Dragoon

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Overview & Creation

The earth shaking roar of a dragon echoes across the battle field. Beating its wings furiously, the beast swoops down from the sky. A man clad in scale mail leaps high into the air and plunges down onto the creature's back, driving his spear into its spine, forcing the creature to the ground.
A woman stands among the chaos of war. She rushes down an opponent, striking with the ferocity of a dragon. Those who stood against her that day claim to have seen a dragon sweep the area with its fiery breath, rather than simply a woman with a long armed weapon.
Grinning excitedly a young man jumps high into the air laughing. He has left the path of war to perfect his mastery of the sky. When he reaches the peak of his jump, he sprouts spectral wings and flies off into the distance.
These fearless warriors stand against dragons, demons, fiends and any other threats who would raise a hand against their homelands. Dragoons use their command of both the sky and ground to strike down their foes with deadly strikes.

 

Dragon's Bane

The Dragoon was a soldier born out of need in a distant land. Their homeland has been locked in a war against dragonkind for hundreds of years, leading to their soldiers to specialize in battling back against dragons. Their most notable ability is the Dragoon jump, which is powered by a magical gem each Dragoon receives upon completing their basic training.

 

Scourge of the Sky

The Dragoons have been blessed with the ability to soar high into the air like those they have taken up arms to destroy. These warriors are able to crash down from the sky using their weapons and body weight to drive any skyborn into the ground, or cause great damage to those already on land. Wings will not grant you safety from a Dragoon.

 

Creating a Dragoon

When creating a Dragoon, consider what brought them down the path of a specialized knight. They may have shown a certain aptitude which allowed them to become a dragoon with ease, or perhaps were born into the role due to the history of their homeland. A dragoon may have decided upon this path due to the stories of famed dragoons of legends, hoping to become as powerful and respected as the knights they had heard about while they were growing up. Consider why a Dragoon would choose to head out on an adventure. Are they seeking a specific dragon, hoping to slay an enemy of their nation? Could your dragoon have unfinished business with a dragon from their past? Sometimes a dragoon may set out for the sake of journeying around the land.

 

Quick Build

You can make a Dragoon quickly by following these suggestions. First make Strength your highest ability score, following with Dexterity. Second take the Soldier background.

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Class Features

Fighting Style

Beginning at the 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 you later get to choose again.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

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 twohanded or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

 

Dragoon's Trance

Beginning at the 1st level you are able to fall into a special trance as a bonus action. Your soul is filled with power from your Dragoon forebears, granting you great powers. While under the effects of this trance, your jump distance is tripled and you are able to jump from a standing position as if you had a 10ft. running start. You do not take fall damage as long as the distance you fell is within your maximum jump height.
Your trance lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or you may end your trance as a bonus action. Some Dragoon abilities may cause your trance to end early. Uses of Dragoon's Trance refresh after a long rest.

Jumping Rules

You can see the rules of jumping in the PHB on pg.182.

 

Dive

Beginning at 2nd level you are able to Dive on your enemies. While under the effects of Dragoon's Trance, as an action you are able to jump and dive ontop of a target creature. You leap high into the air and attempt to crash down onto the creature within range of half your long jump distance, using your weapon. The creature makes a Dexterity saving throw, taking your weapon damage and bonus damage equal to Xd6 where X is a number equal to the number of 10ft. increments your Dragoon jumped with a minimum bonus damage of 1d6. This minimum damage increases to 2d6 at the 5th level, 3d6 at the 11th level and 4d6 at the 18th level.
You may attempt to knock the target creature prone when using the Dive ability, doing so if the creature fails their Dexterity saving throw. You must declare this intention before they make their saving throw. If you attempt to knock the creature prone your trance ends.
You finish your dive action in a space of your choice directly beside the creature, thus ending the effects of your jump ability. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Dive DC = 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Strength modifier.

 

Dragoon Archetype

At 3rd level, you select the focus of your training as a dragoon. Some dragoon may choose to follow the true path of a dragoon, focusing on slaying dragons and achieving the moniker of Dragon Slayer. Others may focus on channeling the power of dragons into their bodies and fight with their power, known as a Dragon Heart. Some Dragoons may turn away from their focus on dragons and go on to become Valkyries, warriors who seek to rule the sky and land.

 

Ability Score Improvement

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. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

 

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

 

Respected Presence

Beginning at the 6th level, friendly creatures who know of Dragoons and are aware of your identity as a Dragoon are impressed by you. You receive advantage on charisma ability checks and on Investigation checks when interacting with such creatures.

 

Zeal of the Dragoon

Beginning at the 7th level, your dedication and high levels of training have granted you impecable reflexes. You gain advantage on initiative rolls.

 

Crash Landing

Beginning at the 10th level, when you take the dive action against a creature with flying speed, you are able to drive them to the ground by attempting. If you declare you are attempting to knock the creature prone, on a successful Dive you drive the creature to the earth, dealing damage as normal and knocking them prone, but also reducing their fly speed to 0ft. for a number of turns equal to half your Strength modifier.

 

Blood for Blood

Beginning at the 11th level, you feel the bloodlust of Dragoon's past well up inside you. While under the effects of Dragoon's Trance you may take your attack action with advantage against a target creature, but all attacks against you have advantage until the start of your next turn. Attacks you deliver in this way deal additional damage equal to your strength modifier.

 

Invigorate

Beginning at the 14th level, when you fail a saving throw you may choose to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new number. You may use this ability twice before requiring a long rest.

 

Keen Flurry

Beginning at the 15th level, you are able fight defensively using your weapon's reach to keep your opponents at bay. As a bonus action, you cause attacks against you to have disadvantage for a number of rounds equal to your dexterity modifier if the attacker's reach is the same or less than your reach. You may enter this stance a number of times equal to half your Strength modifier before requiring a long rest.

 

Battle Litany

Beginning at the 18th level, while you are under the effects of Dragoon's Trance, as a bonus action you can inspire the ferocity of yourself and your allies. Your melee weapon attacks and those of your allies who are within 10ft. of you land critical hits on die results 19 or 20 for a number of rounds equal to half your Strength modifier. This does not overwrite or add to already present critical hit range increases. This effect may be activated once each time you enter a new Dragoon's Trance.

 

One with the Sky

Beginning at the 20th level, if you have no uses of your Dragoon's Trance left when you roll initiative, you gain two uses of Dragoon's Trance.

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Starting Equipment

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

• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
• (a) a martial weapon or (b) two spears
• (a) a short bow and 20 arrows or (b) two hand axes
• (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack

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Subclass Options

Echoes of the Dragonsong

Dragoons are a remnant and living memory of the Dragonsong War. They came to prominence during the war against dragonkind by their fore bearers. Dragoons specialized in battling the ferocious beasts and overtime channeled their power into their own fighting style. Some Dragoons came to specialize in laying dragons low, ending their lives, while others learned to harness their power. Some turned from dragons altogether, and focused on their ability to take to the skies and explore the world unlike any who had come before them.

 

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Dragon Slayer

A Dragoon who has chosen to focus on the utter destruction of dragon kind begins to walk the path of a Dragon Slayer. Their combat abilities evolve around pinpointing the weaknesses of dragons and laying them low.

 

Elusive Jump

Beginning at the 3rd level, when you are the target of an attack, as a reaction you may expend a use of your Dragoon's Trance or end your currently active Trance to perform an Elusive Jump. You leap directly away from the attack up to half your total base walking speed while evading the attempted attack roll, taking only half the damage if it would have been a hit. For rounds equal to your dexterity modifier, enemies have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.

 

Knowledge from Blood

Beginning at the 9th level, you have gained a wealth of knowledge about dragons. You have proficiency in History,Nature and Perception checks when the check directly involves a dragon, and you add the Draconic language to your known languages.

 

Spineshatter Dive

Beginning at the 13th level, you are able to perform a Spineshatter Dive. When you use Dive on a creature you deal additional damage equal to your strength modifier. When you choose to knock a creature prone with your Dive ability, you instead stun the creature until the end of your next turn.

 

Dragon Bane

Beginning at the 17th level, you've become highly skilled in combat against dragons. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage is you fail.
Additionally your attacks against dragons deals 3d6 extra damage as you are able to pin point their most vulnerable areas. Against non-dragon creatures your blows still carry extra precision, dealing an additonal 1d6 damage.

 

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Dragon Heart

Some Dragoon come to be known as Dragon Hearts. These dragoon have taken traits of the dragon into their fighting style, along with performing rituals to become closer to their enemies and to harness their abilities. They have gained an understanding of dragon's and are capable of unleashing their ferocity upon their foes.

 

Breath of the Dragon

Beginning at the 3rd level, you may expand a use of your Dragoon's Trance in order to cast the Dragon's Breath spell on yourself at the 2nd level. At 9th level you cast this spell at the 3rd level, and at the 17th level you cast this spell at the 4th level. Strength is your spell casting ability for this spell. You may do so once, this ability refreshes after a long rest.

 

Dragon Sense

Beginning at the 9th level, you've gained the senses which are akin to a dragon. You've gained 30ft. of blindsight and 60ft. of darksight. Additionally during battle as a bonus action you may make a perception check.

 

Blood of the Dragon

Beginning at the 13th level, you fight with the ferocity of a dragon now. When you use your Dragoon's Trance ability, you gain 10 temporary hit points and the spell casting and concentration restriction of Dragoon's Trance is lifted from the Dragon's Breath spell. The temporary hit points fade when your trance ends.

 

Life of the Dragoon

Beginning at the 17th level, while you are under the effect of both Dragoon's Trance and Breath of the Dragon, you are able to combine these powers to fight like a legendary dragon. You may use the effect of the Dragon Breath spell as a bonus action on your turn.

 

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Valkyrie

A Valkyrie is a dragoon who has strayed from the path of dragon slaying, opting to become a warrior who has mastered land and aerial combat. Valkyries are known for their incredible jumping abilities, allowing them to further deepen the myths which surround Dragoons, flying like those they original had pledged to destroy.

 

Crescent Moon Strikes

Beginning at the 3rd level, when you use your attack action, if there is a creature directly beside your target, you may roll a second attack roll against that creature as a bonus action. You do not receive an ability modifier bonus on the damage roll for this attack. This does not apply to extra attacks.

 

High Jump

Beginning at the 9th level, your ability to jump while under the effects of Dragoon's Trance becomes more potent. Your jump distance and height are now quadrupled during your trance.

 

Flight of the Dragoon

Beginning at the 13th level, you are able to expend two uses of Dragoon's Trance to gain 60ft. of flying speed for the duration of the Trance. When you do so, an ethereal pair of dragon's wings sprout from your back.

 

Dragonfire Dive

Beginning at the 17th level, when you use your Dive action you may engulf yourself in flames to deal incredible damage to your target. Prior to the saving throw, you must declare you are using Dragonfire Dive. The bonus damage of your Dive attack is increased to 8d6 fire damage and all creatures within 20ft. of your target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save they take damage equal to half the damage dealt to the target creature. On a successful save they take a quarter of the damage dealt to the target creature. You may only use Dragonfire Dive once before requiring a long rest. Performing Dragonfire Dive ends your Dragoon's Trance.

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