Publication:Unearthed Arcana/Half-Dragon Paragon

Half-Dragon Paragon
Half-dragons are a diverse lot. Their dragon parents differ in attitudes and abilities depending on their kind, and the magical nature of dragons means that their other parent can be nearly anything. This diversity might seem to preclude the idea of a half-dragon paragon, but the overwhelming strength of the dragon heritage makes such paragons possible. Half-dragon paragons are defined in large part by the nature of their dragon parent, making a half-gold dragon much different from a half-red dragon — although both are gifted with extraordinary physical abilities and force of personality.


 * Adventures

Half-dragon paragons adventure for the obvious reasons of gaining wealth, power, or the other trappings of worldly success. Some are motivated to adventure to gain stature in their dragon parents' eyes or (in the case of many chromatic half-dragons) to gain the power necessary to protect themselves from their powerful dragon parents. Metallic half-dragons might be motivated to adventure to fulfill some noble quest or to undertake some journey of selfdiscovery, but chromatic half-dragons typically adventure for more selfish reasons.


 * Characteristics

Half-dragons have an innate self-confidence that borders on arrogance — or crosses that border. Many individuals, of course, manage to rein in their arrogance around other races. Half-dragons follow the nature of their dragon parents much more often than that of their other parent, being kind or cruel as their dragon parent would be.


 * Alignment

A half-dragon paragon generally follows the precepts and beliefs of her dragon parent, adopting the alignment and beliefs typical of that dragon parent's kind. There are those who rebel against their dragon parents and their parents' alignments, though. Instances of this behavior are more common among chromatic half-dragon paragons — but the evil dragons are often keen to destroy rebellious offspring. As a result, half-dragon paragons with unexpected alignments are rare among both metallic and chromatic varieties.


 * Religion

Half-dragon paragons rarely gravitate to religion; they're simply too self-involved to study the tenets of an organized religion. Many metallic half-dragons have no trouble making common cause with good-aligned clerics, however, and those who multiclass as paladins find that their noble natures blend well with the religion behind the paladin's code. Chromatic half-dragons, however, take a different tack, and many have benefited from the adulation of cults of lesser creatures dedicated to the worship of dragons. Whether they believe in their own divinity or not, evil dragons and half-dragons have no trouble duping and using those they see as beneath themselves.


 * Background

Strife and tragedy haunts chromatic half-dragon paragons just as love and a powerful protective presence shelters most metallic half-dragon paragons. A half-dragon paragon masters the skills of combat and adventuring out of necessity: Chromatic half-dragons must do so to gain some measure of protection or usefulness in the eyes of their powerful and cruel parents, and metallic half-dragons must do so to ensure that they do not become a vehicle through which others can take advantage of their noble parents.


 * Races

Just as it dominates many other aspects of their lives, the innate confidence of half-dragon paragons shapes their view of other races. Half-dragons have a grudging respect for any who achieve greatness or prove themselves capable. But they maintain, to one degree or another, that anything that one can accomplish could be more easily accomplished if one were a half-dragon.


 * Other Classes

Because half-dragon paragons are blessed with substantial physical prowess, they tend to favor martial classes for multiclass options, and they have a higher regard for those who stand toe-to-toe with their enemies than for those who strike from afar. Although they admit that spellcasters can indeed grow mighty, they scoff at sorcerers, who owe their abilities to a mere trace of dragon ancestry.

Game Rule Information
Half-dragon paragons have the following game statistics.


 * Abilities

Strength is important to half-dragon paragons because of its role in combat. Charisma is important because many half-dragon paragons also have minor sorcerous spellcasting ability, and Wisdom and Charisma are both important for many half-dragon paragon class skills.


 * Alignment

Any.

Class Skills
The half-dragon paragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

In addition, each half-dragon paragon gains class skills based on its parent dragon type:

Black: Hide (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Blue: Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), and Spellcraft (Int).

Brass: Bluff (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), and Survival (Wis).

Bronze: Disguise (Cha), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Copper: Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), and Jump (Str).

Gold: Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Green: Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), and Move Silently (Dex).

Red: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), and Jump (Str).

Silver: Bluff (Cha), Jump (Str), and Perform (Cha).

White: Hide (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), and Swim (Str).


 * Skill Points at Each Level

4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the half-dragon paragon class.


 * Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Half-dragon paragons gain no proficiency with any weapons or armor.


 * Sorcerous Blood]] (Ex)

A character's half-dragon paragon levels stack with sorcerer levels for purposes of determining the caster level of arcane spells granted through sorcerer levels. For example, a 2nd-level sorcerer/3rd-level half-dragon paragon's caster level is 5th for the spells she can cast as a sorcerer. This increased caster level affects only spells that the character can cast; it does not give her access to higher-level spells or more spells per day.


 * Natural Armor Increase (Ex)

At 2nd level, a half-dragon paragon's natural armor bonus improves by 1.


 * Breath Weapon (Su)

At 3rd level, a half-dragon paragon can use her innate breath weapon three times per day (but only once every 1d4 rounds).