TEXT: 4e’s Got Talent
  Adventurer by day, secret agent by night. 
  Discover Endera
  What is the Three Who Were One? 
  The Relic Guard
  Never ﬁght alone again...
  Special Preview:
  
  #17
  Summer 2010
  www.emeraldpresspdf.com
  I could not feel more proud than right now.
   If you haven’t heard the news yet, then the Internet is not 
  as powerful as CNN makes it out to be. Though it’s rather 
  presumptuous of me to assume that this particular piece of news  
  is breaking the web apart and that everyone is talking about  
  it at work, there are certain times when you get to reward yourself by acting  
  as if everyone should know about it. Somewhere in Europe, George Clooney  
  is sitting around in his credenza asking Matt Damon “Did you hear that 
  Combat Advantage was just nominated for an ENnie award?” And Matt 
  Damon will tell George to stop being such a geek.
   It’s true. (Except for everything with the 
  celebrities.) Just last week, CA15 was listed 
  as one of the ﬁve nominees for Best Free 
  Product. As soon as I read it on my screen, 
  I pounded my ﬁst on the desk, yelled out 
  something that I can’t remember and woke my 
  girlfriend up. But there is no way I can take 
  all the credit. There are numerous people who 
  have pitched in, especially those people whose 
  names you see almost every issue: Vincent Harper, Shawn O’Leary, Tim Rose  
  and Michael Evans. No matter what happens from this point on, we will always 
  be able to look back on this nomination and know that we did it right.
   But this also means we can’t just sit on our laurels and bask in its glow -  
  we have to get ready for next year’s nominations and this issue gets the 
  ball rolling. After an unexpected delay for numerous production hitches,  
  CA is back with a new look. We have an extensive article on providing your 
  PCs with traits and talents to put them to work outside of combat, a dominion 
  clouded in secrets that threaten the balance of existence, a new specialist class 
  for the summoner in all of us, a look at the PAX East 2010 expo, and the entire 
  ﬁrst chapter of our latest release, The Key of the Fey. So stop reading this 
  introduction and get cracking! You’ve got a lot of reading to do.
  Todd Crapper
  Editor-in-Chief, Combat Advantage
  Combat Advantage #17
  Design/Content: 
  Carl Cramer, Todd Crapper,  
  Michael Evans, Shawn O’Leary
  Artwork: Cerberus Illustrations,  
  Dan Houser, Oliver Specht, 
  Layout: Todd Crapper     
  Editors: Vincent Harper
  First Publication 2010,  
  Emerald Press PDF Publishing
  All written content within remains 
  the property of its author and is 
  used with permission for this issue. 
  Previews and content submitted by 
  publishers other than those involved 
  with Combat Advantage have been 
  designed and edited by those listed 
  in the preview unless otherwise 
  noted. Combat Advantage is a free 
  PDF publication supporting the 4th 
  Edition Dungeons & Dragons game 
  published by Wizards of the Coast 
  and published by Todd Crapper and 
  Emerald Press PDF Publishing. All 
  content in this publication meet the 
  requirements of the Game System 
  License, as provided on the last page 
  of this publication.
  Cover:
  An ebony-skinned ﬁgure, possibly 
  a keeper, watches over the fragile 
  peace of Endera.
   Traits & Talents 
  pg 3
  Sometimes, a barbarian dreams of being more than a 
  skull-crusher... Written by Carl Cramer.
  Three Who Were One:  
  The Wandering Plane of Endera 
  pg 25
  There are more secrets buried on this one dominion 
  than most of the Astral Sea. Written by Shawn 
  O’Leary.
  SPECIALIST CLASS:  
  The Relic Guard 
  pg 32
  Never underestimate the power of summoning a rock 
  in battle. Written by Todd Crapper.
  REVIEW:  
  PAX East 2010 
  pg 39 
  Including details on the upcoming Dark Sun campaign 
  setting! Written by Michael Evans
  ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:  
  Oliver Specht 
  pg 44
  
  3
  Traits & Talents
  Traits 
  Traits are an optional set of rules that give characters more options out of combat. They are purchased separately from the skills, feats,  
  and powers described in the 4E Player’s Handbook. The talent rules can be added to the game without retroﬁtting existing characters, merely 
  adding more depth on top of the normal rules. 
  Basics 
  Traits are non-combat versions of feats. They give special abilities that are used to deﬁne a character’s background and are used to represent 
  a character’s livelihood outside of adventuring. This includes role-playing gimmicks and background options. They are also used to purchase 
  talents (non-combat skills). 
  All characters start with three traits at level 1. After that, you gain traits at the same rate as you get new feats; at level 11, 21, and every even 
  level. You can retrain one talent at each new level, in addition to normal retraining limits. 
  There are three types of traits. Like so much else about traits, these classiﬁcations are a general guide and not hard and fast rules.  
  Personal traits are innate abilities, similar to feats. Almost all campaigns can use these. Perks are social advantages or privileges. Subplots are 
  recurring events that comes up again and again in your character’s life and are often a hindrance; the advantage with them is that you get 
  more screen time. 
  Some DMs might ban some or all perks and subplots as too invasive, or just say that a particular plot or perk does not ﬁt the situation 
  in the game. You should ask each time you want to take one. This also serves to inform the DM that you have such a trait, allowing him to 
  use it in the game. 
  by Carl Cramer
  Characters in 4e are very focused on adventuring.  
  Players are free to role-play any skills or traits 
  related to daily life outside the adventuring 
  career. This article presents a system to learn  
  and use noncombat abilities without affecting  
  the rest of the game. 
  
  4
  How to Use Traits 
  Traits are a way to ﬂesh out character without adding substantial beneﬁts. They help deﬁne a role, background, and interests outside 
  adventuring. Unlike feats, there are few perquisites to fulﬁll and little need to plan ahead. 
  You generally don’t chose traits in advance; instead you let circumstances in the campaign dictate how your character develops. Contacts, 
  Romances, and Nemesis are good examples of this - traits you choose after encountering a situation or person in-game that is interesting 
  enough to associate your character with in the long term. 
  Traits are used to learn Talents, non-combat skills that deﬁne your interests and give you an occupation outside your life as an adventurer. 
  Some traits naturally evolve into others and should be retained to reﬂect this. An Hier that comes into his inheritance might retrain  
  as a Baron, an Inﬂuential Friend might become a Contact as you catch up to them socially. But these are exceptions; generally you are not 
  expected to retrain old traits as you achieve new ones that are similar but more powerful, as explained in the introduction to Paragon Traits. 
  Likewise, you have great freedom to assign traits as you please, but you should strive to pick ones that make sense; for certain rogues it might 
  make sense to be the Sheriﬀ, but if you want to play a freewheeling thief, another perk might be a more reasonable option. 
  Many campaigns have a theme, and include ways for characters to interact with this theme. For example, a police story might track contacts, 
  ranks in the police, and your reputation on the street. Players choosing police work as their focus have opportunities to shine. Traits give  
  the DM a way to handle such themes, and also provide an equal opportunity for characters to shine in other ﬁelds, outside the main scope of 
  the story. In the police campaign mentioned above, one player character might be a cleric assigned to aid the police force. Besides being a cop, 
  he is also an Ordained Priest and might advance to become a High Priest. The character’s dealings with his church might never be the focus 
  of the campaign or be played out in detail, yet the character has a career, builds his own clout, and develops socially just as those who focus 
  their lives on the main theme. In fact, it is often easier to advance in a hierarchy that is not in the limelight; the DM might make the position 
  of Lord Justice something the players have to work hard to earn but which also has a direct impact on the game. In comparison, the role of 
  High Priest is easier to get because you do not have to achieve in-game goals to earn it, but it naturally has much less eﬀect on the game. 
  Heroic Traits 
  These deal with personal abilities and subplots and relationships on the local level. 
  Adopted Race (Perk) 
  You have very good relations with a race other than your own, to the point that you are considered a member of this race for social purposes. 
  You are considered to be as honorable as any other member of this race, accepted as one of their own. If you choose humans as your adopted 
  race, this only applies to one human culture; humans are too diverse for any one nonhuman to become accepted amongst all of humanity.  
  The same could apply to other widespread and diverse races in your campaign. 
  Agent (Perk) 
  Prerequisite: Level 4 
  You have an agent who will act on your behalf and represent you. While unwilling to risk his life, the agent will carry out instructions  
  to the best of his ability, and look out for your interests when you are otherwise occupied. He will also travel to represent you in other places 
  and can be sent on missions on his own. In return, the agent expects advice, patronage, and that you use your contacts on his behalf. 
  An agent is an NPC two levels lower than yours of a class and race agreed upon with the DM. If your agent is killed, you will want to retrain 
  this talent. 
  Special: The agent is an NPC and is thus designed by the DM. You can take this talent several times, each time gaining  
  a separate new agent. 
  
  5
  Artiste (Personal) 
  You get a +3 feat bonus to Actor, Dancer, Lover, Musician, Orator, and Singer. 
  Authority (Personal) 
  You get a +3 feat bonus to Lawman, Merchant, Sailor, Soldier, and Valet. 
  Blue Blood (Perk) 
  Your family is old and recognized for its nobility, one of the most prestigious in the land. In a campaign where most everyone is a noble  
  (a chivalry campaign, for example) you may even be of royal blood. 
  Those who care about such things will see you as a born leader, and your career often beneﬁts. It is easy for you to be invited to parties and 
  social functions, and you have relatives in high places. Your word is given due consideration, you are considered a valuable and reliable witness, 
  and you will mostly be assumed to have a good reason to be where you are and doing what you’re doing, even if it might seem ﬁshy. Even 
  those who don’t respect nobility ﬁnd it hard to ignore your manners and bearing; it is clear that you are a person not to be triﬂed with. 
  You’re not automatically wealthy; some nobles are dirt poor. If you get caught with your hands dirty, Blue Blood may backﬁre; everyone 
  loves a good scandal. 
  Cause (Perk) 
  You are a champion for a certain cause, and known by others dedicated to and against this cause. This gives you a set of friends and enemies 
  depending on the exact cause you choose when taking this talent. Causes can be religious, political, or focused on some kind of activity,  
  such as charities. They always have an element of idealism about them; a thieves’ guild is not a cause.
  Charming (Personal) 
  It is easy for you to get into social events, make acquaintances, and generally be very popular in a non-domineering sort of way.  
  There is something about you that makes others care for you if you succeed on a Charisma roll against Will defense. People that would 
  ordinarily be hostile might kidnap you instead of kill you. 
  Clan (Subplot) 
  You are a member of a clan or brotherhood, usually an extended family but sometimes a small tribe or very close-knit group of sworn friends. 
  You do not live your everyday life with your clan (pick Family for that), but you keep in constant touch, sharing joys, sorrows, and information 
  as well as intervening to help each other. 
  Contacts (Perk) 
  Contacts are persons you know and who are friendly to you and sympathetic to the same ideals as you, but not your direct servants or allies. 
  They will gladly supply information, acting as your eyes and ears. They also willingly perform services for you at normal cost, which can be  
  a boon if they deal in something that is outlawed, rare, or otherwise hard to come by. Over time, your network of contacts grows; you gain 
  new ones while some of your old contacts become obsolete. 
  This talent gives you a number of contacts equal to half your level, with a minimum of one contact. You generally acquire a new contact once 
  per level, replacing an old one at odd levels and gaining a new one at even levels. Sometimes, your contacts change slower or quicker than 
  this, but can never have more contacts than your level indicates. 
  A contact should ideally be someone you met and befriended during play. In this way, you can gain inﬂuential contacts; kings, courtiers, 
  important heroes, and other famous individuals. You can ﬂesh out your stable of contacts with NPCs of your own invention, but these 
  are generally not as important or inﬂuential as the ones you meet during play; typical examples are city guardsmen, traders, shopkeepers,  
  local clergy, or minor mystics. 
  
  6
  Deduction (Personal) 
  Once per day when you are speculating as to the intricacies of the plot, the best course of action, or about the motivations of a given 
  character, you can have the GM tell you whether your speculation is correct or incorrect. 
  Disguise (Personal) 
  Prerequisite: Trained in Bluﬀ. 
  With a few minutes of work you can disguise yourself as another person of your approximate size and same basic body shape. Imitating 
  a speciﬁc individual is also possible, but takes a day of preparation and you need to ﬁnd appropriate clothes, wigs, etc. which can be costly, 
  especially if impersonating someone rich. Make a Bluﬀ check opposed by passive Insight to pass inspection. Others inspecting you closely  
  (a minor action) can make an Insight roll against 10 + your Bluﬀ skill modiﬁer to sense something is wrong. 
  Normal: Anyone with Bluﬀ can don a disguise, but it takes longer to put on and needs more special materials. 
  Drifter (Subplot) 
  You spend a lot of time on the road, and have a tendency to just happen to be there when it happens. Any time another character is alone 
  and needs help, you can show up if it’s at all plausible. Even in non-dangerous scenes you have a tendency to just be there. 
  Eerie (Perk) 
  There is something odd and unusual about you that makes others leave you alone. This might be a mannerism, such as talking to yourself or 
  staring vacantly into space, or an indeﬁnable aura. The end result is that people expect odd things from you and around you, and will pay no 
  heed to such occurrences unless they cause some kind of direct harm. They might think you a harmless eccentric or leave you alone out of fear. 
  If there is a witch-hunt in the area, this can backﬁre; people too cowardly or reserved to do something themselves might still report on you. 
  Fame (Personal) 
  Prerequisite: Trained in the Celebrity talent. 
  You gain a +3 feat bonus to the Celebrity talent. 
  Family (Subplot) 
  You live with your family, usually either parents and siblings or spouse and 
  children. Your family has a home appropriate to your station and gives you a base 
  of security and respectability. The DM can involve some or all of your family in 
  the plot. 
  Fans (Perk) 
  Prerequisite: Trained in the Celebrity talent. 
  You have a group of followers who look up to you, but who do not work for 
  you. On many occasions, they will turn up and oﬀer to help, fawn over you, or 
  just hang around. This is often helpful, but sometimes annoying. Fans will not 
  accompany you on adventures and never enter dungeons. 
  At any time, you have a number of fans equal to your Charisma score hanging 
  around. All your followers are NPC minions no higher than two levels lower than 
  you. All details are determined by the DM. Rarely, a powerful person or even a 
  monster might turn out to be a fan, in which case he or she is likely to be extra 
  pushy and demanding. 
  
  7
  Fashion Sense (Perk) 
  You have good taste, knowledge of fashions, and an understanding of what to wear to provoke a reaction. This lets you dress well for every 
  occasion, and gives you the savvy to dress oddly without causing a scandal. 
  Fixer (Perk) 
  You have market connections, and can sell or buy almost anything, even contraband, illegal items, loot that needs to be fenced, and other 
  goods that are normally hard to trade in. You still pay market prices; this is mainly useful if you want to trade in proscribed goods or keep  
  a very low proﬁle. 
  Followers (Perk) 
  You have a group of followers who work for you. They serve in some capacity; for example as a garrison, police force, ship’s crew, caravan 
  drivers, or guild thieves. They report to you, and you can give them orders slightly outside the scope of their normal activity, but they will not 
  accompany you on adventures and never enter dungeons. 
  You have a number of followers equal to your Charisma score, and it they take losses they return to this number as soon as plausible - either 
  because you get new followers, or because defeated ones return to action. 
  All your followers are identical NPC minions two levels lower than you of a class and race agreed upon with the DM. 
  Special: You can take this talent several times, each time getting a separate group of followers. 
  Gold Digger (Personal) 
  You are good at ingratiating yourself to rich and powerful people. Having you around and spending money on you makes people feel rich 
  and successful. This makes it easy for you to live oﬀ others and join parties and social occasions as a hanger-on. Actually gaining riches or 
  inﬂuence will require more eﬀort. 
  Guild Member (Perk) 
  You are a member of an established guild; a conservative organization that exists to further the professional interests of its members.  
  Heroes tend to join artists’, mages’, mercenaries’, and thieves’ guilds, but there are many other guilds organizing all kinds of occupations. 
  A guild provides little direct help, but has facilities you can use with skills, martial practices, and rituals, and can provide access to markets. 
  Guilds are a great source of trainers, aides, and expertise. They also have medical resources, act as insurers and advocates, and have a pension 
  fund, but such services are generally of little interest to adventurers. 
  Handyman (Personal) 
  You get a +3 feat bonus to Jeweler, Leatherworker, Mechanic, Smith, Stoneworker, and Tailor. 
  Heir (Perk) 
  It is well known that Something Marvelous is coming your way. Typically, you pick a paragon perk you are about to inherit (or an epic perk 
  if you are of paragon level). People will know you are the heir apparent and fawn over you accordingly, though there are no direct beneﬁts 
  whatsoever. 
  
  8
  Integrity (Subplot) 
  Prerequisite: Good or Lawful Good alignment 
  You have a great deal of integrity, and it shows. People ﬁnd you to be a fair arbiter, an impartial witness, and a trustworthy leader;  
  even if you never strive for positions of responsibility, people tend to put their trust in you and turn to you when they need someone to assume 
  responsibility. 
  Inf luential Friend (Subplot) 
  You have a friend in a high position, corresponding to a perk talent one tier above your own. This can be a childhood friend, an accidental 
  acquaintance, a lover, or otherwise someone in an oﬃcial capacity who you know privately. For example, at the heroic tier, you might have  
  an inﬂuential friend with an Army or who is a Minister, while at the paragon level your inﬂuential friend can even be a King. At the epic 
  level, you can potentially have a divine being as your inﬂuential friend. 
  Inclined to act in your favor, an inﬂuential friend has many other obligations and this makes him unreliable. An inﬂuential friend likes you 
  and wants to correspond with you or spend time with you, but is aware that showing you preferential treatment is somewhat irresponsible 
  and thus does not provide the full support of a Mentor. Pressuring an inﬂuential friend can produce grand results in the short term, but may 
  easily backﬁre. 
  Knight (Perk) 
  You are an acknowledged member of a warrior caste with a code to uphold. This is not nobility, but close to it. In many cultures, knighthood 
  is a martial archetype, but it need not be; Chinese knights were martial artists and a fantasy world can easily have supernatural guardians with 
  a similar creed. As a knight (or local equivalent) you are known to follow a code, which makes you trusted and respected. Your word is held 
  in high regard. You can expect free room and board almost anywhere you go. People turn to you with their troubles and expect you to help. 
  Lackey (Perk) 
  Prerequisite: Level 4 
  You have a lackey who will provide for and serve you as long as it involves little personal risk. The lackey will travel with you, take care  
  of your mounts or carriage, arrange for food and lodging, set up camp, stand guard, and do other domestic duties. A lackey avoids combat 
  and only ﬁghts if sorely pressed. Sometimes, a lackey might provide more exiting services, such as opening a locked chest you bring back to 
  camp, scouting, or acting as a foil, but never in competition with another player character. A lackey can have an interesting background or 
  personal relationship with you. 
  The lackey is an NPC two levels lower than you, of a class and race agreed upon with the DM, and designed by the DM. 
  Special: You can take this talent several times, each time gaining a separate lackey. If your lackey is killed, you will want to retrain  
  this talent. 
  Language (Personal) 
  Choose a language. You can now speak, read, and write this language ﬂuently. 
  Special: You can take this talent more than once. Each time you select this talent, choose a new language to learn. Unlike the Linguist feat, 
  this has no prerequisite. 
  Lip Reading (Personal) 
  Prerequisite: Training in Insight. 
  You have the ability to decipher what people are saying merely from looking at their lips moving, as long as you can get a reasonably good 
  view of a speaker’s lips and know the language. Certain parts may be obscure or missing or require an Insight roll to understand correctly.  
  If they have reason to be careful, an Insight roll against their Bluﬀ is required. 
  
  9
  Type
  Skill
  Origin
  Notes 
  Ghosts 
  Religion 
  Shadoworld
  Individualistic. Wants to carry out unfulﬁlled desires from their lives. 
  Nature spirits 
  Nature 
  Natural world 
  Care about environmental issues, the daily life of animals, and primal rituals. 
  Elementals 
  Arcana 
  Elemental Chaos 
  Wild. Sometimes out to right a perceived wrong, many just want to vent their rage 
  Fey Spirits 
  Arcana 
  Feyrealm
  Mischievous. Wants to bring magic into the world, for good or ill. Loves riddles and tricks. 
  Abberant Spirits 
  Dungeoneering 
  Far Realm 
  Incomprehensible. Give visions both hard to decipher and profoundly disquieting. 
  Virtues 
  Religion 
  Astral Sea 
  Idealistic; some are benign, others infernal. Visions have to do with morals and ideals. 
  Medium (Subplot) 
  When you take this trait, select one type of spirit from the table below. You are aligned with that particular type of spirit, who sometimes 
  gives you visions and advice. Each type of spirit is associated with a particular skill; you can use that skill to seek information. Thich is much 
  the same as asking around using the Streetwise skill, only the answers are colored by the nature of the spirits with which you commune. 
  No-one but you or another medium can sense or interact with these spirits in any way. 
  Mentor (Perk) 
  You have mentor or employer that sees you as a trusted agent. The mentor is a constant source of information, employment opportunities, 
  and often useless advice. 
  The DM is encouraged to use the mentor as an adventure hook and patron, and might tailor beneﬁts and rewards to the mentor’s outlook on 
  you. You can also turn to the mentor for help and advice, but a mentor will not accept being used and will avoid becoming directly involved 
  in the action. The mentor is a powerful ﬁgure, which might or might not mean that he is a high-level character. A rich merchant, inﬂuential 
  queen, or behind-the-scenes monster can function as a mentor just as well as the classic warrior lord or wizard sage. 
  The exact details of your mentor are up to the DM and unknown to you. A mentor might have a secret agenda and use you as a pawn in it, 
  but is rarely hostile to your ideals. 
  Mistaken Identity (Subplot) 
  Your identity is commonly mistaken, either for a speciﬁc person or for a role other than your own. You are known for traits and abilities  
  you do not possess, based on misinterpretation, rumors, or just plain lies. A commoner ﬁghter could be known as a magical prince, a holy man, 
  or a demon summoner. People inﬂuenced by your Celebrity status will have heard of this false repute, and react accordingly; others gathering 
  information about you will only ﬁnd the mistaken identity information unless they pass the check with a margin of 10 or more.
  Nemesis (Subplot) 
  Your fate and purpose is linked to a particular enemy. You and this enemy are bound to run across each other again and again, and you have 
  a mysterious way of ending up in one-on-one encounters with this enemy. In addition, your nemesis advances in power as you do, and has an 
  amazing ability to survive and return to ﬁght another day. And should he die, there is always someone else on the sidelines, ready to step in. 
  The DM has to approve your choice of nemesis; it is generally best to pick a nemesis you’ve met during play and that proved particularly 
  interesting, memorable, and loathsome. 
  Ordained Priest (Perk) 
  You are an ordained and recognized member of the oﬃcial clergy of an important religious order. You can oﬃciate at ceremonies  
  and perform religious functions; this makes you a trusted individual and makes sure you are aware of the local gossip. People will naturally 
  turn to you with spiritual and supernatural problems. 
  
  10
  Note that not all divine characters need to have this talent. Many clerics have internal duties within their churches and almost never meet 
  lay people, others are free wanderers with no oﬃcial sanction or responsibilities. Some churches do not have the formal structure this feat 
  implies at all. 
  Perfect Recall (Personal) 
  You have perfect recall; years afterward, you can call up the precise words of a conversation or recall details of a room seen only at a glance. 
  This allows you to analyze as scene from memory as though you were actually present there. You can retroactively use the Perception skill  
  to notice things you didn’t to look for when you were actually there, which in turn might give more information from knowledge skills. 
  Player (Perk) 
  You are never seen in social circles without a beautiful companion on your arm and you are known as a man or woman of the world. You are 
  well known at night spots and get VIP treatment in most establishments. Depending on your style, your companions might be lovers, friends, 
  artists you patronize, or just about anything else you can come up with. Your relationship with these people is congenial and warm, but never 
  very serious; you neither expect nor give exclusive attention to any one of them. 
  Power Signature (Personal) 
  There is something special about the way you use powers. This is a purely visual eﬀect and does not change what the powers actually do, 
  but it makes your power-use distinctive and noticeable. Choose one visual eﬀect for your powers; this can be something like ﬂaming skulls, 
  psychic shock waves, or celestial light. A martial character would usually have a more mundane power signature, such as carving your initials 
  or leaving a signature item behind, though some actually leave traces of ephemeral energy when they perform their amazing moves. 
  A power signature generally makes it easier for others to recognize your handiwork. If you succeed at a Celebrity roll, people will recognize 
  your power signature even from a distance and react accordingly. It can serve as an alibi (I could never have done that; everyone knows  
  my magic is green) or as a lead for an investigator. It is possible to fake your power signature, so it is not enough to count as evidence against 
  you. 
  Presence (Personal) 
  Prerequisite: Trained in Intimidation. 
  You are very good at projecting your image, be it scary or dazzling. This is great for becoming the center of attention. You can make  
  an Intimidate roll as a free action when someone ﬁrst spots you; on a success they take note of you. They do not become friendly or hostile; 
  they merely focus some of their attention on you. 
  Professional Fame (Personal) 
  Prerequisite: Trained as a Celebrity. 
  Your fame is based on your professional abilities, not on your magnetism and presence. Select any one ability except Charisma; your modiﬁer 
  in the Celebrity in now based on that ability rather than on Charisma. 
  Romance (Subplot) 
  You have a complex and troubled romance that enhances your role in the campaign. This is not just any relationship, but one involving 
  someone you cannot easily get together with; your king and sovereign or the daughter of an arch enemy, perhaps even a nemesis. There are 
  usually other complications as well; unrequited love, duty, racial diﬀerences, and other hindrances. Alternatively your romance is trouble-
  prone, and needs constant help and attention. 
  Having a quiet relationship does not require this trait; this is for a romance that takes up some actual screen time. Still, you might want to 
  pick it for a normal relationship, just to pin it down and make it a more deﬁnite part of the game world. 
  
  11
  Romance-Prone (Subplot) 
  You constantly tend to get romantically entangled, but these romances rarely last. 
  Scholar (Personal) 
  You get a +3 feat bonus to Architect, Apothecary, Governor, Painter, Scribe, and Stargazer. 
  Scrounging (Personal) 
  You have a tendency to pick stuﬀ up and keep it around for no clear reason, and an ability to ﬁnd uses for all this junk. This lets you 
  improvise and scrounge for food and gear in trash bins and ruins. Use your Dungeoneering, Nature, or Streetwise for this, depending on the 
  environment. You can come up with improvised weapons like staves, clubs, and daggers, as well as makeshift tools that negate the penalty 
  for lack of a toolkit. You do not need to exactly specify your equipment list. You can specify items that are in your pack, without specifying 
  them ahead of time. Such an item must be reasonably common in the area, the DM can veto items he considers outrageous. It can neither 
  weight more than 1 lb per point of Strength you have nor cost more than 5% of a magic item of your level. When you specify an item like this,  
  you immediately pay its normal cost. 
  Secret Agent (Perk) 
  You are the member of a secret society, a fanatic group with a speciﬁc agenda. As long as you obey all orders with enthusiasm and devote 
  yourself to the organization, you can expect their support. Fail them even a little and things can turn sour. In general, a player character secret 
  agent will not be given suicidal orders, but if you don’t live up to the expectations of the organization, you can expect very stern reprisals 
  indeed. You can expect the full support of the organization; this can range from payment for special missions, information, fencing your loot, 
  and other trivial services, to a suicide assault against your enemies by fanatic brothers in the cult. Typical secret societies are cults, spy rings, 
  cabals, mystic orders, and the most close-knit of criminal gangs. 
  Secret Identity (Personal) 
  You know how to keep a low proﬁle. Your personal life is your own, and people in general do not know who you are or what you can do. 
  This might be because you have a secret identity or simply stand back and let your companions take the limelight. Streetwise rolls to ﬁnd out 
  things about your personal life suﬀer a +10 diﬃculty modiﬁer. 
  If you are a Celebrity, you are a mysterious adventurer whos true identity no-one knows. Regardless of how famous you are, you won’t 
  generally be recognized unless in your heroic identity. 
  Sheriff (Perk) 
  You have law enforcement powers and can make arrests, repossess goods, hand out ﬁnes, and otherwise disperse justice. You can deputize 
  others to act under your supervision. You have a limited area of jurisdiction, but even outside this area, a sheriﬀ is accorded much more respect 
  from other law-enforcement oﬃcials than a civilian. If you are ever caught with your hands dirty, you can expect the full force of the law  
  to strike down on your errant behavior. 
  Signature Item (Perk) 
  You possess an item that has a great potential as a magic item. You know a special ritual to transfer the power of other magic items into your 
  signature item. 
  Choose one speciﬁc type of magic item to be your signature item. This must be a weapon, implement, suit of armor, or neck slot item.  
  Your signature item does not start out with this enchantment, but you know a special variant of the Create Magic Item ritual that only works 
  on your signature item. You can only enchant your signature item with the one enchantment you choose when you selected the item, or with 
  a generic plus only enchantment if your level is too low to create an item of your chosen type. You can use another magic item to power  
  the ritual, using its full value to pay all or part of the enchantment cost. 
  
  12
  If your signature item is lost or destroyed, you will want to retrain this talent. 
  Special: You can take this talent several times. Each time you do, it applies to a diﬀerent 
  item. 
  Signature Mount (Perk) 
  Prerequisites: Special Mount, Mounted Combat feat
  Your Special Mount will advance in level as you do, using the normal rules for increasing 
  monster levels. 
  Special Mount (Perk) 
  You have acquired the services of a special mount, often of a type not easily found.  
  Choose a creature of your level or lower. The mounts from Adventurers Vault are generally 
  available, and the DM might allow you to select a truly exotic creature if it makes sense in play. 
  Elite, Leader, and Solo monsters are generally too strong to be special mounts. The mount 
  will carry you in combat and allow you to use its Mount ability if you have Mounted Combat,  
  but it will not otherwise partake in adventures or ﬁght for you except to defend itself. 
  Note: Though not required, the feat Mounted Combat greatly increases the value of your 
  special mount. To gain a new special mount, either to change or because the old one died,  
  you must respecify this talent. 
  Talented (Personal) 
  You gain training in one talent. 
  Special: You can take this talent more than once. Each time you select this talent, choose a talent in which you are not trained. 
  True Identity (Subplot) 
  You have a secret but signiﬁcant identity, and this identity is destined to become known and/or play a part in upcoming events.  
  You can be such magniﬁcent things as the long-lost child of the old king, the destined savior of all lizardfolk, or a dragon bound to human 
  form and abilities by a curse. The DM has to approve your choice, and it’s usually best to pick your true identity in play, once you know what 
  the campaign is all about. 
  Victim (Subplot) 
  You have a tendency to end up as a victim; when someone is to be captured, mugged, or otherwise fall victim to a subplot, it tends to be you. 
  Taking this trait means you’ll accept that the DM hand-waves situations where you fall into peril and have to be rescued or work to escape, 
  but DMs are of course encouraged to try and make this as fun and non-disruptive as possible. 
  Unusual Background (Personal) 
  You have an unusual or incredible background, such as having been teleported across half the world by a crazed wizard. While this does 
  not allow you to take options the DM does not want in his game, it can serve as an excuse to play something odd or unusual. Obviously, 
  you have to take this talent before you pick the odd option, usually at level 1. You can only respecify it if the campaign changes so that your 
  background is no longer unusual. 
  
  13
  Paragon Traits 
  These traits become available at level 11. At this level, character can assume social obligations and responsibilities, gaining power and 
  inﬂuence thereby, but also assuming responsibilities. The practical beneﬁts of such a position rarely apply to adventuring, but are rewards in 
  themselves as they give you prestige, social status, and a role in the campaign. It is generally a good idea to have an Agent to run the practical 
  side of such a position of responsibility, leaving you free to adventure. 
  In many cases, paragon traits build on heroic traits, but they generally do not replace them, nor have them as prerequisites. Instead, paragon 
  traits build on and expand upon heroic traits. For example, it is possible to be a Baron without having Blue Blood, but if you have both you 
  get the additional respect due a true blue-blooded scion of an ancient lineage. You can retrain Blue Blood to take Baron, but in this case this 
  means you have advanced beyond your origin; your family is ancient but not originally baronial, and you are still seen as an upstart when you 
  become a full baron. The eﬀect of lacking relevant heroic traits has been explained in the description of some paragon traits. Even when it is 
  not explicitly said, paragon traits expand upon, but do not supersede, similar heroic traits. 
  Peerage: Some paragon traits elevate you to the peerage; the ruling class. Not all peers are formal nobility, but as a peer you do have regional 
  inﬂuence and wide-ranging respect. A peer has access to government and court, can arrange to be invited to almost any social event, and is 
  generally considered to be a part of the ruling elite. 
  Paragon feats give you access to great prestige and recognition, and you should choose such a position sensibly. While it is certainly possible 
  for a rogue to be a High Priest in a church that has gone political, such a position is generally more appropriate to a divine class character. 
  The DM has ﬁnal say on what traits you can pick. If your area of expertise is the focus of the campaign, you should expect to have to work 
  for your advancement; becoming a baron might be the focus of a feudal campaign and something you have to do great deeds to accomplish.  
  In other games, being a baron is just a backdrop, a wayside honor largely irrelevant to your adventuring activities. In this case it is usually 
  easier to gain, but the impact on the campaign is much less. 
  Army (Perk) 
  You have a horde or army of low-level followers to call upon. When in active service, these followers take time and money to maintain, 
  though a successful campaign generally pays its own expenses and you can have them employed to patrol or as a garrison to defray costs. 
  The army has a comprehensive look-and-feel; an infantry force, engineering corps, barbarian horde, or cavalry squadron. You build it like  
  an encounter, with an XP budget equal to the gp cost of a magic item of your level. No member of your army has a higher level than half 
  your own level. An army can be used for military campaigns, as guards, and for other tasks that need a lot of people; they are not very useful 
  on adventures. 
  Special: This feat can be taken several times, each time with a diﬀerent army, often diﬀerent in style. 
  Baron (Perk, Peer) 
  You are a regional landowner of considerable power, controlling a town or several villages. Beneﬁts include a corps of guards similar to half 
  an Army, and a castle, but these guards are needed in the area and cannot range far or take part in adventures. You are also a political ﬁgure 
  of importance, and your voice will be heard on most matters. 
  Note: If you lack the Blue Blood talent, you are newly ennobled; while admired for your prowess, you do not gain the full respect due 
  ancestral peers of the realm. 
  Courtier (Perk, Peer) 
  You are a well-known hanger-on at court. Though you have no oﬃcial capacity, your wit, grace, and many friends assure that you are always 
  welcome in high-class society, without any responsibilities. 
  
  14
  Genius (Perk, Peer) 
  Prerequisites: Celebrity 
  You are recognized as especially gifted; your works are given the highest regard. This is usually applicable to artists, but activists, muckrakers, 
  priests, scholars, and philosophers can also qualify. Whatever you say or do is news, and your opinion weighs heavily on public opinion.  
  This gives you little direct power, but access to the highest circles. And if you are insulted or express your dislike of something, it can cause 
  social chaos. 
  Guild Master (Perk, Peer) 
  You are a master of a guild, or in the case of very large and powerful guilds, a ranking oﬃcial and regional leader. A guild is a professional 
  organization as outlined under Guild Member above. You can call on your subordinates for support and professional services; this allows you 
  to delegate work related to your organization. The guild also reports to you, which gives you a great deal of information. 
  Notes: Unless you are also a Guild Member, you do not gain access to guild resources like a guild member does; you are assumed to lead the 
  guild from above, not be a working member. 
  Haunted (Personal, Peer) 
  You are a magnet for spirits and poltergeist events. Odd but minor things happen near you; milk goes sour, animals walk on their hind legs, 
  apparitions appear, and ghostly voices bemoan their fate. This gives you a solid reputation as a spooky person whose interests are not to be 
  crossed; ordinary people dare not oppose your interest, though they might petition lords and heroes to help them if you become an acute 
  threat. Even persons of import show you a mix of fear and respect, but more guardedly. Overusing respect earned this way can backﬁre. 
  Notes: This makes you a part of the peerage but as a feared outsider; you are the wicked stepmother type who has to crash the party,  
  but who no-one dares throw out once you get there. 
  High Priest (Perk, Peer) 
  You are  a regional leader of a religious order, comparable to a bishop in rank. You can set the policy of the local church, and learn a lot of 
  information about religious and magical events. You can declare holidays and feast days, and are expected to oﬃciate at important ceremonies; 
  if you do not it is seen as divine censure and can cause political and divine repercussions. Unless you are also an Ordained Priest, you do not 
  have the grassroots contacts that position brings. 
  Lord Justice (Perk, Peer) 
  You are in a high judiciary position; depending on the locale, this can be a barbarian law-speaker, a chief of police, or a robed and bewigged 
  judge. In either case, your voice is given high regard on matters judiciary, and you are expected to resolve conﬂicts and settle disputes.  
  Though it is not mandatory to be a skilled Governor to take this position, it is generally very hard to be a respected judge without such 
  expertise. 
  Magical Warden (Perk, Peer) 
  You are the guardian of a magical site; this can be a gateway to another world or a place of power. It is best to choose a place of power that 
  has already appeared in the campaign, so that it has an already established magical eﬀect. Typical eﬀects of such sites are to aid certain rituals 
  or allow travel to other planes. They also act as monster magnets; your presence inﬂuences what kinds of monsters appear, generally insuring 
  they are amenable to your cause. A site with a responsible warden is an asset to its neighbors, and this position gives you social standing 
  approximately equal to that of a baron or bishop. 
  
  15
  Mastermind (Perk) 
  You are the regional master of an organization of Secret Agents. Your word is law to your lesser brothers. They are willing to do anything 
  for you, but their fanaticism makes the society frail; it is easy to carelessly throw away the lives of your followers if you are not careful.  
  This is best used for inﬁltration, surveillance, and to provide services and market contacts. None of your agents have a level higher than half 
  your own level. 
  Minister (Perk, Peer) 
  You have made a political career and won access to important political venues; as a royal council, minister, or other position close to the seat 
  of power. In this way you are a power behind the throne, with insight in, and inﬂuence over, policy. 
  Mole
  Prerequisite: Trained in Bluﬀ. 
  You are a master of disguise and inﬁltration. You often turn up to help your comrades at the most unexpected times, disguised as one  
  of the bad guys. This can make an alternate entrance for you in a scenario, or it can be a way to turn up in a scene where you wouldn’t 
  ordinarily be, able to help another character in a split party situation. 
  Navy (Perk) 
  You have one or more ships at your command. The vessels are worth as much as a magic item of your level, and the crew is an Army with 
  an XP budget of half that. You might not own these ships - it can be a merchant ﬂotilla, part of a navy, or pirates - but you can use it on 
  adventures and the crews are loyal to you; for all practical purposes it is yours. The crews stay with the ship and will never enter a dungeon. 
  Oracle (Perk, Peer) 
  You claim to have visions, and these are generally recognized as true and valid; people believe you speak with the voice of supernatural 
  authority. They might not agree, but they certainly take note of what you say. A true oracle is also a Medium, and for a Medium-Oracle 
  spiritual visitations are everyday events; your fame has spread both in the spirit world and the mundane world. If you are not a Medium, you 
  are a fake (but still respected) oracle and can invent your own mystic revelations. 
  Paragon of Power (Personal, Peer) 
  Your association with an element or force is strong enough that the eﬀect goes with you wherever you go. Decide on an eﬀect related to 
  the powers you have. Typical examples include elements, times of day, seasons, and so on. Wherever you go, the eﬀect you are related to 
  grows stronger. If you are related to winter, it is always cold where you are, if you are related to spring ﬂowers bloom in tour path, and so on.  
  While this has no direct game eﬀect, it establishes you as a personage of power and importance. 
  Patron of the Arts (Perk) 
  You have arranged to support artists in your name, either by spending money directly or (more commonly) through the channels you gain 
  from other social paragon traits. As a result, you are seen in a good light in the artist community, which helps you create a good public image, 
  portraying yourself in the best possible light. This serves to enhance any fame or titles you already have, letting you aﬀect how others see you 
  and talk about you. You gain a +2 bonus to the Celebrity talent. 
  
  16
  Representative (Perk, Peer) 
  You are a political representative of the ruling body of your country. If your country has a parliament, you can be a member. You might also 
  be an ambassador from a foreign country or people, a spokesman for a major noble family, free city, judicial council, or otherwise represent  
  a powerful independent interest. This makes you something of an outsider, you don’t have access to government (choose Minster for that),  
  but you can make political appeals and have them respected and your opinion is given due weight. You can add power and prestige  
  to whatever side you support. If you are mistreated or ignored, there might be unrest in the group you represent. 
  Paragon Adventurer (Perk, Peer) 
  You are recognized for your superior abilities as an adventurer and the power of you class. You might be known as a magus, master thief,  
  or dragon-slaying warrior. Whatever your abilities, they have given you wide recognition. You can freely associate with nobility as an equal, 
  and your advice is sought on matters great and small. If you are also a Celebrity, this extends to the general populace; otherwise you are mainly 
  recognized among other peers. 
  Paragon Companion (Perk, Peer) 
  You are the recognized companion of persons of power. While your own powers are not recognized, no-one denies your right to mingle in 
  the peerage. You gain respect not for your own position or abilities, but because of the status of those you associate with, most commonly 
  because you are the known hanger-on to a Paragon Adventurer or closely associated with a personage of the peerage. You can be a heroic 
  sidekick, the ﬁrst lady, high priestess’ consort, or the younger scion of a great noble. 
  This can be good way into the peerage if you have a Secret Identity or otherwise don’t want to draw attention to yourself while still having 
  access to the highest circles of society. You do not have the respect due a true peer or Paragon Adventurer, but neither do you have the 
  notoriety; people tend to underestimate you and your abilities. 
  Paragon Talent (Personal) 
  Select one talent in which you are trained. You gain a +4 bonus with this talent. You can select this trait several times, each time selecting  
  a diﬀerent talent. 
  Sage (Perk, Peer) 
  Prerequisite: Trained in History. 
  You are an established academic authority, the recognized voice of truth, knowledge, and reason. You are called on to resolve disputes  
  and pronounce the truth about history and law. While you have no direct power, your opinion carries great weight and only a fool would 
  refuse you access to their inner council. 
  Trendsetter (Perk) 
  Prerequisites: Trained as a Celebrity. 
  You have the presence and fame to create fashion trends. If you also have Fashion Sense, the trends you create are in good taste and become 
  successful. Otherwise, it is very hit-and-miss; people imitate your style, but often do not win acclaim for it, which tends to create cliques  
  and subcultures. Either way, you are notorious in fashionable circles. 
  Being a trendsetter can apply to other areas as well. If you are either a great patron of something, or a skilled professional working  
  in the ﬁeld, you can create trends outside of fashion. Such ﬁelds include Architecture, Litterature, Music, Fine Arts, Professional Dance, 
  Sculpture, and Theatre. 
  
  17
  Epic Traits 
  At this level you approach absolute power as an independent monarch or other great leader.  
  Epic traits often give worldwide inﬂuence, but this inﬂuence is vague. If you want direct inﬂuence 
  in a smaller area, it is generally wise to hold on to your paragon traits. If you retrain your old traits, 
  you are assumed to have retired from such low-status jobs in order to enjoy the beneﬁts of your 
  new exalted position, leaving day-to-day activities (and the inﬂuence they bring) to someone 
  new. 
  Archpriest (Perk) 
  You are the titular head of your religion, and can give orders to high priests. Your word is law 
  in religious matters, though it takes tact and diplomacy to get the law implemented across  
  the world. 
  Chancellor (Perk) 
  You are the prime minister or president of a major power, responsible for day-to-day policy 
  decisions and in charge of the judicial, ﬁnancial, and diplomatic corps. 
  Epic Adventurer (Perk) 
  You are recognized for your superior class abilities, known as an archmage, legendary thief,  
  or master of dragons. Whatever your abilities, they have given you world-wide recognition. You can associate with royalty as an equal,  
  and your personal inﬂuence is that of a small nation. 
  Epic Aura (Personal) 
  Somehow, your epic status is obvious to all you meet. This might be an actual physical aura, or it might be your bearing or some unidentiﬁable 
  quality about you. Either way, you will always be treated with the respect due your legendary status. People will not recognize what epic 
  hero you are unless you pass a Celebrity roll, but they will know you are epic. Their exact behavior depends on their own status and attitude,  
  but they will accept and respect you as an epic presence. 
  Epic Ideal (Subplot) 
  You are an inspiration and rallying point for others who share your ideals. Heroes wander far and wide to meet you, nations build their 
  national identity around your presence, and pilgrims visit your home and places where you have performed epic deeds. This makes you  
  a topic of devotion and conversation even in your absence. When you are around, people who support your ideal ﬂock to your banner, making 
  it much easier to start a political movement, rebellion, or to gather a crusade. 
  Epic Talent (Personal) 
  Select one talent for which you have the Paragon Talent trait. You gain a +3 bonus with this talent. You can select this trait several times, 
  each time selecting a diﬀerent trait. 
  Icon of Art (Perk) 
  You are beyond famous; one of the icons of the world of culture. Though there is no way you can perform for all who want to see you,  
  your works are carried on by others; imitators and those inspired by you or performing your works before new audiences. Whenever your 
  presence becomes known in civilized areas, fans are likely to gather, in the faint hope of hearing you perform. 
  
  18
  King (Perk) 
  You are the lord of a county. You might bear a diﬀerent title and your powers might not be absolute, but you are the ﬁnal executive authority 
  of a nation, if not a major power. 
  Legend (Subplot) 
  You are a legend in your own time. The tales told of your exploits makes you seem larger-than-life, so fantastic that people barely believe you 
  exist. They talk about you in hushed voices, and might not recognize you on sight - unless you project an awesome aura of power. Once they 
  understand who you are, they will be awed by meeting a legend - but also become able to form their own opinion. 
  This trait gives you no recognition value; you have clout from the results of your actions and people respect you as a hidden force in the 
  world, but your person remains unrecognized and your identity can remain secret. 
  Magical Locus (Perk) 
  The mark of a saint or archmage, you embody magical phenomena to such a degree that supernatural eﬀects happen spontaneously up 
  to a mile away from you. Choose one type of eﬀect such as plants growing in barren soil, the dead reanimating, the sick getting cured,  
  or supernatural creatures of a certain type manifesting. You have no direct control over this, but eﬀects are generally benign to you and your 
  interests. The level of such events is on the heroic scale and around 20 levels below your own. 
  Marshal (Perk) 
  You command the military forces of a major power; a large nation or military alliance. You can call a levy and demand armies from regional 
  lords and allies. 
  Mogul (Perk) 
  You are a master of professional and commercial ventures, a merchant lord or guilder of worldwide repute. Wherever you go, members  
  of your profession come out to greet you and seek your aid and advice. You do not hold direct authority, but your inﬂuence can drive nations 
  bankrupt. 
  Shadow Lord (Perk) 
  You are a master of plots and secrets, aware of and in a position to manipulate several Masterminds, either because you are their shadow 
  mentor, or because you have inﬁltrated their organizations. Your information network is vast, and you can cause all kinds of events all over 
  the world, but you have little direct control over what your minions do; such control would jeopardize security. 
  Persona of Power (Perk) 
  You are an established presence in the highest circles of epic power. This includes the presence of such august personages as gods, archdevils, 
  demon lords, primordials, elder dragons, fey archons, and elemental lords. You might not strictly be related to any of these groups, but you are 
  accepted among them, if not as an equal, at least as someone worth respect and civility, someone to be talked to. 
  Prophet (Perk) 
  You receive direct guidance from a supernatural source - or at least people believe you do. Strangers treat you as the emissary of a god -  
  or demon lord. If you are also a Medium, your visions are genuine, and the power level of the spirits guiding you has increased manifold; you 
  now hear the voice of past kings, primordials, and demon princes, archfey, or gods. If you are also an Oracle your visions are frequent. 
  Notes: There is a danger in playing a genuine prophet; you are a tool of fate and lose some control over your character. In many cases,  
  it is more interesting to play a false prophet or one at odds with his visions, who sees but does not fully believe. In other cases, the DM might 
  simply let you decide what your visions are; it all depends on the needs of the campaign. 
  
  19
  Visionary (Subplot) 
  Your ideas run like wildﬁre through the world. Whether the listener knows who spoke them or not, your views and ideas spread rapidly, 
  possibly changing the life of millions. If you express dislike for something, it comes under immediate public scrutiny. If you express  
  a preference for something, it is likely to garner followers and grow into a popular movement. 
  Talents 
  Talents are the non-combat equivalents of skills, and rules that apply to skills apply to talents as well. Talents are considered skills for abilities 
  that aﬀect the use of skills, such as the Jack of All Trades feat. Characters do not start with training in any talents; they must be mastered  
  by taking the Talented trait. 
  Background and Profession 
  Talents are useful in deﬁning and ﬂeshing out character backgrounds. Talents are not a complete inventory of medieval occupations. Many 
  vocations lack a corresponding talent. Some people who make their living that way are unskilled, using abilities directly, such as Strength  
  for manual labor. Others use regular skills such as Nature for farming, hunting and ﬁshing, or Dungeoneering for mining. 
  Gaining Training 
  A character uses the Talented trait to become trained in a talent. There are many talents, and they are much more specialized than skills. 
  There are traits that give you a bonus to several talents at once, indicating an interest in a wide but related ﬁeld. Unless you have decided on 
  a particular talent to learn, these traits are often a good place to start. You can further improve a talent by training it, and specialize further at 
  the paragon and epic levels, for a total bonus of +15 to any particular talent. This gives talents the same range of values skills have, allowing 
  DMs to use the same range of diﬃculties. Keeping a talent at the maximum value requires the investment of 5 traits and is thus an expensive 
  proposition; DMs should let players with high values in their talents shine. 
  Using Talents 
  Talents generally have no application in combat or action scenes. Using them takes time; from several minutes to several months.  
  Their usefulness is in downtime and in skill challenges that take longer than rounds. 
  Each talent can be used in several ways to provide diﬀerent beneﬁts. 
  Income: You can use talent skills to make a living between adventures. For simplicity’s sake, this income is generally equal to your living 
  expenses. Having a good rating in an attractive profession means you can have a high standard of living and not pay for it. 
  Contacts: Being trained in a talent means you know others in your profession, and can be used to ﬁnd fellow professionals within  
  your chosen ﬁeld. It works similarly to the Streetwise skill, but only in regards to the profession in question. 
  Knowledge: Being trained in a talent means you know many things pertaining to the ﬁeld or profession. This works much like monster lore 
  for your talents ﬁeld of expertise. This allows craftsmen to know about the kinds of items they make, performers to know songs and sagas, 
  and everyone to know of famous masters in their profession. 
  Craft: Some talents are crafts, and can be used to create mundane items. For a heroic character, crafts come easily, and you will often surpass 
  ordinary craftsmen in proﬁciency and diversity. Thus, the craft ﬁelds given here are very broad. Most professional craftsmen are much more 
  specialized that this. 
  A trained craftsman can make magic items appropriate to his craft. A smith makes swords, a leather worker leather armor, and so on.  
  This works like the Enchant Magic Item or Brew Potion rituals, but only for items relevant to your craft. The item must be crafted as part of 
  the enhancement ritual, which will usually require more time than the ritual itself. 
  Craft skills can also be used to create suitable presents meant for particular people; a well-crafted and suitable present can give a +2 bonus 
  on social interaction rolls against the recipient for one scene. The DC of making a ﬁtting present is the Will defense of the target. 
  • Actor 
  • Architect 
  • Alchemist 
  • Celebrity 
  • Dancer 
  • Governor 
  • Jeweler 
  • Lawman 
  • Leatherworker 
  • Lover 
  • Mechanic 
  • Merchant 
  • Musician 
  • Orator 
  • Painter 
  • Sailor 
  • Singer 
  • Scribe 
  • Soldier 
  • Smith 
  • Stargazer 
  • Stoneworker 
  • Tailor 
  • Valet 
  • Writer
   • Woodworker
  Talents List
  
  20
  Perform: Perform talents are used to impress and change the mood of others. Each performance takes from one minute up to an hour.  
  In a game context it is more often used as a preliminary to social interaction, helping to set the mood. Used this way, the perform talent 
  can be used to do the Aid Other action for any social interaction, and you can even help yourself this way by performing before you start to 
  interact. 
  Another way to use a perform skill is as a way to attract attention and stand out in a crowd; make a roll against the passive Insight  
  of the target to attract favorable attention without fawning. 
  Rituals: Many talents can be used by ritual casters using the Aid Other rules. Diﬀerent talents have an aﬃnity for diﬀerent types of rituals. 
  Where a talent is relevant for rituals, this is noted in the description of the talent. 
  Talent Descriptions 
  Actor (Cha) 
  You can bring stories to life and portray a wide array of emotions by use of voice or gesture. 
  Examples: comedy, drama, mime 
  Perform: Acting is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: Acting can aid deception rituals. 
  Architect (Int) 
  An architect understands geometry and design, making drawings used to build houses, gardens, 
  bridges, fortiﬁcations, and other large-scale projects. It is generally impossible to make a large 
  building (more than 30 ft. tall or 150 ft. long) without the help of an architect. An architect is 
  also good at making maps. During a short break, an architect can make a rough draft of a map 
  of an indoor area, and can ﬁnd possible locations for hidden doors or chambers by the empty 
  space they leave on the map. 
  Rituals: An architect can aid creation rituals. 
  Apothecary (Int) 
  You reﬁne small quantities of precious substances, like medicines, potions, or the creation of 
  ritual components. You can brew, recognize, and identify a great variety of substances and know 
  how they react. You can make glassware such as retorts and tubes, as well as mirrors and lenses. 
  You can brew magical potions. In some settings, you can make gunpowder. 
  Craft: You can make potions and poisons. 
  Rituals: An apothecary can aid all restoration rituals. 
  Celebrity (Cha) 
  A celebrity is well-known for whatever reason, and can expect recognition and to be fawned upon. 
  Make a Celebrity roll to see whether people have heard of you and what their impression is, to ﬁnd fans and admirers, to gauge your 
  popularity, and to check the loyalty of your followers. 
  Finding admirers has a DC of 20 if you made a dramatic entrance and let people know you are in the area, 30 if you reveal yourself after 
  being incognito. On a success, people have a previous impression of you. You won’t need to introduce yourself, and if their basic values mesh 
  with yours they will start out friendly. 
  
  21
  Fame can also be used to check the morale and enthusiasm of followers. Make a Celebrity check with a DC of 15 + half the NPC follower’s 
  level to see if they will take risks or resist temptations for you. 
  Fame is not static. When you move about you lose contact with your fan base, and even a temporary setback can make you a has-been  
  or at least make you temporarily out of fashion. Apply the following modiﬁers: 
  Fame has something of a drawback in that it makes it easier to hear rumors of your exploits. Such rumors tend to be exaggerated, almost 
  urban legends, so while it is easy to get people to talk about you, it is no easier to actually ﬁnd solid information on your whereabouts. 
  Dancer (Cha) 
  Dance is the art of bodily expression, to convey meaning through stance, posture, and movement. A dance performance is often supported 
  by a musician, or the dancer can accompany himself using the shuﬄing of feet or with instruments such as tambourines and castanets.  
  You do not need this talent in order to take part in public dancing, but stage dancing or leading a public dance requires a talent roll. 
  Perform: Dancing is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: Dancing can be used to aid all divination rituals. 
  Governor (Wis) 
  A governor understands the nuances of civilian administration and can balance a budget, keep a bureaucracy running, resolve conﬂicts,  
  act as a judge, and serve as an administrator. 
  Rituals: A governor can aid binding rituals. 
  Jeweler (Dex) 
  You can work with precious stones and materials such as gold, ivory, and mother of pearl to create jewelry, sculptures, and other art objects. 
  Craft: You can craft rings, amulets, and some wondrous items. 
  Lawman (Int) 
  You are familiar with law enforcement methods and procedures. You know how to make an arrest, secure evidence, repossess goods, hand 
  out ﬁnes, book prisoners, and otherwise run a smooth law enforcement operation. You could be an investigative judge, sheriﬀ, bounty-hunter, 
  city guardsman, or tax-collector; police as we think of them today rarely exist in fantasy worlds. 
  Rituals: A lawman can aid warding rituals. 
  Leatherworker (Wis) 
  You can work with leather and hide, making clothes, leather and hide armor, and slings. Leather is also used as raw material  
  in many other crafts. 
  Craft: You can craft leather and hide armor, boots, gloves, and some wondrous items. 
  Situation 
  Modif ier 
  Outside your regular area 
  -5 (or more) 
  Last adventure was a failure 
  -5 
  An adventure the past week was a resounding and public success 
  +5 
  
  22
  Lover (Cha) 
  Anyone who puts their mind to it can have a satisfying love-life with a familiar partner; this is the ability to sexually stimulate strangers.  
  This is not only lovemaking, but ﬂirtation, romantic conversation, and by being an attractive and complimentary companion as well. 
  Perform: Lover is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: A lover can aid scrying rituals. 
  Mechanic (Int) 
  You can build mechanical devices, such as crossbows, clocks, traps, and locks. Compared to other crafts, the mechanic is not self-suﬃcient, 
  needing parts made by a smith, founder, and even jeweler to practice the craft. 
  Craft: You 
  can 
  craft 
  mechanical 
  devices, 
  crossbows, 
  and 
  mechanical 
  traps.  
  In some settings, you can craft ﬁrearms. 
  Merchant (Int) 
  A merchant understands the laws of supply and demand and is able to move and market goods 
  while maintaining a steady proﬁt. You know how to load a ship or organize a caravan. Scrupulous 
  traders insure goods come to the right buyers in a timely and eﬃcient manner, to the beneﬁt of 
  everyone. 
  Contacts: You can ﬁnd someone willing to sell almost anything, including magical items. 
  Rituals: A merchant can aid travel rituals. 
  Musician (Cha) 
  You can play instruments of all sorts, from ﬂutes and drums, to harpsichords and organs. 
  Perform: Musician is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: A musician can aid any exploration ritual. 
  Orator (Cha) 
  A speaker is a performer using words, presenting a story or script in a clear, audible, and enjoyable 
  way. It is used in public speaking, storytelling, and other verbal presentations. A speaker is not 
  inherently skilled in social skills; the talent concerns the presentation of a script, not choosing the 
  right words for an occasion. Still, this talent can be highly useful if you wish to use social skills 
  against many people at once or in a noisy setting. 
  Perform: Oratory is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: Oratory can be used to aid binding rituals. 
  Painter (Int) 
  A painter makes pictures on a ﬂat surface, paper, wooden board, canvas, or walls. This can be used to make works or art, but also simple 
  sketches that serve as notes or to aid memorization. It is possible to make a fairly detailed sketch of a scene during a short rest. 
  Craft: Painting is a craft skill and can be used to create some wondrous items. 
  Rituals: Painting can be used to aid deception rituals. 
  Sailor (Wis) 
  You are comfortable on ships and boats and know how to operate ships and boats of any size. You can navigate coastal waters in reasonable 
  safety as long as you only sail by day. You cannot navigate at sea using this talent; see Stargazer. 
  
  23
  Scribe (Int) 
  Being literate is one thing; being a trained scribe is something else entirely. Scribes are craftsmen working with writings; copyists, librarians, 
  illustrators, and bookbinders. A scribe is a master of calligraphy and bookbinding, able to make easily readable books and manuscripts.  
  If the setting has printing presses or other means of easily reproducing text, scribes are proﬁcient with them. A scribe is also familiar with 
  various archivist systems, and is more able to ﬁnd books in a library or archive than most people. This allows the Scribe talent to substitute 
  for all knowledge rolls as long as the documents are available, but each roll takes an hour. 
  The scribe skill is not a substitute for the Writer or Painter talents; scribes are not concerned with the contents of the text or images 
  reproduced, only with presentation. Nor can it replace the Bluﬀ or Diplomacy skills; scribes are concerned with reproduction of writings and 
  illustrations, not with original writing. However, an attractive presentation using calligraphy and proper paper has a better chance of ever 
  being presented than something scribbled in haste. 
  Craft: Can be used to copy rituals, making ritual scrolls and books. 
  Rituals: A scribe can aid divination rituals. 
  Singer (Cha) 
  You can use your voice as an instrument. Your voice can enthrall an audience and be audible in a wide area. A professional singer has a wide 
  repertoire and can vary volume and timbre, and can also act as a chanter, leading other less skilled singers. 
  Perform: Singer is a perform skill and can aid social interaction. 
  Rituals: Singing can aid exploration rituals. 
  Soldier (Wis) 
  You know how to work as part of a disciplined military unit. A soldier knows how to forage, maintain equipment, understand orders, make 
  camp, organize guards and patrols, march without losing coherency, ﬁght in formation, and other military tasks. This is the sign of a veteran 
  and usually means you are at least a sergeant. 
  Rituals: A soldier can aid warding rituals. 
  Smith (Str) 
  You can shape all kinds of metal and make armor and weapons, tools, and other useful objects such as horseshoes and nails. 
  Craft: You can craft metal items such as weapons and armor, shields, helmets, bracers, greaves, and some wondrous items. 
  Stargazer (Int) 
  You know the position of celestial bodies in the sky, and can use them to tell the time and to orient yourself. The main use is for navigation 
  without landmarks, such as at sea, on rolling plains, or in the deep desert. It can also be used to mark time and for astrological and astronomical 
  observations. 
  Rituals: This talent can be used to aid scrying and travel rituals. 
  Stoneworker (Str) 
  You can work stone, adobe, clay, and the like, to build smaller buildings or to realize the plans of an architect. A trained stoneworker can also 
  do sculpting and decorative work in stone, plaster, and clay. 
  Craft: You can craft items from stone. 
  Rituals: Can aid all creation rituals. 
  
  24
  Tailor (Dex) 
  You can make clothes and cloth armor, along with tents and tarpaulins. You understand weaving 
  and other fabric-making techniques, such as felt making and carpet knitting. A good tailor can 
  make and repair these things quickly and eﬃciently; an excellent tailor can make them beautiful 
  and attractive, often using expensive imported materials. Tailored objects make excellent gifts. 
  Craft: You can craft cloth armor, capes, shoes, gloves, and some magic wondrous items. 
  Valet (Wis) 
  You are good at caring for the creature comforts of others. This includes maintaining clothes, 
  cooking, providing basics such as light, food, and warmth, hygiene and grooming, handling 
  personal expenses eﬃciently, and knowing when you are needed or not. A novice valet is a servant 
  or maid; as you progress in skill you might move on to become an innkeeper, major-domo,  
  or master of a large household. 
  Contacts: Important people often have their own valets, who can be surprisingly free with 
  gossip when with others of their profession. 
  Rituals: A valet can aid restoration rituals. 
  Writer (Wis) 
  A writer uses the written word, presenting a story or discourse in a clear, intelligible, and enjoyable 
  way. It is used to record things for perpetuity and give them a wider spread than simple stories.  
  A writer is not inherently skilled in social skills; the talent concerns putting words into writing in 
  a legible and understandable way, not the contents of the message. Knowledge skills are needed 
  to ﬁll the words with content; social skills such as Bluﬀ, Diplomacy, or Intimidation are needed 
  to inﬂuence a reader. Still, this talent can be highly useful if you wish to use social skills against 
  many people at once to spread ideas over a large area, limited by the reproduction techniques of 
  the setting and the speed of news. 
  Craft: Can be used to make magic books and scrolls. 
  Rituals: Writing can be used to aid binding rituals. 
  Woodworker (Wis) 
  You can work wood, building smaller buildings, furniture, and interiors or to realize the plans  
  of an architect. You can make carts, wagons, tools, shafts, arrows, bows, and wooden weapons such 
  as staves and clubs. 
  Craft: You can craft items from wood. 
  Rituals: Can aid creation rituals. 
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  The pair of furred humanoids pushed through the deep bowels of 
  snow, their hoods pulled tight over their faces as the scratching wind 
  tore past them. The slightest step caused them to lose balance and fall 
  back from the force of the elements, and tying a rope around each 
  other would only jeopardize them both, leaving them to abandon their 
  frozen comrades miles back. They all knew the risks of coming here, 
  just as much as they knew the importance of finding it.
   Finally reaching the overlook of a valley far below, the first 
  humanoid held up a thickly gloved hand and they both hunched 
  forward, holding their hands over their faces to block out the streaks 
  of snow blowing around them. It was there, just as they had heard; 
  a large crater of melted snow, revealing the warm stone waiting 
  underneath all this winter. Even from such a distant vantage point, 
  they could make out the body lying in the middle of the hole.
   It took them until the end of the day to reach the base of the valley 
  safely and they risked pushing on past their limits with their target 
  so close. The snowfall had calmed down and they felt warm as they 
  approached their destination. By the time they fell from the edge of 
  the snow and land on their knees against the rocks, it was too warm 
  to remain dressed in these furs. Pulling back their hoods, the keepers 
  exposed their skin to air for the first time in weeks and looked down  
  at their find.
   Burnt remains of the creature that had carried this item so far 
  were laid out in the sword’s shadow, a long arm reaching up to keep an 
  eternal grip on the handle. When the keeper laid his fingers over the 
  gemmed handle, the blackened arm turned to ash and tipped into the 
  keeper’s grasp.
   After a good night’s rest, they would head back in the morning. 
  Back through the snow and down the mountainside, hopefully with 
  better odds than it took to get here...
  Three Who Were One...
  The Wandering Dominion of Endera
  by Shawn O’Leary
  MINI-CAMPAIGN
  
  26
  ndera (In-deer-ah) is as vibrant and diverse as any other 
  natural world of the multiverse, with similar geography, 
  weather, and races, combined with the sheer brilliance only 
  found on the dominions of the gods. Unlike other realms, 
  it harbors several secrets. First, and perhaps foremost, Endera is ﬂat, 
  or rather a disk with three distinct layers. It is bordered on all edges 
  by treacherous and life threatening landscapes. Secondly, Endera is 
  adrift on the Astral Sea, never staying in one area for too long before 
  it is swept away in an arcane tide. Lastly, and known to less than  
  a handful of mortals, Endera holds the two remaining essences of the 
  Three Who Were One, ancient and powerful beings who are said to 
  have crafted all of existence.
  The Secrets Def ined
  Endera is ﬁnite in shape and size. It is hundreds upon thousands 
  of miles wide, but at its edge lies the Astral Sea. The realm is oval 
  shaped with its boundaries marked by the Foreboding Mountains 
  to the East, the Frost Glacier Spine to the North, the Darnat Falls 
  to the West, and the Blistering Sands to the south. Each is a path to 
  the Astral Sea and beyond if the proper key is known. Few dare tread 
  these inhospitable lands, however, as they are quick and horrible ways 
  to die. 
   Endera is also the name of an ancient and powerful deity, all that 
  remains of the Three Who Were One. Ancient script, lain in stone by 
  the ﬁrst invokers, relate a tale of the spontaneous conception and birth 
  of a single entity who then, in its loneliness, created the multiverse. 
  First were the primordials, ancient titans of sheer elemental power, 
  followed by the dragons, majestic, winged reptiles of grace and beauty. 
  And eventually all other beings followed. 
    A second tale tells of the Disparity, the internal conﬂict of ethics. 
  It was a disagreement of morality, freedom, desire, and of personal 
  choice initiated by the children of the Three Who Were One. The 
  tale tells of three basic ideals upheld by the children, dividing them 
  into three camps. Those that espoused benevolence and charity, those 
  that believed in personal choice and strength over weakness, and the 
  third camp who felt a collusion of beliefs would provide the best 
  in everything for everyone. This eternal conﬂict raged for untold 
  millennia until the Three Who Were One could no longer handle 
  the strain and thus split itself into three entities to better tackle the 
  problem. What became of all three afterward is unknown. Only 
  Endera, often referred to as the Goddess of Harmony, remains.
  Grand Secret of the Multiverse
  Endera holds the greatest secret of the multiverse: the remnants of 
  the Three Who Were One. Two crystal shards are all that remain  
  of Endera’s siblings. The shards were the other two divinities’ hearts 
  that crystallized after their untimely demise. One crystal is a dark 
  blood red color and the size of a giant’s heart. It pulsates with an eerie 
  beat and radiates a hard purple light blinding to any but those of evil 
  alignment. The other shard is bright gold in color and the size of  
  a human heart. It pulsates in a timely rhythmic beat and radiates  
  a soft silvery light that blinds anyone of evil alignment.
   The crystals are kept separate and completely hidden in a pocket 
  domain accessible only through Endera’s domain. No one in the 
  multiverse knows of their exact whereabouts. However, during the 
  Eclipse of a Million Worlds, where every world in the multiverse is 
  parallel to one another, it is said that a direct path runs toward these 
  crystals. This is a remaining eﬀect Endera’s siblings had on reality 
  that she has no control over.
   Separate from each other, the shards are powerful artifacts of their 
  respective alignments. Each is an item of power that could actually 
  tip the scales in the ongoing war between good and evil. Of course 
  if each side had one of the shards each it would just even the playing 
  ﬁeld out again but thousands of worlds would suﬀer and or die  
  as a result.
   Ashalon is a giant reminiscent in appearance to a white hart with 
  bright blue human-seeming eyes. Ashalon is lawful good, one of the 
  very few primordials in existence of such alignment if not the only, 
  and he is guardian of the blood red crystal shard of evil. He takes his 
  duty seriously and understands that the preservation of the multiverse 
  needs to be maintained. He would rather not kill good aligned artifact 
  hunters if he can help it but will do so if necessary.  Ashalon hates evil 
  as much as the next person, and maybe more so than most immortals, 
  so it galls him to have to preserve the evil artifact understanding his 
  duty to the multiverse comes ﬁrst. If, however, he was presented with 
  a way to destroy it without aﬀecting the multiverse he would readily 
  accept its removal from his presence. If the would be destroyers of 
  the artifact left Endera he would follow to ensure its destruction and 
  intervene if needed. If Ashalon was played for a fool, even those of 
  good alignment would suﬀer if their intent had been to deceive the 
  Primordial of Summer. Ashalon, however, is ultimately good and 
  would not cause any permanent harm to them. He would just teach 
  them a lesson that could take several hundred years to learn. During 
  this time they do not suﬀer unduly, do not age, nor have need of food 
  or sustenance. They become a permanent ﬁxture of Ashalon’s home 
  E
  
  27
  until they are released. Once freed, any individual forgets how to get 
  to the artifact that he guards and, regardless of how much magic is 
  used to make him or her remember it, the path cannot be recalled. 
  They do not however forget Ashalon and the lesson he imparted 
  regarding defying a primordial and trying to manipulate/destroy the 
  multiverse.
   
  Telgharz is reminiscent of a colossal diseased boar with a sickly 
  green skin that radiates a purulent odor. He is a primordial of disease 
  and famine. He is smarter or more enlightened than most of his fellow 
  primordials and so agreed to enter service to Endera to preserve the 
  multiverse. This agreement however wasn’t for free; Telgharz exacted 
  a high price to gain his service. Anyone who dies on Endera and isn’t 
  a native, has his soul fed to the Boar of Disease. No one knows of this 
  arrangement except for Endera and Telgharz. If Ashalon ever found 
  out he would be quite angry and even possibly leave Endera’s service, 
  citing that the price of maintaining the multiverse is too high and 
  that another way should be found. Therefore Endera and the Boar 
  of Disease do their utmost to keep the Primordial of Summer in the 
  dark. Telgharz is a loyal servant of Endera so long as the letter of the 
  agreement is maintained, which he is not allowed to divulge as per the 
  agreement. Since the dawn of time, Telgharz hasn’t found a loophole 
  in the agreement and is not all that worried about doing so. After all, 
  for the most part the Diseased Boar just has to lay next to a crystal 
  shard, albeit a powerful good aligned artifact, and just feed oﬀ the 
  souls that are delivered to him. As far as he is concerned, Telgharz has 
  the best deal in the multiverse. Any intruders that cannot convince 
  him of the “wisdom” of destroying the shard he guards beneﬁts him 
  more than anything else, and he will destroy any newcomers ﬁrst and 
  then, time permitting and he’s up to it, question them. He can speak 
  to the dead providing he hasn’t devoured their souls.
   Each shard is a powerful artifact that could have a profound 
  inﬂuence on the outcome of the multiverse up to and including 
  its destruction, something both Endera and the primordials in her 
  service hope to maintain. If either artifact or both are destroyed it is 
  believed that existence will slowly unravel. Some believe this to be 
  enough while others contend that Endera must be destroyed as well 
  in order to commence complete annihilation of all existence. It is also 
  believed that anyone possessing or in close proximity to the artifacts 
  when they are destroyed, will be saved from non-existence, and can 
  manipulate the dying artifact to gain several wishes reﬂected in the 
  new resulting reality.
  Celestial Warfare 
  The war between good and evil isn’t isolated to the mortal world,  
  or even the realms of gods and demons, but spans the entire multiverse. 
  Nowhere is it more apparent than the plane of Endera. 
   Endera is much like the mortal world with mountains, rivers, 
  streams, and ordinary everyday folk, but the stakes of existence are 
  much higher. Devils and demons, good and evil angels, and their 
  mortal agents all seek out this mysterious realm so that the war 
  between good and evil can be settled once and for all. 
   Endera holds a secret that predates the Dawn War, a secret so 
  dark and ominous that its unraveling could rewrite existence. A relic 
  of existence lies within the realm and holds the key to ending the war 
  against good and evil. This is of grave concern to heroes and villains 
  alike: heroes who dread the end of all things and villains who dread 
  the end of what they call a proﬁtable business.
   Most mortals are unaware of the war behind the war between 
  good and evil that wages across existence.  This is a war not of just 
  diﬀering points of view but a settlement to an ages old argument 
  between two ancient beings whose disagreement caused their death 
  and the subsequent birth of reality. The few that become aware soon 
  wish they hadn’t, as the horror and beauty experienced is too great for 
  most mortals to handle.
  The Three Layers (Regions)
  There are three overall layers to Endera known only to the Keepers 
  and a handful of the domain’s rulers and scholars.
  Elra: This is the ﬁrst layer and surface of Endera. This layer is 
  reﬂective of the surface of other natural worlds open to the sky.  
  It includes the Foreboding Mountains, Frost Glacier Spine, Darnat 
  Falls, Blistering Sands, rivers, seas, forests, and mortals of the realm. 
  Elradeep: The second layer of Endera is the underdark and home 
  to most unaligned mortals and fey that can be found across the 
  multiverse. Pockets of evil do thrive and exist as a malignant tumor 
  in Endera’s bowels and are slowly being excised by those few brave 
  hearts that are in the know about such things. Halfway down deep 
  within Elradeep, a traveler’s sense of going down is replaced with  
  a sense of moving up and should the traveler continue on would reach 
  the third layer of Endera.
  
  28
  Knowledge Checks - Endera
  Characters from the mortal world know the following with  
  a successful Arcana check:
  DC35: You know that ancient legends tell of a place called 
  Endera adrift on the astral sea that is the key to all existence 
  and nearly impossible to reach.
  DC40: You know that powerful immortals of both good and 
  evil seek out the realm to effect the war against one another 
  and are unable to set foot physically on the realm except 
  under special circumstances.
  DC55: You know that two ancient powers of unimaginable 
  power destroyed themselves ﬁghting over an argument that 
  can only be guessed at but resulted in the birth of reality.
  Characters from the mortal world know the following with  
  a successful Religion check:
  DC35: You know that that a realm sought after by all divine 
  beings is hidden somewhere in existence, and if found by 
  good or evil would not bode well for existence.
  DC40: You know that there is a popular belief among sages 
  and theologians alike that one god created existence so that 
  it wouldn’t be alone and the primordials and the gods where 
  his children. You also know that this belief also postulates 
  that due to warring emotions over what was his most favorite 
  children caused him to split in to three distinct beings known 
  only as the Three Who Were One.
  DC50: You know that the Three Who Were One was the 
  perfect embodiment of good, evil, and neutrality and chose 
  gods and primordials alike that represented these ideals.
  DC55: You know that the children of Three Who Were One 
  argued over which was the better point of view and the Three 
  Who Were One fought amongst themselves creating a major 
  catastrophe that nearly destroyed existence. 
  Characters native to Endera make the same skill checks at 
  half the listed DC values for PCs not of the realm.
  Upperdown: The very few scholars knowledgeable of this third layer and the Keepers refer 
  to this layer as Upperdown but its inhabitants refer to it as Elrana. This realm is reported to 
  be an exotic and strange place ﬁlled with beings and monsters both beautiful and dangerous, 
  and with a topography similar to Elra. 
  Exploring the Three Layers
  Finite as it may be, there is much in Endera to discover and many places where its secrets 
  remain.
  Foreboding Mountains: The Foreboding Mountains are a dark and gloomy region on 
  Endera’s most eastern edge. This chain of black mist-shrouded mountains runs the entire 
  length of the eastern edge from north to south. It is a perpetually darkened region where 
  light cannot escape and nightmares roam free to terrorize anyone foolish enough to enter. 
  It is strongly believed that these mountains either harbor an active portal to realms of 
  shadow or meet contiguously on some metaphysical level. Whatever the reason, those few 
  brave enough to enter almost never return and the rare few that do are never the same.  
  No one of the common races are said to thrive within its borders yet there is a humanoid race in 
  service to the Death Goddess who may have outposts in the region – The Shadowmen).
  Frost Glacier Spine: The Frost Glacier Spine is a chain of mountains and cliﬀs that 
  borders the northern most edge of Endera and runs the entire length of the realm from 
  east to west. The mountains are continuously blasted by biting winds killing the unwary in 
  seconds.. Active portals to Air, Water, and Ice are said to lie somewhere within its depths 
  allowing the denizens of these planes through constantly. It is believed a race of humanoids, 
  once human and now known only as the frostmen, roam the region searching for warm 
  blood to feed upon.
  Darnat Falls: The Darnat Falls is a region of rocky cliﬀs and overhangs in the west that 
  dot the entire edge of the realm north to south . These cliﬀs are said to range from just  
  a few hundred feet to thousands or more, and the water that ﬂows down them an aspect of 
  the astral sea pouring through the realm and washing away in the west. The falls are said to 
  hold the secrets of underwater travel as well as traversing the astral sea. In addition, as with 
  the other realms, this one is rumored to harbor a portal to several planes, one of which is the 
  plane of water. Each of the falls is believed to hold aquatic monstrosities out of nightmare 
  to harry and devour even the bravest of adventurers.  
  Blistering Sands: The Blistering Sands is a ﬁfteen mile stretch of desolate sand and sun 
  stretching from the most western edge of Endera to the most easterly edge in the south.  
  The coolest temperature of the region is believed to cook the mind of even the most prepared 
  of adventurers, while the hottest region will melt ﬂesh and bone within minutes. All that 
  is viewed when traveling south is a shimmering wave of heat and it is believed that if that 
  wave is passed, a paradise oasis will be reached that restores youth and vigor to the old and 
  life to the deceased, and beyond that the Astral Sea.
  
  29
  Travel
   Each treacherous region is a path to the Astral Sea and beyond if 
  the proper key is known, but few dare tread to these inhospitable 
  and dangerous places. Mortals may come and go as they may  
  if they know the way, but the ways are fraught with perils rarely 
  seen. Endera respects free will and has no qualms about letting her 
  “children” depart Endera for other planes. She believes that anyone 
  desiring to experience the multiverse and all it has to oﬀer should, 
  but there is a catch. Anyone who departs has her memory on how 
  to return suppressed, a malady only restored under highly unusual 
  circumstances. Special agents directly serving the goddess retain their 
  memories when leaving Endera. 
   Immortals, such as devils, demons, angels, and their ilk are 
  another story altogether. Their travel to Endera is completely cut oﬀ, 
  regardless of the power of the ritual used, portal, power, or the skill of 
  the spell caster. If such an attempt is made by these beings they are 
  shunted to the astral sea instead. The goddess does not tolerate their 
  presence as it disrupts the delicate balance and peace of the realm and 
  threatens the stability of preserving the multiverse. Agents of these 
  beings and their descendants on the other hand do travel to and from 
  Endera, but suﬀer the same memory loss as others.
  Night and Day
  Endera is unique among planes. Instead of being round like most 
  mortal realms that rotate around solar and lunar bodies, Endera “ﬂips” 
  every 24 hours, exposing itself to the sun Solra and its single moon, 
  Nunera, and thus reﬂecting day and night. The ﬂip is slow and steady 
  and appears to mortals that Endera rotates around the sun. Nunera 
  slowly rotates around Endera in a direction opposite of her “ﬂip” and 
  thus can be seen on both Elra and Upperdown as luminescent silver 
  at night. Nunera’s cycle is a 30 day rotation.
    The scholars and wizards, who know the truth hypothesize that 
  this “ﬂip” or “turning” of day into night is facilitated by the Darnat 
  Falls. It is believed that the force and weight of the falls spilling into 
  the astral sea slowly dips the plane on its axis so that day and night 
  continue on and on.
  The Enderans
  Mortals everywhere ﬁght and bicker, and sometimes kill. Endera 
  is no diﬀerent but there has never been a known war. Skirmishes 
  between diﬀerent races have occurred, but the diﬀerences are usually 
  ironed out to everyone’s satisfaction. And although theft and larceny 
  are common place, there truly are no poor. Everyone is able to work 
  and provide for themselves and live comfortably if they so desire. 
  Endera’s rulers, with the aid of the Keepers, have maintained the 
  peace since the realm’s inception. Thus most folks have a serene 
  and congenial attitude toward friends and strangers alike. Only the 
  stresses of daily living weigh on these folks, but not very heavily 
  for they trust in their goddess to aid them in troubled times.  
  There is rarely anyone of evil alignment and those that arise are 
  quickly vanquished by the good folk of the realm. Most creatures and 
  beings are unaligned or good.
   The most common races of Endera are human, elf, dwarf,  
  and halﬂing, but others do roam the countryside or have small 
  communities set up away from civilization. All races from all sources 
  are allowed in Endera with the DM’s permission.
   Each race has one known primary stronghold or kingdom in 
  Endera while the rest of the realm is a pocket of cities, independent 
  communities, and wilderness.
  New Race: Keepers (Elda)
  The Keepers are the ancient mortal “children” of Endera created 
  at the beginning of time and now indigenous to Endera. The term 
  Keeper is more a descriptive title than a racial name but it is what most 
  of Endera’s inhabitants know them as. They are known as the Elda 
  amongst themselves, which translates to child of peace from ancient 
  eladrin script. They directly serve Endera in preserving the secrets 
  hidden on the plane. They are overseers, protectors, and advisors to 
  the domain’s inhabitants. They rarely leave the plane except on the 
  most desperate of missions. These ancient beings police the length 
  and breadth of the plane searching for both the forces of good and 
  darkness to turn them away from the plane’s secrets. They will ﬁght 
  to the death to preserve the existence of the multiverse and their 
  beloved home.
   They are tall elegant humanoids, lithe and graceful. Those who 
  have had the opportunity to see these beings unmasked will note an 
  unearthly beauty and serenity. Most will note similarities between 
  humans and eladrin but they are not half-elves in any sense of the 
  word.  They are taller than humans on average and slender, with gray 
  skin and silver hair. Their eyes are almond shaped but lack pupils, 
  much like many celestial beings. The elda are the closest Endera 
  comes to having immortals on Endera.
  Immortals
  Creatures with the 
  immortal keyword 
  of any alignment 
  cannot enter the 
  realm except by 
  permission from the 
  goddess, and to date 
  this permission has 
  never been granted. 
  The 
  predictable 
  desires 
  of 
  good 
  and evil gods, and 
  the 
  uncertainty 
  of the unaligned, 
  threatens 
  the 
  goddesses’ 
  sense 
  of 
  security 
  and 
  stability not only 
  for her realm but 
  for 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  multiverse. 
  
  30
   
  Keeper Racial Traits
  Average Height: 6 ́ –7’
  Average Weight: 150–250 lb.
  Ability Scores: +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
  Size: Medium
  Speed: 6 squares
  Vision: Low-light
  Languages: Common, Eldan,* and one other of 
  player’s choice
  Skill Bonuses: +2 Religion, +2 Diplomacy
  Endera’s Oath: When reduced to 0 hit points, you  
  immediately make a death saving throw with a +2 
  bonus.
  Enduring Will: You receive a +1 racial bonus to 
  all defenses against powers with the psychic and 
  charm keywords.
  Immortal Heritage: You are considered immortal.
  Morality Defense: You are immune to Endera’s 
  morality shift and receive a +1 bonus to saving 
  throws when suffering a condition caused by an 
  elemental or outsider.
  Aligned Resistance: You gain the aligned resistance 
  racial encounter power.
  The Elda have deep religious and magical traditions that serve as a 
  basis for their upbringing and shapes their morals and ethics toward 
  each other and the multiverse. The Elda are a contemplative people 
  favoring philosophy, theology, and magical study over ﬁghting and 
  physical arts. They have keen minds, and eyes able to pierce the 
  secrets of the multiverse and the deepest secrets of others. The Elda 
  perceive the common races as ignorant younger siblings who have 
  not yet learned to walk. This is not to say that they are haughty or 
  mistreat them, only that the Elda feel that they are incapable of 
  understanding anything greater than their personal lives. Even those 
  enlightened ones, whether mage or sorcerer, or seasoned planer 
  walker, can understand that which the Elda know.
    The Elda are tall and of healthy medium build with long delicate 
  ﬁngers and toes. Their ears are close to a humans coming to only a 
  slight point. They can, and do, grow facial hair which has on occasion 
  allowed them to mingle amongst other races undetected. Their hair is 
  gray, black, or white and their eyes always gray or blue. 
  New Langauges
  Eldan is the language of the Elda and spoken by all who serve the 
  goddess directly. It has a similar structure and syntax to common, 
  with strong inﬂuences from both dwarven and elven languages.  
  It is believed that the goddess, rather than grant them a language 
  of their own, had the Elda appear in the mortal realm to learn 
  their own, believing that by doing so their drive for knowledge and 
  enlightenment would be greater than others. It stands to reason then 
  that if that legend is true the Eldan’s ﬁrst neighbors were dwarves 
  and eladrin.
   Theian is an ancient language spoken by priests when performing 
  rituals and prayers dedicated to Endera. It was taught to the ﬁrst 
  Invokers by the goddess herself in an eﬀort to communicate better 
  with her servants. Originally it was learned only by the invokers, 
  but with the passage of centuries and the need for lay priests and 
  clerics, knowledge of the language has passed on to them as well. 
  Travelers attempting to leave Endera must also be extremely ﬂuent 
  with Theian, otherwise knowing where a portal is and the activation 
  key is just useless information. Theian is both a complex and simple 
  languages with more consonants than vowels, and spoken more often 
  in short sentences. It has no known basis in any other language.
  Encounter
  Immediate Reaction 
  Personal
  Trigger: You received a critical hit from a good- or evil-
  aligned creature.
  Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to one-half 
  your level.
  Aligned Resistance 
   
  Keeper Racial Power
  Your oath and dedication to Endera grant you resistance to those 
  diametrically opposed to her.
  
  31
  Religion
  Endera is the only surviving aspect of a divine entity known as 
  the Three Who Were One and perhaps the most caring and sincere 
  despite her neutral outlook. Only the most ancient and most fragile 
  of relics scattered throughout the multiverse details her and her 
  “siblings”; very little true knowledge exists. However, the people of 
  Endera know her as a stern and loving mother who looks after all 
  that they do. She is revered by most and recognized as the chief deity 
  amongst Enderans She either appears as a dove headed female garbed 
  in white and skyblue robes or a member of any race she chooses  
  to emulate.
  Endera (In-deer-ah)
  Goddess of Serenity, Peace, and Balance
  Alignment: Unaligned
  Worshippers: Anyone who seeks normalcy, balance, 
  and peace in their lives. Common worshippers 
  include farmers, craftsmen, and artisans. Lastly, 
  those who have lived a tragic and turmoil-ﬁlled life 
  seek her love and affection so that they too can ﬁnd 
  eternal peace.
  Symbol: A dove whose head is dipped toward the 
  earth as if bowing, wings spread wide.
  Colors: Gray, white, and sky blue
  Weapon of Choice: Longsword
  Allies: Most lawful deities
  Enemies: Any being or entity that threatens the 
  stability of the multiverse or favors the disruption 
  of peace. Chief among her enemies are the gods of 
  destruction and hate.
  Clergy/Servants
  Avengers: The avengers have only appeared recently in few 
  numbers, and seem to be a splinter faith of the goddess that dedicates 
  themselves to achieving peace through violence. This isn’t to say that 
  the avengers aren’t peaceful and kind people, only that they believe the 
  best way to achieve peace without open warfare is to eliminate those 
  that would threaten it. Avengers almost universally wear gray so as to 
  better blend in with common folk, but do wear Endera’s other colors.  
  The choice is typically up to the avenger, except for those belonging 
  to the Tranquil Brothers who must all wear gray. All avengers are 
  secretive and typically loners. If they travel it is either alone or with a 
  small group of trusted companions of no more than eight.
  Invokers: These ancient servants of the goddess are required to wear 
  sky blue as the predominant color of their garb while adventuring or 
  exploring. When performing ceremonies or religious rituals they must 
  be wearing all skyblue and paint their faces blue. During grand and 
  important ceremonies they must also dye their hair white. Invokers 
  perhaps know the most about the Three Who Were One due to  
  a strong oral tradition among them, and they were the ﬁrst mortals to 
  see this divine being as one. The invokers are also perhaps the most 
  knowledgeable of Endera’s secrets.
  Clerics: The organized clergies of Endera are widespread and 
  prevalent in the dominion but only a few of the churches’ servants 
  remain, as the invokers may be seen on other worlds promoting 
  the goddess’s faith. Unlike their more passionate brethren, clerics 
  of Endera feel a calmer, more withdrawn approach is necessary to 
  protecting Endera from dangerous outsiders.
   The colors a cleric wears for ceremonies and rituals is dependent 
  on their ranking in the clergy. Initiates and acolytes are garbed in 
  gray and required to wear a gray robe or cloak at all times. Ordained 
  priests wear equal parts gray and white and must wear them during 
  all ceremonies and rituals. Archpriests (i.e. bishop, cardinal) wear 
  all blue and must wear that color during ceremonies and rituals.  
  The Great Cleric of Elra (Upperdown) is the only priest allowed to 
  wear all white. He must also dye his hair white (to reﬂect wisdom) 
  if it isn’t already white due to age. However, if the Great Cleric does 
  have mostly gray hair, which is acceptable, as gray hair amongst the 
  clergy is considered a sign of wisdom. 
  Note: On Upperdown, interestingly enough, the structure and 
  requirements of Endera are quite the same with the essential 
  requirements of the three professions remaining the same. Customs 
  and cultural similarities exist moreso in the clergy of Elra and 
  Upperdown than anywhere else on the domain.
  
  RELIC GUARD
  Defender of Endera
  SPECIALIST CLASS
  There comes a time in every creature’s 
  life when all must be risked for the greater 
  good. A danger lies on the horizon with no 
  standing in its way. You can ignore the threat, 
  pray for someone else to take that stand against 
  all odds, but what if those prayers called on you 
  to be that lone savior? Would you answer that 
  call? Or would you take on the challenge before 
  those prayers were ever needed?
   
  Endera, with all its beauty, conceals some of the 
  multiverse’s most powerful artifacts and maintains 
  order in an existence of war and chaos. Relic guards 
  take up the quest, working with the protective energies 
  of the plane to secure the safety and solitude of these 
  wicked devices. Relic guards not only call upon their 
  gods for their powers but Endera itself through relics, 
  incredible statues of power bursting through the earth to 
  aid the relic guard in its mission.
   You have accepted your role as the guardian of such 
  an artifact and learned the divine art of summoning relics. 
  Your powers are tailored to hold back creatures eager to 
  obtain your artifact and aid your comrades with blocking 
  defenses and surges of radiant healing... or unleash a wave of 
  deadly necrotic energy on your enemies.
  Prerequisites: 
  Must worship a deity; trained in Arcana or Religion
  
  33
  Specialist Traits
  Relic guards utilize their relics to create an additional opponent on 
  the battleﬁeld for enemies and a crucial companion for your allies. 
  Their power comes in the form of relics and most of the powers 
  provided in this class are dailies, requiring only a minor action to 
  unleash the power of a relic.
  Additional Role: Defender/Controller. Depending on your chosen 
  destiny and the relics you summon, you are able to manipulate 
  the environment around you to create blocking terrain, boost your 
  defenses, and even provide ﬂanking for ranged attacks.
  Power Source: Divine. Your relic guard powers are blessings from 
  your god and Endera combined, each working towards the security 
  of your warded artifact.
  What Is A Specialist Class?
  While each class provided in the D&D game provides a generic role 
  and purpose for any party, there are moments and campaigns where 
  a speciﬁc touch of ﬂavor is required or desired. Specialist classes are 
  an option for augmenting your existing character in new directions 
  without drastically altering the core design of the class. 
   When you choose a specialist class, you can select from any of 
  the optional class features and powers to substitute those already 
  provided in your original class selection. For example, you can choose 
  from one of the relic guard’s at-will powers in addition to your ranger 
  at-will powers. So long as you meet the prerequisites of the specialist 
  class and choose at least one specialist class feature to replace an 
  existing feature from your original class, you are now a specialist.  
  From this point on, you can select any powers, feats, and other 
  resources designed for the specialist class. This includes multiclass 
  and hybrid characters. 
   You can select a specialist class at any time in the campaign 
  provided your GM has approved this option. Once you substitute 
  at least one class feature with a specialist class feature, you are now 
  considered a specialist. You do not gain an additional number of 
  powers, feats, or other statistical accounts through specializing. You 
  are also restricted to one specialty at one time. Should you choose 
  to change your specialty, you must replace all of your specialist class 
  features with your new specialist class.
  Combining Power Sources: Many specialists use a speciﬁc power 
  source (such as the divine power source for the relic guard) but this 
  does not place a restriction on your character’s power selection.  
  You can gain the beneﬁts of a divine specialist class feature with 
  another power source from any other class.
  Using the Multiclass Option: Specialists may not be a viable option 
  for all campaigns and some GMs may ﬁnd them overpowering  
  as initially designed. For that reason, multiclass feats are presented 
  as an option in the Feats section at the end of this article. You can 
  replace the requirements for specialist selection with the given feats 
  functioning as multiclass feats.
  Relic Guard Class Features
  Choose at least one of the following class features. Each class feature 
  you choose must replace an existing feature from your primary class 
  (e.g. cleric or wizard) and cannot be used within any class features 
  given under the Restrictions listings below. See the Relic Summoning 
  sidebar for details on using relics.
  Bound Artifact
  Choose an artifact connected to your deity (created by you and the 
  GM) to protect above and beyond all others. The artifact need not be 
  magical or intelligent. Through a long and arduous series of rituals, 
  you become bound to that artifact. As long as you live, the artifact 
  cannot be destroyed. If you fail your third death saving throw, you can 
  make an additional saving throw as an immediate reaction.
  Special: All relic guards gain this class feature automatically. If you 
  exchange an additional class feature from your primary class, you also 
  gain the Bound Artifact encounter power provided below.
  Encounter • Divine, Implement
  Minor Action 
    
  Close blast 3
  Target: Every creature in blast 
  Attack: Wisdom +2 vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1d6 + Wisdom modiﬁer radiant, ﬁre, thunder, 
  necrotic, poison, or force damage and the target is 
  dazed until the end of your next turn.
    Increase damage to 3d6+Wis modiﬁer at 11th level 
  and increase damage to 4d6 + Wis modiﬁer damage at 
  21st level.
  Special: Choose radiant, ﬁre, thunder, necrotic, poison, 
  or force and that is the type of damage that your Bound 
  Relic Power does.  Once chosen it cannot change.  If 
  you possess the artifact afﬁnity feat and the bound relic 
  meets all the requirements of this feat you gain hit points 
  equal to your healing surge if you are bloodied.
  Bound Artifact 
   
  Class Feature
  Drawing on your divine connection to your linked relic, 
  you gain raw heavenly power to destroy your enemies.
  
  34
  Relic of Fortitude
  You can summon relics and use any of the daily attack 
  powers listed for this class. When you summon a relic, 
  you gain a +1 power bonus to all defenses while standing 
  adjacent to your relic. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th 
  level and +3 at 21st level. Once per day, if you have a 
  clear line of sight to the relic, you gain this bonus up to  
  5 squares away from your relic.
   Choose one damage type. When you roll a critical 
  hit, you can convert your damage to your chosen damage 
  type. If your attack already inﬂicts this damage, the target 
  is instead vulnerable 5 to your chosen damage type until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Relic of Grace
  You can summon relics and use any of the daily attack 
  powers listed for this class. When you summon a relic, 
  you gain a +1 bonus to speed. This bonus increases to +2 
  at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. Once per day, you can 
  shift one-half your speed as a move action.  
  Choose one damage type. When you roll a critical hit, 
  you can convert your damage to your chosen damage 
  type. If your attack already inﬂicts this damage, the target 
  is instead vulnerable 5 to your chosen damage type until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Relic of Opportunity
  You can summon relics and use any of the daily attack 
  powers listed for this class. When you summon a relic, 
  you can make a separate initiative roll, using your 
  modiﬁers, for the relic to act individually from you. Once 
  per day, while your relic is summoned, you can re-roll 
  your initiative in the middle of the encounter. You must 
  use the new result no matter if your new result is lower.
   Choose one damage type. When you roll a critical 
  hit, you can convert your damage to your chosen damage 
  type. If your attack already inﬂicts this damage, the target 
  is instead vulnerable 5 to your chosen damage type until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Relic of War
  You can summon relics and use any of the daily attack 
  powers listed for this class. When you summon a relic, 
  it provides ﬂanking for you. Once per day as a minor 
  action, your relic can provide ﬂanking for all allies until 
  the end of your next turn.
   Choose one damage type. When you roll a critical 
  hit, you can convert your damage to your chosen damage 
  type. If your attack already inﬂicts this damage, the target 
  is instead vulnerable 5 to your chosen damage type until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Relic Guard Powers
  Just as with your primary divine powers, using relics and 
  other boons of your training are prayers, calling upon the 
  divine retribution of Endera.
  Relic of the Snake 
   
  Relic Guard Attack 1
  A long, circular pillar comprised of swirling coils of scales cuts 
  through the ground and whips its fury at those who would 
  disrupt peace.
  Daily • Divine, Poison, Relic, Summoning, Zone
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of the Snake in the chosen 
  square. When an enemy moves or starts its turn within  
  5 squares of the relic, it takes poison damage equal  
  to one-half your level + 1 per adjacent ally. If an  
  enemy makes an opportunity attack against you while  
  in this zone, the triggering target is knocked prone.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of the Snake can  
  use the following attack:
  Standard Action 
  Melee relic 1
  Target: One creature
  Attack: Primary ability +2 vs AC
  Hit: 2d10 + primary modiﬁer poison damage.  
  The target is restrained and slides 5 squares.  
  Any secondary target on the path of the sliding  
  target takes damage equal to your primary modiﬁer.
  Level 1 Relic Guard Prayer
  
  35
  Relic Summoning
  When you use a power with the relic keyword, you are summoning the 
  physical embodiment of Endera’s commitment to guarding your artifact.  
  Use the following rules for using a relic power.
  Relics
  When you summon a relic, you must use these rules.
  Point of Origin: Choose a single square within the area listed 
  with the relic power. The relic rises out of the floor at this square and 
  occupies that square. It cannot rise on a square that is already occupied 
  unless your relic power states otherwise.
  Moving a Relic: If your relic power allows you to move the relic,  
  it cannot pass through a square occupied by an enemy unless the 
  relic power states otherwise. If it does move through enemy squares,  
  the enemy is pushed 1 square.
  Cover: A relic provides total cover to an adjacent creature and blocks 
  line of sight. A relic guard cannot be flanked while standing adjacent 
  to a relic.
  Defense and Hit Points: A relic uses your defenses when it is 
  attacked by an enemy and has hit points equal to one-half your total. 
  Any defense bonuses applied to you also applies to the relic so long 
  as the relic remains standing. When the relic is reduced to 0 hp,  
  it crumbles into dust and no longer occupies the square but the square 
  is now considered difficult terrain.
  Healing the Relic: You can spend a healing surge to heal your relic 
  but your relic does not have any healing surges of its own. Whenever 
  you are able to spend a healing surge (e.g. second wind, healing power), 
  you can choose to pass those benefits to the relic instead, regardless of 
  the distance or line of sight on the relic. If an ally casts a healing spell 
  that targets the relic but does not target you, the relic cannot receive 
  the benefits of a healing surge. If you choose to spend a healing surge 
  on your relic, you cannot gain its benefits. If you spend a healing surge 
  on yourself, your relic does not gain its benefits. If you are subject to 
  a power granting additional benefits with the healing surge, such as 
  additional hit points, the relic can still gain those additional benefits.
  Attacks: If your relic power allows your relic to make an attack,  
  it uses your attack modifier and the damage listed with the power. 
  When a relic power uses your “primary ability” or “primary modifier”, 
  this responds to your primary ability modifier from your primary 
  class.
  Multiple Relics: You can only have one relic active at a time for 
  every relic guard class feature selected. You can only summon one 
  relic per turn. When you spend a healing surge, you must select one 
  relic to gain its benefits.
  Relic of the Shield 
   
  Relic Guard Attack 5
  As wide as a tower shield and taller than a goliath, this massive 
  hulk of rock and earth protects you from harm and reﬂects 
  energy attacks back at their creators.
  Daily • Divine, Relic, Summoning, Zone
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of the Shield in the 
  chosen square. When you or one ally stands adjacent to 
  the relic, you gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses. As 
  a minor action, the relic gains resist 10 + 2 per adjacent 
  ally to one of the following damage types: ﬁre, cold, 
  thunder, lightning, radiant, or necrotic. If you or your 
  allies stand adjacent to the relic, you gain the relic’s 
  resistance. This can be sustained as a minor action.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of the Snake can use the 
  following attack:
  Immediate Reaction Ranged relic 5
  Target: One creature
  Attack: Primary ability +2 vs AC
  Hit: 3d10 + primary modiﬁer damage. If the relic has 
  been hit by an energy type it was resistant to earlier 
  in the encounter, you can alter the damage type of 
  this attack to match.
  Relic of Eternal Breath Relic Guard Attack 15
  Rather than crashing through the ground, this relic appears  
  as a soft mist quickly taking solid form, creating a curved wall  
  of silver and sky blue glass.
  Daily • Divine, Force, Relic, Summoning
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of Eternal Breath in the 
  chosen square. When you use a move action to move, 
  you can move the relic an equal number of squares. 
  Standing within 2 squares of the relic grants cover, 
  concealment, and a +2 bonus to defenses against 
  ranged attacks for yourself and all allies.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of the Snake can use the 
  following attack:
  Standard Action 
  Melee relic 1
  Target: One creature
  Attack: Primary ability +2 vs Reﬂex
  Hit: 4d10 + primary modiﬁer force damage and 
  target is restrained (save ends). Until the target makes 
  its saving throw, it takes damage from any missed 
  attack passing through or adjacent to the target’s 
  square. Aftereffect: The target slides 5 squares. Any 
  secondary targets hit by the primary target are prone.
  Level 5 Relic Guard Prayer
  Level 15 Relic Guard Prayer
  
  36
  Level 19 Relic Guard Prayer
  Relic of Winter 
   Relic Guard Attack 19
  Rising up like a tidal wave, this rolling tower of water looms over 
  your enemy’s heads before it comes crashing down on them.
  Daily • Cold, Divine, Force, Relic, Summoning
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of Winter in the chosen 
  square. When you use a move action to move, you can 
  move the relic a number of squares equal to your speed 
  + 2. The relic creates a zone of ice up to 2 squares 
  which counts as difﬁcult terrain. Any enemy that ends 
  its movement on this zone must make a saving throw 
  or slide an additional 2 squares. Any allies starting their 
  turn within the zone gain temporary hit points equal to 
  one-half your level and gain +2d6 hit points when they 
  spend a healing surge.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of Winter can use the 
  following attack:
  Standard Action 
  Melee relic 1
  Target: One creature
  Attack: Primary ability +4 vs AC
  Hit: 4d10 + primary modiﬁer cold damage and target 
  is immobilized. The relic makes a secondary attack 
  as a close blast 3.
  Secondary Target: All enemies in the blast
  Secondary Attack: Primary ability vs Reﬂex
  Hit: 1d6 cold damage and target is pushed  
  a number of squares equal to one-half the   
  damage
  Relic of Billowing Flame  Relic Guard Attack 25
  Erupting like a mushroom cloud of smoke and ash, the ﬂaming 
  pillar burns all it touches and singes the soul of those who would 
  defy it.
  Daily • Divine, Fire, Relic, Summoning, Zone
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of Billowing Flame in 
  the chosen square. The relic creates a zone within 2 
  squares of its position and inﬂicts ﬁre damage equal 
  to one-half your level against any enemies within this 
  zone. Once a target has suffered ﬁre damage from the 
  relic, it gains vulnerable 10 ﬁre (save ends). If you or any 
  allies include the relic in an area, blast, burst, or ranged 
  attack, the attack also deals ﬁre damage.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of Billowing Flame can 
  use the following attack:
  Standard Action 
  Melee relic 1
  Effect: The relic moves a number of squares equal to 
  your speed + 4 and attacks all enemies it passes.
  Target: One creature
  Attack: Primary ability +2 vs Fortitude
  Hit: 2d10 + primary modiﬁer ﬁre damage plus  
  10 ongoing ﬁre damage (save ends). If the relic 
  bloodies a target, it continues to move an additional 
  2 squares.
  Level 25 Relic Guard Prayer
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  37
  FEATS
  In time, the relic guard pushes his connection to his mission beyond 
  expectations and learns to ﬁght alongside his relic as a trusted 
  comrade-in-arms. You can select any of the following feats to increase 
  your abilities as this specialist class.
  Distant Flanker
  Prerequisite: Relic guard
  Beneﬁt: If a target stands on a square within a straight line between 
  you and your relic, the relic provides ﬂanking with a ranged attack 
  power.
  Explosive Zone
  Prerequisite: Relic guard, 11th level
  Beneﬁt: Once per day, you can use a minor action to expand the 
  zone of your relic by 1 square until the end of your next turn.
  In Harm’s Way
  Prerequisite: Relic guard, 11th level
  Beneﬁt: When an enemy is pushed into your relic, the enemy 
  suﬀers the relic’s zone damage, even if it has already suﬀered the 
  relic’s zone damage that round.
  Relic Shift
  Prerequisite: Relic guard
  Beneﬁt: If you hit with an opportunity attack, you can shift your relic  
  1 square, even if your relic does not move.
  Relic’s Touch
  Prerequisite: Relic guard
  Beneﬁt: When you spend a healing surge on yourself, any allies 
  standing adjacent to your relic gain temporary hit points equal to 
  one-half your level.
  Share The Wound
  Prerequisite: Relic guard, 21st level
  Beneﬁt: Once per encounter while standing adjacent to your relic, 
  you can share damage with the relic, causing half damage to both you 
  and the relic.
  Relic of All Endera   
  Relic Guard Attack 29
  There is little detail to make, for this relic appears as a pillar of 
  pure white light, bright as the day the universe was created.
  Daily • Divine, Radiant, Relic, Summoning, Zone
  Minor Action 
    
  Area 1 within 10 squares
  Effect: You summon the Relic of All Endera to the 
  chosen square. When you stand adjacent to the relic, 
  you gain blindsight up to 10 squares and ignore cover, 
  concealment and superior concealment. You and your 
  allies are granted superior concealment when you 
  stand within 2 squares of the relic. All enemies within 
  5 squares of the relic suffer radiant damage equal to 
  one-half your level + 1 per adjacent ally when they start 
  their turn in this zone.
    Once per encounter, the Relic of All Endera can use 
  the following attack:
  Minor Action 
  Personal (special)
  Target: You and the relic
  Effect: You and the relic can spend a healing surge 
  and gain temporary hit points equal to one-half your 
  level. Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +1 
  bonus to one defense of your choice when an enemy 
  misses you with a melee or ranged attack. Once per 
  turn, you inﬂict a -1 penalty to all enemy’s defenses 
  when you hit it with an at-will attack power.
  Level 29 Relic Guard Prayer
  
  38
  Through Pain Comes Health
  Prerequisite: Relic guard, 21st level
  Beneﬁt: Whenever an enemy suﬀers damage with your chosen 
  damage type from your relic guard class feature, you gain temporary 
  hit points equal to one-half your level.
  Specialist Feats:  
  An Optional System for 
  Multiclassing
  For some, specialist classes as presented are overpowered and break 
  the mold set down by multiclassing feats given in the 4E Player’s 
  Handbook. The feats given below are an optional means of incorporating 
  specialist classes in your campaign as a series of multiclass feats.
  Adept Training
  Prerequisite: Specialization
  Beneﬁt: You can replace the listed ability score modiﬁer on  
  a specialist power with another ability score modiﬁer of your choice.
  Special: You can select this feat multiple times and substitute the 
  ability score modiﬁer on another specialist power. 
  Master Specialist
  Prerequisite: Specialization
  Beneﬁt: You can exchange one power from your primary class to a 
  similar power from your specialist class. This substituted power must 
  be the same level, frequency (at-will, encounter, or daily), and type 
  (attack or utility).
  Special: You can select this feat multiple times and substitute 
  another power from your special¬ist class.
  Past Lesson
  Prerequisite: Specialization
  Beneﬁt: You can substitute one of your primary class features for 
  a specialist class feature. You can only use a primary class feature 
  chosen for elimination when you become a specialist. Once you have 
  used your substituted primary class feature, you cannot use your 
  special¬ist class feature until after an extended rest. 
   For example, if you substituted your Ritual Caster class feature as 
  a cleric for the Bound Artifact relic guard class feature, you can use 
  this feat to regain the use of Ritual Caster until your next extended 
  rest.  
   
   During this time, you do not have Bound Artifact.
  Specialization
  Prerequisites: You must meet the conditions of your chosen 
  specialist class.
  Beneﬁt: Choose a specialist class and replace one of your primary 
  class features with one from your chosen specialist class. 
  
  39
  REVIEW
  Review:
  PAX East 2010: 
  A Retrospective & Survival Guide
  The expos cover everything from console games and computer 
  games, to board games, tabletop games, and role-playing games. 
  Gamers of all kinds ﬂock to PAX and PAX East to check out 
  what’s new in games, hardware for gaming, and upcoming releases 
  of game-related products of every conceivable type.  But it also 
  celebrates old games too, and gamers are encouraged to bring their 
  old portable game systems, board games, and role-playing games 
  to spend time in what can only be called a “festival of geekery”.
  Retrospective #1:  
  Know the difference between  
  a convention and an expo.
  Now the ﬁrst thing I came to realize about this event is that it is an 
  EXPO and not a CONVENTION, and the distinction between 
  the two is a fairly important one.  At a gaming convention, you’re 
  inundated by gaming events, sponsored by both “oﬃcial” sources, 
  like Wizards of the Coast, Chaosium, or White Wolf, for instance, 
  and by Dungeon Masters and Games Masters who volunteer to 
  run gaming events.  At an expo, various gaming companies and 
  manufacturers will sponsor a few events to showcase their products, 
  and hopefully to make a sale.  
   That means the amount of gaming activities you ﬁnd at PAX is 
  considerably less than what you’d ﬁnd a gaming convention, even 
  a small local one.  In fact, WotC was scrambling to ﬁnd DMs to 
  help meet the enormous, and apparently unexpected, demand by 
  gamers to take part in the various D&D 4E events.
   That doesn’t mean you’re going to be bored at a PAX if you’re 
  a gamer.  Far from it, in fact.  I managed to get in nearly 24 
  hours of solid D&D 4E play while at PAX East over a two day 
  period, plus a couple turns at demo stations for computer games.  
  There were plenty of “indie” game companies running non-stop 
  demos of their latest board game or card game to try your hand 
  at.  And I could have had even more gaming had I wandered into 
  the open gaming areas and joined a pick-up game of D&D (any 
  version), as well as numerous board games such as Settlers of 
  Catan or Axis & Allies, or card games like Magic: The Gathering.  
  And that brings up a good point for my ﬁrst bit of advice.
  I had the great fortune this spring to attend my ﬁrst ever 
  Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX, for short.  There are two expos 
  each year, one in Seattle and one in Boston, and they are 
  sponsored by the artists of the Penny Arcade webcomic. 
  And like the webcomic that spawned them, these expos are 
  events celebrating all things GEEK and GAMING. 
  by Michael Evans
  
  40
  Survival Tip #1:  
  Get in line - early, Early, EARLY!!!
  Unlike a gaming convention, at PAX East, most of the panel events 
  and gaming activities are “ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served”, or in a few unruly 
  cases, “ﬁrst shove, ﬁrst served”.  Gamers on the whole are a pretty 
  polite bunch and there is a deﬁnite bonhomie when it comes to the 
  Brotherhood of Geeks, but you have to be pretty fast if you want to 
  grab your turn trying out a new game at the expo.
   Lines queued up for panel events up to an hour before the start 
  time, and there was no guarantee that standing in line for an hour 
  was going to get you a seat.  Although there was great esprit de corps 
  between my fellow gamers over the course of the weekend, there were 
  still quite a bit of chagrin when it came to being able to attend panel 
  events.  Seats ﬁlled up pretty fast, particularly on Saturday when the 
  greatest bulk of conventioneers showed up, but I got hedged out of 
  the two Friday events I wanted to attend because I did not 
  get in line early enough.
   
  Thankfully, the organizers of the D&D 4E and 
  other WotC events were on the ball and had sign-up sheets 
  for all the games they were running, which was NOT 
  standard-operating-procedure for most of the events in the 
  expo.  And as Dungeon Masters showed up to volunteer, they 
  kept expanding the sign-up and waiting lists.  I know there 
  were some folks that got turned away, however, so I can only 
  recommend that you get in line early for your best chance at 
  having a good expo and gaming experience.
   
  Oh, and even if you do sign-up for a game, be sure 
  to be a little early.  If they start seating players with Dungeon 
  Masters, you want to be there when your name is called, or 
  someone from the waiting list might end up with your spot 
  at the table!
  Retrospective #2:  
  Wizards of the Coast knows  
  how to show gamers a good time!
  It’s not too shocking that Wizard of the Coast knows how 
  to make the most of a chance to show oﬀ their products and make 
  sure that gamers have a great time – GenCon and Origins have given 
  them plenty of experience in that department!  WotC sponsored 
  twelve Magic: The Gathering Tournaments and six diﬀerent Magic: 
  The Gathering Online events at PAX East this year.  In addition, they 
  sponsored six unique D&D 4E Events, covering 27 diﬀerent sessions 
  over the three day weekend, with multiple DM’s running groups of  
  6 Players in each session.  And on top of all that, they threw in a Three-
  Dragon-Ante Tournament and ran a panel discussion on Sunday 
  entitled “Save My Game! LIVE”.  Now that’s a lot of gaming!
  The D&D 4E Events at PAX East this year included:
  • Brand-New to D&D
  • D&D Encounters Undermountain Session 1
  • D&D Encounters Undermountain Session 2
  • D&D Convention Delve: “Ruins of Spectral Glade”
  • D&D Dark Sun Preview: “Death in the Arena”
  • D&D DM Challenge: “Horrors of the Underdark”
   I was fortunate enough to partake in four of the six D&D 4E 
  Events at PAX East this year, only opting out of Brand-New to 
  D&D and D&D Convention Delve: “Ruins of Spectral Glade”.  
   The Convention Delve looked like a lot of fun, taking place on 
  a gigantic square grid in the Wizards of the Coast booth in the 
  Exhibition Hall.  Players would take their place on the grid-map, 
  portraying their own “mini” while battling monsters cut from foam-
  board.
   The Brand-New to D&D players got to experience a couple 
  of 1st Level Encounters, and it was a good way to get an idea of 
  what D&D 4E is all about.  I spoke with several players who said 
  they really enjoyed learning 
  D&D 4E, which included 
  some 3.5 Edition Players 
  who had D&D experience, 
  but not with 4E.  It was 
  self-evident that they must 
  have liked 4E, because 
  after partaking in the 
  “beginner” sessions, several 
  of them went on to play in 
  the Dark Sun and DM’s 
  Challenge 
  adventures. 
  Playing in the Brand-
  New to D&D was also 
  a great way to earn some 
  swag, as Trevor Kidd, 
  the WotC Community 
  Event 
  Coordinator, 
  passed out copies of 
  the Player’s Handbook, 
  Adventurer’s 
  Vault, 
  and Dungeon Master’s 
  
  41
  Guide to a few lucky participants!  It was great to see Trevor on-hand 
  soliciting feedback and promoting 4E, which has received a lot of 
  exposure from the Penny Arcade webcomic over the past year.
   As for the other events, D&D Encounters: Undermountain is a 
  new promotion for D&D 4E, and is played every Wednesday at game 
  stores and shops nationwide.  Each week, a diﬀerent encounter of the 
  Undermountain adventure, Halaster’s Lost Apprentice, are played at 
  local gaming stores, and give Players a chance to earn Renown in the 
  DCI/RPGA Network.  
   At PAX East, I got the opportunity to not only play in the ﬁrst 
  two D&D Encounters, and they are deﬁnitely worth trotting down 
  to your local gaming store to participate in.  The combats are well 
  designed, and full-color maps are provided to DM’s to enhance 
  the experience.  I used the chance to sit on the other side of the 
  DM screen, and play a new Class from the Player’s Handbook 3:  
  a Half-Elf Monk named Malen.  As far as Classes go, the 
  monk is a lot of fun to play and he acquitted himself well in 
  the two Encounters.  It took a little over 90-minutes to run 
  each of the Encounters, and we played them nearly back-to-
  back Friday night, which made for a great night of gaming.
   
  On Saturday, I was able to get seated for the other 
  two big D&D 4E events at PAX East 2010: the Dark Sun 
  Preview and the DM’s Challenge.  The Dark Sun Preview 
  was scheduled for four hours and the DM’s Challenge for up 
  to six hours, so I had about 10+ hours of D&D 4E play ahead 
  of me.
   
  The Dark Sun Preview was a great opportunity to 
  see how the new psionic rules introduced in the Player’s 
  Handbook 3 will be used in the desert world of Athas.  
  It also showcased the fact that D&D 4E is just as adaptable 
  to diﬀerent campaign settings as its predecessors.  Much of 
  the ﬂavor of Dark Sun, particularly its brutality and savagery, 
  have been captured with new 4E rules.  For example, most 
  weapons are made of stone and bone, with wood and metal 
  being scarce materials.  And it is possible for all Characters 
  to re-roll a “1” in order to turn a complete miss into a hit,  
  but at the cost of destroying their stone weapon.  Even if you 
  happen to have a metal weapon, it will still break 25% of the time on  
  a re-rolled miss. 
   Characters will also be very diﬀerent in Dark Sun than in 
  previous campaign settings.  In addition to the changes made to 
  the Player-Character Race list, there will also be new powers and 
  feats in Dark Sun, using new mechanics to bring the Athas setting 
  to life under D&D 4E rules.  Racially speaking, the Half-Giant is 
  pretty much a Goliath, but 
  the Mul (Half-Dwarf) 
  and the Thri-Kreen are 
  deﬁnitely something new, 
  and have some unique 
  powers which set them 
  apart from other races. 
  Sadly, fans of Halﬂings 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  disappointed to learn 
  that they are savage and 
  feral cannibals, and probably 
  won’t be Player-Characters in Dark Sun.
   There is also a new Character mechanic called Themes. Characters 
  will be able to select Themes during generation, such as Gladiator, 
  Elemental Priest, Templar, Wilder, and Veiled Alliance, which will 
  give them special encounter powers to match their theme.  Many 
  of these powers were revealed during the “Death in the Arena” 
  adventure, and were useful in completing the adventure.  
   For instance, in the adventure, one of the Characters was a Thri-
  Kreen Shaman with an Elemental Priest Theme, which granted the 
  Elemental Spirit Encounter Power.  The elemental spirit is essentially 
  like a second companion, which can attack enemies and protect allies. 
  And the Elven Battlemind in the adventure had a Wilder Theme, 
  granting him a Wild Surge Encounter power, which allowed the 
  defender to blast oﬀ a surge of psychic energy in order to damage  
  a foe and make it more easily crit-able.  
   And of course, there are many new monsters which are native to 
  the harsh deserts of Athas, so expect them to be tough and very, very 
  nasty.  Not to mention, frequently psionic!
   But the really big event of D&D 4E at PAX East 2010 was 
  the DM’s Challenge: “Horrors of the Underdark”!  This event gave 
  Dungeon Masters the chance to create a 6th Level Underdark 
  adventure, using the following criteria:
   DMs must create an adventure suitable for ﬁve 6th-level characters 
  (actual group size may vary from 4-6 players) that spotlights areas of 
  the Underdark, using the material in the Underdark book (released 
  just this past January) as a guide. 
   The adventure should play in about 5 hours. You should write 
  approximately 4 combat encounters for your adventure; you must 
  write at least 3 combat encounters, but no more than 5. Levels 
  for the encounters should not be lower than 4 or higher than 9;  
  you should endeavor to write a total of about 26 levels’ worth of 
  combat encounters (that would parse out into two 6th-level ﬁghts 
  
  42
  and two 7th-level ﬁghts). You can, of course, add skill challenges and 
  roleplaying encounters to your adventure to give it a cool story.
   The DM’s Challenge drew a number of experienced Dungeon 
  Masters, including Phillip (The Chatty DM), Dave (The Game at 
  Critical-Hits) and Sarah Darkmagic.  I participated as a player, and 
  thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of cthulhu-esque horrors in the 
  Underdark of our DM named Guy.  The DMs were judged by their 
  Players on Presentation and Preparedness, Story and Plot, Combats, 
  and the all important Fun Factor.
   The adventuring party were pre-generated by WotC, and drawn 
  from Races and Classes mainly from the Player’s Handbook 3.  
  I was given a 6th Level Half-Elf Ardent to play, and was amazed 
  at what a solid healer and combatant it was, and how much fun it 
  was to play.  Other Characters included a Githzerai Monk, Elven 
  Seeker, Minotaur Runepriest, Wilden Battlemind, and Shardmind 
  Psion.  Our group came together very quickly into a cohesive 
  unit, and we successfully quested our way to the end of Guy’s 
  Underdark adventure.   
   
  Guy created many terrible new monsters and cultists 
  that had been tainted by the inﬂuence of the Far Realms, and 
  he did a great job of creating a very creepy atmosphere to play 
  in.  The ﬁnal encounter against a horrible elder being from 
  the Far Realms made a great climax to his adventure, and he 
  used plenty of props and hand-drawn maps to tell a great 
  story.  Thankfully, we were able to ﬁnish the adventure by 
  midnight, as several of the Players at our table had to catch 
  the last train back to their hotels.
   
  By the way, in case you have not heard, congratulations 
  are in order for the winner of the DM’s Challenge: Dave 
  Chalker of Critical-Hits.com.  I understand that Dave won 
  an impressive pile of WotC books as his prize, but everyone 
  won something that night, even the Players: every Player and 
  DM got an awesome folder with important tables inside to 
  use during any 4E game.
  Survival Tip #2:  
  Get accommodations close  
  to the convention center.
  As I mentioned, some of our Players had to ﬂee the convention hall 
  in order to get the last train to their hotels.  Now Boston is a great 
  town, with lots of reasonably priced public transportation including 
  a subway, buses, and cabs.  But depending on public transportation 
  means you have to quit the convention center before you might be 
  ready to leave, which can be problematic.  
   Driving is not a great solution, because parking can be expensive 
  in the city, and the more times you move your car, the more you have 
  to pay.  And PAX East was open for play each night until 2am, well 
  after the last of the trains and buses are available.
   I felt fortunate enough to get a hotel within a ﬁfteen minute 
  walk of the convention center, which meant I could leave anytime  
  I wanted without worrying about getting a cab.  And the area around 
  the convention center is a tourists’ dream, situated between Boston 
  Commons and Wrigley Field, and every morning was a walk past 
  famous sites like the Old South Church, the Boston Public Library, 
  and Trinity Church.  
   It also made dining easier, as the convention center was right 
  next to the Prudential Building, which has a huge mall at its base 
  with a food court of some forty eateries.  So getting a hotel near the 
  convention hall just made a lot of sense, and it made getting to and 
  from the expo a lot less of a hassle.
   And that brings me to the next tip:
  Survival Tip #3:  
  You’re going to walk a lot,  
  so wear comfortable shoes.
  Expect to be on your feet a whole lot at an expo like PAX East. 
  Walking to and from the expo every day, walking back and forth 
  through the turnstiles of the dreaded Queue Room, and walking 
  around the Hynes Convention Center is going to take a big toll 
  over the course of a few days, unless you’re used to it.  And if you 
  are standing in line for panels which can be for up to an hour at  
  a stretch, as mentioned previously, that’s even more time on your feet, 
  so I recommend wearing some really comfy shoes while you are there. 
  Heck even the Exhibition Hall takes a couple hours of wandering 
  just to try and see everything.
  
  43
   Thankfully, the folks at PAX East provide these really nice 
  gigantic pillows, strewn all around the concourses in case you need 
  to take your ease, and play some games or just take a nap.  Although 
  I never tried them myself, I have it on good authority from several 
  fellow gamers that a few minutes on one of those pillows can be  
  a great way to relax between panels and gaming sessions.
  Retrospective #3:  
  The Exhibition Hall was sooo huge,  
  you’ll need several sessions to make  
  an attempt to see everything!
  The Exhibition Hall at PAX East is huge – I mean really, really 
  HUGE, and it takes a long time to check out everything there is to 
  see in there!  I went through the Exhibition Hall on Friday for about 
  an hour and a half, then went back on Saturday for another 
  two hours, and I still think I missed some stuﬀ!
   
  Video games make up the bulk of the booths in the 
  Exhibition Hall, so whether you play on a hand-held unit,  
  on a console, or on your desktop PC or laptop, there is almost 
  certainly some game in there that will catch your eye.  Even 
  colleges brought their brightest video game designers out to 
  show oﬀ their computer science programs.  
   
  And it pays oﬀ to stop by and play, because every 
  exhibitor is running a contest or has freebies to hand out, 
  ranging from bumper stickers and temporary tattoos, to 
  awarding copies of games.  One of the guys I traveled with to 
  the expo actually won a brand new iPod Touch!  
   
  And the must-have Hardware you need to play 
  video games is also a big part of the expo, and companies 
  like Alienware, NVidia, Apple, Axion, and INTEL are all on 
  hand to show oﬀ their latest electronic toys.   
   
  But table-top gamers and role-players are not 
  forgotten at PAX East, and Wizards of the Coast is on hand, 
  along with other game companies, to promote upcoming 
  releases and hand out free stuﬀ.  I ended up getting a bunch 
  of very cool D&D 4E bookmarkers and a box of Magic: The 
  Gathering Planeswalker cards.  I was hoping to score a copy of Three-
  Dragon-Ante, but sadly they had none for sale at the WotC booth.
   There was one accessory for tabletop gamers I saw that I have 
  absolutely added to my personal gamer-geek wish list: a new gaming 
  table!  But not just any gaming table – I want a Geek Chic custom 
  built gaming table!  These tables look like regular coﬀee tables and 
  dining room tables, but they are deﬁnitely more than meets the eye. 
  By removing the top panels of the table, a customer built gaming 
  table is revealed inside, complete with whatever surface you want.  
   So whether you want squares or hex maps, or special slots for 
  Magic: The Gathering or the Settlers of Catan, they can build you 
  the gaming table of your dreams.  Sadly, the price for a custom table is 
  pretty much the same as it would be for buying any ﬁne furnishings, 
  but for gamers with the extra cash on hand, these tables are absolutely 
  amazing.
   Of course, no expo or convention anywhere would be complete 
  without running into fellow geeks dressed in all manner of costumes! 
  While wandering around the Exhibition Hall, there were plenty of 
  costumed gamers of all kinds on hand, showing oﬀ their renditions 
  of their favorite characters from video games and role-playing games. 
  Some of the costumes were really excellent, and it deﬁnitely adds a bit 
  of fun seeing a vampire, fairy princess, or steam-punker go wandering 
  by you in the crowd.
  So overall, PAX East has a lot to oﬀer gamers of all kinds, including 
  table-top gamers and role-players.  It’s deﬁnitely worth a trip to 
  Boston for the experience alone, and I will absolutely go back next 
  year, if ﬁnances allow.  But if your taste runs more toward gaming 
  conventions, you’re probably better oﬀ packing for a trip to Origins 
  or GenCon, where gaming is the central focus.  But PAX East is 
  worth trying out at least once, for there is almost nowhere else in the 
  world that Geek-dom is more welcome and celebrated!
  Michael Evans is the head of Neuroglyph Games and runs one of 
  the most comprehensive 4e review sites around. In addition, he is the 
  author of The Perilous Secrets of Wilford Manor, the ﬁrst installment of 
  the Doombringer Saga.
  
  Oliver Specht
  Sketchbook:
  
  Biographie:
  Born 24. Feb. 1972 in Nürtingen (Germany).
  1991 Abitur (university-entrance diploma) at the Max-Planck-
  Gymnasium in English, German, History and Mathematics.
  1992 Civil Service.
  1993-1994 Practical courses at 2 german newspapers.
  1995-1996 Studies at the school of free arts in Stuttgart.
  1996-1999 Studies at „ecole d`art Emile Cohl“ school for 
  lllustration, Comics and Animation in Lyon (France).
  1999-2001 Work as freelance Illustrator, later 2D-Artist and 
  3D Character Designer for IP-Studios/Innonics in Hannover on 
  games The Reef and Napoleon.
  2001-2002 Work as Animator and Character Designer 
  on Napoleon (released Nov. 2002) for Collision-Studios in 
  Hannover.
  2003 Work as 3D Designer and Concept Artist for Collision-
  Studios on Augustus (released 2003)
  2003-2004 Lead Artist for planned game “DC” and 
  Gamedesigner/Concept Artist for a gamesystem based on 
  NOKIA`s second generation N-Gage.
  2004-2005 Freelance illustrator for Fantasy Flight Games 
  trading card game “Call of Cthulhu”, Z-man games Conan and 
  Shadowﬁst CCG. Freelance Concept Artist for Sunﬂowers/related 
  designs video-game “Anno 1701”.
  2006-2007 Art Director Silver Style entertainment for the PC 
  games Simon the sorcerer 4(released 2007) and �verlight (released 
  2008)
  2007-2008 Art Director 4head/Cranberry Production for the 
  PC games Mata Hari and Black Mirror 2
  2009 Freelance Concept Artist and Illustrator for AEGs 
  Legend of the 5 rings CCG and Twilight Creations Deadlands 
  boardgame. As well as Fantasy Flights Wahrhammer 40k RPGs 
  and Cthulhu CCG.
  
  XCLUSIVE
  PREVIEW
  There’s no such thing as easy money. In our line of work, nothing’s as 
  simple as it sounds. A simple snatch’n’grab can turn sour with just one 
  wrong move, one twig under your foot, one soldier who drops his sword 
  into your skull and it all comes crashing down around you. In our line of 
  work, anything’s possible.
  Still interested? Good, ‘cause we’re looking for new blood. Everyone’s out 
  there trying to be a hero and do right by the world when the world doesn’t 
  do right by us. Life is harsh and brutal... and so are we. We’re mercenaries 
  but we like to be called mercs. Straight and to the point. Most of the time, 
  there is no trial run, no training period but you’re caught me in a good 
  mood today. This here is a little sample of the ﬁrst job I’ve got lined up 
  for ya - the entire ﬁrst chapter. Have a read, try it out at no charge. But be 
  warned: if you do choose to take that plunge and give the merc’s life a shot, 
  I expect nothing but professional dedication. We might be scum in their 
  eyes but we’ve got our own code and it says that your word in your bond. 
  Fail me and ﬁnding another job will be the least of your problems...
  
  ����������������
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  ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
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  ����������������������������
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Compatibility Logo, D&D, PLAYER’S 
  HANDBOOK, PLAYER’S HANDBOOK 2, DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE, MONSTER MANUAL, 
  MONSTER MANUAL 2, and ADVENTURER’S VAULT are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA 
  and other countries and are used with permission. Certain materials, including 4E References in this publication, 
  D&D core rules mechanics, and all D&D characters and their distinctive likenesses, are property of Wizards 
  of the Coast, and are used with permission under the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Game System License. 
  All 4E References are listed in the 4E System Reference Document, available at www.wizards.com/d20.  
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 4th Edition PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, written by Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, 
  and James Wyatt; DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE, written by James Wyatt; and MONSTER MANUAL, 
  written by Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert and James Wyatt; PLAYER’S HANDBOOK 2, written by 
  Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, and James Wyatt; MONSTER MANUAL 2, written by Rob Heinsoo, and 
  Chris Sims; Adventurer’s Vault, written by Logan Bonner, Eytan Bernstein, and Chris Sims. © 2008, 2009 
  Wizards of the Coast. All rights reserved.
  Designer: Todd Crapper
  Editor: Vincent Harper
  Cover Design: Empty Room Studios 
  Interior Artists: Kieron O’Gorman,  
  Dan Houser, Pawet Dobosz
  Cartography: Todd Crapper
  Made with Dundjinni (www.dundjinni.com)
  Playtesters 
  John Dwyer, Martin Gagne, Kieron O’Gormon, Jason Leroy,  
  Adam Nevraumont, Patrick Palmer, Kurt Wimmer
  Special Credits
  A big thanks to all the Emerald Press guys for their support  
  and encouragement - Shawn O’Leary, Tim Rose and Vincent Harper.
  First Printing: May 2010
  This preview is provided free-of-charge for promotional purposes. All characters, character 
  names, and the distinct likenesses thereof  remain the proprty of  Todd Crapper  
  and Emerald Press PDF Publishing. All game content complies with  
  the Game System License (GSL) as provided below.
  
  FIRST JOB
  Chapter 1:
  All things must have a beginning and all mercs need that first 
  job.  Your name means nothin’ without it and you can talk all 
  you want, but it’s a body count you need to make your mark.  
  Fresh blood has to start somewhere and you can’t be picky 
  about the work, but if you’re lucky, you get to have a sweet one 
  for your first time out.
   
  You’ll find your way to Bloomten, an old village that’s been 
  taken over by a tribe of orcs.  Fair ‘nuff that it’s been run to 
  the ground and nowhere near what it used to be, but there’s a 
  bloke named Stump who’s set up shop there and he’s looking 
  for some hoods to wink a portal key.  Get out in the open and 
  introduce yourself to the crowd, because you’re going to meet 
  some interesting faces and there’s nothing like a brawl or two to 
  get the blood pumpin’.
  STARTING POINT...
  At the beginning of the adventure, hand each player one of the six Player Introduction 
  cards provided in the Appendix. Each card provides the player with a brief list of events 
  on how they came to learn about Bloomten, their reason for going there, how they arrive, and 
  any other connections which may (or may not) come into play later on. These cards are optional 
  and GMs are encouraged to roleplay any events listed on the cards or to make up their own 
  backstory for PCs starting this adventure.
  “THEY CALL HIM... HATCHET!”
  Read the following passage to the players as the adventure begins:
  As the wagon slowly winds its way across this overgrown trail running through 
  Harrington Woods, you understand now why the fare was so cheap: the ride is bumpy, 
  there are no decent seats, and there are too many people crammed back here. And 
  from what you can smell, the driver appears drunk. He interchanges from whistling 
  a tune to singing a drinking song with words mixed together from various jingles, 
  broken up by the occasional hocking wad of phlegm spat out the side.
   
  There is little of interest to see and hear in the forest. Few birds chirp and a faint 
  mist in the distance prevents you from seeing much past the overgrowth. There is a 
  dank smell in the air, moldy and foul. It’s not until you pass by a small clearing that 
  you can see why – an overturned cart rests in a ditch, barely concealing the rotting 
  bodies of its previous owners. Arrows stick out their backs and heads, leaving no 
  mistake as to what happened here weeks ago.
  Use this time for the PCs to meet each other and establish connections in the party before they 
  reach the first encounter.
   
  Shortly after passing the overturned cart above, the PCs see a group of six orcs surrounding 
  a single human male with a recently deceased human lying on the ground.  His battle-ready 
  posture reveals he is more than equipped to deal with this threat, but the orcs seem oblivious  
  to this.  He has a thick brown cloak draped over his shoulders and a DC 15 Perception 
  check can reveal the shadowed chainmail armour and sword scabbard tucked underneath it,  
  none of which has yet been spotted by the orcs.  One distinguishing mark is the man’s right 
  hand: it has been replaced by an axe attached at the wrist.  A DC 18 History check reveals  
  this is a merc known as Hatchet (see the Hatchet NPC stats in Appendix I for his infamy).
   
  Once a fight breaks out, the orcs will be quick to use deadly force.  The PCs are free to step 
  in and offer a hand at any point, but it is likely not needed or expected.
   
  Once the orcs have been dispatched, Hatchet expresses his thanks to the PCs for whatever 
  help was provided and offers to buy them a drink in town and introduce them around.  
  As they travel, they converse.  When asked about any jobs he may know about or be working 
  on, Hatchet says “Yeah, I’ve got one at the moment, but the pay’s just enough to cover 
  me, if you know what I mean.”  He says nothing more about it and deflects the conversation 
  away to other topics.
  Setting the Stage
  THE KEY OF THE FEY 
  takes place in late summer: trees 
  are at their thickest, the sun is 
  at its highest peak at midday,  
  and the forests of the world and 
  the Feyrealm overflow with life. 
  Many descriptions and details 
  will need to be modified should 
  you choose to run this adventure 
  during any other season, so be 
  sure to watch out for them.
   
  Much of the terrain is bright 
  and pleasant but muted by the 
  violence of the past few years. 
  There have been many fires here 
  with seedlings barely able to grow 
  before they are burnt to cinders 
  like their kind before them. 
  An air of tragedy lingers here, 
  mostly in the deepest corners of 
  the woods.
  continued on page 50
  
  Illumination: Dim light, unless the PCs are traveling  
  by night (then no light).
  Road: The road is made of dirt, crushed rock, and tiny 
  tree roots sticking out of the ground.  Nothing on the road 
  hinders movement or affects visibility.
  Forest: The forest provides cover and becomes very thick 
  as soon as anyone steps off the road. Anything off the road 
  is considered difficult terrain.
  Fallen Log: This was placed here by the orcs to force  
  any wagons to stop and be searched by them.  Providing 
  total cover to anyone standing adjacent to it, the log can  
  be jumped or climbed over with a DC 10 Athletics check. 
  All Medium or larger characters have line of sight over the 
  log.  The log can be moved with a DC 35 Strength check.  
  Rocks: A pile of large rocks rest next to the Bloomten orc 
  archer (A).  They are not tall enough to provide cover  
  or concealment, but they can be picked up and thrown  
  as a ranged attack with 1d6 plus Strength modifier damage.
  Dead Body: This human male was Hatchet’s guide, struck 
  down by an arrow from the Bloomten orc archer (A).  He is 
  dead and was only considered a minion.  Hatchet is upset 
  that his guide was killed, but it also means he doesn’t have 
  to be paid any more. On the body is a quarterstaff, leather 
  armor, a short sword, and a backpack containing standard 
  supplies, a map of Harrington Woods, and a teddy bear 
  (see The Importance of the Bear below).
  Orc Booty:  If they are victorious, the PCs will only  
  find the weapons carried by the orcs, some morsels of 
  bread, and 2d6 chits (see the Halfling’s Coin sidebar in 
  Chapter One). 
  ENCOUNTER A:  
  HATCHET
  Encounter Level 1 (500 XP)
  Sure, you could sit back and watch this pro make quick work of those orcs,  
  but then your blade would be dry, wouldn’t it?
  SETUP
  The PCs makes their way to Bloomten and discover an upcoming fight between the infamous merc Hatchet and six 
  rookie orcs.  The orcs are aware of the PCs arrival (unless they makes a passive DC 15 Perception check prior to walking 
  onto the scene and remain hidden for its initial rounds) and care little for them but will gladly take them down with as 
  much effort as they would with Hatchet.
  This encounter occurs within the quarter-mile zone around Bloomten using the map provided below.
   
  This encounter includes the following creatures;
   
  Hatchet (H) 
   
  5 Bloomten orc patrollers (O)
   
  1 Bloomten orc archer (A)
  Read or paraphrase the following to the PCs at the start of the encounter:
  It is hard to make out who these six orcs are standing around, but their posture tells you that they don’t intend to 
  give him much of a fighting chance.  Standing on the other side of a fallen log, foaming at the mouth and eager for 
  bloodshed, five of them have encircled a cloaked human and taunt him with their wretched speech while a sixth one 
  stands ready with his longbow cocked and ready next to a pile of large rocks.
  Place the PCs’ miniatures anywhere on the map.  If they makes a DC 15 Perception check prior to starting this 
  encounter, they can hear the conversation between Hatchet and the orcs.  Otherwise, they stumble onto the scene and 
  the orcs spot them immediately.
  FEATURES
  Hatchet will attempt to downplay any combat skills 
  until the first round of combat, using his higher Initiative 
  modifier to act first and strike fast.  Once the orcs realize 
  the human can fight, they will attempt to swarm over 
  him and beat him down to the ground – they will attempt 
  to gain combat advantage over Hatchet and knock him 
  prone.
   
  Hatchet will drop one orc at a time rather than attack 
  each of them in turn and make as much space around 
  himself as possible.  He will use his Fury of Swings power 
  when surrounded then return to his singular focus on  
  his current foe.  If any orc tries to escape, Hatchet uses  
  his Sliced Escape power to slow them down.
  TACTICS
  
  Bloomten Orc Patroller 
  Level 1 Brute
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 100
  Initiative +3 
   Senses Perception +5; low-light vision
  HP 30; Bloodied 15
  AC 17, Fortitude 16, Reﬂex 14, Will 12
  Speed 6
  M Spear (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  +6 vs AC; 1d8+2 damage 
  r Longbow (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  Range 20/40; +5 vs AC; 1d10 damage
  Chaotic evil 
   Languages Common, Giant
  Str 17 (+4) 
   Dex 14 (+3) 
  Wis 15 (+3)
  Con 17 (+4) 
   Int 12 (+2) 
  Cha 13 (+2)
  Equipment hide armor, spear, longbow, 20 arrows
  Bloomten Orc Archer 
  Level 1 Artillery
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 100
  Initiative +3 
   Senses Perception +5; low-light vision
  HP 32; Bloodied 16
  AC 17, Fortitude 13, Reﬂex 15, Will 12
  Speed 6
  R Longbow (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  Range 20/40; +7 vs AC; 1d10 damage 
  Chaotic evil 
   Languages Common, Giant
  Str 17 (+4) 
   Dex 14 (+3) 
  Wis 15 (+3)
  Con 17 (+4) 
   Int 12 (+2) 
  Cha 13 (+2)
  Equipment hide armor, spear, longbow, 20 arrows
  Hatchet 
  Level 4 Solo Skirmisher
  Medium natural humanoid (human) 
  XP 875
  Initiative +5 
   Senses Perception +9
  HP 224; Bloodied 112
  AC 22, Fortitude 18, Reﬂex 19, Will 18
  Saving Throws +5
  Speed 5
  Action Points 1
  M Double Strike (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  +10 vs AC; 1d8+5 damage
    Secondary Attack: +10 vs AC; 1d6+5 damage
  m Return the Favor (immediate interrupt,  
     when a ﬂanking opponent misses) • Weapon
  +8 vs AC; 1d4+4 damage
    Secondary Attack: +7 vs Reﬂex; 2d4+4 damage
  c Fury of Swings (standard; encounter) • Thunder,     
      Weapon
  Close burst 1; +10 vs AC; 2d8+7 damage  
  plus 2 thunder damage
  c Wink (minor; encounter) • Gaze
  Close blast 3; +10 vs Will; target is marked
  Violent Thrash (immediate reaction, when bloodied; 
  encounter)
  Can use either Double Strike or Fury of Swings.
  Sliced Escape 
  Hatchet reduces the target’s speed by 2 with 
  opportunity attacks.
  Unaligned 
   Languages Common, Elven, Giant
  Skills Athletics +9, Acrobatics +10, Nature +8, 
  Intimidate +7
  Str 16 (+5) 
   Dex 14 (+4) 
  Wis 12 (+3)
  Con 14 (+4) 
   Int 10 (+2) 
  Cha 11 (+2)
  Equipment chainmail, longsword (w/scabbard), 
  handaxe (attached), adventurer’s pack, brown cloak
  A
  O1
  O2
  O3
  H O4
  O5
  
  NO HELP, NO XP: If the PCs simply watch the fight, they cannot collect any XP  
  for the orcs.  Also, Hatchet will feel no sense of gratitude toward the PCs and will head  
  into Bloomten without them, chiding them as he leaves.
  ELADRIN GENEROSITY: If there are any eladrins in the soon-to-form band,  
  they could stand to benefit the most from this encounter.  Having someone like Hatchet  
  at your side can easily cause the Harad’adak to forgive such intrusions.
  THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BEAR: A DC 12 Perception check reveals  
  the teddy bear is heavier than it looks and it feels like something else is inside. There is a slit  
  in the back of the toy, allowing it to be easily opened and closed without tearing it apart.  
  There is an amulet of protection +2 stuffed inside. Stitched on the back of the toy are the 
  scriptive words “For a special boy.”
   
  Metagamers can see a possible link between the key engraved on the bear and the title  
  of this adventure and take the bear based on that fact alone.  Allow this to happen and play 
  up on the stitched emblem as much as possible – they will be on the right track but will not be 
  close either.
   
  If the PCs do not take the bear, there is no loss.  The teddy bear is a hint, but it is not crucial 
  enough for them to discover the truth.
  THE VILLAGE OF BLOOMTEN
  Read or paraphrase the following to the players as they arrive in Bloomten:
  You can smell thick smoke through the trees and everything around you seems 
  musty and dank.  There is a foul odor lingering, like a severed foot in a wet boot left 
  out for days.  Following the path, you see a pair of orcs standing on a trail leading  
  into a village.  While one of them pisses in a bush, the other simply nods and waves 
  you through.
   
  You’ve heard the stories of villages, farmhouses, and wagon lines sacked  
  by vicious creatures, left to burn under the noon sun... but the thought of such sieges 
  never prepared you for the fate of this once prosperous village.  Every building  
  is scorched with burns.  Windows are shattered, and doors are bashed in and crudely 
  replaced with hunks of wood and debris.  Smoke lingers in the air, as if this place 
  had only been raided days ago.  Hooting and hollering is all that can be heard,  
  the same sounds you could make out in the distance during your approach to Bloomten, 
  as orcs, goblinoids, and humanoids of all kinds revel with drink and smoke in hand. 
  FIGHT! FIGHT!
  ENCOUNTER A: 
  HATCHET provides the 
  first combat encounter for the 
  adventure and can be found on 
  page 10.
  
  Lining the cartways of the village are executed villagers, long since rotted, with birds 
  pecking at the meager remaining flesh.  The area is still well guarded by patrols,  
  but you are allowed to pass without question, sized up and down by all.
   
  A lone church sits in the midst of it all, surrounded by tattered tents and crude 
  huts that has  become a massive complex of orcs, all wearing the red and gold hues  
  of their tribe.  The bulk of commotion seems to center around a barn.  Reasonably 
  intact, it has been modified into a tavern where music and even louder shouting can 
  be heard coming from inside.
  The barn does indeed function as a tavern for Bloomten.  Called the Hungry Orc, it acts  
  as the central watering hole for every orc in the tribe.  Any PC can make a Streetwise check 
  to remember any facts or rumours regarding the Hungry Orc, as given below.
  The Invasion of Bloomten - Streetwise check
  DC 12: The Hungry Orc was built after the fall of Bloomten to feed  
  and water the orc tribe, known as the Harad’adak (or Bloody Heart Tribe 
  in Common).  Conceived and cared for by a self-proclaimed orc merchant 
  called Stump, this place is considered a neutral meeting ground for many 
  savage races.
  DC 17: Stump is not linked to the Harad’adak, but struck a deal with 
  them after they sacked Bloomten.  Stump is rumored to have several other 
  hidden locations and munitions dumps throughout the savage lands  
  with similar deals amongst other tribes.
  DC 20: Aside from being an orc, there have been rumours as to how 
  Stump came into the fortune to make such deals with various orc tribes, 
  leading many to believe that he is funded by a powerful crime lord within 
  one of the major cities of the land.  If this is true, then Stump is nothing 
  more than an errand boy for a much bigger fish.
  Give the PCs some time to explore Bloomten on their own as they enter the village.  
  Use this time to give them the lay of the land before they settle into the Hungry Orc and onto 
  the next scene.
  EXPLORING BLOOMTEN
  Consult the map of Bloomten for the following locations:
  1.  THE HUNGRY ORC
  The bulk of the PCs’ visit to this village will center on the Hungry Orc, the main watering hole 
  and place of business in Bloomten.  Filthy and disgusting, this is where they must go to find  
  a job.
   
  The Hungry Orc is situated in a typical barn.  Orcs with any money left can pay to sleep on 
  the hay while the rest are kicked onto the street to sleep in tents (see Area 2).  There are various 
  rooms in the cellar that are currently being used as prisons and food storage.
  2.  ORC TENTS AND THE CHURCH
  Sleeping in a burned out farmhouse may be fine for some, but there aren’t enough proper living 
  conditions for everyone to sleep in... including orcs.  These tents were brought by the orcs when 
  they invaded and are used by any number at any given time.  Each tent is nothing more than  
  a cloth supported by poles, leaving them open and exposed with mats and worn blankets to sleep 
  on.  If nothing else, the tents protect the orcs from rain and bitter wind.
   
  The church resting at the center of the village has been gutted out and converted into  
  a giant apartment/restroom for the Harad’adak – all religious symbols inside have been 
  defecated on, urine soaks the carpets, and windows have been smashed out in drunken rage.  
  In some cases, it is enough to cause sickness and disease to those without the constitution  
  to handle it.
  ADAPTING 
  THE CHURCH 
  TO YOUR 
  CAMPAIGN
  While there is very little 
  evidence indicating to whom 
  the church was once dedicated, 
  feel free to embellish and 
  decorate its remains to suit any 
  commonly worshipped deity 
  in your campaign.  Bloomten,  
  as it once was, could have existed 
  as a logging town or a waypoint 
  for merchants on the road to  
  a larger town or city, making the 
  church a general stop for many 
  passersby.  If there is a follower 
  of a good or neutral deity in the 
  party, you may choose to select 
  their god as the former host of 
  this church and roleplay their 
  arrival inside the church for  
  a unique scene.
  
   No 
  single 
  orc 
  owns 
  a 
  tent, 
  room, 
  or 
  house 
  in 
  Bloomten 
  – 
  it’s 
  every 
  orc 
  for 
  himself.  
  Many fights break out in the early hours of the morning 
  as the nocturnal warriors seek to find a better bed than 
  the previous day.  Many of these fights spill onto the street 
  and in the open, where a massive melee will break out 
  among any nearby orcs.  Any orc caught trying to take  
  the same bed twice is found dead in the woods  
  by the second night.
  3.  STUMP’S MANOR
  Still singed from the invasion, this three-storey manor 
  remains intact enough for Stump to call home.  
  Many other orcs frequent here and act as his bodyguards, 
  but there is little quality of life to be found here save  
  for the master bedroom, where fine paintings, florals, and 
  clean silk sheets on a four-poster bed can be found.  Stump 
  spends the majority of his time in the Hungry Orc and only 
  comes here to sleep during the day.
  4.  THE HARAD’ADAK HOTEL
  Cleverly named, this wasted inn barely holds twenty 
  orcs simultaneously, but they are the elite commanders 
  of the tribe.  They keep themselves separated from 
  Stump’s affairs and care not for the type of clientele 
  he attracts, but he does keep the liquor flowing  
  in Bloomten and that gives the orc commanders 
  plenty of time to come up with a new village to sack,  
  keeping the tribe from getting bored and restless.
  THE HUNGRY ORC
  Read or paraphrase the following text to the players as they enter  
  the Hungry Orc:
  The entrance is nothing more than barn doors with the right one left open.  Hay spills 
  out of the doorway and as you look inside, it covers the entire floor too.  Torches lining 
  the walls of each stall barely illuminate the tables scattered about; only a few of them 
  are available for seating.  A crude looking bar has been erected ahead of you and stairs 
  to the right lead to a loft above.
   
  There is a disgusting and pervasive aroma of urine, and there is no question that 
  the buckets and barrel beside the door are filled with vomit – the unquestionable 
  mixture of orcs and ale.  There is music playing, but it is soft compared to the shouts, 
  grunts, and hollers from inside.  The hay on the floor is damp, sopped with beer,  
  and covered in crumbs.  Many orcs are passed out in all directions: on the floor,  
  on tables, and under chairs.  Arm wrestling, mug smashing, and other benign tests  
  of strength carry on here, but all gazes shift to you as you enter.  You are unwanted, 
  but luckily you are tolerated.
  Surrounded by bloodthirsty orcs and other savage races, the PCs are best to tread  
  carefully or they will find it easy to break into a fight.  There is no weapon check at the door 
  and it is understood that everyone has a weapon of some kind on them, displayed or concealed.  
  Drinks are frequent and cheap with very little edible food to be found.
  FINDING A JOB: A simple DC 10 Streetwise check can point them towards  
  Stump (or anyone noticing the only table in the tavern with a rug, plush chairs, and several 
  empty plates).
  HATCHET’S APPRECIATION: The PCs who aided Hatchet in the forest can 
  enter with the famed mercenary and have a few drinks with him, engaging in conversation  
  and exchanging stories of their most recent jobs (though the PCs will likely have to make Bluff 
  checks to fake Hatchet out).
  Bloomten
  The Village of 
  Population: Approx. 2000 orcs
  1 inch = 100 feet
  1
  2
  3
  4
  
   
  If the PCs mention finding a job, Hatchet will take them to see Stump personally  
  and introduce them, thereby ensuring the PC’s involvement in the adventure.  For the rest  
  of this scene, the PCs gain a +2 bonus to any Charisma-based skill checks through their 
  association with Hatchet.
   
  After a while, Hatchet goes to leave and wishes the PCs all the best.
  MEETING WITH STUMP
  When the PCs are able to meet up with Stump, read, or paraphrase the following 
  text to the players:
  There is no mistaking which table you’re looking for, when you stop and think about 
  it.  It is the largest table placed atop a finely woven rug. Hopefully, those stains are just 
  mud.  Many torches and candles illuminate the table and a board game of scattered 
  pieces centers it all.
   
  Seated between two orc females, the one known as Stump pays no heed to your 
  approach, but the two hobgoblins do.  Massive hammers cradled in their arms,  
  the hobgoblins stand in front of you and block your path towards the merchant. 
  Leering down at you and snarling their lips to reveal sharp, jagged teeth,  
  one of the hobgoblins speaks with a guttural voice.
   
  “He’s busy.  Come back later.”
  Considering the affection Stump is receiving from the orc females, it should be obvious  
  to the PCs that he will be busy for some time.  If they want to get his attention, they’ll have  
  to find a way past his goons.
  TAKE THEM DOWN: If the PCs decide to take out the hobgoblin bodyguards by 
  force, this will incite a brawl to break out.  Any number of orc minions equal to the total level  
  of the PCs involved will join in the ruckus.
  TALK IT THROUGH: The PCs can also try negotiating their way through (which 
  includes bribery, as do all types of negotiations).  A simple skill challenge can be used or the 
  hobgoblins will move aside for no less than 10 gp.
  GET THE MESSAGE DIRECT: Stump has already partaken of several drinks and 
  has no problem drinking some more.  If the PCs order a drink for him, Stump will immediately 
  allow them past the hobgoblins and speak with them.
  SNEAK PAST THEM: This is the most difficult option as Stump is seated in a very 
  open area of the Hungry Orc, but it is still possible.  If another PC distracts the hobgoblins,  
  use the aid another rule to grant the sneaking PC a bonus to his Stealth check.
  Once seated with Stump, the PCs learn of a job he is recruiting for:
  The squat little orc leans forward and drops his voice slightly.  It is loud enough  
  for you to hear but not enough for the crowd to pick up on.
   
  “I’ve got a little snatch-and-grab I need done.  There’s a pot of believers just 
  northeast of here they say has a portal to the Feyrealm.  Something about a connection 
  to some ancient god who dwells with the elves or some such spat, but it’s a portal  
  no one’s got working before.  My ears tell me they have a key to open it, so that’s 
  where you lads come in if your price is right.  I want that key.
   
  “Thing is, these believers have a bit of sway in the civilized world.  
  Human by the call of Jarod runs things in their world and he’s related to a Marshall 
  just five days from here.  Gossip is that Jarod and the Marshalls ain’t exactly  
  on speaking terms on account of his beliefs, but the Marshall’ll raise all nine Hells  
  if something happens to his brother.  So I needs this key gone quietly.
   
  “Here’s the offer: you get the key and bring it back here, to my hands,  
  and I’ll throw 500 gold amongst the lot of you to split.  But I like to provide incentives, 
  so I’m adding a little extra if you can do it without anyone knowing you did it.  
  Pile an extra 100 on there for that.  Keep its owner attached and I’ll double it.”
  This is something Stump is known for: making multiple offers with sweeter prizes.  In his 
  twisted mind, Stump is looking to see just how far these mercs are willing to go for some gold  
  and perhaps serve a purpose in the future.  No matter which option they choose, he wins  
  and can find more use for the party later on (should he feel the need for it).  If they don’t kill  
  the entire community, he still has the key.  If they do, he has the key and more enemies are out 
  of his mind...and he has decoys to draw the Marshall’s attention should the need arise.
  FIGHT! FIGHT!
  Use 
  ENCOUNTER 
  B: MEETING WITH 
  STUMP on page 16 if the 
  PCs choose to get into a scrap 
  with Stump’s bodyguards... and 
  other companions.
  continued on page 56
  
  ENCOUNTER B:  
  MEETING WITH STUMP
  Encounter Level 2 (500 XP)
  If you wanna talk to that orc behind the table, then you’re have to get past  
  his bodyguards.  Would be a shame to spill your drink, though...
  SETUP
  The PCs wish to talk to Stump, the local underboss, about a job, but the hobgoblin bodyguards surrounding his table 
  are not inclined to let anyone pass without an invitation.  Choosing to use violence to get the orc’s attention, they will 
  fight with the hobgoblins and break their way through.
  The Peaceful Approach: There are always options in any encounter (some of which are provided above) and so there 
  are always multiple ways to collect XP.  If the band can meet with Stump without resorting to violence, they can gain 100 
  XP each instead of the encounter award given at the top of the page.
   
  This encounter takes place in a corner of the Hungry Orc tavern in Bloomten.
   
  This encounter uses the following creatures:
   
  Stump (S)
   
  2 hobgoblins bodyguards (H)
   
  2 orc prostitutes (F)
   
  Any number of orc minions (O)
  FEATURES
  Illumination: Dim light with various pockets of darkness, 
  particularly under the stairs on the first floor.
  Furniture: There are various pieces of tavern furnishings, 
  each of them practical in a fight, that can be used as  
  an improvised melee weapon (see the Weapons Tables  
  in the 4E Player’s Handbook).
   
  If anyone stands adjacent to a piece of furniture while in 
  combat, they must make a save throw at the end of combat 
  to avoid tripping and falling prone at the beginning of the 
  next round.
  Assorted Cutlery: There is any number of cutlery pieces 
  within reach of a table or the bar and they can be used  
  as improvised ranged weapons (see the Weapons Table in 
  the 4E Player’s Handbook).
  S
  F1
  F2
  H2
  H1
  O
  O
  O
  O
  O
  
  Stump 
  Level 7 Controller
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 300
  Initiative +3 
   Senses Perception +5; low-light vision
  HP 79; Bloodied 39
  AC 20, Fortitude 18, Reﬂex 16, Will 20
  Speed 4
  r Wand of Magic Missiles (standard; at-will)  
  • Arcane, Force, Implement
  Range 10; +12 vs Reﬂex; 2d4 force damage
  M Short Sword (standard; at-will) • Poison, Weapon
  +10 vs AC; 1d6 damage and 1 ongoing poison  
  (save ends)
  r Wand Blast (standard; encounter) • Arcane, Force, 
  Implement
  Close blast 5; +12 vs Reﬂex; 2d6 damage
    Secondary Attack: +8 vs Fortitude; target is dazed 
  (save ends)
  Evil 
   
  Languages Common, Giant
  Skills Bluff +10, Diplomacy +10, Intimidate +5,    
  Thievery +5
  Str 10 (+3) 
   Dex 8 (+2) 
  Wis 15 (+5)
  Con 12 (+4) 
   Int 17 (+6) 
  Cha 16 (+6)
  Equipment padded armour, wand of magic missiles, 
  short sword
  Hobgoblin Bodyguard (2) 
  Level 3 Soldier
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 150
  Initiative +7 
   Senses Perception +3; low-light vision
  HP 44; Bloodied 22
  AC 20, Fortitude 18, Reﬂex 16, Will 16
  Speed 5
  M Heavy Hammer (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  +8 vs AC; 1d10+4 damage, the target is marked
  m Knee Break (standard; encounter) • Weapon
  +7 vs Reﬂex; 1d10+7 damage plus target is slowed
  Sturdy Stance (immediate interrupt, when an opponent    
    attempts to shift him) 
  Can resist being shifted up to 3 times in an encounter.
  Guardian Pose
  The hobgoblin bodyguard gains a +2 bonus to AC  
  while standing at least two squares from Stump.
  Evil 
   
  Languages Common, Giant
  Skills Atheltics +10, History +8
  Str 19 (+5) 
   Dex 14 (+3) 
  Wis 14 (+3)
  Con 15 (+3) 
   Int 11 (+1) 
  Cha 10 (+1)
  Equipment scale armour, heavy hammer
  Orc Prostitutes (2) 
  Level 1 Skirmisher
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 100
  Initiative +2 
   Senses Perception +2; low-light vision
  HP 21; Bloodied 10
  AC 17, Fortitude 14, Reﬂex 15, Will 15
  Speed 6
  M Curved Knives (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  +5 vs AC; 1d4 damage
  r Knife Toss (standard; encounter) • Weapon
  +7 vs AC; 1d4 damage and the orc prostitute loses  
  the use of one curved knife
  r Leg Wrap (standard; encounter) 
  +6 vs Reﬂex; target is wrapped up in the orc prostitute’s 
  legs and is restrained (save ends)
    Secondary Attack: +4 vs Fortitude; 2d6+1 damage
  Evil 
   
  Languages Giant
  Skills Atheltics +5, Acrobatics +5
  Str 11 (+0) 
   Dex 14 (+2) 
  Wis 12 (+1)
  Con 13 (+1) 
   Int 8 (-1) 
  Cha 15 (+2)
  Equipment curved knife (2)
  Bloomten Orc Minion 
  Level 1 Minion
  Medium natural humanoid (orc) 
  XP 25
  Initiative +0 
   Senses Perception +2; low-light vision
  HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion
  AC 16, Fortitude 14, Reﬂex 11, Will 10
  Speed 6
  M Bash (standard; at-will) • Weapon
  +4 vs AC; 1d6+2 damage 
  Evil 
   
  Languages Giant
  Str 15 (+2) 
   Dex 10 (+0) 
  Wis 10 (+0)
  Con 14 (+2) 
   Int 8 (-1) 
  Cha 9 (-1)
  Equipment assorted weapons (clubs, short swords, spears)
  TACTICS
  The hobgoblin bodyguards have no problem going for 
  the killing blow with the PCs and will use their massive 
  hammers to prove the point.  Staying within two squares  
  of Stump to gain their guardian pose bonus, they will 
  swing and try to use their knee break power early on.
   
  They are not alone however.  After gauging the PCs’ 
  abilities for the first round, the orc prostitutes pull out their 
  knives and jump in, using their leg wrap to bind them  
  and allowing the hobgoblin bodyguards to crack their 
  skulls open.  The prostitutes are only as good as they  
  are paid and they will flee when bloodied.
   
  Orc minions are scattered throughout the bar to liven 
  up the scene as needed.  If the PCs make quick work of 
  the former opponents, the minions may choose otherwise.  
  Stump will remain still, drinking his ale, confident of the 
  PCs’ intent behind this scuffle.  Just in case, however,  
  he has his wand of magic missiles at the ready under  
  the table and will fire off a wand blast to cause the table  
  to explode at the PCs.
  
   
  With all of this going through his mind, reading his expressions will be much harder.  
  Any opposed Insight check against Stump’s Bluff skill will normally meet with failure  
  and the orc has done an excellent job of covering up any botched jobs or betrayals to protect 
  his reputation.  While the PCs may be wary of trusting this orc, they need the work  
  and the money is a very tempting offer for characters of their level.
   
  Stump will give them some time to think about his offer and even buys them a few rounds 
  of drinks while they discuss business amongst themselves.  When they accept, he provides them 
  with a sealed scroll case holding a map to the community.
  DESCRIBING THE KEY: Truth be told, Stump doesn’t know for a fact what the key 
  looks like, but they did capture a Faithful some weeks back and the most they got out of him was 
  “The Master keeps it close to him at all times.”  That leaves Stump to believe it’s the holy 
  symbol worn around Jarod’s neck.  Jarod is the paladin leader of the Faithful, a very reverent 
  human with a charismatic following of 25 humans, halflings, and half-elves.  Stump will tell  
  the PCs that is the key they must steal.
  HALFLING’S COIN
  One way for the PCs to interact and bond is a good game of halfling’s coin (which is often 
  confused for “beggar’s change” for those who refuse to follow anything to do with halflings). 
  Word has it that the game was conceived impromptu by a halfling to cover up his outright theft 
  of money at the table during a game of cards, but the game has caught on in seedier circles 
  regardless of its origin.
   
  Halfling’s coin is a betting game where the best player wins solely by bluffing, deceiving, 
  and especially cheating.  There are no cards, dice, or other playing aids other than the 
  hand carved coins piled on the table.  Each player plays with up to fifty coins inside a sack, 
  which is generally the size of an average coin purse.  The exact amount of coins at the start  
  of the game is generally agreed upon by all players at the table, meaning a high priced table can 
  have each player with a large sack of coins at the start. Each bag of halfling coins are collected 
  from various sources, so it is rare for any significant number of coins to look the same and easily 
  allows any other players to sneak in their own coins to their piles to increase their value.
   
  After the piles are made, each player takes turns negotiating with other players to exchange 
  piles of coins.  Offers and counteroffers are made between players, each one trying to bluff their 
  way to collecting a higher value of coins from another player and passing off their worthless 
  pile as equal or greater (although passing it off as greater is a sure way to scream out your bluff).  
  At the end of each round, players are allowed to rearrange their piles and continue bluffing until 
  a winner has been declared.
   
  Winning a game of halfling’s coin is fairly simple, but sometimes arduous to get there.  
  Any player without any dark coin at the end of a turn wins.  Some tables preset a number  
  of rounds before a winner can be determined – if no single player is without the dark coin  
  by the end of these specified number of rounds, then the game continues until only one player 
  is without the dreaded coins.
  PLAYING THE GAME
  The whole of the game is the coin.  Any numbers of different coins exist in the underworld, 
  backwoods taverns, and side alleys where the game is played, but they all have these characteristics 
  in common in order to be considered “fair use.”  They have one of five colours on its edge:  
  red, blue, yellow, green, and black.  Each coin has a number written on it, ranging from 1 
  to 25, but some have been greedy enough to make coins going as high as 100.  These values 
  are added up when the winner is declared and that amount is divided amongst the losers  
  and awarded in gold to the winner.  Therefore, the best aim in a game of halfling’s coin is to 
  have a high value of coins.
   
  Five of these coins are dark coins.  Their edge can be any of the five standard colours  
  for coins in the game, but their face is a carving of a skull rather than a number.  If a player  
  has any dark coins in his pile, he cannot win the game.  Each player must confirm  
  they are playing five dark coins at the start of each game, meaning they can be freshly carved  
  for a specific game or the same ones an old player has been stuck with for months.  Since coins 
  can be of any mixed collection, the dark coins are generally able to stand out amongst others 
  or can be made to look very similar to others in the pile.  The goal of each player is to get rid  
  of his or her dark coins and avoid keeping any dark coins from other players.  As soon as a player 
  gets rid of the last dark coin currently in their pile, they announce this and spread out their 
  remaining coins to collect that amount from the remaining players.
  Criminals Don’t 
  Trust Nice Guys...
  While this line of work tends 
  to 
  draw 
  seedier 
  characters 
  than your typical heroes, it 
  still features a wide variety of 
  people calling themselves mercs.  
  If Stump is approached by 
  good-aligned or clearly naïve 
  and inexperienced mercs, he will 
  want a test performed to prove 
  their willingness to get the job 
  done.
  “You think ye can work for 
  me?  Fine, prove it.  See those 
  two orcs at the table with 
  their backs turned to us?  
  Kill ‘em.  Now.”
  Stump carries no grudge against 
  these particular orcs (in fact, 
  you can even select the table at 
  random or use orcs who may 
  have been particularly harassing 
  to the PCs) and needs to make 
  sure he can find help that won’t 
  get bogged down with morals 
  and ethics.  Now the characters 
  have a choice and a chance 
  to make an impression strong 
  enough to overshadow their 
  inexperience.
  
   
  Before the game begins, the players determine any number of rounds that must be played 
  before a winner can be declared or choose to play until the winner ditches his last dark coin. 
  Players must reveal the face edge of their dark coins to a third party who is impartial to the game 
  (generally a server, barmaid, or bartender, as these games generally occur in taverns and pubs) 
  before the game can begin.  Each player reaches into their bag and blindly pulls out a coin:  
  the player with the highest number goes first with the player to his right going next and so forth.  
  From this point on, all coins are kept face down and their value kept hidden from other players 
  until a coin is in the possession of another player.  Players can look at their own coins any time 
  they choose, but they cannot noticeably switch them around in any way until after a round has 
  passed.  At the end of a full round, players can switch their coins around however they choose. 
   
  Each player must trade any number of coins with another player on his turn.  
  Players can pile their coins in any fashion they choose, but the general method is to sort the 
  coins into smaller piles.  A player makes an offer to any player on his turn, suggesting any 
  number of coins in his pile to a certain number of coins from the other players.  At this point,  
  the two players negotiate until a deal is reached.  Once a player makes an offer, it cannot  
  be ignored.  Any means of negotiation can be used to sweeten the deal, including offers 
  outside of the table or even threats.  At no point and time can a player make physical contact  
  with another player, meaning a player cannot attack another player and take his coins away  
  by force.  Physical contact results in forfeit and the player must leave with all the coins currently 
  in his possession.  Some bad players have refused to follow this rule and have been killed for their 
  ignorance and rudeness to the game.
   
  As soon as a player has removed the last dark coin in his pile after the designated number  
  of played rounds, he announces his victory and counts his total in the pile.  The remaining 
  players must pay the winner this amount, to be divided however the losing players see fit.
  ROLEPLAYING THE GAME
  While it may be rewarding and worthwhile for a GM to actually set up a game of halfling’s coin 
  for his players, this is not always feasible.  Provided below are guidelines for playing halfling’s 
  coin with just dice and character stats.
   
  After each player is informed of the rules of halfling’s coin (in character and at the table), 
  they each have five dark points in their pool.  These dark points replace the dark coins used  
  in halfling’s coin and the first player to get rid of his last dark point wins.
   
  Each player starts the game by rolling 1d20 and the highest roller goes first with the next 
  player seated to his right going next and so forth.  The player chooses another player and 
  rolls his Bluff or Negotiation skill against the opposing player’s Intuition skill.  Whoever rolls  
  the higher number wins the round and collects the difference in gold coin (to be paid in full after 
  the game).  If the winning player beats the losing player’s skill check by five or more, the winning 
  player loses a dark coin and collects the difference in gold coins – the dark coin is passed on  
  to the losing player.
   
  Players are encouraged to invent or utilize other aspects of the rules to gain favor  
  on their turn.  So long as their character abide by the few rules of the game (e.g. no physical 
  contact), the GM may allow any number of tools for a player to collect more coins from  
  the other players.
  THE FINE ART OF CHEATING
  Cheating is encouraged and expected in this game, for it is what gives halfling’s coin  
  its charm – that is why this game is played by thieves, scoundrels, and mercenaries.  
  The goal of the game is to screw over as many players as possible to come out on top  
  and collect money.  To meet that goal, players cheat.
   
  There are any number of means by which a player can cheat, so long as he is not caught 
  and he does not make physical contact with another player.  For example, a player can pocket 
  a dark coin and remove it from his piles.  When he gets rid of his last coin, he announces  
  his victory while one of the dark coins sits secretly in his pocket.  So long as the player isn’t 
  caught, it’s all good.  If he’s found out after the game, there is no harm done.  If it turns out 
  that the player snuck the dark coin into another player’s pocket, that counts as physical contact  
  and the fouling player is dealt with... accordingly.
  
   
  Pocketing coins is a tried-and-true method of cheating in halfling’s coin  
  and 
  is 
  commonly 
  done 
  with 
  a 
  Theivery 
  skill 
  check 
  against 
  opposing 
  Perception checks with the thieving player gaining a +4 bonus to the 
  roll with the table blocking the view of his hands.  Switching coins on the table 
  in play, however, is reserved for master thieves at work.  The player must make  
  a Thievery check with a -5 penalty as all players will be expecting sleight of hand.  
  Players can attempt to distract other players with an opposed Bluff check, but any action 
  taken in direct view of other players generally results in a -4 penalty because cheating is widely 
  expected in a game.
   
  Players can attempt to intimidate another player and make him nervous when he attempts 
  to cheat.  An Intimidate check against another player’s Will defense can inflict  
  a -2 penalty to the affected player’s Bluff, Thievery, and Negotiation skills (save ends).  
  Targeted players can use any utility power which can boost their Will defense during  
  a game of halfling’s coin to increase their defense against these intimidation tactics, 
  but only so long as the power can be activated appropriately at the table (GM’s discretion).   
  For example, activating a power that requires shifting does not make sense during a game where 
  the player is seated in a chair.
   
  Hidden pockets, particularly in the sleeve of a shirt, are popular means of cheating in 
  halfling’s coin and grant a +2 bonus to any Thievery check made during the game.
   
  When it comes down to it, lying is the best form of cheating in this game.  
  A player’s Bluff and Negotiation skills are the most valuable skills to a player and using 
  them successfully can make all the difference between owing money and collecting it.   
  At the start of a round, each player makes a Bluff check and uses that result for the entire 
  round.  Using their passive Insight check at the beginning of the round, a player can sense  
  if another player is lying during their negotiations and gain a +2 bonus to any rolls 
  when they do succeed until the next player’s turn.  In an attempt to turn the coin in their 
  favor, a player who originated the offer can make a Bluff or Negotiation check and convert 
  the new result as a minor action into the difficulty for a passive Intuition checks made against 
  them.  This new roll replaces any previous rolls used for the round, but this can only be done  
  once per round at the table.
   
  Finally, players can use their action points to re-roll any skill check related  
  to the game.  (Since players will not be adventuring in this time, this means they can only use 
  their action point once throughout the entire game for this effect.)  Regardless of the result  
  of their re-roll, the player must stick with the result of the new dice roll and suffer  
  the consequences if need be. 
  EXPERIENCE POINTS IN HALFLING’S COIN
  Players who use their wits and imagination to pull off an upset in halfling’s coin could even win 
  some XP for their efforts, if the GM allows this.  A player can win half his gold value winnings 
  as experience points.  As time goes on, the player’s skill at the game increases his infamy  
  and can lead to a little more infamy than most.  A good game of halfling’s coin can also count 
  as an encounter towards collecting milestones.
  BEHIND THE SCENES
  This section details events far out of range for the players and is provided for the GM’s sake  
  to reveal upcoming plot points, character motivations, and other story-based considerations 
  so the GM can cover unusual events or spontaneous plot killers.  Potential player impact  
  is provided in each detail below.
  WATCHFUL EYE: Hatchet has been hired on by the Faithful to protect them  
  from potential attacks, suspecting that if anyone were to make a strike against the Faithful, 
  it would be with mercs.  Scoping out the “competition” and getting a gauge for anyone 
  looking to steal the key (though Stump was already high on his list), Hatchet actually remains  
  in the Hungry Orc to learn about the PCs’ new job.  Allow PCs to spot Hatchet within  
  the Hungry Orc from time to time, but make these fleeting appearances.  Once the PCs  
  have been hired on, Hatchet makes for the Faithful camp.
  THE BODY HAS A NAME...: The dead body found in “They Call Him... Hatchet” 
  is not just a guide. His name is Hagard, a member of the Faithful charged with meeting Hatchet 
  in town and leading him safely back to the Faithful camp. Unfortunately, things did not proceed 
  as planned.
  
  TWO HEADS, ONE COIN: Stump is planning to betray the PCs and that’s the reason 
  why he’s hiring outside help rather than calling on any number of mercs, orcs, or other lowlifes 
  to do the job for him.  The Marshall is not a believer or member of the Faithful, but his loyalty 
  to his “mad brother” is firm.  He will rain his full wrath on the region if the key goes missing  
  and something should happen to Jarod.  Having that kind of heat on Stump is not good  
  for business and the occupation of Bloomten is only mildly tolerated (the fat orc has bribed  
  a magistrate into filing false reports on orc numbers and activities) but the offer from Stump’s 
  other employer is just too good to pass up.  When the key is in his hands, Stump will need some 
  decoys to take the fall.
   
  In all honesty, there is no reason to believe Stump will not betray the PCs and the players 
  should be more than aware of that possibility... but that is the risk of their particular line  
  of work.  Taking jobs from seedy characters is the price you pay for high payoff jobs doing 
  bad things.  Feel free to make this point to the players, but their characters may not be able  
  to pick up any strong clues – Stump’s Bluff skill is rather high for 1st-level character to counter  
  with their Insight skill. 
  
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  Reference Document, available at www.wizards.com/d20.  
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 4th Edition PLAYER’S HANDBOOK, written by Rob 
  Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt; DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE, written by 
  James Wyatt; and MONSTER MANUAL, written by Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert and 
  James Wyatt; PLAYER’S HANDBOOK 2, written by Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, 
  and James Wyatt; MONSTER MANUAL 2, written by Rob Heinsoo, and Chris Sims; 
  Adventurer’s Vault, written by Logan Bonner, Eytan Bernstein, and Chris Sims. © 2008, 
  2009 Wizards of the Coast. All rights reserved.
  Combat Advantage is a series of free supplemental material courtesy of Emerald Press PDF Publishing,  
  Todd Crapper and its participating contributors. All artwork and material created speciﬁcally for this  
  issue remains under the ownership of its creator and permission was granted for publication. 
  www.emeraldpresspdf.com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Combat Advantage/Combat Advantage 17.pdf