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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iceifur" data-source="post: 3671328" data-attributes="member: 18077">A quick double-question, Kerrick: are your opinions based on actual play, or are they just suppositions?I've had players take the class before, and most of them have regretted it. Taking the class all the way to level 10 is extremely sub-par, especially if you're a primary caster. There are very few bennies in the entirety of D&D that are worth losing 10 levels of primary (0th-9th) spellcasting; the half-dragon template (wings or no wings) isn't one of them.The only instances where the class shines, IME, are as a dip (for full spellcasting classes like the sorcerer) or as a capstone (for melee/caster hybrids like the hexblade, duskblade, or multiclass fighter/sorcerers). From what I've seen, though, the class just isn't that good -- if it was, then I'd expect most of the min/maxers I play with to have at least a few levels in the class (and they don't).For FireLance, the class you're thinking of is the Dragon Devotee from Races of the Dragon. It's a 5-level prestige class that grants the +1 LA Draconic template (not Half-Dragon); however, the class is an odd one. Compared to the Dragon Disciple, the Dragon Devotee has:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A lower HD (d6 rather than d12).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Better skill points (4+ rather than 2+).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fewer good saves (1 instead of 2).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">+2 actual levels of sorcerer spellcasting (even if you didn't cast as a sorcerer before).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">2 instances of Combat Techniques (either bonus Fighter feats or increases to sneak attack/skirmish/sudden strike damage).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The ability to ignore arcane spell failure for 0th- and 1st-level spells ONLY.</li> </ul>For the OP, if I were to drop the Dragon Disciple down to a lower number of levels, I'd make it a 6-level prestige class (twice the LA of the template). Perhaps something like this:[CODE][b]Dragon Disciple  Prerequisites, HD, and Skills[/b]: as Dragon Disciple.  [b]Lvl   BAB   Fort Ref  Will   Special[/b]  1st   +0    +2   +0   +2     Str +2, natural armor increase (+1)  2nd   +1    +3   +0   +3     Int +2, claws  3rd   +1    +3   +1   +3     Breath weapon (3d8), natural armor increase (+2)  4th   +2    +4   +1   +4     Con +2, bite  5th   +2    +4   +1   +4     Str +2, natural armor increase (+3)  6th   +3    +5   +2   +5     Dragon apotheosis[/CODE]You'd end up with the same loss of BAB as taking the Half-Dragon template, though everything else would be better. Of course, the cost is having to take at least one level in a spontaneous arcane class and spending roughly 1/3 of your total 1-20 level progression for the privilege. Best of all, anyone who dips three levels to get the 1/day breath weapon ends up losing 2 BAB (and 3 levels of spellcasting).</blockquote>

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