9
\$\begingroup\$

At level 18, the Draconic Bloodline sorcerer gets the Draconic Presence feature which is basically an aura of fear/charm.

Its saving thrown is defined in the following way according to page 104 of the PHB.

each Hostile creature that starts its turn in this aura must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be Charmed (if you chose awe) or Frightened (if you chose fear) until the aura ends

No information is given on the DC of this Wisdom saving throw, does that mean it is a has a DC of 10 or is there something I am unaware of?

\$\endgroup\$

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
14
\$\begingroup\$

Use the spell save DC.

The Draconic Presence does not present indeed any indication about the DC for the Wisdom saving throw. Anyway, we can read in the Spellcasting ability section:

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to project your will into the world.

and moreover the description of Draconic Presence says (emphasis mine):

As an action, you can spend 5 sorcery points to draw on this power and exude an aura of awe or fear (your choice) to a distance of 60 feet. For 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were casting a concentration spell), [...]

Hence, since there is an explicit parallelism between Draconic Presence and casting a concentration spell, the DC for this feature is:

8 + Proficiency Bonus + CHA mod.

This is confirmed in some way also by the Frightful Presence feature of dragons: consider as an example an Adult White Dragon:

Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.

The DC is 14, which is exactly 8 plus the proficiency bonus (+5) plus the CHA mod (+1). Another example is the Ancient Red Dragon:

Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute.

The DC is 21: 8 plus 7 (proficiency bonus) plus 6 (CHA mod).

\$\endgroup\$
2
  • \$\begingroup\$ Would you also add the DC bonus provided by items such as the Bloodwell Vial to the total DC? \$\endgroup\$
    – edraqs
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 12:24
  • 2
    \$\begingroup\$ @edraqs Mmm, since this item explictly mentions spells' DC and spells' attack rolls, I wouldn't allow this bonus to stack with Draconic Presence, even if a generous DM could do so (by the same reasoning of my answer). \$\endgroup\$
    – Eddymage
    Commented Jun 9, 2021 at 12:47

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .