College of Draconic Lore

Bards pursue their quest to become a dragon rider through deep study of the myths, legends and stories of dragonkind, gradually narrowing their focus down to a specific dragon to whom they are inexorably drawn, to form a Binding.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of Draconic Lore at 3rd level, you gain Proficiency in three skills drawn from the following list: Animal Handling, Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion, or Religion. In addition, you gain proficiency with a special new skill:

Draconic Lore: Your Intelligence (Draconic Lore) check measures your ability to recall lore about dragons both general and specific, their various species and age levels, their social, breeding and feeding patters, their general personality quirks, their general proclivities, lairs and treasure hoards.

Treat with Dragons

Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to speak with dragons. This includes not only the draconic language, but knowledge of how draconic minds work and the best way to engage, interest and influence them. While this is especially useful while dealing directly with these beasts, you may also spend an Inspiration die to gain advantage on Persuasion, Insight and Deception checks against other creatures with whom you engage, due to your ability to use a long perspective and circular logic to convince and otherwise confuse them.

Dragon Magic

At 6th level, you gain a mystical connection to a specific dragon, which grants you additional magical abilities. You may well not know anything about this dragon yet, though the spells you gain provide some clue as to its species. You learn two spells of your choice from any spell list, but they must be spells that are in some way related to your dragon. This could mean spells related to the same energy as a dragon’s breath weapon (lightning, fire, acid, etc.), spells that alter your shape or form, or other spells of the like. Your GM may assign you these spells, or at the very least should approve your choices. The spells must be of a level you can currently cast, and count as bard spells for you, but don’t count against your maximum number of spells known.

Superior Draconic Lore

At 14th level, the fruits of your research into draconic lore grant you Advantage on all Draconic Lore checks related to your species of dragon, as well as resistance to its breath weapon and magical abilities. In addition, you may spend a Bardic Inspiration die to gain advantage on saving throws against any attacks or effects based on any of acid, cold, fire, lighting or poison.

The Binding

At 17th level, you discover a trove of knowledge related to the specific dragon with whom you are destined to Bind including its name, rumors about the location of its lair, its personality, legends of its exploits, etc. These do not serve as an infallible road map to the dragon’s location, but can act as a guide.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Familiars & Companions, Copyright 2017, Troll Lord Games; Author Casey Christofferson, Justin Bacon, Tommy Ruteledge, Josh Hubbel, Lance Hawvermile, Luke Johnson, Stephen Vogel and Dave Zenz.