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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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Bonded Rider Nathanial Torken
Breath Weapon The base breath weapon is listed with each dragon steed, below. Every steed deals one kind of damage, and has either a line or a cone. Each breath weapon allows a Reflex save for half damage, the save DC for a dragon steed’s breath weapon is 10 + one-half steed’s hit dice + steed’s Constitution modifier. A dragon steed may use its breath weapon once every four rounds, not to exceed a total number of uses per day equal to 3 + the steed’s Constitution modifier.
Link A dragonrider and his bonded dragon steed always know the direction to each other, and are aware of any conditions the other is suffering.
Focus (Standard Action) Despite the fact they are dragonriders’ willing allies, not all dragon steeds manage to seamlessly blend their own actions with those of their riders. Dragons are, instinctively, majestic creatures certain of their own superiority and and ability to make and execute their own battle plans. It goes against a dragon’s instinctive nature to work under the direction of a smaller creature sitting on its back. No matter how much a dragon steed wants to obey its rider, it often spends a considerable amount of time making its own plan, beginning to carry it out, realizing it hasn’t checked that plan by its dragonrider, then mentally backpedaling so it doesn’t take a radical action that would surprise its rider. This can result in the dragon doing very little but fly around, even in a pitched battle. To avoid this, dragonrider and dragon must establish a mental focus. The dragonrider must initiate the focus, which may take as long as a standard action, or may be as easy as a free action.
A dragon steed always goes on the same initiative as its dragonrider—rider and steed effectively move simultaneously. (If for some reason it’s crucial to know which acts first, the dragonrider’s player decides on the order of each action taken.) Without the dragonrider establishing focus, a dragon steed will only take a single move action (moving as the dragonrider wishes) each round and such free actions (speaking, making attacks of opportunity, and so on) that seem prudent. If a dragonrider is unconscious or incapacitated, his dragon steed moves to be adjacent to the dragonrider as quickly as possible, then attacks any foe that threatens either dragon steed or dragonrider. A dragon steed acts to defend itself if separated from its dragonrider, and can be convinced to stay behind to guard a camp or the dragonrider’s stronghold, but does not willingly go on missions or run errands separate from its rider. (A GM should run a dragon steed as efficiently as possible if its rider is not present for an event, but dragon steeds seek to avoid operating without their partners.)
For the dragon to take any other action, the dragonrider must establish a mystic focus. Each dragon steed lists the kind of action required each round for a dragonrider to establish this focus, and focus lasts until the beginning of the dragonrider’s next turn. For the most powerful true dragons, it may take a dragonrider a standard action to establish focus. As the dragonrider and his dragon steed gain levels, the amount of time required to establish focus is reduced, going from a standard action to a move action, a move action to a swift action, and a swift action to a free action. These changes occur at 8th and 16th level and the type of action required is listed with each type of dragon steed, below. A dragonrider must be within 30 feet of his steed to establish focus.
Once focus is established, the dragon is free to act however the dragonrider wishes. The dragon steed can use its breath weapon, make double moves, engage in melee attacks, and generally take whatever actions the dragonrider instructs. As the mystic focus establishes a mental bond between the dragonrider and his dragon steed, no vocal communication is required between the two while the mystic focus is in effect.
Share Spells Starting at 2nd level, the dragonrider may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his dragon steed (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on himself. A dragonrider may cast spells on his dragon steed even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the steed’s type (dragon). Spells cast in this way must come from a class that grants a dragon steed. This ability does not allow the steed to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.
Evasion At 3rd level the dragon steed gains the Evasion ability. When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, a dragon steed takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Ability Score Increase At level 4, 9, 16, and 20, the dragon steed adds +1 to one of its ability scores.
