Dragonrider Paragon Path

Ride the Dragon toward the Crimson eye/ Flap the wings under Mars' red sky/The reptile pushes itself out into space/Leaving behind the human race - Hakius, Pike, and Cisneros

Dragonrider

“Once more to battle, my faithful friend!”

Prerequisite: Mounted Combat Feat and either Weapon Focus Feat with spear, or training in Nature.

You and your mount have developed an extraordinary bond of friendship and trust. You fight as one with each other, protect each other, live and die together.


Dragonrider Path Features

Furious Onslaught (11th level): When you spend an action point to attack, your mount can also make an attack.

Two Hearts as One (11th level): When spending a healing surge for a Second Wind, you or your mount may chose to spend an additional healing surge to also allow your mount to use Second Wind as a free action.

Threatening Jaws (16th level): When your mount attacks a target you may choose to have your mount mark that target. The mark lasts until the end of your next turn. Any attacks by marked targets that do not include your mount take a -2 penalty.

Soulbound Mount (11th level): Chose one of the mount categories from the below list.
A mount’s category determines most of its game statistics, although all mounts share a few characteristics.
Level: Your mount’s level is always equal to yours. The mount’s defenses, hit points, and attack bonus improve with level.
Ability Scores: Your mount’s category determines its ability scores, which go up with level.
Add 1 to two of your mount’s ability scores at 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th level. All of your mount’s ability scores improve by 1 at 21st level.
Healing Surges: Your mount has two healing surges. The mount’s healing surge value is equal to a quarter of its maximum hit points, as normal.
Vision: Your mount has low-light vision.

Mount Categories:

Rage Drake
Your furious draconic companion dominates every battlefield you set foot on.
RAGE DRAKE STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 20, Constitution 16, Dexterity 13, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 14 + level, Reflex 11 + level, Will 11 + level
Hit Points: 16 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d10 + Strength modifier damage.
or Claw; level +4 vs. AC; 1d6 + 4 damage; see also bloodied rage.
M Raking Charge (standard; at-will)
When the rage drake charges, it makes two claw attacks against a single target.
Bloodied Rage (while bloodied)
The rage drake gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and deals an extra 5 damage per attack.
Raging Mount (while bloodied and mounted by a friendly rider of 5th level or higher; at-will) - Mount
The rage drake grants its rider a +2 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls with melee attacks.
Trained Skills: none


Dragon
The fierce elemental heart of your dragon companion infuses you with might.
Pick either fire, cold, lightning, or posion for your dragon's breath weapon damage and its resistance.
DRAGON STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 17, Constitution 16, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8, fly 10, overland flight 15 squares
Defenses: AC 13 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 13 + level, Will 12 + level. Resist level + 5 fire, cold, lightning, or poison.
Hit Points: 16 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage + 1/2 level fire, cold, lightning, or poison damage.
Breath Weapon (standard; recharge 5-6 ) - fire, cold, lightning, or poison
Close blast 5; level + 4 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 + 3 fire, cold, lightning, or poison damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 fire, cold, lightning, or poison damage.
Bloodied Breath (free, when first bloodied; encounter) -fire, cold, lightning, or poison
The dragon’s breath weapon recharges, and the dragon uses it immediately.
C Frightful Presence (standard; encounter) - Fear
Close burst 5; targets enemies; level + 4 vs. Will; the target is stunned until the end of the dragon’s next turn. Aftereffect: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
Trained Skills: none.


Griffon
Wild as the mountain winds, your griffon's screech fills your foes with terror.
GRIFFON STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 20, Constitution 15, Dexterity 14, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed 6, fly 10, overland flight 15
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 14 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 10 + level
Hit Points: 15 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Claws; level + 4 vs. AC; 2d6 + Strength modifier damage.
+10 vs. AC; 2d6 + 7 damage.
Rabid Charger (while mounted by a friendly rider of 7th level or higher; at-will) - Mount
When it charges, the griffon makes two claws attacks in addition to its rider’s charge attack.
Blood Frenzy (only while bloodied)
The griffon can take an extra move action each turn. It also gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and takes a –2 penalty to all defenses.
Thunder Charge (standard; only while flying; at-will)
When the griffon charges, it gains a +4 bonus to its attack roll instead of the normal +1 bonus.
Trained Skills: none


Celestial Charger
Your horse has fought with you through many a battle, and you have come to think of it as a gift from the gods.
CELESTIAL CHARGER STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 18, Constitution 17, Dexterity 14, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 13 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 11 + level
Hit Points: 17 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8 + Strength modifier
Melee Basic Attack: Kick; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Trained Skills: Endurance
Trample (standard; at-will)
The celestial charger can move up to its speed and enter enemies’ spaces. This movement provokes opportunity attacks, and the celestial charger must end its move in an unoccupied space. When it enters an enemy’s space, the charger makes a trample attack: level +4 vs. Reflex; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage, and the target is knocked prone.
Celestial Charge (while mounted by a friendly rider of 10th level or higher; at-will) - Mount, Radiant
On charge attacks, a celestial charger’s rider deals an extra 2d6 radiant damage.
Zephyr Footing
The celestial charger ignores diffi cult terrain and can move across
any solid or liquid surface.


Nightmare
Your mount's dark spirit smolders with a flame equal to your burning ambition.
NIGHTMARE STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 18, Constitution 18, Dexterity 13, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8, fly 10 (hover) squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 14 + level, Reflex 10 + level, Will 12 + level. Resist 20 fire.
Hit Points: 18 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Hooves; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage and ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).
Hell’s Ride (while mounted by a friendly rider of 13th level or higher; at-will) - Fire, Mount
The nightmare’s rider gains resist 10 fire.
Underworld Leap (move; encounter; while mounted by a friendly rider of 13th level or higher; at-will) - Teleport, Mount
The nightmare and its rider teleport 10.
Hooves of Hell (standard; recharge 5-6 ) - Fire
The nightmare moves up to 10 squares. Each square the nightmare leaves is fi lled with fi re to a height of 10 feet until the end of the nightmare’s next turn. Any creature that hits the nightmare with a melee attack during this move, or that enters one of the flaming squares, takes 10 fire damage.
Trained Skills: Endurance


Wolf
The hunt's thrill howls through your veins every time you ride your furry friend.
WOLF STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 17, Constitution 17, Dexterity 15, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 13 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 11 + level
Hit Points: 17 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Srength modifier damage, or 2d8 + Strength modifier damage against a prone target.
Combat Advantage
The dire wolf gains combat advantage against a target that has one or more of the dire wolf’s allies adjacent to it. If the dire wolf has combat advantage against the target, the target is also knocked prone on a hit.
Pack Hunter (while mounted by a friendly rider of 5th level or higher; at-will) - Mount
The dire wolf’s rider gains combat advantage against an enemy if it has at least one ally other than its mount adjacent to the target.
Trained Skills: none.


Boar
As gruff and strong as the earth itself, you and your boar can withstand any onslaught.
BOAR STATISTICS
Ability Scores:
Strength 19, Constitution 18, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8 squares
Defenses: AC 13 + level, Fortitude 14 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 18 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: Gore; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d10 + Strength modifier damage, or 1d10 + Strength modifier + 5 damage against a prone target.
Death Strike (when reduced to 0 hit points)
The dire boar makes a gore attack.
Rabid Charger (while mounted by a friendly rider of 6th level or
higher; at-will) - Mount
When it charges, the dire boar makes a gore attack in addition to its rider’s charge attack; see also furious charge.
Furious Charge
When a dire boar charges, its gore deals an extra 5 damage, pushes the target 2 squares, and knocks the target prone on a hit.
Trained Skills: none.


For mounts not described here, use the following base stats and add the mount's movement, skills and special attacks:
Ability Scores:
Strength 17, Constitution 16, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 15, Charisma 7
Size: Large
Speed: 8 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 16 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Melee Basic Attack: type; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.



Dragonrider Exploits

Twin Attack Dragonrider Attack 11
In a flurry of claws and teeth you and your mount fall upon your foe.
Encounter - Martial
Standard Action
Effect: You and your mount can both make either a melee basic or an At-Will attack that includes the same target.

Sacrificail Lunge Dragonrider Utility 12
Your or your mount dive forward and intercept a blow intended for the other.
Encounter - Martial
Immediate Interrupt
Effect: When an attack hits your or your mount you may chose to apply the damage to either yourself or your mount.

Rampant Assault Dragonrider Attack 20
You and your mount rear up and come crashing down upon your foe with unstoppable force.
Daily - Martial
Standard Action
Effect: You and your mount can both make either a melee basic, At-Will or Encounter attack that includes the same target. The powers used can already
be expended, and if they are not, using them through this power
doesn’t expend it.
Miss: Attacks used in this way do 1/2 damage on a miss.



If your mount is ever slain, you can resuscitate it with the following special ritual which you know and can use regardless of your ability to use normal rituals:

Raise Mount
Through prayer, magic, or medicine, you devote all of your energy to bring your bonded companion back to you.
Level: 1
Category: Restoration
Time: 4 hours
Duration: Instantaneous
Component Cost: 50 gp
Market Price: None
Key Skill: Nature (no check)
This ritual allows you to restore life to your slain mount. This ritual works only for characters who have chosen the Dragonrider Paragon Path.
The ritual functions as the Raise Dead ritual, with the following exceptions:
- You need not have any part of your mount’s corpse.
- The death penalty lasts until you have reached three milestones.
- A paragon tier mount costs 500 gp to raise, and an epic tier mount costs 5,000 gp to raise.



Using your mount: just as with normal mounts, animal companions or familiars, your and your mount share the same 3 actions every turn: a Standard, Move and Minor action each of which can be taken by either you or your mount.

Secondary Skills

Presented here are lose rules for all the flavor skills that aren't part of 4th edition D&D: the craft and profession or trade skills, riding, sailing, forgery, performance, or any other skill that may add flavor to your characters.

These secondary skills can be useful mainly for providing another dimension of detail to characters, or, as a DM, if you intend the players to be involved in some skill challenges that go beyond the primary skills. For example, you might introduce the secondary skills Navigation (Int) and Sailing (Dex) in a swashbuckling adventure and make them available to the players. You could then put the players through skill challenges or even shipboard combat encounters that gave the players an opportunity to use these skills.

Characters may chose a number of secondary skills based on their class, or alternatively, they can get training in as many secondary skills as are appropriate to their backgrounds. Around 2 or 3 skills seems right for most PCs, with NPCs getting more or fewer depending on their class (look for NPC classes here in a later article).

Training in a Secondary Skill, much like a primary skill, gives the character a +5 bonus to rolls involving the skill.

Possible Secondary Skills include:

• Craft (choose an object type to craft) (Int, Dex, or Str)
• Profession (choose a profession to be skilled in) (Could be any attribute)
• Navigation (Int or Wis)
  
• Sailing (Dex)
  
• Riding (Dex)
  
• Engineering (Int)
  
• ... or any other skill as deemed appropriate in conjunction with your DM....
  

Atavistic Onslaught 4

Another illustrated moment from the Savage Tide game I'm running. This occurred in the basement of the Seventh Coil minting house in Scuttlecove - Frank's Vannaran shaman, "Tirapiki" is coup'de-grac-ing a stunned Yaun-Ti.

Art courtesy of Daniel Smith, colored by myself.

Monte Cook (co-designer of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons and author of the awesome Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and Ptolus) has a cool new project out: DungeonADay.com. He's designing a megadungeon (hundreds of rooms, according to his definition) and posting them a room at a time. I've read over the preview of some of the rooms on the first level, and I have to say I'm super excited about this project. The art and maps look great, there's background and handouts for the players, and, of course, the encounters are super interesting (spoiler alert).

To get access to the full content, there's a subscription of $10 / month, with discounts for quarterly and yearly subscriptions. Personally, I have my plate full with games to run, but if I could find a DM to run this adventure for me, I'd gladly pay for the subscription.

Here's a bit form Monte's site describing the assumptions behind his design:

Whether you're playing out of the little white box, the Basic Set, 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, 3rd Edition (or 3.5), or 4th edition, dungeons come into the game. But dungeons mean different things to different people. At Dungeonaday.com, I plan on taking a rather old school approach--but even the meaning of that term varies depending on who you ask. So, I thought it valuable to share the assumptions I'm making as I design the dungeon.

These, then, are my Ten Tenets of Dungeon Design.

1. Things get more dangerous as you go deeper....

Manners, Customs and Dress During the Middle Ages

I just found this book on the Project Gutenburg site, and wanted to share it. It's currently the #5 most popular book on the project's site.

Although most modern games gloss over historical cultural and political structures, as a student of history I find the minutiae of such fascinating. Occasionally I will find something that I can write into a game that gives flavor, and sometimes it becomes a major underpinning of the story. For example, in "The Heir of Soguer", the system of vassalage is really central to the story. I've tried to engage the players in that by having it brought up by NPCs, making it the source of the current major conflict in the story, and even knighting the player's characters in the game. All of this has been wonderful detail that helps create a historical feel for my game, as well as informing the central conflict.

I'm hoping that this book yields more of such wonderful details. It has more than 400 woodblock prints, as well.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10940/10940-h/10940-h.htm

Traveling to Minwood

After the battle of Clommel Bridge the players and their liege, Ludwig Staledwo, take their army in pursuit of Count Aguies and his protege, Trent. The most direct route is the road through Minwood. Once there they must decide how to deal with the hostile lord of Minwood, and possibally Oltorf as well.


Encounters

• Treatment of prisoners - if the players captured any Knights in the previous encounters (such as Ilúvënis, the haughty Eledrin Lord of Linton, and Jack the young human son of Lord Erding) they must decide how they are to be treated.
  
  As you survey the battlefield that Aguies has just fled, one of your troops approaches, looking uncertainly back at Iluvenis and Jack, the knights who have surrendered to you. "What should I do with these two, m'lord?"
  
  If given general liberty, good food and wine and otherwise treated as guests they will be social with the players, riding and talking with them, and may be disposed to ally with the party's liege Ludwig later. If kept harshly they may try to escape or stir up trouble - Iluvens can teleport, so keeping him prisoner will be hard. If killed their families will greatly resent Ludwig during the reconciliation later.
  
  Skill Challenge Level 5, complexity 1, XP 200, 3 successes before 3 failures -
  Primary Skills (DC 12); Diplomacy, Intimidate to make friends or control the prisoners, can be carried out over the course of the journey to Castle Aguies.
  Success - the players make a good impression on their prisoners or frighten them into submission.
  Failure - the prisoners may attempt to convince some of the player's troops to join them or they may try to escape (use Knight of the Realm stats for Jack, and Eladrin Knight stats (see Monster Manual) for Iluvens.
  
  
  
• During the journey to Castle Aguies, the players may have a minor encounter if they want to attack the lightly defended Oltorf and Minwood - who may just surrender with a skill challenge. Lord Jared of Oltorf is still with Count Aguies, but Lord Toel of Minwood was injured at the battle at the bridge and is recuperating in his keep with his family and a small contingent of guards.
  
  The trip to Minwood takes 2-3 days for the player's army.
  
  Description - they party comes upon the town, and it seems deserted - the keep is closed up and archers watch from their positions on the battlements / arrow slits. If parleyed with, they say that Duke Aguies rode by and warned them that Ludwig's army was coming. They will gladly say that they will not attack the army's flank in an attempt to convince the players to continue on (Insight or History DC 14 to realize that this is probably not ture).
  
  Skill Challenge - Level 7, complexity 4 - xp 1200. 10 successes before 3 failures. Primary skills - (DC 14) Intimidate checks to bully them into surrendering, Bluff checks to trick them into giving up, Diplomacy checks to convince them they will not be hurt if they surrender, History to make the argument that Ludwig is the rightful lord of these lands, Stealth checks to sneak into the castle, Athletics checks to scale the walls.
  Secondary skills - (DC 19) Endurance checks to keep watch while blockading them, keeping supplies from getting in or out, Nature to notice the spring feeding water to the keep, and to block or taint it, Stealth and then Acrobatics to squeeze in through the grate that lets the spring water in.
  Success - The castle's defenders surrender to Ludwig's army and if they succeeded at at least one Diplomacy check, the Lord swears fealty to Ludwig. Otherwise they merely surrender and the party faces a dilemma - what do they do with the captured troops? The sword of war suggests conscription or execution.
  Failure - The defenders refuse to surrender: to take the castle they must defeat the well-fortified 20 troops defending the place (see encounter below). If they do not take Minwood and Oltorf there is a counter attack from these troops during the siege of Aguies detailed below.
  Development - given the opportunity, the Sword of War will make it's bearer attack the keep.
  
  Encounter - Level 7 - XP 1400 -
  
  
  
  If the players do not convince the defenders to surrender, they must defeat the well-fortified troops defending the keep. While the player's troops help fight the rest of the forces off-screen (or are repelled by archers if sent in alone), the players make the main assault on the keep and fight:
  
  Creatures
  
  • Knight - xp 250
  • pikeman - xp 250
  • 3 x human guards (see MM) - xp 150 ea
  • 6 x human lackeys (see MM) - xp 75 ea
    
    
  Treasure - small money parcel as the keep and town are looted. Simple skill challenge to keep the looting from turning into pandemonium as their troops grab everything not bolted down, including livestock, furniture, erc. - the Sword of War tries to encourage the looting. Failure - flush with their loot, four of the player's troops desert in the night.
  
  Development - If they do not take Minwood and Oltorf there is a counter attack from these troops during the siege of Aguies (to be detailed later).

War Spear

This heavy reinforced spear is made to pierce heavy armor of battlefield troops, or the iron skin hide of the toughest beasts.

Superior Weapon
+3 proficiency bonus
1d8 damage
versatile, brutal 1