You’ve manifested some of the power of metallic dragons, granting you the following benefits:
Draconic Healing. You learn the Cure Wounds spell. You can cast this spell without expending a spell slot. Once you cast this spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast this spell using spell slots you have. The spell’s spellcasting ability is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma when you cast it with this feat (choose when you gain the feat).
Protective Wings. You can manifest protective wings that can shield you or others. When you or another creature you can see within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack roll, you can use your reaction to manifest spectral wings from your back for a moment. You grant a bonus to the target’s AC equal to your proficiency bonus against that attack roll, potentially causing it to miss. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Gift of the Metallic Dragon: The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Review by Sam West, Twitter:@CrierKobold
I’m on the record hating Cure Wounds; I find it's not worth the actions needed to cast it, and regularly is outshone by cheaper or faster healing options. I am also on the record stating how powerful I think Shield is; Gift of the Metallic Dragon gives you a free use of Cure Wounds, and multiple uses of a reaction comparable to Shield that also can defend ALLIES. It's a big deal. Gift of the Metallic Dragon is exceptional.
Firstly, I must say I am a bit of a sucker for the righteous platinum dragon paladin diving in front of a deadly Scorching Ray with their shield up. It's an epic fantasy to me, the draconic protector serving those in need, the selfless martyr character type. Gift of the Metallic Dragon is offering you tools to play that exact archetype. Draconic healing gives you a tool to get an ally up should they go down, which on characters without that ability is a MAJOR boon, even when attached to one of the worst healing spells in the game.
That on its own wouldn’t justify it, though; protective wings feature gives you a repetitive Shield effect that can defend yourself or, should you stay close together, any of your friends as well. Yes, it only lasts for the single attack unlike Shield which lasts the round, but it has multiple uses and scales with your total level, both meaningful upsides over Shield gained through something like Magic Initiate.
Aiding allies is the main selling point for me. This can encourage some fun collaborative strategies; a rogue with Gift of the Metallic Dragon, for example, can stick back with the wizard while they concentrate on a conjuration spell, firing arrows off at baddies and using protective wings to defend the wizard from ranged attacks that could break their precious concentration. A paladin now wants to stay close with their monk or barbarian allies to offer the bonus AC when attacks are looking dire, and only needs to do so after knowing if they were getting hit at all, making it harder to waste the feature. At its floor, you can always use it to defend yourself in a pinch and block some incoming damage from potentially devastating hits.
I like features that scale as the game progresses: Gift of the Metallic Dragon does that. I like feats that give you new toys to play with: Gift of the Metallic Dragon does that. I like feats that encourage cooperation between party members: Gifts of the Metallic Dragon does that. This is a feat I can get behind, with a solid design aimed towards people who want to play defense in a meaningful way. If that sounds appealing to you, give it a try.
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