Path of the Dragon

The power of dragons is a terrible thing to behold, a primordial force of nature so great that few mortals dare hold it without destroying themselves in the process. But, there are those who succeed - powerful warriors and legendary heroes carved from the stuff of myth and folk tale.
Those strong enough to pursue a Path may seek out the Orb of Dragonkind within Castle Reukir and beseech it for the gift of draconic might, fusing themselves with the echo of the material realm’s most potent forces of nature.
If you have not previously obtained the blessings of an ancient dragon before your arrival, you will have the opportunity to discuss your desire with an echo of one of the world’s Great Wyrms. If you are not dragonkin (that is, if you are any race that is not associated with draconic blood, such as kobolds, lizardfolk, dragonborn, and tortles), you cannot pursue this path without first connecting yourself to the dragonsong, a risky trial in the Chamber of Echoes resulting in your reincarnation as a dragonborn.
Once completed, the ritual demands one of your attunement slots to create the bond with your newly developed fundamentum, the source of your draconic power and the key to your transformation to dragonhood.

Draconis Fundamentum (Echo)

Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
The fundamentum is an organ unique to dragons. The fundamentum is an enormous blood vessel like an extremely large, complex artery, that connects directly between the dragon’s heart and gizzard. It contains a peculiar liquid that houses the elemental power produced by the dragon’s heart and channels it into the primordial essence of the dragon’s element, permitting the dragon to breath raw elemental power among other curious effects and abilities. It is the most durable part of the dragon for good reason.
In the same “vein” as Echoes, your Fundamentum acts as a spell casting focus, and by extension as a physical part of you shares this trait with you. If you are able to cast spells, you may use your body as an arcane focus, such as projecting a sun beam by refracting light through your crystal spines, emitting a thunderwave from your open maw, or other similar effects. This is purely aesthetic, and does not otherwise change the mechanics of the spell.
Your Fundamentum has the following Stored Echo properties:

• Creator (Dragon). Infused with the essence of your draconic echoes, you have now become a dragon yourself. Your creature type is Dragon.
• History (Symbol of Power). There are none who question the might of even the least dragons. Others will look on you in fear, awe, and everything in between … for better or for worse.
• Minor Property (War Leader, Unbreakable). As an action on your turn, you may use your fundamentum to cause your voice to carry clearly for up to 300 feet until the end of your next turn. The core of your being, your fundamentum, is indestructible except while in the area of an anti-magic field.
• Quirk (Covetous). You become obsessed with material wealth or something of material value, and find yourself inclined to hoard it. Add a draconic mannerism, bond, and flaw to your character sheet.

Your Fundamentum has the following Tuned properties:

• Core Augment (Choose). Choose Weapon or Armor. You gain a +4 bonus to the chosen stat.
• Fundamentum. Choose one or two damage types other than bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. The chosen fundamentum will determine your other draconic traits.
  
  
  
  
  A dragonborn replaces their draconic ancestry trait with this trait; kobolds lose pack tactics; tortles lose their natural armor and shell defense; and lizardfolk lose their hungry jaws trait. Otherwise, any racial traits that make sense to keep are kept (like the Lizardfolk’s “Cunning Artisan” trait).
• Dragon Scale. You gain hardened scales whose appearance match your chosen ancestry. While you aren’t wearing armor, you can calculate your base armor class as 13 + your Dexterity modifier or 16, whichever is greater. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit. Note - any modifiers or bonuses to AC are applied after setting this value.
• Dragon Senses. You have blindsight to a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see invisible creatures within that range, unless the creatures successfully hide from you. Additionally, you gain darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Dragon Weapons. You grow a dragon’s natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal 1d6 damage + your Strength modifier instead of the normal damage for an unarmed strike. The type of damage is based on the weapon.
  • Claws (Slashing). A set of retractable claws from your fingertips (extending or retracting the claws requires no action).
  • Fangs (Piercing). Hardened fangs capable of piercing through armor and flesh.
  • Tail (Bludgeoning). Ribbed for her pl- oh, we’ve got the wrong script? Woops.
• Resistance (Immunity). Based on your chosen fundamentum, you gain immunity to the chosen type of damage. If you chose two fundamentum, you instead gain resistance to each.

Your Fundamentum also works differently than typical Echoes - rather than choosing from the normal Minor or Major properties lists, when you tune the Fundamentum with Pure Chromatite you instead gain Minor and Major Draconic Gifts to further enhance and customize your dragon's identity. You may choose one Minor Gift for free when you first take this path. The available choices have been listed at the end of this page.
When choosing Draconic Gifts, if you choose a Breath option, you may not choose another Breath option of matching rarity. In other words, if you choose a Minor Breath option, you cannot choose a second Minor Breath option later. If you choose a Major Breath option, you cannot choose a second Major Breath option later. Choosing a Minor option does not prevent you from choosing a Major option, and vice-versa.

Draconic Aspect

When you first take the Path of the Dragon, you are granted a form equivalent to a wyrmling. As your character grows and gains levels, the power of the Orb of Dragonkind continues to tune your connection to your draconic echoes, using your collective experiences as a means of bringing you closer to the fully grown adult dragon you should be. Refer to Character Size for more general rules on oversized characters.

• At Bronze and Silver (levels 10 - 16), your size is Medium, equivalent to a “wyrmling”. You have a breath weapon (15 foot cone or 30 foot line). A wyrmling typically measures no more than 8 feet tall, and may weigh anywhere between 300 - 500 pounds.
• At Gold (levels 17 - 19), your size is Large, equivalent to a “young dragon”. The range of your breath weapon increases (30 foot cone or 60 foot line). A young dragon typically measures around 12 - 14 feet in length, and weighs between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds.
• At Platinum (level 20), your size is Huge, equivalent to an “adult dragon”. The range of your breath weapon increases (60 foot cone or 90 foot line). Adult dragons are typically between 20 and 30 feet in size, and may weigh as much as 25,000 pounds.

Additionally, choose two options from the first list, and one option from the second list. They become traits you have as a dragon and cannot be changed again without using a mulligan:

• (a) a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, or (b) a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, and the ability to breathe underwater, or (c) a burrowing speed equal to half your walking speed, and the ability to tunnel through solid rock or ice at half your burrowing speed, leaving a tunnel in your wake equal to your size.
• (a) a flying speed of 60 feet, or (b) a tortle’s shell defense trait

Depending on the traits you choose, you gain draconic features to complement them. For example, a dragon with a swimming speed may have its wings connect to and taper down its tail like a manta ray to streamline motion. A dragon with a flying speed sprouts draconic wings, whereas a dragon with shell defense gains a dragon turtle’s shell. The specific details are up to you - check out Fizban’s Dragon Appearance table for inspiration. Lastly, a creature who undergoes Rejuvenation remains the size of an adult dragon, but otherwise resets as expected.

Improvement

You may increase your Strength, Constitution, or Charisma score by 2, or you may increase two of these scores by 1.

Unique Traits

Dragon Breath. As an Attack action on your turn, you may exhale a blast of destructive energy in either a cone or a line (choose one when you first become a dragon). The range of this weapon depends on your size as a dragon, and the type of damage dealt by this attack is based on your draconic fundamentum - if you have more than one, choose one to become your “primary” breath damage when you become a dragon.
Each creature in the area of effect must make either Constitution (cone) or Dexterity (line) saving throw (DC = 8 + your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the creature takes 5d10 damage of the type associated with your fundamentum. This damage increases to 10d6 at level 17, and again to 15d6 at level 20. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage.
Once you have used your breath weapon, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or a long rest.
Frightful Presence. As an Attack action on your turn, you may project your Frightful Presence. Each creature of your choice that is within 120 feet of you and aware of you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC = 8 + your Charisma modifier + your Proficiency bonus). A creature that fails becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to your Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Draconic Gifts

Minor Gifts

Major Gifts

Turning of the Great Wheel

The force that enables characters to become dragons is a great power thought to be akin to, if not an aspect of, the magic weave that holds the cosmos together. In this case, it is referred to as dragonsong, an echoing harmony that has existed since the first dragons - Bahamut, Tiamat, and Sardior - spoke it into existence.
Consequently, a creature that has been changed by the dragonsong is considered to have done so permanently, as reality has thus been altered to make you what you are by uniting you with the song and, consequently, your draconic echo. The only means of divorcing yourself from the song, should you choose you no longer wish to be a dragon, is through a wish or the divine intervention of a draconic deity.