Part 0: An Indexent Proposal

Part 1: Terms and Conditions

Part 2: An Ontological Examination, aka Skip

Part 3: Let There Be Overview

Part 4: Arbor the Wood

Part 5: Benthos the Deep

Part 6: Karoo the Desert

Part 7: Lea the Plains

Part 8: Nome the Urbanity

Part 9: Root the Underground

Part 10: Sine the Hills

Part 11: Stratus in the Sky

Part 12: Zenith the Mountain

Part 13: Dragons in Space

Part 14: Places of Interest, Specific

-/-

Part 1: Terms and Conditions

Dragonrider

The term provokes countless reactions from dragons and their kind ranging from laughter to scoffter, cold rage to purest pity. To many, it embodies the last remnant of humanoid hubris amongst the broken and scattered non-dragon peoples who now share their place in the world of Dragpocalypse with the unthinking beasts, just below the sentient beasts. An equal number consider it a euphemism embodying the last and only hope of the humanoids in escaping their place in pyramid of predators and prey, for few among the Riders willingly call themselves 'familiars.'

Dragpocalypse

Unsurprisingly, this is a term coined by those same humanoids who would dare speak of dragonriders though perhaps not in the vicinity or thought-presence of any of their dragon overlords. The world of Dragpocalypse, to be described within, is one in which dragons and their kind have replaced humanoids as the dominant societals. Humanoid society now exists only in fragmentary or dragon-codependent form.

Humanoid Familiars

This guide assumes familiarity with the third party content class of Dragonrider released by Rogue Genius Games. It is herein interpreted as a dragon or one of its kind taking on a humanoid familiar. The class as written offers various apologies from both the humanoid and dragon perspective on conforming to the class restrictions. This guide offers another, more than one other, but all boiling down to the same short: power.

In this world, humanoids have lost all access to magic. At this time, some even question whether they ever had it in the first place. A humanoid who becomes a Rider gains access to magic. Though this will be touched upon again in greater detail, it is recommended for a campaign of entirely Dragonriders that the player of the Rider be allowed to choose a spell list at first level from any of the casting classes though conform to the class's other spellcasting restrictions.

The Dragonrider class offers very reasonable explanations from the Dragon's perspective. The Dragpocalypse explanations are less so being for the most part left to the reader. Rather than give justifications from the alien mind of a dragon, the effects and consequences of having that bond between two powerfully sentient and, in the case of the dragon, a truly powerful being are herein explored. The player of the Rider may put together their dragon's justifications from these pieces or may find it more stimulating to leave it a mystery to be explored during the campaign.

It is recommended that the DM control the use of the Dragonrider's void-jumping touched upon in Part 2 if the DM would like to use this unique form of teleportation at all.

Abusive Notation

Isada, you devilish old goat, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. I do not even recognize that as a word.

You are most probably correct. I use the words that I like and while the derivatives of these words are likely words in English, the words that I use may not be. UNTIL TODAY.

One of them is humanoid-every PC race is going to be referred to as humanoid so I don't have to keep writing 'PC race,' which is more likely to break the suspension of disbelief that's already going to be stretched to the outer limits.