D&D Class: The Dragon Cultist

Konahrik, Warlord of the Dragon Cult by TheMaiaNightmareMoon on Deviantart

            The objective of a cultist is to serve a dragon deity. Disciples can do so in a temple as part of a clerical hierarchy or as a lone individual who answered a spiritual calling. Cultists favor the breed matching their godly liege, or at least dragons of the same alignment. Rival cults (or lone disciples) may be sworn enemies based on their deities’ ethea. Cultists may leave on quests they believe best serve their divine lieges’ interests. They can join adventurers to learn more about the world and unveil the greater purposes of their godly patrons.

Base Character Class

            The dragon cultist is a thief with some spellcasting and thieving abilities restricted to hiding in shadows and moving silently. With B/X-BECMI, elven, halfling, and dwarven cultists do not enjoy the racial features of their standard classes (hit dice, attack rolls, special abilities, etc.). For all intents and purposes, they are thief-like characters. Special abilities are earned while gaining experience. The base Hit Die is a d4 for B/X-BECMI or a d6 for other OSR games. Experience points reflect the characters’ extra powers. At level 10 and above, they earn +1 hit point per level with B/X-BECMI or +2 with other OSR games.

Obligations & Rewards

            The liege deity expects its cultists to defend dragons of its breed or alignment, or at least to offer assistance if such seems to be needed. Stealing from dragons is unacceptable unless it is a foe of the cult’s liege deity. Failure to uphold these two goals may result in the cultist losing the ability to cast spells and to invoke its dragon spirit abilities. If the disciple is part of a temple, 75% of earned treasure must be remitted to the cult’s organization for the care of dragons. A dragon of the same breed or alignment as the liege deity may entrust an egg to the care of a (reputable) cultist who proved particularly helpful. In exchange for such a fabulous gift, a cultist must undergo a blood oath, vowing to defend the egg and its hatchling or die trying.

Prerequisites

            The best three attribute scores must be allocated to Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom, in any order. This character class is open to all races, provided they have a backstory justifying this career. The dragon lore skill is mandatory. The cultist's alignment must match the liege deity.

Equipment

            Cultists are limited to thief-like equipment. They may use weapons and armor made from/with dragon parts (dragon scale armor and shield for example). They cast spells as clerics, which requires a sacred symbol representing their divine patrons.

Spellcasting

            The few spells available to a cultist are a blend of clerical and magic-user spells. They are obtained through mediation, as clerics do. Wisdom bonuses enable extra daily spell slots. For the most part, these spells only involve the caster and one or more dragons, such as Detect Evil Dragon (as the normal Detect Evil spell, but solely targeting dragons). The term “dragon” includes dragonkin and all creatures related to dragons (such as basilisks, cockatrices, drakes, dragon horses, faerie dragons, half-dragons, hydras, komodo dragons, monstrous snakes and serpents, pseudodragons, and so on). In some settings, Ki-rins (Qilins) are also considered dragonkin or elder dragons.

Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil Dragon, Detect Dragon Magic, Remove Dragon Fear

Level 2: Detect Invisible Dragon, Invisibility to Dragons, Know Dragon Alignment, Speak with Dragon

Level 3: Charm Dragon, Dispel Dragon Magic, Hold Dragon, Remove Dragon Curse

Level 4: Commune, Conjure Dragon, Create Dragon Food, Raise Dead Dragon

 

            Cure Light Wounds and Commune are the only cultist spells that do not primarily involve dragons, aside from the divine liege. Remove Dragon Fear and its reversed form only target victims who aren’t dragons.
            Charm Dragon can only be cast on those dragons who are rivals or hated foes of the cultist’s divine liege. Its reverse form, Remove Dragon Charm, works on any charmed dragon or on victims of a charm cast by a dragon. Likewise, the Remove Dragon Curse spell can be used to free victims of a dragon’s curse; its reversed form can only target rivals and foes of the cultist’s divine liege.
            Conjure Dragon is similar to Conjure Elemental, however, it summons instead a 16 HD dragon from the nearby wilderness; it will need 3d6 turns to show up (it cannot be cast in a place where dragons are entirely absent); the summoned dragon will be of the cultist’s alignment or close to it.
            Create Dragon Food generates a glowing incorporeal mana that stands for fresh meat or magical sustenance a dragon might crave. It only lasts a day and is wholly inedible to beings other than dragons. It is sufficient to feed dragons with HD (singly or combined) equal to the cultist’s experience level. For example, a Level 10 cultist can provide food for up to 10 Hit-Dice-worth of dragons.

Advancement

            The cultist’s Advancement table shows two experience tracks. One is for B/X-BECMI, the other for AD&D 1st and 2nd editions.

Cultist Advancement Table
Experience Levels & XP				Spell Levels				Dragon Spirit
AD&D		B/X-BECMI		1	2	3	4	Pts	Effect
1	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	n/a
2	2,200	2	2,100	1	—	—	—
3	4,400	3	4,200	2	—	—	—	8	Dragon Paw
—		4	8,400	2	1	—	—
4	8,800	5	16,800	3	1	—	—
5	17,500	6	33,600	3	2	—	—
6	35,000	7	67,200	3	2	1	—	10	Dragon Scale
—		8	130,000	4	2	1	—
7	70,000	9	260,000	4	3	2	—
8	130,000	10	380,000	4	3	2	1
9	204,300	11	500,000	5	3	2	1	12	Dragon Wing
—		12	620,000	5	4	2	1
10	233,800	13	740,000	5	4	3	1
11	289,500	14	860,000	5	4	3	2
—		15	980,000	6	4	3	2	14	Dragon Blood
12	545,600	16	1,100,000	6	5	3	2
13	787,700	17	1,220,000	6	5	4	2
—		18	1,340,000	6	5	4	3
14	1,022,700	19	1,460,000	7	5	4	3	16	Dragon Breath
—		20	1,580,000	7	6	4	3
15	1,253,500	21	1,700,000	7	6	5	3
—		22	1,820,000	7	6	5	4
		23	1,940,000	8	6	5	4	18
16	1,481,600	24	2,060,000	8	7	5	4
—		25	2,180,000	8	7	6	4
		26	2,300,000	8	7	6	5
17	1,708,000	27	2,420,000	9	7	6	5	20
—		28	2,540,000	9	8	6	5
		29	2,660,000	9	8	7	5
18	1,933,100	30	2,780,000	9	8	7	6
—		31	2,900,000	9	9	7	6	22
		32	3,020,000	9	9	8	6
19	2,157,300	33	3,140,000	9	9	9	6
—		34	3,260,000	9	9	9	7
		35	3,380,000	9	9	9	8	24
20	2,380,800	36	3,500,000	9	9	9	9

 

Special Abilities

            Level 1: Aside from moving silently and hiding in shadows, an initiate can speak with a dragon of the same breed as the cult’s divine liege and is immune to fear from dragons 6 HD or less, +1 HD for every cultist experience levels above 9 with B/X-BECMI, or +2 HD for every level above 9 with other OSR games. The language ability comes in addition to others the Intelligence attribute allows. A separate language skill slot is required to read and write a breed’s dragon script.
            Level 2: The disciple earns resistance to breath attacks matching the divine liege’s; at worst damage is automatically halved or, with a successful saving throw, reduced to a quarter. If the breath attack does not cause physical damage, the cultist saves with a +2 bonus (even if a saving throw isn’t normally allowed); a successful roll negates the effect.

            Level 3+: The cultist earns one major ability—dragon spirit. The Advancement table indicates which effects and how many dragon spirit points are available to the cultist. Spent dragon spirit points are replenished at dawn every day.

Dragon Paw: A spectral paw coalesces and enables a ranged attack each round. Scores to hit and damage are those of a dragon whose breed and Hit Dice match the cult and its disciple. These attacks are magical and able to hit incorporeal foes; they do not betray the cultist’s presence when hiding in shadows, but because they are magical in nature, they do ruin an invisibility spell and can be dispelled. Uninterrupted concentration is needed to strike and maneuver the paw (MV 30’/per round up to 20ft away +1/level with B/X-BECMI, or +2/level with other OSR games) The paw can score up to 1d4 successful attacks + ⅓ the disciple’s experience level rounded up with B/X-BECMI (or ½ with other OSR games), after which it fades away. For example, a 3^rd level cultist can perform up to 1d4+1 successful attacks. Each time an attack succeeds, a diffuse roar can be heard within a 90’-radius. The effect ends when all successful attacks have been carried through or at the end of a combat encounter. Misses and time spent moving do not factor into the effect’s total duration. Cost: 4 dragon spirit points.

Dragon Scale: The cultist’s natural AC becomes that of a dragon whose breed and Hit Dice match the cult and its disciple. A ghostly suit of scale armor coalesces on the cultist’s body. The improved AC is not added to other protections, like normal armor or magic items. The effect lasts 1d4 rounds +1/level with B/X-BECMI, or +2/level with other OSR games. Cost: 6 dragon spirit points.

Dragon Wing: The cultist obtains the ability to fly at the speed of a dragon whose breed and Hit Dice match the cult and its disciple. Spectral wings appear on the cultist’s back. The effect lasts 1 hour per emulated dragon HD. Cost: 8 dragon spirit points.

Dragon Blood: While this power is in effect, the cultist only sustains half damage during a combat encounter. This power only affects damage, magical or otherwise, that reduces hit points. The effect ends at the end of a combat encounter. Cost: 10 dragon spirit points.

Dragon Breath: The cultist can release the breath attack of a dragon whose breed and Hit Dice match the cult and its disciple. Its range, area of effect, and damage are those of the invoked dragon. The power can only be used once per combat encounter. Victims save normally as they would against a true dragon’s breath attack. Cost: 12 dragon spirit points.

 

Non-Combat Skills

            Aside from dragon lore as a prerequisite, the cultist can also learn some or all of the skills listed below. Untrained folks roll these checks with a –3 attribute penalty. Picking the same skill slot more than once confers a +2 attribute bonus. A natural 20 score always fails, regardless of bonuses.

Identify Dragon Egg (Int.): Examining an egg can reveal exactly the mother’s breed and native geographic region, whether its embryo is alive and healthy, and the egg’s approximate time of hatching. The DM may fill in any sort of misleading information when the check fails (all information is wrong or just part of it, depending on the failure’s gravity).

Elucidate Clues (Int.): The cultist can determine the breed and general age category of a dragon based on circumstantial clues (footprints, collateral damage, wounds, eyewitness descriptions, waste as described in Dragon Steeds Pt. 2, etc.) No roll is needed if the dragon is in plain sight. A roll should be required to determine how badly a dragon is wounded or whether it may be suffering some affliction.

Raise Hatchling (Wis): Failed rolls are the bane of dragon handlers. One roll is needed when the hatchling first emerges and each 10 years thence until the youngling becomes a young adult. Subtract 1 from the youngling’s Constitution attribute each time this check fails. The youngling must save vs. Death when the handler rolls a catastrophic failure (a natural 20 roll), possibly the victim of an undiagnosed dragon disease, contaminated food, or an accident. Rolling a natural 1 adds +1 to the youngling’s Constitution.

Train Youngling (Wis): Training takes place from the time a dragon reaches a young age until it becomes a young adult. There should be 3-6 checks (at the DM’s discretion) during these training years. Subtract 1 from its Dexterity with each failure. A critical failure results in a –1 penalty to future reaction checks (see Dragon Steeds Pt. 2). A critical success adds 1 to the dragon’s Dexterity.

Diagnose Affliction (Int.): The disciple can examine a dragon for 1d4+3 rounds and unveil the nature of any diseases, afflictions, curses, or charms affecting the patient, as well as possible treatments. Prescriptions are never guaranteed to work.

 

Dragon Diseases

            These are ailments that may befall a dragon prior to reaching young adulthood. The Diagnose Affliction skill mentioned above helps identify and treat them. Healing and cure disease spells only have an 80% effectiveness in treating dragon ailments if caught early. Success chances otherwise drop –5 per month during which no treatment is given. All these diseases are potentially deadly if untreated.

Notorious Dragon Afflictions
1d10	Disease	Symptoms, Effects, Cures
1	Arcane Quinsy	This inflammation of the throat and swelling of the tonsils prevent the dragon from eating or using its breath weapon. The dragon’s innate magic gone awry is the condition’s cause. Odds of contagion: 80% through contact with bodily fluids. Ice troll or remorhaz saliva creamed, frozen, and dowsed with honey are the best cures.
2	Bone Warp	It is a genetic condition undetectable among hatchlings. The deformity causes the dragon to lose a point of Strength every 5-10 years. Odds of contagion: none. Treant sap transfusion is the recognized medicine, about a pint-worth per HD. Possible side effects include growing moss beards or antlers with deciduous leaves and nuts.
3	Brain Rot	A corruption of innate magic causes a partial necrosis of the dragon’s brain resulting in short-term memory loss, a decline of mental faculties (–1 Int every 5-10 years), inability to cast spells when Int drops below 12, and intermittent psychotic events. Odds of contagion: 10% to dragons within 100’ radius. The cure calls for trepanation and removal of necrotic tumors (true sight is required to locate damaged tissue).
4	Dracolepsia	A neurologic condition causes difficulties for a dragon to wake up after falling asleep, or to suddenly fall asleep. Spells cast within a 100’ radius seem to trigger the latter symptom (8% odds +2 per spell level). The sound of jangling gold for 1d4+1 rounds usually awakes the dragon. Odds of contagion: none. Shrieker gruel is the prescribed treatment.
5	Draconic Ague	Also known as the wyrm’s grippe; parasites infect the dragon’s blood provoking a fever. Sneezes cause the tail to lash out unexpectedly although the dragon is unaware of its tail’s movements. Odds of contagion: airborne, 20% to dragons within 100ft. radius, 10% to other dragonkin. Cockatrice soup is the traditional cure.
6	Dragon Pox	This fungal, mange-like infection causes the dragon to lose its scales, resulting in a –1 AC penalty per week until treated. Odds of contagion: 50% with physical contact with the infected dragon or with objects touched by the dragon. An ointment made from fresh giant slug slime is an effective cure, about 1 bucket-worth per dragon Hit Die.
7	Fey Dropsy	Abnormal swelling of the paws also known as dragon gout, it causes a reduction of damage from claw attacks (–1 per die of damage). If left untreated, the dragon can lose one or more toes, if not a limb. Odds of contagion: none. The known cure requires poultices infused with mummy powder and wrapped around the affected limbs.
8	Heartwyrms	Originating from contaminated meat, tiny snake-like parasite wyrms burrow into the heart’s tissue, causing physical weakness. The dragon is at risk of a stroke during melee combat (10% per month without treatment). Odds of contagion: 65% through contact with dung. Inhaling boiled green slime steam (1 day per HD) purges the parasites.
9	Indigestion	Eating too much, too rich, or consuming overly magical sustenance may cause indigestion with effects comparable to the same human ailment. Odds of contagion: none unless resulting from intestinal flu (30% through contact with bodily fluids). Suction cups (a dozen per HD) to draw out tainted humors are an effective cure.
10	Lockjaw	This condition results from wounds inflicted with rusty weapons. The dragon’s jaws stay clenched, preventing it from feeding, biting, or using its breath weapon. Healing entails the daily insertion of suppositories made from jellified rust monster blood until the condition ends (10% cumulative success odds per application).

 

Rituals

            A cultist learns magic rituals as they become needed, as follows:

The Hatching: This ritual ensures the disciple develops a bond with a dragon as it hatches. The bond is needed to raise the youngling.

Transference: Cultists can bestow their bonds to other disciples or to dragon riders. The bonds can also be undone when the dragons are released.

Invulnerability: This ritual forms an invisible barrier around a large area that dragons cannot cross through (either in or out). It extends above and below ground. The ritual takes 1 game turn and is normally performed at sunset and lasts until the next. Cultists can only participate in this ritual once in a day. The size of the protected area and the strength of the barrier determine the number of combined disciple levels needed to perform the ritual. Cross-reference the Area Radius with the Dragon Hit Dice to find the result. Dragons with HD at or below the indicated number cannot pass. Dragons with more HD can crash through but they suffer damage reflecting the barrier’s power. For example, a barrier able to stop 10 HD dragons inflicts 10d6 damage to a more powerful dragon crashing through (no save). The ritual’s effect is broken after inflicting its damage. Disciples with a greater total of combined experience levels can also perform a counter-ritual to dispel an existing barrier.

 

Cultist Levels Needed
Area Radius	Dragon Hit Dice
	6	8	10	12	15	20	30
50 yds. 45 m	5	6	8	10	12	14	16
100 yds. 90 m	6	8	12	16	20	24	28
200 yds. 180 m	7	10	16	22	28	34	40
400 yds. 365 m	8	12	20	28	36	44	52
½ mile 800 m	9	14	24	34	44	54	64
1 mile 1.6 km	10	16	28	40	52	64	76
2 miles 3.2 km	11	18	32	46	60	74	88
4 miles 6.5 km	12	20	36	52	68	84	100
8 miles 13 km	13	22	40	58	76	94	112
16 miles 26 km	14	24	44	64	84	104	124
32 miles 51 km	15	26	48	70	92	114	136

 

Next Stop?

            A look at dragon cults might be in order. Feel free to communicate your feedback. Don't forget the Dragon Slayer D&D Class posted earlier, the sworn enemy of the Dragon Cultist. Click here for more on Dragon Cults.