DragonRider PrC [not MM dragons]

[Wolf72]

http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11094

okay so that's the thread with my pern/herculoids inspired dragons ...


** [edit: balance issues (thanks LitePh.)]**

here's the the 5-lvl PrC I made to go along with them:

DragonRiders Prestige Class

DragonRiders candidates are sought out at an early age. Then they are usually trained and sent out on quests until the are deemed ready to be part of a hatching ceremony. All types of classes are elligible to become DragonRiders. Female Drakes only accept female riders.

Requirements:

BAB: +4

Skills Ride: 5 ranks (dragon flight)
Knowledge (Air Drakes/dragons): 5 ranks
Handle Animal: 5 ranks

Feats: Impressment (located in the other thread under: Rules and Ideas.doc)

Alignment: Any, must accomadate general alignment of the Aerie [NG, tN, NE] (so good, neutral or evil)

Special: the candidate must be accepeted by a hatchling dragon during the hatching ceremony

BAB: 2/3 (cleric +0, +1, +2, +3, +3)
Saves: good fort

LVL1: feat Mounted combat: Air Drakes
LVL2: (SU) Linked minds with drake mount
LVL3: ride-by attk or mounted archery
LVL4: Wild Talent (or improved wild talent or greater wild talent)
LVL5: ride-by attk or mounted archery (whichever was not picked up at lvl3)

Weapons: simple and martial. Armor: Light, Medium, and Sheilds

Wild Talents: you must meet the prereqs for Improved Wild Talent or Greater Wild Talent. Long term exposure to the telepathic dragons has given rider greater insight into her/his own psionic abilities.

Ride-by Attack or Mounted Archery: The character may choose either/or at 3rd lvl and the other at 5th lvl.


Linked Minds: When a character reaches 2nd lvl they form a combat connection with their rider. The rider is linked with her/his dragon mount/ally.

Skills: Animal Empathy (cha), Handle Animal (cha), Knowledge (dragons, nature, tactics) (int), Ride (dex), Spot (wis), Wilderness Lore (wis), Jump (str), Swim (str)

Skill Points: 2 (+int mod) per level

 

[Anabstercorian]

This class does NOT get the Anabstercorian Seal of Game-A-Delic Approval, not because it is unbalanced, but because it has no flavor. It is dull. This class is NOT prestige-classy. This is something that makes you want to say, "I'm not a Fighter, I am a DRAGON RIDER." This is a bunch of feats. MAKE IT SPECIAL.

 

[Crothian]

It is a little bland. I've read tax audits that are more exciting.

 

[Wolf72]

post-warning ...

yeah should have mentioned that

so flavor is coming later, (when I get some time!) ...

right now it's just some stats (if you follow the link there's more information)

anabslkcjlckjlteiu: is TOO a prestige class! ... um because I said so?



Wolf promises to put in flavor sometime after monday ... when all of his classes are done

 

[LightPhoenix]

Bland is irrelevant when you're talking about balance. I'm assuming that's what was wanted, was comments on balance. If I'm wrong, stop me.

The Linking ability needs to be flushed out more. What does it allow, what does it not? Is it like an animal companion, or a familiar, or a paladin's mount, or none of the above? Needs info.

The prerequisites look a little low to me, but then the class doesn't grant anything special - three bonus feats, a bonus psionic feat, and the linkage. That's only a little more than five levels of fighter. Still, I think I would raise the prereqs a bit, or possibly require an additional feat.

 

[Wolf72]

linked minds is directly out of the MotP (under axiomatic creatures).

req's are kinda low, but the bare minimum anyone can take this is lvl at lvl 6.

knowledge dragons/drakes is going to require an expert, mage, or bard class (at least one lvl)

and the +4 BAB is going to require at least 3 lvls in a fighting class or more in a bard.

Impressment is a feat that requires a 13 cha (or did I make it 12).

yup ... I need to add some more requirements for the type of drake a character can bond with. The bigger more powerful drakes will require a higher character lvl (maybe 10 for a orange/bronze).

the gray/green/yellow would easily be 5th lvl (but then they're the smallest too)

and yes these creatures are a little powered up, so the campaign PrC might be a bit more heroic.

okay, folks will add more in after monday sometime ...

thanks lightphoenix!

 

[Steven McRownt]

Wolf72, your PrC is very ....well... plain. It give no emotions at all. I must agree with Anabstercorian and Crothian comments, but i will try to say more.

I will not talk about flavor, the very first flaw in this PrC.
I read your PrC i couple of times, but i decided to replay only now because i want to explain where -IMHO- the problem lays.

A PrC should be UNIQUE. In what it means, in the way it interacts with the world, in the reasons a person enter in a particular idea, and... in what a prestige class has to offer.

The DragonRider is simply warrior-like character on a mounted thing. You don't need a prestige class to do something like that.
Everyone can spend their feats or special abilities to be a dragon rider without takin any level in this PrC. It is even useless to multiclass to the majority of the core class to mimic a dragonrider without actually being part of the Organisation.

You are simply choosing feats for your players.

Give them 3 dimensions, not just the idea of a clan where people rides simil-dragons....

Steven Mcrownt

 

[Wolf72]

okay ... lemme try this one more time

I WILL PUT IN MORE AFTER MONDAY SOME TIME!!!!! ... sorry ... let me get past my monday night class then I'll do some more work on it.

but ... I will try to answer some questions/suggestions ...

unique powers? well for one Linked minds is something that you're only going to get if you're an axiomatic creature ...

yes, yes need flavor: and much of that is up the DM ... so yeah you're not gonna get a flavor until I write up some background information too.

if you follow the link on the first post there is more, still weak in the flavor dept but more than the raw stats given.

plus if you're familiar with the Dragon riders of Pern series you have a little bit of the inspiration behind the DragonRiders, AirDrakes, AirLizards, and WatchDrakes.