Draconian

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.

This article covers the player species. For the monster, see Draconian (monster). For a list of all monstrous draconians, see List of draconians.

Draconians are human-dragon hybrids: humanoid in form and approximately human-sized, with wings, tails and scaly skins. Draconians start out in an immature form with brown scales, but as they grow in power they take on a variety of colours. This happens at an early stage in their career, and the colour is determined by chromosomes, not by behaviour. Most types of Draconians have breath weapons or special resistances. Draconians cannot wear body armour and advance very slowly in levels, but are reasonably good at all skills other than missile weapons, and they develop natural physical defenses that compensate for the lack of body armour, without needing to train their Armour skill at all. Still, each colour has its own strengths and some have complementary weaknesses, which sometimes requires a bit of flexibility on the part of the player. They are good general-purpose spellcasters, and typically their spellcasting aptitudes will adapt slightly when they gain a colour.

Innate Abilities

• Draconians' wings and oddly-shaped heads prevent them from wearing helmets or any form of body armour. They can't cast Animate Armour.
• Tail Slap: Draconians have an auxiliary tail-slap attack (damage = 6; chance = 50% * (30 + XL)/59).
• Scales: Draconians start with +4 AC, and gain an additional +1 AC every 3rd level.
• Cold-blooded: Draconians are slowed by certain cold-based attacks. Cold resistance negates this.
• While in Dragon Form, Draconians retain their scale bonus (with a -6 AC penalty), colour, and breath weapon.

Draconians have a base Strength of 10, Intelligence of 8 and Dexterity of 6 (before Background modifiers).

Preferred Backgrounds

• Zealots: Berserker
• Adventurers: Shapeshifter
• Mages: Conjurer, Fire Elementalist, Ice Elementalist, Air Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Alchemist

Level Bonuses

• Draconians mature into a random colour at level 7, changing aptitudes and intrinsic characteristics. Some colors get another bonus at Level 14.
• +1 to a random stat every 4th level.
• 10% more HP than average.
• Average MP.
• +3 willpower per level.
• +1 AC every 3rd level as scales continue to harden.

Difficulty of Play

With natural defenses and above average HP, Draconians are a relatively easy race to play. While they can't wear body armour, their scales provide AC without the usual armour encumbrance. Because of this, Draconians make good spellcasters and ranged fighters. Otherwise, their aptitudes are average or higher across the board, so they can do well in most roles.

Draconians get breath attacks at level 7, which are powerful but limited ranged options that recharge with XP. Certain colours will receive a somewhat poor aptitude (-2) to one magic school; in many cases, this does not majorly affect game play.

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude
Attack		Miscellaneous		Magic
Fighting	1	Armour	N/A	Spellcasting	-1
		Dodging	-1
Maces & Flails	0	Shields	0	Conjurations	0
Axes	0	Stealth	0	Hexes	-1
Polearms	0			Summonings	0
Staves	0	Invocations	1	Necromancy	0
Unarmed Combat	0	Evocations	0	Translocations	0
Throwing	-1	Shapeshifting	-1	Alchemy	0
				Fire Magic	0
Short Blades	0			Ice Magic	0
Long Blades	0			Air Magic	0
Ranged Weapons	-1	Experience	-1	Earth Magic	0

Colors

Draconians start at an immature brown with no special abilities, and reach their mature color at level 7. They receive a breath attack, resistances, and an adjustment to their aptitudes which will retroactively adjust their skill levels.

Red

Red Draconians feel at home in fiery surroundings. They are bad with ice magic but very proficient with fire. Their scorchingly hot breath will leave a lingering cloud of flame.

• Skills: +2 Fire Magic, -2 Ice Magic
• Resists: rF+
• Breath: A bolt of flame that creates a 3x3 explosion on each enemy it hits.

White

White Draconians stem from frost-bitten lands, and are naturally resistant to frost. Their breath is piercing cold. They are versed in ice magic, but bad at fire.

• Skills: +2 Ice Magic, -2 Fire Magic
• Resists: rC+ (negates effects of being cold-blooded)
• Breath: A bolt of frost that turns enemies it kills into blocks of ice.

Green

Green Draconians are used to venomous surroundings and breathe clouds of mephitic vapours. They are especially good in the arts of poison and without deficiencies in other magic realms. Later on, they will develop a poisonous stinger.

• Skills: +2 Alchemy
• Resists: rPois
• Breath: A bolt of noxious fumes that leaves behind Mephitic Clouds on the affected tiles.
• Melee: Gains a venomous stinger at level 14.

Yellow

Yellow Draconians have a sulphurous breath full of corrosive acid, and later gain an acidic bite attack. They are acid resistant, too.

• Resists: rCorr
• Breath: A corrosive acidic bolt that corrodes enemies and creates acidic fog clouds on unoccupied tiles.
• Melee: Gains acidic saliva at level 14.

Grey

Grey Draconians have no breath weapon, but their bodies are adapted to the water, allowing them to swim. They are proficient with earth magic but bad with air magic, and they also have harder scales than other Draconians.

• Skills: +2 Earth Magic, -2 Air Magic
• Resists: Gain +5 to AC at level 14.
• Breath: A ball of mud that knocks back whatever it hits and drenches a 3x3 area in mud which impedes enemy movement and causes them to sometimes fumble their attacks.
• Movement: Amphibious (Can enter deep water, ignore movement and evasion penalties from water, immune to drowning.)

Black

Black Draconians can unleash huge electrical discharges, and are naturally insulated. They are good at air magic but feel cumbersome with earth magic. Their wings will eventually grow larger, which allows them to fly continuously when combined with their natural skill with air magic.

• Skills: +2 Air Magic, -2 Earth Magic
• Resists: rElec
• Breath: A lightning projectile that arcs to every creature connected to the target.
• Movement: Gains big wings at level 14.

Purple

Purple Draconians are highly adapted to all spellcasting in general, and to hexes in particular. They are a bit better at evoking things than most other Draconians. They can breathe dispelling energy which strips those it hits of their enchantments, and are naturally stronger-willed than other draconians.

• Skills: +2 Spellcasting (to +1), +2 Hexes (to +1), +1 Evocations
• Resists: Immediate +40 willpower. Gain Inviolate Magic at level 14 (immune to dispelling; hostile MP drain is reduced by 2/3).
• Breath: A projectile that explodes in a 5x5 area, dealing irresistible damage, applying antimagic, and removing buffs (e.g., Haste, Invisibility).

Pale

Pale Draconians are better at air and fire magic, and have no deficiencies in other schools. They breathe steam and, like their Purple cousins, have a slight advantage at Evocations.

• Skills: +1 Fire Magic, +1 Air Magic, +1 Evocations
• Resists: rSteam
• Breath: Steam clouds that block LOS and deal damage to creatures without fire resistance.

History

• Draconian breath attacks were reworked in 0.32. For how they worked prior to this version, see here. In addition:
  • Grey draconians gained +5 AC at XL 7 instead of XL 14.
  • Purple draconians gained +6 willpower per level instead of +3. However, they did not gain a flat +40 willpower, nor did they get Inviolate Magic.
• Prior to 0.30, pale Draconian's breath had a cooldown twice as short.
• Prior to 0.27, Draconians did not have innate GDR, as it was tied to a player's body armour. Also, grey Draconians were unbreathing instead of amphibious, which granted them immunity to certain cloud effects. In addition, white Draconians' breath would only knock back flying opponents.
• Prior to the Charms school's removal in 0.26, purple Draconians were particularly skilled with Charms compared to other draconians.
• Prior to 0.20, players could also become mottled Draconians, which could breathe Sticky Flames and learned Fire Magic slightly quicker. Additionally, all mature draconian player ghosts had a negative energy breath weapon, making them even more dangerous opponents.
• As of 0.12, all Draconians are considered cold-blooded.
• Prior to 0.11, grey Draconians were elementally neutral, receiving bonuses to Stealth and Stabbing in place of the Earth Magic boost, and they did not gain the +5 bonus to AC. Yellow Draconians only had rAcid (not rCorr).
• Prior to 0.10, Draconians had access to any body armour that could fit large species, but could not wear boots or gloves.
• Prior to 0.7, grey Draconians got better stats to make up for their lack of a breath attack.