Pathos Dragon

Size/Type: Dragon (Psionic)
Environment: Any
Organization: Wyrmling, Very Young, Juvenile, and Young Adult; solitary or clutch (2- 5); Adult, Mature Adult, Old, Very Old, Ancient, Wyrm, or Great Wyrm; solitary, pair, or family (1-2 and 2-5 offspring)
Challenge Ratings: Wyrmling 4, Very Young 5, Young 7, Juvenile 8, Young Adult 11, Adult 14, Mature Adult 16, Old 18, Very Old 19, Ancient 21, Wyrm 23, Great Wyrm 25
Treasure: Triple Standard
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Advancement: Wyrmling (7–8 HD), Very Young (9-11 HD), Young (12-14 HD), Juvenile (15-17 HD), Young Adult (18-20 HD), Adult (21-23 HD), Mature Adult (24-26 HD), Old (27-29
HD), Very Old (30-32 HD), Ancient (33-35 HD),
Wyrm (36–38 HD), Great Wyrm (39+ HD)
Level Adjustment:

This dragon is two-toned: its back is a dark green contrast to its white underbelly. It has streamlined features, from sleek birdlike wings to an eel-like head with wild, yellow eyes. Its tail possesses a finned protrusion that resembles a swept-back club.

Pathos dragons are hasty, sporadic creatures who love to change plans on the fly. Hedonists and dilettantes, pathos dragons feel that a life not spent exploring whatever your first emotions tell you to do is a life wasted. Pathos dragon lairs are constantly renovated and redecorated, much to the frustration of would be treasure hunters.

Fortunately, said treasure hunters can easily escape if captured by the territorial dragons; pathos dragons are moved by emotional pleas and sincerely begging for mercy can make for a safe escape, where appearing stoic and fearless is found annoying and will only get you eaten. Pathos dragons have been known to feed and keep displacer beasts in their lairs.

With their aerodynamic bodies even more feline-shaped than normal dragons, a pathos dragon seems to flow spontaneously to wherever it is moving, in flight and on land, much like a majestic river. Colored white underneath and dark green around the spine, a pathos dragon is distinctive in flight, thanks both to its color and its sleekly-feathered wings. The mace-like bone at the end of their tail has been the splattered end of many an adventurer.

Combat:

Pathos dragons are poor tacticians by nature and admission, preferring to charge in at first chance. They will take any opportunity to make combat an athletic exercise, circling enemies while blasting them with their shredding breath. A pathos dragon is more likely to use his powers and telempathic projection psi-like ability after a demonstration that the enemy can use psionics powers too, which is considered by most pathos dragons as a challenge.

True Dragon Abilities: Pathos dragons are a type of true dragon; their space, reach, natural attacks and age follow the rules put forth in the entry in the SRD. In addition, pathos dragons have frightful presence, breath weapons, damage reduction, immunities, blindsense, keen senses, skills, and feats as any other true dragon.

Power Resistance: Young Adult and older pathos dragons have power resistance as indicated on the tables.

Manifesting: Juvenile and older pathos dragons can manifest powers in the same way that a wilder does. Their manifester level is indicated on the tables, and they have power points per day and powers known as a wilder of the indicated level. Pathos dragons can select any power from the psion/wilder power list, the egoist list, or the shaper list. A pathos dragon who advances with wilder levels adds this manifester level to its wilder level to determine its power points per day and powers known, and may continue to select shaper or egoist list powers for its wilder powers known.

Resting Mode: Wyrmling to Young: Force Multiplier +0. Juvenile and older: Empathic Multiplier -4

Breath Weapon (Su): A pathos dragon has two breath weapons. The first is a cone of razor sharp crystal fragments that deals 2d6 points of slashing damage per age category of the dragon (Reflex half). Damage dealt by this breath weapon is subject to damage reduction and counts as magic and slashing for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. The second is a cone of gas that induces a series of chaotic emotional responses that bewilder and disorient the victim. Victims who fail a Will save are confused for 3d6 rounds. This is a mindaffecting compulsion effect.

Wild Surge (Su): Pathos dragons can augment their manifestations with a surge of emotional power. This ability is identical to the wilder class feature of the same name.

Psychic Enervation (Ex): Pathos dragons who use their wild surge ability suffer psychic enervation in a fashion similar to normal wilders. This class feature is identical to the wilder class feature of the same name except pathos dragons who suffer psychic enervation are not dazed as normal wilders are, and lose power points equal to their manifester level rather than their wilder level.

Surging Euphoria (Ex): Pathos dragons who successfully augment their powers with wild surge gain morale bonuses from surging euphoria in a similar fashion a wilder does. This ability is identical to the wilder class feature of the same name except that the morale bonuses gained are applied to the save DCs of the pathos dragon’s breath weapon, frightful presence, and psi-like abilities as well.

Psi-Like Abilities: At will – detect hostile intent, telempathic projection. Manifester level equal to the dragon’s age category or its manifester level, whichever is higher. Save DCs are Charisma-based.

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