Libertad
Legend
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Edition Note: This product was designed for the 2014 version of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.
Back in 1967, the acclaimed Dragonriders of Pern novel was released. A science-fantasy setting where human colonists undergo telepathic bonds with dragons to fight invasive sporelike organisms, the series was instrumental in popularizing the trope of brave cavalry flying into battle on dragonback. This concept inspired all manner of later media lasting to this day, such as the Eragon novels, Pixar's How To Train Your Dragon movie, and video games such as Drakengard and the Panzer Dragoon series.
In the realm of tabletop RPGs, the dragonrider concept was best exemplified in the Dragonlance setting of D&D. While the AD&D era of products had draconic mounts as situational NPCs related to quests, the 3rd Edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting introduced the Dragon Rider Prestige Class, which is exactly as it sounds. By giving the PC a dragon ally NPC who grows in power with the character as they level up, it bypassed the process of DM Fiat in founding out when and where the party could gain a dragon mount of their own. While it made for quite the powerful martial class, the draconic companion was rather limited that it could never be a "full adult," and thus could only be so big even at the highest levels of play. Combined with the fact that you had to be 10th level in order to enter the Prestige Class, such rules were relegated to a minority of high-level campaigns.
As far as I know, 4th Edition never had rules for draconic mounts, and in 5th Edition the closest we have is the Drakewarden Ranger. But that companion isn't a "true" dragon, but rather a dragon spirit, and you can't ride on it while it's flying until 15th level. As for true dragons in 5th Edition, they got quite the substantial upgrade in power: adult and ancient dragons were pretty much designed to be boss monsters, complete with legendary and lair actions.
Edit: Over on RPGnet, Mockraven and DarkMoc were very helpful in outlining rules for dragon mounts in 4th and 2nd Edition, respectively.
Itza's Guide to Dragonbonding seeks to make the dragonriding fantasy front and center for 5th Edition. Not just at high levels, not just with Small to Large size draconic companions, but one where the PCs can forge deep bonds with true dragons at all levels of play in a powerful melding of souls known as the Dragonbond. Taking place on the planet Rhaava and centered on the continent of Valerna, civilization is beset by all manner of apocalyptic threats as well as conventional warring states. From an all-consuming entropic horror known as the Null to evil dragons living on the moon who invade the planet every 27 years, the setting fully expects and encourages the PCs to number among the world's mightiest heroes as its last, best hope. The opening in-universe text reinforces this in the form of a letter of introduction sent by a scholar known as Itza Chapula, congratulating the reader on their recent status as a Dragonbonded… along with words of caution regarding the power and responsibility now thrust upon their shoulders.
These introductory notes also briefly mention three types of energy known as Aspects that make up Vaala, the world's metaphysical foundation: Fai (Dream), Id (Will), and K'aab (Source), representing different aspects of creation. This isn't just for flavor text, as each Aspect has a numerical rating which can affect spells, class features, and other mechanical elements. Unfortunately, the book doesn't really go into detail on Aspects until much later under the Magic chapter despite frequently mentioning it.
Another frequently-discussed element of the world are four realms that comprise the political superpowers of Valerna: Allaria (conservative half-elven kingdom undergoing reforms to uplift elves from second-class citizen status), Tyveria (ruthless vampire mage-kings), Nahuac (Fantasy Counterpart Aztec people whose reverence for the natural world makes them accomplished in magic pertaining to both life and necromancy), and Ysval (Fantasy Counterpart Western Europe, a theocracy in the icy north that worship a force known as the Galadyan Light). There are other kingdoms and cultures besides these four, but the lion's share of the world-building is given over to them. The only other mentioned plane of existence is Dreamspace, where fey-like beings live and where mortal consciousness goes to when sleeping.
Lastly, the oldest immortal beings are known as Protogons, colossal beings of power born from Vaala itself, and more or less created dragons, the mortal races, and the land of Rhaava as it is known. They would all be destroyed throughout the eras through various wars. The first of which was when Kadmos, the Protogon creator of the dragons, sought to reign over reality as a tyrant and encouraged his progeny to war against the rest of his kind.
Much of the above information is scattered thinly across the book, and there are multiple times when the text would mention something like Dreamspace, the Protogons, or some other element in an unrelated entry without greater context. Adding to that the lack of a glossary or proper introductory chapter, this makes the book poorly organized when it comes to clearly relaying information to the reader.
Chapter 1: Ancestries of Valerna throws us right into the thick of things, covering new races and subraces, which are renamed ancestries and lineages respectively. Dragonbond suggests Tasha's method of ability score increases, where the player chooses +2/+1 to two abilities or +1 to 3 different abilities. Each ancestry does have suggested ability score increases for those who prefer to play into rather than against type. Each ancestry also gets one mote of affinity in an Aspect; motes of affinity are the general marker of power a character or monster has in an Aspect, and most ancestries are closely tied to one Aspect over others. The book notes that the following aren't the only ancestries and lineages, but rather the most prominent ones in the setting. Presumably the core subraces like high elves still exist, but no text is given on this so it's implied rather than outright stated.
Allai, also known as "honor elves," are the demographic majority of the Dragon Kingdom of Allaria. They are in fact half-elves, having mixed ancestry of both elves and humans and borrow elements from both cultures. Allarian society is strongly conservative and risk-averse, to the point that they force its elven population to consume alchemical potions known as the Dreamless Treatment in order to sever their innate connection to the wild energies of Fai. Recent reforms abolished the practice, and elves are slowly gaining more rights in general.
In terms of stats, Allai are Medium humanoids with a 30 foot speed, 30 foot darkvision, proficiency in one skill and one tool of the player's choice, +1 affinity to an Aspect of their choice, once per long rest can reroll an an attack/save/ability check if the activity helps further their chosen life goal, and gain Resistance/Aid/Counterspell as bonus spells at 1st, 3rd, and 5th level much like a tiefling does with their innate spells.
Thoughts: This is a stronger version of the half-elf subrace. While they do lose one net skill and Fey Ancestry, Aid and Counterspell are very useful spells for any build, and the free reroll can be useful depending on how the player fleshes out their chosen life goal.
Orcs are a diaspora people whose original civilization was crushed by the now-fallen Altanesi Empire. Orcs were brought low by a general curse known as the Lessening which plunged their people into successive civil wars. The most prominent orcish tribe is known as the Obakkar, a lawful, regimented warrior society that makes use of a substance known as bakka amber that can store the essence of K'aab into crafted objects. The amber can be further refined with rituals to draw upon the power of their ancestors, and their society is strongly communal as a means of better guarding against the Lessening's effect. Mothers are given a prominent role in Obakkar culture, and non-orc mothers who join their clans are similarly honored.
In terms of stats, Orcs are Medium humanoid with a 30 foot walking speed and 60 foot darkvision. Further traits are determined by their lineage, and we only have Obakkar as a listed choice. That lineage grants +1 affinity in K'aab, resistance to poison and fire damage, and when they carry an item made of bakka amber on their person they have persistent advantage on Strength and Constitution saves. Once per long rest they can make a History check to know something they ordinarily wouldn't be able to know, as they commune with their ancestors for an answer.
Thoughts: Valerna's orcs are a lot less martial than the base orc race, being more definensive-minded in gaining resistance to two of the most common damage types and advantage on a very common saving throw. The History roll is not directly related to combat, but can be broadly-useful for dispensing clues. While this kind of orc may not feel as "active" as the base one's Relentless Endurance or Adrenaline Rush, the persistent benefits can easily make up for their loss.
Tánaid are humans with an innate ability to shapeshift into an animal form known as a Tána Spirit due to being born with a deep affinity for K'aab. This animal form reflects a guardian spirit and remains the same throughout their life, and Tánaid communities typically share the same animal form and thus guardian spirit. Telltale animalistic traits are also present in their human form, such as slitted pupils. There's a sidebar noting that Tánaid typically get a magical item known as a Kaabstone Amulet upon adulthood, which allows them to absorb worn/held equipment into their form while shapechanging, much like a druid does when wildshaping. The book suggests the player to talk with their DM to see if they begin play with one at character creation.
In terms of stats, Tánaid are Medium humanoids with a 30 foot walking speed, gain +1 affinity in K'aab, are proficient in one Wisdom-based skill of the player's choice, choose from one of four Tána Spirits which they can transform into for a number of hours equal to their Wisdom modifier once per long rest. While in such a form, they gain darkvision 60 feet, an unarmed strike dealing 1d6 slashing or piercing damage depending on their natural attack, and a unique benefit in line with their spirit, such as bat-kin gaining a fly speed of 40 feet or canid-kin gaining advantage on scent-based Perception checks. At 5th level, Tánaid can cast Enhance Ability on themselves once per long rest.
Thoughts: The four spirits all have good features for certain builds, but the fly speed of the bat is so good I can see most players picking that one by far. Even more so, given how prominent aerial combat features in this setting. The rest of the Tánaid's abilities don't feel as exciting; the animal shapeshifting feels like a poor man's wildshape, and the bonus Wisdom skill is almost always going to be Insight or Perception, as the others generally aren't as broadly useful for most builds.
Maghyri are humans whose powerful ties to Id transform them into a vampire-like creature with an extended lifespan and supernatural affinity for blood. However, all maghyri are cursed to have a malicious spirit known as a kadhah within them. The kadhah has only one goal: to kill the maghyr and thus be free of this imprisonment. The kadhah's influence waxes and wanes, often coming to the forefront when a maghyr becomes too restrained or uninhibited in the use of their powers, forcing a delicate balancing act. Maghyrs can infuse all kinds of blood with the power of Id, which can be used in the creation of magical rituals and items. Maghyri are feared and persecuted in most lands. The Empire of Tyveria is the notable exception, where they instead form its ruling class.
In terms of stats, maghyri can be either Small or Medium, are humanoids, have a walking speed of 30 feet, 60 foot darkvision, +1 affinity in Id, a natural bite attack that deals 1d4 piercing damage and can deal an additional 1d4 necrotic damage to consume doses of blood from a creature, and at 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th level learn Blood Whip (short-range spell attack that can grapple struck targets), Blood Pact (ritual that has two or more willing creatures to enter into a pact, which if breaken summons the maghyr's kadhah to attack the oathbreaker), Charm Person, and Dominate Person as innate spells much like a tiefling.
The maghyr's most infamous ability is Awaken Blood, which as an action can empower a dose of fresh blood into "awakened blood." A maghyr can create a maximum amount of such blood equal to their proficiency bonus, presumably until the next long rest although the text doesn't outright spell this out. The awakened blood doses can be spent to regain spell slots or add the amount of doses spent to an attack, save, or ability check. However, this risks causing a Kadhah Manifestation, which is the ancestry's major downside. The Manifestation's frequency is determined by a percentile die roll with a penalty based on various factors (how long they've gone without blood, how long they've gone without using their innate spells, how much doses of awakened blood they spent). If the roll is equal to or lower than the maghyr's level, the kadhah breaks free of the body, appearing within 15 feet and attacking the maghyr and their allies until either it or the maghyr dies.
The kadhah has monster stats detailed later in this book, selecting from 1 of 6 stat blocks depending on the magyar's character level. It doesn't say how an NPC maghyr's kadhah is calculated: is it by Challenge Rating or Hit Dice?
Thoughts: I can see this class being popular for "edgy" character concepts. Awakened blood is useful enough to help out just about any build, and being able to add consumed doses to d20 rolls is extremely powerful given how bounded accuracy works. As they can restore hit points via dealing necrotic damage to a creature, this is going to open up potential "bag of rats" abuse tricks. The bonus spells are rather situational, with the enchantment ones being perhaps the most useful albeit limited to humanoids only. Even so, I'd rate this as the most powerful ancestry in the book
Halflings are a common ancestry that live alongside humans. It's commonly believed that they originated as humanoid children of other peoples who were influenced by the Dreambleed, a cataclysm that brought down the ancient elven civilization. Púka, or bright halflings, are the most common lineage in Valerna, who are fond of storytelling and learning new cuisines.
Statwise, Púka is a lineage that grants +1 affinity in K'aab, proficiency in land vehicles and in two types of artisan's tools, can spend their Hit Dice to heal other characters during a short rest, and have advantage on Survival checks to avoid becoming lost and finding safe passage in the wilderness.
Thoughts: Being able to heal others with your own Hit Dice is a very useful boon, particularly for high-Hit Die martial types or "back-row" characters who will likely avoid the brunt of damage. The rest of the subrace's features are a bit more situational, and of most use in campaigns emphasizing frequent travel.
Dwarves aren't so different in Valerna than they are in other settings, basically being people with strong connections to the earth. They were created by an unknown Protogon, who never filled them in as to their purpose. Nwoda, or sky dwarves, are dwarves who emerged from a crystal known as the Great Birthstone during the Dreambleed. Smaller birthstones were split off as fragments, and the nwoda dwarves can only reproduce and bear children while near them. These birthstones also caused magical terraforming, making otherwise barren places fertile with new life, as well as granting the nwoda the ability to fly. Thus, every nwoda population center is quite literally built from and around birthstone fragments.
Statwise, Nwoda dwarves are a lineage that gains +1 affinity to Fai, a flying speed of 20 feet that also lets them hover, and are proficient in air vehicles and navigator's tools.
Thoughts: The fly speed alone makes them a very strong lineage. But then again, as Dragonbond is the type of setting where you're expected to ride on true dragon mounts who have fly speeds of their own, this isn't as game-breaking as it'd be in other settings.
Elves, like in so many other settings, are a feylike elder civilization dating back to the earliest days of history. Their old kingdoms were magocracies whose reigning wizards had the ability to change reality via Dreamshaping, but the Dreambleed caused their civilization to collapse. Many elves became refugees, moving across the land, and the ones who allied with humanity out of necessity would go on to form what is now known as the Dragon Kingdom of Allaria.
Valerna's elves are slightly different in terms of stats. Instead of gaining Fey Ancestry and Trance, they are proficient in the History skill. The Ellari, or silver elves, are a new subrace representing the oldest surviving elven lineage. Ellari have the innate ability to share their dreams with others, and used this power to create all sorts of magical innovation. But it was their connection to Dream that an apocalyptic force known as the Null invaded the mortal world, spurring on the First Null War.* As a result of this, ellari became persecuted and forcefully subjected to the Dreamless Treatment in Allaria which cut off their connection to their powers. While the Treatment is no longer in effect, it has caused intergenerational trauma, and many rebel bands of Ellari living in the deep forests still refuse to make peace with Allaria.
*The text contradicts itself later, saying that the Null managed to enter the world via a failed Dragonbonded attempt at closing the Eye of Kadmos which allows dragons to travel from the moon to the planet Rhaava. Presumably the ritual involved Allai Dragonbonded using Fai for the ritual, but as this isn't explicitly said this is a plot hole in the setting.
In terms of stats, the Ellari lineage grants +1 affinity to Fai, and they can cast Dreamwalking once per long rest as a 1st level spell. Although detailed much later in the Magic chapter, the spell is basically a ritual that lets your dreamself visit a familiar target within a certain amount of miles. Once inside, the caster can explore the dream as though it were real, but might get shunted out via a variety of ways. We also get a sidebar discussing how dreams in Valerna are effectively portals into a person's subconscious, and those capable of Dreamshaping can enter another's mind and do all sorts of things, from uncovering a sleeper's secrets to long-distance communication.
Thoughts: As so much of the Ellari's worth in a campaign is tied to the Dreamwalking spell, its attractiveness is rather reliant upon DM Fiat. One must consider whether or not the target dreamer is also sleeping, how far away they are at the time of casting, and creating essentially new encounters based on the context of the dreamscape. Given that it must be cast at higher level slots in order to bring additional creatures into a dream, casting it as a 1st level spell can run into the equivalent of [urlhttps://www.reddit.com/r/RPGcreation/comments/np6v14/solutions_for_the_decker_problem/]Shadowrun's Decker Problem.[/url]
Gnomes in Valerna hew strongly towards the tinker/inventor trope, and their connection to the aspect of Dream helps fuel their creativity. The Godao, or golden gnomes, are this book's new lineage. They mostly live in underground communities beneath the elven kingdoms and have a long-standing friendship with the Ellari. Most golden gnomes refer to the Aspect of Fai as the Spark in the Dark, which helps them build amazing devices without necessarily knowing how they work.
Statwise, Godao gnomes have +1 affinity in Fai, proficiency in two artisan's tools, advantage on ability checks to craft and repair items, can craft items in half the normal time if they're proficient with the required artisan's tools, and are capable of crafting magic items without access to a formula or spellcasting capability. This last part is more up to DM Fiat, though.
Thoughts: I'd like to note that Dragonbond has an appendix for harvesting materials and crafting items. The rules are a simplified version of the ones found in Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting, another third party 5e sourcebook albeit one by a different publisher. Due to that reason, the Godao lineage's abilities are less DM Fiat reliant in that they have a more involved system with which to make best use of their abilities. That being said, they're still a bit one-note in that you'd only pick a Godao gnome for a specific niche to be better at crafting sub-systems rather than being suitable for a wider diversity of builds.
Humans are pretty much the same as in other D&D settings: short-lived, diverse, and the most populous PC race. They are pretty much the same as Variant Humans in the Player's Handbook in gaining a bonus feat. What's different is that they don't gain a bonus skill, instead gaining +1 affinity to a particular aspect based on which of the four major cultures to which they belong. Allarians get +1 Fai, Náhuinn get +1 K'aab, Tyverians get +1 Id, and Ysvalians get +1 to any aspect of their choice.
Thoughts: The bonus feat alone makes the humans an incredibly strong choice. However, granting +1 to specific aspects means that I can see humans from the non-Ysvalian cultures being pressed into certain builds. On a world-building level this makes sense, as the respective nations have certain forms of magic they are best at, but this likely makes Ysval the most appealing to new players still wrapping their heads around the setting and its sub-systems.
Languages & Feats is the final part of Chapter 1. Besides Common, Draconic, and Primordial, Dragonbond dispenses with the established languages of D&D and substitutes their own, albeit it has a sidebar for what setting-neutral racial languages would have the closest equivalent in Valerna. There are 12 Common Languages and 17 Rare Languages, and the former include the major languages for the four major nations and the PC races, plus Late Altanesi which is the language of the Altanesi Empire's modern descendants.
There's 18 new feats in this book, with 8 being ones limited to particular cultures. The remaining 10 can only be taken by those who underwent the Dragonbond. The Cultural feats include Alki Psion (humans with psychic powers and learn two 1st-level enchantment or illusion spells), Altruist (faithful devotee of the Light who can cast the Light cantrip, can heal other creatures with Hit Dice during a short rest, and heal themselves for 50% of whatever amount they heal allies for), Bloodthirsty (can spend one Hit Dice to regain hit points when an adjacent creature is reduced to 0 hit points Proficiency Bonus times/long rest), Eliadu Empowered (+1 Intelligence or Charisma and advantage on saves vs enchantment and illusion spells), Heart of Battle (advantage on saves when 3 or more hostile creatures are adjacent to you), Kaabac Healer (allies heal your Wisdom modifier in hit points when healed during a short rest, can remove a limited number of Conditions from self or ally when meditating for 10 minutes to an hour once per long rest), Kaabac Unity (+1 Constitution or Wisdom, can help as a bonus action, can add your Proficiency Bonus to an ally's upcoming roll when you succeed on an attack/save/ability check once per long rest), and Skilled Crafter (gain proficiency with two artisan's tools and gain double proficiency with all proficient tools).
The Dragonbonded feats reference Chapter 3 for full rules on the Dragonbond, but they're easy enough to understand when read in isolation. They include Bonded Survival (once per long rest, only one of you is knocked out if you or a bonded dragon is reduced to 0 hit points, conscious one is reduced to 1 hit point),* Bonded Defense (both dragon and bonded mortal gain +2 AC when within 10 feet of each other, can spend a reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack directed at your bonded dragon), Bonded Magic (once per long rest, self-targeting spell cast by either you or your dragon can affect both), and Bonded Senses (can maintain constant telepathic contact across any distance, can spend an action to see thru each other's senses). The remaining 6 feats require being bonded to one of the six new dragon types in this book. In addition to granting +1 to a particular ability score, they also grant a unique benefit: Coatl Bond grants a 1st level spell from any spell list, Ehrlya Bond grants advantage on checks with artisan's tools; Exor Bond grants +1d6 damage on a weapon attack, provided it's being rolled advantage once per turn; Fulgen Bond grants disadvantage on a target's next attack, save, or ability check when the Dragonded succeeds on any Charisma check; Magnifex Bond grants the ability to counter a weapon attack as a reaction by rolling Deception or Performance against the attack roll; Nix Bond grants resistance to poison and necrotic damage.
*Normally, if one falls to 0 hit points, then the other does as well.
Thoughts: For the cultural feats, Altruist, Eliadu Empowered, and Kaabac Unity are the most potentially powerful. Altruist really increases the use of healing effects and spells in how much overall damage they remove at once, while Kaabac Unity's bonus action Help and adding your Proficiency Bonus to an ally's rolls makes you a team player par excellence. As for the Dragonbonded feats, it's a bit hard to justify most of them in comparison to existing official feats. Bonded Survival can help increase the staying power of a PC and their dragon, while Bonded Defense can be good for making both harder to hit. Magnifex and Nix Bond are the most powerful of the clan-specific feats, with the former being a powerful counter for PCs with expertise in the appropriate skills, and the latter granting resistance to two common damage types.
Thoughts So Far: Itza's Guide to Dragonbonding is off to a rather rocky start. As mentioned before, the poor organization and conveyance of key setting information will leave most readers confused or looking ahead in the book to understand what is being referenced or discussed. Furthermore, the new ancestries and lineages vary quite a bit in broad utility, with the Maghyri being the clear standout in this regard, and the Ellari Elf being the overall weakest due to reliance on a very situational spell.
Last but not least, its labeling as "the complete dragon sourcebook for 5e" is a bit of false advertising, as a fair amount of this book is devoted more towards world-building for this particular setting rather than dragon-related rules and role-playing in general, even if said monsters are the primary movers and shakers of the narrative.
Join us next time as we check out three new dragon-themed classes in Chapter 2: Classes and Subclasses!
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