Draconic Transformation

Becoming a Half-Dragon

The most famous type of transformation in the Republic, actively sought out and studied by mages across the continent. Despite its prevalence in the culture, the actual process is mysteriously hidden. Even those who become imbued with draconic properties rarely remember or understand how it has happened.  

Transformation Features

Prerequisites

A half-dragon has the following transformation features:   Ability Scores: Charisma 13. Those without a strong grip both on reality and on their sense of self struggle to survive or remain sane for any time at all.   Roleplay: You have been granted a sliver of a now dead legendary creature from ages past. The power it brings is undeniable, but the effect on your mind is an ever-present worry. Some dragonfolk are lost completely to madness in time, though even the more sane tend to act strangely at times; staring slightly too long at a blazing fire or shining coin for example.   Saving Throws: Some of your abilities require targets to make saving throws. The DC is calculated as follows - DC = 8+your proficiency bonus+charisma modifier.  

Level Milestones

The following are examples of possible level milestones for the dragon-kin:

• Creating or finding large fonts of power, such as magical items, spells, or groups of dragon-kin willing to aid you.
• Drinking the blood of or otherwise consuming the essence of a dragon.
• Defeating a powerful force of darkness, especially one supported by Fidain.
• Unleashing the dragon within and losing your humanity.

   

Transformation Level 1

Starting at 1st level, you gain the following Transformation Boons and this level’s Transformation Flaw.  

Transformation Boon: Draconic Form

Your Charisma score increases by 2, while your Strength score increases by 1. A score cannot be increased beyond 16 this way. You become a Dragon in addition to any other creature types you are. Spells and abilities that affect dragons of a specific CR have no effect on you.   Additionally, you gain darkvision to a range of 60ft, and blindsight to a range of 10ft.  

Transformation Boon: Dormant Elemental Power

The essence of your very soul has become mutated with elemental mastery. You gain resistance to the damage type your dragon half is attuned to, and the ability to breathe out that element as an action, with its stats again being based on your dragon type. If you have the ability to make multiple attacks in a single turn, you can replace one of the attacks with this ability.   The damage is 3d6. If you choose green dragon, you also have advantage on saving throws against poison and the poisoned condition.   At the beginning of each of your turns, roll 1d6. On a 6, you regain the use of your elemental breath weapon.  

Transformation Flaw: Split Mind

The strange nature of your transformation sometimes causes you to lose control. To have a secondary, alien personality in the back of one’s head is an experience few would enjoy, and one half-dragons struggle with for the rest of their lives.   You can speak, read, and write draconic, and can understand the sounds made by other dragon-kin such as drakes and wyverns.   When you are affected by certain triggers you must make a DC 10 charisma save or momentarily lose control of yourself. Failure of this saving throw can have one or more of the following effects:

• Distracted: You are incapacitated until the start of your next turn, as you stare at the effect which gained your dragon half’s attention.
• Aggressive: You must move towards and take the attack action against the nearest hostile creature, prioritising the creature which triggered this effect above all else. If there are no viable targets at the end of your movement, you must use your dash action to get even closer.
• Volatile: You must use your breath weapon if available, moving towards (if necessary) and targeting the nearest hostile creature and prioritising whichever creature triggered this effect if possible. You centre your attack on the target, and may potentially hit allies or civilians seemingly without concern. If there are no viable targets within range, you may aim towards an object or harmlessly towards the sky (DM’s choice).
• Greedy: You must move towards the nearest source of significant wealth and collect/gather/steal it with an action.

  What exactly triggers a wisdom saving throw is determined by the DM, but examples could include:

• Seeing a large pile of gemstones or coins
• Being challenged or injured by a powerful creature, especially one linked to Fidain
• Witnessing the destructive capability of your attuned element. E.g. An explosion for a fire dragon, or a storm for a lightning dragon.

   

Transformation Level 2

Starting at 2nd level, you can pick one of the following Transformation Boons. You also gain this level’s Transformation Flaw.  

Transformation Boon: Dragon Wings

You have manifested scaled, leathery wings. You have a flying speed equal to your walking speed, or 50ft, whichever is greater. You cannot wear armour or clothing that has not been modified to accommodate your wings. While flying, your powerful wings grant you immunity to the Prone condition  

Transformation Boon: Awakened Elemental Power

Your body becomes ever more attuned to the elements within you. You replace your resistance to your element with immunity. Your breath weapon’s damage increases from 3d6 to 7d6, its range upgrades to either a 15ft cone or a 30x5ft line (based on element like normal), and recharges when you roll a 5 or 6 on the d6. If you chose green dragon, you also gain immunity to the poisoned condition.  

Transformation Boon: Alternate Breath Weapons

Oddly, many dragons of the past seemed to have been able to alter their breath weapons towards more pacifistic options such as a sleeping gas or repulsive wave. Pick one of the following options. You may use it as an alternative to your damaging breath once per short rest.    

Transformation Boon: Draconic Magic

Prerequisite: The ability to cast spells

The slightest hints of dragon spells flow through your veins, enhancing your spells and granting you more. You learn one enchantment or evocation cantrip of your choice, though if it deals damage it must be the type of your draconic element. In addition, choose one 1st level and one 2nd level spell following the same rules as your cantrip. You can cast each levelled spell once per long rest, and Charisma is your casting ability for them.

Transformation Flaw: Draconic Appearance

Your appearance has greatly transformed. Your skin becomes entirely scaled, your teeth and claws become sharp and rough, horns sprout from your head or grow larger if you already had some to begin with. Snakes, various monsters, and other creatures with any ties to Fidain become instantly hostile to you, and try to bring you harm unless the DM decides otherwise.   Additionally, you gain advantage on all charisma based checks against other dragons, unless they are obviously more powerful than you. You gain advantage on intimidation checks against fidain’s monsters.    

Transformation Level 3

Starting at 3rd level, you can pick one of the following Transformation Boons, or pick a boon from a lower level that you meet the prerequisites for. You also gain this level’s Transformation Flaw.  

Transformation Boon: Predator’s Senses

Your mind recalls centuries of experience detecting and hunting prey ranging from mighty bears to magical, invisible fey creatures. You gain proficiency with the Perception and Survival skills. If you are already proficient with either skill, you gain expertise instead. Additionally, your Blindsight range increases to 30ft, and your Darkvision range increases to 120ft.  

Transformation Boon: Potent Elemental Power

Prerequisites: Awakened Elemental Power

The strength of the elements within you grows only in proportion with your control over them. Your Charisma increases by 2 (to a maximum of 20), and you gain the ability to conjure an elemental storm.   You conjure this storm at a point within 5 feet of you, where it stretches out from that point into a 20ft radius sphere. When a creature other than you enters the area or starts its turn there, it must make a saving throw appropriate to your breath weapon (e.g. dex vs fire or con vs poison) or take 10d8 damage, halved on a success. Dragons are immune to the elemental storm.   This storm requires concentration, and remains open for 1 minute at most. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again until you have completed a long rest.  

Transformation Boon: Draconic Body

You have embraced the physical changes brought on by your transformations. You gain the following benefits:

• Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 1 each. Abilities cannot be improved above 20 this way.
• While unarmored, your AC now equals 10 + Dexterity Bonus + Constitution Bonus. (Like barbarian’s unarmored defence).
• You gain the ability to make unarmed claw or bite attacks, dealing 1d8+strength slashing or piercing damage. All your unarmed attacks are considered magical.

You may also pick a new form of movement from the following options, growing gills and fins, thicker claws, or any other changes necessary to facilitate this movement:

• Amphibious - You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed, and can breathe both water and air
• Adept Climber - You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed
• Tunneler - You gain a burrowing speed equal to half your walking speed rounded up

 

Transformation Flaw: Dominating Presence

The draconic voice in your mind grows ever louder, often demanding either control of your body or freedom from your soul. The DC of the Charisma Saving throw to resist the effects of the Split Mind flaw is now equal to your Transformation Saving Throw (8+Prof+Cha) instead of a flat 10.   Additionally, a new possible effect can be chosen by the DM on a failed save:   Possession: The dragon inside has grown powerful enough to take complete control of your body for a few moments at a time, and may force you to use resources such as spell slots or the “Conjure Storm” power. The DM decides what you do for one round, after which you regain control at the start of your next turn.    

Transformation Level 4

Starting at 4th level, you can pick one of the following Transformation Boons or pick a boon from a lower level that you meet the prerequisites for. You also gain this level’s Transformation Flaw.  

Transformation Boon: Legendary Resistance

The power inside of you has become absolute within the realms of mortal magic, granting you near immunity to even the greatest of spells. You are immune to any sleep or paralysis effects, have advantage on saving throws against spells, and once per long rest if you fail a saving throw, you may choose to succeed instead.  

Transformation Boon: Mastered Elemental Power

Prerequisite: Potent Elemental Power

Your mastery over your element is unrivalled in all the world. Other lesser beings may cast or breathe their elements, you are the element given form. You gain the following benefits:

• Your immunity is replaced by absorption: whenever you would take damage relating to your element, you instead heal for half the damage dealt.
• Your elemental damage ignores the resistance of other creatures. Against creatures that are not dragons or elementals, you treat immunity as resistance.
• Your breath weapon now deals a number of d8s equal to half your character level, rounded up (Minimum of 6).

 

Transformation Boon: Greater Draconic Body

Prerequisite: Draconic Body

Your scales grow ever thicker, your teeth and claws ever sharper, and your muscles ever stronger. You gain the following benefits:

• Strength and Constitution increase by a further 1 point, to a maximum of 22. Your new maximum for these scores is 22.
• Your unarmoured AC increases by 1.
• Your bite attack now deals an extra 2d6 damage, with the type being that of your element. It can only gain this extra damage once per turn.
• Your tail becomes strong enough to act as a natural weapon. It deals 1d8+strength bludgeoning damage, with a 10ft reach. If you did not have a tail before this, you grow one over a long rest after gaining this boon.
• Whenever you take the attack action, you may make one natural weapon attack as a bonus action
• All your movement speeds are increased by 10ft (walking, climbing, flying, etc.)

 

Transformation Flaw: Overwhelming Presence

Once the weaker half of your soul, the dragon inside has grown both in power and in frustration of being trapped inside such a fragile being. You have the following features as the dragon continues to wrestle for complete control:

• Whenever you roll a natural 1 on a Saving Throw or Attack Roll you must make a saving throw against the Split Mind feature
• You have disadvantage on Death Saving Throws, as the dragon inside tries to force your soul out of your body
• If you die your soul is removed from its host, being completely replaced by the dragon. Your body awakens as an NPC under the DM’s control. You cannot be resurrected while the dragon’s soul inhabits your body outside of True Resurrection or a Wish Spell.