Anyone test Dragon Disciple in their campaign?

[Psyduck]

I was just wondering how people out there are fairing with the dragon disciple in their campaigns. We are about to run a 10th level campaing, and I see very few reasons not to take this PrC.

Taking 5 levels of the PrC class, and starting with an 18 str (using point buy), My str gets to be well over 30 (including + 8 because of enlargement) , and my favorite spell is going to be vampiric touch. Using an unarmed strike (deciding on taking IUS feat), I could also stack the damage for my strength bonus onto my vampiric touch, as well as claws. Does it really matter if it is not a touch attack??? I may not even need IUS, since it is a claw attack. My calculated damage is 5d6 + 1d8 + 10, gaining the same 5d6 hit points back when I hit. Throw in Bull's Strength, Shield, Endurance, and possibly another enlargement spell, and what is to stop me?

Anyone know of a stronger class to be than a dragon disciple?

 

[Jeremy]

There is a dragon magazine class that is a disciple of Kord that gains more strength.

Werebears gain just as much strength (+16).

And the Sage while at one point he did say you get all the benefits in the Monster Manual of going up a size, has since retracted that and has said the only bonus's you get are the ones expicitly spelled out in the class (i.e. only the +2's to strength that add up to +8, no big dump bonus us +8 strength and 4 con with enlargement).

 

[Psyduck]

And the Sage while at one point he did say you get all the benefits in the Monster Manual of going up a size, has since retracted that and has said the only bonus's you get are the ones expicitly spelled out in the class (i.e. only the +2's to strength that add up to +8, no big dump bonus us +8 strength and 4 con with enlargement).

Good point, however my DM disagrees with the second ruling of the Sage and wishes to play the dragon disciple as it is. I was just wondering, based on this, if the dragon disciple is balanced and if other DMs out there had trouble with this. If so, we may end up trashing this campaign before it starts. If not, then I may just be blowing smoke.

I personally like the Sage's new ruling. It's balanced, and it keeps the class in lieu with everything else.

 

[noretoc]

That is how it makes sense to me also. The +8 is figured into the class. You get it piece by peice, so when you enlarge, you do not get it again. At least that is how I read it. I have a player who is taking a prestige class based on the dragon disciple. It give magical abilities rather then physical ones. (He didn't want to be a dragon disciple because it was two warrior like, however he wanted wings and the back story, so we created a varient.) It is working good and staying balanced, but that wont help you much since it is different. There is great role-playing from it though.

 

[Jeremy]

Well, I'm playing the adopted son of an orc warlord in one game. He's a big time barbarian that started with a level of sorcerer in him (that he doesn't use because he doesn't know about it), and is currently unwittingly taking dragon disciple levels. We're describing it as he scratches at his face sometimes and hits hard pebbly spots...

Of course when he goes through the wracking pains of some of the other parts of the transformation it's going to be very fun for me playing the dumb lug. How does one react when their body is mutating such?

We're high power level gamers, so I don't know if we count, but so far, he's not unbalancing against the other combat machines. In fact, his hit points (even with the barbarian d12's to start with) are starting to lag because of the low hit dice, and for a little to no armor guy, that's very bad.

Unbalanced? Maybe compared to straight PHB characters that are 25 pt point buys with a little less than accepted magical equipment. But nothing a DM can't account for. Especially if you are trying to be reasonable and not wreck the campaign.

 

[novyet]

I have a guy in one of side campaigns that is running one and after getting the enlargement bonuses he was at least somewhat capable in combat afterwards, but the low hit die and light armor like Jeremy said are killing him. The bonuses don't seem over the top really, but that's just my groups' expieriences. YMMV

 

[nharwell]

<cut>
Anyone know of a stronger class to be than a dragon disciple?

Well, if you literally mean "stronger" then, no, I don't think there is any class that gains as much Strength as the Dragon Disciple. If you mean "powerful" then my answer is yes: almost every PrC from S&F is better for combat-oriented characters and all in T&B are better for spellcasters. You can min-max to give a DD an insanely high Strength but that's all you have. Compared to a fighter-type, you have worse hit points, feats, armor, and weapons (and special abilities compared to many PrCs). And you're a joke as a spell-caster. The best bet is to take only one level of Sorceror, then go Fighter or Barbarian until you change to Dragon Disciple.

Now, as with many other character classes, you avoid alot of problems when making a high-level character in that you don't have to survive the crappy lower-levels. Nonetheless, from someone who has both DM'd and played Dragon Disciples, you can easily make a better character, unless your concept is simply someone a 25+ Strength score....

 

[DungeonKeeperUK]

I was just wondering how people out there are fairing with the dragon disciple in their campaigns.
Anyone know of a stronger class to be than a dragon disciple?

Theres a better reason in my opinion that the STR factor, the RolePlay value ... I try not to focus too much on the power gameing aspect of the game and the Dragon Disciple player in my group has changed the focus adn sway of the story line already, in a good way... its working out real nice..

 

[reapersaurus]

Good point, however my DM disagrees with the second ruling of the Sage and wishes to play the dragon disciple as it is. I was just wondering, based on this, if the dragon disciple is balanced and if other DMs out there had trouble with this. If so, we may end up trashing this campaign before it starts. If not, then I may just be blowing smoke.

Wait a minute.

You are worried about the over-powered look of this class, yet the DM is nerfing the class to provide WAY more benefits than are spelled out in the PrC description?

Sounds pretty irresponsible, to me.

See, I've never understood why people think the DD should get +10 STR at level 5 of a spellcasting class.
The explicit ability SAYS you get +2 and go Large.
It doesn't say you gain all the normal ability increases of a Large figure, so why does it seem so many people want to double-dip at 5th level?

Besides the common sense part that it's a spellcasting PrC, and should never be close in STR to other types of classes.
Next thing you know, there will be a spell that allows a spellcaster to be as good in combat as a fighter.... no, wait...

 

[FullTinCan]

I have a half-orc Monk/Barbarian that just found a rotting dragon corpse. Since he hadn't eaten in a long time he took a chunk and started eating. More importantly, dragons are finally returning to the campaign world. So in anycase, I am seriously contemplating taking Dragon Disciple.