Bear Warrior and Dragon Magic

[Hathradiah Fomorii]

While I was looking through "Dragon Magic" I found the alternate class feature called "Dragonscale Husk". The wording is pretty vague about what kind of bonus to armor it gives you but pretty much you trade all proficiency with armor (you can only take this with a class that gets heavy armor proficiency) to gain the extraordinary ability to grow dragon scales that grant you a bonus to armor of 6 + 1/3 the class level that gives you heavy armor proficiency (multiple classes stack). It also gives you energy resistance that is pretty powerful at mid level.

So here was my idea, take a class that will allow me to get Dragonscale Husk (Not sure which would be best) one level of barbarian to get rage then ten levels of Bear Warrior from Complete Warrior. I believe that I will still be able to use my Husk in bear form.

Any thoughts on if this combanation works and how you think the Dragonscale Husk ability works. Thanks for the feedback! Cheers.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

It doesn't say what kind of armor bonus, but I think it's safe to consider it a natural armor bonus. I'd rule this way if I was your DM.

Therefore, I see it working with Bear shape.

However, Barbarian and Bear Warrior don't have a heavy armor proficeny, so the Dragonskin Husk won't level up during those levels. It will, however, be as strong as whatever class levels you took before that progress. But it seems you already know this.

Dragon-Bear. sounds cool.

 

[Dandu]

Bear Warrior changes you as if you had polymorphed, right?

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Bear Warrior changes you as if you had polymorphed, right?

Oh... yes it does, I was assuming it was more like Wildshape.

Therefore, as Polymorph, which is as Alter Shape, you gain the Natural AC of your acquired form, and do not carry over your natural AC to your original form. It says in the entry about the bear form that you acquire the Natural AC of the bear, which means you replace your normal form's Natural AC.

Unless you could assume Bear Form somehow and stay in it for 8 hours to grow a husk afterwards, because you retain all Extraordinary class abilities. So, if there is some creative way to stretch Rage/Frenzy for 8+ hours in one go, you're all set!

Otherwise, I don't think this combo would work by RAW.

 

[Dandu]

You lose your NA bonus when Polymorphed and take on the NA of the new form, from what I remember.

 

[emoplato]

The Dragonscale Husk is a non-mobile and horrible alternative feature.
1. Its advancement is based purely on your advancement in that class you forsook your armor proficiencies. So even if you multiclass into something with those same proficiencies it won't advance, much less if you take a prestige class.
2. It has a language to it that would suggest that typical armor bonuses granted from most classes or buffs won't stack with it.
3. At level 18 it will have an armor bonus 12 while being considered medium armor. A few levels earlier you could have had mythril breastplate that is considered light so no speed reduction with the same armor bonus plus other goodies from actual enhancements. You can't enhance a Dragonscale Husk.
It does have decent energy resistance scores and no arcane spell failure but to put it quite simply it forces you to be in one class and it doesn't even allow you to get the most out of any strategy among those classes. So, unless the DM loves to pull naked battle situations on you or are in a Gestalt campaign there isn't any reason to take it.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Regardless of all that has been said rules-wise, if I was your DM and you said "I really want to become a Dragon Scaled, Raging Bear"... I'd think this a cool enough design that I'd allow it.
​