An Unofficial
AD&D
Draconian's Handbook
Forward
In case you don't know me, I'm a very serious DRAGONLANCE (r) fan. Some might
say I go a little overboard in my random, but I don't mind. When I first read
the Chronicles Trilogy I was immediately enthralled by the world and the
different aspects that sets it apart from any other fantasy settings. Seriously
intrigued by my favorite race, the draconians, I tested role-playing these
creatures.
Here is a race that is not natural. Draconians are mutants. Some (like me)
could say that they are the victims of war, and some could say the dracs are
mere things that should be destroyed at any opportunity. To me, Draconians are
the misfits. They don't belong to any society. They are without parents and
they are totally alone. Draconians have grown up in a violent, evil society,
and thus, they act very evil. What amazes me is that in a fantasy setting such
as DRAGONLANCE (r), very little is written about how these "Dracs" would behave.
Usually written off as evil, Dracs make me wonder: Isn't every one of us evil in
some way? Real people have done evil deed, from lying to genocide. We, as a
race, have caused untold suffering upon our fellow man, but amongst all the
tragedies, there are stories of brightness and goodness. What if draconians
are the same? Everyone thinks they're evil, even themselves, but what if there
are a few bright stars amongst the blackness.
This net-book has not yet been tested by the masses, yet. So, it's always
possible that there are certain loopholes that may not have been discovered yet.
Please, give the rules a try, and tell me how the rules have effected the games
you're playing. Give me suggestions on things that will make these rules
better. I'd love to give you folk credit for the help. Also, I'd like those
who are making your own draconian net-books to contact me about some of the
things you've done. Tell me what ideas you like and don't like. My e-mail
address can be found at the bottom of the book.
Preface
Well, after much thought, I finally decided to create a book/file on how to do
them. I've written this handbook in the same style as the Player's Handbook
(PHB), so as to help players. This handbook acts as an overlay to the PHB, and
anything written herein is an optional modification to the PHB. It is strongly
suggested that anyone using this handbook should also consult the PHB beforehand
to understand terms and game mechanics. Much of the information of role-playing
an AD&D character will not be repeated in this handbook, and it is assumes that
anyone using this handbook already understand the concepts AD&D game mechanics.
Copyrights
The format of this book, the game material within, draconians, and DRAGONLANCE
(r) are the copyrighted products of the TSR, inc. Draconians, Aurak, Baaz,
Bozak, Kapak, and Sivak are creatures copyrighted by TSR. This manuscript, the
compilation, organization, and conversion using the AD&D game mechanics are
copyrighted by Weldon Chen. The ideas concerning the creation and role-playing
of draconians are just guidelines and should not considered official in any way
shape or form. The material contained here is a derived work based on material
originally presented by TSR.
Table of Contents
Tables
Introduction: Why Choose a Draconian Player Character
What is a Draconian? A strong story line, remarkable
characters, and unique environments are important aspects of the DRAGONLANCE
(r) world. It is the unique environment of three magical moons, devastating
dragons, and the draconians that set this world apart from other works
of fantasy. Draconians have short, stubby tails, lizard snouts, and scaly
bodies. They are the twisted creations of dark magic used to mutate the
eggs of Good dragons. There are five draconian sub-races: The Auraks from
the eggs of gold dragons, the Baaz from the eggs of brass dragons, the
Bozak from the eggs of bronze dragons, the Kapak from the eggs of copper
dragons, and the Sivak from the eggs of silver dragons. All draconians
but Auraks have wings that allow them to glide a distance equal to four
times the height they begin from. Only Sivak can fly. Whenever a draconian
dies, enchanted energy courses from their body and may harm bystanders.
Scholars believe that draconians do not have sexes and do not mate. They're
near immortality (1,000 years) and their origin in magic make procreation
unnecessary. Dragonmen are invulnerable to many diseases and can survive
on little food and water. They love ale and spirits. Humans and demihumans
mercilessly hunt draconians. Some band of adventurers even specialize in
eliminating these offspring of Evil. Draconians
in Campaigns In most DRAGONLANCE (r) novels, and games usually have draconians--as
the enemy. Draconians are traditionally the villains, the evil creatures
doing evil deeds that the heroic characters must uncover and uproot. However,
it is not written in stone that draconians must be evil. Draconians as
Player Characters (PCs) can be a very stimulating and rewarding but draconians
can be destructive to a game if not properly watched. As The Complete Book
of Humanoids says, "It all depends on how humanoid PCs are used." The same
holds true for draconian PCs. For DMs, I recommend the advice from the
DMG about new races. Allow only one draconian into the party, just so you
have a good handle on it. Start slowly, and don't give the players a lot
of freedoms when it comes to game mechanics. I also recommend enforcing
the maximum limits that have been placed on draconian PCs in this handbook,
including the slower advancement rule in chapter 2. Without these limits,
the draconian can be very dangerous. For example, Sivaks are the only drac
race that flies, but others can glide, so a player can use these facts
to change combat from a 2D playing field to a 3D playing field. Be aware
that if a part of a campaign involves traversing a canyon, a Sivak can
easily fly to the other end. Falling traps will be useless one a character
that can glide down. Also, draconians are low-level creatures can easy
take on a low-level campaign. Draconian natural hides tend to be tougher
than most armors. Draconians also have special abilities, especially Auraks,
and their innate mind control, shape-shifting, detecting invisibility,
and powerful attacks. I have even dedicated a chapter on limitations of
role-playing a draconian later in this handbook. All the suggestions in
that chapter at optional, but they are options. The DM has the power to
say whether a player can role-play as a draconian. A DM's word is final,
so experiment little by little to see whether a drac will work in your
games. The Purpose of this Handbook For a more
dramatic game, this netbook is designed to give suggestions on how to create
draconians Player Characters (PCs) and how to integrate draconians, good
and evil, into an existing campaign. Draconians have added a great flavor
to the DRAGONLANCE (r) novels, and the same dramatic flavor can also be
added into a DRAGONLANCE (r) campaign. To give you an example, I recommend
the followings novels and stories as an inspiring guide for game masters
and players about draconians in literature. For great further reading,
I suggest the short stories: "Wayward Children" from The Magic of Krynn,
Tales Vol. 1, by Richard A. Knaak, "The First Draconian Bridging Company"
from The Dragons of Krynn, by Don Perrin, "Even Dragon Blood" from The
Dragons at War, by J. Robert King, "The First Dragonarmy Engineer's Secret
Weapon" from The Dragons at War, by Don Perrin, the novel: The Doom Brigade
by Don Perrin and Margaret Weis, the game supplements, DL 9: Dragons of
Deceit DL 15: The Mists of Krynn, DL 16: The World of Krynn, DLT 1: The
Land Reborn, and the computer games, The Dark Queen of Krynn. I hope all
of these suggested readings can give you an insight of various examples
of draconians and how some of them are nor completely evil. As a person
who loves the draconian race, and their potential for drama, there's nothing
greater or more meaningful than watching the vilest of creatures do the
simplest acts of good. For example, in the short story, "The Survivors,"
a veteran assassin finds one moment of goodness, and also dies for it. Integrating
a Draconian into Campaigns Even before creating the draconian character,
the first step in playing a draconian is designing how that draconian character
is going to be inserted into the adventure. The introduction should be
minimal yet non-convoluted. A party of adventurers does not normally associate
with draconians without reason. There are number of ways to introduce draconians
player characters into a campaign. While you and your DM will ultimately
determine the chosen method, this section provides a few basic convoluted
sets of examples that will give you some ideas on hoe to proceed. Some
of the examples are identical to The Complete Book of Humanoids, which
deals with non-standard Player Characters. Consider these suggestions as
hooks that will allow you to introduce a newly made draconians into the
adventure. Campaign Model #1: A Friend in Need...
In this model, the adventurers have stumbled upon a draconian who is in
need of help. Like the story of the lion with a thorn in its paw, the draconian
is rescued by the mouse, such as the PCs. By saving the draconian, the
other PCs gain a companion -- and perhaps even a friend. Once saved, the
draconian PC forms a bond with his rescuers. This, of course, must happen
to a draconian who feels he owes them a debt he can never repay, or at
least that he owes them a debt that must be paid off through the course
of further adventures together. Campaign Model
#2: ...Is a Friend Indeed. This model is almost identical to Model #1;
however, the roles are switched. The draconian PC has come to help the
other players who are in a jam. In an individual basis, a player from the
original group may have formed a bond, starting from simple gratitude to
a close personal friendship. This PC would support the new draconian character
and allow the draconian to prove his worth to the rest of the group. In
a group basis, the new draconian may provide a means for the adventurers
to get out of a jam. The draconian may know a secret passage out of a dungeon,
or a hidden pass through dangerous territory, or may even charge into a
losing battle and save the party. In such a situation, the draconian savior
may feel that he needs to continually look after his "charges." At the
very least, the draconian may need his "charges" alive to fulfill his own
purposes. In either case, as the draconian shows his resourcefulness and
ability to help over and over again, he will become an important member
of the team. Perhaps, after many adventurers, he might make some friends. Campaign
Model #3: Hello, again..." This model is a very special case, which is
very similar to models #1 and #2. In this instance, the draconians was
in disguise as a player character that the other players have already met.
The draconian may have been a spy, when he encountered the group. The initial
meeting proved successful, and the "human" seems to be a good adventuring
comrade. The new comrade may have helped the party, or the party may have
helped the comrade. In any case, the deception is revealed, surprising
the entire group. Now, the party must consider whether they should continue
to trust a deceptive, but long-standing friend. The draconians may be a
replacement for a previously killed member of the group. Sivaks and Auraks
have the potential of taking on the likeness of other beings. The draconian
may start out as the original PC, but the rest of the party may notice
"subtle" differences. In such a situation, if a Sivak who returns as a
new character class may opt to dual-classing that Sivak player character. Campaign
Model #4: Show me the MONEY! In this model, the draconian has hired the
adventurers to fulfil a certain job, or needs help to accomplish a quest.
Perhaps the draconian has offered them a portion of the treasure. Perhaps
the draconian is forcing the adventurers to help him. Perhaps the adventurers
need vital information that only the draconian knows. At worst, perhaps
the draconian is blackmailing the adventurers, or may even be holding a
person hostage. Ultimately, to make sure that the adventurers do their
jobs correctly, the draconian has accompanied the adventurers in the mission.
What starts out to be nothing more that a forced deal evolves into camaraderie
and friendship. In such a situation, the motivating factor is that the
draconian needs the adventurers help, even if he must resort to blackmail
or darker deeds to gain that help. The adventurers may not be grateful
for such harsh treatment, but such interaction may eventually lead to a
gruff friendship of sorts. During the course of the adventure, the draconian
may explain his case on a more personal level to individual adventurers.
He will demonstrate that his own abilities and worth may prove helpful
in future quests. He may even prove to be loyal on more than one occasion.
When the time comes to pay the adventurers, the draconian may not be able
to do so. Or perhaps, he fulfills the agreement and decides to join the
adventurers on their next quest. He may even admit to wanting to stay out
of friendship. Campaign Model #5: It's a Living.
In this model, the adventurers hire the service of a draconian for a particular
adventure. Perhaps they aren't able to pay him right away, and he decides
to hang around until the money becomes available. Maybe circumstances turn
employers and employees into partners and even friends. In most cases,
what starts as an honest business arrangement evolves into something more.
The draconian might be in it for the money in the beginning, but circumstances
often turn business associates into boon companions -- especially in the
violent, dangerous realms where adventurers tend to roam. In such a situation,
some motivating personal gain is bringing the draconian and the adventurers
together. Money is a large motivation, but other gains are available. The
draconian may be a criminal who will be pardoned for his help. Or the draconian
may be after the same gain or treasure that the adventurers want. At the
worst, the draconian is a slave, or prisoner, who must work with the adventurers
on the promise of his life or freedom. During the course of employment,
the draconian will come to enjoy the company of the adventurers, perhaps
even hooking onto one particular character as a friend. He will demonstrate
his own abilities and worth to the party as the adventure progresses, and
even prove his loyalty on more than one occasion. When the time comes to
collect his pay, and move on, the humanoid will make excuses to stay. He
may admit to wanting to stay out of friendship, or he may pretend that
only the promise of more wealth and safety keeps him around. In either
case, the party gains the skills of the draconian character, and the humanoid
gains the companionship of the adventurers. Campaign
Model #6: If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them In this model, the adventurers
have already met the draconian, as an opponent. The draconian has crossed
paths with the adventurers before. Perhaps, the villain has constantly
defeated the adventurers' quests. Or the adventurers have constantly thwarted
the plans of the draconian. Perhaps the draconian and the adventurers are
rivals after the same goals. Perhaps the party had a helm of alignment
change and used it on their enemy. In such a situation, the motivating
factor is that one side or the other realizes that they should combine
forces to achieve the same goal. As the saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy
is my friend." In an extreme situation, the opponent has been drastically
altered, now having the same feelings of camaraderie that the adventurers
already possess. The adventurers have discovered that they have been fighting
on the wrong side. In any case, friendships will develop as the draconian
and adventurers begin to work together. This particular model would involve
a great deal of setting up to be realistic to the players. Such a re-occurring
opponent would be best introduced over a long period of time, even over
the space of several game sessions. A draconian introduced into the game
need not immediately join the party. The player may act on it's own until
the time comes where they must come together. Only experienced DMs should
handle the multi-party nature of this campaign model. Campaign
Model #7: Nothing but Drac. In this last model, the adventuring party consists
entirely of draconians. Circumventing the need to introduce any new character
into a human or demihuman group, the draconians are already a set of adventurers.
While this is the easiest way to introduce new draconian players, the novice
DM should be very wary when handling a large number of new characters in
one adventure. The initial purpose of the campaign models is to introduce
a new character, and see how much the new draconian will destabilize the
game balance. A large number of new draconians may unsettle the game. Table
of Contents
Chapter 1: Player Character Ability Scores
Like other Player Characters (PCs), draconians have the same ability scores:
Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT),
Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA). Each score has very subtle effects for
draconians. Please consult Chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook on generating
the scores for any PC. Strength Strength is probably
the most important score for a draconian. A high strength score literally
means you can do more damage, carry and move objects. In draconian society,
Strength is the first easy outward sign of status and power. After all,
would you try to take on a person who looks like she can rip the arm right
off of your socket? "The strong control the weak" is a very common saying
in drac. Dexterity Dexterity affects for a draconian
in the same way it would affect most other races. However, draconians rely
too much on their natural hide for defense. A draconian does not have the
effects of any defensive adjustment unless the combination of armor and
high dexterity is greater than the draconian's natural hide armor. Check
Chapter 6 for more details. Constitution Constitution
is the second most important ability score when it comes to being a draconian.
How much damage you can inflict on an opponent is an important as how much
damage you can take from an opponent. Intelligence
Intelligence represents memory, reasoning, and the ability to learn new
things. To an outsider, draconians don't seem too intelligent. After all,
dracs seem more interested in fighting, roughhousing, and brawling rather
than sitting down than sitting quietly at his desk and reading a book.
However, intelligence has a very subtle yet profound mark on draconian
society. Some of the most powerful draconians (such as Auraks) have a natural
ability to learn spells, understand tactics, and the fine art of bridge
construction. Strength is simply raw power. Intelligence or knowledge is
another form of power. Wisdom Wisdom, like intelligence,
has the same subtle mark on the draconian thinking. Power becomes quite
wasted if there isn't a mind to use it properly. Charisma
Charisma may be the least recognized ability score for a drac. To the other
races, a draconian is a very ugly creature. To most, dracs look like an
unholy merging of a beautiful dragon and a human, retaining only the most
ugly parts. Most good folk actively seek destroy draconians and most draconians
know this. "It is far wiser to fight and survive rather than to look impressive."
Charisma does not necessarily means looking pretty. Charisma determines
a drac's leadership ability. Charisma is the ability to convince or frighten
others to do something. This usually means intimidation. Table
of Contents
Chapter 2: Player Character Races
After creating the draconians ability, the player must select draconian
subrace. Each subrace is different, each having special advantages and
disadvantages over others. All five of the standard races are described
in detail within this chapter. In many cases, the statements about each
subrace are very general, and not written in stone. A draconian does not
have to be the stereotypical slobbering brute that most stories describe
them to be. Making the character unique will make it more fun to role-play. Minimum
and Maximum Ability Scores The role-play a draconian, the character must
meet certain requirements for it's ability scores. Consult Table 7a before
choosing the characters. Table 7a: Racial Ability
Requirements Ability Aurak Baaz Bozak Kapak Sivak Strength 3/12 7/18 3/18
3/18 11/20 Dexterity 6/13 7/18 6/18 6/18 3/17 Constitution 7/13 10/18 6/18
7/18 11/20 Intelligence 11/19 6/16 7/17 6/16 7/18 Wisdom 3/18 3/14 3/18
3/18 3/16 Charisma 3/18 3/11 3/15 3/12 3/17 Racial Ability Adjustments
Once you choose a draconian subrace, consult Table 8a and adjust the character's
ability scores. Even if adjustments raise or lower your character's abilities
beyond the listed requirements in Table 7a, you do not have to pick a new
race. The adjustments can also raise a score above 18 or below 3. Table
8a: Racial Ability Adjustments Race Adjustments Aurak +2 Int; -1 Str, -1
Con, -1 Wis, -3 Cha Baaz +1 Str, +1 Con; -1 Dex, -1 Wis Bozak +1 Wis, -1
Dex Kapak none Sivak +1 Str, -1 Dex Languages All
Draconians understand their native language of Draconian. There is no special
language for each sub-race of draconian. The DM may decide to allow other
languages such as Common, if he feels the PCs had an opportunity to learn
such language as they grew up. An Excerpt from Dragonlance Adventures and
The World Book of Ansalon. "Appearance: Draconians have short, stubby tails,
lizard snouts, and scaly bodies. They are the twisted creations of dark
magic used to mutate the eggs of Good dragons. There are five draconian
sub-races: The Auraks from the eggs of gold dragons, the Baaz from the
eggs of brass dragons, the Bozak from the eggs of bronze dragons, the Kapak
from the eggs of copper dragons, and the Sivak from the eggs of silver
dragons. All draconians but Auraks have wings that allow them to glide
a distance equal to four times the height they begin from. Only Sivak can
fly. Whenever a draconian dies, enchanted energy courses from their body
and may harm bystanders. Scholars believe that draconians do not have sexes
and do not mate. Their near immortality (1,000 years) and their origin
in magic make procreation unnecessary. Dragonmen are invulnerable to many
diseases and can survive on little food and water. They love ale and spirits.
Humans and demihumans mercilessly hunt draconians. Some bands of adventurers
even specialize in eliminating these offspring of Evil. Table
of Contents
Auraks Ability Score Range Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 3 12 Dexterity 6 13 Constitution 7 13 Intelligence 11 19 Wisdom
3 18 Charisma 3 18 Race Score Adjustments Aurak +2 Int; -1 Str, -1 Con,
-1 Wis, -3 Cha Class Restrictions Class Maximum Level Bard -- Cleric 6
Druid -- Fighter 5 Illusionist -- Mage 15 Paladin -- Ranger -- Thief 13
Auraks are the rarest and most powerful of all draconians, and have an
arsenal of attack and defenses to choose from. Auraks are seven-foot-tall,
sinewy draconians with short tails and golden scales. Small spines grow
from the backs of their heads. They have long, sharp teeth and bulging
eyes that are either blood red, green, or black. Soft-spoken and cold-blooded,
no act of violence is too extreme for an Aurak. They wear few clothes,
aside from the occasional belt or cape. Because of their superior abilities,
Auraks are easily adaptable to all environments though they prefer secluded
areas. Auraks live alone. Thus, larger groups of Auraks are almost never
encountered. Intelligent races, including other draconians, have learned
to avoid them. There are no limits to what an Aurak will eat, though they
prefer pearls and small gems. Auraks will consume alcohol, but they are
less interested in strong drink than other draconians. A character of the
Aurak race can be a cleric, a fighter, a thief, but are usually mages.
It can also choose to be a fighter/mage, or fighter/thief. An Aurak has
a 30% resistance to all forms of magic, whether they are beneficial or
belligerent. Due to the Auraks usual 8 Hit Dice, an Aurak PC may have a
+8 hit point bonus at and only at 1st level. Because of their scale hides,
Auraks have a natural 0 AC. Any armor used will only improve that AC by
1 unless that armor has a rating better that the Aurak's natural hide.
Aurak cannot fly, but they move as swiftly as other draconians on the ground.
Auraks possess a limited ability to dimension door three times a day to
teleport up to 60 yards away. Auraks suffer dragon awe within 120' of any
dragon, gaining a +1 to morale and attacks. They have a natural resistance
to magic and gain a +4 bonus to all saves. The senses of Auraks are heightened
to 60' and can detect hidden and detect invisible creatures within 40 yards.
They can also see through all illusions. Aurak have several natural defenses
that can be invoked at will. They can become invisible once a turn and
polymorph self into any animal their size 3 times a day. Finally, Aurak
can change self to perfectly imitate the appearance and voice of any humanoid
they have seen. They can retain this from for 2d6+6 rounds, thrice a day.
The widespread rumors that Aurak smell of sulfur are merely wishful thinking.
Aurak engage in three modes of physical combat and two modes of magical
combat. Auraks can attack with fang, doing 1d6 points of damage, or with
claw, doing 1d4 points of damage. They generate bursts of energy from each
hand, striking targets within 6' and causing 1d8+2 points of damage with
each. When using change self, these bursts appear to be attacks using the
Aurak's illusory weapon. Alternately, Aurak can attack with either by claw
and bite, or by regular weapon. And thrice per day, they can breathe a
noxious cloud of gas with a 5' diameter. Victims caught in the cloud suffer
2d10 points of damage and are blinded for 1d4 rounds. A save vs. breath
halves damage and prevents blindness. The Auraks' most insidious power,
however, is mind control. They can use suggestion one per turn if they
concentrate. Once per day, they can use mind control on one victim of equal
or fewer Hit Dice for 2d6 rounds. A save vs. spells negates this attack.
Mind control lets the Aurak control another creature's body as though it
was his own. When an Aurak is reduces to 0 hit points, he does not immediately
die. The escaping magical energy causes him to burst into green flames
and enter a fighting frenzy (+2 to hit and damage). Anyone within 3 feet
suffers 1d6 points of flame damage per round, unless they save vs. petrify.
Any items being carried by the Aurak must make a save vs. magical fire
or be destroyed. After 6 rounds or when his hit points drop to -20, the
Aurak transforms into a whizzing ball of green lightning, attack all within
10' radius as a 13 HD monster and causing 2d6 points of damage. Three rounds
later, the ball of lightning explodes, causing 3d6 points of damage and
stunning all within 10 feet for 1d4 rounds. Any items that weren't destroyed
by the magical fire, must save vs. lightning followed by a save vs. crushing
blow. Otherwise the items are destroyed. After the explosion, there are
not enough Aurak to perform raise dead, or resurrection. Once dead, an
Aurak is permanently removed from the game. Reincarnation will not work.
Auraks have great skills in recalling gaining a +2 to their initial Intelligence
scores. This advantage is upset by a weaker body, deducting -1 to Strength,
Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom. The Auraks' natural conceit makes
them suffer -3 in Charisma. Table of Contents
Baaz Ability Score Range Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 7 18 Dexterity 7 18 Constitution 10 18 Intelligence 6 16 Wisdom
3 14 Charisma 3 11 Race Score Adjustments Baaz +1 Str, +1 Con; -1 Dex,
-1 Wis Class Restrictions Class Maximum Level
Bard -- Cleric 5 Druid --
Fighter 12 Illusionist -- Mage -- Paladin -- Ranger -- Thief 13 Baaz are
the smallest and most plentiful draconians. Derived from the eggs of the
brass dragons, they were the first draconians to appear on Krynn. Baaz
have mottled scales in various shades of bronze and dark green. Their eyes
are blood red, and they have slightly stooped shoulders. Their fangs are
somewhat shorter than those of other draconian races. Small wings, which
Baaz often cover with cloaks or other clothes, protrude from their shoulder
bones. Although the facial appearance of each Baaz is distinct as any man's,
many of these draconians have dog-like snouts. Baaz so enjoy the regal
dress of the dragonarmies that many of them continue to wear it today.
Leather collars and breastplates studded with iron are common, as are layer
metal leggings. Since apparel is poorly kept, it is primary for decoration,
offering little in the way of protection. Baaz often masquerade as humans
through the use of masks and bulky clothing. The most "human" appearing
Baaz are usually employed as spies. They wear few clothes, aside from the
occasional belt or cape. Such outfits enable them to pass through civilized
lands unnoticed. At the bottom of the draconian social order, Baaz tend
to be chaotic in nature and self-serving when they can get away with it.
During the War of the Lance, they served as common foot soldiers and were
routinely assigned the most dangerous and least appealing duties. Their
superior officers, along with members of other draconian races, made no
effort to conceal their contempt for the Baaz, humiliating them at every
opportunity. The Baaz deeply resent this treatment, a feeling that still
lingers. A character of the Baaz race can be a cleric, and a thief, but
are usually fighters. It can also choose to be a fighter/thief. An Baaz
has a 20% resistance to all forms of magic, whether such magic is beneficial
or belligerent. Due to the Baaz's usual 2 Hit Dice, a Baaz PC may have
a +2 hit point bonus at and only at 1st level. Because of their scale hides,
Baaz have a natural 4 AC. Any armor used will only improve that AC by 1
unless that armor has a rating better that the Baaz's natural hide. Baaz
cannot fly, but they move as swiftly using a running glide with a movement
rate of 15. They can also glide at a rate of 18 with a distance equal to
four times the height they begin from. Baaz suffer dragon awe within 120'
of any dragon, gaining a +1 to morale and attacks. They can attack twice
in a round with their sharp claws; they can also use their fangs instead
of one of the claw attacks (the bite also causes 1d4 points of damage),
but they prefer their claws. When an Baaz is reduced to 0 hit points, it
turns into a stone statue. The person who struck the deathblow must roll
a successful Dexterity Check with a -3 penalty or his weapon is struck
in the statue. The statue crumbles to dust in 1d4 rounds, freeing the weapon.
The weapons and armor of the Baaz remain behind after it turns to dust.
If a Baaz PC is killed, the PC can be recovered using a stone to flesh
spell before performing raise dead, or resurrection, but this procedure
must be done before the statue crumbles into dust. Once the Baaz statue
becomes dust, the Baaz is permanently removed from the game. Reincarnation
will not work. Baaz were created to be the workhorses of any military force.
They gain a +1 in their initial Constitution and Strength, but they are
dull-witted and clumsy. They suffer a -1 to Dexterity and Wisdom. Table
of Contents
Bozak Ability Score Range Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 3 18 Dexterity 6 18 Constitution 6 18 Intelligence 7 17 Wisdom
3 18 Charisma 3 15 Race Score Adjustments Bozak +1 Wis, -1 Dex Class Restrictions
Class Maximum Level Bard -- Cleric 13 Druid -- Fighter 10 Illusionist --
Mage 9 Paladin -- Ranger -- Thief 12 Bozaks are the magic-using draconians
derived from the eggs of Bronze Dragons. They are quick-witted, shrewd,
and ruthless. Bozak are just over six feet tall and are covered with bronze-colored
scales. They have dull yellow eyes and gray teeth. Though Bozaks eschew
armor, since it limits their maneuverability, they often wear helmets,
light breastplates and leather arm and leg bands for body decoration. Bozak
wings are the most versatile of any draconian race. Aside from the Sivak,
the Bozak is the only draconian that can actually fly, albeit only for
a single round. Because flight requires a great effort, its movement rate
in the air is 6. Not only can it glide like other winged draconians, it
can sustain the glide indefinitely in a strong wind. On cold days, Bozaks
spread their wings to increase exposure to the sunlight. On warm days,
they slowly flap their wings to generate cool breezes. When Bozaks are
anxious or lost in thought, their wings twitch and vibrate. Bozaks are
intensely spiritual, devoted to the worship of their god or goddess. They
usually conduct elaborate ceremonies. A character of the Bozak race can
be a mage, a fighter, a thief, but are usually clerics. It can also choose
the following multi-class combinations: Fighter/cleric, fighter/mage, or
fighter/thief, cleric/mage, mage/thief, fighter/cleric/mage, and fighter/mage/thief.
An Bozak has a 20% resistance to all forms of magic, whether they are beneficial
or belligerent. Due to the Bozak's usual 4 Hit Dice, an Aurak PC may have
a +4 hit point bonus at and only at 1st level. Because of their scale hides,
Auraks have a natural 4 AC. Any armor used will only improve that AC by
1 unless that armor has a rating better that the Aurak's natural hide.
As stated before, the Bozak can actually fly, albeit only for a singe round.
Its movement rate in the air is 6. It can glide like other winged draconians,
and it can sustain the glide indefinitely in a strong wind. Like Baaz,
Bozaks can make two claw attacks per round, or one claw attack and one
bite attack. Claw and bite attacks each causes 1d4 points of damage. Bozaks
suffer dragon awe within 120' of any dragon, gaining a +1 to morale and
attacks. They gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws. When an Bozak reaches
0 hit points, it's scaly flesh shrivels and crumbles from it's bones in
a cloud of dust; this process takes one round. In the beginning of the
next round, the bones explode, causing 1d6 points of damage to all within
ten feet (no saving throw). Any items that the Bozak is carrying are instantly
destroyed. There are not enough Bozak remains to perform raise dead, or
resurrection. Once dead, a Bozak is permanently removed from the game.
Reincarnation will not work. Bozaks are naturally inclined towards religion
and the teachings of the gods. They gain a +1 to their initial Wisdom score.
Their bodies are rather awkward, deducting -1 to Dexterity. Table
of Contents
Kapaks Ability Score Range Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 3 18 Dexterity 6 18 Constitution 7 18 Intelligence 6 16 Wisdom
3 18 Charisma 3 12 Race Score Adjustments Kapak none Class Restrictions
Class Maximum Level Bard -- Cleric 8 Druid -- Fighter 10 Illusionist --
Mage -- Paladin -- Ranger -- Thief 15 Kapaks are a race of venomous draconians
known for their stealth. They are derived from copper dragon eggs. Kapak
average six feet tall and have sleek torsos and long limbs. Their scales
are dull copper color tinged with green, their eyes are orange of dark
brown. They have short manes of dark brown or blonde hair hanging from
either side of their mouths. Soft pads line the bottoms of their feet,
enabling them to move silently. They speak in a soft, high-pitch whine.
The most exotic physical feature of the Kapaks is the poison glands located
under their tongues that continuously secrete a venomous spittle. The glands
are magical in nature, and are capable of producing a virtually limitless
amount of thick, yellowish venom. Kapaks avoid any style of clothing that
might draw attention to themselves. A character of the Kapak race can be
a cleric, or a fighter, but are usually thieves. It may also choose to
be a fighter/thief. A Kapak has a 20% resistance to all forms of magic,
whether they are beneficial or belligerent. Due to the Kapaks usual 3 Hit
Dice, a Kapak PC may have a +3 hit point bonus at and only at 1st level.
Because of their scale hides, Kapaks have a natural 4 AC. Leather armor
reduces their AC to 2, while scale mail reduces it to 1. If a shield is
carried, the AC is reduced by another point. Kapaks cannot fly, but they
move just as swiftly using a running glide with a movement rate of 15.
They can also glide at a rate of 18 with a distance equal to four times
the height they begin from. Kapaks suffer dragon awe within 120' of any
dragon, gaining a +1 to morale and attacks. Kapaks can bite for 1d4 points
of damage, Kapaks often lick their weapons before engaging in combat to
coat them with venom. Victims bitten by Kapak or struck by a venom-coated
weapon must roll a successful saving throw vs. poison or become paralyzed
for 2d6 turns. The poison evaporates from a weapon in 3 rounds; It takes
a Kapak one full round to poison a weapon again, after the previous coating
has evaporated. They can do this even while engaged in melee. When an Kapak
reaches 0 hit points, its body instantly dissolves into a ten- foot-wide
pool of acid. All within the pool suffer 1d8 points of damage per round
from the acid (no saving throw). The acid evaporates in 1d6 rounds. All
items possessed by the dissolved Kapak, including treasure and magical
items, are rendered useless by the acid. There are not enough Kapak remains
to perform raise dead, or resurrection. Once dead, an Kapak is permanently
removed from the game. Reincarnation will not work. Kapaks are very normal.
None of their initial ability scores are modified. Table
of Contents
Sivaks Ability Score Range Ability Minimum Maximum
Strength 11 20 Dexterity 3 17 Constitution 11 20 Intelligence 7 18 Wisdom
3 16 Charisma 3 17 Race Score Adjustments Sivak +1 Str, -1 Dex Class Restrictions
Class Maximum Level Bard -- Cleric 7 Druid -- Fighter 18 Illusionist --
Mage -- Paladin -- Ranger -- Thief 9 Sivaks are savage, shape-changing
draconians that are derived from the eggs of silver dragons. They are among
the most powerful draconians, second only to Auraks. Sivaks have gleaming
silver scales and black eyes. The brilliance of their scales is dazzling.
Topping nine feet in height, they are the largest of the draconian races.
Sivaks seldom wear armor, but they sometimes wear flowing capes and decorative
metal bands around their arms, legs, necks, and tails. Sivaks can run and
glide like most other draconian races, but they are unique in their ability
to fly. They are extremely agile in the air, as maneuverable as dragons
and nearly as fast. A character of the Sivak race can be a cleric, or a
thief, but almost always fighters. A Sivak has a 20% resistance to all
forms of magic, whether they are beneficial or belligerent. Due to the
Sivak's usual 6 Hit Dice, an Sivak PC may have a +6 hit point bonus at
and only at 1st level. Because of their scale hides, Sivak have a natural
1 AC. Any armor used will only improve that AC by 1 unless that armor has
a rating better that the Sivaks's natural hide. The Sivaks' flexibility
of movement gives them an important tactical advantage. They can chase
down fleeing enemies by racing forward on all fours. They can fly up to
a height and ambush enemies from above. Sivaks may even simply attack from
the air, bombing victims with boulders, and thrown weapons. Like Baaz,
Bozaks, and Kapaks, Sivaks can perform the running glide at a rate of 15.
They can also glide at a rate of 18 with a distance equal to four times
the height they begin from. However, in flight, Sivaks can fly indefinitely
and move at a rate of 24 with a maneuverability class C. Sivaks suffer
dragon awe within 120' of any dragon, gaining a +1 to morale and attacks.
They gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws. Sivaks attack with both claws
for 1d6 points of damage each, and with their long, heavy tails for 2d6
points of damage. The tails can strike opponents on any side. An attack
using the claw can only happen in the hand is open and unencumbered by
shield or occupied by the two-handed weapon. A favorite weapon is a Sivak-designed
sword with barbed notches on each edge; this weapon causes 1d10 points
of damage. The most devastating ability of the Sivaks is their mastery
of the shape changing into the form of a humanoid of smaller size that
they have just killed. Then they take the shape of the victim, they gain
only appearance and voice; they do not gain magic use or memories. They
can remain this way permanently and can change back to their normal form
at will, but cannot change back into humanoid form again until they kill
another humanoid. What happens to a Sivak when it reaches 0 hit points
depends on the size of its slayer. If the slayer was a humanoid of the
same size or smaller, the slain Sivak shape changes into the form of its
slayer. It remains in its death shape for three days, after which time
it decomposes into black soot. If the slayer was not a humanoid or if it
was a humanoid of larger size than the Sivak, the Sivak immediately bursts
into flame upon reaching 0 hit points, causing 2d4 points of damage to
all within ten feet (no saving throw). In either case, any items are rendered
useless by the shape changing or by the explosion. While in its death-shape,
a Sivak might be returned to life by performing raise dead, or resurrection
within the three days the draconian retains the form of it's slayer, depending
on the DM. However, there are rumors that a fallen Sivak can be brought
back to life, only to lose all memory of its draconian life, and permanently
retains the image of their slayer. Once the body becomes black soot, a
Sivak is permanently removed from the game. If the Sivak was killed and
the body bursts into flames, the Sivak is permanently removed from the
game. Reincarnation will not work. Sivaks are the elite forces of the draconians.
Due to its large size, it gains a +1 to it's initial Strength and have
a penalty of -1 to Dexterity.
Other Characteristics After you've selected
the race, you may want to include optional information such as sex, name,
and physical characteristics. Sex is a very questionable subject. All draconians
cannot reproduce because the draconian races do not currently have fertile
females. In order to keep draconians under control, their evil creators
limited the population by only creating male draconians. Thus, there weren't
suppose to be any females. However, early experiments did create both male
and female draconians. Unfortunately, those female draconians were either
infertile or eliminated, so draconians could never increase in numbers.
Draconians usually have a wide range of names, but I follow a specific
naming convention that fleshes out draconian society. Remember, naming
rules are completely optional and subject to the player's preferences.
Draconians use a naming system that expresses a great amount of detail
about the drac in question. A dracs name is broken down into three main
parts: the first name, the honorific, and the last name. For example, I'll
use the names Granak and Murdrak Red-Silver, Arissaka Fel-Tail, and Tarmak
Kender-kin The first name is usually a simple nickname or close personal
name. In the example names, the draconian first names would be Gran, Ariss,
Murdr and Tarm. For dracs, first names usually carry or describe the draconians
personality or demeanor. Gran in a shortening of the word "grand". Murdr
is a shortening of "murder". The honorific has two purposes. It denotes
whether the draconian is male or female, and is used to denote polite respect
and worthiness from the person saying the name. The honorific -ak denotes
a male, while the honorific -aka denotes a female. For example, Granak
is an honored male draconian with the personal first name of Gran. Arissaka
is a honored female draconian with the first name of Ariss. Honorifics
and their use speak volumes based on connotation. Very close personal friends
often disregard honorific. For example, Granak and Murdrak Red-Silver are
egglings, meaning they came from the same eggs, like twins. Being very
close, Granak would call his brother Murd or Murdr. If Murdrak were talking
to other people and referring to his brother, Murdrak would say Granak
to tell his audience that he considers Granak an equal or better drac.
When speaking directly to Granak, Murdrak would say Gran. In some instances,
a draconian known to be weak and cowardly may have his honorific stripped
from his name when spoken to. For example, Murdrak doesn't respect Tarmak.
In a derisive tone, Murdrak would refer to Tarmak as Tarm. Any drac listening
would know that Murdrak considers Tarmak as a weak creature that doesn't
deserve any respect. It is very interesting to note that most draconians
don't use the honorific when they speak to non-draconian races. It is not
surprising given that draconians feel that the other races are weak creatures
to be conquered. A draconian's last name is an uncommon characteristic
that sets that drac from others of his kind. For example, Granak and Murdrak
both have a physical deformity, having silver scales tarnished by blood
red. Thus, their last name is Red-Silver which most other draconians would
associate. A last name need not be a physical description, but a description
from a famous event. Arissaka Fel-tail is famous for defeating a Dragon
Highlord using a stunning attack using her tail. Last names also change
with time. Tarmak came from the same egg as Granak and Murdrak. In fact,
Tarmak was once a Red-Silver, however in his journeys, he became trapped
in a prison cell with forty bored Kender. He escaped, out-stealing the
Kender, and retained a Kender mentality. Thus, most dracs know him as Tarmak
Kender-kin. Draconians come in many difference sizes and shapes. Sivaks
tend to be large, while Baaz tend to be smaller. They have a wide range
of eye colors but most are usually pitch black. They have a large life-span.
Consult the Tables 10a, 11a, and 12a to determine any other characteristics. Table
10a: Average Height and Weight Height in Inches Weight in Pounds Race Base
Modifier Base Modifier Aurak 72 1d12 140 4d10 Baaz 60 1d6 90 3d10 Bozak
58 2d6 110 3d12 Kapak 60 3d4 130 4d10 Sivak 84 2d12 230 1d10 Table
11a: Age Starting Age Weight in Pounds Race Base age Modifier Base Modifier
Aurak 10 1d6 900 + 100d6 Baaz 3 1d3 900 + 100d4 Bozak 4 1d6 900 + 100d3
Kapak 5 1d4 900 + 100d4 Sivak 9 1d6 800 + 100d12 Table
12a: Aging Effects Race Middle Old Venerable All Draconians 175 250 750
Table of Contents
Chapter 3: Player Character Classes
After choosing your character's race, you now must select the character
profession or career. Draconians are severely limited in the types of careers
available. Draconian are fighters, thieves, mages, and clerics. It is a
very rare (i.e. only at a DM's discretion) sight to see a drac as a paladin,
ranger, specialist mage, druid or bard. A draconian is also limited in
how far it can achieve in a particular field or profession. Consult Table
9a to see how far a particular drac can reach in a adventuring career. Table
13a: Class Restrictions and Level Limits Class Aurak Baaz Bozak Kapak Sivak
Bard -- -- -- -- -- Cleric 6 5 13 8 7 Druid -- -- -- -- -- Fighter 5 12
10 10 18 Illusionist -- -- -- -- -- Mage 15 -- 9 -- -- Paladin -- -- --
-- -- Ranger -- -- -- -- -- Thief 13 13 12 15 9 Class
Descriptions All draconians take up the same skills that they get from
they chosen occupation. Those are straight from the PHB. Fighter
In the War of the Lance, Takhisis, the Dark Queen, needed a vast number
of troop soldiers who were loyal to Her. Thus the draconians were created
and geared to be those fighters in the Dragonarmies. However, draconians
were never built to be superior warriors that the Dragon Highlords can't
control. Most draconians have a good chance to being fighters. Sivaks,
are the elite shock troops, raised for pure physical combat. Baaz come
in second in ability, being the infantry. Auraks, however, were established
as the magical masters within the drac society. Auraks do not have the
patience or skill to conduct physical combat, relying on their magical
talents to survive. Thief Amongst the drac races,
none are more cunning at spying, infiltration, and assassination as the
Kapaks. Designed from the start at sneaking behind a victim and paralyzing
it's victims with its venom, Kapaks excel at thievery. While the rest also
make good thieves, Sivak tends to be the worst. The Sivak's huge size,
and bulky fingers were designed to hold a sword, rather than using the
fine tools such as lock picks. A drac's natural thieving skills come into
play when a drac starts out as a thief. Consult Table 27a and adjust the
initial starting thief skills depending on the particular draconian race
of the PC.
Table 27a: Thieving Skill Racial Adjustments
Skill Aurak Baaz Bozak Kapak Sivak Pick Pockets -- +10% -- -- -25% Open
Locks -- -- -10% -- -- Find/Remove Traps -- -- -- +15% -- Move Silently
-- +5% -- +5% -10% Hide in Shadows -- +5% -- +5% -5% Detect Noise -- --
-- -- -20% Read Languages -- -- -- -- -- Mage Only
two races have the proper magical abilities to cast magic. These are the
Auraks and the Bozaks. Auraks are the undisputed masters of magic. Not
only do they have innate magical-like powers, they have the keenest minds
for understand and memorizing the wizardly spells. Although Bozaks do not
have the same raw talent for magic, they can cast a nice combination of
spells. Severely limited in how much they can cast, Bozaks often turn to
spells such as burning hands, enlarge, magic missile, shocking grasp, invisibility,
levitate, stinking cloud, and web. Wizards of High Sorcery: It is unclear
how draconians cast their magic. It has been theorized that draconians
have an innate magical power that was inherited from their dragon parentage.
However, the draconians that were born in the War of the Lance obtained
most of their magical knowledge as directly from the Black Robed mages
of the Order of High Sorcery. Evil as they may be, the Black Robes did
not deviate in creating unstable draconian mages. The Black Robes subjected
their Test of High Sorcery upon the draconians in the same manner as other
spell casters. Any draconian that dawned the White Robes or Red Robes were
quickly killed. From this era draconians passed the test, but choose their
alignment towards evil to survive. Over time, many magic users abandoned
their dragonarmies, and even turned to good. Quite surprising to the other
orders, many draconians, previously black robed, came to the Towers of
Wayreth and Palanthas for proper instruction and began a new life under
a very different color. Renegades: Some draconians however, were not lucky
enough to change sides, yet still renounced their black robes. Many of
these were regarded as renegades, and were summarily hunted down and killed,
even by the hands of the White Robes. Those renegade that survived went
into hiding and seldom show themselves. Cleric
All the draconians can turn from war to become follow the will of the gods.
While dracs clerics follow Takhisis, draconians are not limited to only
following the Goddess of Evil. Bozaks tend to the most spiritual. As a
race, Bozaks seem to have a greater amount of faith and believe in things
that cannot directly see. Baaz are the least likely. Baaz are the dull-witted
infantry troops. They follow orders, and seldom have the wisdom to think
things through before acting. A Baaz will most likely follow a cleric rather
than becoming one. Holy Order of the Stars: During the War of the Lance,
many draconians gained their spell-like powers directly from the favor
of Takhisis herself. The other Clerics of the Gods without much choice
allowed the draconian clerics to enter their orders. Soon after, many draconians
turned away from evil and eventually, if not secretly earned the right
to follow other Gods. Multi-Class and Dual-Class
Characters Draconians can train to be thieves, clerics, and mages. However,
their society is dominated by a culture bent on physical conquest and survival
through personal combat. Thus, most draconians tend to a career with a
large amount of training as fighters. Bozaks tend to be very skilled in
a wide range of occupations. Table 27b: Multi-Class
Combinations Aurak fighter/mage fighter/thief Baaz fighter/thief Bozak
cleric/mage Fighter/cleric fighter/mage fighter/thief mage/thief fighter/cleric/mage
fighter/mage/thief Kapak fighter/thief Sivak none Dual Class Character
Sivak Table of Contents
Chapter 4: Alignment
Alignment is a shorthand description of a complex moral code. The DMG as
well as the Player's Handbook provides many different examples of the 9
separate categories of alignment. Draconians were originally created from
the eggs of the Good Dragons of Krynn. An evil mage of the Black Robes,
an evil priest of Takhisis, the Goddess of Evil, and a Red dragon came
together to corrupt the egg, forming the draconians. These dragon-men were
then brought up to serve under the Dragonarmies, fighting to survive and
to conquer. Needless to say, draconians are creatures perverted to evil,
by evil, for evil purposes. However, not all draconians are the vile monsters
that the general public has made out to be. The common views of alignments
are written in the Player's Handbook, so they will not be listed here.
However, draconians have special views that are certainly skewed by the
evil society that created them. The following alignments for draconians
are not set in stone. They should be taken as suggestions for a drac. Each
and every draconian will have separate individual takes on moral and ethical
choices. Use the chosen alignment as a guide to provide a clear idea of
how the drac will handle moral dilemmas. Always consider alignment as a
tool, not a straitjacket that restricts the draconian. Although alignment
should define general attitudes, it certainly doesn't prevent a character
from changing his beliefs, acting irrationally, or behaving out of character. Law,
Neutrality and Chaos A character who maintains Law believes that one must
have order, organization and rules to maintain a healthy society. Draconians,
surprisingly, can be very Lawful. Most draconians were indoctrinated into
military training immediately after hatching from the egg. The need for
strict order is essential for a well mobilized military force, and the
draconians realize this. A character who maintains Neutrality believes
that when there is a force or event, then an equal and opposite force or
event also takes place. Some might call it karma, but the draconians have
a simple saying that defines Neutrality. "It call comes around to bite
you in the tail." A character who maintains Chaos believes that one must
have self-reliance and self-control is the only way to deal with the random
events that is the nature or the universe. Draconians know this very well.
Dracs had no say on whether they were stolen from the Good dragons. They
had no say on whether they survive the mutating powers of the spells that
created them. Those seemly random events determined whether they lived
or died. Those that were strong and self-reliant survived to live. Good,
Neutral, and Evil A character who maintains Good believes that one must
help others, and thus benefit by others helping him or her. Everyone must
help one another to create a healthy society. The Wisdom of the Gods, written
in the Disks of Mishakal states: The Good redeem their own. A character
who maintains Neutrality believes that one must have free choice to choose
between Good and Evil. Without Evil, Good would have no contrast, and would
become meaningless. Without Good, Evil would have no contrast, and would
also become meaningless. Without allowing others to choose between Good
and Evil, then society and the word becomes stagnant. A character who maintains
Evil believes that there an inherent need in nature for the strongest to
survive. If that means that the weak must be sacrificed to the strong,
then so be it. Evil persons will seek to prevent others from gaining power
as well as striving to become strong. From the Disks of Mishakal states:
Evil feeds upon itself. Alignment Combinations
Nine different alignments result from combining Law, Neutrality, Chaos
and Good, Neutrality, Evil. Most draconians have a dual standard for the
nine alignments. In an evil society, a draconians survival is dependant
on how well it believes or follows propaganda. Often, a draconian may not
know what being good truly is. Lawful Good: This alignment conjures up
images of "do-gooders" such as the Knights of Solamnia, who symbolize all
that is wrong with the alignment. Propaganda aside, dracs can be very Lawful
Good and not realize it. Influenced heavily by the military machine of
the Dragonarmies, Draconians do feel a high sense for order. Under this
training, many draconians in the military follow orders without any thought
for themselves. A Lawful Good Draconian may be a drac who is orderly, but
very willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades in battle, his squadron,
and his fellow dracs for the cause. Lawful Neutral: The orderly military
structure appeals to many dracs. Lawful Neutral dracs might like the structure
that military life has taught them, but they following orders, rather than
climbing the deadly path for power. Lawful Evil: For many draconians, a
lawful evil society clearly defines a system of master and servant. Those
who are the masters have gained enough power to rule the weak. They have
earned the power to rule. The Law helps establish the hierarchy, while
Evil defines the stronger and the weaker. Without this system, society
would be organized in a system that allows the weak to exist, subverting
and eroding the overall strength of society. Neutral Good: Neutral Good
draconians understand that Evil implies the strong devouring the weak.
To simply destroy the weak is a waste of resources. However, if the weak
are nurtured, then they may become stronger, and thus increasing the strength
of society as a whole. True Neutral: The True Neutrals believe in a balance
in all things. Between Law and Chaos, True Neutral draconians will strive
to follow the rules, yet will break the law if the law is too stringent.
They will also impose rules and organization to a chaotic situation, and
strive to make the situation manageable. Between Good and Evil, the True
Neutral will constantly argue and fight his comrades, not to destroy them,
but to "toughen them up" for real battles. They will also fight ruthlessly
and treacherously, but once the enemy has fallen, a Neutral draconian allows
the defeated a chance to live and become stronger. Neutral Evil: A Neutral
Evil draconians tend to believe the world needs a sense of order, but that
order should not impede advancement and growth. These draconians believe
in strength and order as a means to get ahead. However, there are exceptions
to this rule. A draconian's talents and abilities and the drive to gain
success in live will create some conflict. Such conflicts are necessary
to get ahead. Chaotic Good: It is very rare for a draconians to be Chaotic
Good. Most draconians associate random events of goodness to be unorganized
and without purpose. The typical Kender symbolizes all that is wrong with
a Chaotic Good alignment. For those who have chosen this alignment, barring
insanity, are dracs who realize that true good will toward others must
be without personal motivation. Such a draconian will usually have an existence
free from rules and regulations, yet will help others who need it. Chaotic
Neutral: Chaotic Neutral draconians believe that life is nothing more that
a random set of events and that any action has no significant good or evil
effect. Such draconians are often considered unreliable, if not insane.
These draconians tend to follow whatever whim that comes along. Surprisingly
many of the first draconians that were hatched tend to follow this alignment
having been torn from their eggs and subjected to the almost whimsical
events in their lives. However, the harsh and deadly militaristic nature
of draconian society usually weeds out Chaotic Neutral draconians. Chaotic
Evil: Chaotic Evil draconians desire personal power and pleasure. Any laws,
rules or organizations are for the weak, and are to be exploited. If the
laws prove to be a hindrance, then ignore the law. Chaotic Evil dracs will
anything advance themselves. Surprisingly, most draconians dislike the
Chaotic Evil draconians because of pure self-motivation. A Chaotic Evil
draconian is most willing to disobey orders for personal gratification.
Without structure or organization, such a creature might even turn its
back on a mission or refuse orders from the Goddess of Evil herself. Effects
of Changing Alignment Both the DMG and the DRAGONLANCE (r) Adventure's
book has information about the effects of changing alignments. Alignment
is handled very differently in DRAGONLANCE (r) campaigns than in other
TSR game worlds. Alignment can be viewed as gauge that ranges from Good
to Neutral to Evil. DMs can use the Character Alignment chart found in
the back of DRAGONLANCE (r) Adventures. Here is a simplified reproduction:
Good Neutral Evil |----------*-----------|---------------*----------------|----------*----------|
A character's alignment shifts depending on the actions of that character.
Once an alignment is established, the character's alignment starts at the
center region of the alignment (Where the star (*) sits on the graph.).
As the character shifts out of his original alignment, he enters a gray
area between alignments. This area warns the PC and Player that this actions
are not within the beliefs of his alignment. Once in the gray area, the
character suffers from the following effects: Attack -1 to hit opponents
Defense +1 to the character's armor class Wizard Spells 10% chance caster
fails to recall the spell Cleric Spells 10% chance the spell will fail.
When the wizard attempts to use any spell, the spell cannot be recalled,
and does not function. The player doesn't know this until the PC fails
to cast the spell. The same results happen to a cleric as well. Also, special
bonus cleric spells from that particular god has a 20% chance of not being
granted for the day. Knights of Solamnia and Takhisis are also subject
to this penalty. When the character's alignment moves past the gray area,
the alignment will immediately jump to the center of the next alignment.
This is to represent that switching to a new alignment will make returning
to the old one, a bit more difficult. Draconians who do change their alignment
don't lose their innate abilities. However, they do suffer the same effects
listed in the DMG and the DRAGONLANCE (r) Adventures book. Table
of Contents
Chapter 5: Proficiencies
Once the draconian has an alignment, the creature now needs skills. These
skills come in the form of proficiencies. It is strongly recommended that
any players and DMs consult the Player's Handbook and the PHBR handbook
series for details about proficiencies, especially The Complete Book of
Humanoids. This Draconian Handbook will not list the proficiencies that
are already available in those books. Weapon Proficiencies
As explained in the Player's Handbook, a weapon's proficiency measures
a character's knowledge and training with a specific weapon. A draconian
may use any weapon which is available to his class. Also, draconians have
naturally sharp claws and teeth, and some have powerful tails. However,
a draconian does not naturally know how to effectively fight with tail,
tooth and claw. Draconians must be trained to use their natural weapons
for fighting. To learn to use a natural weapon, the draconian must use
a weapon proficiency slot as if it were another weapon. Each natural weapon
counts as a separate weapon. For example, an Aurak has the ability to attack
using fangs and claws. To use those natural weapons, the Aurak must use
one weapon proficiency slot to learn how to bite, and one proficiency slot
to learn how to attack with it's two claws. A Sivak would need to spend
one proficiency to learn tail attacks, and another to learn claw attacks.
Weapon proficiencies are only available to those specific sub-races. For
example, a Sivak can only learn to use claw and tail attacks but cannot
learn bite attacks while an Aurak can learn bite attacks but not tail attacks.
An Aurak's claw does not do the same damage as a Sivak's claw. Draconians
cannot specialize in natural weapons. Consult table 44 for a break down
of possible natural weapons. Table 34: Natural
Weapons Weapon Type Damage Aurak's Claw S 1d4 Aurak's Fang P 1d6 Baaz's
Claw S 1d4 Baaz's Fang P 1d4 Bozak's Claw S 1d4 Bozak's Fang P 1d4 Kapak's
Fang* P 1d4 Sivak's Claw S 1d6 Sivak's Tail B 2d6 *Note: Kapak's fangs
not only do 1d4 points of damage, a Kapak's bite attack is always coated
with paralysis-inducing saliva. Nonweapon Proficiencies
The Player's Handbook has the specific rules on how nonweapon proficiencies
work. For those players and DMs who do not have the PHBR series, there
are a few proficiencies that I would recommend be added to the list of
proficiencies listed in the Player's Handbook. These nonweapon proficiencies
are included in this handbook as well, but are listed only as brief descriptions
of how they apply to draconians. Table 37: Nonweapon
Proficiency Groups GENERAL # of Slots Relevant Check Proficiency Required
Ability Modifier Alertness 1 Wis +1 Begging 1 Cha Special Drinking 1 Con
0 Eating 1 Con 0 Fast-talking 1 Cha Special Gliding 1 Dex -1 Intimidation
1 Str/Cha 0 PRIEST # of Slots Relevant Check Proficiency Required Ability
Modifier Draconian Physiology 2 Wis -2 ROGUE # of Slots Relevant Check
Proficiency Required Ability Modifier Acting 1 Cha -1 Looting 1 Dex 0 WARRIOR
# of Slots Relevant Check Proficiency Required Ability Modifier Flight
1 Con -2 WIZARD # of Slots Relevant Check Proficiency Required Ability
Modifier Innate Magic (Aurak's) 4 Int NA Innate Magic (Sivak's) 1 Int NA Acting
This proficiency allows a character to skillfully portray various roles,
often as an entertainment. It can also be used to enhance disguises. Baaz
often use disguises and acting to appear human especially when passing
through civilized lands as spies. Sivak and Aurak spies also use acting
when they have shapechanged into a victim's appearance. A Sivak can use
the acting skill to imitate the mannerisms of the victim, fooling even
friends of the victim. Proficiency checks are required only in the actor
must portray a particularly difficult role or is attempting to "ad lib"
without rehearsing. Difficult roles include imitating another person in
front of a close friend. If a character has both acting and disguise proficiencies,
the check for either is made with a +1 bonus. Alertness
This proficiency allows a character to instinctively notice and recognize
signs of a disturbance in the immediate vicinity. This proficiency was
introduced to the draconians during the War of the Lance. Many draconians,
usually Baaz, took up the role of guards and sentries. This ability reduces
a character's chance of being surprised by 1 if he makes a successful proficiency
check. Begging After the War of the Lance, many
draconian broke rank from the dragonarmies. Many were hunted down by both
good and evil forces. Often, the downtrodden take up begging as a means
of survival. While others took to begging to disguise themselves among
the safety or other beggars. Begging is considered a weak and cowardly
act, not liked by even other draconians. This proficiency allows the draconian
to earn a minimal daily income. To use this proficiency to earn money effectively,
it must be used in an area where draconians are not considered evil mutated
demons. The following modifiers are suggested guidelines for DMs. They
do not take into account the wealth of the locale, or other factors. Naturally,
poor or war-torn areas might have negative modifiers. Draconians in general
are viewed as abominations, which will affect modifiers in a Good aligned
city. Begging Modifiers Locale Modifier Uninhabited/Wilderness Failure
Countryside -7 Hamlet, Village -5 Town -2 City 0 Good Aligned City -4 Evil
Aligned City -2 A successful check enables a draconian to beg for enough
money, food and drink to meet his basic needs. Draconian
Physiology During the War of the Lance, draconians usually fought to the
death, hoping to inflict at must damage to the enemy for Takhisis, the
Goddess of Evil. Because very little remains of a draconian once it dies,
there was no need to investigate healing for draconians. In fact, draconians
are resistance to healing spells, and very little is known about how draconian
anatomy operates so normal healing proficiencies do not help draconians.
Due to secretly good draconians and the dwindling numbers of draconians,
draconians have eventually learned how draconians heal and survive. Through
close examinations of Sivaks killed by other dracs has helped in the research.
This proficiency acts in the same way as the healing proficiency found
in the Player's Handbook but applies only to draconians. As stated before,
the regular healing proficiency does not help draconians, and the draconian
physiology proficiency does not benefit non-dracs. Drinking
Much like the eating proficiency, drinking is important to many draconians.
Dracs have become infamous for using the drinking proficiency by taking
in large amounts of alcohol without feeling the affects of the drink. To
others, the draconian simply seems immune to the affects of strong drink,
including dwarf spirits. A successful check indicates that the draconian
can consume up to twice as much food as normal in one sitting. This will
allow the draconian to go twice as long without drink before beginning
to suffer adverse effects. If alcoholic beverages are involved, a successful
check allows the draconian to consume twice as much before adverse effects
begin to bother him. Eating Much like the drinking
proficiency, this proficiency allows the draconian to eat twice as much
in one sitting. The food consumed allows the draconian to go twice as long
without food before suffering the adverse effects of hunger. Fast-talking
Fast-talking is the art of distraction and conning others. The skill was
first introduced to draconians spies sent to investigate the Gnomes of
Mt. Nevermind. The draconians quickly learned and adapted the skill to
survive against cruel commanders, enemies, and even Kender. If a successful
proficiency check is made, the fast-talking drac has woven a quick but
plausible tale that distracts the listener. Modifiers are based on the
Intelligence and Wisdom of the target. DMs may make adjustments depending
on the difficulty and plausibility of the drac's attempt, as well as the
racial preferences of the target. Fast-Talking Modifiers Target's Target's
Intelligence Modifier Wisdom Modifier 3 or less NA 3 or less -5 4-5 -3
4-5 -3 6-8 -1 6-8 -1 9-12 0 9-12 0 13-15 +1 13-15 +1 16-17 +2 16-17 +3
18 +3 18 +5 19 +5 19 or more NA 20 or more NA Modifiers are cumulative.
If the target has Intelligence of 3 or less, an Intelligence of 20 or more,
or Wisdom of 19 or more, the attempt fails automatically. Flight
This proficiency is an advanced form of gliding. As any Sivak can boast,
flight is one of the best expressions of freedom ever established for a
draconian. And the ability for flight has never been more flaunted than
by a Sivak. Sivaks have often used flight for long range reconnaissance,
as well as minor supply transport. In fact, flight has helped extend chances
of victory in combat simply by adopting bombing runs. To fly, draconians
must become proficient in gliding before becoming proficient in flying.
Only Bozaks and Sivaks have the wings that can properly sustain flight.
Even with the flying proficiency, Bozaks can only sustain flight for one
round. Only Sivaks however can sustain flight indefinitely. Flight cannot
be established if the draconian is carrying more than one-third of his
weight in equipment, including arms and armor. Proficiency checks are required
if the flyer must perform a particularly difficult aerial maneuver, such
as tight combat maneuvers (i.e. barrel rolls, loop-the-loops, and wing-overs),
coordinated flight formations, and extended flights (constant flight taking
more than 10 hours). A successful check indicates that the draconian has
achieved flight, or has achieved an difficult maneuver, or can fly for
ten hours straight without needing rest. A failed check indicates that
the draconian is falling. If the draconian does not hit the ground at the
end of the round, the draconian must immediately perform a gliding check
or continue to fall for the next round. If a draconian has already sustained
enough damage points equaling more than half of his total hit points, the
draconian begins to plummet automatically, and requires a gliding check.
If the draconian has sustained enough damage points equaling more than
three-fourths of his total hit points, the draconian automatically plummets
and also automatically fails his gliding check as well. If or when the
fallen draconian hits the ground, falling damage (see combat rules for
falling damage) applies depending on the distance the draconian has fallen.
If a draconian is currently successfully flying and decides to glide, the
gliding check is automatically successful. Aerial Flying Movement Rates.
Race Movement Rate Maneuverability Rating Duration Bozak 6 E 1 round Sivak
24 C Indefinitely Gliding This proficiency enables
a draconian with wings to move at an astonishing rate. The ability to glide
is one of the few things that even the Baaz can do that infuriate the jealous
Auraks, the only draconian race that cannot glide or fly. A draconian must
have two fully operational wings to learn this proficiency. Thus Auraks
cannot glide (or fly). Using this proficiency, draconians can flap their
wings while running on all fours, which enables them to move quite fast.
Once the draconian has learned the proficiency, the draconian can make
a run and glide movement for 10 hours at a movement rate of 15. A successful
gliding check must to made to continue another 10 hours. To glide, draconians
must launch himself from a height, and then perform a proficiency check.
A successful gliding check indicates that the draconian can use their wings
to glide a distance equal to four times the height from which they launch
themselves. For instance, a draconian launching himself from a 100- foot
cliff can glide to the ground up to 400 feet away. Gliding has a movement
rate of 18. Gliding cannot be established if a draconian is carrying more
than one-third of his weight in equipment, including arms and armor. A
failed check indicates that the draconian is falling. If the falling draconian
does not hit the ground at the end of the round, the draconian must immediately
perform a gliding check or continue to fall for the next round. If the
draconian has sustained enough damage points equaling more than three-
fourths of his total hit points, the draconian begins to plummet, automatically
failing all his gliding checks. If or when the fallen draconian hits the
ground, falling damage (see combat rules for falling damage) applies depending
on the distance the draconian has fallen. Innate
Magic This proficiency allows a draconian to properly use the innate magical
abilities. As with learning to glide and fly, a draconian does not immediately
know, or understand how to use special magic. This is especially important
to Auraks to have a large number of skills that are certainly magical.
Once the proficiency, no check is required. Once an Aurak gains the proficiency
to the Aurak's innate magical powers, the draconian can start using them.
Refer to the listing on the Aurak's racial traits in chapter 2 for specifics.
Any of the magical powers listed for Auraks now become available. Auraks
possess a limited ability to dimension door three times a day to teleport
up to 60 yards away. The senses of Auraks are heightened to 60' and can
detect hidden and detect invisible creatures within 40 yards. They can
also see through all illusions. Aurak have several natural defenses that
can be invoked at will. He can become invisible once a turn and polymorph
self into any animal their size 3 times a day. Finally, Aurak can change
self to perfectly imitate the appearance and voice of any humanoid they
have seen. They can retain this from for 2d6+6 rounds, thrice a day. The
Aurak can now generate bursts of energy from each hand, striking targets
within 6' and causing 1d8+2 points of damage with each. When using change
self these bursts appear to be attacks using the Aurak's illusory weapon.
And thrice per day, they can breathe a noxious cloud of gas with a 5' diameter.
Victims caught in the cloud suffer 2d10 points of damage and are blinded
for 1d4 rounds. A save vs. breath halves damage and prevents blindness.
The Auraks' most insidious power, however, is mind control. They can use
suggestion one per turn if they concentrate. Once per day, they can use
mind control on one victim of equal or fewer Hit Dice for 2d6 rounds. A
save vs. spells negates this attack. Mind control lets the Aurak control
another creature's body as though it were his own. Once a Sivak gains the
proficiency to the Sivak's innate magical power, the draconian can start
using them without need of a successful check. Once learned, ability of
the Sivaks is their mastery of the shape changing into the form of a humanoid
of smaller size that they have just killed. Once the victim is killed,
the Sivak may take the shape of the victim. Sivaks gain only appearance
and voice; they do not gain magic use or memories. They can remain this
way permanently and can change back to their normal form at will, but cannot
change back into humanoid form again until they kill another humanoid. Intimidation
This proficiency allows draconians to bend others to their will through
fear tactics. The skill became very popular among the Sivak, being the
heavy elite troops during the War of the Lance. The threat of physical
violence was so common, that most of the inhabitants gave the Sivaks a
wide berth. NPCs who are intimidated are quite likely to harbor much resentment
against the draconian that intimidates them. NPCs will keep this resentment
hidden until the first opportunity to avenge their pride arises. Intimidation
can be attempted in two ways. One is a feat of Strength, a demonstration
of bodily harm. Sivaks, given their larger than human sizes, often flex
their muscles as a quick method of intimidation. The other method is a
persuasive use of Charisma which usually implies a threat that is not physical
in nature. Perhaps, an Aurak might threaten to cam a little child if the
NPC is not cooperative, for example. In any case, other player characters
do not have to submit to intimidation unless they want to. Looting
This proficiency represent a special knack for grabbing the best, most
valuable loot in the shortest amount of time. During the first assaults
of the evil forces of the War of the Lance, many draconians quickly learned
that the villages they encountered often contained treasures. Thus, looting
is a skill most commonly possessed by Baaz and most infantry draconians.
A successful proficiency check allows a draconian to recognize and grab
the most valuable combinations of treasure that is feasible, given the
situational limits of time and space. Table of Contents
Chapter 6: Money and Equipment
Draconians will have the same starting money and equipment that most other
races will have as well. Draconians are not noted for having lots of wealth.
During the War of the Lance, draconians carried very little in terms of
money. Towns occupied by the draconian forced usually succumbed to any
demands the occupying military. When a draconian wanted something, it was
always in the victim's best interest to obey. Draconians needed very little
in terms of money and didn't carry much in terms of currency. After the
war, many draconians discovered that without the military machine to back
them, draconians were left poor and destitute. Many disillusioned draconians
turned on their commanders, and many more quickly abandoned the dragonarmies
and turned to banditry. During this period, many were hunted down by either
the forces of good. The forces of evil hunted them down for desertion.
During this time, few draconians survived let alone earned money or treasure.
The exception to the rule were the spies. These draconians, mainly Sivak
and Aurak, both during and after the war, needed currency to live within
regions that did not support and were again the military machine of the
Dragonarmies. These draconians quickly and quietly set aside vast pockets
of treasure to live on while they preformed their covert operations. For
role-playing purposes, the DM might be willing to reduce the amounts of
starting money, depending on the draconian's background. Equipment
Lists The following lists include specific equipment that a draconian might
have. The most basic of these are weapons, armor, clothing, and outfitting
gear which are listed in Player's Handbook. To most players, most items
are made available, for a price. For draconians, these items tend to be
rarer, of even unusable. For example, platemail for most humans hinders
the wings of the lowly Baaz. Sivaks usually can't even fit in the puny
human armor. Effects of Armor Normal armor is
often hard to fit upon draconians. After all, it's not often that platemail
has holes in the back for a drac's wings. Draconians seldom use armor.
Armor is not only extraordinarily expensive to produce, many civilizations
do not want to produce armor for the new race. The thick hide of the draconians
often prove to be better, lighter, and certainly cheaper than armor. While
human or demihuman armorers can build custom-fitting armor, for a draconian,
the time is doubled and the costs are tripled. Draconians have a naturally
protective hide made of fine scales. This natural armor usually suffices
for most draconians. Unless armor, shields, and dexterity provide better
protection that the draconian's natural hide, then the additional equipment
only improves the armor class by only one point. For example, Sivaks have
a natural hide armor class of 1. If a Sivak wears leather armor with a
armor class of 8, the Sivak's new AC rating is AC 0. However, if the Sivak's
wears full plate armor and a shield, the armor rating improves to AC 0,
effectively replacing the natural protection of the Sivak's scaly hide.
The defensive adjustment due to a high Dexterity only applies to a draconian
when it dons armor. A Sivak with a Dexterity of 18 has a defensive adjustment
of -4. Thus, this Sivak needs to only wear the equivalent of splint mail
(AC rating 4) or better to gain a lower armor class. However, if the Sivak
refuses to wear any armor, he receives no defensive bonus, and has a natural
armor class of 1. Once a draconian wears any armor, the encumbrance of
that extra weight applies. Weapon Size Restrictions
Sivaks of large (L) size generally use weapons that also fit this category.
They cannot use tiny weapons (T), at all. They may have trouble wielding
small and medium weapons (the DM can assess a -1 to -4 penalty to hit and
damage rolls). Natural Weaponry While most draconians
will often fight with sword and shield, a draconian need not only depend
on manufactured weapons. When properly trained, a draconian may use his
natural claws, fangs, and tail to attack. Special
Draconian Arms and Armor Most weapons made or used by draconians can be
found in the Player's Handbook. For example, a Baaz short sword is still
a short sword. What follows are rare and unusual weapons rarely found outside
of draconian cultures: Kapak's Razor Gloves: Kapaks are the only draconians
who do not have the sharp claws. Although their hands are suited more for
fine hand-work such and thievery, the Kapaks have developed a make shift
set of gloves with razor sharp sheets of metal formed at the tips. After
the War of the Lance, many of these gloves were ruthlessly sought not only
by Kapaks but by other draconian warriors. Unfortunately, the other draconians'
naturally sharp fingertips usually wore away the many gloves. Sivak's Heavy
Crossbow: During the beginning of the War of the Lance, the Dragon Highlord,
Ariakas wished to created a simple hand-held crossbow that could rival
the bows and arrows of the best archers of Silvanesti. All the Dragonarmy
engineers believed that such a crossbow was simply impossible. It took
the designs and the tinkering ability of the Gnomes of Mount Nevermind
to create a weapon that shot farther, faster, and deadlier than any normal
crossbow. Naturally, the crossbow was the size of a small bastilla, and
only the strongest warriors could pull it. After disarming the self-destruct
device, the Sivaks quickly learned that they were naturally large enough
and strong enough to handle such weapons. For Sivaks only, the Crossbow
acts like a magical Crossbow of Accuracy, Distance, and Speed. Sivaks receive
a +3 on attack rolls, +1 on damage rolls, do not suffer any range modifiers,
and can fire a standard heavy quarrel once per round. (Range:: S:16, M:32,
L:48) (Rate of Fire: 1) For other races, crossbow has magic of only Accuracy,
Distance, or Speed and nothing else. Only a person with Strength 18/00
may use such a dangerous weapon. Sivak's Two-handed Sword: Sivaks also
created their own brand of swords. A favorite among the Sivak, this Sivak-designed
sword has barbed notches on each edge. This weapon can cause 1d10 points
of damage. Sivak's Banded Mail: Although the Sivaks seldom wear armor,
they do like to wear decorative metal bands around their arms, legs, necks
and tails. Presented as military officers' uniforms, they are treasured
among the Sivak. Providing the same protection as brigantine armor, it
still provides Sivaks an extra point in armor class, and is flexible even
in flight. Table 44: Equipment Weight Speed
Damage Weapons (lb.) Size Type Factor S-M L Crossbow Sivak's Heavy Crossbow
Sivak User 14 L -- 0 +3 +3 Human User Accuracy 14 L -- 10 +3 +3 Distance
14 L -- 10 +1 +1 Speed 14 L -- 0 +1 +1 Heavy Quarrel .1 S P -- 1d4+1 1d6+1
Gloves Razor .5 S S 0 1d3 1d2 Natural Claw Aurak's 0 S S 0 1d4 1d4 Baaz's
0 S S 0 1d4 1d4 Bozak's 0 S S 0 1d4 1d4 Sivak's 0 S S 0 1d6 1d6 Fang Aurak's
0 S P 0 1d6 1d6 Baaz's 0 S P 0 1d4 1d4 Bozak's 0 S P 0 1d4 1d4 Kapak's*
0 S P 0 1d4 1d4 Tail Sivak's 0 S B 0 2d6 2d6 Sword Two-Handed Sivak's 12
L S 8 1d10 2d8 Armor Cost Weight (lb.) AC Banded Mail Sivak's 460 stl 40
6 *Note: Kapak's fangs not only do 1d4 points of damage, a Kapak's bite
attack is always coated with paralysis-inducing saliva. Table
45: Missile Weapon Ranges Range Weapon ROF S M L Sivak Heavy Crossbow Sivak
User 1 16 32 48 Human User Accuracy 1/2 8 16 24 Distance 1/2 16 32 48 Speed
1 8 16 24 Encumbrance Although encumbrance
rules are optional rules listed in the Player's Handbook, this draconian
handbook suggests using encumbrance to help balance the draconian character.
A draconian's skills can vary greatly upon what the character is wearing,
or has with him. The drawback of encumbrance is most prevalent when the
draconian considers gliding and flight. Flight cannot be established if
the draconian is carrying more than one-third of his weight in equipment,
including arms and armor. If a draconian is carrying more than that, the
draconian only has the option to glide. Table of Contents
Chapter 7: Magic
The Player's Handbook already explains much of the magic system that wizards
and priests use. Draconians who choose to be either of these classes gain
their spells and spellcasting powers in very much the same way as normal
player characters. Some draconians such as the Auraks have skills that
allow them to cast magic beyond the normal level that spell casters can
obtain. These skills should be treated as innate magical spells. Wizards
of High Sorcery: It is unclear how draconians cast their magic. It has
been theorized that draconians have an innate magical power that was inherited
from their dragon parentage. However, the draconians that were born in
the War of the Lance obtained most of their magical knowledge as directly
from the Black Robed mages of the Order of High Sorcery. Evil as they may
be, the Black Robes did not deviate in creating unstable draconian mages.
The Black Robes subjected their Test of High Sorcery upon the draconians
in the same manner as other spell casters. Any draconian that dawned the
White Robes or Red Robes were quickly killed. From this era, draconians
passed the test, but choose their alignment towards evil to survive. Over
time, many magic users abandoned their dragonarmies, and even turned to
good. Quite surprising to the other orders, many draconians, previously
black- robed, came to the Towers of Wayreth and Palanthas for proper instruction
and began a new life under a very different color. Renegades: Some draconians
however, were not lucky enough to change sides, yet still renounced their
black robes. Many of these were regarded as renegades, and were summarily
hunted down and killed, even by the hands of the White Robes. Those renegade
that survived went into hiding and seldom show themselves. Holy Order of
the Stars: During the War of the Lance, many draconians gained their spell-like
powers directly from the favor of Takhisis herself. The other Clerics of
the Gods without much choice allowed the draconian clerics to enter their
orders. Soon after, many draconians turned away from evil and eventually,
if not secretly earned the right to follow other Gods. Magical
Creation of Draconians It is well known that the draconians were created
by perverting the Good Dragon eggs in 342 AC. The Whitestone forces were
not aware of this fact until much later, when the Qualinesti prince Gilthanas
and the Silver dragon Dargent, in the guise of a Kagonesti named Silvara,
journeyed to Sanction and learned the truth. They witnessed the rare creation
of Sivaks in the abysmal city. Their pivotal discovery lead to the introduction
of the Good dragons in the War of the Lance. Overtime, some information
about draconians has been collected through research and experiments mostly
conducted by good dragons upon captured draconians. The creation of draconians
is an amalgamation of several different spells performed at once. The spells
presented here is pure speculation, but based loosely on AD&D game
data. In the War of the Lance, the process required spells from three casters;
the wizard Dracart, the cleric Wyrllish, and the red dragon Harkiel. The
only known casting of the spell is described in DL9, Dragons of Deceit.
The climax of the spell called for a drop of saliva from the red dragon's
hideous maw. Both the wizard Dracart and the cleric Wyrllish are 10th level.
So the spells cast by them can only be 5th level spells at most. However,
these two were favored by Takhisis herself, so their skill level may have
been augmented by Her Dark Majesty as well as by the red dragon, Harkiel.
While the original spells may be heavily modified versions of those spells
found in the Player's Handbook, this netbook contains a spells which are
complete reconstructions of the effects that have been scene in various
DRAGONLANCE (r) novels and game accessories. New
Spells Create Draconians (Priest/Wizard 5th level) School: Alteration,
Charm, Necromancy Sphere: Animal, Charm, Necromancy, Summoning Range: 0
Components: V, S, M Duration: Permanent Casting Time: 1 day Area of Effect:
Special Saving Throw: None The Create Draconians spell allows three casters
to magically produce draconians. This is a simplified amalgamation of several
spells performed at once. The caster requires two additional casters to
cast the same spell at the same time. Ideally, a mage, a cleric, and a
dragon will produce the most draconians from a single dragon egg. Auraks
can only be created through this combination. Anything else would cause
an automatic failure to the spell. If there are 2 mages, 2 clerics, or
2 dragons among the three casters, the lack of balance effects the number
of draconians produced. 3 mages, 3 clerics, or 3 dragons casting the spell
greatly reduce the number of draconians produces. Once the saliva is dropped
on the egg, the eggs begins to turn black and slimy. Like some poisonous
tumor, the egg begins to grow, changing shape and writhing in agony. The
egg becomes huge and splits apart. Type of Type of Number of Draconians
Created: Dragon Draconians Best Middle Worst Egg Created Caster Caster
Caster Combination Combination Combination Brass Baaz 6d12 5d10 4d8 Bronze
Bozak 5d12 4d10 3d8 Copper Kapak 5d12 4d10 3d8 Gold Aurak 1d12 N/A N/A
Silver Sivak 4d12 3d10 2d8 The young hatching draconians are two feet in
height and start out with 2 HD. They can only attack with their natural
weapons, but they only do 1 to 2 points of damage. They suffer a -2 penalty
on all attack rolls because of disorientation. The material components
used in this spell include a good dragon's egg, a drop of fresh dragon
saliva from an evil dragon. The type of dragon egg used in the ceremony
determines the type of draconian that is created. Note: this spell is largely
based on game information taken from Dragons of Deceit, DL10, and Dragons
of Spring Dawning. Harkiel, Wyrllish, and Dracart were present at the ceremony.
As a silver egg was placed on the alter, a drop of saliva from Harkiel
dropped on the egg, causing the egg to expand and blacken. The egg cracks
releasing slime and 4d12, 2 HD Sivaks. The process is repeated daily so
I said the casting time was 1 day. Table of Contents
Chapter 8: Experience
A draconian receives the same amount of experience that most other humans,
demihumans and humanoids receive. However, because draconians are non-standard
player-characters, here are some options concerning draconians and experience. The
Importance of Experience Because draconians have skills that other player
characters do not, keep in mind that experience plays a powerful role in
how draconians can work in an average gaming session. Draconians can be
unbalancing at certain levels. They have flight, and gliding abilities,
innate magical powers, and combat ability that other races do not have.
For DMs, I strongly suggest a guideline where based on giving out experience
points based on strong role-playing . Keep these questions in mind when
you have a draconian player. 1. Was the player actively involved? A player
who does nothing and simply tells you what his character is doing isn't
seriously role-playing. Ask yourself if your player has given you a good
impression of the draconian. Does she act out how the draconian talks or
walks? 2. Did the player make it fun for others? Ask yourself if the other
players enjoyed having a draconian as a fellow player-characters for the
party. Were they glad to have a draconian on their side? 3. Did the player
use draconian abilities to side-step difficult game events? For example,
did the player use his flying ability to get across a chasm and avoid a
lot of you're efforts? Was it done in a non-original way? (i.e. Using a
skill over and over again) Training In reality,
adventurers don't suddenly earn a experience points, reach a new level,
and instantaneously earn powers and skills. Like everyone else, they have
to find an expert. They learn from the expert, and they train and practice
with new abilities until their proficient. Draconians are the same. They
don't learn their skills as if those skills were instinctual. I strongly
recommend the optional rules of training what are located in chapter 8
of the DMG. For draconians this means that some skills must be learned
from other draconians. A Sivak doesn't know how to fly unless they find
a draconian or some other creature who flies. Level
Limits At some point a player will reach a point where their draconians
achieve their level limits. The DM has two options on which to proceed.
In one instance, the DM can simply say that the draconian has reached the
highest possible level of achievement and simply can't learn for skills.
A draconian is limited in how far it can achieve in a particular field
or profession. Consult Table 9a to see how far a particular drac can reach
in a adventuring career. Be aware that this rule is always adjustable.
For example, an Aurak is limited to 5th level as a fighter. If the Aurak
draconian has 15 strength, than he can gain one additional level as a fighter,
becoming at most 6th level fighter. If the Aurak has 19 strength, he has
4 additional levels, becoming at most a 9th level fighter. Consult Table
8: Prime Requisite Bonuses from the Dungeon Master's Guide for details
about the exceeding level limits. In the other instance, the DM may abandon
the level limit, but new levels can only be obtained through double the
number of experience points. The DM may choose to allow a 5th level Aurak
fighter to advance. However, the DM may decide that to reach 6th level,
the Aurak must earn 32,000 experience points rather than the 16,000 points
that a normal player character would need to reach 6th level. In this way,
the DM may allow Paladin draconians, or other weird comminations to be
played but at double the experience points needed. Double experience points
provides a balanced way to let high-level dracs enter high level games.
Table of Contents
Chapter 9: Draconian Pros and Cons
Part of players creating new races is to see how it would be like be a
draconian. While I home this book is an extensive resource and guide to
role- playing draconians in a AD&D system, there are always possible
loopholes. Even AD&D has loopholes and this work is no exception. This
chapter is dedicated to the DMs who need to understand and deal with such
loopholes. In this chapter I've provided a concise, pros-and-cons, way
of stressing advantages and disadvantages that are found in this book.
I should stress to you that this chapter is for Dungeons Masters in dealing
with loopholes that players can find when playing draconians. This chapter
also give you the rhyme and reason some draconian skills are presented
the way they are. Player Character Races One
of the dangers in simply having a draconian as a character is the min/maxing
of the draconians ability scores. Remember the order in which the player
creates the ability scores. Remember that a draconian may NEVER have ability
scores above the maximum and minimum requirements. The DM should be aware
of a player's natural bent toward an intelligent Aurak mages or a super
strong Sivak fighter. General Draconians
Abilities Specifically all draconians have some form of magic resistance.
This is a double edged sword. This applies to all magic, including clerical,
wizardly magic. The DM should stress that a draconian can't control this
resistance. Thus beneficial might not work. It would certainly make a player
think twice about getting into combat when the draconian has a problem
magically healing. Draconians also have natural armor. The advantage of
natural armor is that it's light, it's durable, and smallest of cloth armor
improves the AC by 1. So, low-level draconians will have an advantage in
armor because it's free. The disadvantage is that to improve that AC, one
needs to find better armor, make it fit on draconians (including the large
Sivaks). To keep high-level dracs in check, note that expense of such armor.
Double, Triple or Quadruple armor prizes simply because its for a draconian.
The armor is large or needs to be hand crafted. The DM should note that
magical armor that fits draconians are nearly impossible. Any normal armor
must be punctured to accommodate tails and wings, thus potentially destroying
the magic in the armor. It is also nearly impossible to resurrect or reincarnate
a draconian. Some high -level campaign allow wizards to instantly resurrect
player-characters. Draconian players now have to be much more careful in
combat. Auraks Auraks are the best magic users.
DMs should note that Auraks have 30% resistance to magic. Use this to keep
the Aurak magic user in check. Many spells which can be used for protection
and defense may not work if the Aurak resists it. Auraks have an ability
to teleport. This makes escape, and battle positioning simple for dracs.
Imagine a Aurak thief teleporting behind an enemy and backstabbing her.
A simple way to stop overuse of a teleporting power is to observe that
the three times a day is strictly followed. Also, the teleporting ability
takes two segments to cast, exactly the 5th level wizard spell. During
that time, a well placed hit can shatter the spell-like ability before
it can teleport the Aurak. Auraks have keen senses. They will ignore illusions
and can detect hidden and invisible things. They can also shapechange.
You might want to try an anti-magic field in an area you wish to hide something.
However that may give the players a clue that they should search. Lastly,
an Aurak can mind control, learning secrets he shouldn't normally learn.
The best defense against an overpowered drac is to make sure the Aurak
has a hard time learning the Innate magical ability. Auraks don't just
get it immediately. They have to train, and learn to use that ability and
it cost FOUR slots. The second defense is to utilize anti-magic fields
exceptionally well. Without magic, an Aurak loses teleportation, ability
to detect things, shape changing, magical energy blasts and mind control
in one big swoop. Baaz The Baaz is the least
powerful draconian, and thus has the least disadvantages. The best advantage
is that Baaz can be resurrected, since they become statues after death. Kapak
Beware of the Kapaks ability to use the venom. Victims bitten by Kapak
or struck by a venom-coated weapon must roll a successful saving throw
vs. poison or become paralyzed for 2d6 turns. A Kapak might coat missiles
with this venom. Such a skill can easily out class any standard combat.
There's not much of a defense against this. However a DM may try tactics
such as magical items that provide protection from poison. A neutralize
poison spell might also work against Kapaks. Sivaks
Sivaks are the best fighters. They have a potential of great strength and
constitution and game unbalance. For example, a 13th level Sivak fighter
with 20 strength fights with both claw, can do 1d6 + 8 damage per claw
for four times per round. The disadvantage is that the Sivak must learn
the natural weapons proficiency and then the claw weapon proficiency. This
means training from someone who knows these skills. Also, these claw attacks
do not count as magical weapons. Thus, a DM might send in monsters that
can only be killed with magical weapons. A Sivak is also larger-than-man
sized, and such creatures have slower initiative with natural weapons.
Sivaks are also the only draconians who can truly fly. Thus, they can fly
over traps that would triggered by other characters. Flying has no greater
impact than in combat. Sivaks can grab objects and bomb the enemy without
getting hurt. They can flee or even fly over enemies and drop behind them.
The obvious solution is the draw combat underground or in an enclosed area.
Thus, a Sivak doesn't have enough room to fly. In open areas, enemies with
ranged attacks can be included to take care of dive-bombing draconians.
For balance, a Sivak needs to learn two proficiencies: gliding, and flying.
A DM can make training for both skills difficult. After all, where can
a Sivak go to learn how to fly? Sivaks can also shapechange after killing
a humanoid. Such a skill can quickly get out of hand if the player chooses
to kill the king and take over the kingdom, thus upsetting the DM's game.
Sivaks must use a non-weapon proficiency slot to use this skill. Weapon
Proficiencies As stated before, a draconian can use claws, tails, and fang
to attack. Natural weapons are speedy. They have a weapon speed of 0. And
a draconian can attack with both claws and tail or fang at the same time.
Thus most draconians can make three attacks per round. Draconians, however,
must first learn the natural weapons proficiency, which takes up one weapon
slot. Then another slot must be used to learn claws and another to learn
another natural weapon. Effects of Armor Draconians
also have natural armor. The advantage of natural armor is that it's light,
it's durable, and smallest of cloth armor improves the AC by 1. So, low-level
draconians will have an advantage in armor because it's free. The disadvantage
is that to improve that AC, one needs to find better armor, make it fit
on draconians (including the large Sivaks). To keep high-level dracs in
check, note that expense of such armor. Double, Triple or Quadruple armor
prizes simply because its for a draconian. The armor is large or needs
to be hand crafted. The DM should note that magical armor that fits draconians
are nearly impossible. Any normal armor must be punctured to accommodate
tails and wings, thus potentially destroying the magic in the armor. While
human or demihuman armorers can build custom-fitting armor, for a draconian,
the time is doubled and the costs are tripled. Table of
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