How to play a dragon

Please note that the following was developed over the course of about an hour, and game balance was considered secondary to emulating dragon abilities. Also, I don't consider them technically complete.

Dragon (Metallic)

Average Length: 7' - 11'
Average Weight: 300 lb. - 400 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 6, fly 6 (clumsy flying), overland flight 8
Vision: Darkvision

Languages: Common, Draconic
Skill Bonuses: +2 History, +2 Intimidate

Dragon: As a dragon, you have the following traits:
* You are a magical beast (dragon) and are considered as such for the purposes of effects that relate to creature origin. You may select Dragonborn racial feats if you meet their other prerequisites.
* You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls at 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th level. You gain a +1 enhancement bonus to all your defenses at 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, and 29th level.
* You have a bite attack and a claw attack. Your bite attack acts as a weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus that deals 1d10 damage, and your claw attack acts as a weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus that deals 1d8 damage and has the off-hand property.
* You can't wear armor or wield weapons, though you can still use implements. Your scaly hide provides you with a permanent +6 bonus to your AC. This bonus improves to +9 at 11th level, and +12 at 21st level.
Metallic Lineage: Choose one metallic lineage: adamantine, copper, gold, iron, or silver. You are a dragon of that type, and your appearance reflects this. Each lineage provides particular benefits and defines the damage type of your dragon breath encounter power.

Adamantine: You gain a +1 bonus to your Fortitude defense and resist 5 thunder. At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 thunder. At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 thunder.

Copper: You gain a +1 bonus to your Reflex defense and resist 5 acid. At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 acid. At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 acid.

Gold: You gain a +1 bonus to your Will defense and resist 5 fire. At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 fire. At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 fire.

Iron: You gain a +1 bonus to your Reflex defense and resist 5 lightning. At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 lightning. At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 lightning.

Silver: You gain a +1 bonus to your Fortitude defense and resist 5 cold. At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 cold. At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 cold.

Dragon Breath: You gain the dragon breath encounter power.

Dragon Breath Dragon Racial Power
You open your mouth with a roar and engulf your foes with the deadly power of your bloodline.
Encounter * Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder
Minor Action Close blast 3
Targets: All creatures in area
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. Reflex, Constitution + 2 vs. Reflex, or Dexterity + 2 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage. Increase to +4 bonus and 2d6 + Constitution modifier
damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 3d6 + Constitution modifier damage at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. The power's damage type is based on your metallic lineage: adamantine dragons deal thunder damage, copper dragons deal acid damage, gold dragons deal fire damage, iron dragons deal lightning damage, and silver dragons deal cold damage.

Dragon Racial Feats

Heroic Tier

Adamantine Fury [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, adamantine metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the adamantine fury at-will power.

Adamantine Fury Dragon Racial Power
You savage your enemy, then set your eyes on it's compatriot.
At-Will
Standard Action Melee
Effect: You make two claw attacks. Improve to three claw attacks at 11th level, and four claw attacks at 21st level.
Special: You can make a bite attack against a different target at 11th level.

Bloodied Breath [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, dragon breath racial power
Benefit: When you are first bloodied during an encounter, your dragon breath racial power recharges and you can use it immediately as a free action.

Copper Guile [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, copper metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the copper guile at-will power.

Copper Guile Dragon Racial Power
You strike quickly with your claws before deftly maneuvering through the battlefield.
At-Will
Standard Action Melee
Effect: You make two claw attacks and then shift 2 squares. Improve to shift 3 squares at 11th level.

Cutwing Step [Dragon]
Prerequisites: Dragon, copper metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the cutwing step at-will power.

Cutwing Step Dragon Racial Power
Your wings keep your enemies at bay, and your quickness keeps them out of reach.
At-Will
Immediate Reaction Melee
Trigger: An enemy moves to a space where it flanks you.
Target: The triggering creature
Attack: Dexterity + 2 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + Strength modifier damage, and you shift 2 squares. Increase to 2d6 + Strength modifier damage and shift 3 squares at 11th level, and 2d8 + Strength modifier damage and shift 4 squares at 21st level

Elemental Bite [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, bite attack
Benefit: When you hit with your bite attack, you deal an additional 1d6 damage. Your bite takes on the keyword of the damage type of your dragon breath racial power, and all damage from your bite is of that type.

Fiery Wing Riposte [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, gold metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the fiery wing riposte at-will power

Fiery Wing Riposte Dragon Racial Power
You counter a telling blow with a fiery buffet from your wings.
At-Will * Fire
Immediate Reaction Melee
Trigger: You are hit by a creature adjacent to you.
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. Fortitude, Constitution + 2 vs. Fortitude, or Dexterity + 2 vs. Fortitude
Hit: The target is pushed 5 squares and takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). Increase to 10 ongoing damage at 15th level, and 20 ongoing damage at 25th level.
Special: When you obtain this power, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power.

Silver Onslaught [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, silver metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the silver onslaught at-will power.

Silver Onslaught Dragon Racial Power
Nothing is safe within the reach of your claws.
At-Will
Standard Action Melee
Effect: You make a claw attack against each enemy within reach.
Special: At 11th level, you also attack one creature with a bite.

True Dragon Breath [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, dragon breath racial power
Benefit: You may choose to use your dragon breath racial power as a standard action. If you do, you deal an additional 1d6 points of damage and gain an additional effect:
Adamantine: The target is knocked prone.
Copper: The target is slowed (save ends).
Gold: The target is weakened (save ends).
Iron: You pull the target 3 squares.
Silver: The target gains vulnerable 5 to all damage (save ends).

Wing Block [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, iron metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the wing block at-will power.

Wing Block Dragon Racial Power
Your enemies find that your wings make for a steely defense, and that they can be employed to attack with but a flick.
At-Will
Immediate Interrupt Melee
Trigger: You are hit by an attack.
Effect: You gain resist 5 to all damage of the triggering attack. Increase to resist 10 at 15th level, and resist 15 at 25th level. Make a followup attack.
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. AC, or Dexterity + 2 vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage. Increase to 2d6 + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage at 15th level, and 3d6 + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage at 25th level.

Paragon Tier

Beguiling Glow [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, gold metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the beguiling glow encounter power.

Beguiling Glow Dragon Racial Power
You present your draconic radiance, and those that would do you harm are left in awe.
Encounter * Charm
Minor Action Close burst 8
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma + 2 vs. Will
Hit: The target is pulled 5 squares and is dazed (save ends).

Draconic Size [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon
Benefit: Your size increases to Large. You occupy a space 2 squares by 2 squares, and your reach increases to 2.

Flyby Attack
Prerequisite: Flight speed
Benefit: As a standard action, you can fly up to your flight speed and make one melee basic attack at any point during that movement. You don't provoke opportunity attacks when moving away from the target.

Improved Flight
Prerequisite: Flight speed
Benefit: Your flight speed and overland flight speed increase by 2. You lose any clumsy attribute to your flight.

Painful Resonance [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon, adamantine metallic lineage
Benefit: You gain the painful resonance encounter power.

Painful Resonance Dragon Racial Power
You make a keening sound in your gullet that resonates in your target's bones.
Encounter * Thunder
Minor Action Ranged 20
Target: One creature within range
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. Fortitude, Constitution + 2 vs. Fortitude, or Dexterity + 2 vs. Fortitude
Hit: The target takes ongoing 10 thunder damage and is dazed (save ends). Increase to 15 ongoing damage at 21st level.
Special: When you obtain this power, choose Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power.

Unfettered Wings [Dragon]
Prerequisites: Dragon, Dex 15
Benefit: You make saving throws against immobilized, slowed, and restrained conditions at the start of your turn as well as the end of your turn.

Epic Tier

Bloodied Resilience [Dragon]
Prerequisites: Dragon, Con 17
Benefit: While bloodied, you gain resist 10 to all damage on the first attack that targets you in each round.

Iron Wing Defense [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon
Benefit: Once per encounter as a minor action, you may gain +2 to all defenses until the end of your next turn.

Unstoppable [Dragon]
Prerequisite: Dragon
Benefit: You make saving throws against ongoing damage at the start of your turn as well as at the end of your turn.

Paladin Class Preview effect on Retribution

The Paladin Class Preview dropped today. On the whole, I'm unimpressed; for having to wait a week after the other class previews, and to be the last class previewed, it's disappointing that the details therein were somewhat vague and are more of the same - no radical gameplay changes, no groundbreaking additions, even the buffs and nerfs feel like minor adjustments at best/worst.

Because my heart belongs to Retribution, I'll only comment on the changes that affect Ret.

New Paladin Spells

Healing Hands (level 83): Healing Hands is a new healing spell. The paladin radiates heals from him or herself, almost like a Healing Stream Totem. It has a short range, but a long enough duration that the paladin can cast other heals while Healing Hands remains active. 15-second cooldown. 6-second duration.

If this is an instant cast ability, Ret might utilize this to provide more solo survivability or extra party or raid healing. That's probably not the intent behind it, but it reads like an extra panic button.

Guardian of Ancient Kings (level 85): Summons a temporary guardian that looks like a winged creature of light armed with a sword. The visual is similar to that of the Resurrection spell used by the paladin in Warcraft III. The guardian has a different effect depending on the talent spec of the paladin. For Holy paladins, the guardian heals the most wounded ally in the area. For Protection paladins, the guardian absorbs some incoming damage. For Retribution paladins, it damages an enemy, similar to the death knight Gargoyle or the Nibelung staff. 3-minute cooldown. 30-second duration (this might vary depending on which guardian appears).

This is a neat ability, if a little ill-defined. Ideally I hope for a talent in Ret that makes the guardian permanent; having a vengeful guardian angel at your side would be tops, but since it's billed as a Gargoyle-like cooldown I won't hold my breath.

Changes to Abilities and Mechanics
• Crusader Strike will be a core ability for all paladins, gained at level 1. We think the paladin leveling experience is hurt by not having an instant attack. Retribution will be getting a new talent in its place that either modifies Crusader Strike or replaces it completely.

Finally. Low-level paladins have an extra button to press until their spec of choice kicks in; Ret now kicks in at level 1. The new talent in its place is icing on the cake.

• Cleanse is being rebalanced to work with the new dispel system. It will dispel defensive magic (debuffs on friendly targets), diseases, and poisons.

Ret nerf, as outlined in the Dispel preview posted a few weeks back (defensive magic debuff is Holy only). Sucks for solo and PvP, but not too big a deal in PvE group content.

• Blessing of Might will provide the benefit of Wisdom as well. If you have two paladins in your group, one will do Kings on everyone and the other will do Might on everyone. There should be much less need, and ideally no need, to provide specific buffs to specific classes.

Love it. Buffing Wisdom as Ret is annoying; Holy does it better, Shaman's Manaspring Totem overwrites it (leading to people complaining that I'm not buffing it at all), and it gets confusing when buffing hybrid groups. Hoping Greater Blessing spells are changed to buff all raid members in range and not on a class-by-class basis.

• Holy Shock will be a core healing spell available to all paladins.

Did not expect this. In addition to another heal, this might give Ret another button to push as part of our rotation, depending on damage and mana efficiency issues. Could the Shockadin return under the banner of Retribution?

New Talents and Talent Changes
• We want to ease off the defensive capabilities of Retribution and Holy paladins slightly. We think the powerful paladin defenses have been one of the things holding Retribution paladins back, especially in Arenas. One change we’re considering is lowering Divine Shield’s duration by a couple of seconds. Having said that, Retribution does pretty well in Battlegrounds, and Battlegrounds will be a much bigger focus in Cataclysm since they can provide the best PvP rewards. Furthermore, the healing environment of Cataclysm is going to be different such that a paladin may not be able to fully heal themselves during the duration of Divine Shield to begin with, so this may not be a problem.

Now we get into speculation territory. In Vanilla and most of BC, the common bargaining posture for Ret buffs was giving up some or all of our shields. It seems Blizzard got the memo on that one. Still, they admit this might be a non-change, depending on Paladins' performance in Battlegrounds.

• We feel Retribution paladins need one more mechanic which involves some risk of the player pushing the wrong button, making the rotation a bit less forgiving. In addition, we want to add to this spec more PvP utility. Right now the successes of the Retribution paladin in PvP seem to be reduced to either doing decent burst damage, or just being good at staying alive.

Giving Ret a deeper DPS mechanic and PvP utility are talking points that have been repeated since release, and are repeated here as something to look forward to with no indication what these changes may be. It's disappointing they had to be repeated in this preview.

• We want to increase the duration of Sacred Shield to 30 minutes and keep the limit to one target. The intention is that the paladin can use it on their main healing target. That said, we would like to improve the Holy paladin toolbox and niche so that they don’t feel quite like the obvious choice for tank healing while perceived as a weak group healer.

The 30 minute Sacred Shield duration buff will probably be confined to the Holy tree, otherwise Ret will have no reason not to buff themselves with SS.

Mastery Passive Talent Tree Bonuses

Retribution
• Melee Damage
• Melee Critical Damage
• Holy Damage

Holy Damage: Any attack that does Holy damage will have its damage increased.

Concise, to the point, and a little boring. I was hoping for a new and interesting Mastery mechanic similar to that of Shadow Priests' and Balance Druids', but no such luck.

Ret burst at the beginning of WotLK was insane and Blizzard has since tried to nerf our burst while increasing our sustained DPS. The Paladin community rebelled, as they saw Ret as finally being viable after spending almost four years as a joke. I felt that our burst was way too crazy - it was incredibly easy to kill yourself from Seal of Blood's backlash damage just DPSing normally - but my solution was probably a little too simple. Virtually every talent in our tree added crit strike or critical damage to our abilities; Judgement alone had something like a 50% increased critical strike chance. Why couldn't some of the crit be throttled down or eliminated?

Currently Ret is in a good position in PvE, but a variable PvP position; it performs well in Battlegrounds and lower-ranking Arena matches, but underperforms at high end PvP. The Paladin community has been asking for years now for an interrupt and/or a gap closer, and have been summarily ignored mostly due to our variable perception of being too strong or too hard to kill. Ret's domination of 3.0 until Arena Season 4 reinforced the perception that Paladin was overtuned. Resilience didn’t exactly fix it, as had been promised, but the constant tuning down led to our current situation where Ret is fairly ineffective against most healers and targets with more than a few hundred Resilience.

In a vacuum, this preview is lackluster due to its lack of detail on important Paladin issues. However, I believe that work on Paladin can begin in earnest once it's taken out of this vacuum and placed in actual play with the myriad of other changes coming with Cataclysm.