Wyrmslayer

   Description: The Wyrmslayer is the sworn enemy of evil dragons and has devoted his life to their destruction. Battle-hardened and fiercely determined, the Wyrmslayer roams the world in search of the hated creatures. Even the mightiest evil dragons tremble at the approach of a Wyrmslayer, as few humans pose a greater threat.

   Only a select few qualify to become Wyrmslayers, with the final choice up to the gods. If a candidate meets the basic physical requirements, he declares his intention to become a Wyrmslayer before he takes his Oath of Ennoblement. As part of his oath, he pledges to destroy all evil dragons, singling out a particular species as his principal foe. The principal foe can be a black, blue, green, red, white, or any other evil species prominent in the campaign world. Once a candidate names his principal foe, it remains the same for the rest of his career.

   After completing his oath, the candidate becomes a standard 1st-level paladin (as described in the PH). That night, a lawful good deity appears to him in a vision, giving him a quest to demonstrate his courage. Typical quests include:

• Retrieving an egg from the nest of a principal foe.

• Finding and destroying the lair of a principal foe.

• Singlehandedly defending a village from an attack by a principal foe.

   The quest must be completed within a specified time limit, usually 1-2 years. If the paladin fails to complete the quest, he remains a standard paladin forever after; he can never become a Wyrmslayer, nor may he choose another kit. If he completes the quest, the deity grants him the special attributes described below; the paladin is then a Wyrmslayer. The Wyrmslayer retains the same level he had as a standard paladin; that is, if the paladin had risen to 2nd level before completing his quest, he becomes a 2nd-level Wyrmslayer.

   Requirements: A Wyrmslayer must have a minimum Strength of 14, Dexterity of 10, and Constitution of 10.

   Ministration: Any.

   Role: Just as the Ghosthunter is obsessed with destroying undead, so is the Wyrmslayer obsessed with killing evil dragons. Nomadic and restless, the Wyrmslayer spends most of his time searching for his nemeses. Even Wyrmslayers formally affiliated with governments or churches have unusual freedom of movement; their superiors know that Wyrmslayers function best when left alone.

   Though preferring to operate by themselves, Wyrmslayers will join adventuring parties if their travels take them through dragon territory. A Wyrmslayer fulfills his fealty obligations as well as any paladin, yet he may withdraw and brood if he goes too long without engaging his principal enemy. His eagerness to battle evil dragons impresses some as courageous, others as foolhardy. No one, however, doubts his resolve.

   Symbol: Dragon profile, skull, claw, or wing; crossed lances.

   Secondary Skills: Armorer, Forester, Hunter, Weaponsmith.

   Weapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Any one of the weapons from the restricted list. Restricted: A Wyrmslayer may be proficient in the following weapons only, all of which inflict high damage to large targets: heavy horse lance, medium horse lance, awl pike, bardiche, glaive-guisarme, spetum, long sword, two-handed sword, trident.

   Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Animal Lore (only as applied to his principal foe; he cannot imitate its call; if the Wyrmslayer spends a slot, he acquires the Animal Lore proficiency described in the PH). Recommended: Armorer, Direction Sense, Endurance, Healing, Hunting, Mountaineering, Riding (Airborne or Land-based), Survival, Tracking, Weaponsmithing.

   Armor/Equipment: A Wyrmslayer must have at least plate mail armor, preferably full plate. He must also have a shield, at least medium in size.

   When a paladin completes his quest and becomes a full-fledged Wyrmslayer, his deity enchants his shield to magically protect the Wyrmslayer against dragon breath. If the Wyrmslayer makes a successful saving throw vs. breath weapon, the breath weapon causes no damage. If the throw fails, the Wyrmslayer suffers half damage. The magic functions only when the Wyrmslayer wields that shield; it functions as a normal shield when wielded by other characters. The enchanted shield counts against the Wyrmslayer's magical item limit.

   Bonded Mount: Either a standard paladin war horse or a flying mount.

   Special Benefits:

   Dragon Languages: A Wyrmslayer can speak and understand the languages of all evil dragons.

   Fear Immunity: A Wyrmslayer is immune to the fear aura of his principal foe. He gains a +4 bonus to his saving throws to avoid the effects of fear from all other species of evil dragons. His bonded mount shares this immunity, but normal mounts do not.

   Damage Bonus: When a Wyrmslayer makes a successful weapon attack against his principal foe, he receives a damage bonus equal to his level. For example, if a 6th-level Wyrmslayer hits his principal foe with a long sword, the foe suffers 1d12+6 points of damage. If a Wyrmslayer makes a successful attack against an evil dragon other than his principal foe, he receives a +1 damage bonus. A bonded mount inflicts double damage against the Wyrmslayer's principal foe and receives a +1 damage bonus against evil dragons other than the principal foe.

   Special Reward: If the Wyrmslayer is primarily responsible for killing, banishing, or otherwise eliminating a principal foe of Wyrm or Greater Wyrm level, his deity arranges for him to receive a special reward. The DM determines if the Wyrmslayer is eligible for the reward; for instance, the Wyrmslayer may earn the reward if he inflicted most of the damage leading to the foe's death, or if he tricked the foe into entering another plane of existence from which return is impossible. Typical rewards:

   1. A grant of land large enough for a stronghold.

   2. Donation of all labor and materials to build a stronghold.

   3. Revelation of the principal foe's secret treasure horde, containing a fortune in gold and gems (which, of course, the Wyrmslayer donates to a charitable institution).

   4. A magical gift, such as:

• Immunity to the spells of his principal foe. If the Wyrmslayer makes a successful saving throw, he suffers no damage from these spells. If he fails his throw, he suffers half damage.

• Transformation of a normal sword into a holy sword.

• Permanent access to an extra priest spell sphere. The Wyrmslayer picks the sphere of his choice, or the DM provides options. The extra access doesn't affect the number or level of spells the Wyrmslayer can learn.

• Permanent transformation of the bonded mount into a young silver dragon (or any lawful good dragon of the DM's choice; the DM may also determine the dragon's age). The silver dragon serves out the rest of the mount's term; if the original mount had served seven years, the dragon will serve three more. The dragon follows all the rules for bonded mounts described in Chapter 2. However, it's not necessary to train the dragon, as it carries out instructions with the same facility as any loyal, intelligent follower.

   Special Hindrances:

   Reaction Penalty. Because he is unable to conceal his hatred, the Wyrmslayer suffers a –4 penalty to all encounter reactions with his principal foe.

   Combat Compulsion. The Wyrmslayer seeks out his principal foe in combat situations, choosing it as the target of his attacks in preference all other potential opponents. If the party encounters a horde of goblins and a black dragon, and the dragon is the Wyrmslayer's principal foe, the Wyrmslayer attacks the dragon and leaves the goblins to his comrades. If the Wyrmslayer spots his foe's prints in the mud or hears rumors of his foe in a nearby forest, he feels compelled to track it down unless his companions forcibly restrain him or convince him of the inappropriateness of his actions.

   The Wyrmslayer's compulsion doesn't necessarily interfere with his good judgment or responsibilities to his companions. If his principal foe tumbles into a fiery chasm, the Wyrmslayer won't leap in. If a comrade needs him, the Wyrmslayer interrupts his combat with the principal foe to help out, resuming his attacks against the principal foe when his comrade is safe.

Inability to Turn Undead. The Wyrmslayer has no power over any undead beings.

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