Dungeons & Dragons System Reference v3.5

Core > Classes > Dragonfire Adept

Class Abilities

Invocations:

A dragonfire adept has a repertoire of attacks, defenses, and other abilities known as draconic invocations, which allow her to focus the draconic energy that suffuses her soul. A dragonfire adept can use any invocation she knows at will.

A dragonfire adept's invocations are spell-like abilities; using an invocation is therefore a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. To avoid provoking such attacks, a dragonfire adept can use an invocation defensively by making a successful Concentration check. An invocation can be disrupted, just as a spell can be ruined during casting. If a dragonfire adept is hit by an attack while invoking, she is entitled to a Concentration check to successfully use the invocation, just as a spellcaster would be. Her invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise. A dragonfire adept's caster level with her invocations is equal to her class level. She can dismiss any invocation as a standard action, just as a wizard can dismiss a spell.

If an invocation allows a saving throw, its DC is 10 + the equivalent spell level + the dragonfire adept's Cha modifier. Since spell-like abilities are not spells, a dragonfire adept cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat or from draconic feats that let her convert or spend an arcane spell slot to produce some other effect. She can, however, benefit from the Ability Focus feat, as well as from feats that emulate metamagic effects for spell-like abilities.

The four grades of draconic invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. A 1st-level dragonfire adept begins with knowledge of one least invocation, gaining access to more invocations and higher grades as she attains levels. At any level when a dragonfire adept learns a new invocation, she can also replace an invocation she already knows with another invocation of the same or lower grade. See Draconic Invocations, below, for a list of available invocations.

Unlike other spell-like abilities, draconic invocations are subject to arcane spell failure chance as described under Weapon and Armor Proficiency, above.

Finally, just like warlocks, dragonfire adepts can qualify for some prestige classes usually intended for spellcasters. For details, see the Dragonfire Adepts and Prestige Classes sidebar in Dragon Magic (page 24).

Breath Weapon (Su):

At 1st level, you gain a breath weapon that you can use at will as a standard action. Each time you use your breath weapon, you can choose whether it takes the form of a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot line. This breath weapon deals 1d6 points of fire damage; a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Con modifier) halves the damage. As you gain levels, your breath weapon's damage increases, as shown on Table 2-1.

You are immune to the effect of your own breath weapon (but not to other breath weapons that produce similar effects, even those of other dragonfire adepts).

At 10th level, your cone-shaped breath weapon's range doubles to 30 feet, and your line-shaped breath weapon's range doubles to 60 feet.

Dragontouched:

At 1st level, you gain Dragontouched (Dragon Magic, page 18) as a bonus feat.

Breath Effect:

At 2nd, 5th, 10th, 12th, 15th, and 20th level, you can select one of the breath effects listed below for which you meet the minimum level prerequisite. These breath effects can alter your breath weapon's damage type or area, or apply a condition to targets in place of damage. Each time you use your breath weapon, you can choose to apply any one breath effect that you know. The chosen effect either replaces the normal fire damage dealt by your breath weapon or replaces the standard area of your breath weapon. Some effects can be applied only to a cone-shaped breath weapon, and others only to a line-shaped breath weapon. You can't apply more than one breath effect to your breath weapon unless the effect specifically states otherwise. Also, you can't apply the same breath effect to your breath weapon in two consecutive rounds (though you still can use your normal fire breath weapon every round).

• Frost Breath (2nd): Your breath weapon deals cold damage instead of fire damage. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Lightning Breath (2nd): Your breath weapon deals electricity damage instead of fire damage. You can apply this breath effect only to a line-shaped breath weapon.
• Sickening Breath (2nd): Rather than dealing damage, your breath weapon sickens all creatures in its area for 2 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Acid Breath (5th): Your breath weapon deals acid damage instead of fire damage.
• Shaped Breath (5th): You can choose to leave up to 4 squares within the area of your breath weapon unaffected by the breath weapon. Effectively, you create one or more small "safe zones" within the area of your breath weapon (typically to prevent it from affecting allies). These unaffected squares need not be adjacent to one another. You can choose to apply any one other breath effect that you know to the same breath weapon.
• Slow Breath (5th): Rather than dealing damage, your breath weapon slows all creatures in its area for 2 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 1 round. A slowed creature can take a single move action or standard action each turn, but not both (nor can it take full-round actions). Additionally, it takes a -1 penalty to its Armor Class and on its attack rolls and Reflex saves. A slowed creature moves at half its normal speed (round down to the next 5-foot increment), which affects the creature's jumping distance as normal for decreased speed.
  Multiple uses of this breath effect on the same creature don't stack; use only the longer duration. Slow Breath suppresses any haste effect on creatures in its area for the duration of the slow effect.
  You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Weakening Breath (5th): Rather than dealing damage, your breath weapon imposes a -6 penalty to the Strength scores of all creatures in the area for 4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces the duration to 2 rounds. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Cloud Breath (10th): Your breath weapon takes the form of a 20-foot-radius spread, centered on you. You can choose to apply any one other breath effect that you know to the same breath weapon, as long as it can be applied to a cone-shaped breath weapon. For example, you could create a cloud of cold (with Frost Breath) or sleep (with Sleep Breath), but not a cloud of lightning or force.
• Enduring Breath (10th): Your breath weapon deals damage over 2 consecutive rounds. When you use Enduring Breath, the target takes the normal amount of damage from your breath weapon. In the next round, the same target takes half that amount of damage. For example, a creature that takes 22 points of damage from your breath weapon's initial use takes 11 more points of damage in the next round. A creature that takes no damage from the initial use (whether because of evasion, resistance, immunity, or any other reason) also takes no damage in the next round. No save is allowed against this damage.
• Sleep Breath (10th): Rather than dealing damage, your breath weapon puts all living creatures in its area to sleep for 1 round. Any creature that makes a successful Will save is instead exhausted for 1 round. Any creature whose Hit Dice exceeds your class level is unaffected by this breath weapon. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Thunder Breath (10th): Your breath weapon deals sonic damage instead of fire damage. A successful Fortitude save halves the damage. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.
• Discorporating of Bahamut (15th): Your breath weapon loses its normal energy type and becomes a blue-white line of pure energy. This breath effect doubles the number of dice of damage normally dealt by your breath weapon (for example, from 7d6 to 14d6). In addition, any creature that is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by the breath weapon is disintegrated (as the disintegrate spell). A successful Fortitude save halves the damage dealt. Unlike disintegrate, this breath effect has no effect on objects, even those made of force.
  When you use Discorporating Breath of Bahamut, you also take a number of points of damage equal to twice your class level, which can't be lessened by damage reduction or any similar benefit. A non-good dragonfire adept instead takes damage equal to four times her class level.
  You can apply this breath effect only to a line-shaped breath weapon. You must have a non-evil alignment to learn or use this invocation.
• Fivefold Breath of Tiamat (15th): As a full-round action, you create five different breath weapons simultaneously: a cone of acid, a cone of cold, a cone of fire, a line of acid, and a line of electricity. Each breath weapon deals damage equal to your normal breath weapon damage, and each one allows a Reflex save to halve the damage dealt.
  When you use this breath effect, you also take a number of points of damage equal to twice your class level, which can't be lessened by damage reduction or any similar benefit. A non-evil dragonfire adept instead takes damage equal to four times her class level. In addition, you can't use any breath weapon in the round following the one in which you apply this breath effect. You must have a non-good alignment to learn or use this invocation.
• Force Breath (15th): Your breath weapon becomes a force effect. Its damage has no energy type, but it affects incorporeal creatures normally. You can apply this breath effect only to a line-shaped breath weapon.
• Paralyzing Breath (15th): Rather than dealing damage, your breath weapon paralyzes all creatures in its area for 1 round. A successful Fortitude save negates this effect. You can apply this breath effect only to a cone-shaped breath weapon.

Scales (Ex):

At 2nd level, your skin becomes thick and scaly, granting you a +2 bonus to your natural armor. The scales can be of any color or metallic hue; they are often (but not always) of a draconic hue that matches your outlook and alignment. This bonus improves to +3 at 8th level, to +4 at 13th level, and to +5 at 18th level.

If you already have a natural armor bonus, use the higher of the two values.

Dragonkin (Ex):

At 4th level, you gain a +4 competence bonus on Diplomacy checks made to influence the attitude of dragons or creatures of the dragonblood subtype (see page 4). You are treated as a dragon for the purpose of determining whether frightful presence can affect you.

Damage Reduction (Ex):

At 6th level, you gain damage reduction 2/magic. At 16th level, this improves to damage reduction 5/magic.

Immunities (Ex):

At 19th level, you gain immunity to paralysis and sleep.

Draconic Invocations

Each draconic invocation falls into one of four grades: least, lesser, greater, or dark. These invocations are briefly described below. See Dragon Magic (Chapter 3: Draconic Magic) for full descriptions.

Least Invocations

• Aquatic Adaptation: Breathe and use breath weapon underwater; gain swim speed.
• Beguiling Influence: Gain bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks.
• Breath of the Night: Create a fog cloud as the spell.
• Darkness: Create darkness as the spell.
• Deafening Roar: Cone of sound deafens creatures.
• Draconic Knowledge: Gain bonus on Knowledge and Spellcraft checks.
• Endure Exposure: Use endure elements as the spell; target gains immunity to your breath weapon.
• Magic Insight: Detect magical auras; identify magic items.
• Scalding Gust: Use gust of wind as the spell; any creature in area takes fire damage equal to your level.
• See the Unseen: Gain darkvision; gain see invisibility as the spell.

Lesser Invocations

• Charm: Cause a single creature to regard you as a friend.
• Draconic Flight: Sprout wings and fly at good maneuverability; fly longer overland.
• Energy Resistance: Gain resistance 10 to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage.
• Enthralling Voice: Enthrall nearby creatures.
• Frightful Presence: Make nearby creatures shaken.
• Humanoid Shape: Take the form of any humanoid creature.
• Voidsense: Gain blindsense 30 feet.
• Voracious Dispelling: Use dispel magic as the spell, dealing damage to creatures whose effects are dispelled.
• Walk Unseen: Use invisibility (self only) as the spell.

Greater Invocations

• Aura of Flame: Aura deals fire damage to creatures that strike you.
• Baleful Geas: A single creature becomes your servant, but slowly sickens and dies.
• Chilling Fog: Create solid fog that deals cold damage.
• Devour Magic: Use targeted greater dispel magic with a touch and gain temporary hit points based on the level of the spell successfully dispelled.
• Draconic Toughness: Gain temporary hit points equal to your level.
• Terrifying Roar: Use fear as the spell; creatures shaken by effect can't attack you.
• Wingstorm: Create powerful gusts of wind with your invocation-granted wings.

Dark Invocations

• Draconic Flight, Greater: Sprout wings and fly at perfect maneuverability; gain overland speed.
• Energy Immunity: Gain immunity to acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage.
• Instill Vulnerability: Make target creature vulnerable to specified energy type.
• Perilous Veil: Use veil as the spell; anyone succeeding on Will save to negate the illusion takes damage.