Draconic Ascendancy

Summary

The blood of dragons is a powerful substance that resonates with even greater power when it is allowed to flow. Dragon blood runs deep, and the spark of its magic can awaken even a thousand generations after the seed was planted. While anyone with enough drive and knowledge can learn the other disciplines of dracomancy, the magic of the blood is accessible only to sorcerers or those who can claim a dragon as an ancestor.

Ascendancy is the magical equivalent of heraldry, a discipline of dragon magic that searches within the self for traces of draconic blood that will power abilities. Because of its very nature, it is a restricted field of study, one with very few scholars devoted to it. The few masters who have studied it often pass their knowledge on through oral tradition rather than writing it down, and the few texts that describe how to tap the inner power of draconic heritage discuss it more in philosophical and metaphorical terms than giving precise guidelines.

Anyone may be directly or indirectly descended from a dragon but only those who learn to channel arcane energies can truly enjoy the benefits of such heritage. People without magical training can only hope to gain one or two small gifts, if the blood boils to the surface. In other cases, draconic blood can manifest suddenly and violently, transforming the hapless descendant into a hybrid of his draconic ancestor and his own race. The rules of ascendancy are poorly understood.

Ascendancy Features

The children of dragons have their ancestor’s power locked inside their heart, and only those aware of their heritage and willing to explore it can release fractions of it. Draconic ascendancy features are a cross between feats and extraordinary, supernatural and spell-like abilities. Characters that meet the prerequisites and pay the cost can awaken and use them freely, although most of them are restricted to those who can channel arcane energy, for that is the only way to ignite the traces of draconic blood that power ascendancy features.

Learning Ascendancy Features

All the following draconic ascendancy features include in their description how to learn them and use them. Learning a feature is called ‘unlocking’, as it already lies dormant in the character’s blood by virtue of his draconic heritage.

To unlock ascendancy features, the character must meet certain prerequisites before paying the cost. Some features require that the character be of certain level, as the dormant blood will only awaken in strong individuals. Many features also require that the character is able to cast arcane spells of a certain level, for they require arcane energy to even awaken, let alone be activated. Finally, certain features require that the character already possess a feat or another ascendancy feature. Some features are equivalent to feats, and a character who has either is considered to meet the prerequisite. Each feature indicates what feat it is equivalent to.

If the character meets the prerequisites, he can pay the unlocking cost. Most costs are paid for in experience points, either a fixed amount or a result of the character’s current level. Other costs are expressed in devoted spell slots. Like the mental strain incurred by learning High Draconic, some ascendancy features require arcane energy to remain restrained. The devoted spell slot remains unavailable to the caster as if he had used it for the day. For wizards, this means they cannot prepare spells of the devoted levels; bards and sorcerers cannot use the devoted spells’ slots to cast their spells.

If the caster uses the spell slot he devoted to unlock the ascendancy feature, it goes dormant and the character must pay the cost of unlocking it again.

Using Features

Features are considered extraordinary, supernatural or spell-like ability, and their activation time depends on their nature and is defined in their description after the method of activation. There are two main methods of activating a feature:

Spell Slots

The character burns a spell slot just as if he were casting a spell. The feature’s description indicates the level of the spell slot that must be sacrificed in this way. Wizards must discard one of their prepared spells of the appropriate level, while sorcerers and bards simply use one of their daily spell slots. If a dragon-blooded cleric has access to the Magic domain, he can use his domain spell to activate an ascendancy feature. Sorcerers can sacrifice a higher level spell slot to activate a feature or a number of lower level slots that add up to the required level but other casters must sacrifice a slot of the right level.

Die Roll

The character is required to succeed at a skill check, ability check or saving throw. The difficulty of these rolls is indicated in the feature’s description. Particularly powerful features require spell slots and a die roll. The feature remains activated for a limited time, although some features can alter this duration.

Appearance

Appearance There is no way to hide the use of an ascendancy feature. As the character invokes the power of his blood to activate it, his appearance changes slightly to reflect his lineage. Anatomical features carry their appearance change with them, as the character shifts part of his body to resemble that of a dragon but other features have more subtle, though no less impressive, secondary effects. Eyes may change color and the pupils become slitted, the tongue may fork, the character may exude an odor corresponding to his ancestral species or a ghostly image of his ancestor may appear behind him, revealing that he has the soul of a dragon. This appearance change is different for each feature, and it fades away as its duration comes to an end, but some may wish to make the change permanent, to reflect the power of their blood and enjoy its benefits.

Dragons who witness the changes will react depending on their disposition and the species the dragon-blooded character is descended from. The only certainty is that dragons do not remain passive and indifferent at the spectacle of a mortal harnessing the power of their blood, showing by his deeds that he is dragonkin.

Universal Features

Draconic Age

You may extend your life and age more slowly.

Unlocking Cost

Current level x 500 XP.

Activation

None.

Duration

Permanent.

Appearance

Exude a faint smell according to species.

Effect

When the character unlocks this feature, all the numbers in the Aging Effects table are multiplied by two. That is a dragon-blooded human with the age feature unlocked will reach middle age at 70 years, will become old when he is 106 years old and venerable at 140, with a maximum age of +4d20. This feature may be unlocked several times, each time increasing the factor by which the numbers are multiplied by 1 (x3, then x4, etc.).

Permanent Change

You fix one feature, so it becomes permanent.

Prerequisites

Any one feature.

Unlocking Cost

See text.

Activation

Same as base feature.

Duration

Permanent.

Appearance

Same as base feature.

Effect

One of the previous features the character has unlocked becomes permanent. Sensory features are always active, anatomical features are irreversible, and special features are available at all times. To fix a feature, the character must sacrifice 500 XP plus the same experience cost as the original feature. If the feature has a spell slot unlocking cost, the character pays an additional 500 XP per spell level, and the slot is freed for normal use. Sensory and anatomical features become permanently active. Special features are available for use once per day per half the character’s level, with no activation cost necessary, although if there is a die roll the character must still succeed at it. Spell-like abilities still require activation as normal.

Sensory Features

Keen Sight

You see better than other members of your race.

Prerequisites

Wis 12+.

Unlocking Cost

Current level x 250 XP.

Activation

Spot check (DC 15); 1 action.

Duration

1 hour/character level.

Appearance

Pupils become slitted.

Effect

When the character activates this feature, he gains the keen senses of a dragon. He can see four times as well as a human in low light, and twice as well in normal light.

Darkvision

You can see perfectly in the dark.

Prerequisites

Wis 15+.

Unlocking Cost

2nd level spell slot.

Activation

Spot check (DC 15); 1 action.

Duration

10 minutes/character level.

Appearance

Eyes glow softly with a color according to ancestor species.

Effect

The character gains the ability to see 60 feet even in total darkness. Darkvision is black-and-white only but otherwise like normal sight. Darkvision does not grant one the ability to see in magical darkness.

Scent

Your sense of smell is as good as your sight or hearing.

Prerequisites

Wis 15+

Unlocking Cost

2nd level spell slot

Activation

Wisdom check (DC 12); 1 action.

Duration

1 hour/character level.

Appearance

Small and faint scales of the ancestor’s color grow around the nose.

Effect

The character can use the scent special ability.

Keen Hearing

Your sense of hearing is superior to that of others of your race.

Prerequisites

Wis 15+

Unlocking Cost

Current level x 250 XP

Activation

Listen check (DC 15); 1 action

Duration

1 hour/character level

Appearance

Leathery frills and soft bony ridges extend a fraction of an inch around the ears resembling those of the ancestor dragon’s.

Effect

When the character activates this feature, his sense of hearing becomes inhumanly sharp. He gains a +10 racial bonus to all Listen checks and can now perceive sounds beyond his race’s normal range. He suffers a -4 racial penalty to saves against sonic attacks.

Blindsight

You can perceive your surroundings without sight.

Prerequisites

Keen Sight or Darkvision, Scent and Keen Hearing

Unlocking Cost

Current level x 500 XP; 2nd level spell slot

Activation

1st level spell slot; 1 action

Duration

1 minute/character level

Appearance

Combine the appearance changes of Keen Sight/Darkvision, Scent and Hearing.

Effect

The character can ascertain creatures by nonvisual means (mostly hearing and scent but also by noticing vibrations and other environmental clues) with a range of 30 feet. This ability makes invisibility and darkness (even magical darkness) irrelevant to the character (though it still cannot see ethereal creatures). Blindsight never allows a creature to distinguish colour or visual contrast. A creature cannot read with blindsight but it is not subject to gaze attacks nor is it penalised by blinding attacks. Deafening attacks partially thwart draconic blindsight, reducing it to a range of 15 feet. Blindsight works underwater but not in a vacuum.