#planar dragon

(Illustration by Leesha Hannigan comes from the PathfinderWiki and is © Paizo Publishing.)

It was pretty much inevitable that we’d get planar dragons.  (Honestly, I expected them sooner than Bestiary 6, but outer and esoteric dragons arrived instead, a sign of Pathfinder’s pulp sci-fi/horror obsession).

What’s not inevitable is their naming convention. It would have been really easy to just slap planar monikers like “Abyssal” or “Maelstrom” on top of these dragons.  Instead, we got something far more interesting: names that seem more conceptual, more distilled, that tap into essential aspects of those planes—apocalypse, bliss, crypt, edict, havoc, infernal, paradise, rift.  You feel like each dragon species could have its own planar layer or demiplane based on its specific descriptor.  (Elysium probably has many fields; Havoc feels like a specific one.)  It’s not a huge difference, but it’s a subtle and meaningful one. More importantly, it’s a surprise from the authors, and this late in the Bestiary life cycle surprises are to be treasured.

So…the paradise dragon.  Like all planar dragons, it manifests a chunk of its home plane around itself (a nice touch that feels very video-gamey or anime but still awesome).  The paradise dragon’s specific special abilities also pack a lot of heavenly flavor. The text indicates that they create holy sanctums of light and harmony to shield their followers, and that extends to their abilities, which aid, heal, resurrect, rebound, bull rush, or banish as needed, allowing them to reshape even the battlefield to their liking.

Like archons, these dragons are pretty much the ne plus ultra of right and good…but for adventure design purposes, there’s always that one bad apple more concerned with his particular rightness than the public goodness.  Also, in the single sentence of descriptive text we get, B6 mentions these dragons attract followers…and what policies or actions a planar dragon deems necessary to protect its followers may not jibe with PCs’ plans.

The paradise dragon Pearl of Moonlight discovered the long-hidden prison lair of Alefbetraxus, an elder wyrm.  Overawed and a little infatuated by his age and grandeur, Pearl seeks to free the primordial dragon, and she will brook no interference.  Unfortunately, Alefbetraxus is still guided by his instinctual drives, one of which (in fact, the reason for his imprisonment) is to eradicate any and all forms of elemental planar pollution.  Poor Pearl has no inkling what he might do to the world she guards, where one in twenty humans has geniekin blood.

Paradise dragons are discouraged from dwelling too long on the Material Plane, as cults inevitably form around them.  The empyreal lord Enoch the Admonisher, Scourge of Pride, makes it his business to test the character of these paradise dragons, often using powerful adventurers as cat’s-paws.

Since the Shattering, there has been no single lawful good plane—a triumph of existential undermining sponsored by the daemons of the Shroud.  What remains are scattered islands of conceptual reality—the Seven-and-Seventy Heavens—each one held together and defended only by the iron will and adamantine claws of a paradise dragon and its followers.  (This includes whichever archons haven't yet fled the multiverse in shame.)

—Pathfinder Bestiary 6 104–105

Not all the planar dragons appear in Bestiary 6; some show up in Pathfinder Adventure Path issues.  I think at time of writing we’re still missing one from the Maelstrom (PathfinderWiki indicates it’s the tumult dragon).  (Or maybe that plane rejects having a designated dragon species as being too orderly…or maybe doesn’t need one, thanks to the protean race…)

We’ve got something extra special today, for this entry is our first look at Ex-Class archetypes from Antihero’s Handbook!

So what, exactly, is an ex-class archetype? As the name implies, one must become an ex-member of a class to take one, choosing to diverge further from the path of such classes in favor of new abilities.

Believe it or not, this is not the first time we’ve seen a mechanic like this, as the heretic archetype for inquisitors had similar rules for ex-inquisitors embracing the heretical views that caused them to lose face with their god and the church. However, ex-class archetypes represent an even greater divergence from the philosophy of their former order, and requires double the atonement to make up for it, should the individual choose to.

Every one of these archetypes is different as the various classes that have such archetypes. In today’s case, planar extremists are those druids that have shifted too far away from neutrality in moral alignment, cutting them off from the natural world. However, instead of repenting and working to live a more balanced life, some druids choose to embrace that alignment, and the planes of lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil, answer, allowing those energies to flow through them, as if that plane was the natural world to them, rather than the material.

This archetype is most common in areas where the barriers between planes are thin in wild places, where the presence of that plane’s energies and denizens might rub off on a guardian druid (either mundanely or supernaturally). However, others may take this path due to other reasons, such as getting too involved in extraplanar politics, or a dramatic event skewing the druid’s perspective towards a particular moral outlook.

Due to the nature of their source of power, it’s easy to see these druids behaving more cleric-like, firmly believing in their chosen philosophy, which can be good or bad depending on what sort of tenets they follow.

 Though they still have access to most druid magic, their subverted connection dulls their magic somewhat, reducing the available amount of energy they can call upon for spells. Furthermore, they can no longer rely on summoned beasts of nature, and instead must summon extraplanar beings.

The connection that these ex-druids have with another plane manifests in one of two ways, though they are admittedly familiar, either gaining a domain, specifically one of the moral alignment domains matching theirs, or one of the appropriate subdomains. The other option grants them an outsider servitor of the appropriate subtype, though its power is progressive and grows with the druid. This is very similar to the eidolons of unchained summoners, but the planar extremist gains no pool of evolutionary potential to alter their ally.

Like ordinary druids, these mystics can channel their spells into summoning allies, though they are universally of an extraplanar and morally compatible nature.

Just as they have thrown in their lot with the powers of one alignment, these mystics utterly reject the opposition, resisting their magic most vehemently.

Rather than change form, these mystics can draw upon the energies of their favored plane to infuse their bodies, entering an enhanced battle state capable of a variety of mystical feats, similar to the bloodlines of bloodragers.

So what we’ve got is a druid that gives up on certain druidic staples like the nature bond and wild shape in favor of extraplanar equivalents, gaining bloodrage powers, a cleric domain or summoner eidolon, and the like. If that sounds appealing, give it a try. Keep in mind, however, that your summons are going to be much less versatile than an ordinary summoning specialist due to the limitations of the archetype. Regardless, you can build this archetype as either a casting druid or a more direct combatant, whichever suits your style.

 As tragic as it is to see someone falter from the path, the fact that these druids can be goodly means that many may still be allies to the goodly world, though they still may be estranged from their druidic peers. Conversely, however, evil planar extremists are definitely a thing, and may indeed be a greater threat to the natural world than most.

  The roads of the Forest of Mists have grown twisted as of late, doubling back on themselves and leaving travelers lost and confused. The reason behind this is twofold, but stems from the same source. A druidic guardian has become corrupted by the forces of chaos, and its twisting the landscape. What’s more, the dosojin kami that watch the roads are actively seeking to trap the planar extremist within, twisting them even further.

 Not every planar extremist is tied to an outer plane. In the case of the wayang Ekkonsi, his bond is with the shadows, having been seduced by the promises of the kytons to further his personal path towards dissolution. Though he remains a druid, he utilizes his expertise to turn his coastal territory into a dim place full of death.

While many gunslingers are famous, or perhaps infamous, for their daring actions, they need not necessarily be extralegal in nature. Many a successful gun-toting lawman can benefit from the class.

There are those, however, for whom an honest living is inimical. Whether they are con men, professional gamblers, or other ne’er do wells, there are some gunslingers whom are simply mavericks.

These firearm specialists share a few similarities with those of a swashbuckling bent, using their flair with their weapons and bold behavior to their advantage.

 Just as a swashbuckler is both skilled an lucky at feats of derring-do, mavericks are uncannily skilled at telling lies, bluffing in gambling games, and being sly with their fingers.

As volatile as things can get in a tavern, particularly when employing their other skills, it’s no surprise that these gunslingers learn to cause harm with their fists, not just their gun.

With a show of dexterity, these gunslingers can send their guns twirling in impressive and intimidating displays, unnerving foes.

Interested in a slightly-different take on the gunslinger, more at home in a bar or gambling hall than most? This archetype might be for you. Applying the system used by the swashbuckler derring do deed is an interesting choice, but useful. Try this archetype in a more social game to make a competent face of your character, but otherwise build as you might another gunslinger.

 These gunslingers seem to best fit into the visual aesthetic of a well-dressed conman whom looks at home in any gambling house, no matter how seedy and opulent. Regardless of their surroundings they do their best to maintain this outer image, all the better to worm into high society whenever they wish.

  Perosh Station gets its share of oddities and misfits, but one figure stands out from the rest, a yellow-skinned, long-nosed figure, impossibly ancient, whom idles their time with a deck of cards and an antique pistol. Their money is good, so folks don’t ask questions, but the mystery lingers.

 The party’s travels take them to a local gambling pit, where gun-toting cardsharps play for keeps. However, it’s not gold, but the current grand prize that interests them, the stolen egg of a havoc dragon they were hired to get back.