D&D Homebrew Classes - The Dragoon

    A homebrew Ranger variant class for Dungeons & Dragons 3e/3.5 edition, created by Aboleth Eye!  Finally, you can play as the dedicated spear-wielding hunter, dashing across the field of battle to face a behemoth without fear!  Inspired by the Final Fantasy dragoon archetype and heroes of ancient Greek myth!
    As always, though this homebrew was made with D&D 3.5 edition in mind, with a few tweaks you can absolutely use this material with Pathfinder 1st edition! -- Aboleth Eye

    A dragoon is a mighty warrior focused on slaying monstrosities and surviving everything beasts throw at them.  Their dedication borders on obsession, often leading to their ironic deaths at the hands of beasts.  The obsession borders on addiction; for if a dragoon hears of a terrible beast (kindly or vile) they cannot resist the urge to grab their weapon and charge in regardless of circumstance.  No matter what they claim to be protecting, they will abandon it to have a chance to slaughter the strange and monstrous...
    Personalities are quite broad and encompassing among Dragoons--no two monster hunters have the same blend of motivation and desperation.  

    The Dragoon may belong to a noble creed of warriors, using the might of beasts against them on the battlefield.  They often form bands and adventure to patrol the wilds surrounding civilized settlements, slaying creatures that mean the populace harm.  
    Or perhaps the Dragoon may be a lone, fanatical wanderer--completely overtaken by their obsession to the point of drowning in bloodlust.  Often, these dragoons may wish to leave behind a legend rather than any mortal memorial or legacy.  They seek glory at any cost--hoping the songs will sing of their bold sacrifice.  Like the heroes of old who cleaved dragons from the sky and pinned great krakens to rot on the shore.
    And, even more tragically possible, the Dragoon may be nothing but unstoppable maniac--thirsting for power, forsaking decency and home (even hygiene in some cases) to obliterate anything monstrous to their eyes.  They wield their weapons to decimate the inhuman; punishing the crime of their existence, corrupting or staining the world with their mere existence.  These maniacal hunters often deep down crave the powers of those they slaughter, and even the divine might be prey to these murderous madmen.

Diana holding a spear with a stag at right and holding a bear on a leash

Engraving (reverse copy) by Cherubino Alberti  (1553–1615) 

Creative Commons through Wikimedia Commons

Class Details

Abilities:  Dragoons throw themselves into danger, dashing across the battlefield around beasts of incredible size and strength.  Therefore, their physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution) are their priority.  Strength is used to wield larger and more powerful weapons, and to chase down their foes across dangerous terrain.  Dexterity helps the Dragoon avoid the claws and weapons of their foes; and Constitution helps them stand fast against the harm they cannot avoid. 
    Intelligence is the biggest priority among mental ability scores--they have trained their whole lives to track, identify and navigate the world their prey move through. 
    Wisdom and Charisma are often completely disregarded.  Dragoons rely on their aura of courage ability to resist the fearful presence of greater creatures, and losing themselves to rage is considered inevitable for their kind.  Charisma is useless to a Dragoon--they feel they can never have anything permanent among their own kind, not while there are monsters that need slaying.  So they decide all connections with their fellow humans are nothing but a weight that hold them back from doing what they must.

Alignment: any non-lawful

Hit Dice: d8

Class Skills:     Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int),  Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points: 6 + Intelligence modifier per level; quadruple at 1st level

Table: The Dragoon Class

Level		BAB		Fort		Ref		Will		Special
1st		+1		+2		+2		+0		1st Favored Enemy, Track, Armored Savant
2nd		+2		+3		+3		+0		Combat Style
3rd		+3		+3		+3		+1		Endurance
4th		+4		+4		+4		+1		Aura of Courage
5th		+5		+4		+4		+1		2nd Favored Enemy
6th		+6/+1		+5		+5		+2		Improved Combat Style, Fast Movement
7th		+7/+2		+5		+5		+2		Damage Reduction 1/-
8th		+8/+3		+6		+6		+2		Swift Tracker
9th		+9/+4		+6		+6		+3		Evasion
10th		+10/+5		+7		+7		+3		3rd Favored Enemy, DR 2/-
11th		+11/+6/+1		+7		+7		+3		Combat Style Mastery, Nature's Blessing
12th		+12/+7/+2		+8		+8		+4
13th		+13/+8/+3		+8		+8		+4		DR 3/-
14th		+14/+9/+4		+9		+9		+4
15th		+15/+10/+5		+9		+9		+5		4th Favored Enemy
16th		+16/+11/+6/+1		+10		+10		+5		Freedom of Movement, DR 4/-
17th		+17/+12/+7/+2		+10		+10		+5
18th		+18/+13/+8/+3		+11		+11		+6
19th		+19/+14/+9/+4		+11		+11		+6		DR 5/-
20th		+20/+15/+10/+5		+12		+12		+6		5th Favored Enemy

Class Features

Weapons and Armor Proficiencies:    A Dragoon is proficient with all simple and martial weapons.
    They are proficient using light and medium armor, but not with shields.  

Favored Enemy (Ex):    At 1st level, a dragoon may select a type of creature from among those given on Table: Dragoon Favored Enemies, unique to this class. The dragoon gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type.
    Likewise, they gain an additional +2 bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls against such creatures.  The Paired Hunter alternate class feature affects this attack/damage bonus (see below).
    At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the dragoon may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table below.  In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2.
    If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, the dragoon’s bonuses do not stack; simply using whichever bonus is higher instead.  This favored enemy bonus does not stack with any other ranger favored enemy bonus (including other variants).
    Unique to dragoons, humanoids provide no challenge to them.  Dragoons are dedicated to obliterating the monstrous and inhuman to prove their strength, rather than causing meaningless carnage or senseless tragedy.

Table - Dragoon Favored Enemies

Types (Subtypes)
Aberration	Giant	Outsider (earth)	Plant
Animal	Magical Beast	Outsider (evil)	Undead
Construct	Monstrous Humanoid	Outsider (good)	Vermin
Dragon	Ooze	Outsider (lawful)
Elemental	Outsider (air)	Outsider (native)
Fey	Outsider (chaotic)	Outsider (water)

Track:     At 1st level a dragoon gains Track as a bonus feat.

Armored Savant (Su):    At 1st level, dragoons show an inborn mastery for wearing bulky armors in such a way that they do not hinder you.  They ignore the weight of armor for the purpose of calculating encumbrance and armor slows them as if it were one category lighter than it is (so medium armor does not slow and heavy armor slows as if it were medium armor). 
    In addition, the maximum Dexterity bonus for any armor worn improves by +1 and the arcane spell failure chance of any armor worn is halved.  
    This is a supernatural ability.

Combat Style - Lunging Polearm:

    A dragoon chooses to dedicate themselves to lunging maneuvers and reckless dives into battle with monsters.  
    Starting at 2nd level, the dragoon is treated as having Power Attack as a bonus feat.
    At 6th level, so long as a dragoon is wielding a melee weapon they are treated as having Lunging Strike as a bonus feat, even if they do not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.  As a full-round action, they can make a single strike with a +5-foot bonus to the weapon attack's base reach. 
    At 13th level, a dragoon is treated as having Whirlwind Attack as a bonus feat only while wielding a spear or polearm melee weapon, even if they do not have the normal prerequisites for that feat.

Endurance: At 3rd level a dragoon gains Endurance as a bonus feat.

Aura of Courage (Su):     Beginning at 4th level, a dragoon is immune to fear effects (magical or otherwise).  Each ally within 10 feet of them gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. 

    This ability functions while the dragoon is conscious, but not if they end up unconscious or dead.

Fast Movement (Ex):    At 6th level, the dragoon’s base land speed increases by 10 feet.  This benefit applies only when wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor and not carrying a heavy load.

Damage Reduction (Ex):     At 7th level, a dragoon gains Damage Reduction 1/–. Subtract 1 from all physical damage the dragoon takes each time they are damage from a physical weapon or a natural weapon attack. 

At 10th level, and every three dragoon levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th level), this damage reduction rises by +1 point. This is 

Damage reduction can reduce damage to 0 but not below 0.

Swift Tracker (Ex):     Beginning at 8th level, a dragoon can move at their normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty.  Also they take only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.

Evasion (Ex):     At 9th level, a dragoon can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they succeed making a Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, instead they take no damage. 

    Evasion can be used only if the dragoon is wearing light armor, medium armor or no armor. (The Armored Savant ability allows dragoons to defy encumbrance to utilize evasion with medium armor).

    A helpless dragoon does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Nature's Blessing (Su): At 11th level and higher, the dragoon’s dedication allows them to temporarily add a +4 bonus to their Constitution, Dexterity, or Wisdom score as a standard action.  

    This ability may be used once per day, and its effect lasts for 1 minute per class level.

Camouflage (Ex):     A dragoon of 13th level or higher can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn't grant cover or concealment.

Freedom of Movement (Sp):     A dragoon of 16th level or higher can use freedom of movement on themselves once per day, as a caster whose level is equal to one-half their class level.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex):     While in any sort of natural terrain, a dragoon of 17th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.

Hercules (1603) by Johann Bayer (1572–1625)

Public Domain image via Wikimedia Commons

Planar Dragoon [ Substitution Levels ]

    Some dragoons take their fervor beyond the limits of the Material Plane to hunt down invasive creatures from the various planes of existence.  Fiends and beings of chaos are a blight to the Material Plane to most dragoons, but some see the celestials and beings of order just as predatory upon mankind...

    Dragoons who were traumatized or harmed by outsiders often serve deities or ideals that oppose their planar favored enemies.  For instance, a devil-hunting planar dragoon might believe a god of freedom chose them to liberate the souls trapped by devils; while an angel-hunting dragoon kills their prey in tribute to an outsider with murder, tyranny or devastation in their portfolio...    

    To take a planar dragoon substitution level, a character must be about to take their 4th, 8th or 13th level of dragoon.

The character must also fulfill any one of the following criteria:

• Have 1 rank in Knowledge (the planes).
• Have a heritage feat.
• Have the extraplanar subtype when on the Material Plane.
• Have visited a plane other than the Material Plane.

Table: Planar Dragoon - Substitution Levels

Level		BAB		Fort		Ref		Will		Special
4th		+4		+4		+4		+1		Resistant Body
8th		+8/+3		+6		+6		+2		Portal Intuition
13th		+13/+8/+3		+8		+8		+4		Planar Tracking

Class Skills:    Planar Dragoon substitution levels have the class skills of the standard dragoon class plus Knowledge (the planes) (Int).

    Skill Points are 6 + Intelligence modifier per level, quadruple at 1st level (as base dragoon)

Resistant Body (Ex): At 4th level, a planar dragoon successfully hardens their body against one type of energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic), gaining resistance 5.  Once chosen this cannot be changed.

    This benefit replaces the aura of courage class feature gained by a standard dragoon at 4th level.

Portal Intuition (Ex):     At 8th level, a planar dragoon becomes an expert at tracking quarry across planes and through various portals and breaches.  When examining a portal, the dragoon may attempt to determine to which plane the portal leads.  To do this, they must succeed on both a DC 20 Survival check and a DC 20 Knowledge (the planes) check.
    The dragoon can also use this ability to determine whether or not a planar breach occurred within 20 feet of a particular spot within the last 24 hours. To do this, they must succeed on a DC 20 Search check. If the dragoon determines that a breach did occur in the area, then they may use this ability to ascertain where it led.

    This benefit replaces the swift tracker class feature gained by a standard dragoon at 8th level.

Planar Tracking (Sp):    Once per day, a dragoon who chooses this substitution benefit can use plane shift as a spell-like ability (with a caster level equal to class level) in order to follow their chosen quarry.  The dragoon must be tracking a favored enemy, and must be at the spot where the creature traveled from one plane to another.

    Unlike with the normal plane shift spell, the planar dragoon has no chance of deviation from the intended destination.  They (and anyone brought with them) arrive in the exact spot that the hunted quarry did.  Spells that prevent planar travel (such as dimensional lock) affect this ability, as they would any casting of plane shift.

    The dragoon does not automatically pick up the quarry's trail when they arrive on the new plane.  They must use their tracking skills to find the creature's tracks and pick up the hunt.  But thankfully the dragoon will have the advantage of knowing that the target definitely passed that way.

    This benefit replaces the camouflage class feature gained by a standard dragoon at 13th level.

Alternate Class Abilities

Paired Hunter

• Levels: 1st and 4th
• Changes: Favored Enemy
• A Paired Hunter does not gain the Favored enemy bonus to their attack rolls against their favored enemies.
• Benefits: Animal Companion
• At 4th level, a dragoon gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf.  If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures may be added to the list of options: crocodile, porpoise, Medium shark, and squid.  This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the dragoon on their adventures as appropriate for its kind.
• This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, except that the dragoon’s effective druid level is one-half their dragoon class level.  A dragoon may select from the alternative lists of animal companions just as a druid can, though again their effective druid level is more reduced.  Like a druid, a dragoon cannot select an alternative animal if the choice would reduce their effective druid level below 1st.

Alternate Combat Styles

    Dragoons are primarily known for leaping into battle to devastate their foes, but some prefer to carve away at or shoot down their monstrous quarry.  Some are even crazier and unorthodox in their monster hunting.

    These alternate combat styles affect the dragoon's Combat Style bonus feat lineup at 2nd, 6th and 11th levels.  Once chosen at 2nd level, the dragoon cannot change their combat style.

• Archery:
• Combat Style (2nd): Rapid Shot
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Manyshot
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Improved Precise Shot

• Two-Weapon Fighting:
• Combat Style (2nd):  Two-Weapon Fighting
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Greater Two-Weapon Fighting

• Beast Wrestling:
• Combat Style (2nd):  Improved Unarmed Strike
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Improved Grapple
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Stunning Fist

• Mounted Combat:
• Combat Style (2nd): Ride-By Attack
• Improved Combat Style (6th): Spirited Charge
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Trample

• Piscator (Net and Trident)
• Combat Style (2nd):  Exotic Weapon Proficiency (net)
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Improved Trip
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Improved Critical

• Strong-Arm/Two-Handed Weapon
• Combat Style (2nd):  Power Attack
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Improved Sunder
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Great Cleave

• Throwing Style: 
• Combat Style (2nd):  Quick Draw
• Improved Combat Style (6th):  Point Blank Shot
• Combat Style Mastery (11th):  Far Shot

Author's Note:

   My idea for a dragoon class was initially made in mind for a friend in my first D&D group.  He was a big Fire Emblem fan and liked the JRPG dragoon archetype of the dragon-hunting spearman leaping across the battlefield (and onto giant monsters too)!  And I thought this would be an interesting archetype to play out in D&D.  It brought to my mind all the classic heroes of ancient Greek myth who carved the world for mankind, paring off the monstrously divine because they could.  And, like their prey, they would blur the line between monster and man; resulting in their ironic downfall.  

    I see a lot of potential for the dragoon.  It isn't as broad and diplomatic as the ranger, but having the crossover with the paladin's fear immunity makes for interesting fights against dragons and other great beasts.  And through adventures with their friends by their side, the dragoon could potentially be kept sane and find humanity more appealing than madness.  Taking down monsters together with a professional by their side; what an awesome campaign idea!

    The multiclassing options alone are also unique.  Barbarian seems like a perfect fit, bolstering their physical prowess and their damage reduction, while also sparking an all-consuming rage inside them.  Fighter and rogue could also be interesting; using smarts and tactics to take down city-sized abominations at their weak points.  Druid could be a unique class as well, adding on to their distance from humanity by shapeshifting into animals and using nature's wrath for their hunts.  The possibilities are intriguing, at least to me!  Haha!

Aboleth Eye