TEXT: A Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game Supplement
  ISSUE 380  |  OCtObEr 2009
  
  Features
  Contents
   5 
  Player’s Handbook 3 debut: tHe seeker
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Commentary by Robert J. Schwalb and Stephen Radney-Macfarland
  The next class from Player’s Handbook 3 is here, exclusively on D&D Insider! 
  Learn about the seeker, an archer who controls the battlefield through the 
  mystical powers granted by her connection to the divine.
   18 
  abyssal Genasi
  By Peter Schaefer
  While most genasi are touched by one of five elements, some have a darker 
  heritage. Learn about those genasi whose bloodline has been tainted by the 
  Abyss.
   24 
  barbarian essentials
  By Rob Heinsoo
  Learn about the essential character building and play options for your 
  barbarian character, and get some new powers and mechanical options as 
  well.
   36 
  Wizard essentials
  By Eytan Bernstein
  Character building and tactical advice for your wizard character, as well as 
  some new spells and other options.
  ®
   45 
  CHaraCter ConCePts: Primal CHaraCters
  By John Zamarra
  Check out builds for levels 1–30 for a powerful shaman healer and a glaive-
  wielding warden, incorporating material from the Primal Power supplement.
   56 
  CHannel divinity: tHe raven Queen’s 
   
   
  CHamPions
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Those who serve the Lady of Fate are privy to mysteries others view with 
  envy. Unlock some of the secrets of the Raven Queen for your character!
   67 
  bazaar oF tHe bizarre: draGonsHard items
  By Eric Cagle
  New magic items using the magic of dragonshards are here.
   75 
  PlayinG vistani
  By Chris Sims
  Planar wanderers? Thieving gypsies? Kidnappers? The vistani have been 
  given many labels, but few understand this clannish group. Learn their 
  secrets, and discover what drives the vistani on their endless quest in the 
  first of a three-part series.
  
   84 
  PlayinG vistani: seCrets oF 
   
   
  tHe Caravans
  By Chris Sims
  The Playing Vistani series continues with feats and 
  other options for vistani characters.
   89 
  PlayinG vistani: maGiC 
   
   
  and mystery
  By Chris Sims
  The Playing Vistani series concludes with rituals and 
  magic items from the vistani caravans.
  Columns
  5
  56
  75
  on tHe Cover
  Illustration by Emrah Elmasli
     4 
  editorial
     92 
  desiGn & develoPment: Classes
  By Michele Carter and Bill Slavicsek
  Michele and Bill reminisce on Planescape as they 
  discuss Sigil’s inclusion in Dungeon Master’s Guide 2.
    94 
  ConFessions oF a Full-time Wizard
  By Shelly Mazzanoble
  D&D’s “Player-in-Chief” shares more of her 
  wisdom and insight.
    99 
  rPGa rePort
  By Chris Tulach
  The Living FR campaign is in full swing. Learn 
  more about how to get involved!
    103 amPersand
  By Bill Slavicsek
  Bill discusses more of the changes in store for 
  D&D in 2009.
  Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their 
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  com/dnd
  
  e D i T o R i A L
  	
  Editor-in-Chief	
  Chris Youngs
  	
  Senior	Art	Director	
  Jon Schindehette 
  	
  Web	Specialist	
  Chris Sims
   
  Web	Production	
  bart Carroll, Steve Winter
  	
  Graphic	Design	
  Keven Smith
  	
  Contributing	Authors	
  Eytan	Bernstein,	Eric	Cagle,	
  	
  	
  Michele	Carter,	Rob	Heinsoo,		
  	
  	
  Shelly Mazzanoble, Stephen 
   
   
  radney-MacFarland, Peter  
   
   
  Schaefer, robert J. Schwalb,  
   
   
  Chris Sims, bill Slavicsek, Chris  
   
   
  tulach, John Zamarra 
  	
  Developers 
  Stephen radney-MacFarland, 
   
   
  Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert,  
   
   
  Chris Sims, rodney thompson
   
  Editors 
  Michele Carter, Jeremy Crawford,  
   
   
  Miranda Horner
  	
  Cover	Artist	
  Emrah Elmasli
  	
  Contributing	Artists	
  Drew baker, Christopher burdett, 
   
   
  Emrah Elmasli, Jason A. Engle,  
   
   
  William O’Connor, David rapoza,  
   
   
  Evan Shipard, Matias tapia,  
   
   
  Eric L. Williams, Kieren Yanner
   
  Web	Development	
  Mark A. Jindra
  	
  D&D	Creative		Manager 
  Christopher Perkins
   
  Executive	Producer,
  	
  D&D	Insider 
  Chris Champagne
  	
  Director	of	RPG	R&D	
  bill Slavicsek
  Special	Thanks
  richard baker, Greg bilsland, Logan bonner, Michele Carter,  
  Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, Andy Collins, bruce r. Cordell, torah Cottrill, 
  Jeremy Crawford, Mike Donais, rob Heinsoo, Nina Hess, Peter Lee,  
  Mike Mearls, Kim Mohan, Cal Moore, Stephen radney-MacFarland, 
  Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett,  
  rodney thompson, rob Watkins, James Wyatt
  380
  Dr agon
  October 2009
  What You’re 
  Looking For
  it’s another big month here at Wizards of the Coast, 
  especially for Dungeons & Dragons. Since we didn’t 
  feel we’d shaken things up enough—or given our-
  selves enough to do—we went ahead and launched 
  a new D&D website. We hope you’re as happy with 
  this new site as we are. it’s been a labor of love for 
  well over a year now, and we think it shows the hard 
  work of everyone involved. We also think that users, 
  both new and old, will have a better experience on 
  the site, and that it’s never been easier to find the 
  content you’re looking for.
   
  But wait, there’s more!
   
  As you may have noticed, since we pushed all of 
  our DM support into Dungeon magazine, Wednes-
  days are looking pretty crowded on the content 
  calendar. We were pretty sure this would be a side 
  effect of the change, but building out the october 
  calendar really cemented this in our minds.
   
  in addition, we’ve come to recognize that player 
  content in Dragon magazine has grown, well, plump. 
  our features are routinely hitting ten pages and up, 
  and this makes for a lengthy online reading experi-
  ence. Plus, it means that we’re spending more words 
  on fewer topics. As a result, we’re making one more 
  significant change to how we’re approaching D&D 
  Insider content.
   
  Starting in November, we’re moving to a five-day-
  a-week content schedule. You might have seen this 
  writing on the wall, considering our new content cal-
  endar features five days in a week rather than three 
  like the old calendar.
   
  The biggest change (other than two extra days 
  of new content) is that we’re moving away from 
  extra-long feature articles. We’re still intending to 
  do several longer features each month, but they’ll 
  be about half the length of our longest features to 
  date. The rest of the month, we’re going to bring 
  you a series of shorter, 2- or 3-page articles focused 
  around a single concept, and typically tied together 
  with new mechanics. You’ll see many more Class 
  Acts articles in this new scheme, as well as articles 
  focused around races (Winning Races), faiths (Chan-
  nel Divinity articles), roles (Know Your Role), and 
  power source (Power Play), among others.
   
  Why these shorter, more frequent articles? We’ve 
  looked at articles our subscribers are download-
  ing the most, and this is the direction the data is 
  guiding us. The major reason, however, is that we 
  know bigger articles often mean that a given issue 
  doesn’t have something for every player. We’re 
  aiming to change that. if your class isn’t represented 
  one month, then your race, power source, role, or 
  another element of your character should be. if it 
  still isn’t, then let us know.
   
  Dragon has long attempted to be as inclusive of 
  every player as possible in a given month. Now we’re 
  taking steps to fully realize that vision, starting in 
  November. Stay tuned for next month’s content cal-
  endar, which will be hitting the site later this month.
  
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  5
  The Seeker
  illustrations by David Rapoza
  Mechanical Design by Robert J. Schwalb
  Commentary by Robert J. Schwalb,  
  and Stephen Radney—MacFarland
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  6
  “I am the lightning strike, the earth’s upheaval, the 
  unruly sea. I am the bringer of your destruction.”
  Class traits
  role:	Controller.	You	are	a	primal	hunter	who	forges	
  bonds	with	mysterious	spirits	to	gain	their	aid	in	bring-
  ing	down	your	prey.	Depending	on	your	choice	of	class	
  features,	you	lean	toward	either	defender	or	striker	as	
  a	secondary	role.
  Power source:	Primal.	Through	ancient	ceremonies	
  and	whispered	evocations,	you	call	on	primal	spirits	to	
  lend	their	might	to	your	cause.
  key abilities:	Wisdom,	Strength,	Dexterity
  armor Proficiencies: Cloth,	leather
  Weapon Proficiencies:	Simple	melee,	simple	ranged,	
  military	ranged
  bonus to defense:	+1	Reflex,	+1	Will
  Hit Points at 1st level:	12	+	Constitution	score
  Hit Points per level Gained:	5
  Healing surges per day:	7	+	Constitution	modifier
  trained skills: Nature.	From	the	class	skills	list	below,	
  choose	three	more	trained	skills	at	1st	level.
   
  Class	Skills:	Acrobatics	(Dex),	Athletics	(Str),	Endur-
  ance	(Con),	Heal	(Wis),	Insight	(Wis),	Intimidate	(Cha),	
  Nature	(Wis),	Perception	(Wis),	Stealth	(Dex)
  Class Features:	Inevitable	shot,	Seeker’s	Bond
  Seekers are primal champions who scour the wilder-
  ness in search of those who would defile it. Versed in 
  hunting techniques handed down through the gen-
  erations, seekers combine thrown weapon and bow 
  techniques with primal evocations. The combination 
  allows seekers great range in which to deliver deadly 
  attacks that confound and hamper their enemies. 
  Commentary
  robert J. Schwalb: For the Player’s Handbook 3, we 
  wanted to expand the family of primal classes to include 
  a new controller. i pitched several options, laying out 
  routes we could go. We ultimately decided the most dis-
  tinctive an interesting concept was a weapon-wielding 
  controller, something we hadn’t tried before. The seeker 
  would imbue his or her ammunition with primal energies 
  and then rain them on her foes at a distance. By putting 
  a weapon in the seekers hand and focusing on ranged 
  attacks allowed the class to stake out its own territory 
  without trampling on the druid.
  Stephen radney-macFarland: Since the early devel-
  opment of 4th edition, some of us in RPG R&D have 
  pondered what a weapon-using or even a martial control-
  ler would look like. While a number of ideas have found 
  voice within and without the development and design 
  pits, none gained traction until the seeker. The primal 
  power source and the mythic hunter theme were the 
  hooks we needed to make this idea sing.
  Srm: The first time i read this section, i got an image 
  of a seeker, barbarian, warden, and shaman—a complete 
  primal party—stumbling out of the wilderness, focused 
  on the threat in the distance: a walled city. i wanted to 
  run (or play in) a campaign where a city was the dungeon 
  for a group primal users.
  rJS: Seekers use ranged attacks and burst attacks within 
  their weapon’s range. Bow-wielding seekers can outstrip 
  other controllers in distance while usually focusing their 
  attacks against a single opponent at a time. Many powers 
  apply control conditions on enemies adjacent to the 
  seeker’s targets, thus echoing the more traditional area 
  attack powers possessed by other controllers such as the 
  wizard and invoker.
  When a seeker looses a missile, the primal spirits 
  bound to it through ancient evocations are freed, 
  sometimes as terrifying beasts and sometimes as 
  nature’s raw destructive potential.
   
  As a seeker, you are both a hunter and a mystic. 
  You attune yourself to the wilderness you call your 
  home, but you are equally tied to the spirits that 
  dwell in the world around you. With your people’s 
  traditions and whispered advice from the spirits, 
  you navigate the wilds with ease, at home as any 
  beast. if an enemy appears, you have nothing to fear, 
  both because you have mastered your weapons and 
  because the spirits to whom you have bound your-
  self add their savage might to your attacks. Whether 
  you use lightning strikes, grasping vines, or spectral 
  beasts, your enemies cannot stand against your 
  assault.
  Seeker Class Features
  Seekers have the following class features.
  Inevitable Shot
  You gain the inevitable shot power. You can use this 
  power to call on spirits to send your projectile hurling 
  toward another enemy when you miss with a ranged 
  attack.
  Seeker’s Bond
  Seekers develop special bonds with primal spirits by 
  offering solemn vows to further the spirits’ purposes. 
  in exchange for these vows, the spirits bestow a mea-
  sure of their strength to aid their champions’ cause.
   
  one of the Seeker’s Bond options is presented 
  here. it provides bonuses to certain seeker powers, as 
  detailed in those powers.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  7
   
  Bloodbond: You gain the encaging spirits power. in 
  addition, while you are not wearing heavy armor, you 
  can shift as a minor action.
   
  religion: Like other primal characters, seekers 
  view the world’s primal spirits as kindred and part-
  ners, and they venerate them more than they worship 
  the gods. Seekers who do follow deities commonly 
  worship Melora for her dominion over the forces of 
  nature, Corellon (who is sometimes depicted as the 
  founder of archery), Kord, or Sehanine. Evil seekers 
  sometimes follow Gruumsh or Zehir.
   
  races: Elves and shifters are the most common 
  seekers, since both their natural inclinations toward 
  primal paths and their inherent abilities make them 
  well matched with the capabilities of the class. Goli-
  aths who favor ranged combat sometimes become 
  seekers (preferring thrown weapons over bows 
  or crossbows), and wilden seekers are also fairly 
  common.
  Creating a Seeker
  All seekers depend on Wisdom to commune with the 
  spirits to guide them and aid in their attacks. Seekers 
  bind themselves with spirits through their Seeker’s 
  of your enemies and avoid their attacks. You lean 
  toward striker as a secondary role.
   
  Suggested Class Feature: Bloodbond
   
  Suggested Feat: improved initiative
   
  Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, 
   
   
  Stealth
   
  Suggested at-Will Powers: elemental spirits, 
   
   
  stinging swarm
   
  Suggested encounter Power: flickering arrow
   
  Suggested Daily Power: storm of spirit shards
  Seeker Powers
  Your powers are evocations gained from the bonds 
  you forge with primal spirits. Unlike most other con-
  trollers, you use weapons to direct your spirit allies 
  and their destructive wrath, launching arrows or 
  throwing other ranged weapons into your enemies’ 
  midst, only to watch your weapons explode in scorch-
  ing lightning or booming thunder. Your attacks can 
  also herald the appearance of the spirits themselves, 
  calling them forth to assail your enemies.
  Class Features
  each seeker has the inevitable shot power. You also 
  gain a power from Bloodbond, your Seeker’s Bond: 
  encaging spirits.
  encaging spirits 
  seeker Feature
  You call on protecting spirits to harry your foes.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  minor action 
  Close burst 1
   Level 11: Close burst 2
   Level 21: Close burst 3
  target: Each enemy in burst
  effect: You push each target 1 square, and each target is
    slowed until the end of your next turn.
  Commentary
  rJS: The Bloodbond class feature establishes the seeker 
  as a secondary striker. i envisioned this seeker style as 
  mobile artillery, always moving, always adjusting to the 
  battelfield’s developments, and then hitting enemies from 
  the direction they least expect.
  Srm: The blood bond is tailor made for bow-using seek-
  ers. Both the encaging spirit power and the shifty part of 
  the class feature are there to make sure the seeker can 
  keep the arrows flying. it’s also a nod to those players 
  who’ve had kobold envy ever since those first encounter 
  in Keep on the Shadowfell
  rJS: Before the seeker, the longbow was most often found 
  in the archer ranger’s hands. Sure, other classes could 
  use them, but a longbow in a barbarian’s hands is as 
  worthwhile as a wand in a fighter’s. While this feels right 
  for the ranger, the longbow’s absence in the game for 
  other characters as a favored weapon is conspicuous. The 
  seeker expands utility for the longbow (and associated 
  weapons) without diminishing the ranger as the preemi-
  nent archer. instead, they can now share this title, each 
  putting a different spin on this weapon.
  Seeker Overview
   
  Characteristics: Your arrows or thrown weap-
  ons loose primal power when used. they might 
  manifest as primal spirits hungering for revenge 
  or as icy winds or crackling lightning. Your 
  powers control your enemies, interfering with 
  their movement, holding them in place, or injur-
  ing them for their actions. Also, your attacks 
  might call forth spirits to worry your enemies 
  and pursue them across the battlefield.
  Bond. The Bloodbond and Spiritbond are the most 
  common, and your choice corresponds with one of 
  two seeker builds. Regardless of your particular bond, 
  however, you can choose whatever powers best help 
  you to keep your vow.
  Vengeful Seeker
  You have witnessed nature’s destruction and its 
  plunder by cruel and careless mortals. No longer will 
  you wait; vengeance demands blood. A blood oath 
  sees you hunting down and destroying the world’s 
  enemies, and those who despoil it will find no mercy 
  from you. Wisdom is your most important ability, fol-
  lowed by Dexterity to help keep you one step ahead 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  8
  Commentary
  rJS: A distinctive class feature goes a long way toward 
  making a class pop. inevitable shot is a subtle, but very 
  important game element. By the numbers, it gives you 
  a chance to deal damage on a missed encounter attack 
  power. For story, it reinforces the notion that the seeker 
  is binding primal spirits in his weapon and suggests 
  they are not about to let the enemy go unpunished. i 
  can totally see an arrow sprouting wings and punching 
  through a nearby foe hiding behind a rock. 
  Srm: inevitable shot is not only useful in making sure 
  you’re getting that nice controller damage output even 
  when the dice run a tad cold, it’s also fun as hell. During 
  playtests, i loved nailing sneaky enemies hiding around 
  corners or behind barriers. We also added a family of 
  seeker powers that could be used as basic melee attacks 
  (including the stinging swarm at-will power) to gain some 
  extra effects, and allow you to retain accuracy without 
  having to split your ability scores.
  Srm: The seeker has a fair number of zones and effects 
  triggering when an enemy ends its turn in an area. This 
  allows the seeker to play well with other controllers 
  and defenders, and let us increase some of the upfront 
  damage of many powers, since often it’s the target’s 
  choice whether or not they’ll take that damage.
  inevitable shot 
  seeker Feature
  Even as your target ducks under your shot, the projectile moves 
  on its own to find another enemy.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: You miss a creature with a ranged attack
  effect: You make a ranged basic attack against an enemy 
  within 5 squares of the creature you missed, using that 
  creature’s space as the attack’s origin square.
  special: You regain the use of this power when you spend an 
  action point.
  Level 1 At-Will Evocations
  elemental spirits 
  seeker attack 1
  Whether taking the form of blazing flame, crackling ice, siz-
  zling lightning, or thunderous storm, elemental spirits shoot 
  forth to do your enemy harm.
  at-Will ✦ Primal, Weapon; varies
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  special: Choose cold, fire, lightning, or thunder whenever 
  you use this power. Your choice determines the power’s 
  damage type.
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage of the chosen type. Until 
  the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn 
  adjacent to the target takes damage of the chosen type
    equal to your Dexterity modifier.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage of the chosen 
  type.
  stinging swarm 
  seeker attack 1
  Stinging spirit insects swarm around your enemy.
  at-Will ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target and each 
  enemy adjacent to it take a –2 penalty to attack rolls until 
  the start of your next turn.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  thorn Cloud shot 
  seeker attack 1
  Thorn-covered vines sprout up from the ground around the 
  enemy you strike.
  at-Will ✦ Poison, Primal, Weapon, zone
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. the attack creates a 
  zone in a burst 1 centered on the target. the zone lasts 
  until the start of your next turn. Any creature that ends its 
  turn within the zone takes poison damage equal to your 
  Wisdom modifier.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
  Level 1 encounter evocations
  Flickering arrow 
  seeker attack 1
  With a flash, primal motes of light illuminate your target and 
  dazzle those nearby.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d6 + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, the target can’t benefit from cover, conceal-
  ment, or total concealment, and enemies take a –2 penalty 
  to attack rolls while within 2 squares of the target.
   bloodbond: Enemies take the penalty while within a number 
  squares of the target equal to 2 + your Dexterity modifier.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  9
  spider spirits 
  seeker attack 1
  The spider spirit sends forth its children to harry your foes.
  encounter ✦ Poison, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d8 + Wisdom modifier poison damage, and the 
  target is slowed and takes a –2 penalty to all defenses until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 1 Daily Evocations
  Fungal blooms 
  seeker attack 1
  When your projectile strikes your foe, the air fills with spores 
  that create quivering puffballs where they land.
  daily ✦ Conjuration, Poison, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the primary target 
  is immobilized (save ends).
  effect: You conjure four fungal blooms in four different squares 
  adjacent to the primary target. A fungal bloom can make 
  the following secondary attack, using the fungal bloom’s 
  square as the origin square. Once a fungal bloom attacks, 
  it disappears. It otherwise lasts until the end of the 
  encounter.
   
  opportunity action Close burst 1
   
  trigger: An enemy enters the fungal bloom’s square
   
  secondary target: Each enemy in burst
   
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
    Hit: Wisdom modifier poison damage.
  storm of spirit shards 
  seeker attack 1
  Your projectile becomes a burst of spirit shards, which rain 
  down on your foes.
  daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  area burst 1 within weapon range
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 2d6 + Wisdom modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  Commentary
  rJS: i’ll confess, i designed a spell for 3rd edition for the 
  Player’s Handbook 2 that did something similar to this 
  evocation. it did not make the cut then, but i’m delighted 
  to see that it lives again, this time in print!  The point of 
  this power and other powers like it is to give players a bit 
  of environmental control over the battlefield. i think it’s 
  pretty sexy when a player can create a terrain feature for 
  the enemies to enjoy. Many fights present features that 
  hinder or damage PCs, so giving this kind of tool opens 
  up new tactical choices on the battlefield.
  Level 2 Utility Evocations
  Hunter’s instinct 
  seeker utility 2
  In the middle of battle, you know where to strike and make it 
  hurt the most.
  daily ✦ Primal, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the stance ends, when you make a ranged weap-
  on attack against any creature within 2 squares of you, you 
  can score a critical hit on a roll of 19–20.
  stag’s Grace 
  seeker utility 2
  With spirit-granted grace, you move and attack in a way that 
  prevents your foe from taking advantage of your attention 
  being elsewhere.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  minor action 
   
  Personal
  effect: Choose one enemy you can see. Until the end of your 
  next turn, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from 
  that enemy.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  10
  Level 3 Encounter Evocations
  escaping shot 
  seeker attack 3
  Brandishing your weapon, you call forth spirits to stupefy your 
  enemy.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and the target 
  is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  effect: You shift 1 square.
  bloodbond: the number of squares you shift equals your 
  Dexterity modifier.
  special: Making this attack doesn’t provoke an opportunity 
  attack from the target.
  Winter spirit 
  seeker attack 3
  Winter spirits swirl and dance in eddies of snow that appear 
  where your attack falls.
  encounter ✦ Cold, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier cold damage, and the target is 
  immobilized until the end of its next turn.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  Commentary
  rJS: This power is a good example of how seekers control 
  the battlefield. Regardless of whether the primary attack 
  hits or misses, enemies have to contend with the primal 
  spirits unleashed around the target..
  Level 5 Daily Evocations
  Corralling shot 
  seeker attack 5
  Your projectile divides midflight into three barbs, which thrust 
  two foes toward a third.
  daily✦ Primal, reliable, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
  effect: Make a secondary attack.
   
  secondary target: One or two creatures that are within 5 
  squares of the primary target
   
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
   Hit: 1[W] damage, and you slide the secondary target 5 
  squares to a square adjacent to the primary target.
  ensnaring shot 
  seeker attack 5
  Just before your shot strikes your foe, the projectile explodes 
  into tiny, burrowing seeds that grow into binding vines.
  daily ✦ Primal, Weapon, zone
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the primary target 
  is restrained (save ends).
  effect: the attack creates a zone of difficult terrain in a burst 1 
  centered on the primary target. the zone lasts until the end 
  of your next turn. Until the zone ends, you can make the 
  following secondary attack, using a square within the zone 
  as the origin square.
   
  opportunity action Close burst 1
   
  trigger: An enemy enters the zone or starts its turn there
   
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
   
  secondary target: the triggering enemy in burst
   
  Hit: the secondary target is immobilized (save ends).
  sustain minor: the zone persists.
  Level 6 Utility Evocations
  blurring stride 
  seeker utility 6
  When you move across the battlefield, you become less and 
  less distinct.
  daily ✦ illusion, Primal
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: You assume a blurry form until the end of your next 
  turn. Until this form ends, if you end a move action at least 
  3 squares from where you started, you gain concealment 
  until the end of your next turn.
  sustain minor: the form persists.
  earthbond Gift 
  seeker utility 6
  When at your weakest, you draw renewing strength from the 
  land.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  minor action 
   
  Personal
  requirement: You must be bloodied or weakened.
  effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your Wis-
  dom modifier. If you are weakened, you can make a saving 
  throw, and if you save, the condition ends on you.
  Level 7 Encounter Evocations
  thunder spirit 
  seeker attack 7
  A distant rumble sounds, portending what will happen when 
  your missile finds its mark.
  encounter ✦ Primal, thunder, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier thunder damage, and the target 
  falls prone and is deafened until the end of your next turn.
   bloodbond: Each enemy adjacent to the target takes thunder 
  damage equal to your Dexterity modifier and is deafened 
  until the end of your next turn.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  11
  Wasp sting shot 
  Seeker Attack 7
  Vicious wasps fill the air around your enemy, adding their 
  stingers to your weapon’s bite.
  encounter ✦ Poison, Primal, Weapon, zone
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d6 + Wisdom modifier poison damage. the 
  attack creates a zone in a burst 1 centered on the target. 
  the zone lasts until the end of your next turn. Any enemy 
  that enters the zone or starts its turn there takes poison 
  damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  Level 9 Daily Evocations
  binding shot 
  seeker attack 9
  Two shots leap toward your foes, and when the shots strike, 
  tendrils spread out to bind the foes together.
  daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: two creatures within 5 squares of each other
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: If both attacks hit, you slide one of the targets 5 squares 
  to a square adjacent to the other target, and each target is 
  bound by vines (save ends). Until this effect ends on a tar-
  get, that target can’t move by any means to a square that 
  isn’t adjacent to the other target. When a target makes
    a saving throw against this effect, the target can take 10 
  damage to gain a +5 bonus to the saving throw.
  Level 10 Utility Evocations
  Host of sparrows 
  seeker utility 10
  As you are hurt, you dissipate into a host of sparrows, flying to 
  re-form farther away.
  daily ✦ Polymorph, Primal
  immediate reaction 
  Personal
  trigger: You are damaged by an attack
  effect: You assume the form of a cloud of flying sparrows until 
  the start of your next turn, and you fly your speed without 
  provoking opportunity attacks. While in this form, you are 
  insubstantial, you can’t attack, and you can’t pick up or 
  manipulate objects. If you are still airborne at the start of
    your turn, you land without taking falling damage.
  sheltering underbrush 
  seeker utility 10
  Vines and undergrowth burst forth to shelter you.
  daily ✦ Primal, zone
  minor action 
   
  Close burst 2
  effect: the burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of your 
  next turn. You and your allies have cover while within the 
  zone, and the zone is difficult terrain for your enemies.
  sustain minor: the zone persists.
  Level 13 Encounter Evocations
  raven Wing shot 
  Seeker Attack 13
  Avian shadows swirl and flutter about your prey, their talons 
  leaving bloody rents.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. If the target 
  doesn’t end its next turn at least 2 squares away from its 
  starting position, it takes 1d8 damage.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  Commentary
  Srm: Many of the seeker’s powers have both weapon 
  damage and dice damage. early incarnation of the seeker 
  used weapons as implements (much like the swordmage), 
  but in development we decided to go with a weapon-only 
  route. We tried expressing the damage only in weapon 
  dice, but found it lacked some numbers nuance and 
  flavor that we wanted seeker powers to have. A mix of 
  weapon damage and flat damage allowed us to not only 
  illustrate what the power was doing more clearly in some 
  powers, but also gave us more room in scaling damage 
  and balancing effects.
  HoST oF SPARRoWS
  rJS: i’ve been experimenting with this idea for a while, 
  so this is perhaps one of my favorite powers. There’s 
  something about doing the Voltron and splitting into lots 
  of different pieces only to reform some distance away.
  Srm: Though not nearly metal enough for my tastes, i 
  just love what the hosts of sparrows power does and how 
  it does it. it’s one of those powers that when the first time 
  it goes off and you describe its effect, everyone at the table 
  just whispers, “wow.” When my seeker uses it, i’m going 
  to reflavor it to host of bats. Now that’s metal!
  squall spirit 
  seeker attack 9
  Spawned from raging spring storms, the squall spirits strike 
  your foes with primal fury.
  daily ✦ lightning, Primal, thunder, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier lightning damage, 
  and each enemy adjacent to the target takes 5 thunder 
  damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  12
  swarming spirits 
  seeker attack 13
  Angry bees follow your missile, swarming around your enemy 
  until it cannot see and pestering other enemies nearby.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of your 
  next turn, the target is blinded, and enemies take a –2 pen-
  alty to attack rolls while within 2 squares of the target.
    bloodbond: Enemies take the penalty while within a 
  number squares of the target equal to 2 + your Dexterity 
  modifier.
  Level 15 Daily Evocations
  Corrosive slime 
  seeker attack 15
  Your missile slams into the foe, causing its skin to bubble. Cor-
  rosive ropes of slime then burst from it and burn your other 
  enemies.
  daily ✦ acid, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier acid damage, and the target and 
  each enemy adjacent to it take ongoing 10 acid damage 
  (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and each enemy adjacent to the target 
  takes 5 acid damage.
  effect: Any creature reduced to 0 hit points by this power 
  dissolves into a puddle of corrosive slime that fills the crea-
  ture’s space. Until the end of the encounter, any creature 
  that enters that space or starts its turn there takes 5 acid 
  damage.
  Wave of sleep 
  seeker attack 15
  Your projectile dissolves into a blast of sand that lodges in your 
  opponents’ eyes, causing unendurable fatigue.
  daily ✦ Primal, sleep, Weapon
  standard action 
  area burst 2 within weapon range
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: the target is dazed (save ends).
    First Failed saving throw: the target is unconscious in-
  stead of dazed (save ends).
  miss: the target is dazed (save ends).
  Level 16 Utility Evocations
  bramble Hide 
  seeker utility 16
  Thorny vines emerge from your skin, promising pain to any 
  who try to harm you.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 bonus 
  to AC, and any creature that hits you with a melee attack 
  takes 10 + your Wisdom modifier damage.
  sure sight 
  seeker utility 16
  Your missiles shine with emerald light, and no earthly force 
  can block your sight.
  daily ✦ Primal
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain darkvision, ig-
  nore concealment and total concealment, and are immune 
  to the blinded condition.
  Level 17 Encounter Evocations
  Flesh-tether shot 
  seeker attack 17
  The missile punches through your enemy, dragging some of its 
  viscera with it as it slams into the ground. It can move, but it’s 
  going to hurt.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. If the target moves 
  before the end of your next turn, it takes 5 damage and is 
  dazed until the end of its next turn.
  bloodbond: the target also grants combat advantage until the 
  end of your next turn.
  sprite dance 
  seeker attack 17
  Cunning sprites emerge from the Feywild to dance with your 
  enemies and draw them into danger across the battlefield.
  encounter ✦ Primal, teleportation, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you teleport the 
  target 5 squares. One ally adjacent to the destination space 
  can then make a melee basic attack against the target as an 
  immediate reaction.
  Commentary
  Srm: Sure sight may be the ultimate archer utility 
  power. if William Tell could pick a seeker power, i’m 
  pretty sure it would be this one.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  13
  Level 19 Daily Evocations
  avenging spirits 
  seeker attack 19
  A well-placed shot calls forth primal spirits that carry your 
  enemy’s pain to your other enemies.
  daily ✦ Conjuration, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage.
  effect: You conjure four avenging spirits in four different 
  squares adjacent to the primary target. Each spirit can 
  make the following secondary attack, using the spirit’s 
  square as the origin square. Once a spirit attacks, it disap-
  pears. It otherwise lasts until the end of the encounter.
   
  opportunity action Close burst 1
   
  trigger: An enemy enters the spirit’s square
   
  secondary target: Each enemy in burst
   
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
   Hit: 5 + Wisdom modifier damage.
  Captivating missile 
  seeker attack 19
  When your missile strikes, blue and green light plays across 
  your foe briefly as you establish control over its mind.
  daily ✦ Charm, Primal, reliable, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is domi-
  nated (save ends).
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  Level 22 Utility Evocations
  nature’s Passage 
  seeker utility 22
  For a time, you walk partly in the world and partly in the 
  realm of the spirits.
  daily ✦ Primal, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the stance ends, you are phasing.
  spirit Guide 
  seeker utility 22
  Spirits guide your aim, helping you strike a distant foe.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: You gain a +5 power bonus to the next ranged attack 
  roll you make before the end of your turn.
  Level 23 Encounter Evocations
  agonizing shot 
  seeker attack 23
  You strike your foe in a sensitive spot, and if the foe retreats, 
  the wound becomes more painful.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
   target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 2d6 + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end 
  of your next turn, the target takes 5 damage whenever it 
  moves on its turn or uses an attack power.
    bloodbond: Add your Dexterity modifier to the damage 
  the target takes whenever it moves on its turn or uses an 
  attack power.
  Quill storm 
  seeker attack 23
  When your projectile hits your enemy, long quills tear from it 
  and fly outward.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 1[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. Make a second-
  ary attack that is an area burst 3 centered on the primary 
  target.
  secondary target: Each creature in burst other than the 
  primary target
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 1d8 damage, and the secondary target takes a –2 penalty 
  to attack rolls (save ends).
  Level 25 Daily Evocations
  bloody sirocco 
  seeker attack 25
  A fetid wind carries your missile into the heart of your foes 
  and delivers a sickening stench.
  daily ✦ Poison, Primal, Weapon, zone
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target 
  and each enemy adjacent to it are dazed (save ends).
  effect: the attack creates a zone in a burst 1 centered on the 
  target. the zone lasts until you dismiss it as a minor action 
  or until the end of the encounter. Any creature that ends its 
  turn within the zone takes 10 poison damage. As a move 
  action, you can move the zone 4 squares.
  Commentary
  Srm: Avenging sprits is part of a string of powers that 
  places conjurations on the battlefield adjacent to the pri-
  mary target. These conjurations in turn attack creatures 
  that enter their space. Combine these with the powers 
  with those that punish enemies for ending their turn in 
  an area, and you can that a good many of the seeker’s con-
  trol power keep enemies pinned down and hedge in.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  14
  lightning burst 
  seeker attack 25
  At your command, tiny sparks grow into humanoid shapes 
  formed from lightning that dance and scorch your enemies.
  daily ✦ lightning, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  Primary target: One or two creatures
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier lightning damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Make a secondary attack for each primary target. Each 
  attack is an area burst 1 centered on a different primary 
  target.
  secondary target: Each creature in burst other than the 
  primary targets
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
    Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier lightning damage.
  Level 27 Encounter Evocations
  devouring arrow 
  seeker attack 27
  Your projectile rots as it flies toward your foe, until nothing but 
  horrid maggots remain to feast on the foe.
  encounter ✦ necrotic, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, and the target 
  and each creature adjacent to it are weakened until the 
  end of your next turn.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  razor Hail 
  seeker attack 27
  Your projectile splinters into a cloud of razor-sharp icicles that 
  rip flesh and then melt away in a crimson flood.
  encounter ✦ Cold, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  area burst 2 within weapon range
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier cold damage. If the target moves 
  more than half its speed on its next turn, it falls prone at 
  the end of that turn.
    bloodbond: If the target moves at all on its next turn, it 
  grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn.
  Level 29 Daily Evocations
  baleful shot 
  seeker attack 29
  The foe you strike with your projectile warps and twists excru-
  ciatingly, the sight of which rattles your enemies.
  daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is 
  stunned (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
  effect: Any enemy that can see the target and isn’t immune to 
  fear takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the start of your 
  next turn. 
  uttercold 
  seeker attack 29
  Heat flees the target of your attack, freezing the target solid.
  daily ✦ Cold, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + 2d8 + Wisdom modifier cold damage, and the 
  target is restrained and gains vulnerable 10 to all damage 
  (save ends both). In addition, any enemy that starts its turn 
  adjacent to the target takes 5 cold damage and is slowed 
  until the start of its next turn.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is slowed (save ends).
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  15
  ParagOn PathS
  Crimson Hunter
  “There is nowhere to hide, prey, for your blood stinks of 
  your fear.”
   
  Prerequisite: Seeker
  The spirits demand recompense for crimes com-
  mitted against the natural world, and they accept 
  payment only in blood. You are their collector. You 
  range the land to exact the price your enemies must 
  pay for violating the world. You are a relentless 
  hunter, ruthless in your mien, and efficient in your 
  methods.
   
  The spirits aid you in your efforts by imparting 
  to you the ancient hunting methods of your people. 
  Though your ancestors used these techniques to 
  bring down game, you find them equally effective in 
  eliminating your foes. each time an enemy falls, you 
  reaffirm your bond to your spirit guides, offering the 
  fallen enemy as a sacrifice to slake their thirst until 
  you next come upon a deserving foe.
   
  As a crimson hunter, you focus on the striker ele-
  ments found in many seeker evocations. The smell of 
  blood provokes you, letting you move more quickly 
  to engage your enemies. These techniques allow you 
  to close the distance to bring an enemy in range or to 
  skirt the battlefield for your next strike.
  Crimson Hunter Evocations
  ravaging shot 
  Crimson Hunter attack 11
  You draw from your ancestors’ insights to guide your shots.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target gains 
  vulnerable 5 to all damage until the end of your next turn.
  special: You can use this power as a ranged basic attack.
  Hunter’s mobility 
  Crimson Hunter utility 12
  An enemy’s momentary weakness gives you the chance to 
  adjust your position.
  encounter ✦ Primal
  immediate reaction 
  Personal
  trigger: An enemy you can see is bloodied by an attack
  effect: You shift half your speed.
  bloody despair 
  Crimson Hunter Attack 20
  Your careful shot nudges the enemy into despair, robbing it of 
  some of its strength.
  daily ✦ Primal, reliable, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One bloodied creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is weak-
  ened (save ends). the target takes a –5 penalty to saving 
  throws against this effect until the end of its next turn.
  Commentary
  rJS: Comparisons between the seeker and ranger are 
  inevitable and knowing this, it was important to pro-
  vide mechanical options for players who want a more 
  “woodsy” ranger. This paragon path speaks to the striker 
  secondary role and allows players the option to tailor 
  their fighting style to defeat the enemy, one foe at a time.
  Srm: The crimson hunter was purposely developed as a 
  paragon path that both the single class and the multiclass 
  seeker would be happy to take. its focus on speed and 
  devastating ranged basic attacks will make many archer 
  characters happy, but it works especially well with the 
  seeker’s attack power that can be used in place of ranged 
  basic attacks.
  Crimson Hunter Path Features
   
  Swift action (11th level): When you spend an 
  action point to take an extra action, you gain a +1 
  bonus to speed until the end of the encounter.
   
  accurate arrow (11th level): You gain a +1 
  bonus to the attack rolls of your ranged basic attacks.
   
  Keen missile (16th level): When you make a 
  ranged basic attack, you can score a critical hit on a 
  roll of 19–20.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  16
  Seven Fates Archer
  “Go forth, spirits, and make true the portents of my ene-
  mies’ defeat.”
   
  Prerequisite: Seeker
  Spirits are everywhere in the world, from haunted 
  forests to windswept mountains. These entities can be 
  nothing more than wild emotions given half-realized 
  form or can possess vast intelligence, with memories 
  stretching back to the world’s earliest days. You turn 
  to these spirits to help you protect the world, drawing 
  from their vast and mysterious power to glimpse your 
  enemies’ fates and bring about their final ends.
   
  Communing with the land’s spirits reveals pos-
  sible futures, from which you pluck the strands of fate 
  that coincide best with your travels, and you weave 
  those strands into your bowstring. Arrows fired from 
  the bow carry with them the fates your enemies 
  deserve.
   
  This paragon path is one of guardianship. Just as 
  you can harry enemies by loosing spirits at them, so 
  too can you alter the fates of those around you. These 
  techniques help keep your allies from harm, even as 
  you frustrate and confound your foes.
  Seven Fates Archer Path Features
   
  guarding Shot (11th level): Whenever you 
  make a ranged attack, you can take a –2 penalty to 
  the attack roll against one of the targets to grant a +2 
  bonus to the AC of one ally adjacent to that target. 
  The bonus lasts until the end of your next turn.
   
  Pinning action (11th level): When you spend 
  an action point to make a ranged basic attack, targets 
  hit by the attack are also immobilized and grant 
  combat advantage until the end of your next turn.
   
  opportunity Shot (16th level): Whenever you 
  can make an opportunity attack, you can make a 
  ranged basic attack in place of a melee basic attack. 
  Your attack doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks.
  Seven Fates Archer Evocations
  spirit shackles 
  seven Fates archer attack 11
  When your projectile hits, primal spirits pull at your target, 
  slowing it down.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  area burst 1 within weapon range
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 1[W] + 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is 
  slowed until the end of your next turn.
  intercepting shot seven Fates archer utility 12
  Reacting with instinctive speed, you intercept an enemy’s 
  attack.
  encounter ✦ Primal, Weapon
  immediate interrupt 
  ranged weapon
  trigger: An enemy hits an ally adjacent to you with a ranged 
  attack
  target: the triggering enemy
  effect: Make a ranged basic attack against the target with a –2 
  penalty to the attack roll. Your attack has no effect on the 
  target, whether it hits or misses. However, if it hits, the ally 
  gains a +5 bonus to all defenses against the triggering en-
  emy’s attack, and if that attack still hits, the ally takes only
    half damage from it.
  Wrath of the spirit World 
   
  seven Fates archer attack 20
  Your missile’s impact into the ground calls forth a pack of 
  angry spirits to harry your foes.
  daily ✦ Conjuration, Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  area burst 3 within weapon range
  effect: You conjure five angry spirits in five different unoccu-
  pied squares in the burst. the spirits occupy their squares, 
  and they last until the end of your next turn. You and your 
  allies can gain cover from the spirits and can move through 
  their squares. While adjacent to any of the spirits, enemies
    take a –2 penalty to attack rolls. When the spirits appear, 
  each one makes the following melee attack.
   
  target: One enemy adjacent to the spirit
   
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
   
  Hit: 1[W] damage, and the target is knocked prone.
  Commentary
  Srm: While crimson hunter leans striker, this paragon 
  path is all about control. if it leans toward any second-
  ary roll, it would be leader. Guardian shot and pinning 
  actions path features, along with intercepting shot all 
  make sure that your allies are taken care of while you’re 
  laying down damage and control.
  rJS: The seven fates archer injects a bit of defender into 
  your seeker class. While maybe not the first choice for 
  an aggressive controller the vengeful seeker often is, this 
  paragon path allows you to temper your offense with 
  good defense.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Seeker
  17
  Seeker FeatS
  Bloodied Elusion
   
  Prerequisite: Seeker, Bloodbond class feature
   
  Benefit: When you are bloodied by any attack, 
  you can shift 1 square as a free action.
  Inescapable Shot
   
  Prerequisite: Seeker, inevitable shot power
   
  Benefit: When you use your inevitable shot, you 
  can make the ranged basic attack against an enemy 
  within 10 squares of the creature you missed, instead 
  of an enemy within 5 squares.
  Strengthened Bond
   
  Prerequisite: Seeker, Seeker’s Bond class feature
   
  Benefit: The first time you are bloodied during an 
  encounter, you regain the use of your Seeker’s Bond 
  power if it is expended.
  Bloodbond Wrath
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, seeker, Bloodbond class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: The targets of your encaging spirits power 
  grant combat advantage to you until the end of your 
  next turn.
  Inevitable Volley
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, seeker, inevitable shot 
  power
   
  Benefit: When you use your inevitable shot, you 
  can make two ranged basic attacks instead of one, 
  each against a different target.
  Inevitable Accuracy
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, seeker, inevitable shot 
  power
   
  Benefit: When you use your inevitable shot and 
  don’t hit with it, you regain the use of inevitable shot. 
  about the authors
  robert J. Schwalb works as a freelance designer for Wizards 
  of the Coast. His recent credits include Martial Power, Draco-
  nomicon, and the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. Robert lives 
  in Tennessee with his incredibly patient wife, Stacee, and his 
  pride of fiendish werecats, but is happiest when chained to 
  his desk, toiling for his dark masters in Seattle.
   
  Stephen radney-macFarland is a developer in RPG R&D 
  where he doesn't create the traps… he just makes them dead-
  lier. He also teaches a class on roleplaying design for the Art 
  institute of Seattle.
  Commentary
  Srm: There are a good number of seeker feats that talk 
  directly to inevitable shot. By the time you are epic level, 
  and you are not doing at least some damage with each 
  one of your attacks, the only explanation is that you 
  ignored these feats, or it’s time to retire that tired old d20 
  you’re using.
  
  18
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The genasi race has many expressions. it is a race of 
  fire, wind, earth, water, and storm. The raw power 
  of the elements coursing through their bodies gives 
  them an affiinity—a control that gives them a racial 
  definition and potent natural abilities in combat.
   
  Genasi bloodlines are not pure, however. A flaw 
  in the heritage of all genasi lingers within them, 
  but its rarity is such that most genasi put it out of 
  their minds. Sometimes, inexplicably, this curse 
  manifests in a genasi child. When this happens, a 
  genasi family—even the entire community, if there is 
  such—must deal with the corruption in some manner. 
  Most such children find themselves feared or reviled, 
  at best. other times, the marked children are qui-
  etly removed from the household, and are left to be 
  reclaimed by the elements. Some mournful parents 
  give the child to distant relations who have less preju-
  dice, often in the elemental Chaos.
   
  Those who have given the matter of this corrup-
  tion any thought believe that it is as old as the genasi 
  race. Just as the Abyss sits as a rotting cyst at the heart 
  of the elemental Chaos, so does the potential for this 
  impurity to manifest in a new child rest within every 
  genasi. This analogy is more than apt: When the 
  genasi were first formed as a balance between the 
  elemental Chaos and the world, a seed of evil from 
  the Abyss reached forth to create a flaw in the race—
  one that would last as long as the Pit itself does.
  Abyssal Genasi
  By Peter Schaefer 
  Illustrations by Emrah Elmasli
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Abyssal Genasi
  19
   
  or so do those sages who have had a chance to 
  study this corruption believe.
   
  When you make a genasi PC, you can choose one 
  of these corrupt manifestations as a PC’s elemental 
  manifestation: causticsoul, cindersoul, plaguesoul, 
  or voidsoul. This corrupt manifestation becomes the 
  character’s elemental manifestation. each is a foul, 
  destructive twist on one of the natural manifestations, 
  and each offers a particular benefit and provides an 
  associated encounter power. Additionally, the PC’s 
  appearance changes based on the element he or she 
  manifests.
  Causticsoul: You can breathe underwater. You also 
  gain resist 5 acid and the acid surge power.
   
  At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 acid.
   
  At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 acid.
  Cindersoul: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Fortitude, 
  resist 5 fire, and the firedeath power.
   
  At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 fire.
   
  At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 fire.
  Plaguesoul: You gain resist 5 poison, a +5 racial 
  bonus to saving throws against disease, and the 
  plaguebearer power.
   
  At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 poison.
   
  At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 poison.
  Voidsoul: You gain resist 5 psychic, a +1 racial bonus 
  to Will, and the void assumption power.
   
  At 11th level, the resistance improves to 10 
  psychic.
   
  At 21st level, the resistance improves to 15 
  psychic.
  acid surge 
  Causticsoul Genasi racial Power
  You dissolve into a bubbling, hissing liquid and surge through 
  your enemies.
  encounter ✦ acid
  move action 
  Personal
  effect: You shift half your speed over ground or liquid terrain 
  and through squares occupied by enemies. You must end 
  your movement in an unoccupied square. You make the 
  attack against each creature whose space you enter.
  attack: Strength +3 vs. reflex, Constitution +3 vs. reflex, or 
  Dexterity + 3 vs. reflex
   
  Level 11: the bonus on the attack increases to +6
   
  Level 21: the bonus on the attack increases to +9
  Hit: 1d8 + Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity modifier acid 
  damage.
   
  Level 11: 2d8+ Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity modifier 
  acid damage.
   
  Level 21: 3d8+ Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity modifier 
  acid damage.
  Firedeath 
  Cindersoul Genasi racial Power
  As all fires must burn out, so does each attack on you dwindle 
  and die.
  encounter
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  trigger: You take damage
  effect: All damage dice rolled for the triggering attack are con-
  sidered to have a result of 1.
  Plaguebearer 
  Plaguesoul Genasi racial Power
  The breath you exhale is not a bearer of seeds and scents, but a 
  carrier of poison and death.
  encounter ✦ Poison
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts 
  its turn adjacent to you takes 5 poison damage.
   
  Level 11: 10 poison damage.
   
  Level 21: 15 poison damage.
  void assumption Voidsoul Genasi racial Power
  You become the void, the absence of all, for just long enough.
  encounter
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: You cease to exist and can take no actions until the start 
  of your next turn. You have line of sight and line of effect 
  to no creature, and no creature has line of sight or line of 
  effect to you. At the start of your next turn, you reappear in 
  the square of your choice within 3 squares of the square
    you left.
  The physical qualities that genasi display when using 
  different corrupted manifestations are summarized 
  below.
   
  Causticsoul: Green skin; green-black energy 
  lines; bald with green-black energy lines glowing on 
  the head.
   
  Cindersoul: Ashen gray skin; dim fiery-orange 
  energy lines; faint trails of ash or wisps of smoke ema-
  nate from the head.
   
  Plaguesoul: Dried blood-colored skin; black 
  energy lines; ruddy shreds on the head as of rust.
   
  Voidsoul: Black skin; energy lines of the deepest 
  lack of color; bald with utter darkness rising from the 
  head.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Abyssal Genasi
  20
  genasi community simmered deep within her but 
  came to the surface too easily for her liking, so she 
  found solace living alone in the wilderness. There she 
  learned to channel her rage to fight that which might 
  harm the forest, and she learned during this process 
  that her foes shared qualities with the same force that 
  had tainted her. Now she and a group of like-minded 
  allies campaign to take the fight to those who want to 
  despoil the world for their own profit or joy, and this 
  band intends to carry their credo all the way to the 
  Abyss.
   
  Cindersoul genasi inda-iar devoted her life to 
  the Raven Queen when she came of age. As she has 
  matured, her life experiences have given her a sense 
  of the inevitable. When she was granted her paladin-
  hood by the Raven Queen’s priests, she swore to 
  see all events to their rightful end—nothing should 
  happen earlier than required. Her flawed sight 
  ceased to bother her because she considers it a gift 
  from her deity to make up for the corruption in her 
  blood.
  abySSal genaSi FeatS
  These feats are connected to genasi with a corrupt 
  manifestation.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the feat’s other prerequisites.
  Empty Mind
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, voidsoul elemental 
  manifestation
   
  Benefit: When an enemy hits you with an attack 
  that targets your Will or deals psychic damage to you, 
  that enemy takes psychic damage equal to your psy-
  chic resistance.
  Extra Corrupt Manifestation
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi
   
  Benefit: Select a new genasi elemental manifesta-
  tion: causticsoul, cindersoul, plaguesoul, or voidsoul. 
  When you take a short rest or an extended rest, you 
  can adopt this new corrupt manifestation instead of 
  the one you had been exhibiting.
   
  Special: You can take this feat multiple times, 
  choosing a new corrupt manifestation each time. 
  When you take a short rest or an extended rest, you 
  can choose to switch between any of the corrupt 
  manifestations you know.
  Playing an abySSal 
  genaSi
  A genasi who exhibits one of these corruptions is 
  twisted by the Abyss. A genasi with a corrupted mani-
  festation might decide that evil and destruction is the 
  reason he or she was born. Many such genasi come 
  to serve a demon lord; Graz’zt in particular employs 
  or influences more Abyssal genasi than others of his 
  kind.
   
  But the chances of birth do not dictate a person’s 
  nature. A few of these genasi decide that they will 
  try and bear the taint of the Abyss with honor and 
  dignity. For these, life is harder. Some choose to wield 
  the power they have for good on any front. others 
  choose to strike directly back at the Abyss.
  abySSal genaSi 
  adventurerS
  Three sample genasi adventurers are described 
  below.
   
  Mazad-dai is a causticsoul genasi artificer. After 
  he was left to die of exposure by his parents, travel-
  ers found him and took him to a city to show off as 
  an oddity. A collision between the circus cart that 
  was his home and a traveling apothecary’s wagon 
  revealed Mazad-dai’s inherent resistance to acid and 
  earned him an instant apprenticeship. Today, he is a 
  young but brilliant master of acidic alchemical con-
  coctions and potent magic.
   
  The barbarian Vindt left her family when she was 
  still young. The plaguesoul genasi knew her fam-
  ily’s acceptance of her was based on fear of what she 
  would become, and she hated it. Her anger at her 
  ManiFeStatiOn 
  deFinitiOnS
  the four manifestations described in this article 
  are elemental manifestations, like those pre-
  sented in the Forgotten realms® Player’s Guide. 
  they also represent a subset of genasi elemental 
  manifestations called corrupt manifestations.
   
  A reference to an elemental manifestation 
  can mean any of the five original or four new 
  elemental manifestations. references to corrupt 
  manifestations mean only the causticsoul, cin-
  dersoul, plaguesoul, and voidsoul manifestations.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Abyssal Genasi
  21
  Paragon Tier Feat
  The feat in this section is available to a character 
  of 11th level or higher who meets the feat’s other 
  prerequisites.
  Foul Torrent
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, genasi, causticsoul ele-
  mental manifestation, acid surge racial power
   
  Benefit: As part of your acid surge racial power, 
  you can shift your speed instead of half your speed.
  eneMy OF the abySS
  “The Abyss has marked me and made me outcast, giving 
  me in a single act the power and the will to destroy it.”
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, corrupt manifestation
  Despite the petty discrimination that Abyssal genasi 
  endure, they make their own way through the world. 
  Some flourish; many falter. A few look beyond the 
  unpleasantness of the world to the true cause of their 
  pain: the Abyss.
   
  You have declared war on the source of your cor-
  ruption, but you do not deny the power that the Abyss 
  has granted you. instead, you have decided to seize as 
  much of the Abyss's power as you can grasp, and will 
  turn this power back on its source, wielding it against 
  the forces of the Abyss.
  Enemy of the Abyss 
  Features
   
  abyssal Blood action (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action and 
  you are bloodied, any enemy within 3 squares of you 
  takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends), and you gain 
  regeneration 5 until no enemy has ongoing damage 
  from this feature.
   
  Steal from the abyss (11th level): When you 
  use your corrupt manifestation racial power, you gain 
  a +2 bonus to your next attack roll, and each demon 
  within 10 squares of you takes a –2 penalty to its next 
  attack roll.
   
  abyssal Presence (16th level): You ignore the 
  resistances of demons within 5 squares of you.
  Eyes of Dying Light
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, cindersoul elemental 
  manifestation
   
  Benefit: You gain darkvision. When using your 
  darkvision, a light as of a dying spark shines in your 
  eyes.
  Sense of the Corrupted
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, any corrupt manifestation
   
  Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus to Perception checks 
  to detect demons and a +5 bonus to insight checks to 
  see through demons’ disguises.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Abyssal Genasi
  22
  Enemy of the Abyss 
  Powers
  abyssal rend 
  Enemy of the Abyss Attack 11
  Channeling the Abyss’s evil, your fingertips tear through your 
  foe’s armor and flesh—more so if you can smell its blood.
  encounter
  standard action 
  melee touch
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Intelligence + 6 vs. Fortitude
   
  Level 21: Strength or Intelligence + 9 vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 3d10 + Strength or Intelligence modifier damage. If the 
  target is bloodied, it takes 1d10 extra damage.
  demonskin meditation 
  Enemy of the Abyss 
   
  Utility 12
  You wrap yourself in a sheathe of demon’s energy, protecting 
  yourself from a variety of elements.
  daily
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or 
  thunder. You gain resistance to that damage type equal to 
  one-half your level until the end of the encounter.
  abyssal Command 
  Enemy of the Abyss Attack 20
  As the Abyss stains your bloodline, you corrupt another’s body 
  and mind.
  daily ✦ Charm, reliable
  standard action 
  melee touch
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Intelligence + 9 vs. Will
  Hit: 2d10 + Strength or Intelligence modifier damage, and the 
  target is dominated (save ends). If the target is a demon, it 
  takes a –2 penalty to saving throws against this effect.
   
  Aftereffect: the target is dazed (save ends).
  SciOn OF abSence
  “Think on the time after you die. It is the same world, dis-
  tinguished only in that you no longer exist. Do you see how 
  you cannot fight an absence, yet it can be responsible for 
  your demise?”
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, voidsoul elemental 
  manifestation
  What is, the void consumes. To attack the void is of 
  the utmost futility, because it has no point of weak-
  ness, no vulnerability, and nothing to sever or destroy.
   
  The scion of absence studies and learns from the 
  voidsoul association with the inverted fundament: the 
  lack of all things. Most are philosophic warriors or 
  masters of magic, seeking the nonaction that achieves 
  their goals. others resemble destructive forces of 
  nature that no one can easily stop.
  Scion of Absence Features
   
  nonbeing action (11th level): When you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you can end 
  one effect you currently have that a save can end. 
  Also, you regain use of your void assumption power if 
  you have expended it this encounter.
   
  touching the Void (11th level): When an enemy 
  misses you with an attack, it takes psychic damage 
  equal to your Strength modifier or your intelligence 
  modifier.
   
  Void Phase (16th level): You gain a +2 bonus to 
  saving throws.
  Scion of Absence Powers
  Glimpse of the void 
  Scion of Absence Attack 11
  Your lightest touch grants the creature the true experience of 
  being without existence.
  encounter
  standard action 
  melee touch
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Intelligence + 6 vs. reflex
   
  Level 21: Strength or Intelligence + 9 vs. reflex
  Hit: the target ceases to exist and can take no actions until the 
  start of your next turn. It has line of sight and line of effect 
  to no creature, and no creature has line of sight or line of 
  effect to it. At the start of your next turn, the target reap-
  pears in the space it left, or in the nearest available space if
    that space is occupied.
   
  Aftereffect: the target grants combat advantage to you and 
  your allies until the end of your next turn.
  Wearing the void 
  Scion of Absence Utility 12
  You are nothing; nothing can pierce you or rend you.
  encounter
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  trigger: You take damage
  effect: You reduce the triggering damage to 0.
  voidsoul infliction 
  Scion of Absence Attack 20
  All creatures that near you feel the fatal pull of utter 
  dissolution.
  daily ✦ Psychic, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: You assume the voidsoul infliction stance. Until the 
  stance ends, any enemy that starts its turn within 2 squares 
  of you is dazed until the end of your next turn. the enemy 
  can choose to take 10 psychic damage instead of being 
  dazed. 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Abyssal Genasi
  23
  SOul OF erOSiOn
  “I am of that which digs and dissolves. I tear away and 
  destroy, and you are next.”
   
  Prerequisite: Genasi, causticsoul elemental man-
  ifestation, watersoul elemental manifestation
  The soul of erosion combines the two most insinuat-
  ing elements: water and its destructive cousin acid. 
  Those who pursue this path perfect a devastating 
  fighting style that sweeps foes aside even as it sears 
  them.
   
  Some genasi who follow this path consider the 
  union of water with its Abyssal analogue a measured 
  balance of the natural and the unnatural. others 
  think of it as diluting their corruption with purity, 
  and cruel minds consider it tainting the purity of the 
  watersoul with the bile of the Abyss. All you know is 
  that, whatever anyone else thinks, your abilities get 
  the job done.
  Soul of Erosion Features
   
  erosion action (11th level): When you spend an 
  action point to take an extra action, you can shift half 
  your speed before or after the action. each enemy 
  adjacent to you at any point during that move takes 5 
  acid damage.
   
  Union of Blessed and Cursed Waters (11th 
  level): You manifest both watersoul and causticsoul 
  at the same time when you manifest either one. This 
  feature allows you to use both swiftcurrent and acid 
  surge in the same encounter.
   
  Flowing movement (16th level): You are insub-
  stantial while you are moving.
  Soul of Erosion Powers
  acid Whirlpool 
  Soul of Erosion Attack 11
  Tainted water flies out from you to strike a foe before you draw 
  it, and your foe, back in to you.
  encounter ✦ acid
  standard action 
  Close burst 3
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Strength or Intelligence + 6 vs. Fortitude
   
  Level 21: Strength or Intelligence + 9 vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d8 + Strength or Intelligence modifier acid damage, and 
  you pull the target 2 squares.
  Causticsoul skin 
  Soul of Erosion Utility 12
  Your body dissolves into water and acid and clings to your 
  enemy.
  daily ✦ acid
  move action 
  melee 1
  target: One creature
  effect: You shift 1 square into the target’s space and occupy 
  the same space as the target. While you occupy the target’s 
  space, the target takes ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends), 
  you cannot attack the target, and if the target moves, you 
  move with it. You take half damage from melee and ranged 
  attacks, and the target takes the same amount and type of 
  damage (the target ignores this part of the effect). this ef-
  fect ends when the target succeeds on its saving throw or if 
  you move or are forced to move out of the target’s space. If 
  the effect ends while you are in the target’s space, you shift 
  to an unoccupied space adjacent to the target.
  Corrosive torrent 
  Soul of Erosion Attack 20
  You create a rushing flow of fluid that makes the eyes water 
  and burns the flesh.
  daily ✦ acid
  standard action 
  Close blast 5
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Strength or Intelligence + 9 vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d6 + Strength or Intelligence modifier acid damage. You 
  push the target 2 squares, and the target takes ongoing 15 
  acid damage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and ongoing 10 acid damage (save ends).
  About the Author
  Peter Schaefer retired from ruling a small european nation 
  when Wizards of the Coast offered him real money to develop 
  Dungeons & Dragons® full time. Recent developments 
  include Player’s Handbook® 2 and Arcane Power™. 
  
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  24
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  “There were five of us initiated that year—five no-
  longer-children who walked from the Heart Tree at 
  the center of the forest to the peak of Lightningtop, 
  the hidden peak that can be reached only when you 
  walk on the Other Side. Kendrik, Lyssa, and Jal the 
  Badger met our clan spirits on the way. I could see 
  they were relieved. They never wanted the path of 
  heroes. They were happy to deal with the minor 
  problems of the climb and keep the songs going 
  so that none of us would fall or fall asleep before 
  completing the climb.
   
  Of course Sheyn saw more than the others. 
  By the time we reached the mountain she was al-
  ready muttering to spirits on every side, and I knew 
  that she had been marked as a shaman. Maybe a 
  great shaman. As we turned onto the hidden way 
  to the peak, Sheyn looked back toward me, and I 
  saw the spirit of a hawk leap from her heart, and 
  together the two of them said, ‘We will need you at 
  the top, Arkjan.’
   
  I raced ahead of her hand-over-hand, leap-
  ing to the top of the cliff before the others. The great 
  beast sliding through the boulders toward me was 
  the Enemy, a stench-thing from outside the world 
  with a buzzing pile of mandibles and eyes. I saw the 
  sudden fear in its eyes and I knew who I was. ‘This 
  is rage,’ I thought as I screamed with thunder and 
  followed my axe.”
  By Rob Heinsoo 
  Illustrations by Christopher Burdett
  Barbarian 
  Essentials
  The Way of Rage
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  25
  the baSicS
  The barbarian is a Dungeons & Dragons® high-risk 
  and high-reward warrior. This gambling slayer dares 
  to enter the bloodiest melees in light armor, dealing 
  huge amounts of damage with two-handed weapons 
  and mighty rages. everything about the barbarian’s 
  powers is visceral and gripping. You want a class 
  feature that helps you do more damage? it triggers 
  when you bloody or drop an enemy, so that each blow 
  can push a crescendo of violence. Do you get lucky 
  and score a critical hit? Your reward is to make a free 
  attack. Looking for the increased damage that the 
  class deserves to fill the striker role? it’s not lurking 
  in a quarry mechanic or a sneak attack that requires 
  careful tactics; increased damage is built into every 
  barbarian power. You roll more dice than everyone 
  else. And if you don’t think that’s fun, a fancy-pants 
  warlock is somewhere waiting for you.
   
  You don’t have to be tricky, tactical, or clever to 
  have fun with the barbarian. You have to roleplay a 
  bloody-minded warrior, figure out when you want to 
  rage with your strongest attack powers, and live with 
  the fact that your power and your low defenses make 
  you an excellent target. As a barbarian, you’ve made 
  Achilles’s original Homeric choice: one year as a lion 
  instead of decades as a sheep.
  Primal Power’s Barbarian 
  Material
  A year or two ago, in the dim mists of history when 
  we started publishing 4th edition, our first power 
  supplement, Martial Power™, devoted itself solely to 
  the mechanics of playing fighters, rangers, rogues, 
  and warlords. our later power supplements have 
  devoted increasing attention to what it feels like to 
  play a character of a particular class. The most recent 
  power book, Primal Power™, gets it right.
   
  Primal Power devotes pages to roleplaying each of 
  the primal classes. The three pages on roleplaying the 
  barbarian deal with topics including barbarians in 
  civilization, the manner in which barbarians adopt 
  specific animals as totemic symbols and sources of 
  power, rage as a character personality, how to tune 
  your barbarian’s impact on the PC group, and role-
  playing advice for each of the four barbarian builds.
   
  Chapter 5 of Primal Power provides more back-
  ground on the relationship of the primal spirits to 
  people such as barbarians who live on the spirit way. 
  The list of the elder spirits includes spirits for which 
  barbarians have fond feelings, such as Blood Cousin, 
  Carver, old Grandfather, Primal Beast, Stormhawk 
  and Whisper. Several of the feats and powers appear-
  ing later in this article are inspired by the elder spirits 
  as they have been introduced in Primal Power.
   
  Primal Power also introduces two new barbarian 
  builds, the thunderborn barbarian and the whirling 
  barbarian, both of which we’ll cover in more detail in 
  this article.
  Feral Might
  Feral Might isn’t a class feature in its own right. 
  instead it’s an umbrella category, or a feature that 
  enables you to choose one of four distinct class fea-
  tures that correspond directly to the four current 
  barbarian builds. The different Feral Might class 
  features shape your play experience and character 
  creation choices to varying degrees. We’ll touch on 
  each in the “Barbarian Builds” section below since 
  the choice of a Feral Might feature is a build choice 
  rather than a feature common to all barbarians.
  Rage
  We wanted the barbarian’s rage powers to feel 
  memorable and significant instead of feeling the 
  same. instead of making rages an at-will or encounter 
  power, we pegged them as daily powers and turned 
  them into the barbarian’s most lethal attacks. Some 
  rages call on the spirits of ancient ancestors, others 
  rely on spirits of great predators or on the original 
  Primal Beast. each rage power starts with a deadly 
  attack and initiates a specific rage that provides 
  uniquely powerful bonuses or abilities. The benefits 
  of being in a rage vary from defensive boosts (mac-
  etail’s rage) to big offensive bonuses (savage juggernaut 
  rage in Primal Power). The rage lasts until the end of 
  the encounter or until you use another rage.
   
  As a barbarian, you have a different understanding 
  of the value of your daily power than other charac-
  ters. Most characters, or at least most other careful 
  players, view daily powers as important resources that 
  they should use only in dire situations. it’s customary 
  for most characters to hold on to their daily powers 
  until they perceive that it’s necessary to spend the 
  daily power to salvage a dangerous situation.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  26
  rage strike so that you can have a big bang from a daily 
  attack power even if you were already locked into an 
  earlier rage that was providing the ongoing effects 
  you wanted to keep in the encounter. Stay in the rage 
  you started with, convert your other rage power into a 
  big pile of damage dice using rage strike, and deal one-
  half damage if you miss.
   
  Alternatively, if you play like a lot of barbarians 
  i’ve shared the gaming table with, you’ll ignore con-
  siderations of careful tracking and use rage strike 
  at some point when you want to do a lot of damage 
  to a single enemy in a big hurry. That’s perfectly in 
  keeping with the barbarian ethos—feel free to ignore 
  anyone who tells you that you should be saving your 
  rages for later.
  Rampage
  Once per round, when you score a critical hit with a 
  barbarian attack power, you can immediately make a 
  melee basic attack as a free action. You do not have to 
  attack the same target that you scored a critical hit against.
  Unlike rage strike, Rampage is the barbarian class 
  feature you want to use every fight but can’t, unless 
  you have a freaky supernatural relationship with 
  your d20. The Rampage feature has a few subtle 
  effects on how you fight, your choice of weapons, 
  and your choice of feats as you rise in level. Round-
  by-round, the possibility of a Rampage might incline 
  you toward choosing positions within reach of at least 
  two enemies. A single extremely tough enemy who 
  can survive one of your critical hits is worth target-
  ing with an immediate Rampage follow-up, but many 
  enemies crumple under your critical hits, particularly 
  in the later rounds of an encounter. Taking positions 
  ably more damage when used while you are raging. 
  Howl of fury adds your Constitution modifier to 
  damage dealt in a blast, so that you might be adding 
  four or five damage apiece against multiple targets. 
  Whirling rend, the at-will attack that requires the 
  use of two weapons, adds your Dexterity modifier to 
  damage dealt to two targets.
  Rage Strike
  Playing a barbarian should be simple. Rage early, 
  strike often, slashing from foe to foe. No one demands 
  finesse from a barbarian.
   
  Some players make the class simpler by more-or-
  less ignoring one of the barbarian’s class features: 
  the option of using rage strike to spend a rage power 
  to make a simple high-damage attack while you are 
  already raging. in truth, at low level, ignoring rage 
  strike makes perfect sense. You can’t use rage strike at 
  all until you gain your second rage power at 5th level. 
  Until you’ve gained a third rage power at 9th level, you 
  might not feel that you have an extra rage power that 
  you’re willing to burn for no effect other than a big-
  handful-of-damage-dice attack.
   
  So ignoring rage strike through most of the heroic 
  tier makes sense. When you move into paragon 
  tier, treat rage strike as a new trick in your arsenal 
  that requires you to keep track of the pacing of each 
  encounter compared to what you expect out of the 
  adventuring day. if the fight you are in feels like a 
  prelude to more dangerous or significant encounters 
  later in the day, burning a rage power to use rage strike 
  might waste a rage that could give you rage benefits 
  through an entire later encounter. But if you’re near 
  the end of an adventuring day and you have more 
  rage powers left than encounters you expect to fight 
  in, you’ve entered the Rage Strike Zone. We designed 
   
  The barbarian is designed for players who don’t 
  want to have to hold back and gauge whether the 
  time is right to spend a daily resource. When you use 
  a rage early in an encounter, you not only deal a great 
  deal of damage, you also gain the rage’s continuing 
  benefit, an ability that’s likely to shape the rest of the 
  fight. if you’re playing a barbarian already, you know 
  the real reason it pays to rage early in an encounter: 
  Unlike the at-will attacks of other characters, each 
  of your at-will attacks comes with a built-in bonus 
  that applies only when you are raging. Most of these 
  rage bonuses to at-will barbarian attacks increase the 
  attacks’ damage, often by quite a bit.
  At-Will Attacks
  in one crucial case, we couldn’t possibly have added 
  more damage to a barbarian’s at-will attack. Devas-
  tating strike is already the game’s highest damage 
  at-will attack power. You pay for that by granting a +2 
  attack bonus to every attacker until the start of your 
  next turn. We couldn’t very well add more damage 
  to an attack that is already dealing at least 1d8 extra 
  damage. Therefore devastating strike’s rage bonus 
  removes the power’s drawback. enter a rage and you 
  can use devastating strike without worrying about 
  making yourself easier to hit.
   
  Devastating strike is the cornerstone at-will attack 
  for most barbarians, or at least their second at-will 
  attack after the at-will choice that roars straight out 
  of your build. Be warned that if you make a habit of 
  using devastating strike every round when you are not 
  raging, you might also make a habit of hitting the 
  ground yelling, “Cleric! Cleric!”
   
  Both of the barbarian builds introduced in Primal 
  Power, the thunderborn barbarian and the whirling 
  barbarian, have at-will attacks that can deal consider-
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  27
  race
  Humans, half-orcs and goliaths are the most common 
  barbarians, but it can be great fun roleplaying a 
  barbarian from a race that ordinarily chooses other 
  paths. The following list of suggested builds indicates 
  the type of barbarian likely to thrive when playing 
  popular D&D races.
   Some of the reasoning behind the assignments is 
  subtle. Ability score adjustments count for a great 
  deal, but in a case like the minotaur, who is equally 
  competent as a rageblood barbarian or as a thunder-
  born barbarian, we’ve leaned toward thunderborn 
  barbarian so that war cry can clear space for the 
  minotaur’s signature charge.
  ple, as a thaneborn barbarian, your Feral Might class 
  feature provides the roar of triumph encounter power 
  that’s triggered when your attack reduces an enemy 
  to 0 hit points. if you reduce an enemy to 0 hit points 
  with a critical hit using a barbarian attack power, 
  you also qualify for a Rampage attack. Use the free 
  action roar of triumph first to soften up enemies within 
  5 squares of you with a –2 penalty to all defenses, 
  then use Rampage to hit one of those enemies with a 
  melee basic attack.
   
  Rampage’s interactions with two other Feral Might 
  features are similarly straightforward. The warcry 
  power from the Thunderborn Wrath Feral Might 
  feature pushes all enemies in a blast, so if you’re going 
  to use it against enemies who are adjacent to you, use 
  Rampage first, then follow up with warcry. The whirl-
  ing lunge power associated with the whirling slayer 
  build is fittingly more of a double-helping of carnage 
  since it is packaged with 2 squares of shifting fol-
  lowed by automatic damage. Use whirling lunge before 
  or after your Rampage attack, whichever works best.
   
  The only Feral Might barbarian power that has 
  a problematic interaction with Rampage is the swift 
  charge power associated with the Rageblood Vigor 
  build. Playing by the rules, a critical hit that reduces 
  an enemy to 0 hit points and triggers both Ram-
  page and swift charge offers only one way to time the 
  attacks. Since you cannot take actions after making 
  a charge attack, you need to use the Rampage attack 
  first, then make the swift charge. That’s the letter of 
  the rules, and the way you need to play in situations 
  that stick precisely to the rules. in my game, i admit 
  that i let the Rageblood Vigor barbarian play by the 
  spirit of the power—the free action Rampage attack 
  is the one attack i let the barbarian make after using 
  swift charge. it doesn’t break the game, it’s more fun, 
  and it feels right.
  beside multiple enemies can be a subtly offensive pos-
  ture for the barbarian, if you lack multitarget attacks.
   
  Alternatively, you could employ a reach weapon 
  such as a glaive or a halberd or a greatspear. Setting 
  up potential Rampage attacks against enemies 2 
  squares away provides simple but fun tactical move-
  ment options, nothing that should be in the way of 
  your standard raging frenzy.
   
  At higher levels, feats that intersect with Rampage 
  could be a good investment, especially if you’re the 
  lucky type who rolls more than your share of critical 
  hits. Charging Rampage, at paragon tier, lets you use 
  Rampage with a charge attack instead of a simple 
  melee basic attack. At epic tier, you might want to 
  take Axe Mastery or Heavy Blade Mastery or Spear 
  Mastery—the feat corresponding to your chosen 
  weapon that allows you to score critical hits on a 
  natural 19 or 20.
  Rampage Interactions with  
  Feral Might
  in play, the only oddities you might encounter with 
  Rampage rise out of its occasional interactions with 
  Feral Might class features and the barbarian powers 
  associated with those features. Since each of the 
  Feral Night features provide effects that trigger when 
  you bloody an enemy or reduce an enemy to 0 hit 
  points, and since critical hits deal so much damage, 
  your Rampage attack frequently triggers at the same 
  time as when you receive your Feral Might benefit or 
  qualify to trigger the class feature power associated 
  with Feral Might.
   
  The good news is that you cause an extra helping 
  of carnage with slaughter on top: When you receive 
  two free actions triggered by the same event, you can 
  use the free actions in any order you like. For exam-
  unlikely barbarianS
  barbarians make great fish-out-of-water char-
  acters. Players who thrive when roleplaying 
  the oddball are drawn to playing barbarians in 
  otherwise civilized settings, particularly if they 
  can play characters who are already unlikely 
  barbarians. One of my friends swears by her 
  3.5 gnome barbarian. She had company; at a 
  Gen Con seminar as we were working on 4th 
  Edition, I asked how many people were playing 
  each race and each class. Out of around eighty 
  seminar attendees, only two people were playing 
  gnomes. the same two guys raised their hands 
  as the only people playing barbarians; yes, two 
  more gnome barbarians.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  28
  raCe and build
  deva 
   
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  doppelganger 
   
  Whirling barbarian
  dragonborn 
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  drow  
   
  Whirling barbarian
  dwarf  
   
  rageblood barbarian
  eladrin  
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  elf 
   
   
  Whirling barbarian
  Genasi  
   
  rageblood barbarian
  Gnoll 
   
   
  Whirling barbarian
  Gnome  
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  Goliath  
   
  rageblood barbarian
  Half-elf  
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  Half-orc 
   
  Whirling barbarian
  Halfling 
   
  Whirling barbarian
  Human  
   
  rageblood barbarian
  kalashtar 
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  minotaur 
   
  thunderborn barbarian
  shadar-kai 
   
  Whirling barbarian
  longtooth shifter  
  rageblood barbarian
  razorclaw shifter  
  Whirling barbarian
  revenant 
   
  rageblood barbarian
  tiefling  
   
  thaneborn barbarian
  Warforged 
   
  thunderborn barbarian
  ability ScOreS
  We’ll cover most specific ability score discussion in 
  the build write-ups that follow. Here are general notes 
  on what the six ability scores have to offer you.
   
  Strength: As your attack score, Strength is your 
  primary ability. ignore it only when you are set on 
  roleplaying a character who is less competent than 
  the average dire bear.
   
  Constitution: Many barbarians make Constitu-
  tion their second or third ability score despite its 
  pairing with Strength in the Fortitude defense. Hit 
  points matter a great deal to you, since your defensive 
  strategy amounts to enduring what the enemy can 
  dish out while dishing out enough damage to drop 
  the enemy first. Healing surges likewise matter. After 
  prioritizing Constitution, you might choose feats such 
  as Toughness and Durable that add to your hit points 
  and healing surges. Raising your Constitution score 
  also allows you to achieve more from the rage and 
  utility powers that play off your Constitution modi-
  fier, so thaneborn and whirling barbarians who care 
  more about other abilities can benefit from a higher 
  Constitution.
   
  Dexterity: Your Barbarian Agility feature pro-
  vides a +1 bonus to AC and Reflex as long as you are 
  not in heavy armor. Light armor is your friend, so 
  Dexterity competes with Constitution as the most 
  valuable second ability.
   
  Intelligence: None of your class skills rely on 
  intelligence. None of your standard roleplaying 
  shticks rely on intelligence. Unless you are plotting an 
  unusual wizard or psion multiclass, intelligence is the 
  ability you can safely ignore.
   
  Wisdom: You probably can’t afford to emphasize 
  Wisdom at the start of your career. it has nothing to 
  do with any of your class features or powers. on the 
  other hand, it is the ability used by three of your class 
  skills. if your character concept emphasizes connec-
  tion to nature and the primal spirits, you might raise 
  Wisdom slightly and choose Nature and Perception 
  as trained skills. otherwise Charisma is a better bet 
  for you.
   
  Charisma: Unless you are a thaneborn barbar-
  ian, Charisma is a lower priority than Dexterity and 
  Constitution. However, it’s nice to have one ability 
  score higher than the other to help your Will, and 
  Charisma comes in handy with the intimidate skill 
  and with any powers associated with the thaneborn 
  build that you might want to pick up. A sorcerer mul-
  ticlass is a far more natural spellcasting combo than 
  a wizard multiclass and that about does it for reasons 
  you’ll care about your Charisma score.
  barbarian buildS
  Your choice of one of the four Feral Might features 
  normally amounts to a choice of your barbarian build, 
  since various at-will and encounter powers function 
  much better if you possess a specific Feral Might fea-
  ture. if you’re a maverick who splices between builds, 
  you might have a slightly different perspective on the 
  following build-specific advice.
   
  if you are happy with your barbarian’s race but 
  still aren’t sure which build you want to pursue, con-
  sider the following general advantages of the builds.
   
  Durability: The rageblood barbarian generates 
  slightly better defense through a powerful offense.
   
  Leadership: Alone among the builds, the 
  thaneborn barbarian has features and powers that 
  help its allies fight better.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  29
   
  Control: The thunderborn barbarian’s powers 
  affect multiple enemies and push foes around the bat-
  tlefield. it’s as close as the barbarian comes to fighting 
  like a controller.
   
  Carnage: Care to deal damage with another 
  helping of damage on top? Play the whirling barbar-
  ian, whose shifty tricks also help deliver the damage 
  where it can have the most impact.
  Rageblood Barbarian
  All things considered, the rageblood barbarian feels 
  the most like the barbarian class from earlier editions 
  of D&D. High Strength leads to high melee damage 
  and a high Constitution boosts your hit points. The 
  combination of two high ability scores that contribute 
  to Fortitude keeps the other two defenses low.
   
  Like other barbarians, rageblood barbarians take 
  a lot of damage most every encounter. That’s why bar-
  barians have hit points and healing surges as if they 
  were defenders. However, you don’t have defenses 
  like a defender—what you’ve got is a good offense. As a 
  rageblood barbarian, a good offense that reduces ene-
  mies to 0 hit points turns into a good defense, since 
  each enemy dropped provides temporary hit points 
  based on your Constitution modifier.
   
  As a mark of your bloodthirsty perfection, these 
  temporary hit points are yours when the enemy 
  you’ve reduced to 0 hit points had only 1 hit point—
  minions are fair game. DMs who count too much on 
  minions might find that minions are not so much 
  obstacles for an in-form rageblood barbarian as blood 
  sacrifices—in other words, minions are turbo-boosts 
  rather than speed bumps.
   
  Your Feral Might power, swift charge, is all offense. 
  The brilliance of swift charge is that one of your 
  opportunity attacks can trigger it. You’re no heavily 
  armored fighter or divine challenging paladin, but 
  when an enemy dares to give you an opportunity 
  attack, you sometimes manage a burst of damage, 
  speed, and more damage that make the defenders 
  envious.
  Ability Scores
  Strength is the attack ability for all barbarians. Con-
  stitution is the ability that helps boost powers that are 
  associated with the rageblood build. Dexterity helps 
  Reflex and AC and might help you qualify for specific 
  weapon mastery feats later in epic tier. A likely ability 
  score array, before racial adjustments, looks some-
  thing like this.
  raGeblood ability sPread
  allows you to take a small amount of damage (which 
  you might not take if you have timed the power to 
  coincide with a temporary hit point gain) for a chance 
  to reroll a missed attack—a luxury the all-or-nothing 
  barbarian seldom enjoys.
   
  Most of the Thunderborn Wrath encounter powers 
  place their Constitution-related bonuses inside the 
  portion of the power that supplies a bonus effect for 
  characters that have the Thunderborn Wrath fea-
  ture—unlike the howl of fury at-will, choosing from 
  Thunderborn Wrath encounter powers doesn’t par-
  ticularly benefit you.
   
  The one feat you obviously want to pick up early 
  in your career is improved Rageblood Vigor from 
  Player’s Handbook® 2. An additional 5 temporary hit 
  points each time you use Rageblood Vigor is too big a 
  gift to overlook.
  Combinations to Avoid
  Since temporary hit points don’t stack, specific races 
  and magic items (and certain allied leaders!) are 
  slightly less advantageous for rageblood barbarians 
  than for other barbarians. To choose one example, 
  warforged have Strength and Constitution bonuses, 
  but the warforged racial ability generates temporary 
  hit points, so warforged barbarians coming out of the 
  Mournlands do better as thunderborn barbarians.
  Thaneborn Barbarian
  Most barbarians are somewhat selfish warriors. 
  They wreak monstrous havoc but aren’t likely to help 
  their allies achieve similar feats. As the thaneborn 
  barbarian, you are the exception. When you bloody 
  an enemy, you or your ally who is the next to attack 
  that creature gains an attack bonus equal to your 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  16
  16
  13
  8
  10
  11
  Powers and Feats
  if you want to play up your defense, choose the at-will 
  power designed for the rageblood barbarian, recuper-
  ating strike, which can generate temporary hit points 
  every round you hit with it. if you’d rather emphasize 
  a versatile offense, consider the howl of fury power 
  introduced in Primal Power. Although thematically 
  associated with the thunderborn barbarian, howl of 
  fury works equally well for a rageblood barbarian 
  with a high Constitution.
   
  As for all builds, many of your best choices of 
  encounter powers have an improved effect if you have 
  the Rageblood Vigor feature. Combined with your 
  ability to generate temporary hit points, the desperate 
  fury power at 1st level is particularly useful because it 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  30
   
  The improved Roar of Triumph feat isn’t as good as 
  improved Rageblood Vigor, mostly because the roar of 
  triumph booster functions only when you are raging. 
  At low levels, that’s only once a day. As you rise in 
  level, improved Roar of Triumph becomes an option, 
  but probably not a necessity.
  Fight Monsters, Not Minions
  it’s slightly ironic that the barbarian who rocks its 
  enemies with fear turns out to be the barbarian build 
  that is least effective cutting through minions! All 
  the other barbarian builds have features that can 
  eliminate minions a few at a time. The Thaneborn 
  Triumph feature triggers when you bloody an enemy, 
  and minions don’t get bloodied, just slain. As a 
  thaneborn barbarian, you have an incentive to find 
  the biggest monster and go toe-to-toe, not to dance 
  with the minions.
  Thunderborn Barbarian
  The thunderborn barbarian from Primal Power can 
  deal automatic thunder damage enemies to him or 
  her with the Feral Might feature whenever he or she 
  bloodies an enemy, then push enemies away using 
  war cry. if the ability to reshape the battlefield and hit 
  multiple enemies with blast attacks appeals to you, 
  the thunderborn build of weapon attacks and small 
  controller-style blast effects is for you.
  Ability Scores
  Like the rageblood build, you care most about 
  Strength and Constitution. Constitution increases 
  the thunder damage you deal with war cry and boosts 
  most of the encounter powers linked to Thunderborn 
  Wrath.
  Charisma modifier. When you use your roar of tri-
  umph encounter power after dropping an enemy, all 
  enemies around you are shaken by fear and take a 
  penalty to defense until the end of your next turn. 
  Unlike the other barbarians, you aren’t about hogging 
  the kill. Allied strikers and controllers have more 
  success fighting by your side if the party lacks a full-
  fledged leader.
  Ability Scores
  Strength is still your attack ability, but Charisma fuels 
  all your leader-style intimidation techniques of your 
  enemies. Races such as the eladrin, gnome, and deva 
  that aren’t typically associated with barbarian-style 
  heroics can make good thaneborn barbarians.
  tHaneborn ability sPread
  tHunderborn ability sPread
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  16
  11
  13
  8
  10
  16
  Powers and Feats
  None of the barbarian’s at-will attacks speak specifi-
  cally to your build. You are free to mix devastating 
  strike with whichever other at-will suits you best.
   
  Perhaps more than other characters, you might the 
  encounter powers that are linked to your build most 
  interesting. The Thaneborn Triumph riders maximize 
  your Charisma-driven impact on the enemy. if you’re 
  not interested in maximizing such penalties, it’s pos-
  sible the thaneborn build wasn’t your best choice.
   
  Player’s Handbook 2 didn’t provide low-level utility 
  powers that spoke specifically to your build, so Primal 
  Power’s feral rejuvenation at 2nd level corrects that 
  omission.
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  16
  16
  13
  8
  10
  11
  Powers and Feats
  Howl of fury is your best at-will attack choice. After 
  howl of fury, choose as you like.
   
  As usual, the encounter powers marked for better 
  effect with the Thunderborn Wrath feature do work 
  substantially better for you. Thanks to the fact that 
  you share the rageblood barbarian’s interest in the 
  Constitution score, you have better results with the 
  relatively high number of utility powers and rage 
  powers that improve when you have a high Constitu-
  tion modifier.
   
  Thunderborn Rage is a scary-good feat you do not 
  want to miss at heroic tier since it increases the thun-
  der damage you deal with Thunderborn Wrath by 5.
  Whirling Barbarian
  Where the thaneborn barbarian dabbles as a leader, 
  the rageblood barbarian roughly mimics a durable 
  defender, and the thunderborn barbarian plays like a 
  minor controller, the whirling barbarian is all striker. 
  Wielding two weapons, the whirling barbarian deals 
  an ungodly amount of damage. instead of requiring 
  multiple attack rolls as the two-weapon ranger does, 
  the whirling barbarian’s powers generally deal a 
  second portion of automatic damage if the first attack 
  hits. Shift abilities and combat advantage generated 
  from the Whirling Slayer feature help deliver the 
  damage where it can have the most impact.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  31
  Ability Scores
  As a build that emphasizes Dexterity, the whirling 
  barbarian opens a new avenue for races with Dexter-
  ity modifiers such as half-orcs, elves, and drow. The 
  side effect of a high Dexterity is high Reflex and high 
  AC relative to other barbarians, a side effect that 
  increases this double-striker’s durability.
  WHirlinG ability sPread
  significantly increases the damage you deal with 
  whirling lunge.
  Double the Weapon Costs
  Characters who fight with two weapons feel the 
  pressure to equip two magic items. The pressure is 
  somewhat reduced on you because few of your powers 
  require you to make an attack roll using the off-hand 
  weapon. You roll damage with the off-hand weapon 
  often, but you frequently use your primary weapon 
  for attack rolls.
   
  Since you can use a one-handed weapon in your 
  off-hand, you might choose to wield a higher damage 
  sword or axe or opt for a weapon that can be thrown 
  to give yourself a ranged attack option.
   
  Alternatively you can use one of the double weap-
  ons detailed in Adventurers Vault 2 and fight as if you 
  were using a weapon in each hand. 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  16
  11
  16
  8
  10
  13
  Powers and Feats
  Whirling rend is your must-have attack power, and 
  pressing strike is an excellent second option.
   
  The powers associated with Whirling Slayer are of 
  interest to you, starting with the high damage whirling 
  frenzy at 1st level that hits creatures in a close burst 1. 
  As a nice touch, and as a small warning, this power 
  breaks our usual pattern by also attacking any allies 
  who make the mistake of being too close to you. i love 
  the feel of this power for the barbarian, posing a slight 
  threat to allies while posing a giant threat to enemies.
   
  it’s worth noting that the rest of your whirling 
  slayer encounter powers don’t have this problem, 
  at least not at present! And your Whirling Slayer 
  encounter powers are good. From a pure-power 
  perspective, i’m not sure it would be worth it to mul-
  ticlass into ranger or tempest fighter and experiment 
  with two weapon powers from other classes. As a 
  unique character concept it could be fun.
   
  of the feats specifically tailored for your build, 
  Swift Slayer is interesting if you want to be consider-
  ably faster when you shift using Whirling Slayer after 
  dropping an enemy. At paragon tier, Double Lunge 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  32
  Waist Slot Items
  When you start raging, the only sure thing is that 
  someone is going to die. Magic belts, with defensive 
  properties that kick in when you enter your rage, 
  make it that much more likely that your enemy will 
  bleed out instead of you.
  belt of Feral might 
  Level 3
  This belt intensifies the rageblood that flows through your 
  veins.
  item slot: Waist 680 gp
  Property: When you gain temporary hit points from your 
  rageblood Vigor class feature, you can add your Strength 
  modifier to the temporary hit points gained.
  rager’s belt 
  Level 2
  This double-thick leather and scale belt might literally be the 
  only thing holding your guts together.
  item slot: Waist 520 gp
  Property: When you drop to 0 hit points or fewer while raging, 
  you gain a +4 bonus to your first death saving throw.
  belt of raging endurance 
  Level 9+
  The amber glow spreading from this behemoth-hide belt swirls 
  into the spirit aura of your rage, shielding you until the glow 
  flares red.
  Lvl 9 4,200 gp 
  Lvl 29 
  2,625,000 gp
  Lvl 19 105,000 gp 
  Property: You gain 1 healing surge.
  Power (encounter): Immediate Interrupt. Trigger: An enemy 
  hits you and causes damage. Effect: You gain resist 15 
  against that attack, but you also take 10 damage at the end 
  of your next turn.
   
  Level 19: resist 25 damage; take 15 damage.
   
  Level 29: resist 40 damage, take 20 damage.
   
  This article aims to supply a number of other 
  magic item choices that might interest any barbarian. 
  Many of the waist-slot items, gloves, and tattoos that 
  follow interact with your rage. others trigger when 
  you use your Feral Might feature.
  Hands Slot Items
  Not surprisingly, barbarians favor gloves that aug-
  ment their lethal attacks. The most common magic 
  gloves created specifically for barbarians enhance 
  rage powers and the Rampage class feature.
  rampaging slayer’s Gloves 
  Level 6+
  Woven from the fur and interlocking claws and teeth of great 
  predators, these nasty-looking gloves snarl and shift around 
  your hands when you fly into your rampage.
  Lvl 6 
  1,800 gp 
  Lvl 26 
  1,125,000 gp
  Lvl 16 
  45,000 gp
  item slot: Hands
  Property: You gain a +4 item bonus to damage rolls for attacks 
  from your rampage class feature.
   
  Level 16: +8 item bonus.
   
  Level 26: +16 item bonus.
  Power (daily): Free Action. trigger: You hit with an attack that 
  uses your rampage class feature. Effect: the attack deals 
  2[W] extra damage.
  twice-Clawed Gauntlets 
  Level 4+
  The ritual which creates these leather or hide gauntlets merges 
  the claws of a second predator onto the paws of a base crea-
  ture, so that the claws on your gloves shift magically between 
  the natural weapons of two great predators.
  Lvl 4 
  840 gp 
  Lvl 24 
  525,000 gp
  Lvl 14 
  21,000 gp
  item slot: Hands
  Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to damage rolls while 
  raging.
   
  Level 14: +4 item bonus.
   
  Level 24: +6 item bonus.
  Power (daily): Free Action. You gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls 
  when using the rage strike power.
  barbarianS and iteMS
  Like other melee weapon strikers, your first priority 
  is your weapon. You can choose from any number 
  of compelling and fun magic weapons, but your first 
  decision is which weapon you wish to use.
   
  Your powers let you roll more [W] dice than other 
  characters. A big-damage-die weapon such as a 
  greataxe or a greatsword is what you want, and two-
  handed weapons are part of your identity.
   
  Adventurer’s Vault™ complicated the choice of 
  weapons by introducing a few superior weapons 
  that are well worth a Weapon Proficiency feat. The 
  fullblade and greatspear are worthwhile, but the 
  execution axe and mordenkrad set themselves apart 
  because of their brutal 2 and brutal 1 traits.
   
  As a barbarian, you roll a lot of dice. Being able to 
  reroll all dice that come up as a 1, or as a 1 or a 2, is 
  an immensely satisfying trick. You probably might 
  have been willing to pay gp to have that effect on a 
  magic weapon—now you have the brutal mechanic 
  in addition to whatever your magic weapon accom-
  plishes. if you’re a whirling barbarian fighting with 
  weapons in one hand, you weren’t left out: The 
  khopesh and the craghammer offer brutal 1 and 
  brutal 2 traits as weapons that can be used in one 
  hand.
  Other Items
  A few scattered magic items are particularly good 
  for barbarians, including rageblood armor in Player’s 
  Handbook 2 and a couple sets of barbarian-themed 
  magic items in Adventurer’s Vault 2 (Golden Lion’s 
  Battle Regalia for the thaneborn barbarian and Reap-
  er’s Array).
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  33
  Tattoos
  As introduced on page 83 of Adventurer’s Vault 2, 
  tattoos provide unique benefits. You can have only 
  one tattoo at a time. The selection of tattoos below 
  complement tattoos that would already be of interest 
  to barbarians, such as resurgence tattoo, tattoo of ven-
  geance, long-battle tattoo, and fireheart tattoo.
  twining-scorpion tattoo 
  Level 8+
  This tattoo of blood wraps down your forearms onto your 
  wrists. The harshly inked scorpion isn’t pretty, but in your 
  hands vengeance is always pretty messy.
  Lvl 8 
  3,400 gp 
  Lvl 28 
  2,125,000 gp
  Lvl 18 
  85,000 gp
  Wondrous item
  Property: When a nonminion enemy scores a critical hit 
  against you while you are raging, you gain a +1 bonus 
  to attack rolls against that enemy until the end of the 
  encounter. You also gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls against 
  that enemy until the end of the encounter.
   
  Level 18: +4 bonus to damage rolls.
   
  Level 28: +6 bonus to damage rolls.
  Feral Glory tattoo 
  Level 14
  The great predator or mighty weapon you’ve chosen as the 
  subject of this tattoo of blood shifts across your skin an inch or 
  two each time you use it, flowing around your body over the 
  course of the years.
  Wondrous item 21,000 gp
  Property: When a nonminion enemy scores a critical hit 
  against you and deals damage, you regain the use of 
  the encounter power you gained from your Feral Might 
  barbarian class feature (in other words, roar of triumph, swift 
  charge, war cry, or whirling lunge).
  those outside the primal way aren’t likely to realize 
  the double meaning in this item’s name. Yes, the 
  gloves’ magic is strongest when they are stitched 
  from the fur of an aged wolf. but ‘Old Wolf’ is also 
  a widespread nickname of Old Grandfather, the 
  elder primal spirit whose constant grumbling can’t 
  overshadow the fact that he’s the world’s most 
  skilled survivor.
   
  Old Wolf’s gloves appear in some of the earliest 
  stories about Old Grandfather. In these tales, he 
  pretends to lose his axe, his left boot, and his gloves 
  in the exact spot where younger heroes can find 
  them and use them to save themselves and their 
  people from monsters and evil gods.
   
  toward the end of their lives, some followers 
  of the primal way emulate Old Grandfather, ‘acci-
  dentally’ leaving magic items on distant crags or 
  paths, guided by the advice from the other primal 
  spirits about who might pass that way in the hours 
  or weeks to come.
   
  Dungeon Masters can add these gloves to their 
  campaigns in a variety of ways, and two sugges-
  tions for doing so follow.
   
  a race to the Prize: Primal spirits from another 
  tribe or group arranged for one of the tribe’s elders 
  to leave a pair of Old Wolf’s gloves near a forest 
  shrine, but demonic raiders killed the elder and the 
  hero for which the gloves were meant. the PCs are 
  near enough to cut through the forests to slay the 
  raiders. With luck and speed, the PCs might reach 
  the shrine before the demons have destroyed it and 
  its magic.
   
  Wolf meditations: While watching the sunrise, 
  one of the primal player characters receives an 
  inspiration—a daydream in which an old wolf claws 
  the secrets of a new ritual into his or her skin. Later 
  in the day, the PCs learn that a huge gray wolf has 
  been killing people across a wide range of the 
  forest, and the primal character’s daydream comes 
  into focus: the dream was the secret for how to 
  create a pair of Old Wolf’s gloves. this message from 
  spirits also mandates a need to send primal heroes 
  against the old wolf. In essence, a pair of Old Wolf’s 
  gloves can serve as a quest reward for taking down 
  the beast.
  Old wOlF’S glOveS
  Pierced Heart tattoo 
  Level 2+
  Arrows, spears, swords—anything with a point serves to pin-
  cushion the heart at the center of this tattoo of heart.
  Lvl 2 
  520 gp 
  Lvl 22 
  325,000 gp
  Lvl 12 
  13,000 gp
  Wondrous item
  Property: When you use your second wind, you gain a +2 
  bonus to damage rolls on the next attack you make before 
  the end of your next turn. If you are raging when you use 
  your second wind, you also gain a +2 bonus to the attack 
  roll of that attack.
   
  Level 12: +4 bonus to damage rolls.
   
  Level 22: +6 bonus to damage rolls.
  rage torc tattoo 
  Level 12
  Circling the neck like a spiral torc, this tattoo of spirit opens 
  with a notch on one side for the magic to flow through and 
  return.
  Wondrous item 13,000 gp
  Property: When you spend an action point to take an extra 
  action, you do not expend the action point if you use a rage 
  attack and the attack misses all its targets.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  34
  barbarian POwerS
  These powers expand the barbarian’s most interest-
  ing choices: their arsenal of rage powers.
  always Falling rage 
  barbarian Attack 1
  The fury of the waterfall and the relentless push of the waters 
  propels you past any defenses.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength damage, and you knock the target prone.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the Always Falling spirit. Until the 
  rage ends, when one of your allies hits an enemy adjacent 
  to you, you can shift 2 squares as an immediate reaction.
  bloodseeker’s rage 
  barbarian Attack 1
  As you strike, flashes of spectral teeth and blood-red hide 
  reveal the bloodseeker drake predator spirit that inspires your 
  rage.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the bloodseeker. Until the rage 
  ends, you can make an opportunity attack against any 
  bloodied enemy adjacent to you that shifts.
  skull-taker’s rage 
  barbarian Attack 1
  The ancient berserker spirit that drives this rage doesn’t care 
  that its presence tears you apart, vein by vein. It wants the 
  skulls of your enemies, no matter how they’ve tried to wedge 
  themselves into their cowards’ armor.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the skull-taker. Until the rage 
  ends, you take 3 damage at the start of each of your turns. 
  this damage cannot be resisted or negated. Until the rage 
  ends, you also have a +1 bonus to your attack rolls.
  ambusher’s rage 
  barbarian Attack 5
  Blood calls. The ambush drake’s throaty roar erupts from your 
  throat as you fling yourself around your wounded enemy in a 
  dizzying set-up for the death blow.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the ambusher. Until the rage ends, 
  you can shift 2 squares as a minor action as long as you end 
  the shift adjacent to a bloodied enemy.
  earthquake dragon’s rage barbarian Attack 5
  The ground shakes, and the air splits. You can barely hear the 
  voices of your friends asking you to call on a different primal 
  spirit to drive your rage.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the earthquake dragon. Until the 
  end of your next turn or until the rage ends (whichever is 
  longer), whenever an enemy hits you, you deal thunder 
  damage equal to your Strength modifier to each creature 
  within 5 squares of you.
  Carver’s raging Glory 
  barbarian Attack 9
  Your axe rises in time with the ocean’s pounding waves. Your 
  axe falls with power borrowed from each crashing death.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of Carver’s glory. Until the rage ends, 
  whenever you reduce any enemy to 0 hit points, your next 
  attack deals 5 extra damage.
  stoneroot rage 
  barbarian Attack 9
  The power wells up from deep within the unassailable earth.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and target is slowed 
  (save ends).
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of Stoneroot. Until the rage ends, 
  you gain resist 5 to all damage.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Barbarian Essentials
  35
  Whisper’s blades rage 
  barbarian Attack 15
  A shifting aura of moons and stars outlines your form. As 
  blood drips from your blade and from the enemy who never 
  saw your cut coming, you can hear the wicked laughter of the 
  trickster spirit.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and deal the same 
  amount of damage to a different enemy within 5 squares.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of Whisper’s blades. Until the rage 
  ends, once per round when you hit with a melee attack on 
  your turn, you can choose to reduce the damage of that at-
  tack by 10 and deal 10 damage to another creature within 
  5 squares of you.
  Fortune’s ravagers rage 
  barbarian Attack 19
  Sometimes good luck leads directly to bad, and when your foe 
  is lucky enough to make an extraordinarily effective attack, 
  you’re right there to slam that luck back down its throat.
  daily ✦ Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. AC
  Hit: 4[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You enter the rage of the fortune’s ravager. Until the 
  rage ends, you can repeat the rage’s attack as an immediate 
  interrupt that targets any enemy adjacent to you that rolls 
  a critical hit with an attack.
  FeatS
  The barbarian feats that follow play off the person-
  alities and powers of the elder spirits introduced in 
  Chapter 5 of Primal Power. if your campaign doesn’t 
  use our standard primal spirits, shift the flavor as you 
  like.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Blood Cousin’s Tribe [Tribal]
   
  Prerequisites: Barbarian
   
  Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls 
  when raging. This bonus increases by 1 for each ally 
  within 10 squares of you who has at least one tribal 
  feat.
  Whisper’s Advice
   
  Prerequisites: Barbarian
   
  Benefit: When an enemy that is adjacent to you 
  recharges a power at the start of its turn, you gain a 
  +2 bonus to damage rolls against that enemy until the 
  end of your next turn. The bonus increases to +3 at 
  11th level and +4 at 21st level.
  Paragon Tier
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  11th level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Angry Grandfather
   
  Prerequisites: Barbarian
   
  Benefit: You gain a bonus to death saving throws 
  equal to the number of rages you have expended 
  since your last extended rest.
  About the Author
  rob Heinsoo led the design of the 4th edition D&D® Role-
  playing Game. His 4th edition design credits include Martial 
  Power™ and the Forgotten Realms® Player’s Guide. His other 
  game designs include Three-Dragon Ante™ and Inn-Fighting™.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  36
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  “The warriors among us want to see the whites of their eyes. 
  If I am ever close enough to see white, it will be the end of 
  me. Thus, I have learned to fire from afar, placing barriers 
  in the path of my enemies and controlling their every step.”
   
   
  ~Devon Darin, War Wizard of Cormyr
  The wizard represents the pinnacle of arcane power 
  in the D&D® game. A wizard had the best tricks, 
  the most powerful magic, and the greatest surprises. 
  Although other classes have caught up with the 
  wizard in terms of power, the wizard still has some 
  of the greatest versatility of any class in the game. 
  No other class combines an ability to affect multiple 
  creatures with a mastery of the battlefield and ritual 
  supremacy in the way that a wizard does. However, as 
  in previous editions, wizards have to rely on members 
  of other roles to defend them so that they can focus on 
  what they do well.
   
  And what is it that the wizard does best? Wiz-
  ards are, first and foremost, controllers. They use 
  their powers to affect numerous opponents at once, 
  especially minions. They control the movement of 
  enemies on the battlefield. They impose conditions 
  on a large numbers of foes that allow their allies to 
  swoop in for the kill.
  Wizard  
  Essentials:
  Secrets of the 
  Spiral Tower 
  By Eytan Bernstein 
  Illustrations by Drew Baker
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  37
  the baSicS
  “Think yer too good fer cantrips boy!? Well, do yer?! If yer 
  can’t produce a decent light spell, how do yer expect to make 
  a fireball?”
   
   
  ~Bambar Spearsplitter, dwarf wizard
  Regardless of your build, character design choices, 
  and other character decisions, your role remains the 
  same. As a wizard, your job is to direct the flow of 
  combat by keeping enemies busy. You scatter them 
  with burst effects, slow and immobilize them, put 
  barriers and terrain in their way, use forced move-
  ment to move them where you want, and otherwise 
  control their location and position. Your allies depend 
  on you to soften your enemies and put them in the 
  right tactical position.
   
  You are not on the battlefield to deal large amounts 
  of damage to a single foe, though you can contribute 
  to the damage your allies deal to enemies. Let strik-
  ers worry about the bulk of the damage. Rely on 
  defenders to stay up front and occupy your foes, and 
  allow the leaders to heal you on the occasions when 
  enemies break through and come after you (and you 
  better hope this scenario doesn’t happen a lot).
   
  Let’s look at the class features that all wizards 
  have in common, and then we’ll discuss the different 
  choices in terms of implements. Because implement 
  mastery determines all real mechanical choices, 
  build is less of a factor.
  Cantrips
  As soon as they begin their arcane studies, all wizards 
  learn cantrips—basic magic spells that they can per-
  form to aid them in everyday life. Cantrips perform 
  a variety of simple, yet useful, functions. The basic 
  wizard cantrips are ghost sound, light, mage hand, and 
  prestidigitation.
   
  Ghost sound produces all sorts of sounds, ranging 
  from a whisper to a yelling creature. The sound can 
  emanate from a square or object within 50 feet of 
  you. People neglect this cantrip because it requires a 
  standard action, but it can be extremely useful in pro-
  ducing distractions.
   
  Light causes an object or square to shed bright 
  light. Although not as bright as a sunrod, you don’t 
  want to let the entire dungeon know of your presence.
   
  Mage hand allows you to pick up and move objects 
  weighing up to 20 pounds. Twenty pounds is not a 
  tiny amount, so you can do a lot with cantrip. Stuck in 
  a jail cell? Want to snatch the keys from the belt of the 
  sleeping jailer? Mage hand is the perfect spell for you.
   
  Prestidigitation allows you to do everything wiz-
  ards do to make them look impressive. Light candles, 
  summon a flower to your hand, create whirlwinds 
  to sweep the floor, make a card disappear from your 
  hand, or perform another trick or minor act of magic. 
  The spell can do both tricks as well as practical acts, 
  but it can’t do anything that could be misconstrued 
  as a true act of magical power. it can’t harm a foe, 
  though enemies might be frightened by a display of 
  magic, mistaking it for something dangerous.
  Ritual Casting
  Wizards are the undeniable masters of rituals. Not 
  only do they start with three rituals of their choice, 
  and they also use intelligence as their primary sta-
  tistic and start with proficiency in Arcana. Consider 
  rituals to be an important way to supplement your 
  versatility. Although you can’t use them in combat, 
  you can acquire more and more rituals that can 
  aid the party while adventuring. They can help you 
  bypass barriers, locate treasure, spy on enemies, and 
  perform countless other functions.
  Spellbook
  in addition to containing rituals, a wizard’s spellbook 
  performs a unique function. it contains the wizard’s 
  daily and utility spells. Whenever you gain access to a 
  new daily or utility spell, you learn two spells. When 
  you wake from an extended rest, you can choose one 
  of the two choices for each of your daily and utility 
  spells. This choice gives wizards a greater versatil-
  ity than other classes because they essentially have 
  access to two daily and utility powers at each level. 
  Additionally, wizards have a variety of feats they can 
  take that increase the number of powers from which 
  they can choose, including Remembered Wizardry, 
  Aerenal Arcanist, and expanded Spellbook.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  38
  Orb of Imposition
  “Lucretia the Spider Queen weaves impassable webs. 
  Behind those sticky barriers is that horrid crystal sphere. 
  When I see it glow, I know that escape will be impossible”
   
   
  ~Seth Danger, halfling paladin monk
  Wizards have the unique ability to control the battle-
  field and their foes by affecting large areas. They can 
  also throw out effects that hinder and disable their 
  enemies. However, if foes can shake these effects off 
  easily, their effectiveness is limited. At this point, the 
  orb of imposition’s saving throw penalty can come into 
  play.
  Saving Throw Penalty
  once per encounter, you can choose one creature 
  that you have targeted with one of your spells that 
  has an effect that a save can end. The creature takes a 
  penalty equal to your Wisdom modifier on the saving 
  throw. This penalty makes it significantly more dif-
  ficult for enemies to shake off the effect. You should 
  use this ability on daily powers that have effects 
  that disable or cripple opponents, including dazing, 
  stunning, and immobilizing. Don’t use it for ongoing 
  damage or slowing, unless you think either of these 
  effects is helpful in your current predicament.
   
  Alternatively, you can use this ability to extend the 
  duration of a wizard at-will power that lasts until the 
  end of your next turn. instead of finishing at the end 
  of your next turn, the effect lasts an additional turn. 
  You might use the implement’s power to extend the 
  slow effect of a ray of frost, the duration of a cloud of 
  daggers, or to keep a storm pillar in place for another 
  turn. Sometimes keeping an enemy slowed is exactly 
  what you need.
  Power Selection
  Select powers that cripple and disable foes. Unlike 
  most controllers, it matters less whether you affect 
  numerous opponents. For you, taking down indi-
  vidual opponents is more important. if you can keep 
  your foe immobilized, the ranged strikers can assault 
  it while the melee combatants brutalize it up front. 
  if you keep a foe stunned, it can’t do anything while 
  your allies destroy it. So ignore summoning powers 
  and direct damage and go for powers that cause 
  disabling conditions, severe penalties, and hinder 
  movement.
  Staff of Defense
  “Ooooh, a little girl with a big stick! I’m soooo scaywed! 
  Whatcha gonna do? Trip me to death?”
   
   
  ~The last words spoken by  
   
   
    Turgis the Dull to Aeris the Black
  The staff of defense is a great option for wizards who 
  don’t wish for the implement to determine the type 
  of magic they practice. This flexibility is especially 
  useful to wizards who focus on a theme, such as a 
  particular element—fire, cold, or electricity, for exam-
  ple. By wielding the staff, you gain a +1 bonus to your 
  AC. in addition, once per encounter as an immediate 
  interrupt, you can add your Constitution modifier to 
  a defense against an attack. Finally, although you can 
  wield the staff as a magic implement, it can also serve 
  as a magic weapon. So when enemies come too close, 
  you can whack them with the staff. Not only does it 
  protect you defensively, it also helps you offensively, 
  though this use of the staff should be a last resort.
  iMPleMent MaStery
  When you first create a wizard, you have to make 
  an incredibly important choice. You have to choose 
  which implement to master because your choice 
  decides your approach to power selection. Depend-
  ing on the implement you select, you might choose 
  an entirely different suite of powers than another 
  wizard.
  Orb of Deception
  “So you have escaped the nightmare I have created? Your 
  wife does not appear to have been so lucky.”
   
   
  ~Bambrelcamp, Gnome Phantasist
  The orb of deception is an extremely powerful imple-
  ment in the hands of the crafty illusionist. once per 
  encounter, when you miss with an illusion attack, you 
  can use the orb to choose a different enemy within 
  3 squares of the original target. You can reroll the 
  attack against the new target with a bonus equal to 
  your Charisma modifier. As possibly the most power-
  ful of the implement mastery powers, the power is 
  also limited because you can use it only on illusion 
  powers.
  Power Selection
  When choosing powers for this build, select illusion 
  powers that suit your fancy. You might want to focus 
  on single target illusion powers, but since most illu-
  sions are area powers, you should pick whichever 
  illusions you like the best.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  39
   
  Although you could go for the wand of accuracy, 
  you might decide that you want the security and 
  defense provided by the staff of defense. And when 
  you reach paragon levels, you can choose to take the 
  Second implement feat so that you have both forms of 
  mastery.
  Power Selection
  Because the staff of defense implement mastery doesn’t 
  affect the way you use your powers, you can go with 
  any suite of powers you want. To bolster your defen-
  sive theme, you might choose defensive utility powers, 
  such as shield, invisibility, blur, displacement, and similar 
  powers.
  Tome of Binding
  “Why should I risk my neck when I can summon creatures 
  perfectly willing to do it for me?”
   
   
  ~Thromard, merchant mage of Khorvaire
  The tome of binding allows you to augment the damage 
  of your summoned creatures. once per encounter, 
  you can choose to use the tome when you cast a 
  summoning spell to increase the damage dealt by 
  all creatures summoned by the spell by an amount 
  equal to your Constitution modifier. You might find 
  this damage increase particularly useful for spells 
  that summon multiple creatures due to the multiple 
  attacks these creatures can make.
  Power Selection
  As with the orb of deception, the tome of binding makes 
  your choice of powers easy: You can choose any sum-
  moning power you want to receive the best benefit 
  from this implement. of course, you might want 
  to focus on summoning effects that deal out a high 
  amount of damage, but any summoning powers can 
  work well.
  Tome of Readiness
  “I studied with him at White Lotus Academy. I never knew 
  he could cast shock sphere. But Thorsten was always full of 
  surprises.”
   
   
  ~Shelandra the Daring
  The tome of readiness allows you to keep an encounter 
  power in your arsenal that you can use when you 
  need it. once per encounter, you can expend an exist-
  ing encounter power of an equal or higher level and 
  use this encounter power instead. When you gain a 
  level in which you choose a new encounter power, 
  you can change which power you have stored in your 
  tome of readiness.
  Power Selection
  The tome of readiness is a lot like the staff of defense in 
  that it doesn’t affect which powers you choose and 
  how you use them. Thus you can choose any theme of 
  powers you like and still be effective with the tome. 
  You might select a power that is a good standby no 
  matter what the situation. or perhaps choose a power 
  that might be useful in specific situations, but not all. 
  Wand of Accuracy
  “So you think you can escape me, Lucretia?! I curse you to 
  this icy tomb!”
   
   
  ~Ilyana the Frostwielder to her archnemesis,  
   
   
   
    Lucretia the Spider Queen
  The wand of accuracy is the tool of the war wizard. 
  it helps you hit with a spell when accuracy is truly 
  important. For example, ilyana the Frostwielder des-
  perately wants to take out Lucretia the Spider Queen. 
  Lucretia has been railing on her allies with repeated 
  burst effects that keep them away from her, but if 
  ilyana can stun her, her allies can move up to the 
  Spider Queen and box her in, ending that tactic.
  Power Selection
  With the wand of accuracy, select spells that deal high 
  damage and spells that have severe effects against 
  a single opponent. Force cage and ice tomb are great 
  examples because they both impose severe effects on 
  single enemies, but if you miss with them, they don’t 
  do anything. Both are perfect spells with which to use 
  the wand of accuracy power because the wand helps 
  ensure that you hit what you target.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  40
  abilitieS
  “Magic is not powered by good intentions, pretty 
  incantations, leprechauns, or unicorns. If you’re not smart, 
  skilled, and cunning, you don’t stand a chance of learning 
  more than the most basic of spells.” 
   
   
  ~Dazarain, Spellguard of Silverymoon
  Wizards favor intelligence, and they must also con-
  sider certain other abilities so that they can use their 
  powers to their fullest. Let’s look at the abilities a 
  wizard must consider.
  Intelligence
  Wizards use intelligence as their primary attack 
  ability score. it affects attack rolls and damage rolls. 
  intelligence also contributes to Arcana, a skill you 
  roll frequently in relation to arcane knowledge and 
  arcane rituals. intelligence adds to Religion as well, 
  which is another skill you might need for rituals.
  Wisdom
  if you want to pursue the orb of imposition implement 
  mastery, having a high Wisdom is extremely impor-
  tant. When you use that class feature, you can add 
  your Wisdom modifier as a penalty to an enemy’s 
  saving throws to resist one of your spells. Wisdom 
  also helps if you decide to choose Nature and Heal-
  based rituals.
  Constitution
  Although wizards, and all characters for that matter, 
  can benefit from a high Constitution (it boosts your 
  hit points, healing surge value, number of healing 
  surges, and Fortitude), it helps certain wizards more 
  than others. if you use the staff of defense, once per 
  encounter you can add your Constitution modifier to 
  a defense as an immediate interrupt.
   
  if you have the tome of binding, once per encoun-
  ter you can add your Constitution modifier to the 
  damage of a summoning spell. Using this implement 
  is a great way to boost the power of your summoned 
  creatures.
  Charisma
  Most wizards can skimp on Charisma because they 
  need it only if they choose to take Diplomacy, which 
  they can probably live without in many cases. Some 
  might choose to take a decent Charisma to qualify for 
  the Spell Focus feat, which is worthwhile. However, 
  if you’re an illusionist, Charisma becomes a necessity. 
  if you use the orb of deception, once per encounter, 
  when you miss with an illusion spell, you can choose 
  to reroll the attack against a different creature within 
  3 squares of the original target. in addition, you add 
  your Charisma modifier to the new attack roll.
  Ability Score Spreads
  Despite the advice above, you might still find it tricky 
  to get your ability scores just right. The spreads below 
  should help you assign your scores, and they are 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  41
  based on implement masteries and not builds because 
  implement masteries are an important indicator for 
  your ability scores. Also, the tome of readiness imple-
  ment has been left off because no ability score is 
  associated with it. You can choose whichever ability 
  scores you wish for that implement mastery.
  orb oF imPosition sPread
  race
  Race plays an extremely important role in making 
  your wizard strong. Races grant ability score bonuses, 
  skill bonuses, and special abilities that enhance the 
  wizard’s already strong capabilities. Some races are 
  naturally more suited to certain implement masteries 
  than others. Any race with an intelligence bonus can 
  succeed well with any implement, but if a race has a 
  bonus to both intelligence and one of the three sec-
  ondary abilities used by wizards, it is stronger.
  raCe and build
  race  
  recommended implement mastery
  Changeling/doppleganger orb of deception
  deva 
   
   
  orb of imposition
  dragonborn 
   
  orb of deception
  drow  
   
  orb of deception, wand of accuracy
  dwarf  
   
  orb of imposition, staff of defense, tome of binding
  eladrin  
   
  Wand of accuracy
  elf 
   
   
  orb of imposition, wand of accuracy
  Genasi  
   
  any
  Gnoll 
   
   
  staff of defense, tome of binding, wand of accuracy
  Gnome  
   
  orb of deception
  Goliath  
   
  staff of defense, tome of binding
  Half-elf  
   
  orb of deception, staff of defense, tome of binding
  Half-orc 
   
  Wand of accuracy
  Halfling 
   
  orb of deception, wand of accuracy
  Human  
   
  any
  kalashtar 
   
  orb of deception, orb of imposition
  minotaur 
   
  staff of defense, tome of binding
  shadar-kai 
   
  Wand of accuracy
  longtooth shifter  
  orb of imposition
  razorclaw shifter  
  orb of imposition, wand of accuracy
  revenant 
   
  Wand of accuracy
  tiefling  
   
  orb of deception
  Warforged 
   
  staff of defense, tome of binding
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  8
  11
  11
  16
  16
  12
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  11
  14
  10
  17
  10
  12
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  8
  11
  15
  17
  10
  12
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  10
  12
  10
  16
  10
  16
  staFF oF deFense/tome oF bindinG sPread
  Wand oF aCCuraCy sPread
  orb oF deCePtion sPread
  wizard FeatS
  To add more options to your wizard, take a look at the 
  following feats.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the feat’s other prerequisites.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  42
  Lightning Transport
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, Con 13, wizard
   
  Benefit: When you reduce a creature to 0 hit 
  points or fewer with a wizard lightning power, you 
  can teleport a number of squares equal to your Con-
  stitution modifier as a free action.
  Phantasmal Destruction
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, wizard
   
  Benefit: When you have combat advantage 
  against a creature, any wizard illusion power that you 
  use against that creature scores a critical hit on a roll 
  of 19–20.
  Sympathetic Transference
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, wizard
   
  Benefit: When you immobilize, restrain, or slow 
  an enemy, choose an ally within 20 squares of you 
  that is also suffering the same condition. end that 
  condition.
  Wizard Spells
  Wizards of any build can use the following spells.
  nightmare eruption 
  Wizard Attack 1 
  You bring forth a nightmare in your foe’s mind and project it 
  out for its comrades to see.
  at-Will ✦ arcane, illusion, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: 1d8 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and any en-
  emy adjacent to the target takes psychic damage equal to 
  your Intelligence modifier.
   
  Level 21: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier damage.
  Illusionary Stealth
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard, trained in Stealth
   
  Benefit: Whenever you use a wizard illusion 
  power and you hit a target, you gain a feat bonus to 
  Stealth checks equal to your intelligence modifier 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Immolate the Masses
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard
   
  Benefit: When you use a wizard power, you gain 
  1 temporary hit point for each minion you reduce to 0 
  hit points with that power.
  Paragon Tier Feats
  The feats in this section are available to a character 
  of 11th level or higher who meets the feat’s other 
  prerequisites.
  Acid Splash
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, Con 13, wizard
   
  Benefit: When you miss with an acid wizard 
  power and would not normally do damage, you deal 
  acid damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
  Energy Recovery
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, Wis 13, wizard
   
  Benefit: Whenever a creature fails a saving throw 
  against an effect from one of your wizard powers, 
  you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom 
  modifier.
  theMed SPellcaSterS
  Implements are not the only way to plan your 
  wizard. You can also consider themes of spells, 
  such as fire-based casting. this type of wizard 
  takes fire spells and feats that enhance fire 
  magic. Additionally, they focus on acquiring 
  magic items related to fire or that could enhance 
  fire magic. A player might consider races with 
  a connection to fire such as fire genasi and 
  tieflings.
   
  Other themes could include necromancy 
  (death magic), dimensional magic, or storm 
  magic (lightning and thunder spells). You might 
  also choose to reflavor existing spells with your 
  own signature, such as skulls, serpents, stars, a 
  particular color, or another symbol of meaning 
  to you. by customizing your choice of spells, you 
  can make the class and your experience more 
  personal, and thus more fun. that way, not every 
  wizard is the same and your character can stand 
  out a bit more.
  Bitter Cold
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard
   
  Benefit: When you hit a creature with a cold 
  wizard power, that creature also takes a –2 penalty to 
  its Fortitude until the end of your next turn.
  Far Spell
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard
   
  Benefit: if a wizard power has a range of 10 
  squares or fewer, increase the power’s normal range 
  by 2 squares. if a wizard power has a range of 11–20 
  squares, increase the power’s normal range by 5 
  squares. This also applies to area powers, so an area 
  burst 1 within 10 becomes an area burst 1 within 12.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  43
  radiant Pillar 
  Wizard Attack 3
  You conjure a cylinder of light that illuminates the battlefield, 
  searing the eyes of your foes.
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement, radiant, zone
  standard action 
  area burst 1 within 10
  effect: the burst creates a zone of bright light until the end 
  of your next turn. Creatures are blinded while within the 
  zone. If a creature vulnerable to radiant damage starts its 
  turn within the zone, it takes damage equal to double its 
  vulnerability.
  thunderstaff 
  Wizard Attack 5
  As your enemy comes too close, you slam the butt of your staff 
  into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocks it off its feet 
  and far away from you.
  daily ✦ arcane, implement, thunder
  immediate interrupt 
  melee 2
  requirement: You must be wielding a staff.
  trigger: An enemy moves to within 2 squares of you.
  target: the triggering enemy
  attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d6 + Intelligence modifier, and the target is deafened 
  and dazed until the end of your next turn.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is deafened until the end of 
  your next turn.
  effect: You push the target 5 squares.
  able Companion 
  Wizard Utility 6
  You conjure a creature of many hands and feet that aids your 
  allies.
  daily ✦ arcane, Conjuration
  minor action 
  ranged 10
  effect: You conjure an able companion in an unoccupied 
  square within range until the end of the encounter. When 
  an ally starts its turn adjacent to the companion, that ally 
  can stand or shift 1 square as a free action. You can move 
  the companion 2 squares as a minor action or 6 squares as
    a move action.
  tome of transposition 
  Wizard Attack 9
  You open your tome to a page of secrets and flood your foe’s 
  mind with them, causing its weak brain to overload.
  daily ✦ arcane, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 20
  requirement: You must be wielding a tome.
  attack: Intelligence vs. reflex
  target: One creature
  Hit: 4d6 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and the tar-
  get is dazed (save ends).
  miss: Choose another ranged daily spell of equal or lower level 
  to this power from your spellbook. Immediately cast that 
  spell. It must target your original target and it deals half 
  damage.
  dimension switch 
  Wizard Utility 16
  You and your ally teleport into each other’s locations.
  encounter ✦ arcane, teleportation
  move action 
  Close burst 10
  effect: You and one ally in the burst switch places with each 
  other.
  Wand Coupling 
  Wizard Attack 17
  You release a blast of energy from your wand, and as that 
  energy flows outward, it pulses briefly and brightly with a 
  secondary surge of magic.
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  requirement: You must be wielding a wand.
  target: One creature
  attack: Intelligence vs. reflex
  Hit: 3d6 + Intelligence modifier damage, and you push the tar-
  get 3 squares. If your wand has an unexpended magic item 
  encounter power, you can use that power as a free action.
  summon angel Wretch 
  Wizard Attack 19
  A spectral creature composed of numerous wispy black-
  feathered wings, all joined together at the pinions, attacks with 
  gouts of shadowy noxious gas.
  daily ✦ arcane, implement, necrotic, Poison, summoning
  minor action 
  ranged 20
  effect: You summon a Large angel wretch in an unoccupied 
  space within range. the angel wretch has a fly speed of 8. It 
  has a +4 bonus to AC and a +4 bonus to Fortitude. You can 
  give the angel wretch the following special commands.
   
  standard action: Close blast 3; targets each creature in 
  blast; Intelligence vs. Fortitude; the target takes ongoing 20 
  poison damage (save ends).
    standard action: Melee 1; targets one creature; Intel-
  ligence vs. reflex; 2d8 + Intelligence modifier necrotic 
  damage.
   
  opportunity attack: Melee 1; targets one creature; 
  Intelligence vs. reflex; 2d8 + Intelligence modifier necrotic 
  damage.
  dimensional Journey 
  Wizard Utility 22
  You take a step and reappear well away from your starting 
  point.
  daily ✦ arcane, teleportation
  move action 
  Personal
  effect: You teleport 20 squares. You do not need line of sight 
  to your destination.
  orb of doom 
  Wizard Attack 27
  You create a replica of your orb around your foes, trapping 
  them in a crystalline prison.
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement
  standard action 
  area burst 3 within 20
  requirement: You must be wielding an orb.
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: Until the end of your next turn, the target is restrained, 
  cannot teleport, and takes a –5 penalty to attack rolls 
  against creatures outside the area of the burst.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Wizard Essentials: Secrets of the Spiral Tower
  44
  ParagOn Path
  Tome Adept
  “I will unlock the mysteries kept within this tome—even 
  those not yet bound within it.”
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard, tome implement mastery
  As a wizard, you are aware that books are more than 
  the sum of their parts. They are more than paper, 
  binding, ink, and stitches. Hidden within are secrets, 
  knowledge, and mysteries waiting to be unlocked. 
  And as a caster focused on the secrets of words, for-
  mulas, and incantations, you are perfectly suited to 
  unlocking the secrets hidden within them.
  Tome Adept Path Features
   
  Paper Secrets (11th level): each time you gain 
  a new level of daily wizard attack spells or wizard 
  utility spells, you learn one extra spell of that level 
  (in other words, add three spells to your spellbook 
  instead of only two). This stacks with other feats and 
  abilities that increase the number of spells in your 
  spellbook.
   
  Secret Formularies (11th level): it costs you half 
  as much as normal to copy rituals into your spellbook. 
  You gain a +2 bonus to skill checks made as part of a 
  ritual.
   
  tome of Confusion (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action, each 
  enemy you hit with an attack before the end of your 
  turn is dazed until the end of your next turn.
   
  maze of Words (16th level): When you score 
  a critical hit against an enemy, that enemy is dazed 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Tome Adept Spells
  knowledge blast 
  tome Adept Attack 11
  You hold up your tome and concentrate all your knowledge 
  through it into a beam of pure energy, firing it at your igno-
  rant foe.
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  requirement: You must be wielding a tome
  target: One creature
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and you push 
  the target 2 squares. the target is dazed and takes a –2 
  penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
  ritual master 
  tome Adept Utility 12
  Your constant study has revealed the secrets of mysteries that 
  archmages haven’t solved.
  daily ✦ arcane
  Free action 
  Personal
  effect: You gain a +10 power bonus to a single ritual skill 
  check.
  librus Phantasma 
  tome Adept Attack 20
  You open your tome and your foe flows into the book, where it 
  must navigate through an eldritch labyrinth before returning 
  to reality.
  daily ✦ arcane, implement, reliable
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  requirement: You must be wielding a tome
  target: One creature
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: the target is trapped in your tome (save ends). While 
  trapped, the target ceases to exist and can take no actions 
  until it saves. It has line of sight and line of effect to no 
  creature, and no creature has line of sight or line of effect 
  to it. When the target saves, it reappears wherever it was 
  when it was hit by this spell. If that square is occupied, it 
  reappears in the nearest available square of the target’s 
  choice.
  About the Author
  eytan Bernstein hails from New York City. He spends 
  his days writing and editing history books for a major edu-
  cational publisher. By night, he works as a game designer, 
  editor, and developer. His many previous credits for Wizards 
  of the Coast include Adventurer’s Vault, Open Grave: Secrets of 
  the Undead, and Arcane Power.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  45
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  With the introduction of the new powers and feats in 
  Primal Power, the game landscape changes and opens 
  up new options for primal characters. Whether you’re 
  interested in seeing how some of the things within Primal 
  Power can work for your primal character or need a 
  quick character concept for your game, Kiel and Rasa 
  can provide you with something useful. Kiel, a self-styled 
  seismic guardian, can keep all foes on their heels, and Rasa 
  hopes to ensure that every member of his party works at an 
  optimal level . . . and then some.
  Character  
  Concepts
  By John Zamarra 
  Illustrations by Matias Tapia
  kiel, the SeiSMic 
  guardian
  Primal Power presents the idea of characters who 
  wield the destructive side of nature against their foes. 
  Although feats and powers that emulate earthquakes 
  could thematically fit with a divine or arcane charac-
  ter, the earthquake is a definitive primal assault. Kiel, 
  the seismic guardian, knocks foes down and tosses 
  them around, leaving them pinned and easy to pick 
  off.
   
  As with an earthquake, distance is no refuge 
  from the destructive powers of Kiel, since she uses a 
  reach weapon and chooses primal powers to extend 
  her reach in combat. in terms of weapon choice, the 
  greatspear has damage and accuracy, but the weapon 
  Kiel uses is the glaive due to its heavy blade and pole-
  arm properties and the feats available that augment 
  these abilities.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  46
  Race
  Due to their natural affinity with mountains and the 
  earth, goliaths are a great fit for the seismic guardian 
  concept both thematically and mechanically. As a 
  result, Kiel is of goliath stock. A dwarf is also an excel-
  lent choice for this concept due to a dwarf’s durability. 
  A warforged drawn to the powers of life—perhaps 
  seeking to explore the living spirits of rock to better 
  understand its own living nature—can also be a color-
  ful option.
  Class
  The storm warden featured in Primal Power is a per-
  fect fit for the seismic guardian concept because it 
  moves enemies around and causes them to stumble 
  (using slow effects). The earthstrength warden from 
  Player’s Handbook 2 is also a solid choice. Multiclass-
  ing presents a fair range of options, especially since 
  the fighter and the barbarian both have strong 
  powers that push, slow, and knock foes prone. To 
  maximize the theme, though, a warden/fighter com-
  bination with the Polearm Momentum feat (Martial 
  Power) is where Kiel is headed. This interesting varia-
  tion trades some of the warden’s defensive powers for 
  greater offensive ones.
  Ability Scores
  A storm warden needs Strength to attack, and Con-
  stitution is a good choice to bolster due to Armor 
  Class and most of the class’s features. However, 
  both Wisdom and Dexterity can help Kiel meet feat 
  requirements and boost the secondary effects of some 
  powers; that said, neither needs to be particularly 
  high. With a custom build, Kiel’s ability scores look 
  like this:
  * Bonuses for race included.
  Skills
  every warden gains the Nature skill, and Dun-
  geoneering rounds out Kiel’s knowledge of the earth 
  and its dangers. Athletics helps when moving in the 
  mountains, and it works nicely with the goliath’s 
  racial bonus and reroll ability. As a defender with a 
  reasonable Wisdom score, Perception is too crucial 
  for Kiel’s concept to pass up. So, Kiel has Nature, Per-
  ception, Dungeoneering, and Athletics.
  Feats
  At 1st level, one option feels right for the concept: 
  Sudden Roots (Player’s Handbook 2). Thematically, 
  the ability to leave a foe stumbling and unable to 
  move at full speed is a perfect fit, and it enhances the 
  defender role nicely.
  Powers
  Wardens have Font of Life, which helps make Kiel 
  feel like an earthquake since it helps her shake off 
  effects that a save can end. After all, when an earth-
  quake starts, none can stop it—you have to ride it out 
  and hope for the best. Being able to shrug off being 
  stunned or dazed and still keep on shaking things up 
  is good.
   
  Kiel takes thorn strike as her first at-will power. 
  This power allows Kiel to yank enemies where 
  she wants them, and it has great synergy with her 
  Nature’s Wrath class feature. The weight of earth at-
  will power is a natural choice for her second at-will 
  because it makes the enemy stumble when they want 
  to run and combines nicely with Sudden Roots. Thun-
  der ram assault is the obvious choice for an encounter 
  power, and form of the fearsome ram augments the 
  pushing with the first effect Kiel has that can knock 
  foes prone.
   
  Level 2: With a little twist to the flavor, warden’s 
  tempest shakes the ground and tosses a marked enemy 
  wherever Kiel wants it.
   
  For her 2nd-level feat, Kiel could choose between 
  Weapon expertise or Weapon Proficiency with the 
  greatspear. The glaive she uses has only a +2 profi-
  ciency bonus and Kiel’s powers require her to hit to 
  back up her claims of being a seismic guardian. The 
  Talenta sharrash (EbErron® Player’s Guide) is a +3 pro-
  ficiency polearm, but since it lacks reach, Kiel would 
  give up too much for the sharrash to be worthwhile. 
  So, the greatspear is tempting for this concept, but, 
  in the long run, it requires too heavy an investment 
  in Dexterity for maximum potential. After this back 
  and forth, Kiel ends up with Weapon expertise (pole-
  arms) as her feat at this level, and she can use the feat 
  with her glaive due to the glaive’s dual polearm and 
  heavy blade properties.
   
  Level 3: if Kiel had gone the route of an earth-
  strength warden, earthgrasp strike combined with 
  reach could leave an enemy prone and unable to 
  stand up. However, guardian shock wave is her choice, 
  allowing her to rock an entire area, potentially knock-
  ing enemies prone.
   
  Level 4: Kiel increases her Strength, since it is her 
  most important ability score, and Wisdom, which she 
  needs so that she can qualify for some feats later.
   
  The Battle Awareness feat allows Kiel to make a 
  melee basic attack against an enemy adjacent to her 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  18* 
  17*
  13
  10
  13
  8
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  47
   
  Level 9: Kiel takes form of the stalwart mastodon, 
  upping the Richter scale on her forced movement 
  effects for an entire encounter.
   
  Level 10: Taking a multiclass feat to pick up Come 
  and Get it from the fighter class is extremely tempt-
  ing at this level. Kiel chooses impaling Thrust instead 
  to allow some of her hits to have an aftershock effect 
  and pin her enemies too far away to hurt anyone.
   
  Kiel continues the aftershock theme with guard-
  ian’s attack as her utility power, which allows her to 
  reuse the special power of her forms to hurl another 
  enemy prone.
  Status Report
  So the seismic guardian at level 10 can pull at will, 
  and three encounter powers push, slide, or knock 
  foes prone. For two encounters per day, her forms 
  give either increased forced movement or add push, 
  and both give knock prone attacks, which her utility 
  power lets her reuse when needed. Whenever she 
  takes her second wind, any marked enemy is slowed, 
  and if the enemy is close enough, it slides 1 square. 
  Kiel ranks about a 5 on the Richter scale: She shakes 
  things up and occasionally knocks things down, but 
  she is about to go into overdrive.
   
  Level 11: The choice of paragon paths is difficult 
  since so many great options exist. Stoneblessed (Play-
  er’s Handbook 2) gives +1 reach, bloodwrath guardian 
  (Player’s Handbook 2) grants threatening reach, and 
  verdant lord (Player’s Handbook 2) gives reach and 
  prone powers. However, one paragon path stands 
  above the others when combined with the push and 
  slide powers the warden already has: polearm master 
  (Martial Power). This path allows Kiel to add 1 square 
  to forced movement, and when you combine the addi-
  tional movement with Polearm Momentum, a push, 
  pull, or slide 1 can ultimately knock the enemy prone. 
  The bonus to damage rolls provided by Goliath Great-
  weapon Prowess increases by +1, and Toughness 
  provides a total of 10 hit points instead of only 5.
   
  When her ability scores go up by 1 point, Kiel 
  meets the minimum requirements for the Polearm 
  Momentum feat and retrains Sudden Roots. With 
  her new feat slot, she takes Heavy Blade opportunity, 
  which allows her to use an at-will power with oppor-
  tunity attacks. Weight of earth fits in there perfectly, 
  so she gives up nothing by retraining out of Sudden 
  Roots.
  that shifts away, which puts an enemy between a rock 
  and a hard place. For example, if it shifts away from 
  her, she can attack the enemy, which is still within 
  reach if it tries to attack her allies. if her foe tries to 
  move in a way that provides Kiel with an opportunity 
  attack, Kiel’s feat Sudden Roots takes effect and slows 
  this enemy, potentially causing it problems if it was 
  trying to reach a different enemy. This combination is 
  a spectacular way to shut down skirmishers and lurk-
  ers. For her skill choice, she takes endurance.
   
  Level 5: Again, Kiel has several strong options to 
  support her concept. Earthshaking rend can come into 
  play and emulate an earthquake in a small area, but 
  it affects both friends and foes. So Kiel takes storm 
  strike, with its massive slide 3, or slide 1 on a miss. 
  This excellent power fits the theme of tossing ene-
  mies around, and it only gets better at paragon level 
  when those slides include a prone effect.
   
  Level 6: Bear’s endurance is a solid utility power 
  that emphasizes the unending, irresistible, unstop-
  pable nature of an earthquake. Knocking Kiel 
  unconscious doesn’t stop her any longer. The Goliath 
  Greatweapon Prowess feat adds teeth to her attacks.
   
  Level 7: Kiel has no bad options at this level, but 
  mountain’s stature and stalker’s positioning are the lead-
  ing causes of upheaval. Mountain’s stature is slightly 
  more defensive, though stalker’s positioning is more 
  flexible, so Kiel takes the latter. The ability to slide 
  an enemy and then use it to shove a second enemy 
  (or ally) 1 square away is comical, perfectly in theme, 
  and tactically powerful.
   
  Level 8: With paragon tier appearing on the 
  horizon, Kiel takes Toughness as this level’s feat. Kiel 
  again increases her Strength and this time increases 
  Dexterity.
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  21
  18
  15
  11
  15
  9
   
  Level 12: With the addition of Spear Push as her 
  feat, and while using form of the fearsome ram for an 
  entire encounter, Kiel can, at will, move an enemy 3 
  squares with weight of earth, leaving it prone, slow, and 
  marked but likely unable to attack her.
   
  Level 13: Kiel trades the guardian shock wave 
  power for rumbling doom, which hurls a single enemy 
  3 squares (thanks to her paragon path’s feature 
  Forceful Reach) and knocks it prone. The enemy is 
  deafened and marked, and Kiel deals extra damage to 
  nearby marked enemies at the start of her next turn.
   
  Level 14: The Polearm Gamble feat allows Kiel to 
  use weight of earth (using reaching stance) on any enemy 
  who approaches her. Her ability score increases go 
  into Strength and Constitution.
   
  Level 15: Form of the avalanche unleashed replaces 
  storm strike. in this form, Kiel gains resist 5 to 
  damage, and she shakes the ground, slowing any 
  enemy within 2 squares of her. The attack allows 
  her to knock an enemy prone and leave it dazed or 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  48
   
  Level 21: At epic level, the primal spirits reveal 
  to Kiel that her great tie to the earth is more than a 
  choice—it is destiny. As a Prison of the Winds, she is 
  a living tomb for a primordial. Her deep grounding 
  provides a solid barrier from which the winds cannot 
  escape. She has already learned how to draw on that 
  power to augment her seismic powers, but now the tie 
  grows exponentially. Her Constitution and Dexterity 
  are both greatly increased, both of her at-will powers 
  deal more damage, and Toughness provides extra 
  hit points As a feat, she takes Primal Resurgence, 
  which allows her to use her most critical powers—her 
  forms—more often.
   
  Level 26: The Second Skin feat gives Kiel signifi-
  cantly increased survivability, but if this feat fails her, 
  once per day she can draw on the fury of Huer-Ket to 
  push an enemy over 6 squares or knock it prone.
   
  Level 27: Kiel’s increasingly potent tie to the 
  eternal prison is the perfect reason to have the earth 
  tomb power replace rumbling doom, which can send an 
  enemy out of the battle until the end of her next turn.
   
  Level 28: When more and more foes are hurled 
  outside the range of her mark, Kiel uses the Far-
  Reaching Grasp feat to extend that range and keep 
  her enemies off balance out to 10 squares away. Abil-
  ity score increases go to Strength and Constitution 
  again.
   
  Level 29: Form of the unruly earth replaces form of 
  the avalanche unleashed to provide extreme control, 
  locking down Kiel’s enemies and making them nearly 
  defenseless.
   
  Level 30: The epic Resurgence Feat brings back 
  one of Kiel’s encounter powers when it is needed 
  most, and she learns to use the imprisoned primordi-
  al’s nature against her foes by becoming insubstantial 
  while bloodied.
  Status Report
  The final build for Kiel allows her to move foes 
  around the field of combat with a great degree of 
  impunity. Her reach weapon and those feats and 
  powers that use the weapon help her maintain this 
  level of control. in the end, those facing Kiel in 
  combat might not end up where they started and fre-
  quently can’t do what they wanted, which is exactly 
  the effect Kiel’s concept wanted to bring to the table. 
  By keeping her foes off balance, as an earthquake 
  can, Kiel allows her fellow adventurers to shine in 
  their own ways.
  stunned. Form of the avalanche unleashed becomes the 
  favored choice for her guardian’s attack.
   
  Weapon expertise Polearms increases to a total of 
  a +2 bonus to attack rolls.
   
  Level 16: The warden’s refusal power extends Kiel’s 
  earthshaking powers by allowing her to affect an 
  enemy on that enemy’s turn. As a feat, she chooses 
  Mark of Warding (EbErron Player’s Guide) because the 
  additional penalty she imposes on her enemy’s ability 
  to hit anyone also helps keep her allies safe.
   
  Level 17: Warden’s lure replaces stalker’s positioning 
  and, when combined with her paragon path choice, 
  turns a small temblor into a massive eruption.
   
  Level 18: Again, ability score increases go to 
  Strength and Constitution. The Durable feat helps 
  Kiel survive the attention she draws to herself.
   
  Level 19: one of Kiel’s forms could be traded out 
  for thundering bolts or warding smash if the need for 
  extra damage comes up, but Kiel keeps her powers for 
  now.
   
  Level 20: encounters are getting rough, and with 
  the transition to epic fast approaching, Kiel opts for 
  the Unyielding Stone feat to enhance her long-term 
  survivability.
  Status Report
  on the cusp of epic power, Kiel’s encounter and daily 
  powers can knock enemies prone. Most of her powers 
  cause the earth to shake over an area, and her util-
  ity powers allow her to focus her ire onto one enemy 
  to toss it exactly where she needs that enemy to be. 
  Kiel ranks about a 7.4 on the Richter scale now since 
  she leaves a trail of devastation whenever she erupts. 
  only the sturdiest enemies remain standing when 
  she’s done.
   
  Level 22: Faced with trickier enemies and more 
  flexible attacks, Kiel takes Robust Defenses as her 
  next feat. Renewal grants her healing when she needs 
  it and recharges a spent encounter power.
   
  Level 23: Primal rebuke replaces thunder ram 
  assault, and this new power keeps one enemy prone 
  when it doesn’t want to be, plus it deals great damage 
  in the process.
   
  Level 24: With the attacks that utilize heavy 
  blades in her arsenal, Heavy Blade Mastery is a 
  natural fit. Ability score increases go to Strength and 
  Constitution. Kiel learns to draw on the primordial 
  trapped within her. if defeated, she causes the ground 
  to erupt anew, throwing everyone near her 7 squares 
  away and knocking them prone. She also heals her-
  self at the same time.
   
  Level 25: Form of the jungle lord replaces form of the 
  stalwart mastodon. This power is the ultimate form for 
  Kiel, since it allows her to slide 3 and knock prone 
  with every attack.
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  24
  23
  18
  12
  16
  10
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  49
   
  racial traits (goliath)*: Mountain’s Tenacity, 
  Powerful Athlete.
   
  at-Will Powers: Warden’s fury (warden feature 1), 
  warden’s grasp (warden feature 1), thorn strike (warden 
  1), weight of earth (warden 1).
   
  encounter Powers: Stone’s endurance (goliath 
  racial power), leveraging strike (polearm master 11), 
  warden’s lure (warden 17), primal rebuke (warden 23), 
  earth tomb (warden 27).
   
  Daily Powers: Form of the fearsome ram (warden 
  1), polearm sweep (polearm master 20), form of the 
  jungle lord (warden 25), form of the unruly earth 
  (warden 29).
   
  Utility Powers: Warden’s tempest (warden 2), bear’s 
  endurance (warden 6), guardian’s attack (warden 10), 
  reaching stance (polearm master 12), warden’s refusal 
  (warden 17), renewal (warden 22), fury of Huer-Ket 
  (Prison of the Winds 26).
   
  Feats: Battle Awareness, Durable, epic Resur-
  gence, Far-Reaching Grasp, Goliath Greatweapon 
  Prowess, Heavy Blade Mastery, Heavy Blade oppor-
  tunity, impaling Thrust, Mark of Warding, Polearm 
  Gamble, Polearm Momentum, Primal Resur-
  gence, Robust Defenses, Second Skin, Spear Push, 
  Toughness, Unyielding Stone, Weapon expertise 
  (polearms).
   
  Features*: Font of Life (warden 1), Guardian 
  Might (warden 1), Nature’s Wrath (warden 1), Force-
  ful Reach (polearm master 11), Lunging Action 
  (polearm master 11), Longarm Grasp (polearm 
  master 16), essence of Heur-Ket (Prison of the Winds 
  21), Storm Surge (Prison of the Winds 24), Storm 
  Form (Prison of the Winds 30).
   
  *Powers show up in the relevant categories above.
   
  Desired magic Items: Kiel’s ideal choices 
  combine the needs of the defender for maximum 
  survivability with that of the controller for manipulat-
  ing foes. A controlling glaive might be the ideal weapon 
  because it turns pushes into slides and adds more 
  distance. Any item that increases hit points or heal-
  ing surge value might be appreciated greatly, such as 
  the cloak of the walking wounded, the brooch of vitality, 
  and lifeblood armor. With her extraordinary Strength, 
  the belt of mountain endurance is not only thematically 
  appropriate but hugely beneficial. Iron armbands of 
  power are an excellent choice, especially after para-
  gon tier when opportunity attacks use at-will powers 
  instead of melee basic attacks. Several of the new 
  primal items match the theme well: Boar tusk helm 
  and gorilla gloves allow an extra push and prone effect 
  per day.
  References Listing
  The following table provides you with the books you 
  can reference for powers, feats, and features. The 
  table includes references for powers and feats that 
  were retrained or replaced.
  racial traits (Goliath)*
  mountain’s tenacity 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Powerful athlete 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  at-Will Powers
  warden’s fury (warden feature 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  warden’s grasp (warden feature 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  thorn strike (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  weight of earth (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  encounter Powers
  stone’s endurance (goliath racial power) Player’s Handbook 2
  thunder ram assault (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  guardian shock wave (warden 3) 
  Primal Power
  stalker’s positioning (warden 7) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  leveraging strike (polearm master 11) 
  Martial Power
  rumbling doom (warden 13) 
  Primal Power
  warden’s lure (warden 17) 
  Primal Power
  primal rebuke (warden 23) 
  Primal Power
  earth tomb (warden 27) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  daily Powers
  form of the fearsome ram (warden 1) Player’s Handbook 2
  storm strike (warden 5) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  form of the stalwart mastodon (warden 9) Primal Power
  form of the avalanche unleashed 
   
  Primal Power 
  (warden 15)
  polearm sweep (polearm master 20) 
  Martial Power
  form of the jungle lord (warden 25) Player’s Handbook 2
  form of the unruly earth (warden 29) 
  Primal Power
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  26
  25
  18
  12
  16
  10
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  50
  utility Powers
  warden’s tempest (warden 2) 
  Primal Power
  bear’s endurance (warden 6) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  guardian’s attack (warden 10) 
  Primal Power
  reaching stance (polearm master 12) 
  Martial Power
  warden’s refusal (warden 17) 
  Primal Power
  renewal (warden 22) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  fury of Huer-Ket 
  Dragon Magazine 371
  (Prison of the Winds 26)
  Feats
  sudden roots 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  battle awareness 
  Martial Power
  durable 
  Player’s Handbook
  epic resurgence 
  Player’s Handbook
  Far-reaching Grasp 
  Primal Power
  Goliath Greatweapon Prowess 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Heavy blade mastery 
  Player’s Handbook
  Heavy blade opportunity 
  Player’s Handbook
  impaling thrust 
  Primal Power
  mark of Warding 
  EbErron Player’s Guide
  Polearm Gamble 
  Player’s Handbook
  Polearm momentum 
  Martial Power
  Primal resurgence 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  robust defenses 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  second skin 
  Primal Power
  spear Push 
  Player’s Handbook
  toughness 
  Player’s Handbook
  unyielding stone 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Weapon expertise (polearms) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Features*
  Font of life (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Guardian might (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  nature’s Wrath (warden 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Forceful reach (polearm master 11) 
  Martial Power
  lunging action (polearm master 11) 
  Martial Power
  longarm Grasp (polearm master 16) 
  Martial Power
  essence of Heur-ket 
  Dragon Magazine 371
  (Prison of the Winds 21)
  storm surge 
  Dragon Magazine 371
  (Prison of the Winds 24)
  storm Form) 
  Dragon Magazine 371
  (Prison of the Winds 30
  magic items
  controlling weapon 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  cloak of the walking wounded 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  brooch of vitality 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  lifeblood armor 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  dwarven armor 
  Player’s Handbook
  belt of mountain endurance 
  Dragon Magazine 365
  iron armbands of power 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  boar tusk helm 
  Dragon Magazine 378
  gorilla gloves 
  Dragon Magazine 378
  *Powers show up in the relevant categories above.
  raSa, the SPirit OF 
  liFe incarnate
  All primal power is tied to the concept of primal 
  spirits, which are living beings that embody aspects 
  of nature such as a living storm or a great ances-
  tor. Through the primal spirits, a shaman draws on 
  this wellspring of life energy to empower allies to 
  accomplish feats of heroism that would otherwise 
  be impossible. Like an engine running on pure life 
  energy, the shaman pushes the party to greater and 
  greater success.
   
  Rasa is a deva who has given himself to the primal 
  spirits eternally. His body serves as a tool for the 
  spirits to communicate with the world and a conduit 
  for their power. Although the power of life gives 
  immense healing, leaders know that their role is far 
  broader, and Rasa seeks to enhance the activities of 
  those in his care. His abilities allow him to aid their 
  skill checks, and he can ward them from harm and 
  help them travel. Life is about action, and action is 
  best when it brings fulfillment. Rasa sees exhaustion 
  and injury as tools of death, and he guides his wards 
  so that they can stave off exhaustion as long as pos-
  sible and live each day to its fullest.
  Race
  Many races make good shamans precisely because 
  the class is so versatile. Humans are arguably the 
  most versatile race, and they make solid shamans. 
  Wisdom is required of any shaman, and as a result 
  dwarves make fine shamans, as do shifters. The half-
  elf race works well with both the shaman and the 
  concept of a leader who empowers the whole party 
  at all times. However, Rasa ends up being a deva 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  51
  because the eternally reborn aspect allows him to 
  be an eternal embodiment of life’s bounty. The intel-
  ligence bonus allows great flexibility in his build, 
  and the racial power combines excellently with the 
  shaman’s speak with spirits power, as well as perfectly 
  representing the “don’t stop now” attitude.
  Class
  only two possibilities work well for Rasa’s concept: 
  artificer and shaman. Artificers are tempting both 
  due to their ability to keep the party going after one 
  character runs out of healing surges and also because 
  of the way they provide so many flexible abilities. 
  However, the shaman has the greatest potential to 
  heal without consuming surges, and right from 1st 
  level a shaman has tools to overcome nearly any 
  obstruction in the form of the speak with spirits power.
  Ability Scores
  one can make an argument to have a shaman to 
  wear chainmail because otherwise the shaman has 
  the lowest defenses of any leader. However, Rasa 
  isn’t a warrior. Additionally, the heart pumps energy 
  through the body, and the ribcage protects it—Rasa 
  doesn’t want anything to do the ribcage’s job for it. 
  His high intelligence and careful positioning should 
  be protection enough for his needs (or so the concept 
  goes). Wisdom and Constitution are the crucial abili-
  ties, with intelligence coming in third, so Rasa looks 
  like this:
  Skills
  Heal allows Rasa to grant his allies saving throws at 
  critical moments, and he can use it later for important 
  rituals. Nature is mandatory but extremely useful. 
  endurance is chosen because Rasa can’t be the weak-
  est link for his own party. Last is Perception so that he 
  has a better chance of knowing the full story behind 
  whatever he might be investigating at the time.
  Feats
  Although the Mark of Healing is tempting (and it 
  would free up a skill slot) at 1st level, few killer save-
  ends effects probably come up during game play early 
  in Rasa’s career. As a result, Rasa has the Protector 
  Spirit Adept feat to give a bonus to defenses in an area 
  around his spirit companion.
  Powers
  Shamans come with the Companion Spirit feature, 
  and Rasa ends up with the protector Spirit Boon fea-
  ture since it more properly represents the concept’s 
  goals. The best part of this particular feature is how 
  his allies’ second winds can gain a bonus without him 
  needing to take an action. He also has protecting strike. 
  For his second at-will he contemplates wrath of winter 
  for its ability to reposition his spirit companion and 
  its high damage, but instead he goes with defending 
  strike. The choice of encounter power is between cer-
  tain threat and thunder bear’s warding, and Rasa selects 
  the latter for its ability to protect multiple parts of a 
  battlefield (resistance near the ally and temporary hit 
  points near Rasa). His daily power is spirit of the heal-
  ing flood since it is perfectly in theme and extremely 
  powerful as well. Shamans have speak with spirits, and 
  each has two uses of healing spirit per encounter.
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  8
  16
  10
  14*
  18* 
  12
  * Bonuses for race included.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  52
   
  Level 2: Because Healing Spirit heals two sepa-
  rate characters, one limitation Rasa faces is how to 
  overcome a damage spike, such as when one char-
  acter is hit with a critical. Bonds of the clan can split 
  the damage to two people and keep the victim in the 
  fray. However, he can combine the other option that 
  works with his concept, spirit of life, with healing spirit, 
  because it does not consume a healing surge. Rasa’s 
  build ends up with spirit of life for his first utility 
  power.
   
  Rasa takes implement expertise (totem) as his 
  next feat because most of his key powers require a 
  successful attack roll for the bonus to come into play.
   
  Level 3: Spring renewal strike works both because it 
  deals out a high amount of damage and it allows heal-
  ing with a bonus.
   
  Level 4: Rasa raises his Charisma and Wisdom. 
  Thanks to his newly raised Charisma, he qualifies for 
  the Bardic Dilettante feat, granting him training in 
  one skill (he chooses History). once per day, he gains 
  access to the bard’s majestic word power, which allows 
  a big heal on one character when needed.
   
  Level 5: Spirit of the hawk’s wind becomes Rasa’s 
  first zone effect. The blinded enemy deals reduced 
  damage, and the ability for his whole party to ignore 
  difficult terrain and shift 4 can turn the tide of a 
  battle and possibly nullify a major obstruction.
   
  Level 6: His second utility power is spirit of the 
  keeper, both for the additional healing power that 
  doesn’t rely on being near his spirit companion, and 
  because of the secondary effect that can prevent huge 
  amounts of damage, or other nasty effects, when 
  facing skirmishers and lurkers. For his feat, Rasa 
  takes Mark of Healing, which allows allies to make 
  saving throws when healed and grants access to 
  rituals.
   
  Level 7: Winter wind spirit is a no-brainer at this 
  level because as a protector spirit, Rasa can grant an 
  ally a +6 bonus to AC when needed.
   
  Level 8: Ability score increases go into Wisdom 
  and Constitution. Rasa takes the Spirit Tribe feat so 
  that whenever he needs to use speak with spirits to 
  overcome a problem, his allies can gain part of the 
  benefit as well.
   
  Level 9: Spirit of autumn’s reaping is a powerful 
  attack that grants free healing to the whole party and, 
  if timed properly, the vulnerable 5 effect he imposes 
  on the enemy can allow the party to take that foe out 
  of the fight swiftly.
   
  Level 10: Rasa takes the Bardic Ritualist feat, 
  selecting Animal Messenger and Traveler’s Chant, 
  both of which allow him to infuse his allies with spiri-
  tual power to make them better at what they already 
  do. He gains training in Arcana with this feat as well. 
  Sacrificial spirit is the obvious choice for his utility 
  power, with its ability to restore a healing surge to 
  every party member adjacent to his spirit companion.
  Status Report
  As an embodiment of life’s power and energy, Rasa 
  can imbue his allies with 3 temporary hit points 
  at will, he can augment his ability to call on heal-
  ing spirits with a spring renewal strike and spirit of 
  the keeper, and daily he can use majestic word, grant 
  regeneration to his allies, heal one person without 
  consuming a surge, and give a small bit of healing 
  from the spirit of autumn’s reaping. He can negate dif-
  ficult terrain for an entire encounter, give a bonus 
  to any skill to his allies once per encounter, and 
  replenish a healing surge to everyone near his spirit 
  companion to overcome their exhaustion and push 
  them a little further.
   
  Level 11: Rasa selects the scarred healer as his 
  paragon path. This paragon path greatly magnifies 
  his ability to push his allies’ endurance since every 
  bonus the path provides comes with “surgeless” heal-
  ing. each of Rasa’s action points grants 10 temporary 
  hit points to an ally, and any time an ally is healed 
  adjacent to his companion, that ally regains an addi-
  tional 4 hit points. Sharing the kill is a high-damage 
  attack that grants healing to allies near his spirit 
  companion. Although Nimble Spirit is extremely 
  tempting, Rasa again dips into the bard and takes 
  Disheartening Presence for the synergy with protector 
  spirit adept, which allows him to provide bonuses to 
  his allies with his spirit companion and give a penalty 
  to bloodied enemies who are near him.
   
  After gaining +1 to ability scores, his totals look 
  like this:
   
  Level 12: The spirit’s touch utility power from 
  Rasa’s paragon path shields an ally who was struck 
  from further damage and allows a bonus to saving 
  throws. Rasa also takes Nimble Spirit to ensure his 
  spirit companion is where he needs it to be.
   
  Level 13: Hungry spirit replaces thunder bear’s ward-
  ing for bonus damage and the ability to heal without 
  consuming a surge.
   
  Level 14: Spirit Speaker allows Rasa to grant his 
  hefty speak with spirits bonus to any ally, while still 
  granting the reduced bonus to other allies. Ability 
  score increases go into Wisdom and Constitution.
   
  Level 15: Two main choices at this level support 
  Rasa’s concept. Tree father’s bounty deals huge damage 
  to enemies and allows an area of bonus defense and 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  9
  18
  11
  15
  21
  14
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  53
  maneuverability to allies. Reparative spirit grants ongo-
  ing protection at the end of every round to whichever 
  character needs it most. Both are powerful and flex-
  ible. Rasa chooses tree father’s bounty to replace the 
  spirit of autumn’s reaping, since the burst of growth and 
  protection combined with maneuverability is a bit 
  more flexible and lively.
   
  Level 16: Forge the chains of life is an iconic power 
  for Rasa because it shows life’s triumph over death 
  and it provides double a healing surge in healing 
  without consuming a surge. However healing howl 
  heals each ally near his spirit companion as if he or 
  she had spent a healing surge and would be a great 
  option as well. Rasa ends up with forge the chains of 
  life, though. He also learns to channel the power of 
  the healing spirits farther and farther from his spirit 
  companion thanks to the Shared Healing Spirit feat. 
  The feat perfectly reflects his new Healing Paths abil-
  ity, which grants him Wisdom bonus (+6) to any ally 
  near him or his spirit companion who spends a heal-
  ing surge.
   
  Level 17: Spirit of spring’s renewal is a straight 
  upgrade for spring renewal strike, showing how much 
  Rasa’s powers of life have grown.
   
  Level 18: Rasa increases his Constitution and 
  Wisdom again, and several options exist for feats at 
  this level. Toughness and Durable both represent an 
  increase in his life energy, and Jack of All Trades or 
  Bardic Training can give him increased skill modifi-
  ers in a variety of circumstances. Rasa goes with Jack 
  of All Trades for the maximized flexibility.
   
  Level 19: Spirit of the healing flood is being out-
  grown by the party’s hit point totals, and Rasa looks 
  to either tree father’s ward or wind of death and mercy as 
  a replacement. Ancestor’s drum is not an option since it 
  consumes healing surges. Rasa takes tree father’s ward 
  because the –4 penalty to attack rolls can be as pow-
  erful as the healing.
   
  Level 20: Durable gives two more healing surges 
  and increases his ability to fight back against death 
  and exhaustion. The burning dance provides great 
  healing to the party free from the use of healing 
  surges.
  Status Report
  As his power and relationship with the primal spirits 
  grows, Rasa has added a number of new ways to heal 
  without consuming healing surges, as well as ways to 
  overcome different obstructions. He has augmented 
  his small bonus to every ally with an additional big 
  bonus to one ally. Tree father’s bounty can be defensive 
  or offensive (or both), as can summoning his spirit 
  companion as a free action. His worst skills can be 
  augmented by his enormous Wisdom bonus, Jack 
  of All Trades, and the 1d6 from his racial power as 
  needed. He is truly prepared for any encounter and 
  ensures that his whole team is as well.
   
  Level 21: Rasa learns that in binding himself to 
  the primal spirits instead of the gods, he has tied 
  himself to the great World Tree and his epic destiny 
  is to become its guardian and a tireless protector of 
  the whole world as a result. Thanks to the World 
  Tree Guardian epic destiny, he gains the ability to 
  throw off damage as soon as an enemy strikes him. 
  Additionally, pure life energy spills out of Rasa’s spirit 
  companion in a widening flood, since the Mighty 
  Spirit feat pushes the bonuses he grants out 2 squares 
  instead of only 1.
   
  After gaining +1 to ability scores his totals look 
  like this:
   
  Level 22: Few powers say “Death? Not today!” 
  quite as effectively as call the dead. Not only does this 
  power revive the whole party, but by pushing back 
  failed death saving throws, Rasa’s increasing ability to 
  channel the spirits of life has given him the power to 
  break one of the most severe limits on a single day’s 
  activities. Primal Resurgence adds another broken 
  limit as he regains the use of an expended daily 
  power.
   
  Level 23: Call to the primal protector replaces the 
  venerable winter wind spirit, granting protection to 
  allies within 2 squares of his spirit companion.
   
  Level 24: Again, Rasa’s Wisdom and Constitution 
  grow. Continuing the theme of endless endurance, 
  Rasa takes epic Resurgence. The World Tree grants 
  him the ability to die in place of an ally, which not 
  only banishes death, but provides three free heal-
  ing surges’ worth of healing to the party overall and 
  regeneration on top of that.
   
  Level 25: it’s a real tough decision to choose 
  from among ironborn spirit, peacemaker’s lodge, or 
  Stormhawk’s gambit. in some settings, peacemaker’s 
  lodge would win out with its ability to daze multiple 
  enemies, but the group flight offered by Stormhawk’s 
  gambit is a powerful upgrade to his spirit of hawk’s 
  wind with its benefit not just in combat, but also in 
  overcoming other obstructions (walls, pits, difficult or 
  dangerous terrain, to name a few). This latter power is 
  too useful to pass up.
   
  Level 26: Again, Rasa learns to grant more boons 
  to his allies since the invigorating Spirit feat lets his 
  allies shift when he uses healing spirit. The boughs of 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  10
  21
  12
  16
  24
  15
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  54
  the World Tree utility power is a flexible tool, providing 
  a bonus to offense, defense, or temporary hit points as 
  the situation demands.
   
  Level 27: Rasa gains the ability to imbue his allies 
  with his own boundless endurance in the form of 
  keeping their encounter powers thanks to spirit of 
  elder wisdom. in return he lets go of hungry spirit.
   
  Level 28: one last time, Rasa’s Wisdom and Con-
  stitution grow. Rasa imbues his spirit companion with 
  the ability to shield unconscious and dying allies, 
  staving off death again and again through the Guard-
  ian Spirit feat.
   
  Level 29: Nearly at the apex of his power, Rasa 
  releases tree father’s bounty and learns to call spirit-
  blood vines. These vines deal tremendous damage 
  and potentially allow allies to regain up to 80 hit 
  points without consuming surges, or they can allow 
  four allies to spend surges. Spirits of mist, another 
  solid choice, makes allies insubstantial until end of 
  encounter within a zone that doesn’t need to be main-
  tained. He goes with spiritblood vines.
   
  Level 30: Rasa’s final boon from the World Tree is 
  the ability to regenerate, and his last feat is Strength-
  ening Spirit, which gives allies adjacent to his spirit 
  companion temporary hit points each time he calls 
  on the healing spirits.
  Status Report
  Rasa’s speak with spirits grants a bonus to him and his 
  allies. each day, he can grant hundreds of points of 
  healing that don’t require surges, and he can restore 
  both surges and encounter powers to his party. He 
  has powers that can nullify difficult terrain or flank-
  ing enemies. He can grant temporary hit points to 
  his party or heal with nearly every action, and he 
  can bring himself or his allies back from the dead 
  multiple times per day. He can push back failed death 
  saving throws. With Rasa nearby, life can be eternal.
  of the World Tree (World Tree Guardian 24), World 
  Tree’s Growth (World Tree Guardian 30).
  *Powers show up in the relevant categories above.
   
  Desired magic Items: Rasa’s ideal choices must 
  enhance his healing and buffing, while also ensur-
  ing that he can survive, too. Bear spirit armor is his 
  top choice when it comes to protecting the whole 
  party. The hungry spirits totem does the best job of 
  increasing his abilities, though the spring renewal 
  totem is a reasonable alternative for his character 
  concept. Both goblin stompers and phantom chaussures 
  are good options if Rasa needs extra protection, and 
  oceanstrider boots, thornwalker slippers, or wallwalkers 
  add another way to circumvent obstructions. Gloves 
  of the healer are an obvious choice, though antipathy 
  gloves can provide powerful protection to allies when 
  used at the right times, especially after paragon tier 
  when Rasa’s spirit companion creates difficult ter-
  rain for enemies. The factotum helm is a wonderful 
  addition to Rasa’s repertoire of flexible skills, until 
  an Ioun stone of perfect language becomes available. A 
  battle standard of healing complements Rasa’s healing 
  powers.
  References Listing
  The following table provides you with the books you 
  can reference for powers, feats, and features. The 
  table includes references for powers and feats that 
  were retrained or replaced.
  racial traits (deva)*
  astral majesty 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  astral resistance 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  immortal origin 
  Player’s Handbook 2
   
  racial traits (Deva)*: Astral Majesty, Astral 
  Resistance, immortal origin.
   
  at-Will Powers: Call spirit companion (shaman 1), 
  protecting strike (shaman 1), spirit’s shield (shaman 1), 
  defending strike (shaman 1).
   
  encounter Powers: Memory of a thousand lifetimes 
  (deva racial power), healing spirit (shaman 1), speak 
  with spirits (shaman 1), sharing the kill (scarred healer 
  11), spirit of spring’s renewal (shaman 17), call to the 
  primal protector (shaman 23), spirit of elder wisdom 
  (shaman 27).
   
  Daily Powers: Tree father’s ward (shaman 19), the 
  burning dance (scarred healer 20), Stormhawk’s gambit 
  (shaman 25), spiritblood vines (shaman 29).
   
  Utility Powers: Spirit of life (shaman 2), spirit of 
  the keeper (shaman 6), sacrificial spirit (shaman 10), 
  spirit’s touch (scarred healer 12), forge the chains of life 
  (shaman 16), call the dead (shaman 22), boughs of the 
  World Tree (World Tree Guardian 26).
   
  Feats: Bardic Dilettante, Bardic Ritualist, Dis-
  heartening Presence, Durable, epic Resurgence, 
  Guardian Spirit, implement expertise (totem), 
  invigorating Spirit, Jack of All Trades, Mark of Heal-
  ing, Mighty Spirit, Nimble Spirit, Primal Resurgence, 
  Protector Spirit Adept, Shared Healing Spirit, Spirit 
  Speaker, Spirit Tribe, Strengthening Spirit.
   
  Features*: Spirit Boon (shaman 1), Scar’s Gift 
  (scarred healer 11), Scarred Healer Action (scarred 
  healer 11), Healing Paths (scarred healer 16), Bark 
  of the World Tree (World Tree Guardian 21), Boon 
    str 
   strength
    Wis 
   Wisdom
    CHa 
   Charisma
    deX 
   dexterity
    int 
   intelligence
         sCore  
  ability                         
    Con 
   Constitution
         sCore  
  ability                         
         sCore  
  ability                         
  10
  23
  12
  16
  26
  15
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Character Concepts
  55
  at-Will Powers
  Call spirit companion (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  protecting strike (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  spirit’s shield (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  defending strike (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  encounter Powers
  memory of a thousand lifetimes (deva racial power) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  healing spirit (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  speak with spirits (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  thunder bear’s warding (shaman 1) Player’s Handbook 2
  spring renewal strike (shaman 3) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  winter wind spirit (shaman 7) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  sharing the kill (scarred healer 11) 
  Primal Power
  hungry spirit (shaman 13) 
  Primal Power
  spirit of spring’s renewal  
  Player’s Handbook 2
  (shaman 17) 
  call to the primal protector 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  (shaman 23)
  spirit of elder wisdom (shaman 27) Player’s Handbook 2
  daily Powers
  spirit of the healing flood 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  (shaman 1)
  spirit of the hawk’s wind 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  (shaman 5)
  spirit of autumn’s reaping 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  (shaman 9)
  tree father’s bounty (shaman 15) 
  Primal Power
  tree father’s ward (shaman 19) 
  Primal Power
  the burning dance (scarred healer 20) 
  Primal Power
  Stormhawk’s gambit (shaman 25) 
  Primal Power
  spiritblood vines (shaman 29) 
  Primal Power
  utility Powers
  spirit of life (shaman 2) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  spirit of the keeper (shaman 6) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  sacrificial spirit (shaman 10) 
  Dragon Magazine 372
  spirit’s touch (scarred healer 12) 
  Primal Power
  forge the chains of life (shaman 16) Player’s Handbook 2
  call the dead (shaman 22) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  boughs of the World Tree 
  Primal Power
  (World tree Guardian 26)
  Feats
  bardic dilettante 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  bardic ritualist 
  Arcane Power
  disheartening Presence 
  Arcane Power
  durable 
  Player’s Handbook
  epic resurgence 
  Player’s Handbook
  Guardian spirit 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  implement expertise (totem) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  invigorating spirit 
  Primal Power
  Jack of all trades 
  Player’s Handbook
  mark of Healing 
  EbErron Player’s Guide
  mighty spirit 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  nimble spirit 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Primal resurgence 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Protector spirit adept 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  shared Healing spirit 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  spirit speaker 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  spirit tribe 
  Primal Power
  strengthening spirit 
  Primal Power
  Features*
  spirit boon (shaman 1) 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  scar’s Gift (scarred healer 11) 
  Primal Power
  scarred Healer action 
  Primal Power
  (scarred healer 11)
  Healing Paths (scarred healer 16) 
  Primal Power
  bark of the World tree 
  Primal Power
  (World tree Guardian 21)
  boon of the World tree 
  Primal Power
  (World tree Guardian 24)
  World tree’s Growth 
  Primal Power
  (World tree Guardian 30)
  magic items
  bear spirit armor 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  hungry spirits totem 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  spring renewal totem 
  Player’s Handbook
  goblin stompers 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  phantom chaussures 
  adventurer’s vault
  oceanstrider boots 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  thornwalker slippers 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  wallwalkers 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  gloves of the healer 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  antipathy gloves 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  factotum helm 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  Ioun stone of perfect language 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  battle standard of healing 
  Adventurer’s Vault
  *Powers show up in the relevant categories above.
  About the Author
  John Zamarra works as a freelance writer, and copyeditor 
  for numerous game publishers, though this is his first D&D 
  Insider article. He has been playing Dungeons & Dragons® 
  for over 20 years, and he secretly holds out hope that one 
  day there will be a 4th edition version of the immortal Level 
  rules.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  56
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  Channel 
  Divinity:  
  The Raven Queen’s 
  Champions
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustrations by Kieran Yanner
  Death comes for all. No one is immune to its caress. 
  Age, disease, misfortune, and war claim the living 
  with no regard for the individual’s unfulfilled goals 
  or unachieved dreams. Mortals fear death, but not 
  just for the pain or loss it entails. They fear it for the 
  unknown.
   
  Philosophers and theologians alike have wrestled 
  with death for far longer than any can remember, and 
  all they have to show for their relentless study is con-
  jecture and myth. What they think they know is that 
  death is a transformation—an awakening of the soul 
  and its release. Most souls wriggle free from their 
  bodies, escaping the decaying meat to make a journey 
  to whatever fate has in store for each of them. Ancient 
  tales speak of the Underworld, a vast, yawning realm 
  where souls become entrapped and the fetid waters 
  bounding the realm erase their memories. others 
  suggest souls enter the gods’ dominions, where they 
  reside for eternity in the blessed presence of their 
  perfect masters.
   
  Planar travelers and the wise alike know the des-
  tination awaiting the newly dead is none other than 
  the Shadowfell. There, the soul must pass beneath the 
  Raven Queen’s cold and hungry gaze to move on from 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Channel Divinity: The Raven Queen’s Champions
  57
  this reality to the next. And beyond that? None can 
  say for certain.
   
  Priests assure their flocks that those who live 
  upstanding and virtuous lives find that what hap-
  pens after their deaths is free from danger, but their 
  words ring hollow. Not even they know if what they 
  say is true or not. indeed, many perils await the dead. 
  Dark, hungry things wait in shadows, luring unwary 
  travelers to their dooms, where they are used, twisted, 
  or corrupted into frightful undead horrors. others 
  harvest souls for the energy their luminous forms 
  contain.
   
  Knowing, or at least sensing, the danger causes 
  mortals to turn their eyes to their deaths with fear 
  and loathing. They might believe that the road ahead 
  does not end in bliss but in possible hardship and 
  awful suffering. Unable to meet this doom with any-
  thing more than fear, a few bury their misgivings 
  beneath whatever faith the local vicar can foster in 
  his or her sermons. Many remain dubious, wondering 
  why the world works as it does, who is responsible for 
  safeguarding these souls, and why more is not done 
  to protect them. Few find the answers they seek, but 
  all can agree the path to wisdom, at least in regard 
  to matters of death and fate, runs through the Raven 
  Queen.
  Serving the raven 
  Queen
  Death, fate, and winter—each is a grim subject and 
  none have the appeal offered or glory promised by 
  service to other gods. The Raven Queen gives little to 
  her followers, promising no ease from the worry and 
  giving no answers to the looming questions about life 
  or death. Yet people seek her out. Some feel drawn to 
  her service to find answers to dark questions, others 
  find respite from the death’s imminence or interces-
  sion where fate would hold sway, and still others seek 
  comfort in winter’s bitter chill.
  Backgrounds
  Adventurers have an uncommon connection to death. 
  Throughout their careers, they send souls by the hun-
  dreds to the Shadowfell. They might have even felt 
  death’s unwelcome embrace from time to time, stand-
  ing at its door or going through it only to be snatched 
  free by a timely ritual or prayer. if you choose the 
  Raven Queen as your patron deity, consider carefully 
  why you made this choice. it might be enough to 
  pledge service to the deity because she’s appealing in 
  a gothic sort of way, but having a reason beyond dark 
  clothing and corpse paint will provide a far more 
  rewarding experience.
   
  The following backgrounds supplement those 
  found in Player’s Handbook 2 and Divine Power, repre-
  senting a few options particular to serving the Raven 
  Queen. You can choose from them when selecting 
  your background elements.
   
  After choosing all background elements, you can 
  (with your DM’s consent) select one of the following 
  background benefits.
  ✦ Gain a +2 bonus to checks with a skill associated 
  with your background.
  ✦ Add a skill associated with your background 
  to your class’s skills list before you choose your 
  trained skills.
  ✦ Choose one language connected to your back-
  ground. You can speak, read, and write that 
  language fluently.
  ✦ if you are using a campaign setting that offers 
  regional benefits (such as the Forgotten 
  Realms® setting), gain a regional benefit.
  Occupation
   
  embalmer: You prepared corpses for burial, 
  removing organs and fluids to preserve them against 
  rot. Was this an acceptable profession in your com-
  munity? Were you an outsider for your “unclean” 
  occupation? Did you enjoy your work? Did you ever 
  prepare the corpse of someone famous?
   
  Associated Skills: Heal, Nature
   
  grave Digger: You dug graves and prepared 
  gravesites for the funerary rites. How did you see 
  your profession? Did you ever experience anything 
  strange? How did your occupation lead you to the 
  Raven Queen?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, endurance
   
  Seer: You peered through time’s veil to perceive 
  the future and learn the fates of those around you. 
  Were you a fake, or did you have a genuine talent? if 
  the latter, how do your visions manifest? Choosing 
  this background does not let you consistently perceive 
  the future, but it does provide the DM with a tool for 
  starting adventures and as a way to feed you informa-
  tion you might have missed.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Channel Divinity: The Raven Queen’s Champions
  58
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Bluff
   
  Surgeon: You used advanced healing techniques 
  to help the sick and dying. Were you a bonesaw, hack-
  ing off limbs to save soldiers’ lives, or did you pursue 
  a private line of work, attending to those with the 
  courage and coin to enlist your services? How did 
  your community regard your work? To learn your 
  trade, did you steal corpses? Did you have a sponsor 
  to supply you materials? Why did you leave this trade 
  and abandon science for religion?
   
  Associated Skills: Heal, Nature
   
  tomb robber: You survived by plundering 
  tombs and graves, disturbing the dead to steal their 
  treasures. Did you work alone or were you part of a 
  group? From your experiences, are you now squea-
  mish around corpses or dismissive? What about rats 
  and other vermin? Did you ever encounter undead? 
  How do you feel about your past now?
   
  Associated Skills: Stealth, Thievery
  Psychology
   
  Bereaved: You lost someone close to you and his 
  or her death haunts you still. Who was this person 
  and how did they fit into your life? Aside from this 
  person’s absence, how did his or her death shape 
  your identity? Do you hope to find the lost one’s soul 
  through service to the Raven Queen? Do you hope 
  to revive the person or is it too late? Did unusual cir-
  cumstances surround this death?
   
  Associated Skills: insight, Religion
   
  Deviant: You have an unwholesome or unhealthy 
  interest in the dead. What, exactly, was your interest? 
  Did you experiment with necromancy? Steal corpses? 
  What did you do with them when you got them? Does 
  this interest remain or have you overcome it?
   
  Associated Skills: intimidate, Stealth
   
  raised: You died and were restored to life. What 
  were the circumstances of your death? Who raised 
  you? Why did you come back? Do you recall anything 
  from the time you spent dead? How did this event 
  shape your religious views?
   
  Associated Skills: intimidate, Religion
  Revenant Racial Backgrounds
   
  ancient: When you awoke as a revenant, you 
  discovered centuries had passed. everyone you knew, 
  loved, and hated is now gone. Why did the Raven 
  Queen call you from death? Do you have special 
  knowledge? How do you see the world now? How do 
  you look at the years you lost?
   
  Associated Skills: endurance, History
   
  Cursed: A necromancer or dark priest cursed you 
  with undeath, preventing you from ever knowing the 
  peace you earned. Trapped between two worlds, do 
  you embrace your fate as a revenant or do you despise 
  it? Do you conceal your unsettling appearance or 
  wear it with pride?
   
  Associated Skills: intimidate, Stealth
   
  Pact: You forged a pact with the Raven Queen 
  when you lived, promising to serve her in death in 
  exchange for a benefit in life. She fulfilled her bar-
  gain and now it’s time to live up to yours. What does 
  she expect you to do? What mission must you fulfill 
  before you earn your true death?
   
  Associated Skills: History, Religion
   
  Vengeance: in the final moments before you died, 
  you witnessed a terrible act—an experience so pro-
  found that death could not claim you. Who wronged 
  you and why? Were you murdered? Was a loved one 
  harmed to get at you? How will you achieve the ven-
  geance you desire? What will happen once you get it?
   
  Associated Skills: endurance, intimidate
  Shadar-Kai Racial Backgrounds
   
  ennui: Plagued with the pervasive despair char-
  acterizing the Shadowfell, you fill the hole in your 
  heart with service to the Raven Queen. How do you 
  feel about the Raven Queen? in her service, what do 
  you do to escape the dissolution awaiting you should 
  you give into your melancholy?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Religion
   
  Salvation: All shadar-kai face oblivion, because 
  that is the price exacted by the Raven Queen for 
  being spared age and its infirmities. What do you 
  think the Raven Queen will grant you by serving her? 
  Do you want to escape the oblivion altogether or just 
  forestall it? Do you hope to be chosen to serve as her 
  sorrowsworn? Do you resent the deity?
   
  Associated Skills: intimidate, Religion
  three FaceS
  The Raven Queen’s portfolio includes death, fate, 
  and winter. Understanding how these aspects relate 
  to the deity provides keen insight into what it means 
  to serve her and what she expects in return for the 
  power she bestows.
  Death
  It is the unknown that sows fear in mortal hearts. Is there 
  life after the grave? Is there peace or salvation—maybe a 
  chance to live again? Or is there only annihilation’s uncar-
  ing embrace, where oblivion’s ravenous appetite erases all 
  deeds, experiences, hopes, and fears?
  Most know the Raven Queen as the god of death and 
  the guardian of souls as they exit the world to make 
  their final journey into the unknown. She embodies 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Channel Divinity: The Raven Queen’s Champions
  59
  the life cycle, and myths about her demonstrate the 
  trials all mortals must endure in their existence. The 
  Raven Queen lived, died, and was reborn as some-
  thing greater than she once was. Mortals who follow 
  the Raven Queen often believe her story highlights 
  the struggles they all must face, and should they be 
  found worthy, they might live again.
   
  in her death aspect, the Raven Queen expects her 
  servants to respect death’s claim and not to interfere 
  with those who are dying. Death is a natural process 
  and when the individual’s fate beckons, none should 
  stand in its path. Most who serve the Raven Queen let 
  the dead stay dead and never employ the Raise Dead 
  ritual without sufficient cause. even when they do, 
  they demand another life to replace the one restored.
  Fate
  Your life is but one of many threads in existence’s tapestry. 
  All have roles to play in the world’s shaping, but each has 
  a purpose that helps define the larger pattern. The Raven 
  Queen does not so much cut your thread, but she identifies 
  when your life has served its purpose. When she calls, go 
  not in fear but in satisfaction that you have achieved what 
  you were meant to achieve.
  The Raven Queen does not decide how a mortal’s 
  life goes, but rather observes the world and its devel-
  opments on a grand scale. As the Lady of Fate, she 
  identifies the moments when death marks a fitting 
  end or serves as a catalyst to goad others to carry on 
  in the deceased’s name. When the mortal dies, the 
  Raven Queen guides the soul to her palace Letherna, 
  where she ushers the dead through to the beyond. 
  She has the power to intercede on a mortal’s behalf—
  to forestall death or quicken it as she decides—but 
  she reserves such gifts for those worthy of her 
  intervention.
   
  The Raven Queen despises most undead, though 
  she has used them from time to time, and she 
  instructs her servants to destroy them wherever they 
  encounter these abominations. Undead pervert the 
  natural order, denying fate its power. Their destruc-
  tion ensures the proper balance is restored. This 
  intolerance extends to any who exploit death for per-
  sonal ends. orcus, Vecna, and to a lesser extent Zehir 
  have earned her enmity.
  Winter
  Usher in the season of death by accepting its frigid 
  embrace.
  Winter is often overlooked in discussions about the 
  Raven Queen and is included as an afterthought or 
  a symbolic manifestation of her influence over the 
  natural world. Although her role as patron of death 
  and fate eclipse her winter aspect, winter is key to 
  understanding her and what she expects. Winter is 
  the season of death. Plants wither and die, animals 
  fade, and the world waits for the seasons to turn so 
  life can begin again. The Raven Queen might be at 
  her strongest in the winter, but even she recognizes 
  it must not last forever because it is only one part of 
  life’s natural cycle.
  Omens and Signs
  People identify the Raven Queen in many signs and 
  symbols. The raven, naturally, is her favored animal, 
  and these birds feature prominently in rites and 
  ceremonies dedicated to the deity. To kill a raven 
  invites the deity’s wrath because they are her beloved 
  creatures and act as her eyes and ears in the natural 
  world.
   
  in addition to the raven, the Lady of Fate also 
  inherited symbols associated with her predecessor, 
  Nerull. Skulls are ubiquitous in her temples and 
  shrines. They decorate the doors and exterior walls, 
  serve as altars, and are worked into arms and armor 
  used by her divine knights. Such grim visages remind 
  people of how fleeting life is.
   
  Three is an important number to the Raven 
  Queen. The number signifies the cycle of life: birth, 
  death, and rebirth. When she wishes to communicate 
  with mortals, she might use three black feathers, 
  skulls, finger bones, and the like to give warning 
  about an imminent danger or of an unforeseen threat.
  
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  the raven Queen’S 
  PrayerS
  Divine characters in service to the Raven Queen 
  receive great power in exchange for the prayers. They 
  channel divine energy into potent attacks or use it 
  to further her interests in the world. Although any 
  divine character can find much to like here, these 
  powers are suited to characters who worship the 
  Raven Queen.
  New Avenger Prayers
  rictus Grin 
  Avenger Attack 1
  Your features twist in a deathly grimace, striking terror in 
  those around you.
  encounter ✦ divine, Fear, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. AC
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of your 
  next turn, any enemy adjacent to you takes a −2 penalty to 
  attack rolls.
  rotting Wound 
  Avenger Attack 5
  Putrescence weeps from the wound you bestow, rotting your 
  enemy from the inside out.
  daily ✦ divine, necrotic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, if the target makes an 
  attack on its turn, it takes a –2 penalty to saving throws at 
  the end of that turn.
  decaying Presence 
  Avenger Utility 10
  Your presence decays your enemy’s defenses, allowing your 
  prayers to strike without interference.
  daily ✦ divine
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Choose one resistance to a damage type possessed by 
  your oath of enmity target. Until you reduce your oath of en-
  mity target to 0 hit points, any enemy adjacent to you does 
  not benefit from any resistance to this damage type.
  Chains of letherna 
  Avenger Attack 17
  You invoke your god’s power to bind your enemy in icy chains 
  until you can visit the divine vengeance its presence demands.
  encounter ✦ Cold, divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom cold damage, and the target is immobi-
  lized until the end of your next turn. Until the end of your 
  next turn, any enemy that ends its turn in a space adjacent 
  to the target takes cold damage equal to your Wisdom 
  modifier.
  leprous Wound 
  Avenger Attack 19
  Your dire strike causes your enemy to fall to pieces.
  daily ✦ divine, necrotic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage. Whenever 
  the target takes damage from an attack, it takes 10 extra 
  necrotic damage and is slowed until the end of your next 
  turn (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target takes 10 necrotic damage 
  the next time an attack hits it before the start of your next 
  turn.
  raven Wings 
  Avenger Utility 22
  Death’s shroud falls upon you, but your god intercedes and 
  spares you from the approaching doom.
  daily ✦ divine, Healing, teleportation
  no action 
  Personal
  trigger: An attack drops you to 0 hit points or fewer
  effect: You teleport 5 squares and can spend a healing surge.
  
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  New Cleric Prayers
  Curse of misfortune 
  Cleric Attack 1
  Fate intervenes and consigns the enemy to defeat as its attacks 
  fail and its stratagems lead to ruin.
  daily ✦ divine, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  Close burst 3
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength or Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: Whenever the target makes an attack roll, it rolls twice 
  and uses the lower result (save ends).
  aftereffect: the target takes 10 psychic damage.
  miss: the target takes 10 psychic damage.
  seized destiny 
  Cleric Utility 6
  You foster courage where fear reigns, and you provide strength 
  where weakness rules.
  daily ✦ divine
  standard action 
  Close burst 5
  target: You and each ally in burst
  effect: the target gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your 
  Wisdom modifier and gains a +2 power bonus to Will until 
  the end of the encounter.
  union of three Fates 
  Cleric Attack 13
  Three inky tendrils emerge from your target, and those 
  touched by the malignant appendages learn their fates, for 
  good or ill.
  encounter ✦ Cold, divine, Healing, implement, necrotic
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier cold and necrotic damage. 
  Choose one, two, or three creatures within 5 squares of the 
  target. One creature can spend a healing surge. Another 
  creature takes 1d10 cold damage. And one creature takes 
  1d10 necrotic damage.
  breath of the raven Queen 
  Cleric Attack 19
  You release the Raven Queen’s breath to assail your enemies, 
  binding them in black ice to leach strength from their bodies 
  and their souls.
  daily ✦ Cold, divine, implement, necrotic
  standard action 
  Close blast 5
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Strength or Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 3d6 + Wisdom modifier cold damage, and the target is 
  immobilized (save ends).
   First Failed saving throw: the target is restrained instead of 
  immobilized (save ends).
   second Failed saving throw: the target also takes ongoing 
  10 necrotic damage (save ends).
  miss: 3d6 cold damage.
  death for death 
  Cleric Utility 22
  You pluck fate’s strings to alter the outcome of your ally’s 
  attack.
  daily ✦ divine
  immediate interrupt 
  ranged 5
  trigger: An ally misses with an attack
  target: the triggering ally
  effect: the ally loses 1 healing surge and rerolls the attack with 
  a bonus to the attack equal to your Wisdom modifier. If the 
  ally doesn’t have a healing surge to lose, he or she instead 
  loses hit points equal to his or her surge value.
  Invoker Prayers
  death’s denial 
  Invoker Utility 2
  Your utterance prevents death from claiming new victims.
  encounter ✦ divine, Healing, zone
  standard action 
  Close burst 5
  effect: the burst creates a zone of divine power that lasts until 
  the end of your next turn. When a nonbloodied ally within 
  the zone becomes bloodied or drops to 0 hit points or 
  fewer, that creature can spend a healing surge.
  death’s dread Whisper 
  Invoker Attack 7
  Your voice drops to a whisper and from your mouth issues 
  your enemies’ undoing.
  encounter ✦ divine, implement
  standard action 
  Close blast 5
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: the target is dazed and takes a −2 penalty to attack rolls 
  until the end of your next turn.
  vile Plague 
  Invoker Attack 15
  At your command, the ground releases ancient plagues once 
  used to harvest new souls for the Lord of the Dead.
  daily ✦ divine, implement, necrotic, Poison
  standard action 
  area burst 5 within 10 squares
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: the target suffers the vile plague (save ends). A target suf-
  fering from the vile plague is dazed, slowed, and takes on-
  going 10 necrotic and poison damage. In addition, all crea-
  tures adjacent to the target suffering from the vile plague at 
  the end of their turn take 5 necrotic damage.
  miss: the target takes 10 necrotic and poison damage, and it is 
  slowed until the end of its next turn.
  vengeful dead 
  Invoker Utility 16
  When your ally falls, you intone a dread word to bind its spirit 
  to the flesh, causing the companion to rise again and fight on 
  your behalf.
  daily ✦ divine
  minor action 
  ranged 10
  target: One dead ally
  effect: the target becomes an undead ally until the end of 
  the encounter. the target regains hit points equal to its 
  bloodied value and gains the undead keyword. It is slowed, 
  immune to disease and poison, has resist 10 necrotic and 
  vulnerable 5 radiant, and its melee attacks deal extra
    necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier. the tar-
  get is otherwise unchanged and can act normally. At the 
  end of the encounter, the ally dies, but can be brought back 
  to life with the raise Dead ritual or similar means.
  
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  age’s infirmity 
  Invoker Attack 23
  Your command sees the enemy age rapidly, forcing time’s rav-
  ages to come crashing in if only for a moment.
  encounter ✦ divine, implement, necrotic
  standard action 
  area burst 1 within 10 squares
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom necrotic damage, and the target is slowed 
  and weakened until the end of your next turn.
  Harm 
  Invoker Attack 29
  You speed your enemy to death’s door by draining its life and 
  vitality with one cruel command.
  daily ✦ divine, implement, necrotic
  standard action 
  melee touch
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 7d10 + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage. If this attack 
  bloodies the target, it takes 1d10 extra damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: You make a close burst 5 secondary attack. this attack 
  gains the fear keyword.
   
  secondary target: Each enemy in burst that can see you
   
  secondary attack: Wisdom vs. Will
   Hit: the target chooses to move its speed away from you 
  or takes a −2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of the 
  encounter.
  Paladin Prayers
  Fortune spurned smite 
  Paladin Attack 3
  Your weapon burns with dark flames. What the flames touch 
  becomes craven and fearful, which are traits despised by 
  fortune.
  encounter ✦ divine, Fear, necrotic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength or Charisma modifier necrotic damage. 
  the next time the target takes damage before the start of 
  your next turn, it moves up to its speed away from you.
  reaper’s Harvest 
  Paladin Attack 9
  Your weapon parts your enemy’s defenses, letting you claim 
  the bounty of its defeat.
  daily ✦ divine, Healing, necrotic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength or Charisma modifier necrotic and psychic 
  damage, and the target is subject to your divine sanction 
  (see Divine Power, page 82) until the end of your next turn.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: If this attack reduces the target to 0 hit points, you can 
  spend a healing surge and regain hit points equal to twice 
  your surge value.
  Frozen shackles 
  Paladin Attack 17
  Heat flees from your enemy, causing the target to freeze in 
  place.
  encounter ✦ Cold, divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d8 + Strength or Charisma modifier cold damage, and the 
  target is immobilized until it takes damage from an attack. 
  If the target is marked by you, it also grants combat advan-
  tage until the end of your next turn.
  visage of sorrow 
  Paladin Attack 19
  You call forth divine power from the Shadowfell, welcoming 
  its power to transform your aspect to one of utter sorrow and 
  grief.
  daily ✦ divine, Fear, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  Close burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 3d8 + Strength or Charisma modifier psychic damage, and 
  the target is subject to your divine sanction until the end of 
  your next turn.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, melee and ranged 
  attacks made against you take a −2 penalty.
  Grave smite 
  Paladin Attack 23
  Your smite sends the enemy to the grave.
  encounter ✦ divine, necrotic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. AC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength or Charisma modifier necrotic damage, 
  and the target falls prone and cannot stand until the end of 
  your next turn.
  special: When you gain this power, choose Strength or 
  Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls 
  and damage rolls with this power.
  
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  World in Winter 
  Paladin Attack 25
  Cold blossoms around you, bringing ice and snow in from the 
  Shadowfell.
  daily ✦ Cold, divine, necrotic, Weapon, zone
  standard action 
  Close burst 1
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength or Charisma vs. AC
  Hit: 4[W] + Strength or Charisma modifier cold and necrotic 
  damage.
  effect: the burst creates a zone of freezing cold and blowing 
  snow that lasts until the end of the encounter. the zone 
  moves with you. Squares inside the zone are difficult 
  terrain and lightly obscured. When an enemy ends its turn 
  within the zone, it takes 10 cold and necrotic damage. At 
  the end of your turn, if you hit at least one enemy with a 
  divine attack power that turn, the zone’s size increases by 1 
  square (to a maximum of a close burst 5 zone).
  character OPtiOnS
  Those in service to the Raven Queen have several 
  character options to better distinguish themselves 
  from those characters and creatures who pledge ser-
  vice to other gods.
  Soul Reaper
  “Fear not death, my friend, for the Raven Queen is glad to 
  meet you on the other side.
   
  Prerequisite: Any divine class, must worship the 
  Raven Queen
  Death is the natural course for all things, from the 
  lowly insect to the mightiest of gods. it is not an end, 
  of course, but a beginning—the first step onto the road 
  into the unknown. For you, death offers little fear or 
  concern because you are confident that the Raven 
  Queen will shepherd you to whatever fate your long 
  service has earned. This comfort and understanding 
  forms the cornerstone of your beliefs, and you carry 
  this message wherever you go, consoling the grieving 
  or speeding those who deserve to meet the Raven 
  Queen on their way.
  Soul Reaper Path Features
   
  Harvesting action (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action on a 
  turn in which you reduced a non-minion enemy to 
  0 hit points, you can also move your speed as a free 
  action.
   
  Disrupting attack (11th level): You ignore 
  necrotic resistance with your divine attack powers.
   
  Drawn to Death (16th level): Whenever a crea-
  ture within 5 squares of you reduces another creature 
  to 0 hit points or fewer, you can shift 2 squares 
  toward the triggering creature.
  Soul Reaper Prayers
  Grave Chill 
  Soul reaper Attack 11
  When the dead fall, you speed their souls to the Shadowfell.
  encounter ✦ divine, implement
  immediate reaction 
  ranged 5
  trigger: An ally within range of you bloodies an enemy with 
  an attack
  Primary target: the triggering ally
  effect: You shift to a square adjacent to the target and make a 
  burst 1 attack.
   
  secondary target: Each enemy in burst
   
  attack: Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Fortitude
   Hit: the target is dazed and immobilized until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Fated outcome 
  Soul reaper Utility 12
  All has been foreseen because each outcome has already un-
  folded in the Raven Queen’s eyes.
  encounter ✦ divine
  immediate interrupt 
  ranged 10
  trigger: One ally within range of you misses on an attack roll, 
  fails a saving throw, or fails a skill check.
  effect: the ally rerolls the attack roll, the saving throw, or the 
  skill check, adding your Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma 
  modifier to it.
  special: When you gain this power, choose Strength, Wisdom, 
  or Charisma as the ability you use with this power.
  Call of letherna 
  Soul reaper Attack 20
  A frigid wind moans as it swirls around you, bringing with 
  it the malign atmosphere found only in the Raven Queen’s 
  demesne.
  daily ✦ Cold, divine, implement, necrotic, zone
  standard action 
  Close burst 5
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 4d6 + Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier cold and 
  necrotic damage, and you pull the target 4 squares.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: the burst creates a zone of killing cold that lasts until 
  the end of your next turn. Any creature that starts its turn 
  within the zone is slowed until the end of its next turn, and 
  it takes 10 cold and necrotic damage.
  sustain minor: the zone persists, and you pull each enemy 
  within the zone 1 square toward the origin of the zone’s 
  burst.
  special: When you gain this power, choose Strength, Wisdom, 
  or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls 
  and damage rolls with this power.
  
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  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Armor of Winter
   
  Prerequisite: invoker, Covenant of Wrath class 
  feature, must worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Any undead hit by your armor of wrath 
  power also takes 1d6 cold damage. if this attack 
  bloodies an undead target, it is also immobilized until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Bitter Challenge
   
  Prerequisite: Paladin, divine challenge power
   
  Benefit: Whenever a target takes damage from 
  your divine challenge, it is also slowed until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Dark Mantle
   
  Prerequisite: Cleric, healing word power, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever you use healing word, you can 
  forgo granting the extra hit points to instead grant 
  resist necrotic 5 to the target until the end of your 
  next turn. increase the resistance to 10 at 11th level, 
  and 20 at 21st level.
  Dreadful Doom
   
  Prerequisite: Revenant, invoker, Covenant of 
  Malediction class feature
   
  Benefit: You can push a target under the effect of 
  maledictor’s doom power 1 square whenever it is hit by 
  a fear, cold, or necrotic attack.
  Fate’s Warning
   
  Prerequisite: Cleric, divine fortune power, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever you hit with an attack or suc-
  ceed on a saving throw benefiting from divine fortune, 
  you also gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the end 
  of your next turn
  Grave Fortune
   
  Prerequisite: Revenant, cleric, divine fortune 
  power
   
  Benefit: When you hit with an attack benefiting 
  from divine fortune, your attack deals extra necrotic 
  damage equal to your Constitution or Dexterity 
  modifier.
  Memory of Death
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, oath of enmity power, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: When you target an undead creature 
  with oath of enmity, the target grants combat advan-
  tage to you until the end of your next turn.
  Pervasive Gloom
   
  Prerequisite: Shadar-kai, any divine class, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: You gain the Channel Divinity power 
  pervasive gloom.
  Channel divinity: Pervasive Gloom 
  Feat Power
  Night falls where you stand.
  encounter ✦ divine, zone
  Free action 
  Close burst 1
  trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack
  effect: the burst creates a zone of shadows that lasts until the 
  start of your next turn. Squares within the zone are heavily 
  obscured.
  Reaping Vengeance
   
  Prerequisite: Revenant, avenger, oath of enmity 
  power
   
  Benefit: if the creature triggering your dark reap-
  ing was also your oath of enmity target, you deal 1d8 
  extra necrotic damage with dark reaping, for a total of 
  2d8 + your Constitution modifier necrotic damage.
  Restless Dead
   
  Prerequisite: Revenant, must worship the Raven 
  Queen
   
  Benefit: While you are at 0 hit points or fewer 
  and still conscious, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls 
  and all defenses.
  Revenant’s Challenge
   
  Prerequisite: Revenant, paladin, divine challenge 
  power, must worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever a target you marked takes 
  damage from divine challenge, it also gains vulnerable 
  5 necrotic until the start of your next turn.
  
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  Shadow Legacy
   
  Prerequisite: Shadar-kai, any divine class, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: You gain the Channel Divinity power 
  shadow legacy.
  Channel divinity: shadow legacy 
  Feat Power
  You extend the ancient covenant between your people and the 
  Raven Queen to an ally in danger.
  encounter ✦ divine, teleportation
  immediate reaction 
  ranged 10
  trigger: An attack bloodies an ally within range
  target: the triggering ally
  effect: the target either teleports 3 squares or gains insubstan-
  tial until the start of your next turn.
  Shadowfell Guidance
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, divine guidance power, 
  must worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: When an ally hits with an attack ben-
  efiting from your divine guidance, the ally’s attack 
  deals extra necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom 
  modifier.
  Paragon Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a charac-
  ter of 11th level or higher who meets the other 
  prerequisites.
  Black Mantle
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, avenger, must worship 
  the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: While wearing cloth armor or no armor 
  and not using a shield, you gain resist 5 cold and 
  resist 5 necrotic against attacks from your oath of 
  enmity target. At 21st level, increase this resistance to 
  10.
  Chilling Oath
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, shadar-kai, avenger, oath 
  of enmity power
   
  Benefit: When you use oath of enmity, your target 
  is also slowed until the end of your next turn.
  Covenant of the Raven Queen
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, invoker, must worship 
  the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever you hit an undead with a 
  divine encounter or daily attack power, you gain resist 
  necrotic equal to your Constitution or intelligence 
  modifier until the start of your next turn.
  Raven Queen’s Outrage
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, cleric, must worship the 
  Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever you hit an undead creature 
  with an encounter or daily power with the radiant 
  keyword, you can also slide that creature 1 square.
  Raven Queen’s Scorn
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, avenger, oath of enmity 
  power, must worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: When you use oath of enmity against an 
  undead enemy, you teleport to any space adjacent to 
  the target as a free action.
  Epic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  21st level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Echo of Letherna
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, any divine class, must 
  worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Your divine attack powers that deal 
  radiant damage instead deal necrotic and radiant 
  damage. These prayers gain the necrotic keyword.
  Harvester of Sorrows
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, avenger, oath of enmity 
  power, must worship the Raven Queen
   
  Benefit: Whenever you reduce the target of your 
  oath of enmity to 0 hit points, any enemy you can see 
  within 10 squares grants combat advantage to you 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Epic Destiny: Raven Knight
  Constant devotion and unswerving dedication to the Raven 
  Queen won you a place in her service. Now you command 
  death and wield its power against any who would subvert it 
  for their own dark purposes.
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, must worship the Raven 
  Queen
  The Raven Queen’s influence across the Shadowfell 
  depends on trusted agents: those sorrowsworn and 
  shadar-kai who make up the esteemed order of the 
  Raven Knights. Charged with protecting the Raven 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Channel Divinity: The Raven Queen’s Champions
  66
  Queen’s realm and safeguarding the Shadowfell 
  from those who would pervert its dark power for 
  dread purposes, they move with impunity across the 
  plane, even going so far as to venture into distant 
  worlds where they bring battle to the Raven Queen’s 
  myriad enemies. To join this order, you have worked 
  to prove your worth and dedication to the deity and 
  win a place among these guardians. Your fate might 
  be to serve the deity as her chosen champion, but 
  what better destiny could you choose after a life spent 
  fighting in her name?
  Immortality
  You won the right to claim your place among the 
  peerless Raven Knights. You don the black garb worn 
  by all in this august order, cladding yourself in the 
  soft velvet robes and wielding the deity’s power in her 
  name. in reward for your eternal service, the deity 
  grants you a mighty fortress and lands in the Shadow-
  fell to rule as you wish, warriors to fight beneath your 
  banner, and servants to attend to your every wish. 
  You might be a servant still, but you live as a king.
   
  Dark Servitor: The deity’s favor reveals itself 
  in your flesh even before you earn the title. From 
  the moment you begin your final quest, your body 
  transforms, subtle at the start but profound when you 
  overcome the last obstacle to your prize. Your connec-
  tions to the natural world weaken as the Shadowfell 
  asserts its influence over you, opening your eyes to 
  new possibilities. Your facial features change, becom-
  ing monstrous but strangely alluring for all its bestial 
  aspect. in time, you erase any connections to your 
  former self when you become a sorrowsworn in truth.
   
  By the time you complete your final quest, your old 
  life is a dream compared to the power, prestige, and 
  glory ahead. With your affairs in order, you embark 
  to bring honor and glory to the deity, to join her other 
  trusted servants as her chosen champion. You bear 
  a new burden to protect the deity who entrusted 
  you with such power. How you meet your mistress’s 
  enemies and whether you but do with the same loy-
  alty and devotion you did earlier is up to you and your 
  ambition. You might continue as you have or turn 
  your considerable power to reach further than you 
  ever thought possible.
  Raven Knight Features
   
  Sorrowborn (21st level): You gain a +2 bonus to 
  Constitution, a +2 bonus to Dexterity, and a +2 bonus 
  to speed.
   
  if your origin is not already shadow, your origin 
  changes to shadow, and henceforth you are consid-
  ered a shadow creature for the purpose of effects that 
  relate to creature origin.
   
  You also gain darkvision if you do not already have 
  darkvision.
   
  Bleak Visage (21st level): Any enemy adjacent to 
  you takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against you.
   
  Shadow rush (24th level): Whenever you 
  charge or run, you gain insubstantial and phasing 
  until the end of your next turn.
   
  on Sorrow’s Wings (30th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action, you can 
  teleport 10 squares before taking the action
  Raven Knight Prayer
  dark scythe 
  raven Knight Utility 26
  You call a dire weapon and grip its cold wood, feeling its mer-
  ciless energy flowing through your hands.
  daily ✦ divine, necrotic
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: You transform a single weapon or implement in your 
  hand into a dark scythe. It remains a dark scythe until the 
  end of the encounter. Your weapon or implement retains 
  all its traits, properties, and powers, and gains the following 
  properties and powers.
  Property: the dark scythe deals 2d10 extra necrotic damage.
  Property: When you reduce a nonminion enemy to 0 hit 
  points using the dark scythe, you regain hit points as if you 
  had spent a healing surge.
  Power (Encounter): Free Action. Trigger: You hit an enemy 
  with an attack using the dark scythe. Effect: that enemy is 
  weakened (save ends).
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is a freelance game designer with numer-
  ous design and development credits to his name. His most 
  recent works include the Divine Power, Eberron® Player’s Guide, 
  EbErron Campaign Guide, Player’s Handbook 2, P2 Demon 
  Queen’s Enclave, Manual of the Planes, Martial Power, Draconomi-
  con I: Chromatic Dragons, the ForgottEn rEalms Player’s Guide, 
  and numerous articles in Dragon® and Dungeon® magazines. 
  Robert lives in Tennessee with his wife Stacee and his para-
  trooper battle cats.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  67
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  Among the powerful dragonmarked houses of Khor-
  vaire, the acquisition and exploitation of the power 
  inherent within dragonshards has always been high 
  on their list of priorities. infused with the magic, 
  dragonshards impart powerful energy into a stagger-
  ing variety of magic items.
   
  Although the general populace can and does make 
  use of items empowered with dragonshards (even 
  obliquely, such as riding on the lightning rail), those 
  blessed with dragonmarks gain the largest benefit 
  from dragonshards. Centuries of magical experi-
  mentation combined with testing “in the field” have 
  produced many specialized magic items that augment 
  the already formidable talents of the dragonmarked.
   
  This article describes several new dragonshard 
  items. Some of the magic items are openly known, 
  while others are extremely rare or even unique. 
  The techniques used in the creation of these items 
  are typically tightly held trade secrets and constant 
  espionage occurs between the houses to learn these 
  secrets. indeed, some of the histories provided with 
  these dragonshard magic items may in fact be part of 
  a misinformation campaign or front for an even more 
  mysterious past.
  By Eric Cagle 
  Illustrations by Evan Shipard
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  Dragonshard Items
  guardian circletS
  Members of House Deneith are in great demand by 
  esteemed individuals throughout Khorvaire as body-
  guards, but their services were never more prized than 
  during the Last War. However, during that tumultuous 
  time, those bearing the Mark of Sentinel found them-
  selves placed in increasingly dangerous and violent 
  situations—guarding princes, generals, and other lead-
  ers that took themselves to the front lines.
   
  After numerous reports from frustrated house 
  members complaining about protecting clients who 
  insisted on plunging into full-on conflicts, leaders in 
  House Deneith commissioned the creation of new 
  items to help out their members. one set of such 
  items were guardian circlets, a pair of magically linked 
  necklaces that allow the Deneith protector to impose 
  himself between the client and certain doom.
   
  Utilized to great success, guardian circlets are 
  prized by Deneith members. in one notable case, 
  a deneith guardian charged with the protection of 
  orom Tabar, an envoy with House Cannith. Tabar at 
  first balked at having to wear the circlet (considering 
  it demeaning), but changed his tune when the cara-
  van carrying himself and his Deneith bodyguard was 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  68
  attacked while entering into Cyre. Literally yanked 
  to safety by the item, the grateful Tabar later helped 
  broker a deal within his house for the continued cre-
  ation of guardian circlets for use by House Deneith.
  Guardian’s Circlets 
  Level 8+ 
  The bodyguards of House Deneith relish these paired neck-
  laces to keep their clients safer from harm.
  Lvl 8 
  +2 
  3,400 gp 
  Lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  Lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  Lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  Lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp
  item slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, and Will
  Power (daily ✦ teleportation): Immediate Interrupt. Use this 
  power when the wearer of the attuned circlet is within 5 
  squares and would be bloodied by an attack. You and the 
  ally switch spaces and you take the damage instead.
   Level 18 or 23: As above, affecting the ally within 10 squares.
   Level 28: As above, affecting the ally within 15 squares.
  special: If you have the Mark of Sentinel, add 5 squares to the 
  range of the guardian’s circlet.
  special: Each guardian circlet has one attuned circlet. the 
  attuned circlet has no magical properties beyond the 
  attunement, and does not take up the neck item slot of 
  its wearer. the wearer of the guardian circlet can create 
  a replacement attuned circlet during an extended rest 
  (destroying any existing attuned circlet).
  Madeth’S Magical 
  MuSician
  Although the concept of hospitality means consider-
  ably more to the members of House Ghallanda than 
  merely running inns or taverns, there are many 
  aspects of these businesses that the Ghallandas must 
  deal with on a daily basis, including both entertain-
  ment of clients and keeping them in line should 
  things get rowdy.
   
  An entrepreneurial member of the Hostelers 
  Guild named Ullan Madeth established a small, suc-
  cessful franchise of taverns within Hareth’s Folly in 
  Sharn. Although Madeth was a genius when it came 
  to food and accommodations, he was a miserable fail-
  ure when it came to providing entertainment. After 
  spending several small fortunes repairing his busi-
  nesses after drunken hooligans trashed them for poor 
  performances by musicians, Madeth decided to go an 
  alternate route.
   
  After calling in several favors, Madeth convinced 
  a talented magewright to create Madeth’s magical 
  musician—a small music box that eliminated the 
  need for musicians altogether. The magic item also 
  contains enchantments that bolster charm effects, 
  making it easy to calm down rowdy patrons. Madeth’s 
  device became such a success that he sold his taverns 
  and markets Madeth’s magical musicians exclusively to 
  others in the hospitality business. 
  madeth’s magical musician 
  Level 3
  This tiny, well-carved wooden box holds a small fiddle bow. 
  With a touch, it produces delightful, mesmerizing music.
  Wondrous item  
  680 gp
  Power (daily): Standard Action. For 1 hour, the item plays a 
  pleasant tune that can be heard within 10 squares.
  Power (daily ✦ Charm): Minor Action. You gain a +2 item 
  bonus to attack rolls with charm powers until the end of 
  your next turn.
  beneFactOr arMOr
  Carefully crafted with Khyber shards binding a Small 
  water elemental, this magnificent armor shimmers 
  like light bouncing off of gently swelling seas. During 
  the Last War, the most powerful and senior members 
  of House Jorasco wore benefactor armor into the worst 
  of conflicts to help their clients. As a result, most of 
  these armors were lost, stolen, or looted from the 
  bodies of fallen Jorasco healers.
   
  The few remaining sets of this armor are kept in 
  the House’s main refuges. Four sets alone sit inside 
  the Great Healing Hall in Sharn, awaiting use if and 
  when the next war begins. Several sets of the armor 
  are rumored to be stored at the Vedykar enclave in 
  Karrnath, one possibly owned and worn by Baron 
  Ulara d’Jorasco herself. Among their many other 
  charges, members of the house are ordered to keep 
  an eye out for other sets of unaccounted benefactor 
  armor. When information reached the ears of the 
  Medics Guild, they sent a large contingent of merce-
  naries and field medics to the outskirts of Droaam in 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  69
  stern Handler’s Wraps 
  Level 4+ 
  Beasts of all kinds shy away from the wearer of these plain 
  looking wraps, which glimmer with small dragonshards.
  Lvl 4 
  840 gp
  Lvl 14 
  21,000 gp
  Lvl 24 
  525,000 gp
  item slot: Hands
  Property: You gain a +1 item bonus to Nature checks to 
  handle animals. 
   
  Level 14: +2 item bonus.
   
  Level 24: +3 item bonus.
  special: If you have the Mark of Handling, increase the item 
  bonus by 1.
  Power (daily): Immediate Interrupt. Trigger: You become 
  bloodied from a melee attack. Effect: the enemy that 
  bloodied you is pushed 3 squares.
  chainreach weaPOn
  The weaponsmiths of House Cannith create untold 
  numbers of exotic weapons, some of which rarely 
  get beyond the experimental stage. one of the more 
  unusual items to come out of the Cannith workshops 
  is the chainreach weapon.
   
  Adorned with numerous small chains embed-
  ded on the hilt and business end of the weapon, a 
  chainreach weapon allows the wielder to make melee 
  attacks against targets normally out of range. The 
  blade or hammer’s head launches toward the target, 
  attached to a length of sturdy chain. The chains then 
  snake around the enemy’s limbs, binding them up 
  and knocking them down on a successful strike.
   
  Despite its potential use on the battlefield, chain-
  reach weapons prove most popular in places where 
  bloodsports are common, such as in Darguun, the 
  Demon Wastes, Droaam, and certain portions of 
  the Lhazaar Principalities. The chainreach weapon’s 
  unusual and showy method for taking out an oppo-
  their intentions is the surprisingly high mortality rate 
  among their “touched” magebreeders.
   
  over a hundred years ago, an extremely talented 
  magebreeder named Perr Hanton set about craft-
  ing magic items to help him maintain control over 
  the living abominations they brought into existence. 
  Known for his extreme cruelty and dominating 
  nature, Hanton created the stern handler’s wraps—spe-
  cial gloves that cowed recalcitrant creatures that had 
  gone berserk from rage. 
   
  The wraps proved highly successful, and the 
  Feral Heart bought, bartered, and stole large quanti-
  ties of dragonshards to create numerous sets of the 
  gloves. ironically, the creator of these dragonshard 
  items was killed after one of his beastly creations 
  broke loose and rampaged across the countryside for 
  years before being killed by more law-abiding mem-
  bers of House Vadalis.
  order to locate a set thought to be worn by a mighty 
  hobgoblin cleric. The rumors proved to be correct, 
  but were part of a trap luring the Jorascoans into an 
  ambush. The house has sworn revenge and plans to 
  send an even larger contingent bolstered with House 
  Medani inquisitives to assist in finding the armor and 
  returning it to its proper place.
  benefactor armor 
  Level 9+
  The Khyber shards of this armor are set in a wave pattern, 
  resembling flowing water.
  Lvl 9 
  +2 
  4,200 gp 
  Lvl 24 
  +5 
  525,000 gp
  Lvl 14 
  +3 
  21,000 gp 
  Lvl 29 
  +6 
  2,625,000 gp
  Lvl 19 
  +4 
  105,000 gp 
  armor: Chain, Scale, Plate
  enhancement: AC
  Power (encounter ✦ Healing): Free Action. Use this power 
  when you use a healing power. Each ally healed by that 
  power gains additional hit points equal to your Charisma 
  modifier.
  Power (daily ✦ Healing): Free Action. Trigger: You use a healing 
  power. Effect: One adjacent ally can use a healing surge 
  and regains additional hit points equal to your Charisma 
  modifier.
  Stern handler’S 
  wraPS
  The magebreeders of the Feral Heart, a semi-secret 
  and sinister organization within House Vadalis, has 
  long dabbled in horrific experiments to create living 
  weapons. Although they are masters at blending dark 
  magic with animal husbandry to create dangerous 
  beasts, more often than not, these creations turn on 
  their creators. indeed, one of the reasons why the 
  Feral Heart hasn’t been as prevalent or public with 
  adventure Seed
  After a PC obtains a set of new magic armor 
  through an adventure, the heroes finds them-
  selves being tailed and watched by several 
  elusive figures. rumors of the PC’s bounty and 
  an incorrect description of the armor reach the 
  ears of House Jorasco, who hires an inquisitive 
  to trail the heroes and set them up for either 
  a business meeting or an ambush to reacquire 
  what they believe to be a set of benefactor 
  armor. In reality, the PCs’ descriptions are close 
  enough to that of an adventuring group that has 
  managed to obtain a true suit of the rare armor. 
  Unfortunately, the other party begins cutting 
  a violent swath in the countryside, causing 
  headaches for the PCs as they suffer a case of 
  mistaken identity.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  70
   
  The armor itself is bound with a Small earth 
  elemental. The heavy metal boots are covered with 
  granite slabs decorated with streaks of Khyber shards.
  resolute armor 
  Level 8+
  This sturdy looking armor is covered with granite slabs fused 
  with pulsing Khyber shards.
  Lvl 8 
  +2 
  3,400 gp 
  Lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  Lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  Lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  Lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp
  armor: Plate
  enhancement: AC
  Property: When an effect forces you to move, you move 1 
  fewer square.
   
  Level 13 or 18: 2 fewer squares.
   
  Level 23 or 26: 3 fewer squares.
  special: If you have the Mark of Warding, you move 1 fewer 
  square when an effect forces you to move, in addition to 
  the benefit you already receive from the armor.
  Power (daily): Immediate Interrupt. Trigger: An enemy at-
  tempts to push, pull, or slide you. Effect: You ignore the 
  forced movement, and the enemy is knocked prone. 
  cOverbreaker 
  weaPOn
  The bounty hunters and inquisitives of House Tha-
  rashk excel at locating and capturing criminals, 
  debtors, and dangerous individuals of all stripes. To 
  assist them in their pursuits, key members of the 
  house worked with unaffiliated craftsmen and mage-
  wrights to create special weapons and armor. These 
  items were intended to be used in urban settings, 
  when the house’s quarry used the cover and conceal-
  ment of the environment to its utmost.
   
  one such innovation was the coverbreaker weapon—
  a ranged weapon, typically a bow or crossbow, 
  carefully built around attuned dragonshards. The 
  weapon helps the wielder pinpoint targets hidden in 
  wearing the armor successfully repelled an all-out 
  assault by servants of the Blood of Vol that moved into 
  Karrnath immediately after the Last War. The iron 
  Gate guards were assigned by King Kaius iii himself 
  to protect a small vault that contained family relics, 
  heirlooms, and more importantly, damning evidence 
  of Kaius’ kidnapping and replacement of his grand-
  son. Although the iron Gate guards were unaware of 
  what the vault contained, they nonetheless held their 
  ground and prevented the Blood of Vol from reveal-
  ing Kaius’ dark secret—the resolute armor rooting them 
  in place in front like a bulwark of steel and stone.
  nent serves well to stoke the audience’s thirst for 
  blood. Many wielders of this weapon wait until the 
  perfect moment to unleash the weapon’s ability, 
  sending out dancing coils of chains to overwhelm a 
  surprised victim.
  Chainreach Weapon 
  Level 5+
  This melee weapon sports several smaller chains on its hilt 
  and blade.
  Lvl 5 
  +1 
  1,000 gp 
  Lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp
  Lvl 10 
  +2 
  5,000 gp 
  Lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  Lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  Lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  Weapon: Any melee
  enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 damage per plus or +1d8 damage per plus if 
  you have combat advantage.
  Power (daily): Minor action. You may make a melee basic 
  attack against a single target up to 5 squares away. On a 
  successful hit, the target is also knocked prone.
  reSOlute arMOr
  The dwarves of House Kundarak have immensely 
  deep pockets, as everyone knows. As a result, they 
  have access to relatively large supplies of Khyber 
  shards with which to craft fine magic items. Mem-
  bers of the iron Gate, a branch of the Warding 
  Guild, serve as guards and sentries for especially 
  important locations. Their services do not come 
  cheaply, and House Kundarak provides these stal-
  wart individuals some of the finest arms and armor 
  that the house can offer. one such item is resolute 
  armor—thick plate infused with Khyber Shards that 
  make the wearer almost impossible to move from a 
  location against her will.
   
  The use of resolute armor helped prevent several 
  notable break-ins and attacks on locations guarded by 
  members of the iron Gate. in one case, three guards 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  71
  amulet of the diplomat 
  Level 7+ 
  This subtle, but pleasing looking amulet gives the wearer a 
  confident and soothing manner.
  Lvl 7 
  +2 
  2,600 gp 
  Lvl 22 
  +5 
  325,000 gp
  Lvl 12 
  +3 
  13,000 gp 
  Lvl 27 
  +6 
  1,625,000 gp
  Lvl 17 
  +4 
  65,000 gp
  item slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, and Will
  Power (daily): Minor Action. Until the end of your next turn, 
  you gain an item bonus to Diplomacy checks, Will defense, 
  and saving throws against charm effects equal to the amu-
  let’s enhancement bonus. 
  teMPeSt Fan
  Masters of storms and the strength of thunder, the 
  members of House Lyrandar have learned numerous 
  ways to channel the power of the storm. Riding high 
  above the earth upon their airships or skimming the 
  waves in their enhanced galleons, those who belong 
  to this house range far and wide over eberron.
   
  elite members of the house wield tremendous 
  power, their dragonmarks allowing them to pull 
  upon the inherent magical might of storms to unleash 
  powerful blasts of lightning or cacophonous claps 
  of thunder. As a symbol of their power, many high-
  ranking members of the house wield tempest fans. 
  These metallic fans allow the bearer to teleport across 
  a battlefield, arriving in a crackle of lightning that 
  rakes their enemies.
   
  Curiously, the members of the house who possess 
  these items have created their own subtle language 
  utilizing their fans, opening and closing them in a 
  specific manner to convey some obscure meaning. 
  This form of communication is based on the dignified 
  court “language” of fans used by nobles and aristoc-
  racy, but with a distinctly more aggressive manner. 
  the shadows or protected by cover, then pulling them 
  out from their sanctuary and making them vulner-
  able to additional attacks.
  Coverbreaker Weapon 
  Level 13+ 
  Few can hide from the unerring accuracy of this ranged 
  weapon.
  Lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  Lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  Lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp 
  Lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  Weapon: Any ranged
  enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 damage per plus or +1d8 damage per plus if the 
  target has cover relative to the wielder.
  Property: Gain a +2 bonus to hit an enemy with cover or 
  superior cover.
  Power (daily): Free Action. Trigger: You hit with an enemy with 
  this weapon. Effect: Slide the enemy 3 squares.
  special: If you have the Mark of Finding, slide the enemy 5 
  squares.
  aMulet OF the 
  diPlOMat
  Amulets of the diplomat are produced by House 
  Sivis to give their negotiators an edge in important 
  meetings. Although the act of using magic during 
  negotiations is universally frowned upon by most 
  groups, House Sivis typically get a pass for this unspo-
  ken rule, mainly due to their firm neutrality and 
  honest desire for peaceful conclusions to conflict.
   
  Junior members of the guild receive an amulet 
  of the diplomat for excellent performance and wear 
  them as badges of honor among their peers. The 
  amulet of the diplomat helps protect the wearer 
  against magical effects that influence the mind, and 
  it’s considered a terrible breach of etiquette to even 
  attempt such a thing against a member of House 
  Sivis, much less one wearing this item. Perpetrators 
  who dare to try this tactic are ensured of getting 
  a black mark from the house, guaranteeing that 
  their own business ventures will falter without the 
  “blessing” of House Sivis to carry their messages or 
  authenticate their legal documents.
  adventure Seed
  the PCs are asked by a friend within House 
  Lyrandar to transport a fallen comrade’s tem-
  pest fan back to his family in Stormhome. With 
  possession of the tempest fan, the PCs are given 
  free transport on several elemental airships 
  and galleons back to Stormhome. On the last 
  leg of the journey, however, the captain of the 
  last vessel proves to be a rival of the previous 
  owner of the fan. He decides to keep the fan for 
  himself as a trophy and schemes to either have 
  his crew assault the PCs, steal it in the middle of 
  the night, or lie to the PCs and abandon them in 
  some desolate area far from their destination … 
  without the fan. If the captain succeeds in steal-
  ing the tempest fan, the PCs must not only try to 
  locate the item, but also deal with the tempes-
  tuous wrath and anger of the former owner’s 
  family, bent on revenge.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  72
  inQuiSitiveS gOggleS
  Worn by some of more promising members of House 
  Medani, inquisitives goggles give these highly obser-
  vant individuals enhanced powers to see minute 
  details with greater clarity. Created by some of the 
  Houses’ master spies along with artisan jewelcrafters 
  and magewrights, the goggles bear two highly pol-
  ished dragonshards embedded inside brass cylinders 
  etched with enhancing runes and held to the head 
  with straps made from beholder hide.
   
   in addition, inquisitives goggles grant the wearer 
  the uncanny ability to both spot danger and to find 
  weaknesses in an enemy’s defenses while trying to 
  remain hidden. This makes the goggles extremely 
  useful for inspectors and other law enforcement offi-
  cials within the tight confines of huge cities, such as 
  Sharn and Wroat. 
  inquisitives Goggles 
  Level 12
  These intricate goggles allow unparalleled observation.
  item slot: Head     13,000 gp
  Property: Gain a +2 item bonus to Insight checks and 
  Perception checks.
  special: If you have the Mark of Detection, increase the bonus 
  to +3.
  Property (daily): Minor Action. On your next attack, you ig-
  nore penalties due to concealment or total concealment.
  tempest Fan 
  Level 5+ 
  The tines of this metal fan resemble lightning, augmented 
  with ripples of electricity.
  Lvl 5 
  1,000 gp
  Lvl 15 
  25,000 gp
  Lvl 25 
  625,000 gp
  Wondrous item
  Property: Wizards can use this fan as an implement for 
  wizard powers and wizards paragon path powers. As an 
  implement, it grants a +1 enhancement bonus to attack 
  rolls and damage rolls, and it deals 1d6 extra lightning 
  damage on a critical hit.
   
  Level 15: +3 enhancement bonus and 3d6 points of extra 
  lightning damage on a critical hit.
   
  Level 25: +5 enhancement bonus and 5d6 points of extra 
  lightning damage on a critical hit.
  Power (daily ✦ teleportation, electricity): Move Action. You 
  or an adjacent ally teleports up to 5 squares. Each enemy 
  within a close 3 burst of this new location take 1d6 light-
  ning damage. 
   Level 15: teleport 10 squares and enemies take 3d6 lightning 
  damage.
   Level 25: teleport 15 squares and enemies take 5d6 lightning 
  damage. 
  FOrgeMaSter’S 
  glOveS
  As the premier craftsmen of eberron, members of 
  House Cannith are masters of the forge, the crucible, 
  and the tinker’s table. The workshops owned by 
  House Cannith glow with intense heat, sometimes 
  powered by magic, allowing its members to create 
  truly awe-inspiring magic items.
   
  Forgemaster’s gloves are relatively common items 
  used by the house’s blacksmiths, armorers, and 
  metallurgists, all of whom routinely deal with tem-
  peratures that border on the infernal. The gloves 
  stave off the worst of this intense heat and in turn 
  absorb some of this energy for later use. With a 
  thought, the wearer can channel this energy into his 
  own arcane attacks, transforming them into blasts of 
  fire and waves of heat.
   
  Despite the ubiquity of forgemaster’s gloves within 
  the house, they are also appropriately found within 
  the workshops of the dwarves in Mror Hold and 
  inside the tinker rooms of the gnomes in Zilargo. 
  Despite their obvious uses on the battlefield, owners 
  of forgemaster’s gloves often consider themselves crafts-
  men first and combatants second, and take a dim 
  view to non-craftsmen that don a pair. An individual 
  wearing this magic item might be challenged to a 
  duel—not one of combat, but to test his skill at black-
  smithing or armorcrafting.
  Forgemaster’s Gloves 
  Level 6+ 
  These blacksmith’s gloves are studded with dragonshards and 
  emblazoned with a hammer and anvil.
  Lvl 6 
  5,000 gp
  Lvl 16 
  125,000 gp
  Lvl 26 
  3,125,000 gp
  item slot: Hands
  Property: Gain resist 5 fire.
   
  Level 16: Gain resist 10 fire. 
   
  Level 26: Gain resist 15 fire.
  special: If you have the Mark of Making, increase the resistance 
  by 5.
  Power (daily ✦ Fire): Minor Action. the next attack power you 
  use deals 1d6 extra fire damage
   Level 16: 2d6 extra fire damage.
   Level 26: 3d6 extra fire damage.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  73
  tenebrOuS ShrOud
  The rivalry between House Phiarlan and House 
  Thuranni has so far remained behind the scenes, 
  with both groups playing intricate games of cat-and-
  mouse to gain the upper hand. Considering the fact 
  that members of both houses bear the Mark of Shad-
  ows, it’s appropriate that the magic items they carry 
  follow a similar theme.
   
  Both houses make use of tenebrous shrouds, cloaks 
  made from the blackest of thread and then interwo-
  ven with dragonshards enchanted to absorb light. 
  Unlike most dragonshards, those threaded into ten-
  ebrous shrouds become blacker than pitch.
   
  The tenebrous shroud’s magic allow it to absorb 
  necrotic energy with relative easy—an advantage as 
  both groups pull upon the dark powers they use to 
  fuel many of their attacks. its most distinctive power, 
  however, blinds attackers and renders the wearer 
  invisible for a short time, allowing her to escape and 
  strike from the shadows once more.
   
  Recently, teams of House Phiarlan infiltrators 
  wearing tenebrous shrouds attempted to sneak their 
  way into House Thuranni’s secret enclave at Stone-
  spur to discover what was hidden in the depths 
  beneath the black citadel there. A ferocious, battle 
  waged through the shadows as the two groups fought. 
  Although the Phiarlans were unsuccessful in getting 
  within the inner sanctums, they learned enough to 
  warrant another possible assault in the future—fur-
  ther raising tensions between the two houses.
  tenebrous shroud 
  Level 13+ 
  This cloak wraps around you in inky blackness.
  Lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  Lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  Lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp 
  Lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  item slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, and Will
  Property: Gain resist 10 necrotic. 
   
  Level 15 or 20: resist 15 necrotic
   
  Level 25 or 30: resist 20 necrotic.
  Power (daily): Immediate reaction. You can use this power 
  when you are hit by a melee attack. You become invisible 
  until the end of your next turn. 
  ring OF the 
  warFOrged
  During the Last War, huge armies of warforged were 
  created by House Cannith to bolster the ranks of 
  living soldiers. incredible amounts of research and 
  resources went into the creation of the warforged, 
  creating entire branches of study that the house 
  kept from prying eyes. one of the earliest problems 
  encountered by House Cannith was how to imbue 
  inanimate objects with the spark of life. Cannith 
  researchers worked backward at first, learning how 
  to temporarily imbue some of the traits of a war-
  forged into a flesh-and-bone creature. The ring of 
  the warforged proved the most successful item in this 
  research and several copies were created for study. 
  it’s said that Baron Starrin d’Cannith himself wore 
  the first ring of the warforged to gain insight into how 
  work would progress.
   
  The ring of the warforged allows the wearer to uti-
  lize warforged components, embedding them into 
  their own flesh. As long as the wearer keeps the 
  ring on, these items work as normal, giving tremen-
  dous insight into the particular way that warforged 
  function in the world. in addition, the ring of the war-
  forged grants a boost to the overall toughness of the 
  wearer when bloodied, emulating the resilience of 
  the living constructs.
   
  owners of rings of the warforged often report a 
  dramatic shift in their attitude toward the race. The 
  warforged themselves often encourage the use of 
  these items, seeing them as a useful way to change 
  public opinion about their kind. This has backfired 
  on more than a few occasions, however, with some 
  wearers becoming repulsed and horrified at the 
  “unnatural” manner in which the warforged exist.
  ring of the Warforged 
  Level 17+ 
  Decorated with dragonshards, this ring allows a wearer to 
  grow to resemble a living construct.
  item slot: ring      65,000 gp
  Property: You are able to attach (but not embed) warforged 
  components as if you were a warforged.
  Property (daily): Immediate interrupt. Use this power when 
  an attack would bloody you. You gain 10 temporary hit 
  points. If you have reached a milestone today, you instead 
  gain 20 temporary hit points.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Dragonshard Items
  74
  About the Author
  eric Cagle is the editor-in-Chief of No Quarter Magazine 
  and a prolific freelancer for several different game compa-
  nies. He lives in Seattle where the coffee is dark and bitter 
  like his goddesses.
  sandals of the temporal step 
  Level 16
  The energy pulsing from the dragonshards adorning these 
  slippers move likes hands on a clock.
  item slot: Feet      45,000 gp
  Property: Gain a +1 item bonus to speed when wearing light 
  or no armor.
  Power (daily): Free Action. You gain an additional move action 
  this turn.
  special: If you have the Mark of Passage, when you use the 
  sandals’ daily power, you also gain a +3 power bonus to 
  speed until the end of your turn.
  SandalS OF the 
  teMPOral SteP
  Blessed with control over movement and, with certain 
  limitations, time, the members of House orien have 
  learned how to channel their power into dragonshards. 
  Sandals of the temporal step came about as powerful 
  members of the house experimented with various 
  techniques involving teleportation and the manipula-
  tion of time. Although they represent only a small step 
  toward an eventually complete understanding of the 
  nature of time and motion, the sandals are still consid-
  ered valuable items by the house.
   
  The other houses, along with many governments, 
  have taken great interest in obtaining their own san-
  dals of the temporal step to boost the overall speed of 
  armies and elite troops, both on the battlefield and 
  during clandestine operations. Both Breland and 
  Karrnath have lobbyists constantly meeting with 
  House orien officials to purchase as many as pos-
  sible, while spies of those and other nations strive 
  to learn the secrets of their creation to bypass the 
  house altogether. Because of House orien’s dimin-
  ished influence, they have taken a dim view to this 
  sort of espionage.
  adventure Seed
  the PCs receive word of a warforged causing 
  trouble with local officials, threatening them 
  with harm if additional rights aren’t granted 
  to all warforged. Although this seems a simple 
  case of a lone agitator, reports indicate that the 
  individual isn’t a typical looking warforged—con-
  siderably more “fleshy” in appearance.
   
  Although the warforged in the area appreci-
  ate the sentiment, none of them know who, or 
  what, the agitator is. As time goes on, tensions 
  begin to rise as the individual, a human wizard 
  wearing a ring of the warforged, starts targeting 
  merchants and members of the military. the 
  PCs need to confront the wizard before things 
  get out of hand and the mobs begin assaulting 
  warforged out of anger and misunderstanding.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  75
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  Mysterious wanderers, orphans of three deities and three 
  worlds.
  Without homeland, the Vistani roam the world 
  and its reflections. They weave enigmatic stories of 
  their past, and their ways are inscrutable to outsid-
  ers. Vistani clans, full of folk of differing races, rove 
  outside the politics and concerns of civilized places. 
  Their magic and guile allow them to safely traverse 
  the dark gulfs between settled areas and cross the 
  walls between worlds. To sedentary people, these 
  numinous vagabonds bring exotic goods, news, 
  services, and skills. They take away new friends, 
  orphaned children, and survival essentials, as well as 
  more valuables than, perhaps, they honestly earned.
  Play a Vistani if you want . . .
  	
  ✦ to come from a culture that allows you to defy 
  racial stereotypes despite your race.
   
  ✦ access to a wandering “nation” of potential allies 
  with a culture full of mystery and adventure.
   
  ✦ to be a member of a bloodline that favors the 
  avenger, druid, fighter, invoker, ranger, or rogue; or 
  any arcane class.
  Playing Vistani
  By Chris Sims 
  Illustrations by Jason A Engle
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  76
  Origin
  Although a mythic figure named Vistan appears 
  in most of their origin stories, the Vistani claim no 
  single origin and waffle even on Vistan’s nature. 
  They tell various tales of how they came to be eternal 
  vagabonds and make a sport of coming up with new 
  yarns around their nightly campfires. it is possible 
  that those who become clan elders learn the true saga 
  among these stories. But that is so only if the actual 
  origin of the Vistani is remembered, distinguished 
  among all the existing wild legends. entirely likely 
  is that each of these accounts contains elements of 
  truth.
   
  one starting point for the Vistani suggests that 
  the people were once all halflings. These folk were 
  among those first created by the union between 
  Melora and Sehanine. When the two goddesses 
  abandoned the race, the halfling Vistan took it harder 
  than most. Although she recognized Avandra’s 
  maternal love for halflings, she also saw the adop-
  tive nature of this kindness. The deep sadness of one 
  rejected filled her. She considered the halflings to be 
  unjustly orphaned, and she joined with others who 
  felt the same, becoming their leader. With her follow-
  ers, she vowed to make a home for young castaways 
  and strays in need of family and support, halfling 
  and otherwise. The first Vistani took the magic of fey 
  moon, the callous world, and the winding road as 
  their own, never to settle and grow complacent.
   
  Similar in mythic scope, a legend places the 
  Vistani as pivotal in the Dawn War, in which numer-
  ous mortals fought on the side of the primordials 
  against the gods. The Vistani came from a burgeon-
  ing nation of mixed peoples. When battle lines in the 
  Dawn War began to form, the majority of the folk of 
  that land elected to serve the primordial Kir-Yagh, 
  Queen of the Burning Mountains, who had until that 
  time lorded over the region. The mystic Vistan stood 
  against this, leading her people to help the gods. For 
  her loyalty, she and her followers were granted the 
  power to see through space, time, and fate. Vistan 
  turned her poeple back toward the gods, but in the 
  end, the gods feared the power they had given to 
  Vistan and her followers. The evil deities wanted 
  to destroy the Vistani. But the others—Sehanine, 
  Melora, and Avandra in particular—gave the Vistani 
  the chance and power to flee to hidden places. The 
  Vistani wander still, the jealous eyes of some gods still 
  upon them.
   
  Another inception story places the Vistani as 
  craftsfolk, diviners, and healers who supported the 
  champion Vistan in his march to oppose the then-
  young Miran empire of many millennia ago. Vistan’s 
  push into enemy territory succeeded initially, but 
  eventually his legions met defeat deep in Miran. 
  Vistan was slain, and those the Miran could capture 
  were made slaves. Modern Vistani issue from those 
  who, in a roving band, fled farther and farther from 
  home to evade their would-be masters. over time, 
  the wayfarers gathered other refugees and displaced 
  folk among them. They broke into smaller bands to 
  survive better on limited resources. eventually, the 
  Miran empire swallowed Vistan’s homeland, and the 
  endless trail became the only home of the Vistani.
   
  A variant of this tale places the Vistani again 
  within Miran. As the Miran conquered a land that 
  was called Vistan or ruled by a monarch of the same 
  name, the Vistani—wild people of Vistan—opposed 
  the Miran at every turn. even then, the Vistani were 
  of mixed racial heritage, united by common culture. 
  They used magic of all sorts to walk between paral-
  lel worlds to evade and thwart the conquerors. The 
  Miran eventually captured the Vistani leader and 
  used his or her blood in a vile ritual Bane had granted 
  them. The curse laid upon the Vistani displaced 
  them, dooming them to wander forever. Before the 
  Vistani chief died, he or she placed a curse back upon 
  the Miran, predicting that a gathering of the elements 
  would destroy the empire. As with numerous dire 
  malisons leveled by storied Vistani, this curse came to 
  pass.
   
  Around a Vistani campfire, when any one of these 
  myths is concluded, the whole clan shouts, “Utterly 
  true!” The clan members verbalize the same cry to 
  the very next fable, and the one after that. But Vistani 
  place more value on the spiritual essence of any story 
  than its actual contents, and it is to this core meaning 
  that they refer.
  a PeOPle aPart
  Vistani is not a race but a supernatural blood 
  connection between folk of various races who 
  have grown up in or joined Vistani clans. If 
  you wish to play a Vistani, choose a PC race as 
  normal, and then select the Vistani Heritage 
  feat at 1st level to gain your connection to the 
  Vistani. If you select the Vistani Heritage feat 
  after 1st-level, your Dungeon Master can require 
  you to explain how your character became 
  Vistani. the most likely way is a Vistani blooding 
  ritual, which must be earned during the game—
  the DM is final arbiter of who can receive such an 
  honor. Similarly, your DM can disallow retraining 
  of bloodline feats if you have no explanation of 
  how your character loses his or her link to the 
  Vistani.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  77
  Leadership
  elders lead a Vistani clan, with a clan matriarch and 
  patriarch at the hierarchy’s top. “elder” is a figurative 
  term for those who merit leadership positions. each 
  elder is considered to be capable in some important 
  task, whether it divination or bladework. The patri-
  arch and matriarch are the most respected members 
  of a clan, and on them is heaped the responsibility for 
  the entire clan’s welfare. 
   
  A patriarch is expected to maintain the clan’s 
  ability to engage outsiders—or “townies”—in battle, 
  diplomacy, or trade. He oversees taking care of mate-
  rial needs, collecting food, driving off monsters, and 
  maintaining equipment. it is he who chooses camp-
  sites and decides how to handle livestock.
   
  The matriarch is the spiritual center of a clan. 
  She always has some supernatural power. in situa-
  tions that require wisdom and discernment, such as 
  the application of Vistani law, she is the final judge. 
  Although the patriarch oversees business deals, the 
  matriarch often holds the key to the clan treasury.
   
  Vistani clans seldom introduce untested outsid-
  ers to their true leaders. instead, false ones act as the 
  mouth of the elders, perhaps with the oversight of an 
  elder among them.
  Law
  Crime is rare among the Vistani, because the clan 
  members share hardships and rewards. When a 
  Vistani does wrong, it is usually the wronged party 
  that accuses the wrongdoer. The matriarch then 
  sits in judgment, sometimes with the aid of magic. 
  She allows the participants to speak by taking each 
  one’s hand and placing a dagger point on the palm, 
  a symbol of consequences for falseness. Anyone who 
  speaks out of turn loses his or her claim.
   
  The matriarch’s ruling is binding, and rivals are 
  expected to forgive one another for their good and 
  the good of the clan. Those who are acquitted of 
  crimes must tell an oft-embellished tale of the deeds 
  leading up to the trial. The guilty usually have to 
  repair any harm they have done and, perhaps, suffer 
  some embarrassing punishment. Serious offenses can 
  result in public flogging, and the worst crimes lead 
  to banishment from the Vistani. The matriarch or 
  another magician places a curse upon the exile that 
  marks him or her as an outlaw to be accepted by no 
  other clan.
  Lifestyle
  Vistani are a nomadic people who travel in caravans 
  of rolling house wagons, storage wagons, people, 
  pets, and livestock. Well known is the fact that such 
  Vistani clans roam the world, the Feywild, and the 
  Shadowfell. Less known is that each clan has elders 
  that know rituals and sites to cross between these 
  planes. Hence, a Vistani caravan might be found any-
  where in the parallel worlds between the elemental 
  and immortal realms.
   
  A clan caravan is a place full of color, music, and 
  laughter. The people are dressed in vivid Vistani garb, 
  and their wagons are painted to match. Unless a clan 
  has some reason to pass unseen, Vistani travel loudly, 
  keeping one another entertained on the road with 
  spirited songs and bizarre tales. They hunt and gather 
  as they go, meandering across the wilds at a medita-
  tive pace.
   
  Nightly, whenever possible, a clan’s camp resem-
  bles a carnival that celebrates another day’s survival. 
  Members gather around fires to sing, dance, and 
  make sport in a fashion that is almost ritualistic. 
  Among the favorite pastimes is a long session of story-
  telling in which the clan members recite traditional 
  tales and make up new ones. invited outsiders who 
  perform well and show proper respect in these cel-
  ebratory gatherings gain, in turn, the respect of their 
  Vistani hosts.
   
  Vistani only pause regularly in their wanderings 
  during the three days of the full moon, which they 
  call Fulltide. During this time, they work hard to 
  complete tasks and undertake magical rituals. each 
  hopes to finish to rest on the third day, the morning 
  after which the clan sets off again.
  “Life on the unending trail can be cold and hard. But we 
  have it better than the lions at your zoo or the peasants in 
  your fields.”
  —Ludjeta Violca, Vistani matriarch
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  78
  Magic
  Although Vistani are noted for dexterous sword 
  and knife fighting styles, their true talents run not 
  toward the warrior’s craft but to magical skill. Such 
  power runs thick through Vistani caravans, and few 
  nonmonstrous folk are as feared for their supernatu-
  ral prowess and potent curses. A life spent mostly 
  between civilized places requires Vistani to use 
  everything at their disposal for convenience, protec-
  tion, and survival. A reputation for eldritch potency is 
  enough to protect them from persecution and attack 
  in some cases, since even sentient monsters know 
  tales of the Vistani.
   
  The truth is that common Vistani use magic in 
  ritual form much more than settled counterparts. 
  They value divination, exploration, restoration, and 
  travel magic highly. A single caravan should be able 
  to provide any common rituals of these types, as well 
  as a few that aren’t so widespread.
   
  Among these latter rituals and powers, one can 
  find Vistani curses. However, tales tell of Vistani issu-
  ing curses with but an expletive or foul vow. Told with 
  awe and dread are accounts of curses dying Vistani 
  uttered when their caravan was destroyed.
  Population
  Vistani clans include among them a diverse mix of 
  races, almost all of them of Vistani blood. each clan 
  carefully maintains its population in several ways. 
  These include adoption, blooding, splitting, and a rite 
  of passage known as “the Jaunt.”
   
  Vistani clans traditionally adopt willing orphaned 
  youngsters, whom the Vistani refer to as “moon-chil-
  dren,” and raise them in the Vistani way. A clan might 
  collect urchins from city streets, take parentless kids 
  from city orphanages, accept children from destitute 
  parents, and shelter runaways. Some clans have 
  agreements with settlements along their migration 
  path to take in orphans. others quietly recruit among 
  the needy. An unscrupulous or needy few Vistani 
  might resort to kidnapping. Despite the fact that 
  Vistani ways are clearly superior to those of townies, 
  Vistani consider this latter method unseemly.
   
  All those invited to join a Vistani clan go through 
  a ritual known as “Blooding” Usually, children go 
  through “Blooding” when born or when they are 
  ready to commit to being part of the clan. outsiders 
  who do a great service to or for a Vistani clan might 
  be invited to become “one of the blood” through a 
  Blooding ritual.
   
  Growth of population is likely, despite losses to 
  disease, age, and violence from monsters and those 
  who dislike the Vistani. When a clan grows too large 
  to travel quickly and feed itself on the move, it splits. 
  The matriarch chooses leaders for the new clan, then 
  the whole group revels together for the last time. 
  After this one night of celebration, the two clans sepa-
  rate with the oath, “All paths converge!” The new clan 
  tOwnie aMbivalence
  Vistani moral permissiveness and their use of 
  local resources rarely endear them to settled 
  folk. However, townies also find Vistani exotic 
  and exciting. the arrival of a caravan usually 
  means the start of a minor carnival, as well as 
  the availability of unusual, sometimes magical, 
  goods and services. Vistani avoid places where 
  they regularly face persecution, and they leave 
  anywhere that public sentiment has turned 
  against them.
   
  More often, the Vistani are dishonest, such as with 
  petty thievery and confidence scams, toward non-
  Vistani. Although Vistani aren’t given to severe crime, 
  they have been known to rob travelers, especially 
  disrespectful or bellicose ones, on the road. Vistani 
  law prohibits provoking non-Vistani in any way that 
  might bring harm to the clan. This said, they might go 
  to great lengths to free a member imprisoned justly or 
  not.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  79
  takes a road that separates it from the parent clan so 
  the two don’t compete for resources.
   
  This tradition might seem harsh, but all Vistani 
  understand loss and separation. Another form of it 
  appears in their coming-of-age rite. Usually at age 18, 
  but an outsider given the Blooding might be older, a 
  clan member is expected to leave the clan for a time. 
  Vistani call this custom of going into the world, some-
  what ironically, the Jaunt. A Vistani is expected to 
  return from the Jaunt with something valuable for the 
  clan. if a “jaunter” returns with something the matri-
  arch deems beneficial, the Jaunt is successful. For 
  most, this “valuable” is a spouse and, perhaps, chil-
  dren—new blood for the clan. Successful returns after 
  3 or 7 years are considered particularly auspicious. 
   
  For various reasons, some Vistani never return 
  to nomadic life. Such lost ones are referred to as if 
  they were dead. Typical jaunters keep to safe settle-
  ments, living and working in mundane ways. A few 
  disappear due to the injustice and crime common in 
  settled areas. However, with their unusual talents, a 
  considerable number of Vistani become adventurers. 
  Those who survive this risky career choice almost 
  always return to the clan, however briefly, with their 
  comrades in tow. Although some jaunters choose 
  to settle down, most of those who fail to return are 
  indeed deceased.
   
  To a Vistani, disappearing on the Jaunt is a fine 
  way to go. No Vistani wishes to die like some soft 
  city-dweller, curled up in bed. Further, the Vistani 
  believe it is ill luck to look upon another as he or she 
  dies. Those who are ill, wounded, or aged beyond 
  help, venture way from the clan caravan—with help 
  if needed. The matriarch lights a candle for the 
  departed, and when it goes out, symbolizing the end 
  for the dying one, the clan grieves.
  Religion
  Although profoundly spiritual, Vistani are not partic-
  ularly religious. They carry no idols, and usually those 
  invested with divine power are the only ones to carry 
  holy symbols. (Most divinely powered Vistani are 
  invokers, who use no symbols.) Vistani stories some-
  times mock the gods, and they rarely show notable 
  piety—the gods are simply powerful beings, fallible 
  and killable. in cases where divine power figures 
  prominently in a Vistani legend, the Vistani subject is 
  almost always someone with an extremely personal 
  relationship to a deity or deities, such as an avenger 
  or invoker. or the tale’s subject is or was raised as an 
  outsider.
   
  For instance, regardless of the Vistani respect 
  for fate and death, they avoid worshiping the Raven 
  Queen. They would rather escape doom and death, 
  through guile and supernatural power, than hold 
  either in reverence. Vistani feel similarly about 
  extreme deities, good or evil, as well as those who 
  represent civilization or intellectualism.
   
  This said, Vistani pay the most respect to Avandra, 
  Melora, and Sehanine. Avandra and Melora offer 
  blessings to protect travelers, and Avandra embodies 
  luck and pluck. Vistani value both traits. Sehanine is 
  the moon, which Vistani love as a light in the dark-
  ness and a representation of the feminine. She is also 
  the goddess of romance and trickery, both of which 
  Vistani also revere.
   
  Vistani, as pragmatists, have more respect for 
  enduring powers of the world, the Feywild, and the 
  Shadowfell. Primal spirits serve those who know 
  their ways, as numerous Vistani do. Although fickle, 
  fey lords also offer power and more to those who 
  please them, as the Vistani often do. Some Vistani 
  clans are even willing to appease or serve darker 
  viStani in yOur caMPaign
  Vistani fit into just about any typical D&D cam-
  paign, because they require no specific location 
  to work. Even if your DM has an ongoing cam-
  paign, the Vistani can easily be dropped into 
  a region you are just starting to explore. the 
  Vistani might wander in as new arrivals where 
  the PCs live.
   
  In their older iterations, Vistani were a spe-
  cific breed of powerful and wise humans. Your 
  DM might decide that the Vistani of your cam-
  paign are similarly of one race, such as humans 
  or halflings. Vistani also make a great pretext 
  to integrate a race that is normally considered 
  monstrous, such as goblins, into the mainstream 
  without actually integrating the truly monstrous 
  versions. Even in this case, the Vistani Heritage 
  feat still serves to differentiate those with Vistani 
  Heritage from those without. 
   
  Your DM might decide that the feat is only 
  present in a portion of those who claim the 
  heritage. You can easily rule that certain Vistani 
  bloodline feats are available to members of 
  single-race Vistani even without the Vistani 
  Heritage feat. those feats are then little different 
  from those that have a racial prerequisite.
   
  If you feel Vistani should be an actual race, 
  use this article as a guide. As a race, Vistani are 
  likely to have +2 Int, +2 Wis, along with racial 
  bonuses to Arcana, Nature, Will, and saving 
  throws against fear and charm effects. What else 
  they have, besides the racial power, is up to you 
  and your DM.
  
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  80
  viStani in  
  FOrgOtten realMS
  In Faerûn, you have a few possibilities, depending 
  on how established you’d like the Vistani to be. 
  If they are an ancient people, the Vistani likely 
  originated in the East with the fall of raumathar 
  and Narfell. If you decide they are all human, 
  then Vistani resemble the folk of rashemen, 
  thay, and the western Hordelands. Another 
  option is that the Vistani are those displaced 
  during the original fall of Netheril. Although the 
  bedine became nomads of this region, their his-
  tory is different and their race is homogenously 
  human. If these options don’t appeal, Vistani 
  could be much younger as a people. the Spell-
  plague displaced thousands, and a great leader 
  such as Vistan could have united some of these 
  refugees into meaningful groups. Over the cen-
  tury since the great catastrophe, the Vistani have 
  become identifiable nomads.
   
  It would create a shorter list to point out 
  where the Vistani don’t fit in Faerûn. Keeping to 
  the horror-story roots of the Vistani, they might 
  be particularly common in Erlkazar, in the beast-
  lands, in the Demonlands, or even in terrifying 
  thay. they could be a colorful addition to the 
  North, Sword Coast, Lands of Intrigue, and West-
  ern Heartlands. Maybe they regularly appear in 
  Silverymoon, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep for 
  festivals. tethyr and its neighbors are naturals, 
  as well. Only the most closed or inhospitable 
  territories might exclude these nomads.
  powers in the Shadowfell for the tangible benefits 
  such an agreement might offer. Seldom is this a result 
  of evil on the part of the Vistani—the compact is one 
  of convenience and ensured survival. Many a Vistani 
  tale is about a hero or heroes who free a clan from the 
  influence of a dark overlord.
  Physical Qualities
  Vistani clans contain persons of various races, most of 
  whom have little physical resemblance. Vistani share 
  an uncanny similarity in eye color, which is glossy 
  black. every Vistani also has the violet scar from his 
  or her Blooding, which other Vistani can intuitively 
  identify. (This mark turns black on Vistani outlaws.) 
  otherwise, as a people, their manner, decoration, and 
  customs unify them and set them apart from others of 
  similar racial stock.
  Playing a Vistani
  each Vistani is a complex and sometimes contradic-
  tory array of emotions and motivations. As a people, 
  they are bold, candid, intrepid, and witty; but they 
  can be cynical and aloof toward non-Vistani. They 
  respect individuality and competence, knowing that 
  life demands adaptability rather than rigid rules. As 
  nature teaches, each situation calls for a particular 
  action. 
   
  More than a few civilized folks consider the 
  Vistani to be morally lax. it is true that a Vistani 
  might lie or steal as such actions suit, especially 
  for the sake of survival and future success. Vistani 
  are whimsical and willing to do “small wrongs” to 
  acquire what they desire. However, few Vistani are 
  given to hate and cruelty, or are willing to greatly 
  harm others without due cause. When such a reason 
  is given, though, few are as fierce in their retaliation 
  as a Vistani.
   
  The relaxed nature of Vistani morality is based in 
  an utter belief in the power of fate, and the power of 
  an individual to escape a poor fate through wisdom 
  and right choices. A Vistani might peddle something 
  worthless for the coin he or she needs, knowing that 
  only those bound by destiny to give the money shall 
  do so. Further, only those who have ill fortune would 
  dare rely on an untested remedy. if someone detects 
  the deception, the Vistani peddler laughs it off and 
  congratulates the wise one for his or her insight into 
  the actual state of events. The peddler might even 
  return cash to those who are upset, depending on 
  how he or she is treated.
   
  This derives from the fact that self-determination 
  is universal to the Vistani psyche, as is a sense of 
  personal accountability. A Vistani that has a griev-
  ance is honest about the problem and expects to be 
  dealt with fairly. He or she demands respect, returns 
  respect or lack of it in kind. Vistani promises are 
  given sparingly, worded devilishly, but followed scru-
  pulously. When a disagreement is resolved, a Vistani 
  considers it a sign of weakness to hold a grudge. 
  Anything he or she puts effort to—craftwork, forgive-
  ness, thievery, lovemaking—is done with gusto and 
  optimism.
   
  As profound a personal liberty to a Vistani is a 
  desire to rove. Few Vistani stay in one place for more 
  than a week, or a month at the outside. Then they 
  desire to move on and see more of the wide world. 
  Travels likely bring a Vistani back the same way 
  again, but Vistani blood seems to engender a desire 
  for wayfaring and adventure.
   
  Vistani are also mystics at heart. each Vistani 
  finds magical wonder in the world and feels eldritch 
  
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  81
   
  Clan names: Anak, Arturi, Boem, Bourdad, 
  Canjar, Corvara, Dorok, Dyaga, endari, equaar, 
  Fonso, Giomorgo, Hyskosa, ioann, Jaell, Kaldresh, 
  Kamii, Koorah, Lunadi, Manusa, Mishamel, Naiat, 
  Prastonata, Rauni, Radanavik, Schalakti, Shandor, 
  Talaitha, Tarokka, Tralak, Vardo, Vatraska, Vishnad, 
  Yaga, Yoska, Zarovan, Zsalev
  Backgrounds
  Backgrounds that suggest the Vistani ways or super-
  natural heritage are good choices, while those that tie 
  a character to a particular place require more creativ-
  ity on your part. For instance, society backgrounds 
  are uncommon among Vistani, since most clan mem-
  bers are close in wealth and station. You might be 
  an exception—the daughter of a respected clan elder 
  might take “Noble” to reflect her social standing and 
  the expectations placed upon her. 
   
  Vistani PCs can also choose these background 
  elements.
   
  Dead one: You are Vistani, but you, your family, 
  or your clan is settled rather than nomadic. This is 
  very atypical for the Vistani, so much so that itiner-
  ant Vistani refer to settled ones as “dead.” Was this 
  lifestyle imposed upon you, as in the cases of exile or 
  captivity? is the cause just? is it natural or supernatu-
  ral? How was your relationship with the other settled 
  natives of the area? Do you wish to return to the life 
  of the road?
   
  Associated Skills: insight, Streetwise.
  viStani in eberrOn
  the Vistani fit well into Khorvaire, with any one 
  of several possible background stories. their 
  history can be just as mysterious as it is here, 
  rooted in the chronicle of Sarlonan humans who 
  never settled down. Perhaps, instead, these are 
  folk who refused to become part of Galifar, or 
  they are nomads who originated in Droaam and 
  spread from there. If you prefer that the Vistani 
  have emerged more recently, they could be 
  united refugees displaced during the Last War, 
  much like the settlers of Q’barra but without a 
  homeland. Vistani could be a group of Cyrans, 
  although this option makes them unlikely to be 
  more than an isolated and small group.
   
  to tie Vistani to their ravenloft origin, they 
  can be prominent in Karrnath, Darguun, Droaam, 
  and acknowledging adaptations needed to move 
  among the swamps, even the Shadow Marches. 
  the Lhazaar Principalities are another place 
  where the Vistani can enjoy unprecedented 
  freedom. Perhaps the Vistani brave the Eldeen 
  reaches and the borders of the Demon Wastes. 
  In thrane, they are likely to be a persecuted 
  minority, since few Vistani indeed would accept 
  the Silver Flame religion.
   
  the Vistani of Eberron are much more likely 
  to identify with the traveler . . .
  energy in his or her veins. Supernatural powers are 
  common among them. Their divinations and impre-
  cations are legendary, as is the Vistani ability to heal. 
  every Vistani hopes to have at least a little skill at 
  magic.
   
  Those who grew up wandering with a Vistani 
  clan adopt Vistani customs of decoration, which 
  vary from clan to clan but share some traits. Vistani 
  like to maintain an attractive and clean appearance. 
  one prefers only as much clothing as is necessary for 
  comfort. What he or she wears is loosely fitted, except 
  where intended to accentuate certain features, and 
  brightly colored. Patterns and stripes, showing influ-
  ences from numerous other cultures, are common. 
  Vistani accessorize with veils, scarves, hats, sashes, 
  and bandanas, as well as plenty of jewelry, feathers, 
  and fur. Males who can grow facial hair usually do. A 
  Vistani who has hair on his or her head often wears 
  that hair long and pleasantly unkempt.
  Vistani Characteristics: Adaptable, arcane, brazen, 
  cunning, curious, dogged, fiery, hedonistic, impish, 
  lively, mystical, overconfident, proud, restless, seduc-
  tive, suspicious, tolerant, unconventional, vengeful
  Vistani Names
  Vistani have a wide array of names, including those 
  from the various races of the world. None of these are 
  specifically Vistani in nature. Vistani do have unique 
  clan names that seem to come from amalgams of 
  numerous languages.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  82
  It started in 1983 with the Ravenloft adventure, tracy 
  and Laura Hickman’s award-winning homage to Drac-
  ula for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. In the 
  adventure, Madam Eva and her loyal gypsies camped a 
  little less than half a mile outside the village of barovia 
  as the crow flies. Somewhat like the gypsies of Dracula, 
  Madam Eva’s followers were mysterious instruments 
  of fate and Strahd von Zarovich, the Ravenloft adven-
  ture’s vampire antagonist. they served mostly as a 
  flavorful roleplaying element by way of Madam Eva’s 
  card reading, which helped determine some of the 
  adventure’s parameters. through Strahd’s gifts, only 
  these gypsies could leave the killing fog around the 
  vampire’s domain.
   
  this extremely popular adventure evolved, spawn-
  ing other publications such as Master of Ravenloft, 
  House of Strahd, and The House on Gryphon Hill. It devel-
  oped into the Ravenloft campaign setting, starting with 
  the 1990 release of the Realm of Terror. In this prod-
  uct, the unique gypsies of the ravenloft setting were 
  named Vistani. Vistani appear thereafter as part of the 
  ravenloft canon, culminating for a time in Expedition 
  to Castle Ravenloft. Vistani within Expedition are more 
  like the gypsies of the original Ravenloft adventure, 
  than the all-mighty mystics of the campaign setting.
   
  Vistani were originally a tool for the DM to enhance 
  storytelling in a gothic horror setting. these colorful 
  nomads tell fortunes, hurl curses, and freely travel 
  through the mists that cut ravenloft off from the mate-
  rial world. (these mists, which imprison non-Vistani 
  who travel into ravenloft’s domains, are one evolution 
  of Strahd’s deadly fog.) All these powers were treated 
  as if every Vistani possessed at least some of them to 
  a degree, making Vistani extremely powerful.
   
  Vistani were so interesting, however, that D&D 
  players naturally wanted to be able to play Vistani 
  characters. Van Richten’s Guide to the Vistani gave 
  DMs and players guidelines for accomplishing this. 
  the recommendations amounted to the limiting of 
  native Vistani abilities. It wouldn’t do to have a PC who 
  could accurately tell the future, escape the domains 
  of dread at will, or accomplish tasks like a plot-device 
  NPC might. the half-Vistani PC race of later ravenloft 
  publications was a similar attempt to give players a 
  taste of the Vistani without all the innate power.
   
  this article goes a step further. Domains of dread, 
  based on the original ravenloft campaign setting’s sep-
  arate domains within the Demiplane of Dread, have 
  been integrated into the core D&D game as aspects of 
  the Shadowfell. these pocket dimensions of shadow, 
  each behind a veil of entrapping mist, imprison those 
  guilty of heinous evils. Chris Youngs, James Wyatt, 
  and I—with help from the D&D Insider team—came 
  up with concepts that would let the Vistani become a 
  similar part of the game. It was my honor to add flesh 
  to the skeleton, so to speak, paying homage to what 
  came before, especially David Wise’s remarkable Van 
  Richten’s Guide to the Vistani.
   
  Vistani are a viable PC concept if the assumption 
  of a vast array of inborn powers simply changes to 
  another equally valid assumption that Vistani, like 
  other characters, develop arrays of differing powers 
  within their cultural norms and the scope of level 
  limitations. Yes, the Vistani can do almost all of the 
  bizarre things they could do in earlier editions of the 
  game. Only the notion that all Vistani can innately do 
  all these things has been removed. Added is mixed 
  racial heritage and story support for this concept, 
  which gives the Vistani a unique but inclusive niche 
  in the 4e D&D world.
   
  Even though we’ve given Vistani to players first, we 
  haven’t forgotten the Vistani roots as DM devices. A 
  planned follow-up article expands on the Vistani and 
  some of their more outlandish powers. Although these 
  might not be good for the game in the hands of PCs, 
  they can still be useful storytelling and adventure-
  building tools. It’ll be up to your DM whether your 
  Vistani PC can use some of these game elements.
  March OF the viStani
  
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  Playing Vistani
  83
   
  World Walker: Your nomadic life has taken you 
  on countless strange trails. You are familiar with 
  regions of the world, the Feywild, and the Shad-
  owfell. What path was usual for your clan? Which 
  regions did you spend the most time in? Do you 
  have favorable connections in some of these places? 
  enemies? What secrets do you know that might lead 
  to adventure?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Nature
  Adventurers
  Three sample Vistani adventurers are described 
  below.
   
  Arturi, a halfling rogue, is an exile from the 
  Vistani. His clan no longer walks the worlds because 
  he allowed his rivalry with a clan-brother over a 
  townie lady to go too far. A long story made short, 
  Arturi betrayed his rival to goblins who used the 
  opportunity to raid and destroy Arturi’s caravan. 
  Arturi was among the survivors who made their way 
  to another clan. The matriarch of that clan saw that 
  a guilty one was among the survivors, and Arturi 
  admitted his wrongdoing. He was exiled for his 
  crime, never to walk among those of the blood until 
  he can redeem himself threefold for the harm he 
  caused. Arturi fell in with adventuring heroes, who 
  find his jaunty knife-fighting techniques and venture-
  some spirit more than useful. Arturi strives to do 
  good for all folk, with a special focus on his estranged 
  people.
   
  Gwenyth was adopted into the Vistani as a young 
  dwarf girl—her parents had died on the road from 
  Hammerfast, leaving her alone in Fallcrest. From her 
  youth, Gwenyth felt a strong affinity for the moon, 
  which the Vistani told her was one of her mothers. 
  She learned from the Vistani a subtlety uncommon 
  among dwarves, and her connection to Sehanine 
  proved to be more than fancy. Gwenyth became 
  the student of the clan matriarch and a malediction 
  invoker, following the traditions of fearsome Vistani 
  execrators. She recently left her clan on her Jaunt. 
  The tug of her dwarven nature in her heart leads 
  her to seek worthy companions to help her show the 
  world that tales about the Vistani aren’t tall at all.
   
  Yavril reincarnated in the midst of a Vistani 
  camp revel, and the matriarch there considered her 
  appearance under the full moon to be particularly 
  auspicious for the clan. The young deva was given 
  the Blooding immediately, and she became part of 
  the clan. She took to the crystal balls of the Vistani 
  readily, and arcane power flowed from her without 
  much effort. over the course of 7 years, she became 
  a wizard with much potential, helping in the defense 
  of the caravan more than once. Although she is much 
  younger than normal for the Jaunt, she and the clan 
  matriarch have seen that it is time for her to take up 
  her orb and head into the wider world. Several of her 
  clan-mates are of age as well, and they have decided 
  to seek their fortunes together.
  About the Author
  Chris Sims is a mysterious person who wanders the lands 
  and travels the mists between varied duties as a member of 
  RPG R&D for Wizards of the Coast. He is independent of the 
  bonds that shackle the lords to their domains and the folk to 
  their dreary, oppressed existence. one might say he is among 
  the strangest characters in RPG R&D, because in spirit he is 
  free. His works include writing, development, editing, and 
  general troublemaking for D&D insider, as well as parts of 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide, Martial Power, Monster Manual 2, 
  eberron Campaign Guide and eberron Player’s Guide, and a 
  few official D&D adventures.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  84
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  The Vistani share their secrets—both magical and 
  otherwise—only with those who are also vistani. Once you 
  have been welcomed into a vistani caravan and accepted 
  as a member, you undergo a ritual led by a vistani elder. 
  During the ritual, some of your blood is shared with that of 
  someone in the caravan. As your blood mingles with that of 
  the vistani, your eyes grow dark, and you become one with 
  the rest of the caravan, which grants you access to the feats, 
  powers, and other options available to all vistani.
  FeatS
  Being a Vistani means having the Vistani Heritage 
  feat, which is a bloodline feat. All bloodline feats are 
  noted as such in the feat’s name. You can have blood-
  line feats of only one type, so if you choose the Vistani 
  Heritage feat, you cannot have feats from other blood-
  lines (such as dhampyr). An assortment of unique 
  bloodline feats, which require the Vistani Heritage 
  feat, are available to Vistani.
  Vistani Heritage [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Humanoid race
   
  Benefit: You gain evil eye of the Vistani as an 
  encounter power. Additionally, you gain a +2 bonus 
  to Diplomacy checks made against other Vistani. You 
  have mastered the Vistani Blooding ritual and can 
  perform it.
  Playing Vistani: 
  Secrets of the Caravans
  By Chris Sims 
  Illustrations by Jason A Engle
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  85
  evil eye of the vistani 
  Feat Power
  You cast a baleful look upon your enemy, forcing it to cower 
  before you.
  encounter ✦ Charm
  minor action 
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 3 vs. Will
   
  Level 11: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 6 vs. Will
   
  Level 21: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 9 vs. Will
  Hit: Until the end of your next turn, the target grants combat 
  advantage to you and cannot willingly move closer to you.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  These feats are available to any character who meets 
  the prerequisites. They are meant, in a way, to be a 
  guide to common class and feature choices among 
  heroic Vistani. Some allow you to master certain 
  rituals as if you had the Ritual Caster feat or make 
  alchemical items as if you had the Alchemist feat. To 
  perform a ritual, you must still acquire the ritual and 
  master it; to make an alchemical item, you must still 
  acquire the formula and learn it. Your level still limits 
  whether you can perform a ritual or make an alchem-
  ical item. The DM can modify the list of rituals and 
  alchemical items available to you as he or she sees fit.
  Advantageous Eye  
  [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you hit a target with your evil eye of 
  the Vistani, the target grants combat advantage to all 
  your allies for the duration of the power.
  Black Vistani Cat [Familiar, Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Any arcane class, cat familiar, 
  Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: Your evil eye of the Vistani can originate 
  from your active cat familiar. Using evil eye of the 
  Vistani in this way does not provoke opportunity 
  attacks.
  Cosmic Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Sorcerer, Cosmic Magic class fea-
  ture, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: Evil eye of the Vistani deals fire and radiant 
  damage equal to your Cosmic Power damage bonus. 
  Covenant Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Channel Divinity class feature, 
  Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: As a free action, you can expend your use 
  of your Channel Divinity class feature to regain the 
  use of evil eye of the Vistani.
  Enmity’s Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you use evil eye of the Vistani 
  against your oath of enmity target, you do not provoke 
  opportunity attacks from that target. if no other 
  enemy is adjacent to you when you do so, you make 
  two attack rolls, taking either result. if you hit, you 
  deal 1d6 radiant damage in addition to the power’s 
  normal hit effect. 
  Eye of Paranoia [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you hit a target with your evil eye 
  of the Vistani, the target cannot make opportunity 
  attacks or immediate action attacks for the duration 
  of the power.
  Eye Wand [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard, Wand of Accuracy class 
  feature, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: if you miss with an attack roll modified 
  by your Wand of Accuracy class feature, you can 
  use evil eye of the Vistani, if available, as a free action 
  against the target you missed.
  Fell Vistani Hound [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Ranger, wolf beast companion, 
  Beast Mastery class feature, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: While you are flanking an enemy, your 
  wolf has combat advantage against that enemy.
  Maledictor’s Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: invoker, Covenant of Malediction 
  class feature, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you hit a target with evil eye of the 
  Vistani, you can slide the target 1 square. Until the 
  end of your next turn, whenever the target misses 
  with an attack roll, you can slide the target 1 square 
  as a free action.
  
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  Playing Vistani
  86
  Vistani Fencer [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to damage rolls with 
  melee or close attacks with a light blade or a heavy 
  blade against a target currently affected by your evil 
  eye of the Vistani.
  Vistani Guardian  
  [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform binding or 
  warding rituals as though you had the Ritual Caster 
  feat. once per day, you can ignore the component cost 
  of a binding or warding ritual your have mastered of 
  your level or lower.
  Vistani Healer [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform restoration 
  rituals as though you had the Ritual Caster feat. once 
  per day, you can ignore the component cost of a resto-
  ration ritual you have mastered of your level or lower.
  Vistani Jongleur [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform Bard rituals 
  as though you had the Ritual Caster feat. once per 
  day, you can ignore the component cost of a ritual you 
  have mastered of your level or lower that has Bard as 
  a prerequisite.
  Vistani Knife Fighting [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you miss the target of your evil eye 
  of the Vistani with a melee or close attack with a light 
  blade, you can choose to either shift 1 square or move 
  your speed as a free action.
  Vistani Pathfinder [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform exploration 
  and travel rituals as though you had the Ritual Caster 
  feat. once per day, you can ignore the component cost 
  of an exploration or travel ritual you have mastered of 
  your level or lower.
  Nature’s Vindictive Eye [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Druid, Wild Shape class feature, 
  Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can use evil eye of the Vistani while in 
  beast form as a minor action that does not provoke 
  opportunity attacks.
  Orb of the Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Wizard, orb of imposition class 
  feature, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You treat evil eye of the Vistani as though it 
  were an at-will wizard spell for the purposes of your 
  orb of imposition.
  Vestige of Vistan [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, vestige pact, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You add Vistan to your primary vestiges, 
  gaining access to the following pact boon when 
  Vistan is your active vestige.
   
  Vistan Pact Boon: When an enemy under the effect 
  of your Warlock’s Curse drops to 0 hit points, you can 
  slide a different creature currently affected by your 
  Warlock’s Curse a number of squares equal to your 
  intelligence modifier. 
   
  Eyes of the Vestige Augment (Vistan): You slide the 
  target 1 square.
  Warlock’s Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you hit with evil eye of the Vistani, 
  you can add the extra damage from your Warlock’s 
  Curse, even if you have already used your extra curse 
  damage this turn.
  veStige OF viStan
  the vestige of Vistan has a nebulous feel—varied 
  emotions, indeterminate gender, and so on—
  shaped by the many myths surrounding this 
  legendary Vistani figure. the vestige might not 
  be a specific entity, but instead it could be a 
  blend of power gathered from Vistani collective 
  belief and mysticism. Contact with this vestige 
  leads to a desire to move and to capricious 
  behavior. Vistani often call the triggering of the 
  pact boon the “dance of Vistan.”
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  87
  target as a free action without provoking opportunity 
  attacks before making your attack.
  Prophetic Preparation [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, wizard, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: once per day, as a free action, you can 
  swap one daily attack spell you didn’t prepare in 
  place of one you did prepare. Also once per day, as a 
  free action, you can swap one utility spell you didn’t 
  prepare in place of one you did prepare. You choose 
  the replacement spell at the time you use it.
  Epic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  21st level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Persistent Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: : instead of lasting until the end of your 
  next turn, the target of your evil eye of the Vistani 
  grants you combat advantage and cannot willingly 
  move closer to you (save ends).
  Vistani Foresight [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You gain +2 to initiative. Additionally, 
  you gain an additional action point after an extended 
  rest.
  ParagOn Path
  Vistani heroes vary widely in their pursuits, but the 
  Vistani execrator is distinct to Vistani culture.
  Vistani Execrator
  “I am the lurking sickness in your veins, the lurking fear in 
  your mind, and the lurking stain on your soul. From me 
  you’ll receive no less than you deserve.”
   
  Prerequisite: Any arcane class or Covenant of 
  Malediction class feature, Vistani Heritage
  Rumor and legend speak of horrifying Vistani curses. 
  Few are willing to put these dark parables to the test. 
  Threat of ill fortune or a wasting disease is enough to 
  keep the Vistani safe from numerous threats
   
  Folk do well to heed the folktales, because the sto-
  ries are true. of this fact you are living proof.
   
  Although many a Vistani knows the magic to place 
  a lasting curse on someone who has offended the 
  clan, you are something more. in an instant, with but 
  a glare and an oath, you can turn fortune against your 
  adversaries. Those who dare raise their hands against 
  you soon see the folly of their actions.
   
  Any who show you the respect and camarade-
  rie you deserve have little to fear. While standing 
  beside you or watching your back, your allies benefit 
  from the bad luck you hurl at your foes. They could 
  even say that you bring them good fortune instead 
  of afflicting enemies. Despite the reality, with a sly 
  Vistani smile, you might let them believe this is true.
  Vistani Seer [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform divination 
  and scrying rituals as though you had the Ritual 
  Caster feat. once per day, you can ignore the com-
  ponent cost of a divination or scrying ritual you have 
  mastered of your level or lower.
  Vistani Thief [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: You can master and perform decep-
  tion rituals as though you had the Ritual Caster feat. 
  once per day, you can ignore the component cost of 
  a deception ritual you have mastered of your level or 
  lower. 
  Wild Magic Eye [Vistani Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Sorcerer, Wild Magic class feature, 
  Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: Evil eye of the Vistani deals damage of 
  the same type as your current Wild Soul damage 
  type, and the damage is equal to your Chaos Power 
  damage bonus.
  Paragon Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  11th level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Mark of the Evil Eye [Vistani 
  Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, fighter, Vistani Heritage
   
  Benefit: Whenever you would make an attack 
  as the result of your Combat Challenge feature, you 
  can use evil eye of the Vistani, if available, on the same 
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani
  88
  Vistani Execrator Features
   
  Cursed action (11th level): When you spend 
  an action point to make an attack, you gain combat 
  advantage against each of your targets.
   
  Sight Beyond Sight (11th level): Whenever 
  an effect would blind you, you can make one saving 
  throw to remove that effect as a free action, even if 
  that effect doesn’t normally allow a save. Additionally, 
  you ignore concealment for any creature within 5 
  squares of you. 
   
  master of the Vistani Curse (16th level): You 
  can use evil eye of the Vistani one additional time per 
  encounter.
  Vistani Execrator Powers
  isolating Curse 
  Vistani Execrator Attack 11
  You lay an imprecation on your adversary, driving its friends 
  too far away to offer protection and opening your foe to 
  attack.
  encounter ✦ implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier psychic 
  damage. Until the end of your next turn, the target grants 
  combat advantage, and any enemy within 3 squares of the 
  target takes a –4 penalty to attack rolls and cannot regain 
  hit points.
  Fumbling Curse 
  Vistani Execrator Utility 12
  With a word, you turn a sure strike into a glancing blow that 
  momentarily throws your opponent off balance.
  daily
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  trigger: An enemy hits or misses you with an attack
  effect: Whenever the target makes an attack roll (including the 
  attack roll that triggered this power), roll 1d6 and subtract 
  the result from the target’s attack (save ends).
  deadly repercussions Vistani Execrator Attack 20
  Your curse attracts doom to your enemies, and it rewards with 
  continued pain their insolent attacks against you and your 
  allies.
  daily ✦ implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  Close burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 3d8 + Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier psychic 
  damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: the target grants combat advantage and has ongoing 
  10 damage (save ends both). Until the target saves against 
  this effect, once each turn when the target hits an ally, roll 
  1d6. the target takes a penalty to saving throws equal to 
  the result of this roll until the end of your next turn.
  About the Author
  Chris Sims is a mysterious person who wanders the lands 
  and travels the mists between varied duties as a member of 
  RPG R&D for Wizards of the Coast. He is independent of the 
  bonds that shackle the lords to their domains and the folk to 
  their dreary, oppressed existence. one might say he is among 
  the strangest characters in RPG R&D, because in spirit he is 
  free. His works include writing, development, editing, and 
  general troublemaking for D&D Insider, as well as parts of 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide®, Martial Power™, Monster Manual 2®, 
  Eberron Campaign Guide® and Eberron Player’s Guide®, and a 
  few official D&D® adventures.
  
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  89
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  The Vistani are often masters of ritual magic. Their 
  elders have traveled the planes for decades and have 
  accumulated the knowledge of races and cultures 
  that have since vanished from the planes. Their 
  mystical knowledge is passed only to those who are 
  worthy of their trust—typically only members of a 
  Vistani caravan.
  ritualS
  These rituals are common among the Vistani, and 
  every Vistani clan has a number of ritualists among 
  its members. Your DM might expand the rituals 
  available to you or how they work, especially with ref-
  erence to curses, divination, and travel.
  Comrades’ Succor
  Ritual participants share their vitality and luck with one 
  another.
  Level: 1  
   
  Component Cost: 10 gp
  Category: Restoration 
  market Price: 150 gp
  time: 5 minutes  
  Key Skill: Heal (no check)
  Duration: instantaneous
  While performing this ritual, you and up to 5 partici-
  pants in the ritual can choose to lose any number of 
  Playing Vistani: 
  Magic and Mystery
  By Chris Sims 
  Illustrations by Jason A Engle
  healing surges and select another participant to gain 
  an equal number of healing surges. No participant 
  can have more healing surges than his or her daily 
  maximum. Additionally, you or one participant must 
  lose 1 healing surge when performing this ritual.
  Ghost Walk
  You touch a jeweled heel bone to the ritual subjects, making 
  them fade partially from the world so they can travel like 
  shades of the dead.
  Level: 9  
   
  Component Cost: 325  
   
   
   
   
   
  gp, plus a focus worth  
   
   
   
   
  100 gp
  Category: Travel  
  market Price: 800 gp
  time: 10 minutes 
  Key Skill: Arcana or 
   
   
   
   
  Religion (no check)
  Duration: 8 hours
  You and up to 8 allies that participate in the ritual 
  seem ghostly. Subjects gain a +5 bonus to Stealth 
  checks, and the group treats its tracks as if they had 
  been obscured. The ritual’s effects end if any of its 
  subjects dismisses it as a standard action, takes a rest, 
  attacks, or is hit by an attack.
   
  Focus: The graven heel bone of a deceased 
  humanoid, set with jet and platinum.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani: Magic and Mystery
  90
  Hunter’s Blessing
  You use supernatural sight to detect the spiritual emana-
  tions left by creatures passing through the area.
  Level: 5  
   
  Component Cost: 50 gp
  Category: Divination 
  market Price: 250 gp
  time: 10 minutes 
  Key Skill: Arcana,  
   
   
   
   
   
  Nature, or Religion
  Duration: 24 hours
  After enacting this ritual, you can use one of the key 
  skills instead of Perception to track a target you can 
  visualize or name specifically, such as “The orcs that 
  attacked Nenlast.” if you have a material link to your 
  quarry, such as a lock of hair, you gain a +2 bonus to 
  your checks.
  Hunter’s Curse
  You level your will against your pursuers, hindering their 
  chase.
  Level: 3  
   
  Component Cost: 50 gp
  Category: Binding 
  market Price: 250 gp
  time: 10 minutes 
  Key Skill: Arcana,  
   
   
   
   
   
  Nature, or Religion
  Duration: 8 hours
  A creature or creatures you can specifically name or 
  visualize are hindered in overland travel. You make 
  your skill check and designate a single target or group 
  that you can visualize or name specifically. The target 
  or leader of the target’s group must make an endur-
  ance or Nature check, with a DC equal to the result 
  of the check you made when casting this ritual. if the 
  target fails its endurance or Nature check, the group’s 
  overland speed is reduced by 2 for the duration of the 
  ritual.
  Spirit Fetch
  You call forth an insubstantial spirit—fey, primal, or 
  shadow—to unpleasantly influence another to do your 
  bidding.
  Level: 2  
   
  Component Cost: 20 gp
  Category: exploration 
  market Price: 50 gp
  time: 10 minutes 
  Key Skill: Arcana or  
   
   
   
   
   
  Religion
  Duration: Special
  When complete, this ritual calls forth a spiritual 
  presence, or “fetch,” of a shape you define. Typically, 
  these fetches are small, indistinct, and shaped like a 
  small animal or person. You can send this spirit to a 
  creature (or creatures) whose specific appearance you 
  can visualize or whose name you can provide, or to 
  whom you have a material connection such as a vial 
  of blood. You whisper a simple command of 10 words 
  of less, such as “Come to me,” “Bring me the ritual 
  components,” or “Burn down the fortress wall.”
   
  The fetch then goes to find the creature you des-
  ignated at a rapid pace (speed 15) and seeks out the 
  creature you specify. it cannot communicate, but the 
  recipient senses its presence and receives your com-
  mand. Unless the recipient does as you wish, the fetch 
  remains at the target’s side as a constant reminder. 
  The fetch cannot be harmed, but dispel magic used 
  successfully can drive it away for a day.
   
  Your skill check result determines how long the 
  fetch exists.
  Check result 
  duration
  19 or lower 
  12 hours
  20–29 
  1 day
  30–39 
  1 week
  40 or higher 
  1 month
  Vistani Passkey
  With a sprinkle of residuum, you make a common tool or 
  key particularly potent for the current situation.
  Level: 5  
   
  Component Cost: 100  
   
   
   
   
   
  gp, plus a focus worth  
   
   
   
   
  100 gp
  Category: Creation 
  market Price: 250 gp
  time: Standard action 
  Key Skill: Arcana 
   
   
   
   
  (no check)
  Duration: See below
  You examine a lock or trap as part of the ritual and 
  sprinkle residuum on the focus (see below). After 
  enacting this ritual, you can use the focus to make a 
  Thievery check with a +5 bonus on the lock or trap 
  you examined. even if you fail by 5 or more, you 
  cannot set off a trap with a check augmented by the 
  bonus from this ritual.
   
  Focus: An ornate key or thieves’ tool worth 100 
  gp.
  
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  Playing Vistani: Magic and Mystery
  91
  vistani violin 
  Level 12
  This fiddle looks well used, but sturdy and merry. Its tune 
  brings forth strong emotions, inspiring resolute action.
  Wondrous item 13,000 gp
  Property: bards can use this item as an implement for bard 
  powers and bard paragon path powers. As an implement, it 
  grants a +3 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage 
  rolls, and it deals 3d6 extra damage on a critical hit.
  Power (daily): Standard Action. Use this power during a rest. 
  At the end of the rest, you and any ally who remained with-
  in 20 squares of you during the rest gain a +1 power bonus 
  to attack rolls and all defenses during the surprise round 
  and first round of the first encounter to occur after the rest.
   
  song of rest: the bonus increases to +2.
  About the Author
  Chris Sims is a mysterious person who wanders the lands 
  and travels the mists between varied duties as a member of 
  RPG R&D for Wizards of the Coast. He is independent of the 
  bonds that shackle the lords to their domains and the folk to 
  their dreary, oppressed existence. one might say he is among 
  the strangest characters in RPG R&D, because in spirit he is 
  free. His works include writing, development, editing, and 
  general troublemaking for D&D Insider, as well as parts of 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide®, Martial Power™, Monster Manual 2®, 
  Eberron Campaign Guide® and Eberron Player’s Guide®, and a 
  few official D&D® adventures.
  Magic iteMS
  Vistani folk items focus on protection and music.
  vistani buzuq 
  Level 7
  Music plucked from this long-necked, fretted lute soothes the 
  worn and weary, especially those who keep time with the tune.
  Wondrous item 2,600 gp
  Property: bards can use this item as an implement for bard 
  powers and bard paragon path powers. As an implement, it 
  grants a +2 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage 
  rolls, and it deals 2d6 extra damage on a critical hit.
  Power (daily): Use this power during a short rest. You gain the 
  benefits of the Comrade’s Succor ritual without having to 
  pay the component cost.
  vistani eye amulet 
  Level 2+
  A large tiger-eye jewel serves as this item’s pendant. The jewel 
  sometimes moves like an actual eye, and it helps you discharge 
  eye-related effects.
  Lvl 2 
  +1 
  520 gp 
  Lvl 17 
  +4 
  65,000 gp
  Lvl 7 
  +2 
  2.600 gp 
  Lvl 22 
  +5 
  325,000 gp
  Lvl 12 
  +3 
  13,000 gp 
  Lvl 27 
  +6 
  1,625,000 gp
  item slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, and Will
  Property: You gain an item bonus to saving throws equal to 
  the enhancement bonus against effects imposed by attacks 
  that have the gaze keyword, that originate in the attacker’s 
  eye or eyes (DM discretion), or that affect your eyes or 
  sight.
  Power (daily): Free Action. You make a saving throw to end 
  an effect against which this item grants a bonus to saving 
  throws even if a save cannot normally end the effect. If you 
  save, the effect ends.
  vistani tambourine 
  Level 2
  A tiny drum with ringing jingles, or zils, this instrument helps 
  you keep a lively tempo despite difficulty.
  Wondrous item 520 gp
  Property: bards can use this item as an implement for bard 
  powers and bard paragon path powers. As an implement, it 
  grants a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage 
  rolls, and it deals 1d6 extra damage on a critical hit.
  Power (encounter): Move Action. You and any ally within 5 
  squares of you ignore difficult terrain until the end of your 
  next turn, and you move your speed.
  
  D e S i G N  &  D e V e L o P M e N T
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  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  michele: When the RPG R&D team leads first 
  started talking about the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 
  outline, we knew we wanted to include a sample city, 
  much like Fallcrest in the first Dungeon Master’s Guide. 
  Sigil had been mentioned before as an option, and it 
  was Mike Mearls who officially championed the idea 
  when it came down to the decision. i provided an 
  enthusiastic “seconded!”, and the motion passed with-
  out much further debate. We’d already established 
  Sigil as having a place in the 4th edition cosmology 
  (i remember needling James Wyatt for a paragraph 
  to make sure it was mentioned in the first DMG), so 
  presenting the city as a paragon-tier “home base” was 
  a natural next step.
  Bill: i volunteered to take on the 47-page section that 
  was devoted to paragon campaigns and the City of 
  Doors. i had some past experience with the Planescape 
  setting, and i was always a big fan of Sigil in par-
  ticular. Michele pulled together a bunch of research 
  material and helped me outline the section, then i 
  started writing.
  michele: Getting my fingers into Sigil again was like 
  coming home. it’d been over ten years since i worked 
  on the Planescape line, but it wasn’t difficult at all to 
  return to the mindset. Although the structure of the 
  cosmology had changed, the city still fit snugly in 
  the “center” (from a certain point of view) as the City 
  of Doors, a gateway to everywhere, and the premier 
  planar crossroads bar none. it still features portals 
  that need gate-keys, improbable alliances, and (of 
  course) razorvine, cranium rats, and the Lady of Pain.
  Bill: Some of the flavor and makeup of the planar 
  setting needed a little adjustment to make it fit into 
  the new D&D approach to the multiverse. Take gate-
  towns, for example. in the original setting, these 
  locations sat along the edge of the outlands and 
  provided access to the various planes. each one took 
  on the flavor of the plane it was attached to. Since we 
  no longer utilize the outlands, i decided to spread 
  the cool concept of the gate-towns to everywhere. 
  Whether in the natural world or on any of the planes 
  of existence, a gate-town can appear around any 
  known portal to someplace else. The gate-town and 
  the countryside around it reflect the nature and real-
  ity of whatever waits on the other side of the portal.
  michele: That’s the kind of tweak we used to bring 
  Sigil and other Planescape elements firmly into 4th 
  edition. Sharp-eyed, long-time readers will recog-
  nize a few other modifications in this vein, but i was 
  very pleased with how few changes turned out to be 
  needed to make it work. We were able to import the 
  feel of the original material without losing the core of 
  what made Sigil so compelling.
  Rediscovering Sigil
  By Michele Carter and Bill Slavicsek
  Illustrations byHoward Lyon
  Bill: The trick was to include enough material to give 
  a sense of the place and to do it justice, while fully 
  realizing that there was never going to be enough 
  space to cover everything to the level that we’d like. 
  i wanted to make sure i was true to the spirit and 
  history of Sigil. We had about as much space as was 
  devoted to Sigil in the original Planescape boxed 
  set, but nowhere near as much space as the volume 
  of material that followed that product. i tried to 
  capture the feel of Sigil while fitting it into the new 
  cosmology. i left out most of the special language of 
  the original campaign setting in favor of our more 
  
  D e S i G N  &  D e V e L o P M e N T
  93
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  conversational approach to writing, but i had a few 
  of the characters use the cant when they speak in the 
  adventure material.
  michele: i wrote the two-page “Faces of Sigil” spread. 
  That’s not the interesting thing. The interesting thing 
  is when i wrote it—back in 1997, when the Planescape 
  team was working on a project called City of Doors, 
  meant to follow Faction War. As it happened, some 
  of the material from City of Doors was integrated into 
  Faction War, but not all of it. one of the “lost” pieces 
  was a 30-page section i had been compiling that 
  listed all of the Sigil residents noted throughout the 
  Planescape game line. When Managing editor Kim 
  Mohan and i were wrangling Dungeon Master’s Guide 
  2 into shape, i realized that with a little bit of nip-
  and-tuck, we could free up two more pages for Sigil. 
  And i just happened to have kept all the City of Doors 
  files ... on floppy disc. Thankfully, i had a computer 
  that could still access the files, so with a little bit of 
  translation work—and some small amount of updat-
  ing—those two pages were ready to go.
  Bill: i made sure that some of my favorites made it 
  into the material, including estavan of the Planar 
  Trade Consortium.
  michele: i picked out my favorites to include as well, 
  with an eye toward those with interlocking storylines 
  and potential use as PC resources.
  Bill: We had to decide how we wanted to handle the 
  history of Sigil, and we ended up with the position 
  that all of the products and adventures produced for 
  2nd edition happened in Sigil’s past, including the 
  Faction War.
  michele: it’s been an undetermined number of years 
  since the Faction War, and the scars inflicted by 
  that event haven’t entirely healed. Sigil is very much 
  in a period of transition as people wait to see (or 
  scheme to create) who or what will rise as the next 
  great power group. Those with a deep knowledge of 
  Sigil’s history remember that centuries ago, before 
  the Great Upheaval, the guilds and their mercantile 
  interests held the keys to the city’s strength and sta-
  bility. Some wonder if the pendulum is swinging back 
  that way, given the new prominence of the Mutual 
  Trade Association. Certainly power players like 
  Shemeshka and estavan make no secret of the fact 
  that they hope to replace the factions as the de facto 
  authority in Sigil—barring the Lady of Pain, of course. 
  (Zadara, as usual, keeps her own council.) Whether 
  they can parlay their current dominance into a last-
  ing structure, only time will tell.
  Bill: This was fun to put together, and i can’t wait for 
  us to find a product to devote more fully to the City 
  of Doors. Planar adventuring is part of the core D&D 
  experience now and not a separate campaign, and 
  products such as Manual of the Planes, The Plane Below: 
  Secrets of the Elemental Chaos, and The Plane Above: 
  Secrets of the Astral Sea all help expand play beyond 
  the natural world. i’m sure we’ll tackle Sigil in a 
  larger manner when the time is right.
  michele: i’d like to give a shout-out to my former Pla-
  nescape conspirators: Monte Cook, Ray Vallese, Colin 
  McComb, and everyone else who helped shape the 
  city of Sigil. Do the Planescape twist again, like you 
  did  twelve summers ago .... 
  about the authors 
  michele Carter is the Lead editor for Dungeons & Drag-
  ons®. Her most recent credits include Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide® 2 and Player’s Handbook® 2.
  Bill Slavicsek is the Director of R&D for Dungeons & 
  Dragons®. His most recent credits include Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide 2 and Revenge of the Giants™, and his Ampersand (&) 
  column appears every month in Dragon® magazine.
  
  94
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  C o N F e S S i o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T i M e  W i Z A R D
  Reality Star in Fantasy
  it was a typical Monday afternoon in the office when 
  my boss stopped by my desk.
   
  “Would you like to play in an all-girl D&D game?” 
  she asked.
   
  “of course!” i said. How fun would that be. i 
  mean, no offense to my all-male current group, but i 
  wouldn’t mind a side of estrogen with my initiative. 
   
  “excellent!” she answered. “You’ll make a great 
  DM. i’m really looking forward to it!”
   
  i’ll make a what? 
   
  “Umm, Lulu,” i asked, following her to her desk. 
  “Might i remind you of the last time i tried DMing? 
  or better yet, feel free to read the transcripts from my 
  therapy sessions.” 
   
  Lulu giggled. “i think you might be over-thinking 
  this a bit.”
   
  “That’s part of my problem! When i get three or 
  more people around a table, i start obsessing over 
  menus and playlists and napkin rings! That, coupled 
  with the fact i’m terrified of ruining everyone’s good 
  time, makes me a terrible Dungeon Master. i’ll prob-
  ably need to go on sick leave.”
   
  “We’re playing on Monday afternoons,” she said, 
  walking off to a meeting. “Clear your schedule.”
   
  “But i don’t want to be a Dungeon Master!” i 
  shouted. 
   
  How often is that heard around offices in corpo-
  rate America?
   
  it was no use. The invites went out. “3G official 
  Weekly Team Meeting.” (3G meaning Girls’ Game 
  Group.)
   
  “We should paint a sign and hang it over the 
  conference room doorknob when we play!” the 
  ex-cheerleader and ceaselessly-spunky Marcella 
  cheered.
   
  “With our logo on it!” Tolena suggested. She’s 
  someone i’d want in my adventuring party in real life 
  because she’s usually pragmatic. She’s also a mother, 
  so i know her pockets would always be filled with 
  Handi-Wipes and oyster Crackers.
   
  “We have a logo?” The quiet and secretly hilarious 
  Hilary asked. 
   
  “i’m having the design team work one up,” Lulu 
  said.
   
  Their enthusiasm was contagious. i even cheered 
  for the logo. But listening to them chatter made me 
  feel worse. Their first-ever brush with D&D would be 
  by sHelly mazzanoble 
  illustrations by William O’Conner
  When I get three or more people around a table, I start 
  obsessing over menus and playlists and napkin rings!
  
  95
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  C o N F e S S i o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T i M e  W i Z A R D
  under my tutelage. isn’t that a lot of pressure for a 
  new DM?
   
  i was still thinking about this the next time my 
  regular group met.
   
  “What’s wrong with you?” New DM asked me. 
  “You’re paying attention. You’re taking your damage. 
  You’re not making up magical articles of clothing 
  Tabitha is allegedly wearing that add +30 to her 
  attack rolls. You’re creeping me out!”
   
  “Sorry, New DM,” i admitted. “i’m trying to gener-
  ate some good karma. Lulu is making me DM.”
   
  “Awesome!” he said, laughing.
   
  Ugh. i could already taste my own medicine. 
   
  “Don’t you remember what happened to me last 
  time? i was practically institutionalized.”
   
  “You’re an old pro now,” he said … and then had to 
  pause while he stifled another laugh. “No, seriously. if 
  you want help, you can practice on me.”
   
  “And me,” Marty said. 
   
  “And me,” Bart added, always eager for a chance to 
  play D&D. even a practice game with me at the helm. 
   
  Regardless of their intentions, it was a good idea, 
  so i took them up on the offer. i also took Bart’s copy 
  of Dungeon Delve, which proved to be a stroke of 
  genius for a beginner DM. Not that i wanted R&D to 
  do all the work but ... oh, who am i fooling? of course 
  i did! All i had to do was pick up some Dungeon Tiles 
  from the product room, riffle through New DM’s col-
  lection of minis, and read a couple paragraphs out 
  loud. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
   
  i had the guys make up 1st-level characters.
   
  “Don’t forget you’re new to D&D,” i said. “So try 
  to ask questions you think they’ll ask so i can be pre-
  pared.” “Why doesn’t a tie go to the player?” New DM 
  asked.
   
  “if i have more than one daily in my spellbook, 
  why can’t i use them both?” Bart asked.
   
  “Can i use any of my modifiers to boost my AC if 
  i’m not wearing any armor?” Marty asked.
   
  ”i don’t know, Marty!” i shouted. “i’m a terrible 
  DM!”
   
  “They’ll never ask that,” New DM said. “At least not 
  during the first game.”
   
  “You’ll do fine,” Bart said. “You know plenty.”
   
  Sure. About cooking, and pit bulls, and ‘80s sit-
  coms. But monster abilities and running encounters 
  and setting traps? Not my forte. “Why can’t i devise 
  skill challenges that involve naming one-hit wonders 
  of the past decade?”
   
  “Because that’s not D&D,” Marty laughed. “As fun 
  as it sounds.”
   
  “You’ll do fine,” New DM said. “Just be yourself.”
   
  Upon walking to my desk Monday morning, i was 
  greeted with various 3Gers chittering outside Lulu’s 
  cubicle. it wasn’t surprising to find them there—we’re 
  all friends. What was unusual was that they were 
  talking about.
   
  “Anita was pissed!” Marcy said. “She was like, 
  ‘That’s my man, you big ugly ho-faced tiefling! Who do you 
  think you’re messing with’ ?”
   
  “And LaFawnda wasn’t having any of that,” Tolena 
  added. “especially from a twerp like her. But then we 
  became best friends and drinking buddies.”
   
  “Sounds like a fun weekend,” i said. Maybe they’d 
  have to testify in court about it and wouldn’t be able 
  to make the game this afternoon.
   
  “We’re working on our back story,” Tolena said. 
   
  “For the game today!” Marcy said. “We’re super 
  excited!”
   
  “Cool,” i said, feeling anything but. Guess i knew 
  what i’d be reading at lunch.
   
  “Yeah!” Lulu cheered. “You’re all going down! oh 
  wait, we’re supposed to be a team, aren’t we? Sorry.” 
  Some people apparently have a hard time grasping 
  the concept of playing cooperatively as opposed to 
  competitively.
   
  They showed up early, bearing cheese trays, pep-
  peroni, and crackers. We looked more like a Junior 
  League meeting than a band of adventurers ready to 
  set out on their first encounter. Part of my practice 
  game taught me that new players don’t need to pay 
  attention to 80% of what’s on their character sheets. 
  To that point, i give them all highlighters and asked 
  them to mark the important stuff: initiative, defenses, 
  speed, ability check modifiers, skill check modifiers, 
  and hit points.
   
  “What about our height and weight?” Hilary 
  asked. 
   
  “Not important,” i said. 
   
  “i like this game already,” she smiled.
   
  Next, we got acquainted. i wrote their names, 
  classes, and races on the whiteboard:
   
  Kayan Pepper, Deva Cleric (Hilary)
   
  Ruby, Half-elf Paladin (Lulu)
   
  Anita Goodman, Halfling Rogue (Marcy)
  We looked more like a Junior League meeting than a band 
  of adventurers ready to set out on their first encounter.
  
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  LaFawnda, Tiefling Wizard (Tolena)
   
  Because all good adventures start out in a bar (and 
  because i know these ladies and want them to feel 
  comfortable in their new surroundings), we begin in a 
  tavern in the middle of a small, beautiful town called 
  “Shallowfell.”
   
  “You notice everyone here is exceptionally beauti-
  ful in a manufactured sort of way. But no one appears 
  happy. For one thing, they’re not eating. Just drinking 
  clear beverages. Probably Zimas.”
   
  “Are we in college?” Hilary asked.
   
  “The waiter brings you an appetizer sampler and 
  a pitcher of beer compliments of the friendly dwarf 
  gentleman behind the bar. When you look at him, he 
  gives you a thumbs up and says, ‘enjoy’!”
   
  “Hmm … i don’t know about this,” Hilary warned. 
  “What if he’s trying to poison us?”
   
  “one of us can’t drink,” Lulu said, matter of factly. 
  “if he slipped us something, the sober one can  
  protect us.”
   
  “i’ll do it,” Marcy offered. “Anita needs to lay off 
  the hooch anyway.”
   
  While they enjoyed their complimentary beer, the 
  friendly dwarf made his way to their table. 
   
  “Ladies!” he greeted them. “So nice to see some 
  real women in this place. Clearly you’re not from 
  around here?”
   
  They shook their heads.
   
  i continued with the story printed in Dungeon 
  Delve …
   
  “This kindly dwarf tells you how a couple dozen 
  volunteers set off on a quest for riches but they, along 
  with the mayor’s militia members sent to investi-
  gate, have gone missing.” i looked up just as Marcy 
  attempted to stifle a yawn. 
   
  “Sorry,” she said. “Long day.”
   
  “Wait. Who sent the militia miners?” Tolena 
  asked. “i’m confused.”
   
  “Are they good or bad?” Hilary questioned.
   
  “Did anyone see Lady Gaga on Saturday Night 
  Live?” Lulu asked.
   
  “She’s gross,” Marcy said.
   
  “The poor man’s Christina Aguilera,” Tolena 
  added.
   
  “is there such a thing?” Hilary asked.
   
  Uh oh. There’s nothing in this delve about Chris-
  tina or Lady Gaga. Was i losing them already? 
  Seconds before breaking out in hives, bits and pieces 
  of advice from other DMs floated before my eyes. 
  Have fun. Play to your players. Be yourself. Technically, 
  my girls should have been fighting kobolds, but they 
  wouldn’t know a kobold from a Toblerone. if kobolds 
  didn’t light their fires, i’d give them something that 
  would.
   
  “The mine has been taken over by the shallowest 
  of all,” the dwarf explained. “it’s lovely up there. A 
  cinematographer’s dream. But a dastardly gnome by 
  the name of Ryan Seacrest and his band of squatters 
  have taken over the place.”
   
  “Unacceptable,” Lulu said. She’s a landlord and 
  can relate to this plight. 
   
  “i can offer you 40 gold pieces to help rid the place 
  of those nasty Shallowites,” the dwarf offered.
   
  “What’s the exchange rate into dollars?” asked 
  Marcy. 
   
  “Forty gold pieces is a lot,” Hilary said. “especially 
  for our first adventure.” She’s clearly been tutored 
  by her D&D-playing husband. i’m sure he packed 
  healing potions, peanut butter sandwiches, and a hand-
  written note on a napkin bidding good luck in her 
  rucksack. 
   
  Regardless, they accepted the dwarf’s generous 
  offer and headed off on their first adventure.
   
  Arriving at the mine, the group was faced with an 
  8-foot-high fence and an expanse of rubble piled 5 
  feet high. “You hear sounds coming from the other 
  side,” i explained. “Glasses tinkling, wine coolers 
  pouring, lots of ‘oMGs’ and ‘totallys’.”
   
  “Sounds fabulous,” Tolena said. “i can’t wait to kill 
  them all.”
   
  See what i mean about knowing your audience?
   
  Five failed Athletics checks later, they were still 
  on the wrong side of the fence and i was beginning 
  to understand how Bob and Jillian feel on The Biggest 
  Loser. When Ruby’s turn rolled around again, i buffed 
  up her check just to get at least one of them over. 
   
  “What do you see?” the rest of the group asked.
   
  What she saw is arguably the most irritating 
  family in the history of families spreading their 
  superficial selves all over the kindly dwarf’s family 
  mine. Additionally, she noticed a staircase and an 
  I’m sure he packed healing potions, peanut butter 
  sandwiches, and a handwritten note on a napkin bidding 
  good luck in her rucksack.
  
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  excavation pit at the far end of the chamber, but that’s 
  not nearly as important.
   
  “You see lots of big hair, large derrières, and a 
  scary creature whose gender you question. You’re 
  pretty sure he was a man until eleven plastic surger-
  ies made his face look like bubblegum melting on a 
  scorching sidewalk.”
   
  “Bruce Jenner?” 
   
  “That’s right,” i said. “The Kardashian family has 
  moved into the mine. Roll for initiative!”
   
  They whooped! They banged their fists! Slices of 
  pepperoni hit the walls. (Sorry, Facilities. We’ll clean 
  that up later, oK?)
   
  The older sisters (Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, if 
  you’re going to pretend you don’t know) played the 
  role of slingers. The rest of the family filled the roles 
  of minions. Unfortunately for the group, the slinger 
  sisters went first. “Those of you standing on the 
  other side of the fence see what looks like balloons 
  careening toward you.” Might as well take even more 
  liberties with what the book described as “special 
  ammunition.”
   
  “Does 15 hit your Armor Class?” i asked Marcy.
   
  “it ties, so no?”
   
  oh boy. The conflict. 
   
  “i’m really sorry,” i said, “but the balloon hits, cov-
  ering you in what looks and smells suspiciously like 
  pee.”
   
  “You hit me with pee?” she asked.
   
  “i didn’t. They did.”
   
  That was enough to motivate everyone to get over 
  the fence. everyone except Hilary’s athletically chal-
  lenged cleric. 
   
  “Uh, ladies?” Hilary said. “A little help, please?”
   
  The fight ensued, with the Kardashian minions 
  getting offed right and left. 
   
  “Mama Kardashian bites it,” i said. “Bruce is dev-
  astated but still standing.”
   
  “Really?” Lulu asked. “Because he just looks sur-
  prised to me.”
   
  “He can’t help that.”
   
  When the slingers went again, they targeted 
  LaFawnda. 
   
  “ew,” they taunted. “What are you wearing? That’s 
  so last season!” They laughed like the harpies they are 
  while dropping three flaming paper sacks of poo on 
  her.
   
  “Are you kidding?” Tolena shouted. “i’m covered in 
  poo?”
   
  “What’s wrong with you?” Lulu asked me. “Do 
  you have to be an eight-year-old boy to be a Dungeon 
  Master?”
   
  “Twelve points of ongoing fire damage, please,” i 
  smiled. She, the rogue, and the ranger were bloodied, 
  and the cleric was still behind the fence. 
   
  More rounds and more bloodied PCs later, the 
  cleric finally managed to climb the fence, just in time. 
  i could tell they were panicking, but instead of feeling 
  the familiar dread and anxiety i normally felt in this 
  situation, i was energized. Between the four of them, 
  their hit points barely reached double digits, and i 
  still had two minions and all three wicked sisters 
  standing. Was that a TPK i saw in the distance? 
   
  And then i thought about my first time playing 
  D&D. What it was like to cast my first magic missile. 
  How it felt seeing one of my party members take a 
  hit. How attached to Astrid i was before i ever rolled 
  a d20. What would my impression of D&D be if my 
  first character bit it an hour into my first game? 
   
  So when Anita missed a minion, i gave it to her. 
  When the slingers more than beat Ruby’s Armor 
  Class, i subtracted a bit. And when a javelin was set to 
  knock the poo-covered wizard prone, i let it happen. 
  Hey, i can’t shield them from everything. 
   
  “oh no!” Marcy yelled. “She’s dead!”
   
  “Does that mean we get to loot her?” Lulu asked.
   
  “She’s not dead,” i said. “But she will be if one of 
  you doesn’t heal her.”
   
  When Hilary’s cleric went for the heal, i attacked 
  her, too. i was addicted! 
   
  The next two attacks on my minions resulted in 
  success. Now they just had to face off with the wicked 
  slingers. 
   
  They knocked off Khloe and got lucky when i 
  rolled low for Kim and Kourtney. 
   
  LaFawnda was upright again and cast thunderwave. 
  That, coupled with Kayan’s astral condemnation, basi-
  cally handed Kourtney’s heels to her. only one slinger 
  remained! 
   
  “She’s bloodied but still has a little left in her.”
   
  Just thinking about their target made my skin 
  crawl, but i was sad to see this encounter almost over. 
  i could tell they were panicking, but instead of feeling 
  the familiar dread and anxiety i normally felt in this 
  situation, i was energized.
  
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  on what was presumably Kim’s last turn, i made 
  the most of it. 
   
  “Daggers and sling shots are so yesterday,” she said 
  to Ruby, who was standing besides the pit. “Kim rams 
  a stiletto heel into your armored belly and shoves you 
  down the hole.” 
   
  “That’s allowed?” Hilary asked. 
   
  “Yep,” i said, realizing i had no idea how to calcu-
  late an attack or damage for this, so i did what any 
  good DM would do—i made up a number and rolled 
  my d20.
   
  “Sorry, Ruby,” i said. “Down you go.”
   
  “Does falling into a hole cause damage?” Lulu 
  asked. “Because i only have 2 hit points left.”
   
  “it does,” i told her, but i wasn’t worried. Lulu’s pal-
  adin getting kicked into a pit by a reality star’s Jimmy 
  Choo was going to be one of those moments you take 
  away from the game and talk about the rest of the 
  week until it’s time to play again. Besides, it’s probably 
  a terrible idea to kill your boss’s character. 
   
  “You notice a rope as you’re falling,” i told her. 
  “Give me an Athletics check.”
   
  The girls issued encouraging words to her as she 
  picked up her d20. “Come on, Lulu! You got this!”
   
  “i have no upper body strength. i’m weak!”
   
  “This isn’t you,” i reminded her. “it’s the fantasy 
  you.”
   
  She rolled a nineteen.
   
  “You grab that rope with one hand and pull your-
  self up with the same ease as someone pulling the 
  tinfoil lid off a container of yogurt. You even do a 
  triple back handspring for good measure when you 
  land. Kim passes out from fear and surprise.”
   
  They cheered!
   
  Marcy’s next attack finished off Kim, even without 
  a buff from me. 
   
  our game lasted 45 minutes longer than sched-
  uled. As they packed up their cheese tray and paper 
  plates and cocktail napkins, they discussed important 
  game information, like who was bringing the snacks 
  next week. i guess that meant we’d be doing this 
  again.
   
  “Thanks, Shelly,” Lulu said. “i told you you’d do 
  great.”
   
  As they walked back to their desks, i heard them 
  recap how Lulu fell into the pit and how LaFawnda 
  was almost slain by a flaming sack of poo. it might not 
  be Marty’s D&D, but who cares? They played it, they 
  got it, and most importantly, they liked it.
   
  i walked back to my desk with my Dungeon Tiles, 
  rulebooks, and miniatures, feeling rather accom-
  plished. i swear other DMs i passed in the hall gave 
  me a smile and a nod, like they knew i had just fin-
  ished a successful game. Maybe they really do have a 
  secret club? i stopped by New DM’s desk to give him 
  back his minis. 
   
  “Did you kill them?” he asked.
   
  “So close, New DM. So close.”
   
  “Good job.”
   
  “Good teacher.”
   
  i couldn’t wait to get home and watch e! News. i 
  had another encounter to plan.
  About the Author 
  Shelly mazzanoble is sorry for beating up on the Kardashi-
  ans and would like to issue an open invitation to any family 
  members who want to play D&D. except Bruce Jenner. Sorry, 
  buddy.
   
  
  99
  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  R P G A  R e P o R T
  by CHris tulaCH
  illustrations by Eric L. Williams
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  A
  Ooh Shiny: Web Upgrade
  As many of you reading this already know, the D&D 
  website recently has been cleaned up and given an 
  upgrade. Not only did this affect the main pages of 
  the site, but all of the organized Play pages have 
  also been retooled to fit the new model as well. This 
  month, we’ll talk about the changes on our little 
  corner of the site, under the new “events” tab.
  D&D Events Site Design 
  The new site is designed much differently from the 
  old one. instead of providing all sorts of information 
  to target all levels of users, such as newbie welcoming 
  pages and very specific campaign news for experi-
  enced veterans, the site now focuses on giving basic 
  information for the visitor to easily understand. You 
  can think of it as the “elevator pitch” for our D&D 
  events—what we would say about our programs if we 
  only had a minute or two to explain them to a new 
  visitor. From there, the user can “drill down” into 
  specifics by visiting the Wizards Community pages 
  devoted to our programs, which are being maintained 
  by both Wizards staff and the community at-large. 
  
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  R P G A  R e P o R T
  RPGA Called D&D Events 
  on the new site, our D&D organized Play area is called 
  “D&D events” rather than “RPGA.” For someone new 
  to our site and our programs, the word “RPGA” doesn’t 
  have much meaning to them—heck, it means “Roleplay-
  ing Gamers Association,” which in and of itself is a bit 
  outdated. Certainly, veterans know what the RPGA is 
  and use the term to mean “Wizards’ official D&D orga-
  nized Play.” But that doesn’t help someone new, so we’ve 
  updated the site to call the pages “D&D events,” which 
  is much clearer to a visitor that doesn’t associate the 
  RPGA with Wizards of the Coast. 
   
  on a broader scale, the Wizards Play Network (or 
  WPN) is our umbrella where all of our game play 
  programs reside. Whether it’s Friday Night Magic or 
  Living Forgotten Realms, all of those programs are a 
  part of the WPN. An organizer schedules games and 
  interacts with us through the WPN, and while play-
  ers often identify themselves as a part of the DCi or 
  RPGA, that’s all a part of the Wizards Play Network. 
  You’ll see us use the WPN more and more as the 
  organizational term to mean “official Wizards play.” 
  A Quick Tour 
  i’d like to take you on a spin around the D&D events site. 
  While i won’t cover everything you’ll find on the events 
  page, i hope to give folks that have grown used to the old 
  site a primer on where things are on the new one. 
   
  First, head to the D&D main website. You’ll see a 
  clean, well-designed welcome page that has a number 
  of headers at the top of the page. Click on the “events” 
  header, which will take you over to our home.
   
  From there, you’ll see a nice big piece of art and 
  some text welcoming you to the events page. Below 
  that, you’ll see a number of programs all partitioned off 
  in their own little frames—as of this writing, there are 
  four of these—Living Forgotten Realms, Worldwide 
  D&D Game Days, DM Rewards, and D&D Conven-
  tions. Clicking on any of these (you can click on the 
  art, the title, or “Learn More”) will take you to the pro-
  gram’s welcome page; more on that in a minute. 
   
  on the right-hand navigation, toward the top, you’ll 
  see a header that’s called “event Links.” There, you’ll 
  find links to all the programs i just mentioned as well 
  as other important stuff. “Find a Group” takes you to 
  the WiZARDS Community site where you can search 
  for any sort of community group that exists over there, 
  including stores, play locations, and D&D-themed 
  groups like the official Dungeons & Dragons group 
  and the official Living Forgotten Realms group. “Join 
  the WPN” takes you to the signup page for the Wiz-
  ards Play Network where new organizers can join our 
  organizer support system and receive kits for various 
  play programs. “event Downloads” brings you to our 
  D&D events file repository, where stuff like character 
  creation guides for our various D&D play programs 
  can be downloaded. Lastly, “Schedule an event” is 
  where you’ll go if you want to order one of the many 
  D&D adventures available through us for play at home, 
  at a store, or anywhere else you want to host your 
  game. You’ll need to have your RPGA/DCi number 
  and password handy to access the ordering system. 
   
  You'll see a number of other boxes on the right side, 
  most of which are pretty straightforward. However, i 
  want to call particular attention to the Store and event 
  Locator, which is a great tool for you to find a store that 
  carries our games or get info on where you might find 
  an upcoming event, including any D&D games sched-
  uled for public play, like Worldwide D&D Game Day or 
  Living Forgotten Realms. Also of note is another call-out 
  for the Wizards Play Network here as well. 
   
  i want to jump back to what i mentioned a little earlier 
  to explain how content is housed on the new Wizards site 
  for the various programs. There are those big program 
  frames just below the welcome message and graphic for 
  the page; when you click on one of them, you’ll get the 
  essentials on what the program’s about. in most instances, 
  you’ll find a header at the bottom of this short text that 
  says “Tell Me More!” You’ll then be taken to the specific 
  program’s group page on the Wizards Community site 
  for all other information. From the program’s group page 
  there, you can find blog posts, polls, a wiki updated with 
  current program information, discussion forums, and 
  all sorts of other specifics for folks who are interested in 
  the play program. our community group pages will now 
  house almost all of the real content for our programs, 
  which gives us much more two-way communication with 
  you, because you can comment directly on information 
  posted and contribute to the ever-expanding trove of 
  information available on each group page. 
   
  Hopefully, this little tour gave you some information 
  on what’s where and also some of the design decisions 
  that went into creating the new D&D events pages. But 
  before i bid you good gaming this month, i would like to 
  give you a friendly reminder about our next big event!
  Weekend in the Realms is 
  Almost Here! 
  Don’t forget, this year’s Weekend in the Realms is just 
  around the corner. Taking place November 6–8 at a 
  public location near you (use the event Locator to find 
  one), this event offers the opportunity to play an exclu-
  sive Living Forgotten Realms adventure called “The 
  
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  R P G A  R e P o R T
  icy Queen’s Crossing.” Bring your existing 1st-4th level 
  LFR character, create a new 1st-level one, or use one of 
  the pre-generated ones provided at the event and have 
  a great time adventuring in the Narfell! Make the week-
  end special—bring a new-to-LFR friend with you and 
  ask your organizer to schedule some other LFR games 
  with the adventure, including the new mini-campaign 
  “embers of Dawn”! Head to the Living Forgotten 
  Realms community group for more information!
   
  Until next month, have a howling good time as you 
  fight off the horrors that await in the dark corridors of 
  your games. Happy Halloween!
  New Living Forgotten 
  Realms Adventures 
  Releasing This Month
  Check out the latest adventure offerings for october!
  October 7, 2009 
  Drag1-6 Night of Fallen Petals 
  The Night of Fallen Petals is nigh, a festival to celebrate 
  the dead and pay honor to those who have long since 
  passed. But not all secrets stay dead, and the prophecy 
  of a returning God-King may be a means for dark 
  forces to upset the power balance in Nathlek city. A 
  Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Nathlan 
  on the Dragon Coast, for characters levels 7–10. Final 
  part of the White Petal Demise major quest.
  Wate1-6 Out of Hatred 
  His thirst for vengeance not yet satiated, the Necro-
  mancer strikes at Waterdeep once again. Will heroes 
  step forward to end this menace? This adventure con-
  cludes the major quest “Quest for the Necromancer,” 
  and follows the story begun in WATe1-3 and con-
  tinued in WATe1-4. A Living Forgotten Realms 
  adventure set in Waterdeep for characters levels 11–14.
  October 14, 2009 
  agLa1-6 Twisted Roots Run Deep 
  in old Velprintalar, where those neglected and forgot-
  ten by society live and die in squalor, power can be had 
  by a strong arm, a few coins, or powerful influence. 
  Cutthroats, thugs, and thieves thrive here—but to what 
  purpose? Plans once thought put to rest now have new 
  life. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in 
  Aglarond for characters levels 11–14. This adventure is 
  a sequel to AGLA1-3 The Worst of All Snares, though 
  play of the prior adventure is not required.
  mInI1-3 Building the Pyre 
  Adventurers have gained a clue that the cult activities 
  in Sambral are directed by superiors in Ramekho. The 
  best chance of defeating the cultists is to find them 
  before they notice anyone looking for them. A double-
  length Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in 
  Ramekho for characters levels1–4. it is recommended 
  that you play the Embers of Dawn mini-campaign 
  adventures in sequential order with one character for 
  the best enjoyment and play possibilities within the 
  mini-campaign, but it is not required.
  October 21, 2009 
  DaLe1-6 the Vesperin Initiative 
  A trade consortium is being formed. All the players 
  have been selected. Now if they could just agree to 
  meet and finalize the trade pact. Why can’t they all 
  just get along? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure 
  set in the Dalelands for characters levels 11–14.
  LUrU1-6 Desperate Times 
  Traveling the Nether Mountains has always been 
  risky with bandits and shades looking for loot. Now it 
  seems the undead are involved as more caravans go 
  missing. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set 
  in Luruar for characters levels 4–7.
  October 28, 2009 
  Core1-15 Where Dragons Die 
  Netheril’s influence is expanding alarmingly and the 
  Silverstars of Selûne are becoming desperate. The task 
  of finding a weapon suitable for battling this expan-
  sion has fallen to you and your only clues take you to a 
  place where mortals dare not tread. A Living Forgotten 
  Realms adventure set near Netheril for characters levels 
  11–14. The third part of the Bane of Shadows trilogy.
  Corm1-6 Curse of the Queen of Thorns 
  Heralds of an ancient curse arise and lay waste to the 
  glorious nation of Cormyr. only the greatest of heroes can 
  stop the Harbingers of the Queen of Thorns. This is the 
  beginning of a major quest. A Living Forgotten Realms 
  adventure set in Cormyr for characters levels 11–14.
  About the Author 
  originally thought to have been raised from a humble Mid-
  western family, Chris tulach actually fell to earth in a 
  meteorite-shaped capsule flung from a planet far outside our 
  galaxy. While under the yellow rays of Sol, Chris’s nerdity 
  far surpasses that of any normal human. Using this precious 
  gift only for good, he has become the D&D® organized Play 
  Content Developer, responsible for the development and 
  deployment of Dungeons & Dragons organized play pro-
  grams. He is also the co-author of E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls™.
  
  A M P e R S A N D
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  October 2009  |  Dr agon 380
  tM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
  by bill slaviCsek
  Big Things in  
  Small Packages
  This month, I want to talk about 
  how we’re putting a number of 
  big ideas into small, compact, 
  and affordable packages. In the 
  digital arena, we’re about to in-
  crease the frequency of content by moving 
  to a daily release schedule for Dragon and 
  Dungeon Magazine articles. In the ana-
  log world, next year will see the release of 
  a series of small products targeted at spe-
  cific topics and specific parts of the D&D 
  audience. Let’s start with what’s coming 
  up for Insiders via the digital magazines. 
  dragOn Magazine 
  November is the first month we’ll be rolling out con-
  tent five days a week (as mentioned in Chris Young’s 
  newest editorial). one of the articles in November 
  that we’re most excited about is Rodney Thompson’s 
  new artificer build. it’s the only arcane class cur-
  rently lacking a third build, and we’re proud to roll 
  it out on D&D Insider. December follows right on the 
  heels of that article with a follow-up to the release of 
  the assassin, detailing new feats, powers, and ki focus 
  items to expand the options for assassin characters. 
  We’re also continuing to explore new ways to expand 
  the rules. in December, we’ll feature an article with 
  familiar powers—wizard powers with extra effects if 
  you have a familiar. And in January, we’ll be giving 
  warlocks more roleplaying and power options with an 
  article describing what it means to make a pact with a 
  warlock patron. 
   
  All this and more is ahead in Dragon magazine, 
  with smaller, more focused articles appearing five 
  times a week. This way, we’ll be sure to hit you with 
  something you can use, regardless of the class or race 
  you’re playing, sometime over the course of each 
  month. 
  dungeOn Magazine 
  We’re doing the same thing on the Dungeon side of 
  D&D Insider, presenting more short adventures, more 
  concise dungeon delve-style content, and even some 
  solo adventures for you to try out between game ses-
  sions with your group. The new Chaos Scar project 
  continues, as well as Scales of War, and along the way 
  you’ll see great Dungeon Master support features 
  (such as a new Demonomicon and the “ecology of the 
  Mithral Dragon”), and more short adventures more 
  frequently. 
  new PrOduct FOrMat 
  When it comes to physical D&D products, the new 
  year introduces a new format designed to provide 
  targeted content at a great price. For players, we intro-
  duce the races books. These 32-page softcovers give 
  players more story, more options, and more powerups 
  for the races they’re playing, with material applicable 
  to all classes and roles in the game. January sees the 
  release of Dragonborn, followed by Tieflings in June. 
  i’m giving you a peek at the Dragonborn below. 
  For DMs, we’re providing locations in this format—32 
  pages with a poster map. These products give a DM 
  
  A M P e R S A N D
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  a ready-to-use location to drop into any campaign 
  setting. The first of these, Hammerfast, appears in 
  March. it details the people, places, and events hap-
  pening in and around this dwarven outpost. in July, 
  look for Vor Rukoth, an ancient ruins that can serve 
  as the basis for countless adventures in any campaign. 
  Now, here’s a preview of Player's Handbook Races: 
  Dragonborn.
   
  dragOnbOrn
  Glory 
  Winning glory is a driving motivation for many drag-
  onborn adventurers, as well as dragonborn in other 
  walks of life. The dragonborn caravan guard seeks to 
  earn fame by driving off bandits, the dragonborn arti-
  san hopes to gain renown by creating goods known 
  far and wide for their quality and artistry, and the 
  dragonborn adventurer hopes to win glory by slay-
  ing terrible monsters, acquiring great treasures, and 
  fighting back the darkness that threatens to swallow 
  the last remnants of civilization. 
   
  Some have compared this hunger for glory to a 
  dragon’s magnificent ego, and the comparison seems 
  apt. Just as a dragon wants to be known for the size of 
  its hoard and feared for the strength of its breath and 
  claws, so a dragonborn seeks renown or perhaps even 
  notoriety. if there is a difference, however, it lies in 
  the dragonborn’s sense of being a representative of a 
  larger group of people. 
   
  For most dragonborn, the desire for glory goes 
  beyond a lust for individual renown and recogni-
  tion. Dragonborn seek glory not just for themselves, 
  but for their clans and their race as a whole. When 
  a dragonborn does glorious things, that individual’s 
  clan and indeed the race as a whole wins glory, rising 
  in the esteem of other clans and the other races of the 
  world. 
   
  So few dragonborn survive in the world, and they 
  are so scattered, that any given dragonborn might 
  well be the only member of the race known to some 
  number of people. Those people naturally form their 
  opinion of dragonborn in general based on their 
  knowledge of the individual. if a dragonborn does 
  glorious deeds, the people who see them or learn of 
  them attribute that glory to the race as a whole. in 
  this way, dragonborn hope, they can continue to live 
  up to the all-but-forgotten glories of ancient Arkhosia. 
   
  That said, some dragonborn are prone to the same 
  egotistical pride that dragons display, and adventur-
  ers are perhaps the most susceptible to it. They seek 
  glory, not to elevate the stature of their race, but to 
  command the respect and adulation of others, to 
  amass their own hoards of wealth, perhaps even to 
  strike terror into the hearts of others. Dragonborn 
  who follow Tiamat’s path often pair this vainglory 
  with a jealous pride that leads them to sabotage the 
  efforts and accomplishments of those they view as 
  rivals. But even those who claim to follow Bahamut’s 
  path sometimes strive to be seen as paragons of jus-
  tice and honor, their pride blinding them to their own 
  shortcomings. They protect the weak, not because 
  that is what Bahamut commands, but because they 
  desire the praise of those they have saved, and per-
  haps seek a monetary reward. 
  ParagOn Path: 
  nineFOld MaSter 
  “I have mastered a study of magic that was ancient when 
  your kind were barbarians at our feet.” 
  Prerequisite: Dragonborn, any arcane class, Dra-
  conic Spellcaster. 
  in ancient Arkhosia, arcane spellcasters studied the 
  Ninefold Path, a way toward both arcane mastery 
  and spiritual awakening. The steps along the path 
  represent an increasing attunement to the draconic 
  energies in the initiate’s being, a practice that unites 
  the study of magic with the innate characteristics of 
  the dragonborn race. 
   
  You are a master of the Ninefold Path, on your way 
  toward arcane perfection as the scholars of Arkhosia 
  understood it. Your dragon breath is another spell in 
  your arsenal, and when you use spells that create the 
  same elemental force as your breath, you demonstrate 
  mastery over the magic that powers them. 
  Ninefold Master Path 
  Features 
   
  Breath expertise (11th level): Your dragon 
  breath power is considered an arcane power belong-
  ing to each of your arcane classes. if you are wielding 
  an implement you can use for your arcane powers, 
  you may add the implement’s enhancement bonus to 
  the damage rolls for your dragon breath power. 
   
  Dragon Breath action (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action, you can 
  
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  also use your dragon breath as a free action, even if 
  you have already expended it in this encounter. 
   
  Draconic resistance (16th level): Choose one 
  damage type you can deal with your dragon breath 
  power. You gain resistance to that damage type equal 
  to 5 + one-half your level.
  dragon aura 
  Ninefold Master Attack 11
  The innate energy of your draconic breath forms a shield 
  around you, pushing your enemies away. 
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement, zone; varies 
  standard action 
   
  Close burst 1 
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Intelligence or Charisma vs. Fortitude 
  Hit: 3d6 + Intelligence or Charisma modifier damage, and 
  push the target 1 square. the damage is the same type as 
  any type you can deal with your dragon breath. 
  Countering breath 
  Ninefold Master Utility 12 
  As your foe unleashes a blast of elemental power, you release 
  your own, subtly altering your draconic breath to negate your 
  enemy’s attack. 
  encounter ✦	arcane 
  immediate interrupt 
  Close blast 3 
  trigger: An enemy targets you with a close or area attack that 
  deals a damage type you can deal with dragon breath
  effect: Your space and the blast are not considered part of the 
  triggering attack’s area of effect. 
  dragon storm 
  Ninefold Master Attack 20 
  Your exhalation of elemental energy transforms into a swirl-
  ing vortex of power. 
  daily ✦	arcane, implement, zone; varies 
  standard action 
   
  Close blast 5 
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Intelligence or Charisma vs. reflex 
  Hit: 3d8 + Intelligence or Charisma modifier damage. the 
  damage is the same type as any type you can deal with 
  your dragon breath. 
  effect: the blast becomes a zone that lasts until the end of 
  your next turn. A creature that enters or starts its turn in 
  the zone takes 10 damage of the same type as the initial 
  attack's damage. As a move action, you can move the zone 
  3 squares. 
  sustain minor: the zone persists. 
   
  on the other hand, we’ve also got a bunch of big 
  things in big packages slated for release next year, but 
  i think i’ll save that to talk about next month. Until 
  then …
   
  Keep Playing!
  the hatchlandS
  For paragon tier and epic tier characters
  The Hatchlands loop through the lowest reaches of 
  the Underdark like an endless ulcerated intestine. 
  According to drow legend, the network of pocked, 
  unstable passageways came into congruence with the 
  Far Realm long ago, ever so briefly. That tiny contact 
  warped lifeless matter and flesh alike. Beholders 
  were the abominable result. 
  Legend of the Great 
  Hatching
  Before the height of the empire of Nihilath came 
  the Great Hatching. During this apocalyptic event, 
  the lower depths of the Underdark shuddered and 
  burbled. Vents appeared in its unstable rock, each of 
  them a festering wound in the fabric of reality. The 
  Great Mother, progenitor of the beholders, was born 
  beneath the earth, called into life by the unfiltered, 
  maddening illumination of the Far Realm. She tore 
  herself from an egg that was her first worldly form. 
  The pieces of the Great Mother’s shattered shell dis-
  persed throughout the Underdark. 
   
  each shell piece attempted to recall its earlier 
  shape. Most managed to become again what all 
  had once been part of: an egg. However, each piece 
  contained only a fraction of the vigor the original 
  egg possessed. Still, when these lesser eggs hatched, 
  beholders slipped forth from their slimy ruins. 
   
  The first beholders were paragons of insanity. 
  They immediately fell into a murderous struggle for 
  supremacy. Most died, though a few proved capable 
  of a hint of self-preservation. These fled the hatch-
  ing slaughter. They swept through the Underdark, 
  claiming lofty chambers and secure redoubts for 
  themselves. 
  Alternate Theories of the Hatching
  As unyieldingly solitary beings, beholders can’t be 
  said to have a culture or a set of common myths. 
  They do seem to be born with a flicker of collective 
  memory about the Great Hatching. The story given 
  here is the most commonly told, both by beholders 
  themselves and by surface world scholars. However, 
  
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  beholders are notorious theorizers. if prompted, they 
  might be tempted to spout alternate versions of the 
  story. examples reported by adventures surviving 
  beholder captivity include: 
  ✦ The apocalyptic event that resulted in the Great 
  Hatching was Torog’s maddened crawl through the 
  Underdark. 
  ✦ Beholder eggs condensed from the bodily effluvia 
  of Torog, the crawling god. 
  ✦ The Great Mother was summoned by the primordi-
  als to destroy Torog, their hated foe. 
  ✦ The Great Mother does not literally exist. She is 
  a personification by foolish early beholders of the 
  Hatchlands’ eggs, which itself was an anomalous but 
  entirely natural phenomenon. 
  ✦ The original beholder egg was accidentally created 
  by illithids. When beholders formed from it, they 
  destroyed the illithids. (To accept this story, one must 
  believe the beholders’ claim that they caused the 
  downfall of the empire of Nihilath.) 
  The Hatchlands Today
  Lonely, dank, and suffused with an acrid stink of ele-
  mental wrongness, the Hatchlands are now home to a 
  few weak beholders. occasionally, in an aftereffect of 
  the Great Mother’s birth, a fragment of her shell con-
  denses into a new pulsing egg. 
   
  if threatened, the egg immediately hatches, 
  birth¬ing a completely grown, fully intelligent 
  beholder. Left to its own devices, it develops for 
  a longer period, until it hatches as a higher-level 
  beholder. 
  The Impulse
  No single beholder dares to claim the Hatchlands as 
  its exclusive domain. At rare times, the beholders of 
  the Underdark feel a sick, uneasy feeling deep in their 
  globular bellies. After a period of nauseated confu-
  sion, they identify this effect as a call to fellowship 
  from the Great Mother. if they permit themselves to 
  speak of it at all, they ashamedly call this feeling “the 
  impulse.” it compels them to abandon their comfort-
  able state of mutual hostility to come together toward 
  a common purpose. 
   
  The Hatchlands serves as neutral ground for 
  beholders. Within its confines, they can restrain their 
  instinctive desire to violently establish dominance 
  over all other creatures. Here, they can achieve this 
  feat without the impulse, though they seldom see a 
  reason to do so. 
   
  Upon arrival in the Hatchlands, the strongest 
  beholder senses the wishes of the Great Mother. it 
  uses its genius intellect to create a plan to carry out 
  those desires. it then lays out these instructions to the 
  others as they arrive. Vexed by each other’s company, 
  the beholders leave as quickly as possible, fanning out 
  to perform their separate roles in the scheme.
  Martial Practices
  Beyond the exploits for which they’re famed, martial 
  adventurers can push the bounds of what is pos-
  sible for ordinary mortals by mastering challenging 
  techniques called martial practices. Using these rare 
  methods, an adventurer can run for days, swim to 
  great depths, and even create magic items. Although 
  martial practices approach what’s possible with ritu-
  als, they exist wholly in the realm of martial power.
   
  A martial practice is similar to a ritual. To learn 
  martial practices, you must first have the Practiced 
  Study feat. To use a martial practice, you must 
  then acquire a practice, master it, and perform it. 
  A practice you master must be associated with a 
  skill in which you are trained. The component costs 
  sometimes include healing surges. After you finish 
  performing a practice, you gain its benefit.
  Practiced Study
  Prerequisite: Any martial class
  Benefit: You can master and perform martial prac-
  tices. You learn one martial practice of your level or 
  lower. 
  Acquiring Martial Practices
  You can learn the rudiments of martial practices 
  from a master or purchase them on the open market. 
  Unless you find the practice as part of treasure, you’ll 
  pay something for it.
   
  Learn through training: Any character who has 
  mastered a martial practice can teach it to you. The 
  instructor can be another player character or an NPC 
  you meet. Training is costly and arduous. Usually, 
  you pay the cost in coins or other treasure. Learning 
  a martial practice costs half the market price if you 
  learn it from another player character. You should 
  assume that you are paying for the supplies needed 
  for training, not for your ally’s work and time.
  
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  Purchase: if you can find a merchant that deals in 
  rare goods, you can pay the market price of a martial 
  practice to acquire it.
   
  Find in treasure: You might also find martial 
  practices in the form of ancient manuals hidden away 
  in dusty libraries or haunted castles. Practices con-
  tained within these texts offer detailed instructions 
  so that with careful study you can master them. The 
  Dungeon Master deducts the market price of a mar-
  tial practice you find from treasure you earn.
  Mastering Martial Practices
  You must master a martial practice before you are 
  able to perform it. To master a practice, you must:
  ✦ Acquire the martial practice 
  ✦ Have the Practiced Study feat 
  ✦ Meet or exceed the practice’s level requirement 
  ✦ Be trained in at least one of the key skills for the 
  practice 
  ✦ Study the martial practice for a total of 8 hours 
  The studying process differs depending on how you 
  acquired the martial practice. if you acquired it 
  through training, the study period takes place at the 
  same time as acquiring the practice. if you bought 
  or found the practice, the time is spent closely study-
  ing the manual and repeating the lessons and steps 
  within the text. 
  Performing a Martial Practice
  The steps to perform a martial practice correspond to 
  the headers of the practice’s description. The martial 
  practices don’t include action types in their descrip-
  tions, but you can infer what type of actions you 
  might take to perform the activities that benefit from 
  the practice. 
   
  time: Martial practices take time to perform. You 
  might have to adopt the right physical and mental 
  state, sweat over a forge to craft an item, or painstak-
  ingly camouflage your party’s campsite.
   
  Component Costs: Martial practices are strenu-
  ous. Unlike rituals, which require only a material 
  component cost, most martial practices require an 
  expenditure of healing surges. This cost reflects the 
  strain on your body and mind.
   
  A few martial practices also require materials to 
  properly perform them. When a practice has a com-
  ponent cost, you must pay the price from your store 
  of treasure, whether you’re spending coins, gems, or 
  other valuables. The component cost represents the 
  price of equipment, bribes, and raw materials.
  You pay the component cost, including both treasure 
  and healing surges, when you complete the practice. 
  if you cannot pay the full cost, the practice has no 
  effect.
   
  Skills: each practice lists one or more key skills, 
  and you must be trained in at least one of these skills 
  to perform the practice. Some practices also require 
  skill checks to determine your effort’s effectiveness. 
  Usually, the practice succeeds regardless of the check 
  result and high results produce the best effects.
  Unless a practice says otherwise, you make your skill 
  check at the end of its performance. As with rituals, 
  you cannot take 10 on this check.
  Effects of a Martial Practice
  After you finish performing a practice, you gain its 
  benefit for the practice’s duration. Sometimes it’s 
  instantaneous: You’ve learned the information or 
  completed the task. other times, you gain a benefit 
  for a set amount of time, or you create a permanent 
  object.
  Assistance
  Typically you must perform the martial practice 
  without help. Any exceptions are noted in a practice’s 
  description.
  Interrupting a Martial Practice
  You can stop performing a martial practice at any 
  point before it’s completed without expending any 
  healing surges or component costs. once you stop, 
  you cannot resume the practice; you must start over 
  again.
  
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  Alter Ego
  With a little makeup and a bit of misdirection, you can be 
  anyone. 
  Level: 8 
  Component Cost: 1 healing 
   
   
  surge and 50 gp 
  time: 1 hour 
  market Price: 275 gp
  Duration: 24 hours  Key Skill: Bluff 
  You alter your own appearance or the appearance of 
  an ally who is present throughout your performance 
  of the practice. The disguise can alter facial and phys-
  ical features and appear to modify height and weight 
  by up to 10%. You can also use this martial practice to 
  disguise gender, race, and age.
   
  Make a Bluff check with a +5 bonus. Your result 
  determines the insight check a creature must make 
  to determine that the person you disguised is not who 
  he or she appears to be.
   
  You can use this practice to impersonate another 
  humanoid. When you interact with a creature that is 
  familiar with the person you’re imitating, that crea-
  ture gains a +10 bonus to its insight check.
  Precise Forgery
  Your falsified papers are resistant to even the closest  
  scrutiny. 
  Level: 5 
  Component Cost: 1 healing 
   
   
  surge
  time: 10 minutes 
  market Price: 80 gp
  Duration: Permanent  Key Skill: thievery 
  You fabricate papers or documents so you can foist 
  them off as being authentic. You can create forger-
  ies of any kind, including written orders, treasure 
  maps, paintings, manifests, and land grants. Forging a 
  simple document requires 10 minutes. More complex 
  works take as long as the Dungeon Master decides. 
   
  At the end of the practice, make a Thievery check. 
  Your check result determines the forgery’s quality. 
  Anyone examining the document must succeed at 
  a Perception check equal to your Thievery check to 
  discern the falsehood. You might have to engage in a 
  skill challenge to convince another creature that the 
  document is authentic if the forgery contradicts other 
  documents or orders.
  Speech without Words
  No language barrier can keep you from communicating.
  Level: 3 
  Component Cost: 1 healing 
   
   
  surge
  time: 5 minutes 
  market Price: 50 gp
  Duration: 10 minutes  Key Skill: Diplomacy
   
   
  (no check) 
  Through pantomime, you communicate with a non-
  hostile creature you can see, even if it does not speak 
  your language. The creature must have an intel-
  ligence score higher than 3. You can communicate 
  simple ideas and concepts, such as figuring out where 
  a monster went, where one might find fresh water, 
  if there’s a safe place to camp, and so on. Conveying 
  complex ideas might require a skill challenge, at the 
  Dungeon Master’s discretion.
  In Case You Don’t Know Him
  Bill Slavicsek’s gaming life was forever changed when he 
  discovered Dungeons & Dragons® in 1976. He became a 
  gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West end 
  Games as an editor. He quickly added developer, designer, 
  and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped 
  shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplay-
  ing games. He even found some time during that period to do 
  freelance work for D&D 1st edition. in 1993, Bill joined the 
  staff of TSR, inc. as a designer/editor. He worked on a bunch 
  of 2nd edition material, including products for core D&D, 
  Dark Sun®, Ravenloft®, and Planescape®. in 1997, he was part 
  of the TSR crowd that moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the 
  Coast, and in that year he was promoted to R&D Director for 
  D&D. in that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both the 
  3rd edition and 4th edition of the D&D roleplaying game. 
  He was one of the driving forces behind the D&D Insider 
  project, and he continues to oversee and lead the creative 
  strategy and effort for Dungeons & Dragons.
   
  Bill’s enormous list of credits includes Alternity®, d20 
  Modern®, d20 Star Wars®, Pokemon Jr., Eberron® Campaign 
  Setting, the D&D For Dummies books, and his monthly 
  Ampersand (&) column for Dragon® Magazine.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 4th Edition/Dragon/Dragon_380.pdf