Draconian

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A group of lost draconians.

When it comes to races, the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Dragonlance... generally isn't remembered too fondly. This is, after all, the setting that not only gave us the "bungling incompetent Tinker Gnomes" and moronic Gully Dwarves as "comedic relief", but also unleashed the dreaded Kender upon the multiverse. It is also responsible for much of the Asshole Elf meme, of which the Armach-nesti are arguably the worst. But, despite this general ineptitude at giving us "goodly" races who are actually, y'know, good, Dragonlance has a history of doing much better for the "bad guy" races.

Prior to this setting, the standard minotaur was a near-mindless beast, lounging in some smelly cave somewhere and scratching its balls as it waited for the next meal to stumble into range. Dragonlance gave them a civilization all of their own and made them unique, years before Warcraft would repeat the idea of a "minotaur civilization" with the Tauren. Dragonlance gave us ogres who were something more than flea-ridden, particularly puny hill giants. And, most importantly of all, Dragonlance gave us Draconians.

We don't really know what possessed Weiss & Hickman to say "Hey, since this setting is all about dragon-backed armies fighting, why don't we replace orcs with some sort of dragonoid?", but the end-result is perhaps the only well-known race from Dragonlance that's generally remembered fondly.

In A Nutshell

Draconians are a race of draconic humanoids, resembling a blending of the humanoid frame with distinct reptilian traits. Although there was some early edition waffling over how human-like their features were, leading to the notoriously hideous artwork for the Baaz in the 3e Dragonlance Campaign Setting splatbook, the ultimate picture that has stabilized over editions is very much like the lizardfolk or dragonborn, the latter of whom can arguably be said to descend from the draconian concept.

Draconian abilities vary widely, depending upon the dragon whose bloodline they originate from. Most species are winged, with only Auraks lacking them, but flight is generally beyond them, and all species have at least one or two innate magical traits.

The most prominent example of this is their "Death Throes" trait: when slain, a draconian undergoes a powerful eruption of raw magical energy, which usually has very nasty consequences for anyone else around them. This is born from Dark Ones a mutation in the organ that, in a proper dragon, would provide a breath weapon; only the Auraks and the Flame Draconians have innate breath weapons, although in 3rd edition a feat allowed all draconians to develop a breath weapon.

Needless to say, going boom like this means draconians are very tough to revive - or even to Speak With Dead at. Only the high-level spells Resurrection, True Resurrection, and Wish can bring a departed draconian back to life. Takhisis keeps her secrets.

Draconians were born of evil magic, a ritual initially developed by an obscure Black Robes wizard named Brenn in the year 1015 Pre-Cataclysm. It wasn't until Takhisis secretly began plotting her return to Krynn in the Age of Despair that the ritual found its fruition. Through a blending of arcane and divine magic, united via the spittle of a malevolent chromatic dragon, unhatched dragon eggs could be transformed into massive groups of smaller, weaker humanoid dragons, which could then be used as more reliable slave-soldiers than the goblins, hobgoblins, ogres and minotaurs which the various evil armies depended upon. Thus Takhisis became the queen of Krynn's darkness, up to which (say) Hiddukel had to catch.

However, despite this start, draconians are also creatures with souls of their own. Though brought up as beings of evil, that was a matter of culture, and they can choose otherwise. Since the fall of Takhisis and her vaunted Dragonarmies, the draconians of Krynn have since tried to find a place for themselves as a species, refusing to vanish into the dust of ages with their now-hated creator-deity.

To reflect this, draconians have actually been a playable PC race since at least third edition, with Baaz and Kapaaks appearing in the corebook and the rest appearing in Dragons of Krynn - although that Level Adjustment is a killer, with breeds ranging from +4 LA to +12 LA. Baaz and Kapaks received a 4e update in Dragon Magazine #421, although much like the Dray it wasn't the best fit - at least they got mechanical variations that tried to emulate the original "feel" of the race.

Draconians returned to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition at long last in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, where their lore underwent its most drastic shake-up of any edition - even 4e only just added a few new draconian types!

Draconians vs. Orcs

The comparison between draconians and orcs is something that has grown more obscure over the editions, but in the early days of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the two filled much the same role.

See, orcs in those days were Lawful Evil in alignment, due to being the go-to mooks for dark clerics, evil wizards, and any other nefarious would-be warlord. They were aggressive and militaristic, but fell in line rapidly under those who showed off their strength, and served loyally until their "boss" was overthrown. (In later editions and in other settings, orcs would become more "the horde race", as Tolkien intended when there isn't a Dark Lord about; with hobgoblins falling into "the evil army race" niche. That just goes to tell how First Edition Dragonlance is.)

Draconians fill this very niche in Dragonlance history. They are reliable, dependable, non-human troops that are associated with the forces of evil and used without care as expendable mooks by their masters. However, the draconians go about it in a very different way to their orcy counterparts on other worlds.

First and foremost, whilst orcs are (were) Lawful Evil as a general nature, draconians were only that way because they were brought up in the armies of the evil Takhisis. And even then it wasn't always successful - the "stealth operative" orientated Sivaks tended to be Neutral Evil, whilst the Baaz "grunts" usually quickly reverted to Chaotic Evil tendencies when let out from under their leaders' thumbs. Given the chance, many draconians gave up on evil and tried to find a new life for themselves, and modern generations are usually Neutral in some flavor.

Secondly, draconians, unlike orcs, are smart enough to hate being treated as disposable cannon fodder. The callous way they were treated by their creators bred dissent, and made draconians very quick to rebel or escape once the dragonarmies were broken. Finding out that their makers had planned to exterminate all of their females, dooming the race to die out, certainly didn't help.

Finally, with their innate magical abilities, draconians are just naturally far tougher and more dangerous than the standard orc.

Draconian History

The Draconians were born out of two things; Takhisis' desire for superior base troopers to the lowly goblinoids and ogres she had relied upon in the past, and her love for being a dick.

In 287 After Cataclysm, servitors of Takhisis stole the eggs of the goodly dragons from their lairs on the Dragon Isles. When the metallic parents woke up some nine years later, Takhisis blackmailed them: either remain neutral in the coming battle, or see their children slaughtered.

Then, once they agreed, Takhisis ordered her clerics to start experimenting on the captured eggs. (It was later retconned that she did this on Taladas, which by now hosted copious badlands with no good-aligned races around to observe. See below for the Sesk and Traag.) Although this came back to bite them in 352 AC, when the metallic dragons found out about this betrayal and, enraged, joined the forces of light in open war, it still resulted in the birth of the draconian race.

As the tide turned against Takhisis, desperate experiments on chromatic dragon eggs produced the first Noble Draconians, who were inherently goodly and so a terrible failure. Outmatched and overwhelmed, Takhisis' armies shattered, and the draconians fled en mass. Eventually, they founded a fledgeling city-state called Teyr, banding together and swearing that they would survive on their own terms, rather than being slaves and puppets.

Base Draconians

The most iconic form of draconians, Base Draconians - a term taken from alchemy, and which they personally find very insulting - are draconians born from the eggs of metallic dragons. Beyond this single trait, the draconians are more a collection of races than a single race - something only made worse by the fact that in some species, different genders have different inherent abilities.

Classically, there are only five species of Base Draconian, but 4th edition added three more to the list in their Metallic Draconomicon; the Adamantine-blooded Adamaaz, the Iron-blooded Ferak, and the Cobalt-blooded Kobaaz.

Aurak draconians stem from the eggs of gold dragons, and are the rarest of the Base Draconians, as only a small number of Aurak hatchlings (1-3) are produced from each corrupted gold dragon egg. Wingless, they make up for this with powerful magical abilities, and served as the closest thing draconians had to generals from their own race, as well as powerful magical troopers. Male auraks can shapeshift into the forms of small animals, an ability that the females lack - at least, that's what their default racial profile says, their racial class makes no mention of it. All auraks can breathe clouds of noxious, blinding, toxic fumes, teleport a short distance 3/day, use a variant Disguise Self spell 3/day, launch bolts of force from its hands at-will, become invisible at will, cast Dominate Person 1/day and Suggestion at will, have high levels of Spell Resistance, and the spellcasting abilities of an 8th level Sorcerer. With incredible (+4) Intelligence and Charisma, and heightened (+2) Dexterity, it goes without saying that Auraks are proud and arrogant creatures, well and truly convinced of their superiority. The Death Throes of an Aurak come in the form of an explosion of raw magical force that vaporizes the corpse.

Baaz draconians stem from the eggs of brass dragons, and are the most common of their kind. Hardy but pretty dumb, they were used as grunts. Naturally wild and uncontrolled, with a love of alcohol that fuels their boastful, aggressive, bullying nature. Bottom of the social ladder even after the War of the Lance, Baaz resent their perception as inferior to their kindred. Not helping matters is that they have no inherent magical abilities, other than their Death Throes, which involves transforming into a statue of lifeless stone that crumbles into dust 1d4 minutes later. Sounds harmless, right? Well, not if you get your weapon caught in the corpse and are helpless whilst his buddies want to gut you. Funny thing is, their 3rd and 4th edition artwork depicts them with curling, ramlike horns, whilst their original description portrays them as having no horns. Likewise, female baaz are supposedly smarter, more capable and natural leaders, but have no mental bonuses and the only representation of this is an innate affinity for Diplomacy over the males' affinity for Bluff.

Bozak draconians stem from the eggs of bronze dragons, and were used as junior officers and unit commanders during the War of the Lance. Cruel, cunning and devious, Bozaks make excellent use of their innate affinity for both melee combat and for magic; though not as powerful as the Auraks, the spellcasting abilities of a 4th level Sorcerer and modest Spell Resistance are nothing to sneeze at. In their Death Throes, a Bozak's flesh crumbles to dust, before their bones explode violently in a cascade of flying, organic shrapnel.

Kapaak draconians stem from the eggs of copper draconians, and were the second most common draconian after the Baaz. Serving as scouts, rogues and assassins, the independent-minded Kapaaks easily took to their new freedom. Weirdly, they supposedly have beards, in the form of "short manes of dark brown or blonde hair hanging from either side of their mouths", although no artwork ever uses this, and for good reason. Male Kapaaks have powerful venom glands that secrete a toxic mucus, allowing them to deliver a venomous bite or poison a weapon's edge by licking it. Female Kapaaks don't have venom, and instead possess a "curative mucus" that heals 2d6 points of damage when applied to a wounded being. Both sexes have a Sneak Attack extraordinary ability that does +1d6 damage. Their Death Throes sees them dissolve into a 5ft-wide puddle of corrosive venom, which inflicts acid damage on whoever touches it until it evaporates in 1d6 rounds.

Sivak draconians stem from the eggs of silver dragons. Like their progenitors, they are second in power, prominence and rarity only to the golden-blooded Auraks. The biggest of all base draconians at a whopping nine feet, they are also the only base draconians able to fly, and possess powerful tails that they can use as weapons. Male Sivaks are shapeshifters who can assume the form of humanoids they have killed; when slain, their Death Throes results in them either assuming the form of their killer (if a Large or smaller humanoid) for 3 days before crumbling into black soot (which is the most useless Death Throes yet) or exploding in a burst of flame. Female Sivaks instead have chameleonic properties; their shapeshifting is limited to a mere Disguise Self at-will spell-like ability, but also lets them blend into the background. Also, their Death Throes are always the "explode like a fireball" version.

Noble Draconians

When the metallic dragons learned what was being done with their eggs, naturally, they were pretty pissed off about it. So their first major operations were striking at the strongholds where Takhisis' minions were holding their eggs.

This put the servants of the Dark Queen into a bit of a pickle, as they'd always been rather careless with their draconian underlings and now found their "limitless" source of replacements cut off. In desperation, they tried to repeat the process by substituting the eggs of chromatic dragons, only to find, in a pesky case of that vaunted "Balance Between Good and Evil" Krynn so loves, the ritual was responding to the inherent darkness in the chromatic dragon eggs by aligning the resultant draconians with the light.

Naturally, they tried to exterminate them all, but a few have slipped away and still try to fight the good fight.

Flame Draconians were created from the eggs of red dragons. Volatile and tempestuous as their ancestors, Flame Draconians are natural berserkers, but channel that rage into battling Takhisis and all other forces of darkness and evil. They have the innate ability to Rage as per an 8th-level Barbarian, can fly, can cast a Fireball 3/day, have a breath weapon in the form of a cone of fire, and their Death Throes takes the form of exploding in a massive fireball. Needless to say, they're very, very good at burning down whatever stands in their way.

Frost Draconians were engineered from the eggs of white dragons. Like their progenitors, they're fairly simple-minded creatures, but their natural temperament is gentle, easy-going, affable and sociable. They're poor diplomats because they're too straightforward and guileless, but they really just want to be friends. Of course, they can be as vicious as any white dragon when finally pushed too far. They are amongst the weakest of the noble draconians, and have no innate magic beyond their Death Throes, which sees them freeze solid and then explode in a cascade of razor-sharp icicles. Weirdly, according to their racial class, they should have the Cold subtype, much as Flame Draconians have the Fire Subtype, but this is missing from their racial writeup.

Lightning Draconians, formed from the eggs of blue dragons, were the first of their kind to exist and are generally considered the most noble and goodly of their kind. In fact, they're so pure spirited, they have the same Aura of Courage, Aura of Good, Divine Grace, Divine Health, Lay on Hands, Smite Evil, spells and Turn Undead abilities as a 6th level Paladin! And on top of that, a Lightning Draconian has the same abilities of flight and tail attack as a Sivak, can deliver a powerful electric shock with its touch or a metallic weapon, and its Death Throes takes the form of exploding in an arcing cascade of electricity, akin to a Chain Lightning spell.

Vapor Draconians were born from the eggs of green dragons, and so inherit the intelligence and wisdom of their progenitors, but turned to a more benevolent bent. Non-violent by nature, they prefer to heal rather than harm. They were one of the very few races who were able to become Mystics even before Chaos was released, and have natural adeptness in this field, gaining a single Mystic domain's granted power and bonus spells and the spellcasting ability of a 4th level Mystic. When slain, their Death Throes sees them dissolve into a swirling cloud of corrosive vapors.

Venom Draconians are the corrupted (or perhaps ascended) progeny of black dragons. They have a natural affinity for the roguish arts, with a +1d6 Sneak Attack, and also possess a powerful poisonous bite. Like their Vapor Draconian kindred, they dissolve into acid as part of their Death Throes, although slain Venom Draconians dissolve into a pool of corrosive liquid that lingers for 1d6 rounds.

Failed Experiments

No ritual gets off to a flying start immediately, and the draconians are no exception. Taladas, that oft-forgotten "lost land" of Krynn, is where you go to point and laugh at Takhisis' failures.

Initial experiments with brass dragon eggs produced the Traags, a lazy and cowardly race of pseudo-draconians whose lackluster drive for combat, low "birth rate," and tendency to fly into uncontrollable blood-lust fuelled rages when in combat made them distinctly less than a success.

Another round of experiments, conducted on silver dragon eggs, produced the Sesk. These intelligent but physically frail and deformed creatures were too weak to make effective fighters and too reluctant to accept orders. Sesk was introduced in DLA1, a Taladas adventure and not much picked up on elsewhere.

Once the ritual was refined, and the first true draconians were produced, the surviving Traags and Sesk were simply abandoned on the flaming-dumpster semi-continent, where they have eked out a living ever since. The Traag are making a decent go of it in Old Aurim; they've organized themselves well enough for that and may even have sussed out how to make more of themselves. The Sesk, by contrast, are rare and presumably moribund.

Pseudo-draconians have no inherent magic and can't even trigger the Death Throes power of their successful kin; Traags dissolve into a puddle of smelly slime upon death, whilst Sesk are reduced to a small mound of silvery dust.

4e Additions

The 4e draconians only appeared in brief, and so not much is known about the last three Base Draconians. Presumably, more information would have come out for them, perhaps even creating new Noble Draconians based on the Brown, Gray and Purple Dragons of 4e, but the edition's cancellation and replacement with 5th edition means we'll never know.

Adamaaz draconians are born from Adamantine Dragon eggs. Indirect and evasive when in private, on the battlefield they make strong, dutiful, hardy soldiers. Their Death Throes takes the form of a powerful thunderclap that obliterates their remains in an explosion powerful enough to make other peoples' heads burst.

Ferak draconians are born from Iron Dragon eggs. Aggressive, spiteful and brutal, they are born shock troopers. Their Death Throes see them explode into choking, blinding clouds of caustic rust.

Kobaaz draconians are born from Cobalt Dragon eggs. Serious, disciplined and driven, they are natural warriors. Their Death Throes sees them freeze over, becoming a supernaturally cold sculpture of ice so frigid that just being near them can kill from frostbite.

5e

Draconians finally returned to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. However, they have reverted to being a monster-only race, with WotC stating that they felt the race just wasn't mechanically suited for being playable and instead players should just refluff Dragonborn. Which, okay, it does have some legit grounds, since the iconic Death Throes trait isn't really player-compatible, but at the same time, few are inclined to cut WotC a lot of slack since it just seems like yet more laziness.

5e shook up draconian lore even more than 4e had done, dropping the base and noble draconian split and trying to cross-promote the new Gem Dragons by instead breaking draconians up into 5 archetypal breeds, each of which is associated with one Metallic Dragon, one Chromatic Dragon, and one Gem Dragon. They maintain their death throes but were still homogenized to be similar to the base draconian but not tired specifically a single dragon type, drop the added breath weapon from 3e, and are not refer to their classic names except for what the base originals were called on Krynn because Dragonlance.

Dreadnoughts are crafted from Silver Dragon, Blue Dragon, or Sapphire Dragon stock. Loosely corresponding to the Sivak, they are the most martial-minded of the draconians, and have the ability to shapeshift into the forms of their most recent kill.

Foot Soldiers are created from Brass Dragon, White Dragon, and Crystal Dragon eggs and have replaced the Baaz as the weak but numerous grunt strain. They only have a 1/2 Challenge Rating, but they explode in a burst of petrification when killed, which makes them a lot more dangerous than you'd think (to themselves and others).

Infiltrators are wrought from the eggs of Copper Dragons, Black Dragons, and Topaz Dragons. As the name suggests, they're the stealth operatives and commandos of their kind, wielding poisoned weapons, spewing acid at anyone they don't like, and dissolving into pools of corrosive acid when slain.

Mages are the magic-focused troopers, and are fashioned from Bronze Dragon, Green Dragon, and Emerald Dragon eggs. They seem to have their roots in the Bozak.

Masterminds are the most powerful of all the draconians, and are created from the most powerful dragon breeds; Gold Dragons, Red Dragons, and Amethyst Dragons. Based on Auraks, they are wingless and thus flightless, but also powerful intuitive spellcasters and natural strategists.

The 5e Draconians were printed again in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen with their original names and some revisions to their stats.

Baaz is unchanged except for gaining the Draconic Devotion trait all Dragon army soldiers have.

Bozak shoots lighting instead of necrotic bolts and add Web to thier spells (its because they look like a gladiator in the art isn it).

Kapak is proficient in deception and adds 10 feet to climb speed.

Sivak no longer explodes but instead crumbles, living behind a screaming specter image of the person that killed it, frightening all the nearby foes it had in life. its shape stealing powers are also more its original, explicitly stating its a visual and tactile illusion rather than a polymorph.

Aurak radiates a commanding presence that stifles other Draconians from being charmed or frightened and trades the shield spell for dominant person.

Additionally the Traag makes a return in the D&D Beyond supplement Monstrous Compendium Volume Two: Dragonlance Creatures. no mention of them being lazy or cowardly, just engines of uncontrollable violence. They are now the large size but have greater strength and slightly better intelligence than an ogre, rampaging through victims when they set themselves on fire.

Playing Draconians

3e

Draconians were not playable in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, but were converted to a PC option in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. Unfortunately, there were some... hiccups.

...Oh, let's be honest: the authors of the 3e Dragonlance line had a blind spot you could have marched an Imperial Titan through about the very important fact that AD&D and 3e operated under different paradigms. In AD&D, monsters were given racial abilities equating to different PC classes because they couldn't take class levels under 2e's mechanics, but in 3e, they could take class levels. So instead they made all the draconian races overpowered by baking in equivalent hit points, skills and abilities to their AD&D counterparts, instead of just presuming any standard draconian PC would have appropriate class levels.

They seemed to realize that maybe this was a mistake by the time Dragons of Krynn came out, which caused them to offer racial class alternatives to the front-loaded design that fell afoul of Level Adjustment... but it was too little, too late, and they'd basically ruined the viability of draconians as a whole.

Click "Expand" to see the 3e Draconian racial traits.

The base racial traits of all draconians, base or noble, are:

Dragon Type: This grants immunity to paralysis and magical sleep, as well as Darkvision 60ft and low-light vision.

Base Land Speed: 30 feet

Disease Immunity (Ex)

Inspired By Dragons (Ex): A draconian that is being commanded by a dragon whose Alignment is within 1 step of their own gains a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and saving throws.

Low Metabolism: Draconians require 1/10th the food and water a human does.

Death Throes (Su): Upon death, a magical effect is triggered based on the draconian's race. The subsequent annihilation of their body means that a dead draconian can only be restored to life through Resurrection, True Resurrection or Wish spells.

Gallop: A winged draconian gains Run as a bonus feat.

Glide (Ex): A winged draconian takes no damage from falls, and can travel horizontally 4 times the vertical distance they descend.

Auraks have these unique racial traits:

+2 Dexterity, +4 Intelligence, +4 Charisma

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 8 levels of Dragon (8d12 Hit Dice, BAB +8, Fort +6, Ref + 6, Will +6)

Racial Skills: 11 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowlege (Arcana), Listen, Spellcraft, Search, and Spot.

Racial Feats: Simple Weapon Proficiency, plus 3 feats due to dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), 1 bite (1d4)

+6 Natural Armor Bonus

Beast Form (Su): Male auraks can shapeshift into the form of any Small or Medium-sized animal 3/day, which functions as Polymorph cast by an 8th level sorcerer, except that the aurak does not regain HP, can only assume the aforementioned animal forms, and the duration is indefinite.

Breath Weapon (Su): An aurak can spew 5ft-cone of noxious vapors 3/day. Affected creatures must make a DC 16 Fortitude save or suffer 1d4 Strength damage and be blinded for 1d4 rounds.

Death Throes (Su): A slain aurak explodes in a blast of magical energy. All creatures within 5 feet take 3d6 damage (Reflex save, DC 16 + aurak's Con modifier, to halve damage).

Dimensional Shift (Sp): An aurak can teleport itself 3/day. Treat as Dimensional Door (3rd level spell, caster level equal to aurak's hit dice), except it only reaches 60 feet and only transports the aurak & its belongings.

Disguise Self (Sp): 3/day, an aurak can use a variant of the Disguise Self spell that lasts for 2d6+6 minutes to assume the form and voice of a humanoid it has seen. Using energy rays does not dispel this illusion.

Energy Ray (Sp): An aurak can shoot 60ft long energy rays from its hands at will. An energy ray does 4d6 Force damage, requires a ranged touch attack to hit, is the equivalent of a 1st level spell, and has a caster level equal to the aurak's hit dice.

Wingless: An aurak does not benefit from the Gallop or Glide draconian abilities.

Sorcerer Abilities: An aurak has the spellcasting ability of an 8th level sorcerer. These stack with actual sorcerer levels.

Spell-Like Abilities: Greater Invisibility at-will, Suggestion (DC 15) at-will, Dominate Person (DC 17) 1/day, all have Caster Level 8th and save DC 12 + spell level.

Spell Resistance: 20 + class levels

Favored Class: Sorcerer

Level Adjustment: +4, ECL is 12 + class levels.

Baaz have these unique racial traits:

+2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 2 levels in Dragon (2d12 Hit Dice, BAB +2, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3)

Racial Skills: 5 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Disguise, Intimidate, Listen and Spot. Male baaz also treat Bluff as a racial skill, whilst female baaz instead get Diplomacy.

Racial Feats: Light Armor Proficiency, Longsword Proficiency, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, and 1 feat due to dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4) and bite (1d4)

+2 Natural Armor Bonus

Death Throes (Su): A baaz petrifies when slain. If the attacker used a slashing or piercing weapon to deliver the killing blow, they must make a Reflex save (DC 11 + baaz's Con modifier) or the weapon is trapped inside the baaz's body until it disintegrates 1d4 minutes later.

Spell Resistance: 8 + Class Levels

Favored Class: Fighter

Level Adjustment: +1, ECL is 3 + class levels

Bozak have these unique racial traits:

+2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 4 levels in Dragon (4d12 Hit Dice, BAB +4, Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4)

Racial Skills: 7 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Bluff, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Listen, Search, Spellcraft, and Spot.

Racial Feats: Longbow Proficiency, Short Sword Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, and 2 feats from Dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), and bite (1d4).

+8 Natural Armor Bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A slain bozak explodes in a cascade of bone shrapnel that fills a 10ft radius. All creatures within take 1d6 damage (Reflex save at DC 14 + bozak's Con modifier for half damage).

Sorcerer Abilities: A bozak has the spellcasting ability of a 4th level sorcerer. These stack with actual sorcerer levels.

Spell Resistance: 14 + class levels

Favored Class: Sorcerer

Level Adjustment: +3, ECL is 7 + class levels.

Kapak have these unique racial traits:

+2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 2 levels in Dragon (2d12 Hit Dice, BAB +2, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3)

Racial Skills: 5 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search and Spot.

Racial Feat: Light Armor Proficiency, Shortsword Proficiency, Shortbow Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, plus 1 bonus feat from Dragon levels.

+8 racial bonus to Move Silently.

Natural Weapons: Bite (1d4)

+2 Natural Armor

Death Throes (Su): A slain kapak dissolves into a 5ft wide puddle of acid that remains corrosive for 1d6 rounds before going inert. Whilst it is active, any creature or object touched by it takes 1d6 Acid damage.

Toxic Saliva (Ex): Male kapaks only. A male kapak's saliva contains a paralytic venom (Fort DC 11 + kapak's Con modifier, intitial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d6 Dex). In addition to being injected by a bite attack, a kapak can use a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity to lick a piercing weapon; the licked weapon carries the poison for 3 rounds or until a successful hit is made, whichever comes first.

Healing Saliva (Su): Female kapaks only. A female kapak can heal 2d6 damage by using a standard action to lick an injured creature. A single creature can only benefit from female kapak saliva once every 4 hours. This saliva does not impact the female's bite attack.

Sneak Attack (Ex): As the Rogue special ability, does +1d6 damage whenever the target would be denied their Dexterity bonus or the kapak is flanking the target. Stacks with Sneak Attack as a class feature.

Spell Resistance: 11 + Class Levels

Favored Class: Rogue

Level Adjustment: +2, ECL is 4 + class levels.

Sivak have these unique racial traits:

+6 Strength, +4 Constitution

Large size

Flight (Ex): 60 feet, Poor Maneuverability.

Racial Hit Dice: 6 levels in Dragon (6d12 Hit Dice, BAB +6, Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5)

Racial Skills: 9 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Bluff, Climb, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Intimidate, Jump, and Listen.

Racial Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium, Heavy), Greatsword Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, and 3 feats due to Dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d6), bite (1d8) and tail (d24).

+4 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): If a male sivak dies due to having been killed by a Large or smaller Humanoid, the corpse transforms into the shape of its killer for 3 days, then disintegrates. If killed by any other source, the sivak explodes in a 10ft burst of fire that does 2d4 fire damage (Reflex Save DC 15 + sivak's Con modifier to avoid damage). Female sivaks simply explode, as per the latter scenario.

Blend (Ex): Female sivaks can cast Disguise Self at-will and have a +10 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.

Shapeshift (Su): Male sivaks that have killed a Large or smaller Humanoid can spend a standard action within 1 round of doing so to shapeshift into the semblance of their kill. They look and sound identical, but do not gain the memories or abilities of the target. The sivak remains shapeshifted until they choose to either take a new form or revert to their true form.

Trip (Ex): A sivak that hits with its tail attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the sivak.

Spell Resistance: 16 + class levels

Favored Class: Fighter

Level Adjustment: +4, ECL 10 + class levels.

Flame Draconians have these unique racial traits:

+4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution

Fire Subtype: Immune to Fire Damage, Vulnerable to Cold Damage.

Large Size

Flight (Ex): 60 feet, Poor Maneuverability.

Racial Hit Dice: 8 levels in Dragon (8d12 Hit Dice, BAB +8, Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6)

Racial Skills: 11 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Climb, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, and Survival.

Racial Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light/Medium/Heavy), Greatsword Proficiency, Draconian Breath Weapon, 3 bonus feats from dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4) and bite (1d8)

+6 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A flame draconian explodes in a 40ft fireball that does 6d6 points of fire damage (Reflex Save DC 10 + 1/2 draconian's Hit Dice plus Charisma modifier to halve damage).

Barbarian Abilities: A flame draconian has the Improved Uncanny Dodge and Rage abilities of an 8th level Barbarian. These "free" 8 Barbarian levels stack with clss levels to determine rages per day, greater rage, tireless rage, mighty rage, and rogue level required to flank.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Fireball (caster level = Hit Dice) 3/day.

Breath Weapon (Su): 30ft cone of fire that deals 3d8 fire damage (Reflex Save DC 10 + 1/2 draconian's Hit Dice plus Constitution modifier to halve damage).

Spell Resistance: 20 + class levels.

Favored Class: Barbarian

Level Adjustment: +3, ECL 11 + class levels.

Frost Draconians have these unique racial traits:

+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom

Medium size

Cold Subtype: Immune to Cold Damage, Vulnerable to Frost Damage (weirdly, the race writeup lacks this entry whilst the racial class writeup gives it to them as a 3rd level feature. Given the obvious counterpart to the Flame Draconian, this is obviously an editing mistake.)

Racial Hit Dice: 2 levels in Dragon (2d12 Hit Dice, BAB +2, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3)

Racial Skills: 5 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Climb, Disguise, Intimidate, Listen and Spot.

Racial Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light & Medium), Longsword Proficiency, 1 bonus feat due to dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4) and bite (1d3).

+3 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A slain frost draconian transforms into a statue of solid ice that then explodes in a shower of razor shrapnel. All creatures in a 10ft radius take 1d6 damage (Reflex save DC 14 for half damage).

Favored Class: Fighter

Level Adjustment: +1, ECL 3 + class levels.

Lightning Draconians have these unique racial traits:

+4 Strength, +4 Constitutioon, +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Large size

Base Land Speed: 40 feet

Flight (Ex): 60 feet, Poor Maneuverability.

Racial Hit Dice: 6 levels in Dragon (6d12 Hit Dice, BAB +6, Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5)

Racial Skills: 9 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Jump, Intimidate, and Listen.

Racial Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light/Medium/Heavy), Greatsword Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, +3 bonus feats due to dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d8), tail (1d8).

+4 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A slain lightning draconian erupts in a crackling cascade of high voltage; treat as a Chain Lightning (Caster Level 6th, save DC 14) that initially targets the creature nearest to the draconian before arcing.

Paladin Abilities: A lightning draconian has the Aura of Courage, Aura of Good, Divine Grace, Divine Health, Lay on Hands, Smite Evil, Spells and Turn Undead abilities of a 6th level Paladin. These 6 "free" levels stack with actual class levels in Paladin for determining level-dependent effects and when paladin abilities are gained.

Spell-Like Ability (Sp): Shocking Grasp (Caster Level = Hit Dice) 3 + Cha modifier times per day. This ability can be used in tandem with a natural weapon attack or an attack with a metallic weapon.

Trip (Ex): A lightning draconian that hits with its tail attack can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the lightning draconian.

Spell Resistance: 16 + class levels.

Favored Class: Paladin

Level Adjustment: +5, ECL 11 + class levels.

Vapor Draconians have these unique racial traits:

+2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 4 levels in Dragon (4d12 Hit Dice, BAB +4, Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +4)

Racial Skills: 7 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Bluff, Concentration, Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Search, Spellcraft, Spot, and Survival.

Racial Feats: Simple Weapon Proficiency, 2 feats from dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), and bite (1d4).

+8 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A slain vapor draconian dissolves into a writhing, 10ft radius cloud of corrosive fumes. All creatures caught in the area of effect take 1d6 Acid damage (Reflex Save DC 12 + 1/2 draconian's Hit Dice plus Constitution modifier to halve damage).

Mystic Abilities: A vapor draconian has the spellcasting abilities of a 4th level Mystic, and adds these 4 "innate" levels to actual Mystic class levels to determine caster levels, spells known, and spells per day.

Mystic Domain: A vapor draconian has access to a single Mystic-available Clerical Domain, gaining that domain's granted power and bonus spells. Taking levels in Mystic does not grant the draconian an additional domain. The most common domains for vapor draconians are Air, Animal, Earth and Plant.

Spell Resistance: 14 + class levels

Favored Class: Mystic

Level Adjustment: +3, ECL 7 + class levels.

Venom Draconians have these unique racial traits:

+2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma

Medium size

Racial Hit Dice: 2 levels in Dragon (2d12 Hit Dice, BAB +2, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3)

Racial Skills: 5 X (6+ Int modifier, minimum 1) skill points, racial skills are Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search and Spot.

Racial Feats: Light Armor Proficiency, Short Sword Proficiency, Shortbow Proficiency, plus 1 feat due to dragon levels.

Natural Weapons: Bite (1d4)

+2 natural armor bonus.

Death Throes (Su): A slain venom draconian dissolves into a 5ft wide puddle of acid that remains corrosive for 1d6 rounds before going inert. Whilst it is active, any creature or object touched by it takes 1d6 Acid damage.

Poisonous Bite (Ex): A venom draconian's bite attack carries an Injury poison that does 1d6 Con/1d6 Con damage, DC (10 + 1/2 draconian's Hit Dice + Constitution modifier).

Sneak Attack (Ex): As the Rogue special ability, does +1d6 damage whenever the target would be denied their Dexterity bonus or the venom draconian is flanking the target. Stacks with Sneak Attack as a class feature.

Spell Resistance: 11 + class levels

Favored Class: Rogue

Level Adjustment: +2, ECL 4 + class levels.

4e

In Dragon Magazine #421, playable Draconians were offered as Dragonborn variants.

Gallery

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  Bozak

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  Draconian sizes

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  Dreadnought (Sivak), chunky

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  Sivak 5e, thin version

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  Sivak drop kick

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  Foot Soldier (Baaz)

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  Infiltrator (Venom)

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  Kapak 5e

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  Mage (Bozak)

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  Bozak

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  Bozak bursting

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  Mastermind (Amethyst Draconian)

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  Aurak

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  Traag, Rip and Tear