Dragon

= DRAGONS = Primary Attribute: Endurance

Power Investment: Push

Power Gauge: Affinity

ROLEPLAY NOTES
Before the Dragon entered your life, you were an ordinary human. Magic had not chosen to touch you, and so you lived as any normal human might. From the beginning, though, something always drove you to be better. People called you ambitious, focused, driven. There was a need in you to rise above, to be the best at whatever you did, and thisimpulse could be subtle or apparent, or anywhere inbetween. Regardless, it was there. The investiture likely happened during a moment of great duress; maybe it was the only way to save your life, or your sanity; for some, it may have simply been a crippling moment of doubt or a terrifying urge to simply end it all, as your drive overcame your ability to satisfy it. Regardless, the dragon came to you then, and made you an offer: to join with it, and achieve power – not without risks, of course, but then power always had a price.

The dragon hid nothing from you. What could happen was clearly laid out – the risks, the rewards, the responsibilities. Whatever reason you had for accepting the Dragon's offer, accept it you did, and your life has never been the same.

Investiture is never the same twice. For some, it's traumatic, as centuries, millenia of knowledge is dumped into your brain with little regard for your ability to handle it. For others, it's gentle, the first merging almost like a flower opening to the sun, with the memories of a thousand lifetimes slowly remembered as time goes by. For still others, it's a rush almost orgasmic in its intensity, the power flowing through you and the eons with it filling your head with ecstatic bursts of awareness. Whichever the case, you were forever changed – no longer human, but possessed of a Dragon spirit. The Dragon didn't, and doesn't, change who you are – it only enhanced what was already there – you are still and will remain you, only more so.

Acclimation takes some time, and you are still learning what the Dragon has to offer. Powers appear in bursts of inspiration or heated instants of instinctive response, and only later do you have the time to fully analyze what occured. That first rush of knowledge fades, leaving you with scattered memories and broken knowledge that slowly increases as time goes by. The one thing that never fades is the knowledge that Dragons are a closely guarded secret – no one must be allowed to divine what you are, and if they somehow learn of it, they must be compelled to keep their silence – one way or another. Dragons do not exist, and this is the fiction you must keep alive at any and all costs.

The one thing that hasn't changed is that drive, only now, you have a course to put that to. The Dragons are sworn to protect humanity and guide them to their destiny, though even they are hard pressed to guess what that might be. Mages are dangerous savants, meddling in powers they don't fully understand, but you are responsible for them as well, and they make dangerous enemies in any case.

And there aren't enough Dragons as it is….

?

MECHANICS
Dragons are fairly simple. Create your character in the standard manner, and at the bottom of your sheet, note your starting Affinity (equal to your Endurance). You begin at Stage One Affinity, at the edge of the threshold, having learned some aspects of the power granted to you. At this point, you may buy one Enhancement, a permanent power that your Dragon Spirit has gifted to you. Choose your Enhancement from the Stage One list. You must also note a Mark, a change that the dragon has wreaked on your character's physical form or mental structure. This can be anything your imagination can conceive, but remember the Dragon's need for secrecy. Dragons do not gain Vulnerabilities.

Unlike Mages, Dragons do not get to shape their own effects; rather, they have a fixed pool of powers to draw from. Some powers only become available at later Stages of Affinity; each power costs a certain amount of Push. Only by interacting with the Dragon spirit and calling upon your powers can you increase the bond between you and the Dragon within; Attunment can only be gained by building Push.

There is a risk, however: build too much Push too quickly, and your body can't contain the Dragon's power; the resultant Backlash could cause injury or even death to your character. It's a risk you have to take, but there's nothing demanding recklessness. Any time your Push exceeds your Stage threshold by an amount equal to your base Endurance, you gain an Affinity point, and roll an Endurance check against Backlash (difficulty 10+Push over threshold). If you fail, you take damage equal to your total Push, and you must take a Mark.

Your Stage is increased to two when your Attunment equals twice your base Endurance, and to Stage 3 when it is three times your base Endurance. The number of Attunment points per stage may fluctuate if you increase your Endurance permanently or lose Endurance points permanently through gameplay.

MARKS
Due to the strange symbiotic relationship Dragons share with their hosts, Marks work a little differently for dragons. Most of the time, the initial Marks affect a growing Dragon's mind and spirit. It is important to note that being invested with a Dragon spirit doesn't change who the person is; rather, it tends to have an enhancing effect, with a character's strengths becoming emphasized, and his weaknesses becoming more extreme. Thus, they remain who they are, but become even more so.

In the later stages, the changes in the body begin to show, with the most common signs being changes to the color or shape of the eyes, scales appearing in designs upon the skin, or lengthening and sharpening of teeth. Slowly, as the draconic nature becomes clear, a dragon may have to hide their form, going so far as to wear masks or helms. Some pass the marks off as the marks of a Mage of some kind.

Dragons gain a new Mark whenever they attain a new Stage, and any time they suffer Backlash. All Dragons begin with one mark; this may be physical or psychological as you choose.

POWERS
This is a list of powers available to a Dragon. The base Push increase for a Power is noted; some circumstances may alter this cost. They are divided by Stage, but a Dragon may manifest any power at any time. Difficulty for all saves against Dragon powers is 10+ twice the dragon's Stage.

Universal
All Dragons have the three powers listed below. These do not incur any push.

Memoria : The very nature of a Dragon allows the character to try and recall some of the history of the Dragon within him. Roll a d20+ your character's stage. The result is compared against a target number determined by your GM; specific information should be more difficult to find.

Return : Once per Stage (refreshed when a Dragon earns a new Stage), a Dragon may forego the Bounce Back roll when reduced to zero hit points. At any point they choose, the Dragon may then return to life with their Endurance rating in hit points.

Kinship : Dragons know each other, and are able to recognize the draconic essence within a human host. Whenever two dragons meet, there is a spark of recognition – they may not know the details, but they know that other person is a dragon.

Stage One

 * Boost : Increase any one attribute by your current Endurance rating. Lasts a number of turns equal to your Endurance+Stage. Boost may be stacked. This power initially incurs two Push, and this amount doubles with each consecutive use within an encounter.


 * Negate Magic :Reduce damage from a single spell by up to your Affinity rating. The Push Gain is equal to the amount of damage reduced.


 * Purge : Cleanse your body of diseases and poisons. Push Gain: Poison/disease rating.


 * Command : Force another to obey a single command. Push Gain: Target's Will; they may still make a Will check to resist the effects.


 * Inspire : All allies gain +1 to all rolls made. Lasts a number of rounds equal to your base Endurance. Push Gain: One Push point per ally.

Stage Two

 * Cow : Intimidate a target; they may not attack you as long as the power lasts. Lasts a number of turns equal to your Will score. Push Gain: Target's Will. Allows a Will save.
 * Dragon's Breath : This may manifest in any form you desire, but it emanates from the dragon's mouth. While it can be different each combat, in the course of a single encounter it must remain consistent. Damage is equal to your current Endurance. Push Gain is equal to your base Endurance.
 * Draconic Will : Temporary immunity to mental effects. Push Gain is four. Duration is equal to your Will plus your Stage.
 * Aspect of the Dragon : Using this power allows you to temporarily manifest a Dragon feature: claws, scales, fangs, a tail, or wings are the most common. This power incurs three Push, and lasts as many turns as your base Endurance. This duration can be extended by investing more Push, but may also deal damage to your character. Claws and fangs are weapon rating 4, tail is weapon rating 2 with a chance to entangle, and wings are weapon rating 1 with a chance of knockdown if used in combat. Scales grant an Armor Rating of 3.
 * Enhance Other : This is similar to the Boost power, but can be applied to another character. Push gain is equal to your current Endurance.

Stage Three

 * Consume Magic: As Negate Magic above, but the dragon may restore Hit Points equal to the amount negated. The push gain is doubled for this effect.
 * Fascinate: The Dragon may lock eyes with his target, preventing them from taking any action at all. Push gain is twice the Target's will; it lasts as long as the Dragon holds his opponent's gaze, though the target may roll a Will save every round beyond the Dragon's Will rating he is under the effect.
 * Call Upon The Past: The Dragon may dredge his memory for a skill his host has not yet learned; this skill is forgotten once performed. Push gain is equal to your Will.
 * Cleanse: As Purge above, but targeting another.
 * Regenerate: A Dragon may heal as many Hit Points as he invests Push.

Stage Four

 * Dragonfear: All targets in the area flee from the Dragon. The Push gain for this power is equal to the highest Will among all targets plus the number of targets in the area. Will save negates effect.
 * Faint: The Dragon's target loses consciousness and falls to the ground, senseless. Push gain is target's Will plus Endurance. Will or Endurance save negates.
 * Crush Magic: The Dragon can negate any magical effect in its line of sight. Push gain is equal to the spell's Push investment. The Mage may invest additional Push to counter.
 * Extend: A Dragon may extend the effect of any power in action by a number of rounds equal to his Endurance. Push gain is Endurance plus the Stage of the power extended.
 * Apotheosis: The Dragon takes on his full draconic form, growing to (EnduranceX5) feet long. All stats are doubled, and all powers save Boost and Aspect of the Dragon (which cannot be used at all) up to Stage 3 may be used free of cost. This Power incurs Push equal to your current Affinity minus your Stage, and lasts a number of rounds equal to your base Endurance. When the effect fades, your character's attributes are reduced to 1 until they are able to get a full day's bed rest, and they may not use the power again until a (10-Stage) days have passed. A Lesser Apotheosis may also be achieved; the form taken is somewhere between a dragon and a human, stands about eight feet tall, and stats are increased by half their current amounts. Only Dragonfear, Dragon's Breath, and the Magic powers may be used free of cost (again, Boost and Aspect may not be used at all), and the time between manifestations is halved.

ENHANCEMENTS
Permanent powers gained by achieving Stages in Affinity, these effects are always active and cost no Push to maintain. It is possible to trade up Enhancements, as some are more powerful versions of earlier examples. Enhancements of similar effect do not stack; the most powerful version always takes precedence. Extra Enhancements can be bought by investing permanent Push. For the first extra enhancement purchased this way, the cost is twice that enhancement's Stage. For every extra enhancement so purchased (not earned by increasing in Stage), increase the cost by the number of Enhancements already possessed. You may not possess more Enhancements than your base Endurance rating. You may buy Enhancements outside of your Stage. Enhancements gained by increasing Stage do not gain any permanent Push. (Note, where cost is spoken of in terms of push, this is the amount of push added to the Dragon's total.)

Some Enhancements may be manifested as temporary powers, with the gain in Push equal to the Affinity cost. You may temporarily manifest Enhancements outside of your Stage. These are marked with a *.

Stage One
Empowerment: Gain 4 points to divide amongs your statistics any way you see fit. Vigor: Recalculate hit points for Endurance+Will x 4.

* Recovery: Regain half your Endurance in hit points every hour (game time) your character is not in combat.

* Magic Resistance: Standard human magic resistance.

* Presence: Any who would attack you must make a Will save (diff 10+your Stage) to initiate an attack against you. This applies only to the first attack. In general, people will react favorably to your character, and animals will not attack unless forced to do so.

Stage Two
* Renewal: Regain your full Endurance in hit points every hour your character is not in combat. Replaces Recovery. Vitality: Recalculate hit points as above, x5. Replaces Vigor.

* Read Magic: Allows the Dragon to sense magic being used in the area, what type of magic is used, and also to tell what type of magic a Mage uses. Dragons may also detect if magic was used recently (up to Will+Stage days after the event).

Immunity - Poison: No poison may harm the Dragon (this includes immunity to the effects of intoxicants).

Immunity - Disease: As above for diseases.

Stage Three
Replaces Renewal. Greater Empowerment: Gain 8 points to divide amongst your statistics in any way you choose. Replaces Empowerment.

* Spellbreaker: All magic cast in your vicinity (within 25 feet of your character) cost additional Push equal to your Will. Spells cast directly at you also add your Stage. Replaces Magic Resistance.

* Aura: Your allies within fifteen feet gain lesser versions of your Enhancements as long as they are within range. Benefits are lost if they exit the Aura.

* Mindshield: Immunity to Dragon mental powers, and Mages add your Will to push costs invested in spells to affect your mind.

Stage Four
Replaces Restoration. Evolution: Gain 12 points to divide amongst your stats, any way you choose. Replaces Greater Empowerment.

Dragonmind: Full immunity to mental effects. Replaces Mindshield.

* Thaumivore: Whenever hit by a spell, roll a Will check (diff 10+ caster's Will). If you succeed, you may absorb the spell, restoring Hit Points equal to half the Push invested or half your current Affinity, whichever is lower. Replaces Spellbreaker.

Skinshifter: Reduce all Push costs by your Stage.

TRADING UP
Since some Enhancements replace lesser ones, you can trade up an Enhancement instead of buying a new one. The cost of the traded up enhancement is reduced by the cost of the Enhancement replaced, and the replaced power does not count toward the increasing cost of new powers. For example, if at Stage One, you had Empowerment and Recovery, and chose to trade up Recovery to Renewal on reaching Stage 2, the cost would be calculated thusly: Recovery is a Stage One Enhancement, costing two permanent Push; it is an extra power, adding one to the cost. Renewal is a Stage Two Enhancement, costing four permanent Push, and you already have one power, making the total cost five. You would subtract the three invested in Recovery from the five required for Renewal, making the final cost to trade this power up two permanent push.