Dragonrider Archetype: Primal Warlord

[Jiggy]

Hello! The following is an archetype I designed for the Dragonrider class, which you can find HERE. Enjoy!

Primal Warlord
Many dragonriders are esteemed, knight-like warriors known for their decorum and prestige. They reflect the pride, aged wisdom, and fearsome magical prowess of their legendary companions. However, there are others who connect with their draconic brethren on a more primal level, mirroring the bestial power of a dragon’s sheer physical might. The primal warlord reveres dragons not for their magical abilities but for their wicked talons, impenetrable hide, and bone-crushing muscle. Unlike other dragonriders, these fierce combatants are not content to launch spells and arrows from the sidelines, preferring instead to charge into the fray and ravage their enemies atop (or alongside) their dragon steeds. The following are class features of the primal warlord.

Weapon and armor proficiency: A primal warlord is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the battleaxe, greataxe, heavy pick, light hammer, light pick, scythe, throwing axe, and warhammer. Primal warlords are not proficient with any armor or with shields. Like their mighty brethren, they balk at the use of any armor other than their own hide. Should a primal warlord wear armor or use a shield (even after gaining proficiency from another source), he gains the sickened condition until the armor or shield is removed.

Draconic Resilience (Ex): At 1st level, a primal warlord has already begun to reflect the might of a dragon, granting him a number of defenses that reflect the legendary power of dragons. First, he gains a +2 natural armor bonus. This bonus increases by +1 at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter, to a maximum of +12 at 20th level.
Additionally, at 3rd level a primal warlord gains a +2 bonus to saves against paralysis and sleep effects. At 8th level, this bonus increases to +5. At 16th level, the primal warlord instead gains immunity to paralysis and sleep effects.
Finally, a primal warlord manifests a dragon’s magical resistance to harm, gaining DR 5/magic at 8th level. This increases to DR 10/magic at 16th level.
This ability replaces draconic training.

Primal Gifts: At 5th level, a primal warlord learns the use of primal gifts, bestial powers which let him mimic the power of the mighty dragon in numerous ways. At 5th level, the primal warlord learns one primal gift, selected from the list below. At 8th level, and every three levels thereafter, he learns another gift. Some primal gifts grant static bonuses, while others may require an action to activate; see each primal gift’s description for details. Once a primal gift is selected, the choice cannot be changed. A primal warlord cannot select the same gift more than once. This ability replaces the dragonrider's spells class feature. Primal warlords do not gain any spells or spellcasting ability, do not have a caster level, and cannot use spell trigger and spell completion magic items.

Breath Weapon (Su): You are so closely bonded to dragonkind that you can even mimic your dragon companion’s breath weapon. The save DC for your breath weapon is equal to 10 + 1/2 your level + your Constitution modifier, but it is otherwise identical to that of your bonded steed’s (damage, energy type, range, and so forth). You must be at least 8th level to select this primal gift. You may use this ability once per day at 8th level, and twice per day beginning at 16th level.

Catapult Charge (Ex): Working in tandem with your dragon steed, you can leverage its might to launch yourself into battle. Whenever you are mounted atop your bonded steed while it charges, you can dismount as a free action at the end of your steed’s movement with a DC 20 Ride check. If successful, you dismount and are launched up to 15 feet in the direction of your mount’s charge. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Assuming your dismount was performed close enough to the ground that the landing did not cause you to fall prone, you can treat this movement as part of the charge and make your attack after you land, gaining all the usual bonuses and penalties associated with a charge.

Draconic Fury (Ex): As a free action, you can enter a savage rage, gaining a +2 morale bonus to your Strength and Constitution scores. While mounted on your bonded steed, these bonuses increase to +4 each. You may use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to your level + your Charisma modifier. This otherwise functions like a barbarian’s rage ability, but without the penalty to Armor Class or the bonus to Will saving throws.

Draconic Might (Ex): The raw power of dragonkind infuses your very being, granting you a +1 increase to your Strength and Constitution scores. You must be at least 8th level to select this primal gift. At 16th level, these bonuses increase to +2 each.

Dragonscales (Su): Calling upon your bonded dragon’s might, you harden your skin against attacks. This functions as barkskin, using your class level as your caster level, but only targeting yourself. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), plus one additional time per day at 5th level and every three levels thereafter.

Elemental Weapons (Su): Calling on the power of your dragon steed, you may imbue your weapons with its elemental power as a swift action. For the next minute, any melee weapon you wield gains the corrosive, flaming, frost or shock weapon property (whichever is appropriate to your bonded steed’s energy type). The ability gained only functions while the weapon is wielded by you. You may use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Fearsome Visage (Ex): Only a fool does not fear a dragon, and the same is becoming true of you. You gain a bonus equal to half your level on Intimidate checks.

Ferocity (Ex): Your fierce draconic power makes your attacks all the more deadly. You gain either Power Attack or Double Slice as a bonus feat (your choice). You must meet all prerequisites for the selected feat, as normal.

Savage Maw (Ex): Your primal connection to the bestial power of the dragon manifests physically, granting you a bite attack. This is a primary natural attack that deals 1d6 damage (for a medium creature; 1d4 if small).

Twin Fang Strike (Ex): As a standard action while wielding two weapons, a primal warlord with this primal gift can attack with both weapons as a single, unified strike. Make a single attack roll at your full base attack bonus (if the two weapons wielded have different attack bonuses, use the lower of the two). This attack does not take two-weapon fighting penalties. If the attack hits, it deals damage as though each weapon had hit independently, including the primal warlord’s full Strength bonus on each weapon. If the weapons used in this attack have different threat ranges and critical multipliers, apply the smallest threat range and the lowest critical multiplier to both weapons.

Twister (Ex): While riding your dragon companion through the air, you can have your steed spiral to swing you down within striking distance of an enemy below. As a full-round action, your airborne mount moves up to double its fly speed in a straight line. At any one point along this line that is not within 10 feet of the beginning or end of this movement, the dragon spirals with a DC 20 Fly check. If successful, you may make one attack at your highest base attack bonus against an enemy within reach. For every 5 by which your mount’s Fly check exceeds the DC, you gain a +2 bonus on this attack. If your attack hits, you may also immediately make a trip attempt against the target (any bonuses granted to the attack by this ability also apply to the trip; the trip attempt does not provoke attacks of opportunity). If your bonded steed fails the Fly check, you must immediately make a DC 20 Ride check. Failure means this ability is wasted with no attack, while success allows you to make the attack (but without the bonus granted by a good Fly check) along with the free trip attempt if the attack hits. You must be at least 11th level to select this primal gift.

[Cheapy]

Thanks for throwing this up, Jiggy.

[Owen K. C. Stephens]

So, first, I love that someone likes the dragonrider enough to make an archetype kind of awesome.

There is some very interesting stuff here, and some of the primal gifts are quite cool.

My immediate concern is one of AC. At 1st level I think the primal dragonrider's best bet is light armor proficiency -- since he no longer casts spells and all his abilities work in armor, more armor proficiency may well be his best second and third feats, as well.

It might make sense to look at the amount of AC a monk gets, and the limits of monks and armor, to see if a different AC combination might work better for his idea.

[Jiggy]

That was a concern of mine as well. My thought process was that with a moderate investment in DEX (and maybe even the Dodge feat), you could have 15-16 AC at first level if you wanted, which seems reasonably solid for someone who also has an animal companion. I don't see druids with higher AC than that at 1st level usually, and they have fewer HP to boot. And to compare to monks, most advice I've read is to be STR-based, which leaves your starting AC at around 15-16 (~16 WIS, ~14 DEX, possibly Dodge). So I thought it seemed reasonable.

But to throw them a bone, there's of course also the Dragonscales primal gift that can seriously boost their AC for most encounters, plus if they're on their dragon mount they can use Ride checks to take cover.

The final math might still need tweaking (maybe +1 at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th level before slowing down to +1/2lvl?) but I think the idea is more workable than it might seem at first glance.

In my admittedly somewhat untested opinion, that is. ;)