Dragon Rider, Variant (5e Class)

Dragon Rider, Variant

A dragonborn sits astride his dragon mount and flies swiftly into battle. The Firey breath of his dragon bathes the creature in flames, setting its wings on fire and burning his eyes. Both dragon and rider strike as one, claw and great-axe. They cut the other dragon out from the air, and as it hits the ground, they crash into it, landing the killing blow.

An elf sits astride her dragon, firing a flurry of spells over his head as the dragon roars with fury. She casts a spell just as her mount opens its gaping maw, releasing a blast of ice, freezing their foes solid.

A powerful creature, part dragon, and part human rips its claws through the demon in front of him. He then joins his dragon in the air, sweeping his tail across the muzzle of a nightmare, knocking it from the sky. They roar together as one, lightning crackling between them.

Draconic Warrior

Dragon riders are brutal warriors and spellcasters, bonded to a dragon. They fly the skies in the service of one of the dragon gods, Bahamut and Tiamat. Defending the skies, seas, and lands, from threat and tyranny. But each is bonded differently. Some are called to become Dragon Knights, fierce soldiers of draconic might. Just as others are called to become Dragon Brothers, becoming more dragonlike as they grow in power. And lastly, though all riders are mildly gifted in the sorcerers' arts, some delve deeper into the magic, using their dragon as a conduit for their spells and gaining a higher power.

Creating a Dragon Rider, Variant

A Dragon Rider must ask these questions to develop their character: When did you first discover your connection to dragons? How did you obtain your first dragon?

Quick Build

You can make a Dragon Rider quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength or Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Soldier background.

Class Features

As a Dragon Rider, Variant you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Dragon Rider, Variant level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Dragon Rider, Variant level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light and Medium, shields
Weapons: Simple and Martial
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Charisma and Strength
Skills: Animal Handling and two from Athletics, Perception, Acrobatics, Stealth, Persuasion, and Intimidation.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Leather armor or (b) A Breastplate
• (a) Any 2 Martial Weapons(And Ammunition if applicable) or (b) Any Martial Melee Weapon and a Shield
• (a) An Explorers pack or (b) A Dungeoneers pack
• An Arcane focus

Table: The Dragon Rider, Variant

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
			1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+2	Draconic Speech, First Dragon, Labor of Love, Draconic Bond, Telepathy	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Dragon Blood, Sense Dragon	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Bond Feature, Draconic Spellcasting	2	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	3	—	—	—
5th	+3	Dragon Age: Wyrmling	3	—	—	—
6th	+3	Bond Feature, Extra Attack	3	—	—	—
7th	+3	Ageless	4	2	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4	2	—	—
9th	+4	Draconic Partner	4	2	—	—
10th	+4	Dragon Age: Young, Mount	4	3	—	—
11th	+4	Bond Feature	4	3	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	—	—
13th	+5	Dragon Strike, Shared Arcana	4	3	2	—
14th	+5	Bond Feature	4	3	2	—
15th	+5	Dragon Age: Adult	4	3	2	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	—
17th	+6	—	4	3	3	—
18th	+6	Bond Feature	4	3	3	—
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	1
20th	+6	Bond Feature, Dragons Age: Ancient	4	3	3	1

Draconic Speech

For whatever reason, the dragon gods have chosen you to become a dragon rider. They have gifted you their language, allowing you to communicate with dragons. You can speak, read, and write Draconic.

First Dragon

When you first began your training, you were bestowed the gift of a dragon of your very own. You start off your journey with a Pseudodragon. This dragon does its best to keep you and it alive, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and does everything in its power to follow your orders or stay on the defense if you didn't give it an order. As you gain levels in this class, your dragon grows in power.

If you are unconscious or absent, your dragon does its best to protect itself and you.

In the event of your dragons death, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another dragon that isn’t hostile to you and agrees to it. It can be either the same color of dragon as before or a different color of the same type (Metallic or Chromatic). You can only bound with a Dragon of the same stage as the original. (Ex. if you had a Wyrmling you can only bound with another Wyrmling.)

Labor of Love

This dragon is essentially your child, your family, your flesh and blood. That means you must feed, and secure lodging for it until it is strong enough it can go hunt on its own, usually when it reaches Young age. Not only that, you must truly care for with plenty of love. Half (rounded up) of all Exp you gain goes to your dragon accelerating it's natural growth process so it will grow along with your level. This makes the Dragon Rider take longer to get to the same level of others, but when they get there they are a sight to behold. You're dragon is also too small to ride until it is Young (10th level). This feature is automatic as long as your dragon is alive, and continues to feed it even if you take levels in another class. You don't have access to any of your class feature granted by your Draconic Bond if you're dragon is dead, you will regain access to them when you are bonded with another dragon.

Draconic Bond

The time you have spent training and bonding with your dragon has allowed you formed a special bond with it. Choose Dragon Knight, Dragon Mage, or Dragon brother. You gain features from your bond at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 20th levels.

Telepathy

At 1st level, you and your dragon have developed an innate bond which allows you to communicate without words. You may telepathically communicate with your dragon to a range of 1 mile.

Dragon Blood

Your connection with your dragon has given your body a bit of a draconic aspect. You are immune to non-magical diseases. And you also gain a bonus to Charisma checks when interacting with other dragons equal to your proficiency bonus.

Sense Dragon

Starting at 2nd level, you are able to sense the presence of nearby dragons. You know if a dragon is within 1 mile of you, and in what direction. You also can sense its type. However, you cannot discern the age or number of the dragon(s) present.

Draconic Spellcasting

When you bonded with your dragon, it's magical power spilled into you, allowing you to cast Sorcerer Spells However since your bond is not by blood, you only have third casting.

Spells known of 1st Level or Higher

At 2nd level, you may choose 2 1st level spells from the sorcerer's spell list. Each level After 2nd, you may select another sorcerer spell of a level of which you have spell slots for to learn.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your rider spells. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a rider spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma Modifier
Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma Modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as your spellcasting focus for your rider spells.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Extra Attack

From 6th level onward, you may take the attack action twice on your turn, instead of once.

Ageless

At level 7, your bond with your dragon seems to have stopped time...wait, nevermind, it only stopped your body from aging, too bad. You no longer suffer the effects of aging, and you age at a slower rate. For every 20 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year, and you are immune to being magically aged.

Draconic Partner

At level 9, your bond with your dragon deepens making the shift from parent/child to partners. You and your dragon both gain advantage on attack rolls against an enemy provided that you have both hit the same target last turn. You are able to do this a number of times equal to your level, you regain full use after a Long Rest.

Mount

Starting at 10th level, Your dragon has grown, allowing you to finally ride it. When mounting or dismounting your dragon it costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off it, you can automatically land on your feet if you aren’t incapacitated and you fall less than 10 feet. While you are riding your dragon both of you act on your initiative, you both keep all the actions you had each, except for the movement, which only the dragon keeps, unless you dismount it. Your dragon cannot fly at full speed while you are mounting it, as it has not grown enough to properly handle the additional weight in the air. While mounted, your dragon flies at only half speed until it is an Adult.

Depending on your DM, your dragon might give you advantage on some intimidation or persuasion checks.

Shared Arcana

Also at 13th level, you can cast a spell on yourself and affect your partner. If you use a spell with a range of self, both you and your dragon gain the effects of the spell.

Dragon Strike

When you reach 13th level, the bond between you and your dragon has been strengthened significantly. Because of this you are granted the ability to imbue your weapon with the element relating to the type of dragon with which you are Bonded.

By concentrating on your bond, you can use a bonus action to imbue the weapon you are wielding with the element corresponding to the type of dragon to which you are bonded. Enemies struck with your Draconic Strike take an extra 2d8 of elemental damage, and on a failed Constitution saving throw, DC = 8 + Charisma + Proficiency bonus, they also fall victim to an effect based on the nature of your strike.

Strike Effect

Damage Type	Strike effect
Acid	AC is reduced by 1
Cold	Speed is halved, disadvantage on Dex/Str saving throws
Fire	Extra 1d6 burning damage
Lightning	Stunned for one round
Poison	Target becomes poisoned

Dragon Aging

Dragon Age: Wyrmling

When you reach 5th level, your psuedodragon becomes one Dragon Wyrmling of your choice.

Dragon Age: Young

When you reach 10th level, your first dragon becomes a young adult dragon. For example if you chose a Bronze Dragon Wyrmling it would become a Young Bronze Dragon.

Dragon Age: Adult

When you reach 15th level, your first dragon becomes an adult dragon. For example your Young Bronze Dragon becomes an Adult Bronze Dragon.

Dragon Age: Ancient

When you reach 20th level, your first dragon becomes an ancient dragon. for example an Adult Bronze Dragon would mature into an ancient Bronze Dragon. You may also attempt to tame ancient dragons.

Dragon Mage

Dragon Mages use their dragons to fuel spells and other magical effects, suffusing their spells with draconic power. You are considered a Dragonic Sorcerer for purposes of interacting with other things in game.

Dragon Scales

At 1st level, when you are not wearing Armor your scales give you an ac of 13+Dexterity. You also add your charisma modifier to your spell attack rolls due to the nature of dragon scales.

Advanced Arcana

Also at 1st level, your bond with your dragon specializes in the practice of the Arcane, you switch to the Dragon Mage spellcasting table.

Dragon Mage Level	Cantrips	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	2	2	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	2	2	-	-	-	-	-
4th	2	3	-	-	-	-	-
5th	3	3	-	-	-	-	-
6th	3	4	2	-	-	-	-
7th	3	4	2	-	-	-	-
8th	3	4	3	-	-	-	-
9th	3	4	3	2	-	-	-
10th	4	4	3	2	-	-	-
11th	4	4	3	3	-	-	-
12th	4	4	3	3	1	-	-
13th	4	4	3	3	1	-	-
14th	4	4	3	3	1	-	-
15th	5	4	3	3	2	1	-
16th	5	4	3	3	2	1	-
17th	5	4	3	3	2	1	1
18th	5	4	3	3	3	2	1
19th	5	4	3	3	3	2	1
20th	5	4	3	3	3	2	1

Conversion

Starting at 3rd level, you may convert your spell damage type to match the breath weapon of your first dragon.

Draconic Resistance

Your draconic bond has granted you resistance to magic. At 6th level, you gain advantage on saving throws made against your dragon's element and resistance to that element.

Dragon Spellcasting

As the bond between you and your first dragon grows, you may share your magical knowledge with it. At 11th level, Your first dragon learns one cantrip of your choice that you know. The dragons CR acts as its character level for the purpose of damage calculation.

Dragon Magic

At 14th level Your dragon can cast spells up to 2nd Level from your spell list. It uses your spell slots and modifiers for this attack

Enhanced Dragon's Breath

Starting at 18th level, you may expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to magically enhance your dragons breath attack. If you do so, choose one of the following options:

• Increase the number of damage dice of your dragons breath attack by the level of the spell slot used.
• Make the Breath attack bypass a target's resistance. If a target has immunity to the breath attack it would take half damage if it fails its save or 1/4 damage on a save.

Draconic Conduit

When you reach 20th level, your bond with your dragon has become so strong that you may tap into your dragons power to fuel your spells. Once after a long rest, you may expend a spell slot of any level to cast a spell through your dragon. To do this, you must take a full round action to infuse your dragon with the magic. Then as an action on its turn, the dragon casts the spell. This spell is cast at its highest level.

Dragon Knight

Dragon Knights seek to bring out the physical prowess of their dragons and are often brutal warriors in the field of battle.

Heavy Armor Mastery

At 1st Level you gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Fighting Style

Also at 1st level you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if later you get to choose again.

Archery

You get +2 to attack rolls made with ranged weapons.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

If an ally within 5 feet of you is hit with a weapon attack, you may use your reaction to step in front of the ally. If the enemies attack roll is less than your AC, the attack misses. If it is equal or higher than your AC you take the damage in place of your ally.

Two-Weapon Fighting

You can add your ability modifier to your attacks made with the weapon you are wielding in your offhand.

Art Of War

At 3rd level, you learn two maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed below and under "Maneuvers" on page 74 of the PHB. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack. You learn one additional maneuvers of your choice at 7th, 14th and 18th level. Each time you learn new maneuvers, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one. Below are Dragon maneuvers, at least 3 of your final total of maneuvers must be from this list. And at 3rd level one of the two you pick must be from these.
Superiority Dice:You have 2 superiority dice, which are d8s, at level 14 your superiority dice becomes a d10. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest. You gain another superiority die at 7th level, and one more at 14th level.
Saving Throws: Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).

Dragon Maneuvers

Magic Weapon: You learn to imbue your Dragons magic into your weapon attacks. When you take the attack action you can expend the use of a superiority dice to increase your weapons damage by 1d8. The damage type for this is based on your dragon's scales.
Defensive Wing: While you and you're dragon are not flying, your Dragon can use it's reaction to protect you from attacks. Spend a superiority die and add half the number rolled(Rounded up) to your AC until the start of your next turn. This will catch the attention of the enemy and may cause them to target your dragon.
Crushing Bite: When you or your Dragon hit a target with a bite attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to grapple the target in its jaws. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw, on a failed save, it grapples the target and its bite attacks against the grappled target have advantage. The distance of its breath weapon is halved while grappling a creature.
Vicious Slash: When you reach Level 10, you and your dragon trained to make your attacks cut deeper. When you or your Dragon makes an attack that deals slashing damage, you can expend a superiority dice to make the target Bleed. It makes a constitution saving throw dc your Maneuver save, on a fail it takes 1d4 damage as the target starts Bleeding. At the start the targets turn it takes an additional 1d4 damage and makes another Constitution saving throw with advantage at the end of its turn. It repeats the save at end of its turn until it succeeds.

Draconic Resistance

Spending so much time battling with your dragon has made you accustomed to its breath attack. At 6th level you become resistant to the damage type of your dragons breath weapon.

Draconic Prowess

Your connection to the dragons becomes deeper, granting you dragonlike speed. Starting at 11th level, You may make three attacks instead of two when you take the attack action on your turn. In addition your ground speed increases by 5 feet.

Draconic Imbuement

Starting at level 14, your Dragons magic courses through your weapons with every strike you make. Once per turn you can choose to deal an extra 1d4 of your Dragon's damage type when you hit with a melee weapon attack. Your weapons also radiate minor magic from your draconic bond causing every attack you make to be magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances and immunities to nonmagical slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage.

Dragon Fury

At 18th level you may use an action to merge your dragon's body and spirit with yourself; while merged, you crackle with elemental energy, all of your attacks gain an extra 1d10 damage of your dragon's element, you gain an extra attack when you take the attack action (which stacks with extra attack), and you ignore resistance and immunities to your physical attacks. This lasts for 1 minute and you must finish a long rest to make use of this again. While in this form, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your dragon's health; if it is reduced to 0, the merge ends and your dragon falls unconscious. When you revert back, the dragon's health becomes double the remaining temporary health points and you both suffer 2 levels of exhaustion. (Dragon Imbuement cannot be used during this form)

Draconic Action

At 20th level your prowess has reached its pinnacle. You may now take 1 legendary action to make a weapon attack.

Dragon Brother

Dragon Brothers bond with their dragons in order to become like them.

Greater Dragon Scales

Starting at 1st level, your skin is replaced by a thick layer of dragon scales. You cannot wear armor, but your AC is equal to 14 + your dexterity modifier.

Dragon Claws

When you reach 3rd level, You can grow a set of dragon claws on each hand. These claws count as light, finesse magic weapons that deal 1d4 slashing damage each on a hit. This damage of each claw is increased by 1d4 with each draconic bond feature gained. You can wield other weapons as normal with these claws out and can take a bonus action to retract or extend these claws.

Dragon Tail

At 6th level, you grow a scaly tail. This tail is a finesse magic weapon that deals 2d8 blugeoning damage in a 5 foot radius. This damage is increased by 1d8 every 4 levels. Any creature hit by this attack must make a Strength saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength/dexterity modifier (your choice) or be knocked prone.

Dragon Wings

When you reach 11th level you grow a pair of dragon wings. You now have a fly speed of 30 feet.

Dragon Breath

Starting at 14th level, you may use the breath attack(s) of your first dragon. This includes the same saving throw DCs, damage dice, and modifiers. You may use the breath again after a long rest.

Dragon Speed

At 18th level you have become as swift as a dragon. Your walk speed is now 60 feet and your fly speed is now 60 feet.

Dragon Form

At 20th level, You have actually become a dragon. Choose 1 Ancient Dragon. Once per long rest, you gain the ability to polymorph into that dragon at will as per the True Polymorph Spell. However you may only stay in this form for one hour after each long rest, but may shapeshift back into your true form at any time.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Dragon Rider, Variant class, you must meet these prerequisites: Charisma 13 and constitution 13, have obtained a Pseudodragon from a true dragon for you to raise.

Proficiences When you multiclass into the Dragon Rider, Varient class, you gain the following proficiencies: One Martial Weapon of your choice, Draconic Language

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