Ashen Dragon

But things did not develop in the direction they had anticipated.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the Imperial Engineers lurking on the cliffside detonated explosives in succession. The bridges carrying thousands of soldiers from the Dragon Worship Cult collapsed with a rumble, and countless cultists and Evil Dragon Descendants wailed as they fell to the valley floor, almost filling the wide chasm.

In the sky, which was evidently the territory of the giant dragons, the Metal Dragons such as the Gold Dragon, Silver Dragon, and Brass Dragon also held the absolute advantage. They roared as they pounced on the five-colored dragons, breathing out flames, frost, and other breaths.

After witnessing the death of Goraz Dera, the five-colored dragons feared the Red Dragon Emperor immensely, flapping their wings in disarray, desperately trying to escape.

"Hurry up and leave!"

"Damn golden-skinned crawler, get out of the way!"

"Dirty five-colored evil dragons, spawn of Tiamat, don't think you can escape just like that!"

"You will pay for your atrocities!"

Dragon's roars, whether high-pitched or low, angry or terrified, intermingled in the sky.

The five-colored dragons were sly and cunning, never doing anything that would mean certain death. Even the Blue Dragon and Green Dragon, most loyal to Tiamat, knew they were no match for the fearsome Red Dragon Emperor, and could only flee in a panic.

At this point in the battle, they believed they had done enough for the Five-Colored Dragon Queen. If they continued fighting, it would be nothing but suicide, which was not worth it.

"We won..."

Watching the retreating five-colored dragons, the Ancient Gold Dragon Dionysus' lips curled into a victorious smile.

But his gaze shifted, and he saw the battlefield, full of scars and devastation — and at its center, the severely wounded Red Dragon Emperor.

This Red Dragon stood within a massive crater with a diameter of over a thousand meters, amidst ashes, flowing lava, and crystallized sand. His scarlet scales were incomplete, his broad dragon wings were in tatters, and a hideous wound on his enormous body nearly tore his chest apart, exposing blood-soaked viscera and stark white bones, looking extremely bedraggled.

For a normal giant dragon, this would undoubtedly be a fatal wound, but the Red Dragon Emperor's flesh wriggled, quickly repairing the gaping wound through his body at a speed visible to the naked eye, with hot steam and white smoke rising all over his body.

In his massive dragon claw, a broken horn was emitting intense waves, releasing arcs of electricity.

Dragon of Ascension (DRAGON ASCENDANT)

Dragons are undoubtedly the mightiest creatures native to the Prime Material Plane. They occupy a special position relating to powers outside this plane. Those dragons who become Dragons of Ascension seek to transcend the limits of material existence, elevating above all other dragons, comparable in every way to the gods themselves. Their progress in levels of this occupation represents their advance toward their ultimate goal, becoming ever more godlike as they progress.

Most Dragons of Ascension have not previously acquired occupational levels but are dragons of considerable age and power. Some Dragon Priests, Paladins, and Dark Guards move into the Dragon of Ascension class upon reaching a sufficient power level. Members of the divine advanced occupations described in this chapter (the Calm Observers of Kronipus, the Holy Watchers of Bahamut, and the Desecration Destroyers of Tiamat) sometimes choose the path of divine ascension to become more perfect servants of their god.

Dragons of Ascension are proud and generally aloof. They view the journey towards divine ascension as a competition and do not choose to share this path with others undergoing the same process. On the other hand, they often have followers and allies who support their quest, and their cooperation with lesser dragons and non-dragons is less constrained than with other dragons.

Life Dice: d12.

Requirements

To qualify for becoming a Dragon of Ascension, a dragon must meet all the following conditions.

Race: Any True Dragon.

Basic Attack Bonus: +30.

Specialty: Dragon Knowledge, Quick Healing, Strengthening, Increased Speed, Steel Will, Quick Reflex.

Special: Devour Treasure: To begin the process of divine ascension, the prospective Dragon of Ascension must devour its treasure. Its treasure must be worth at least 100,000 Gold Coins, but the dragon cannot choose to eat exactly 100,000 Gold Coins and leave the rest — it must consume the entire hoard. (This occupation is also most heart-wrenching for giant dragons.)

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Dragons of Ascension do not gain proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.

Spiritual Light of Reverence (Aura): Dragons of Ascension lose their natural Fierce Momentum, which is replaced by a special aura of fear. This aura surrounds the dragon in any radius up to a maximum equal to its Fierce Momentum (30 feet per dragon's age category) and is always active unless the dragon chooses to suppress it. The dragon can exclude its allies from the effects of its aura. Creatures within the aura must make a Will saving throw (DC equal to the dragon's Fierce Momentum's DC plus half its Dragon of Ascension level). Creatures that fail their saving throws are frightened, while those that succeed are immune to the effects of the dragon's aura for 24 hours. If the dragon attacks or charges, frightened creatures must make a second Will saving throw (same DC), or they become panicked.

When the Dragon of Ascension reaches Level 5, it can choose to alter its aura to inspire its allies with resolve and instill fear in its enemies. All allies of the dragon within its aura's radius receive a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks. The dragon's enemies must succeed on a Will saving throw, or they suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks.

At Level 10, the Dragon of Ascension gains a third option for its aura. Merely gazing in awe at the dragon can daze affected creatures if they fail their Will saving throws. As with the fear aspect of the aura, the dragon can choose to exclude its allies from the effects of the aura.

All uses of the dragon's Spiritual Light of Reverence are effects that influence the mind.

HP Increase (Unique): At Level 2 and every two levels thereafter, the Dragon of Ascension gains 1 HP for each Life Dice it possesses, including all its dragon Life Dice and those gained from occupational levels. This effect can never cause the dragon's HP to exceed the maximum determined by its Life Dice and constitution bonus.

At Level 12, the Dragon of Ascension's HP equals the maximum determined by its Life Dice and constitution bonus.

Transformation Immunity (Unique): At Level 3, the Dragon of Ascension gains immunity to any attacks that would transform, petrify, or otherwise change its form. Any transformation-type power or spell the dragon has casts on itself normally.

Enhanced Damage Reduction (Supernatural): At Level 4, the Dragon of Ascension's damage reduction can only be overcome by legendary weapons. At Level 8, the amount of the dragon's damage reduction (the number before the slash) increases by 5. For example, an Ancient Black Dragon/Level 8 Dragon of Ascension has 20/legendary damage reduction.

Life Guarding (Unique): At Level 6, the Dragon of Ascension is no longer affected by attacks that cause energy drain, attribute drain, or attribute damage.

Deflection Bonus (Supernatural): At Level 7, the Dragon of Ascension's defense rating gains a deflection bonus equal to its charisma bonus — if any.

Iron Mind (Unique): At Level 9, the Dragon of Ascension becomes immune to mind-affecting effects (charm, compulsion, phantom illusions, mental illusions, and morale effects).

Resistance to Fire (Unique): At Level 11, the Dragon of Ascension gains resistance to fire 20, provided it does not already have immunity to fire.

Magic Resistance (Unique): At Level 11, the Dragon of Ascension's magic resistance increases to 33.

Immortality (Unique): At Level 12, the Dragon of Ascension is effectively a quasi-god, no longer capable of dying from natural causes. It does not require food, sleep, or breath. It can still be killed in physical or magical combat and succumb to death from massive damage.

Code of Conduct: A Dragon of Ascension must adhere strictly to the principles of its camp, whatever they may be. If the Dragon of Ascension willingly acts against its camp, it loses its Spiritual Light of Reverence (and does not regain its Fierce Momentum), and it cannot gain further levels in the Dragon of Ascension class. If the dragon atones for its breach, circumstances permitting, it can regain its Spiritual Light of Reverence and once again progress in the Dragon of Ascension advanced class.