a minimum of a +5 enchantment bonus and the Bane property against dragons that oppose your dragon's alignments (therefore if your chosen dragon is a gold dragon, LG, then you have bane against all chaotic and all evil dragons such as the red dragon, blue dragon, copper dragons, and the like). The effect only applies against dragons and not other creatures.

 (Ex): At 13th level, your dragon familiar gets stronger, gaining the celestial or fiendish template for free, depending on your dragon's alignment.

 (Ex): After attaining 15th level, a dragoon no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged, now given the vitality of a dragon. Any penalties he may have already incurred, however, remain in place.

Bonuses still accrue, and the dragoon still dies of old age when his time is up.

 (Su): At 17th level a dragoon can jump so high, he jumps right out of the universe and lands in another dimension. This functions similar to Global Jump, but duplicates the effect of a plane shift spell instead. Used offensively, the dragoon throws the opponent out of the universe instead. The dragoon may use this up to Cha/day (minimum 1) with an effective caster level equal to your character level.

 (Su): At 19th level you can strike with meteoric force at the ground, at the risk of your own safety. So long as you are under open skies, you may fly into the air and right into orbit. After 2 rounds of being out of combat doing nothing else but flying, you return on the third round, striking any point within 1 mile of your launch point. If you strike your target, your hit automatically becomes a critical hit, and you deal maximum damage. Regardless if you hit your target or not, all those in a 60 foot radius are subject to 2d6 damage per class level, half fire and half sonic damage with a Reflex save for half (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma). If you struck your initial target, they receive no saving throw against the explosion. As a result of the impact you take 10d6 nonlethal damage and are dazed for 1 round. You may perform a Meteor Strike 1/day.

 (Ex): At 20th level, your body is changed by the draconic energy within you. You become immune to sleep, paralysis, and to the elemental type of your dragon as if you were a half-dragon of that type. You gain the dragon type, but may count as a member of your original race when beneficial. So long as either you or your dragon familiar remains alive and within 1000 ft, you are never truly dead and any resurrection attempts are free of cost and drain no xp. If both you and your familiar have perished, or your living partner moves more than 1000 ft from your remains (or your point of death if no remains exist), you must pay resurrection costs as normal.

Ex-Dragoons
A dragoon who changes to a prohibited alignment dictated by the alignment of their chosen dragon loses all spell-like abilities, their dragon familiar, and any supernatural ability (but not any extraordinary abilities or class abilities such as Jump). He cannot thereafter gain levels as a dragoon until he atones (see the atonement spell description).

Epic Dragoon
Augment Jump: The epic dragoon continues to gain augment jump abilities every 4 levels.

Dragon's Blessing: The epic dragoon continues to gain dragon's blessings every 5 levels.



Epic Dragoon Bonus Feat List: PENDING.

Human Dragoon Starting Package
Weapons: Lance.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 5 + Int modifier.

Feat: Weapon Focus Lance.

Bonus Feats: Skill Focus Jump.

Gear: Chain Shirt.

Gold: 15g.

Playing a Dragoon
Religion: While dragoons do not nessicarly venerate dragons as gods, they hold them in high importance. As a result, they often end up following draconic dieties such as Bahamut or Tiamat, and some become Dragonborn themselves.

Other Classes: Dragoons can relate to the zeal of paladins and clerics, the training of fighters, and even the arcane mastery of sorcererkind. Perhaps only rogues, mistrustful as they are, and barbarians who are simply unfocused are ever doubted.

Combat: Dragoons are front-liner damage dealers who typically fill the role of charger. If they do not actually have a mount to charge with, then their Jump ability counts as a mountain charge enough. Spirited Charge and a Lance are nearly required for all but the most unusual dragoon.

Advancement: Dragoons who multiclass lose out on high level benefits but can still use Jump. Combined with other sources of damage or classes which benefit chargers, and multiclassing may be viable.

Dragoons in the World
"I am the rods from gods!"

Daily Life: The Dragoon is ultimately a knight with a great respect for dragons, be it veneration for dragons they are close to or awareness of the dangers of dragons who oppose them. They are likely entangled deeply in the politics of dragons, acting as their pawns in the great game of chess that is the world.

Notables: A great dragoon named Cain was once known across the land, but he has gone missing. Some say he's fallen under mind control.

Organizations: Dragoons are almost always part of an organization, be it military or under the direct control of a dragon. The rare wandering dragoon acting solo is sometimes the result of him befriending a wyrmling who becomes his familiar, and is otherwise disconnected to the politics at large.

NPC Reactions: The stately dragoon gives all the awe and fear of a knight would, but high level dragoons come along with dragons, a scene to cause a stir, fear, and respect depending on the circumstances.

Dragoon Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Arcana can research dragoons to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Dragoons in the Game
Sample Encounter: The hero Cain has gone missing and now some say a terrible dragon is attacking the land, using a familiar looking knight who bombs his opponents from the sky. Find out the fate of Cain and stop him if need be.

EL 15: PENDING