TEXT: A Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game Supplement
  ISSUE 386  |  aprIl 2010
  
  Features
  Contents
  	 5	
  On	CivilizatiOn’s	Fringes:
  	
  	
  Humans	OF	tHe	Wild
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Humans can survive—even thrive—in virtually any environment. Learn how 
  some groups of hardy humans embrace a more rugged life.
  	 14	
  underHanded	and	OverCOnFident
  By Ari Marmell
  Scoundrels are some of the most popular and fun characters of fiction and film. 
  Learn the ins and outs of playing this classic archetype at your game table.
  	 19	
  Familiar	POWer:	sOrCerers
  By Arthur Wright
  Any arcanist can engage the services of a familiar. See how sorcerers can 
  capitalize on their little allies.
  	 25	
  Bazaar	OF	tHe	Bizarre:	tHe	legend	OF	drizzt
  By Eytan Bernstein
  The characters from R.A. Salvatore’s popular novels have always used a plethora 
  of amazing magic items. Now they’re ready for inclusion in your game.
  	 34	
  Class	aCts:	druid
  By Ari Marmell
  In places where the world is close to the Feywild, some primal spirits have 
  developed unique traits that druids can access.
  ®
  	 37	
  Class	aCts:	CleriC
  By David Adams
  Prophecy can be confusing to some, but a road to power for others.
  	 41	
  Class	aCts:	Warden
  By Craig Campbell 
  The Coterie of the All-Spirit believes that all primal spirits and living 
  creatures are connected to one single, all-encompassing All Spirit.
  	 45	
  Class	aCts:	WarlOCk
  By Mike Mearls
  The Crimson Knights of Bael Turath were an elite fighting force in the days 
  of the lost empire—learn their battle secrets!
  	 49	
  Class	aCts:	BarBarian
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  The True Born believe they must preserve the traditions of Nerath, despite 
  living in some of the harshest and most rugged of environments.
  	 52	
  Winning	raCes:	CHangeling
  By Matthew Hanson
  Becomers so embrace a particular race that they often identify more as a 
  member of that race than their own.
  
  	 55	
  Winning	raCes:	gOliatH
  By Matt James
  Some goliaths, captured from their mountain homes at an early age, are raised 
  to fight for masters other than themselves.
  	 58	
  Winning	raCes:	HalF-OrC
  By James Auwaerter
  Half-orcs, shunned by many, always find a way to survive. Some seek 
  inspiration in unexpected places, and pursue unexpected careers.
  	 64	
  CHannel	divinity:	COrellOn
  By Andrew Schneider
  The Rose King, a powerful archfey and servant of Corellon, once led an 
  impressive force against the drow, and while he fell, his legacy continues.
  	 67	
  CHannel	divinity:	seHanine
  By Claudio Pozas
  Sehanine rewards those who rely on themselves, and is the patron of lovers, 
  tricksters, and thieves. Learn more about the servants of this mysterious deity.
  	 73	
  POWer	Play:	sHadOW
  By Matt James
  Assassins aren’t the only ones who can tap the power of shadow.
  COlumns
  On	tHe	COver
  Illustration by Kerem Beyit
  	
  4	
  editOrial
  	 77	
  amPersand
  By Bill Slavicsek
  Bill looks ahead at what’s in store for April  
  and beyond.
  	 81	
  COnFessiOns	OF	a	Full-time	Wizard
  By Shelly Mazzanoble
  D&D’s “Player-in-Chief” shares more of her 
  wisdom and insight.
  	 85	
  d&d	alumni
  By Bart Carroll & Steve Winter
  A look back at Dungeons & Dragons rules 
  through past editions.
  Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their 
  respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.a. and other countries.
  This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of america. any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is  
  prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events 
  is purely coincidental. printed in the U.S.a. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast llC.
  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.
  com/dnd
  
  e D I T o R I A L
  386
  Dr agon
  April 2010
  How do You 
  Spell Victory?
  	
  Victory. elusive for some, inevitable for others. It’s the 
  ultimate goal, even for those who don’t acknowledge it. But 
  what does it mean? What defines victory for a bold group 
  of adventurers seeking fame and fortune while risking life 
  and limb in one deadly encounter after the next?
   
  Is it fame? It’s possible. It’s certainly rewarding to 
  be recognized for your accomplishments, even if that 
  recognition comes courtesy of imaginary people in an 
  imaginary land. Fortune? The quest for treasure and 
  magical might can be compelling. Advancement? For 
  some, XP is the best reward.
   
  or is it something that transcends these classic 
  definitions of victory in D&D? Is it something more 
  nebulous and ephemeral? Clearly, there is no single 
  definition, and I would contend that in some encoun-
  ters—perhaps the best encounters—different players 
  come away feeling uncertain about whether they’ve 
  experienced victory at all.
   
  Victory often has a bitter cost, something literature 
  and film realize to great effect. one of my favorite exam-
  ples comes from a novel I try to re-read at least every few 
  years, The Count of Monte Cristo. (If you’ve never read it, 
  and worse, if you’ve only ever seen the 2002 version of 
  the film, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.) In the 
  book, edmond Dantès, our protagonist, is betrayed by 
  his closest “friends.” He spends the rest of the book seek-
  ing revenge on those who wronged him. His pursuit of 
  justice becomes so absolute, so singleminded, that he is 
  almost consumed. Without spoiling the book, in the end, 
  he finds his victory, but it isn’t what (or how) he thought 
  it would be.
   
  Another great (and nerdier) example comes at the 
  end of <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i>. Han is frozen in 
  carbonite and shipped off to Jabba. Luke is almost dead, 
  nearly broken from his encounter with Vader, and sans a 
  hand. But the Rebellion survives to fight another day. So 
  victory, if not at hand (so to speak), remains possible.
   
  D&D adventures, in contrast, often have very 
  black and white resolutions. When an outcome is bit-
  tersweet, it’s often accidental. In a recent game I ran, 
  the  characters were struck with a beat-stick combina-
  tion of poor tactics and worse dice. one character was 
  dead, two others had accumulated two death saves, and 
  the remaining two characters had a combined 5 hit 
  points. Standing in for the monsters were one bloodied 
  elemental and two mezzodemons, one unbloodied. The 
  situation looked grim. I may have pulled some punches 
  toward the end and offered the characters—those still 
  standing—an alternative out. I don’t believe in punishing 
  a group for what amounts to poor luck. 
   
  After their near escape, as the survivors both 
  thanked their lucky stars and mourned a fallen com-
  rade, I heard two distinct reactions. From one of the 
  two players with a surviving character, a sigh of relief 
  and a statement that he felt they’d done well, given the 
  circumstances. From the other, an outright statement 
  of failure. “We lost someone and we had to flee. We 
  failed!” A sense of victory. A sense of defeat. 
   
  As for me? Victory. I felt satisfied, as if I’d just settled 
  in to a gluttony-induced, post-Thanksgiving food coma. 
  I loved that the players were conflicted about the out-
  come. I love that, despite some of their misgivings, they 
  walked away still thinking about the session. I can’t wait 
  to run an adventure like this again, or to play in one. 
   
  The idea of sacrifice to gain victory is nothing new, 
  yet it feels strangely absent in D&D adventures. It 
  doesn’t need to be. I’m not advocating adventures that, 
  say, require a character’s death. I just believe that the 
  game has a place for more . . . thoughtful outcomes. 
   
  How about you? Share your stories of bittersweet vic-
  tory, whether planned or not at dndinsider@wizards.
  com, or over on the D&D Insider community page. Tell 
  us about the times you had to pay a cost for victory in 
  your campaigns, or when you ran a game as DM and 
  imposed a price for your characters’ success. We’d love 
  to hear from you!
  Editor-in-Chief
  Senior Creative Art Director
  Web Specialist
  Web Production
  Contributing Authors
  Developers
  Editors
  Cover Artist
  Contributing Artists
  Publishing Production Specialists
  Web Development
  D&D Creative Manager
  Executive Producer, D&D Insider
  Director of RPG R&D
  Chris	youngs
  Jon	schindehette	
  steve	Winter
  Bart	Carroll
  david	adams,	James,	auwaerter,	
  eytan	Bernstein,	Craig	Campbell,	
  Bart	Carroll,	matthew	Hanson,	
  matt	James,	ari	marmell,	shelly	
  mazzanoble,	mike	mearls,	Claudio	
  Pozas,	andrew	schneider,	robert	
  J.	schwalb,	Bill	slavicsek,	steve	
  Winter,	arthur	Wright
  Peter	schaefer,	stephen	schubert,	
  rodney	thompson
  miranda	Horner
  kerem	Beyit
  eric	Belisle,	tyler	Jacobson,	Chuck	
  lukacs,	William	O’Conner,	sarah	
  stone,	s.C.	Watson
  angelika	lokotz,	erin	dorries,	
  Christopher	tardiff
  mark	a.	Jindra
  Christopher	Perkins
  Chris	Champagne
  Bill	slavicsek
  Special Thanks
  richard	Baker,	greg	Bilsland,	michele	Carter,	Jennifer	Clarke	Wilkes,		
  andy	Collins,	Bruce	r.	Cordell,	Jeremy	Crawford,	Peter	lee,	mike	mearls,	
  kim	mohan,	Cal	moore,	Peter	schaefer,	stephen	schubert,	matthew	sernett,	
  rodney	thompson,		James	Wyatt
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  5
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Tyler Jacobson
  On Civilization's 
  Fringes: 
  Humanity is frequently described as an urban-dwell-
  ing race—a people more comfortable behind town 
  walls and in bustling cities than they are creeping 
  through the forests or prowling the swamps. Good 
  reason stands behind this assumption. For one, their 
  empire’s ashes are hardly cool: The gnoll hordes 
  defeated King elidyr and his sons only a century ago. 
  Roads still crisscross the lands, towns once pledged 
  to the crown still stand strong, and the memory of 
  that great kingdom lingers in the minds and hearts 
  of its descendants. As well, one can’t understate the 
  dangers lurking in the wilds. Beneath its great forests, 
  hidden in the rolling hills, are the savage peoples, 
  the brutal orcs and cunning goblins, and countless 
  others besides. The old cities, whose names are lost to 
  legend, now hold vicious monsters, while the giants 
  stir in their mountain homes and dragons soar on 
  thermals in a world overrun with monsters beyond 
  imagining.
   
  Yet as civilization recedes, it leaves behind people 
  not so willing to surrender their homes and lives to 
  the claw and fang. Thus they remain as they always 
  have in the lands in which they were born, passing 
  down their knowledge to each generation to follow in 
  the hopes of holding the patch of territory for which 
  they bleed and fight. Many different races make 
  their homes in the wilderness, from the elves in their 
  sylvan homes to the goliaths dwelling in mountain 
  fastnesses, but each seems suited to their lands, 
  having adapted long ago to the challenges they pres-
  ent. Humanity, however, must learn the wild’s secrets 
  and master them in short order if they want to sur-
  vive. It is a testimony to humanity’s adaptability that 
  they  scratch out lives for themselves wherever they 
  go, from the punishing desert to the icy glaciers in the 
  far north. A remarkable race, they not only live, but 
  they thrive wherever they make their homes, proving 
  their grit and determination through the mere act of 
  making lives for themselves where any other people 
  would become extinct.
   
  It is their story we tell. These “wild” humans reject 
  the comforts found in crowded urban centers for 
  the freedom and ever-present danger the wilderness 
  offers. These humans are a rugged folk, made tough 
  by the day-to-day challenges they face. Their lives are 
  hard, resources scarce, and enemies beyond counting, 
  but somehow, through ingenuity or luck, they not only 
  remain, but they thrive on civilization’s fringes.
  Humans 
   
  Wild
  of 
   the
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  6
  Bogtangle
  About thirty years ago, Uri Farwalker, prospector and 
  unabashed adventurer, returned from an expedition 
  to locate and plunder the fabled fortress city Sher-
  tasth, a ruin once held by the dreaded yuan-ti long 
  ago. Most knew about the swamp to the south, but 
  until Uri coined the name Bogtangle, it was just the 
  swamp. Few ventured into the blighted mire because 
  it was home to bullywugs, lizardfolk, alligators, 
  venomous serpents, and bloodsucking leeches. Uri, 
  however, believed a ruin existed in the swamp, and 
  so he led his expedition into its heart, knowing he 
  could find good serpent gold among the banyan trees. 
  Uri never found the ruined city, but what he did find 
  were feral humans, whom he dubbed the Tanglers.
  History
  Finding a human settlement in such a bleak place 
  surprised Uri, but he took advantage of the situation 
  after he and his crew fell ill after picking up some-
  thing from the leeches. He paused there for several 
  days while everyone recovered, and as he did so, he 
  talked to the people to learn more about them. The 
  Hastaani, as they called themselves, were suspicious 
  of the outsiders, but the gold coins Uri offered for food 
  and shelter put them at ease. They kept no scrolls, no 
  written histories, but instead they shared stories each 
  night over the campfires, telling (or likely retelling) 
  their histories as told to them by their ancestors. From 
  what Uri could piece together, these people were 
  descendants from slaves held by a race of serpent 
  people, who threw off their shackles long ago in a 
  bloody uprising. Having won their freedom, the refu-
  gees fled into the swamps where not even the serpent 
  folk would follow. The Swampers claimed the yuan-ti 
  city was an accursed place, shattered by the gods for 
  their blasphemous worship of the demon known as 
  Merrshaulk, and that to seek it out invited the same 
  fate the serpent folk themselves faced.
  Homeland
  The time Uri spent with the Tanglers left an impres-
  sion. He saw the conditions they endured firsthand. 
  A depression about a thousand miles in diameter cov-
  ered the swamp, and low-lying mountains ringed it 
  to all sides except where a wide sluggish river flowed 
  in from the north. Brackish, foul, murky water spread 
  all across the region, so dry land was a commodity. 
  Where it rose, it featured thorn bushes, quicksand, 
  and lairs for nastier denizens.
   
  The Hastaani proved innovative when dealing 
  with their environment, building their homes atop 
  stilts hammered deep into the mud. each hut had a 
  single communal room, with daub-and-wattle walls, 
  and they roofed it with whatever they had on hand: 
  moss, leaves, reeds, and so on. Rope ladders and 
  walkways kept everyone connected, and every family 
  had at least one skiff with which to hunt frogs, fish, 
  and alligators.
   
  Uri later found out that the village Uri discovered 
  was but one of several communities, some active 
  and thriving, and others abandoned long ago. That 
  each village kept to the same customs, told the same 
  stories, and guarded themselves in the same fashion 
  confirmed they were a single people, with a common 
  heritage, but scattered by circumstances and 
  resources.
  People
  By an outsider’s estimation, the Hastaani are a 
  primitive folk, spread across simple and backward 
  communities without any of the modern innovations 
  found in the civilized lands. Yet, as Uri learned, they 
  made do with what they had, lived in peace with one 
  another, and presented a united face through social 
  obligations and strong connections that acted as a 
  glue for all the people in each village. Though simple 
  in demand, Uri learned they were clever, due to 
  having overcome their hardships through surprising 
  ingenuity and determination.
  Physical Qualities
  Shorter than most humans, the Hastaani rarely 
  stand taller than five and a half feet and no more 
  than one hundred and fifty pounds. Most have red-
  brown skin and black or brown hair. Their eyes are 
  somewhat almond-shaped, not unlike the elves, with 
  coloring matching their hair. Uri did encounter a few 
  instances of green or golden eyes, and learned such 
  people were called histachii, or “inheritors.” The 
  people believe that such an eye color indicates a con-
  nection to the yuan-ti, who sometimes forced slaves 
  to drink potions mixed with their venom to awaken 
  their minds and grow their power.
   
  When Hastaani wear clothing, the simple garb 
  is made from animal skins—usually snakeskin. They 
  adorn their bodies with tasteful piercings in their 
  ears and noses, and favor extensive tattooing, using 
  inks harvested from their environment. Hastaani 
  weaponry tends toward bone and wood, since metal 
  is uncommon and doesn’t last long in the swamp. 
  They are excellent archers and smear venom on their 
  arrows. Warriors cover their skin and hair in gray 
  mud to blend into their surroundings.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  7
  Outlooks and Beliefs
  The Hastaani regard each day they are free from 
  their reptilian masters as a gift and, as such, they 
  treasure the moments, embracing the few pleasures 
  they can coax from their homeland. They have tight-
  knit communities, where each is responsible for the 
  other, and the community’s survival takes precedence 
  over any other concern. What territory they hold, 
  they guard, patrolling their lands to protect the vil-
  lage from attacks. Aside from the yuan-ti, of whom 
  the Hastaani have seen little, they count bullywugs 
  as their archfoes because these wicked humanoids 
  are slavers, raiding villages for captives they can use 
  much as the serpent folk did long ago.
   A mystical people, the Hastaani worship ver-
  sions of the major gods worshiped in civilized lands, 
  though many take on a decidedly less refined guise 
  and might be depicted in the animals living in the 
  Bogtangle. For example, Pelor is depicted as a marsh 
  wren, in whose bright yellow feathers lives the sun. 
  The Hastaani also commune with the primal spir-
  its, paying special homage to Monster Slayers, old 
  Grandfather, and the Soul Serpent. The demon, 
  Merrshaulk, is real to the Hastaani, and each year, 
  at winter’s end, they make animal sacrifices to the 
  demon to avert his gaze from their communities.
  Bogtangle Backgrounds
  A Bogtangle human has access to these background 
  elements.
   
  Frog	Hunter: You are a hunter, a spearer of frogs. 
  A steady hand and keen eye are required to bring 
  down your elusive prey. You had a great responsibil-
  ity to your tribe, gathering food for the families, but 
  also to patrol the lands to watch for enemies. How did 
  you earn your position as hunter? Did you fight in any 
  major battles? Who taught you?
   
  Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
   
  Histachii: Your golden eyes set you apart from 
  your kin for they marked you as histachii, touched 
  by Merrshaulk. Your kin believed you had insights 
  into the demon’s mind and could protect them from 
  his dreaded bite. How did your heritage shape your 
  destiny as an adventurer? Were your villagers’ super-
  stitions correct? Did you have visions or insights? 
  What were they?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Insight
   
  Associated Languages: Draconic
   
  Wayfinder: No one knows the swamp’s dangers 
  better than you do, because it was your task to bring 
  news to the neighboring communities and to gather 
  information to bring back to the elders. Your travels 
  revealed much about the swamp’s secrets, helping 
  you find secret paths none knew about. Why did you 
  leave your village? Did you become lost? Was your 
  village destroyed while you were away? Are you, per-
  haps, an envoy to the larger world?
   
  Associated Skills: endurance, Nature
  Bogtangle Bloodline Feats
  The following feats represent the Bogtangle human 
  bloodline.
  Bogtangle Heritage  
  [Bogtangle Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human
   
  Benefit: You gain the bog hunter’s poison daily 
  attack power. Additionally, you gain a +2 feat bonus to 
  Nature checks.
  Bog	Hunter’s	Poison	
  Feat power
  You carefully apply to a weapon a poison that you extracted 
  from local flora and fauna during a rest.
  daily	✦	Poison
  minor	action	
  melee	touch
  target: One weapon
  effect: The next attack made with the target weapon that hits 
  before the end of the encounter deals an extra ongoing 5 
  poison damage (save ends). Each Failed Saving Throw: The 
  ongoing damage increases by 5 (to a maximum of ongoing 
  20 poison damage).
  	 Level 11: Ongoing 10 poison damage (save ends). Each Failed 
  Saving Throw: The ongoing damage increases by 5 (to a 
  maximum of ongoing 25 poison damage).
  	 Level 21: Ongoing 15 poison damage (save ends). Each Failed 
  Saving Throw: The ongoing damage increases by 5 (to a 
  maximum of ongoing 30 poison damage).
  Bogtangle Warrior  
  [Bogtangle Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human, Bogtangle Heritage
   
  Benefit: You gain proficiency in the blowgun and 
  your blowgun damage die increases by one (from d4 
  to d6).
   
  In addition, you can swap one of your 1st-level at-
  will attack powers for the bog hunter’s dart attack power.
  Bogtangle	dart	
  Feat power
  An enemy struck by your dart feels a spreading numbness as 
  the venom does its work.
  at-Will	✦	Poison,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a blowgun and use it for 
  this attack.
  target: One creature
  attack: Your highest ability vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] damage plus your highest ability modifier poison 
  damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your next 
  turn. If the target is already slowed, it becomes immobi-
  lized until the end of your next turn instead.
   Level 21: 2[W] damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  8
  Foamgather
  “T’was the queerest sight I’ve e’er seen, aye, at least until 
  I seen the Sleeper ’neath the Waves, Melora help us all. 
  Musta been a hundred ships, all tied together so ye could 
  amble from side to side and ne’er dip yer toe inna salt. Gen-
  erous folk, till ye cross ’em. Me mate, Paul, roughed up a 
  lass thar. Fer his trouble, he lost his stones and went inta the 
  sink like he was chum.”
  Fact and fiction are hard to separate when it comes 
  to Foamgather, for its people guard their secrets well. 
  They mask the truth with fanciful tales about a surviv-
  ing prince from a fallen empire, refugees from another 
  world fleeing some monstrous threat, and grand sto-
  ries about how Foamgather moves between realities, 
  slipping free from those who would do them harm. 
  The most reliable account about Foamgather is from a 
  crusty old sailor who claimed to have been born there. 
  He has no name other than old Man, but he attracts a 
  following with the stories about his former home.
  History
  Foamgather’s history is a tangled skein made up of 
  countless stories, each a tale of fear, suffering, and 
  loss, shaded with embellishments. Since Foamgather 
  is a tribe consisting of peoples from across the lands, 
  with every culture, nationality, and just about every 
  language represented, in many ways Foamgather’s his-
  tory is the history of the world. It’s commonly known 
  among the Unhomed that the first and oldest ships, 
  lost in the fleet’s center, belonged to the founders, a 
  strange people who died out long ago. Graybeards 
  whisper they came from another world, fleeing an 
  indescribable menace until they washed up here. 
  Perhaps one day, the founders will return. Then again, 
  maybe the thing they fled will come instead.
  Homeland
  Qualifying as land only in the loosest sense, Foam-
  gather is an island made from detritus, flotsam, 
  jetsam, and boats of all sizes. It’s a tangled mess 
  connected by rope bridges, gangplanks, and crude 
  bridges. The Unhomed live on these boats, taking 
  shelter in the hulls where possible. The larger ships’ 
  decks serve as communal areas, where Unhomed 
  gather to trade, exchange news, worship, or court 
  potential partners. Foamgather has temples and 
  taverns, an inn, a school, and several shops, where 
  tradesfolk labor to keep the Unhomed supplied with 
  whatever necessities they require.
  People
  Since the Unhomed come from different ports, little 
  physically unites them. Short or tall, skinny or fat, 
  red, brown, blue, or pink—these things matter not 
  because loyalty to Foamgather blinds them to physi-
  cal differences and binds them to a common cause: 
  survival. Clothing and gear comes from salvage 
  and scavenging, so people wear patched and gaudy 
  clothes. Foamdancers defend themselves with spears, 
  crossbows, nets, and clubs, weapons that can do 
  double duty for fishing.
   
  Foamdancer player characters favor the martial 
  classes, with rogues and rangers being the most 
  common.
  Outlooks and Beliefs
  Before joining Foamgather, a person’s past is his or 
  her own business. No one cares about wrongdoings 
  committed elsewhere; only the here and now matters. 
  When a petitioner comes to the community, no one 
  qualifies his or her worth by the individual’s deeds 
  or misdeeds, but rather by his or her skills and what 
  each can bring to the community. A fresh slate doesn’t 
  mean people can do as they please: The people 
  punish crimes against Unhomed with swift justice. 
  Theft, extortion, assault, murder, and so on bring 
  swift justice, with exile being the most common pun-
  ishment. For the most severe crimes, the Unhomed 
  hand over the criminal to the sharks.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  9
   
  Melora is Foamgather’s patron goddess, because 
  through her will, the community thrives. They 
  depend on the fish swimming through her waters 
  and on her mercy when storms gather on the horizon. 
  Foamgather’s tolerant policy also extends to religious 
  beliefs, as long as they remain harmless and do not 
  disrupt the community.
   
  Magic is a talent, much like swordplay, hunting, or 
  strumming a lute, and the Unhomed are quick to wel-
  come seers, healers, and mages. A skilled practitioner 
  can predict a spring storm before it strikes, curb a 
  plague festering in the bilges, or help defend the com-
  munity when the sea devils attack. The Unhomed 
  might value a magician’s contributions, but they never 
  tolerate reckless magic because anything that can 
  endanger the fleet has no place among them.
  Enemies and Allies
  Foamgather aims for peaceful relations with all their 
  neighbors. They trade with passing ships, pirate and 
  merchant vessels alike, sometimes make forays into 
  settled lands for materials they need (such as nails, 
  tar, and canvas), and deal with aquatic humanoid 
  races, when encountered. They do have enemies, and 
  the sahuagin are the worst foes because the sea devils 
  think the Unhomed are easy prey. If the dangers 
  ever become too great, the fleet might break apart, to 
  chart different courses toward a prearranged meeting 
  spot where they eventually gather into a community 
  once more.
  Foamgather Background
  A Foamgather human has access to the following 
  background element.
   
  Unhomed: You lived with the Unhomed for many 
  years. You might have been born there, never setting 
  foot on dry land before becoming an adventurer, or 
  you could have used the community as a safe harbor 
  for a time. As Unhomed, you learned the essential 
  trades necessary for survival, and from this training 
  you learned to anticipate the weather, repair ships, 
  become an excellent swimmer, and serve as a cun-
  ning negotiator. Why did you leave Foamgather? 
  Were you left behind by accident when the fleet 
  broke apart? or were you exiled for some accused 
  crime? Were you innocent? If so, why were you 
  blamed?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Bluff, Perception
   
  Associated Languages: Any one except Abyssal or 
  Supernal
  Foamgather  
  Bloodline Feats
  The following feats represent the Foamgather human 
  bloodline.
  Foamgather Heritage [Foamgather 
  Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human
   
  Benefit: You gain the deft diver at-will utility 
  power. Additionally, you gain a +2 feat bonus to 
  endurance checks and can hold your breath for twice 
  as long as normal.
  deft	diver	
  Feat power
  You move through the water like a fish and can make the most 
  cumbersome weapons deadly underwater.
  at-Will
  move	action	
  Personal
  effect: You swim a number of squares equal to your speed. 
  Until the end of your next turn, you take no penalties to 
  attack rolls during aquatic combat for using a weapon other 
  than a spear or crossbow.
  Foamgather Warrior  
  [Foamgather Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human, Foamgather Heritage
   
  Benefit: You gain proficiency in the net (see 
  Dragon Magazine Annual, page 104), and you gain a 
  +1 bonus to attack rolls on all weapon attacks with 
  which you use the net.
   
  In addition, swap one 1st-level at-will attack power 
  for the net snare attack power.
  net	snare	
  Feat power
  You catch an enemy in your net and maneuver it into position.
  at-Will	✦	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee or	ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a net and use it for 
  this attack.
  target: One creature
  attack: Your highest ability vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] damage, and the target is grabbed. The grab auto-
  matically ends at the start of your next turn. If you used  
  this power as a melee attack, you slide the target 1 square. 
  If you used this power as a ranged attack, you pull the tar-
  get 1 square.
   Level 21: 2[W] damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  10
  SunSpray
  “Crazed, religious fanatics everyone one. They gave me 
  water, sure enough, fed me horse meat, even darned my 
  socks, but when I slept that one night in their little house, 
  they branded me. See here? See this tattoo on my cheek? 
  They did this. Why? Hells, I don’t know. They said it was 
  to protect me from some desert devil, but I tell you, you just 
  don’t go inking a person’s face without their permission. 
  You know?”
  Sunspray, and those who once lived in Sunspray, hail 
  from Ashanta in the east. The oasis of Sunspray is a 
  well-ordered community founded on ruin, but not 
  everyone there finds the order or the worship of Pelor 
  to their liking. These latter individuals end up in a 
  smaller, filthy outpost called Sunrise, which squats on 
  the Fire Hills shores. The one belief that Sunsprayers 
  and Sunrisers have in common, however, is that one 
  day they will reclaim the city of Ashanta and restore 
  everyone to the ways they have lost.
  History
  The inhabitants of Sunspray and their cast-offs are 
  refugees from a much older city named Ashanta, 
  which was said to be a single, blooming flower in a 
  desolate wasteland. Behind glittering white walls, 
  one found broad avenues, graceful architecture, and 
  astonishing knowledge because the Ashantii were 
  a cultured people, with innovations in mathemat-
  ics, philosophy, and astronomy. Ashanta’s wonders, 
  though, passed into legend when the great desert 
  fiend, the brown dragon called Shaitan, stirred 
  from the sandy wastes and led its draconic armies 
  to destroy the city that offended him. The city and 
  its people fell before the dragon’s fury, and the few 
  survivors fled with their horses and the supplies they 
  could carry into the wastes.
   
  For many years they wandered, but Pelor’s light 
  shone the way, revealing shelter, water, and food. 
  Pelor’s wisdom revealed the desert’s secrets, helping 
  the survivors to survive despite the dangers looming 
  to all sides. And though these blessings were won-
  drous gifts, the greatest blessing he bestowed was 
  Sunspray, an island in a sandy sea.
  Homeland
  Sunspray is an oasis, a spot of green in an otherwise 
  barren wasteland, with rolling dunes speckled with 
  bleached bones for as far as the eye can see. Weirdly, 
  the refugees discovered squat buildings arranged 
  around the oasis, suggesting they were not the first to 
  claim this site. If any wondered what had happened 
  to its people, the answers lurked in the howls heard 
  at night and the flitting ghosts drifting from house to 
  house on nights when the moon was full. Still, believ-
  ing it a gift from Pelor, the Ashantii made it their 
  homes, and here raised their families, husbanded the 
  clean waters, and guarded against the desert preda-
  tors who troubled them.
  People
  Sunsprayers are a regal people, tall and muscular, 
  with olive or dark skin, bright eyes in green or blue, 
  and proud regal features. They remove all body hair 
  and often tattoo their faces and arms with sacred 
  writings from Pelor’s holy texts. They believe these 
  markings shield them from the worst of the sun’s heat 
  and also ward them from their enemies’ magic.
   
  Loose, voluminous robes in bright colors are 
  common, since they help retain moisture and deflect 
  the heat. Men and women wear head wrappings and 
  veils to protect against the wind and sand. All clothing 
  features intricate patterns to designate personal accom-
  plishments, family relations, and devotion to Pelor.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  11
   
  The environment makes armor impractical. War-
  riors carry scimitars, spears, javelins, and shortbows, 
  favoring them because they are easy to use from 
  horseback.
   
  Sunspray adventurers favor divine classes, with 
  avengers and invokers being the most common.
  Outlooks and Beliefs
  It would be easy for the Sunsprayers to see the desert 
  as their enemy, because the endless sands offer no 
  shelter against the sun and no water to quench their 
  thirst. The desert seemingly goes on and on without 
  end for as far as any have dared traveled, yet they 
  do not in actuality. The desert is alive. Snakes dance 
  across the sands, vultures wheel through the sky, and 
  cacti, though rare, offer nourishment. The desert is a 
  hard place to live, but it rewards those with the per-
  sistence and ingenuity to survive.
   
  other gods might exist, but the Sunsprayers look 
  to Pelor as their patron deity. He is not the kind, mer-
  ciful, or compassionate deity known in other lands, 
  but is instead a stern patriarch who tests his children 
  and their faith at every turn. The humans do not 
  resent this treatment because they know Pelor fights 
  an eternal war against Shaitan, the dune dragon 
  responsible for their city’s destruction and who 
  spawned the draconians against whom the Sunspray-
  ers are sworn to fight.
   
  Pelor is such a significant part of Sunsprayer cul-
  ture, nearly all magic practiced in their community 
  is of a divine origin. To be chosen as a priest is a great 
  blessing to a family and individuals learn from the 
  scriptures saved from Ashanta’s ruins. other forms 
  of magic are considerably less common and some 
  believe arcane magic comes from Shaitan and should 
  be avoided lest the magician invite Pelor’s wrath.
  Enemies and Allies
  Faith sustains the Sunsprayers: It gives them the hope 
  to find water, the will to keep fighting, and the resolve 
  to fight against the dragon who brought them so low. 
  Draconians, dragonspawn, and kobolds, all Shaitan’s 
  servants, test the Sunsprayer’s boundaries, raiding 
  their outposts, and sometimes infiltrating their com-
  munities. When attacked, the warriors ride out across 
  their desert on their fast horses to track down the 
  enemy and cut them down from behind.
  Sunspray Backgrounds
  A Sunspray human has access to these background 
  elements.
   
  Dune	ride: You were a warrior in Sunspray, 
  gifted with a noble steed and trained to kill Shaitan’s 
  servants on the battlefield. Who was your mentor? 
  What battles did you fight? What ended your career 
  as warrior? Did you leave it with honor or disgrace?
   
  Associated Skills: endurance, Nature
   
  Voice	of	Pelor: You were chosen to become a 
  priest, a mystic and spokesperson in Pelor’s clergy. 
  Why were you selected? Were your parents well-
  placed or were you born under an omen? Did you 
  complete your training? How does this training influ-
  ence you now?
   
  Associated Skills: History, Religion
  Sunspray Bloodline Feats
  The following feats represent the Sunspray human 
  bloodline.
  Sunspray Heritage  
  [Sunspray Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human
   
  Benefit: You gain the bathed in the light encoun-
  ter utility power. Additionally, you gain a +2 feat 
  bonus to endurance checks.
  Bathed	in	the	light	
  Feat power
  You draw upon the power Pelor to seal your wounds, rather 
  than causing more harm.
  encounter	✦	Healing
  immediate	interrupt	
  Personal
  trigger: an enemy would deal fire or radiant damage to you
  effect: reduce the triggering damage to 0. You regain a 
  number of hit points equal to the fire or radiant damage 
  you would have taken before reducing the damage.
  Sunspray Warrior  
  [Sunspray Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human, Sunspray Heritage
   
  Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to melee and ranged 
  attack rolls while mounted.
   
  In addition, swap one 1st-level at-will attack power 
  for the sunspray dance attack power.
  sunspray	dance	
  Feat power
  You spin your weapon through the air, catching the sun’s radi-
  ance to send it slashing through your foe.
  at-Will	✦	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Your highest ability vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + your highest ability modifier radiant damage, and 
  the target takes a  –2 penalty to attack rolls until the start of 
  your next turn.
   Level 21: 2[W] + your highest ability modifier damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  12
  WolFStone
  “We stood fast against the gathering storm and performed 
  as our duty demanded, but what of our southern kin? 
  Where is our food? Where are our reinforcements? We 
  fight, we live, we raise families, and we die, all while pre-
  serving this forgotten castle on this accursed frontier, and 
  against an unrelenting horde who never flees for long. I say, 
  if ever they do bring the promised aid, I am of a mind to cut 
  them down straightaway.”
  In Nerath’s final days, King elidyr recalled the gar-
  risons from the frontiers, urging them to surrender 
  their posts to shore up the cities against the gnoll 
  hordes. Many returned to their native lands, but 
  some stayed behind to shield the flagging kingdom 
  against the other arrayed enemies as they had since 
  the kingdom first spread beyond its first cities. Such 
  is Wolfstone’s story, because far to the north, raised 
  among the icy peaks of a jagged range stands a great 
  and sprawling fortress, where doughty defenders still 
  guard against the darkness these many years after 
  Nerath’s fall.
  History
  When the call to abandon Wolfstone came, it was 
  clear to the garrisons that they could not completely 
  leave their posts because the frost giants mustering 
  in sight of their walls would overrun the citadel and 
  tumble into the south as they had long striven to do. 
  Many warriors, supporting personnel, and traders 
  did answer the call to leave, but the bravest warriors, 
  along with their families, remained. So while Nerath 
  entered its death throes, Wolfstone stood fast, its 
  defenders numerous and able enough to protect the 
  walls and drive back their own enemies. Yet they 
  never found out what happened to the king or their 
  nation, because no word came to them and no rein-
  forcements arrived to relieve them. These warriors 
  were alone on the world’s edge and, if they wanted to 
  survive, they would do so through their own resource-
  fulness because no help was ever going to come.
  Homeland
  The glaciers and icy storms crash against the jagged 
  frozen mountains marking the border between 
  the untamed wild and the cultivated lands to the 
  south. Manning these mountains from walls, tur-
  rets, and keeps bristling on their barren heights are 
  the bold men and women charged with defending 
  humankind’s empire from hostile invaders. These for-
  tifications together are called Wolfstone, so named for 
  the wolf’s head peak standing at their defenses’ center.
  People
  Wolfstone’s inhabitants are hardy humans—big, mus-
  cular, and heavyset. Men have thick beards and long 
  shaggy hair, and women are plain-faced and grim. 
  Man or woman, all are strong and tough, tempered 
  through constant battle with the enemies beyond 
  their walls.
   
  Furs are a staple in their clothing, with wolf or 
  bear skins being the most common. Wolfstone inhab-
  itants pass down materials through the generations, 
  patched with curtains, tablecloths, and whatever 
  else they have on hand. In battle, warriors don heavy 
  hide armor and wield massive weaponry, such as 
  greataxes, greatswords, mauls, and picks.
   
  Wolfstone player characters favor martial, divine, 
  and primal classes, with fighters, battle clerics, and 
  barbarians the most common.
  Outlooks and Beliefs
  Wolfstones value strength, honor, and battle prowess 
  above all other virtues, and all strive to live up to the 
  examples of their predecessors who laid down their 
  lives to protect their homelands. Training begins 
  when a child is old enough to walk, with a practice 
  sword thrust into these children’s hands so one day 
  they can replace the fallen. So ingrained are the mili-
  tary traditions, everyone living in Wolfstone can fight, 
  from the lowliest scullion to the hoariest elder.
   
  The world darkens, drifting toward the final days 
  when the gods wage war against the dark elemental 
  lords. The people of Wolfstone, devoted to Kord the 
  battle god, believe they are soldiers in this apoca-
  lyptic battle and that laying down their lives to fight 
  the giants, winter wolves, and the horrific undead 
  drifting through the snow is not only honorable, but 
  also demanded in the celestial war. In addition to 
  Kord, many folk also include the Raven Queen in 
  their prayers, beseeching the dark goddess to ease the 
  winter and lend her strength against the evil hordes 
  bearing down on them.
   
  Although not unknown to the Wolfstone’s war-
  riors, magic is feared and misunderstood. The few 
  mages living in Wolfstone learned the craft from 
  their fathers and mothers who were also mages, and 
  they live apart from the rest. Priests, however, find 
  much more welcome here, especially those who 
  channel Kord’s power to give them an advantage 
  against the enemy.
   
  Primal magic is relatively new, and it is expressed 
  through the berserkers who fight on the walls and 
  lead expeditions onto the glaciers. Some have begun 
  to realize more is behind the rages than simple 
  battlelust and have identified the primal spirits who 
  sometimes goad the warriors to ever-more-daring 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Humans of the Wild
  13
  acts. From this study, some have started harnessing 
  primal magic in new and effective ways, and the 
  evocations they perform have been invaluable in the 
  ongoing war against the giants.
  Enemies and Allies
  The enemy is out there, roaming the glacier. It is the 
  frost giant reaver, the winter wolf, and the undead 
  stumbling forward in armor wrought from ice with 
  blades as sharp as a winter gale. These foes emerge 
  from the swirling snow to lay siege to the fortress as 
  they have for nearly one hundred years, though each 
  time the defenders throw them back.
   
  Until a decade ago, the Wolfstoners faced the 
  gathering evil alone, but a dwarf band from a distant 
  outpost brought supplies, arms, and armor. Seeing 
  the human plight, they pledged their service for a 
  time. Some suspect the dwarves have an ulterior 
  motive since they seem overly concerned with the 
  deep tunnels below the complex, but whether they 
  came under false pretenses, they are stalwart allies 
  on the walls. Dwarf bones now join those once 
  belonging to humans in the warrior crypts below the 
  walls, and the dwarves offer not one word of com-
  plaint, proving as fearsome and as ferocious as their 
  human counterparts.
  Wolfstone Backgrounds
  A Wolfstone human has access to these background 
  elements.
   
  Berserker: Wild and fearless, you threw yourself 
  into every battle, hoping to earn a place at Kord’s side 
  after a valiant death. What brought on this battle 
  frenzy? Was it primal in origin or madness? Why did 
  you leave Wolfstone?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Intimidate
   
  Padding	Wolf: You were a scout for Wolfstone, 
  sent out onto the glacier to ascertain enemy move-
  ments, numbers, and supplies and bring information 
  back to the fortress. How long did you work in 
  this position before you left it? Did you ever find 
  information of great help? Did you ever bring back 
  information that later proved false?
   
  Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
   
  Associated Languages: Giant
  Wolfstone  
  Bloodline Feats
  The following feats represent the Wolfstone human 
  bloodline.
  Wolfstone Heritage  
  [Wolfstone Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human
   
  Benefit: You gain the unrelenting mountain daily 
  utility power. Additionally, you gain a +2 feat bonus to 
  Athletics checks.
  unrelenting	mountain	
  Feat power
  You stand tough like the eternal fortress lands of Wolfstone, 
  refusing to bend or break in the face of an enemy.
  daily	✦	stance
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: You enter the unrelenting mountain stance. Until the 
  stance ends, you reduce the distance an enemy can push, 
  pull, or slide you by 2 squares. While you are bloodied 
  and in this stance, you also gain resist 5 all and cannot be 
  knocked prone.
  Wolfstone Warrior  
  [Wolfstone Human Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Human, Wolfstone Heritage
   
  Benefit: When you spend an action point to make 
  a melee or ranged attack while you’re bloodied, the 
  attack deals 1d6 extra damage.
   
  In addition, you can swap one 1st-level at-will 
  attack power for the wolfstone frenzy attack power.
  Wolfstone	Frenzy	
  Feat power
  Your anger tears free from your throat in a blood-curdling 
  howl as you bring your weapon down in a savage chop.
  at-Will	✦	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Your highest ability vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + your highest ability modifier, and you push each 
  enemy adjacent to you 1 square.
   Level 21: 2[W] + your highest ability modifier damage.
  About the Author
  robert	J.	Schwalb is an award-winning game designer who 
  has contributed design to or developed over one hundred 
  roleplaying game titles for Dungeons & Dragons®, Warham-
  mer Fantasy Roleplay, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game, 
  Star Wars Roleplaying Game, and the d20 System®. Some of his 
  more recent work for Wizards of the Coast is in Player’s Hand-
  book® 3, Martial Power™ 2, and Draconomicon™ 2: Metallic 
  Dragons and in the pages of Dragon® and Dungeon® magazines. 
  Robert lives in Tennessee.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  14
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Ari Marmell 
  Illustrations by Kerem Beyit and William O'Connor
  Underhanded
  and
  Overconfident
  It’s one of the most prevalent archetypes in fiction—
  not just fantasy, but sci-fi, adventure, thriller, almost 
  anything you can think of. And why not? Who doesn’t 
  love that character? He or she is a fast-talker, whose 
  mouth gets this character out of trouble about as often 
  as it gets him or her into it. He or she is a risk-taker, 
  sometimes for gain, sometimes for a cause, sometimes 
  just for fun. He or she is dishonest but has a hidden 
  core of morality.
   
  or maybe he doesn’t. You can never really tell . . .
   
  He’s the scoundrel. Sometimes a liar, sometimes a 
  thief, sometimes a mercenary, sometimes a diplomat, 
  and sometimes, just sometimes, exactly who you need.
   
  The material that follows offers advice on how to 
  roleplay various aspects of the scoundrel and provides 
  new mechanical tools (including two new paragon 
  paths) for doing so.
  “He’s a card-player,  
  a gambler . . .  
  A scoundrel. You’d like him.”
  —Han Solo,  
  The Empire Strikes Back
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Underhanded and Overconfident
  15
  playing a Scoundrel
  A scoundrel is a personality type—a way of playing 
  the character, not a specific class. It’s easy to equate 
  the rogue with the scoundrel instinctively, and 
  indeed the rogue is one of the classes best suited to 
  that archetype—but it’s far from the only one. Bards, 
  warlocks, warlords (yes, warlords), and wizards make 
  fantastic scoundrels, but you can play any class as 
  such, even if perhaps not as effectively. In the tradi-
  tional D&D® campaign, humans, half-elves, halflings, 
  tieflings, and changelings are most likely to produce 
  scoundrels, but again, such a character can come 
  from any race.
  What a Scoundrel Isn’t
  Playing a scoundrel is not an excuse to be disruptive 
  to the campaign, or to be a jerk to your fellow players. 
  obviously, it can have an impact, just like choosing to 
  play any sort of character has an impact. You’re prob-
  ably sarcastic, and you might get the party in trouble 
  more often than anyone else by taking unnecessary 
  risks or mouthing off to the wrong nonplayer charac-
  ter. But you should make this behavior an occasional 
  trait, not a defining characteristic. D&D is a coopera-
  tive game, and the fact that you’re playing a scoundrel 
  doesn’t alter the cooperative nature of the game. It’s not 
  a license to lie to or betray the other characters, nor to 
  insist that your own social skills influence their behav-
  ior. Sure, some groups do like playing with that level 
  of intra-party conflict, and if your friends are happy 
  with that, have at it—but only if you clearly established 
  this style of play ahead of time, and only if everyone is 
  onboard with it. otherwise, you’re still first and fore-
  most one of a group of friends playing a game together; 
  and, in-character, you’re still one of a party who has to 
  rely on and trust each other to survive.
  What a Scoundrel Is
  The archetypal scoundrel has specific traits. Your 
  character doesn’t have to have all these traits—just 
  enough to shape how he or she behaves.
  The Scoundrel Is Skillful
  Some rely on charm to talk their way out of bad 
  situations (and into good—and occasionally naughty—
  ones). others rely on their silver tongues to deceive 
  everyone around them. The scoundrel has the right 
  connections in all the wrong places and knows just 
  enough hidden information to get in trouble.
   
  When creating your scoundrel, choose skills 
  appropriately. You’ll definitely want either Bluff 
  or Diplomacy, if not both; as much as anything is 
  “required” for building a scoundrel, those skills are. 
  Streetwise and Intimidate are solid choices, as is 
  either History or at least one monster knowledge skill.
  For example . . .
  Han Solo is the most obvious scoundrel in 
  modern fiction, so much so that the Star Wars® 
  rpG used “scoundrel” as the name of the class 
  that represents him. But if you’re looking for 
  inspiration, some additional examples (among 
  many others) include:
   
  ✦ Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
   
  ✦ Dean Winchester, Supernatural
   
  ✦ locke, The Lies of Locke Lamora
   
  ✦ James Bond
   
  ✦ The Doctor, Doctor Who
   
  These last two are certain to cause debate, 
  but when you consider that both are deliber-
  ate risk-takers with great personal secrets, who 
  make frequent use of wits, deception, and fast-
  talking to defeat their foes, then surely they must 
  qualify. They, as much as anything else, confirm 
  the flexibility of the scoundrel archetype.
  role vS. roll
  Some players prefer to roleplay their attempts at 
  Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidation; others prefer 
  to let the dice speak for them. Either of these are 
  perfectly acceptable playing styles, but when por-
  traying a scoundrel, we strongly suggest at least 
  some measure of roleplaying and in-character 
  conversation. You’re going to both convey and 
  experience the feel of the scoundrel more if you 
  try to get into the fast-talking.
   
  Of course, the dice should still play their part; 
  the dice determine your ultimate success or 
  failure. and it doesn’t matter if you are all that 
  eloquent; what matters, in terms of getting into 
  the character, is the attempt.
  genuine charm
  Notice that we said “Bluff or Diplomacy.” You 
  can focus on both—many scoundrels do—but 
  you don’t have to. It’s easy to fall into the trap of 
  assuming that every scoundrel is a liar and that 
  the charm is always false, but for many scoundrel 
  characters, the charm is genuine. They might 
  talk a good game, but it’s a game they honestly 
  mean. The face he or she wears just might be his 
  or her real one.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Underhanded and Overconfident
  16
   
  Build your character to emphasize these skills. 
  Consider feats that add to those skills, and utility 
  powers that use them. (Skill powers, debuted in 
  Dragon #379, are an excellent way to accentuate 
  skills.) When playing your character, look for every 
  excuse to use these skills—even if they’re not neces-
  sarily the optimal ones at the time.
   
  Skill options, more than anything else, are why 
  certain classes are more suited to portraying scoun-
  drels. If your class doesn’t have the proper skills, it’s 
  much harder (albeit not impossible, with the right 
  selection of feats and backgrounds) to build a charac-
  ter who corresponds with the archetype.
  The Scoundrel Doesn’t Fight Fair
  Honor is for losers; if it’s worth fighting for, it’s worth 
  cheating for. In combat, make every effort to flank 
  your foes, even if doing so isn’t necessary for trigger-
  ing specific powers. You enjoy striking from hiding, 
  using Bluff to feint, or focusing on prone targets. even 
  better, gang up with your allies against a specific 
  enemy, taking it down quickly before moving on to 
  the next. Choose feats that allow you to act first and 
  avoid delaying your actions (though you might ready 
  an action to take advantage of a foe’s weakness).
   You’re more interested in gaining every possible 
  advantage than in maximizing damage. Choose 
  powers that daze, blind, or cause penalties, even if that 
  means passing over powers that do more damage.
   Most importantly, you should constantly turn the 
  environment to your benefit. Sure, it’s an obvious 
  choice to push enemies over nearby precipices, but 
  look for more creative or subtle opportunities. Pull 
  the hanging tapestry down over the goblins’ heads, 
  or kick over the table on which the barroom brawler 
  stands. Swing on something to cross the battle 
  without drawing opportunity attacks. The “true” 
  scoundrel should be using the “Actions the Rules 
  Don’t Cover” techniques in the Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide at least once every session, if not more.
  The Scoundrel Is Overconfident 
  and a Risk Taker
  You’re damn good at what you do, and you want every-
  one else to know it. You love intricate schemes, but you 
  rarely have a backup, because failure seldom crosses 
  your mind. You’d rather the group choose an option 
  and go with it—even if “going with it” includes lots 
  of planning and reconnaissance—rather than stand-
  ing around debating which of your various options is 
  optimal. You agree to almost any plan that relies on 
  your abilities, and on the rare occasions you fail, it’s 
  always something or someone else’s fault. Sure, the 
  dice might have come up “1,” but that result is an out-
  of-character explanation. In-character, the duke didn’t 
  buy your bluff because you lacked necessary informa-
  tion; or the monster heard you coming because the 
  fighter made a sound that, even though he was hang-
  ing way back, echoed through the passageway; or you 
  missed your sneak attack because the sun came out 
  from behind the clouds and got in your eyes.
   
  If things have been too quiet for awhile, you’re 
  happy to make your own excitement. You gamble more 
  than you can cover, or range too far ahead while scout-
  ing, or ask a bit more of the baron than you need.
   
  Again, your goal isn’t to place your party in unnec-
  essary trouble—at least, not often. In-character, you 
  want to push the envelope without necessarily consid-
  ering the consequences, but don’t carry your behavior 
  to extremes unless the rest of the group is enjoying it 
  as much as you are. If it threatens to cause problems, 
  limit your efforts to more innocuous risks such as 
  card games or bar brawls.
  The Scoundrel Is More  
  Than She Seems
  Most scoundrels in fiction eventually do the right 
  thing. It might be for the sake of a loved one, 
  because they’ve finally seen the plight of the less 
  fortunate, or recognized the villain’s true evil, but 
  the scoundrel shows a real heart beneath his or her 
  sarcastic exterior.
   
  But even those who don’t do the right thing are 
  hiding something about themselves. Decide what 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Underhanded and Overconfident
  17
  that is about yourself. It could be your true align-
  ment, making you a better person than you let on, 
  but you have plenty of other options. You might be a 
  member of a secret criminal organization—one that’s 
  going to come down on you as your loyalties become 
  ever more devoted to your party. You could be one 
  of the aristocracy, having started adventuring as a 
  lark—or because something horrible happened to 
  the rest of your family. You might not be the class, or 
  the race, you initially appear to be. You might be a 
  secret member of an evil organization, and it could 
  have tasked you with betraying the party—eventually, 
  though, you come to side with your fellow adventur-
  ers instead. (Again, unless your group is one of the 
  rare few that enjoys player conflict, siding with the 
  other characters is a far better option than actual 
  betrayal.)
   
  It doesn’t matter what your secret is, but if you 
  can make it one that provides your DM with extra 
  adventure hooks, that option could go over well. 
  What matters is that you have one you feel is worth 
  protecting.
  Scoundrel FeatS
  Consider adding one of the following flavorful feat 
  options to your scoundrel character.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Building Camaraderie
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Diplomacy
   
  Benefit: When you succeed on a Diplomacy 
  check, you gain a +1 bonus to Diplomacy checks until 
  the end of the encounter. This bonus is cumulative 
  with itself. When you fail a Diplomacy check or a 
  Bluff check, or attempt an Intimidate check or any 
  hostile action, you lose any bonus from this feat and 
  cannot gain the bonus again during this encounter.
  Distracting Feint
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Bluff
   
  Benefit: When you make a Bluff check to cause 
  an enemy to grant combat advantage to you and suc-
  ceed, the enemy also grants combat advantage to your 
  allies.
  Skilled Feint
   
  Prerequisite: Rogue, trained in Bluff
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff checks made 
  to feint. In addition, when you make a Bluff check 
  to cause an enemy to grant combat advantage to you 
  and succeed, your Sneak Attack deals an extra die of 
  damage to that enemy until the end of your next turn.
  Scoundrel  
  paragon pathS
  Phantasmagoric 
  Scoundrel
  “Look behind you. No, really . . .”
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Arcana, trained in Bluff 
  or Thievery
  For some scoundrels, the ability to convince and 
  deceive by using language is insufficient. They want 
  to fool the eyes, not just the ears; they want to find 
  far more reliable means of tricking those who would 
  stand against them.
   
  Some of these, such as you, choose to dabble in 
  magic. either through training or innate talent, you 
  have mastered the art of illusion, and you combine 
  that with your own wits and rapier-sharp tongue to 
  build a repertoire of perfect deception.
  Phantasmagoric Scoundrel  
  Path Features
   
  Blinding	action	(11th	level): When you use an 
  encounter or daily power to hit a target that grants 
  combat advantage to you, you can spend an action 
  point to blind the target until the end of your next turn.
   
  Combat	Illusionist	(11th	level): You gain one 
  arcane illusion encounter attack power of 7th level 
  or lower from any class of your choice. You cannot 
  choose a power you already know. At 21st level, 
  you can replace this power with an arcane illusion 
  encounter attack power of 13th level or lower from 
  any class of your choice.
   
  Expert	Phantasmagorist	(11th	level): You can 
  master and perform rituals of the deception category 
  as though you had the Ritual Caster feat. In addition, 
  once per day you can perform a deception ritual of 
  your level or lower without spending the component 
  cost (though you must still use any focus required by 
  the ritual).
   
  Illusory	Communication	(16th	level): once 
  per encounter before you make a Bluff, Diplomacy, or 
  Intimidate check, you can choose to roll an Arcana 
  check also. You can use the Arcana check in place of 
  the original check.
   
  Master	Phantasmagorist	(16th	level): one 
  additional time each day, you can perform a decep-
  tion ritual of your level or lower without spending the 
  component cost (though you must still use any focus 
  required by the ritual).
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Underhanded and Overconfident
  18
  Phantasmagoric Scoundrel Exploits
  Corner	of	the	eye	
  phantasmagoric Scoundrel
  	
   Utility 12
  Illusory sounds and flickering shadows make empty space 
  appear menacing and dangerous.
  daily	✦	arcane,	illusion,	zone
  minor	action	
  area burst 1 within 10
  effect: The burst becomes a zone that lasts until the end of the 
  encounter. Enemies treat the zone as difficult terrain and 
  grant combat advantage to melee and close attacks while 
  within the zone. While the zone lasts, you can perform the 
  following actions:
   ✦ Minor action: Move the zone 1 square.
   ✦ Move action: Move the zone your speed.
  deadly	visions	
  phantasmagoric Scoundrel 
  	
  attack 20
  You implant horrifying images in your enemy’s mind and 
  blood, besieging their psyche.
  daily	✦	arcane,	illusion;	implement	or	Weapon
  standard	action	
  varies
  effect: Make an at-will attack against a single target. If the 
  attack hits, it deals 2d10 extra damage and the target suf-
  fers debilitating hallucinations (save ends). Until the target 
  saves, it grants combat advantage and chooses at the start 
  of its turn each round whether to take 10 psychic damage 
  or be dazed until the start of its next turn.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed until the end of its 
  next turn.
  Silver-Tongued Scoundrel
  “If anyone had to catch me, good sir, I’m delighted it was 
  someone of your abilities. Pray tell, how did you manage it?”
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Bluff and Diplomacy
  Almost every scoundrel relies on their wit and their 
  words to some extent, but you have refined them to a 
  cutting edge. Your mouth is a sharper weapon than 
  your sword, and you rely on it at least as much.
   
  You might be a con artist, looking to earn your way 
  in the world at the expense of others. You could be a 
  diplomat, a spy, or a master of disguise. or perhaps 
  you developed these skills accidentally, discovering 
  as you adventured that you preferred wars of wits to 
  battles of blades.
  Silver-Tongued Scoundrel  
  Path Features
   
  Deceptive	action	(11th	level): When you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you also gain 
  combat advantage against one enemy you can see 
  until the end of your next turn. In addition, you score 
  a critical hit against this enemy on a natural roll of 
  18–20 until the end of your next turn.
   
  Fast-Talker	(11th	level):	The first time you 
  succeed on a Bluff or Diplomacy check in each 
  encounter, one ally you can see gains a +5 power 
  bonus to his or her next Bluff or Diplomacy check 
  before the end of the encounter.
   
  Deceptive	Challenge	(16th	level): You can roll a 
  Bluff check or Diplomacy check in place of your stan-
  dard initiative check.
  Silver-Tongued Scoundrel Exploits
  diverting	taunt	
  Silver-Tongued Scoundrel 
  	
  attack 11
  Your bewildering and enraging taunts distract your target 
  from far more devastating attacks to come.
  encounter	✦	martial,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee	weapon
  target: One creature
  effect: The target grants combat advantage for this attack.
  attack: Highest ability vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + highest ability modifier damage, and the target 
  grants combat advantage and cannot make opportunity 
  attacks until the end of your next turn.
  master	negotiator	
  Silver-Tongued Scoundrel 
  	
  Utility 12
  Through careful study of body language, intonations, and 
  other subtle clues, you can tailor your own efforts to your 
  adversary.
  daily	✦	martial
  standard	action	
  Personal
  effect: Choose Bluff or Diplomacy. Once per round until the 
  end of the encounter, you can roll twice when rolling that 
  skill and choose the higher of the two rolls.
  silver	tongue,		Silver-Tongued Scoundrel attack 20
  	 silver	Blade
  Through a combination of careful strikes and witty barbs, you 
  keep your enemy reeling.
  daily	✦	martial,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Highest ability vs. reflex
  Hit: 3[W] + highest ability modifier damage. In addition, you 
  can choose one: the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls 
  or grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, when you hit the target 
  with an attack, you can choose one: the target takes a –2 
  penalty to attack rolls or grants combat advantage until the 
  end of your next turn. D
  About the Author
  ari	Marmell was born in New York, moved to Houston when 
  he was a year old, moved to Austin when he was 27, but has 
  spent most of his life living in other worlds through a combi-
  nation of writing and roleplaying games. He has been writing 
  more or less constantly for the last dozen years, though he has 
  only been paid for it the past five. He is the author of multiple 
  roleplaying game supplements including work on Dungeons 
  & Dragons®. Ari lives in Austin with his wife George and 
  two cats. Visit him online at his Dungeons & Dragons blog 
  page, at his website, on Twitter, or at his Facebook fan page.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  19
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Arthur Wright 
  Illustration by Jorge Lacera & SC Watson
  Familiar Power:
   
  Sorcerers
  “The trick,” said Magnus, never taking his 
  eyes off Grimble, “is trust.”
   Harkr watched as the small vortex of 
  air gave a high-pitched whine and darted 
  in to distract the yuan-ti cultist. The scaled 
  creature hissed in annoyance . . . and then 
  in sudden pain, as the point of Harkr’s 
  greatsword emerged from its chest. 
   “Grimble! Back to me!” Shouted 
  Magnus as he turned his attention to 
  the remaining yuan-ti. The tiny tornado 
  obliged the sorcerer, darting quickly back 
  to his side. 
   Harkr watched, impressed, but unwill-
  ing to show it. The half-orc began to turn 
  to bring his full attention back to the 
  snake-like creatures. 
   But that momentary lapse was all the 
  yuan-ti needed.
   “Watch yourself!” shouted Magnus, as 
  he finished a spell. A rumbling filled the air 
  as a pair of thunderous bolts burst from his 
  hands, streaking toward a pair of yuan-
  ti archers perched on the rockpile above. 
  Bows drawn, the creatures seemed poised 
  to feather the half-orc with their wickedly 
  barbed arrows. Power erupted around 
  Grimble, floating near Magnus’s head, as 
  more thunder seemed to echo within the 
  funnel of the elemental, amplifying the 
  magic unleashed by its sorcerous master.
   The blast of thunder caught both the 
  archers square in their chests. They reeled, 
  and both arrows flew wide as the archers 
  were knocked off their feet and the top of 
  the rock pile. 
   Harkr smiled grimly as he charged 
  nimbly up the rocks to stand over the 
  prone forms of the yuan-ti.
   Not bad, he thought, as he raised his 
  greatsword for a finishing blow. Not bad 
  for a gust of wind.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Familiar Power: Sorcerers
  20
  The human sorcerer Magnus was a prominent disciple 
  of the powerful elf wizard Cwell. A devotee of the 
  arcane arts who believed that great untapped power 
  lay within the bond between master and familiar, 
  Cwell taught many apprentices, of many arcane back-
  grounds, his theories on accessing that power.
   
  Magnus was one of his earliest and most astute 
  pupils. While he didn’t adhere to Cwell’s particular 
  brand of spellcasting or emphasis on the wizard’s 
  scholarly pursuit of power, he recognized the potency 
  of Cwell’s theorems. By the time Magnus joined with 
  Cwell, he had already acquired his own familiar: a 
  small tornado-like spirit of the air he called Grimble.
   
  Magnus was rarely seen without his companion, 
  even before he sought out his wizard mentor. The two 
  of them had made a name for themselves in a cam-
  paign against marauding gnolls near Hammerfast. 
  even then, those who recalled Magnus later said that 
  he was something of a recluse. He would spend hours 
  alone with Grimble, the two of them chattering away 
  to one another in the strange tongue only they could 
  understand. 
   
  It was during the final assault on Hammerfast by 
  the gnoll clan known as the Wicked Fang tribe that 
  Magnus seemed to experience an epiphany. Harried 
  by the gnoll chieftain, a brute called Gorkka, Magnus 
  had retreated to a pile of rubble near the Gate Ward. 
  Clambering atop it, spells mostly depleted, he seemed 
  doomed when trapped by the wounded by wickedly 
  strong gnoll Gorkka. 
   
  By Magnus’s account, what followed was a moment 
  of sheer desperation. To onlookers, it looked like a 
  moment of arcane brilliance. The story of Magnus’s 
  triumph is still recounted in the inns and taverns of 
  Hammerfast to this day.
   
  Almost without thinking, Magnus directed Grimble 
  toward the raging gnoll. As his massive greataxe swung 
  down to cleave the pesky whirlwind, a flash of crack-
  ling lightning split the air. The blast rocked Gorkka 
  onto his heels, leaving him singed and blinking for sev-
  eral seconds. of Grimble, there was no sign.
   
  With a furious roar, Magnus raised his staff and 
  unleashed a bolt of acid at the stunned gnoll. The 
  blast struck Gorkka square in the face, and the 
  gnoll leader howled in pain. His followers heard the 
  anguished cry and panicked, signaling a retreat. 
  In intense pain from the burning acid eating away 
  at the flesh and bone of his jaw, Gorkk dropped 
  his greataxe, turned tail, and fled the battlefield. 
  The gnolls of the Wicked Fang would not bother 
  Hammer fast again for many generations. 
   
  Magnus found inspiration in the cobbled battle-
  field magic channeled through his familiar. Soon, 
  after seeking out more information on the mostly 
  unexplored field of familiar magic, he heard stories of 
  Cwell, and sought the elf out. 
   
  over the years, Magnus came and went from 
  Cwell’s tower. He would learn what his mentor had 
  to teach, then leave to explore and find his own 
  applications of this unique approach to arcane magic. 
  He made a name for himself as a powerful sorcerer, 
  and he eventually found a group of companions with 
  whom he adventured for many years. But he never 
  found a great deal of comfort among other people, 
  instead confiding in and spending most of his time 
  with Grimble. 
   
  A successful adventuring career followed, during 
  which Magnus aided any and all arcanists interested 
  in expanding their knowledge of the link with a 
  familiar. Ambitious or meek, good or evil—he was 
  willing to share his knowledge with them all.
   
  In time, his path led him back toward Hammer-
  fast. It was there, in a dark glen on the road to the 
  dwarven fastness, that Magnus’s party encountered 
  a band of gnoll raiders, led by a horribly disfigured, 
  massive gnoll with a steel jaw. This bestial creature 
  fought with unmatched ferocity and seemed intent on 
  winnowing Magnus away from his companions. The 
  sorcerer was forced further and further from the rest 
  of his friends, until they could barely see him through 
  the heavy screen of trees.
   
  There, in a small clearing, he came face to face 
  once more with Gorkka. The gnoll remembered the 
  human sorcerer who had maimed him so badly, cost-
  ing him his pride and his tribe. The former chieftain 
  had waited for years for this opportunity, praying for 
  Yeenoghu to deliver the human to him once more. 
   
  With a howl, Gorkka charged, raising his mighty 
  greataxe. once more, Magnus sent Grimble into the 
  path of the charging beast. And as before, Gorkka 
  swung at the whirlwind in his path, determined that 
  this time would be different. And it was. 
   
  Magnus’s companions—for few would call him 
  more than that—say that the sorcerer had a small 
  smile on his face when it happened. They say he 
  looked at peace, as if this were a moment he’d been 
  waiting for. 
   
  There was a flash of power, followed a split second 
  later by the boom of thunder and pulse of power that 
  stretched for a hundred yards in every direction. 
  When the dazzle faded from their vision, Magnus’s 
  companions say that the first thing they saw was 
  Gorkka, standing rigid, the gnoll’s every hair on end 
  and crackling with arcane current. And then the 
  mighty Gorkka fell, struck dead by the might of Mag-
  nus’s magic. of Magnus, there was no sign.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Familiar Power: Sorcerers
  21
   
  But as Gorkka fell, they saw it. A human skull 
  floated in the air, surrounded by a vortex of air crack-
  ling with bolts of lightning. Some said later that the 
  skull winked at them. others that it nodded respect-
  fully. Then it vanished.
   
  To a one, Magnus’s companions believed that he’d 
  finally found his ultimate wish—to magically merge 
  himself with his familiar, stripping away the trap-
  pings of flesh and existing in an unmatched magical 
  state. They wondered, as have others to this day, if 
  Magnus were out there still, exploring this world or 
  those beyond it.
  When “Active Familiar” appears as a header in a 
  power description, the associated entry describes an 
  additional effect that applies if you have a familiar in 
  the active state.
  Level 1 Encounter Spells
  Familiar	Fires	
  Sorcerer attack 1
  Your magical flame flows wherever your familiar points.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fire,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target:	One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
   
  active	Familiar: If your familiar is adjacent to the target, 
  you gain a +4 power bonus to the attack roll.
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage.
  Wave	of	light	
  Sorcerer attack 1
  A wave of multicolored light washes over your enemies, high-
  lighting their weak points.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement,	radiant
  standard	action	
  Close blast 3
   
  active	Familiar: You can choose a square in your familiar’s 
  space instead of yours as the origin square for this attack.
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d6 + Charisma modifier radiant damage, and the target 
  takes a –2 penalty to aC until the end of your next turn.
  Level 1 Daily Spell
  Chaotic	strike	
  Sorcerer attack 1
  You close your eyes and release your magic, relying on chaos 
  to guide it.
  daily	✦	arcane,	implement;	acid	or	radiant
  standard	action	
  Close burst 1
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and you can push the 
  target a number of spaces equal to your Dexterity modifier. 
  If you rolled an even number on the attack roll, the damage 
  is acid. If you rolled an odd number on the attack roll, the 
  damage is radiant.
  	
  active	Familiar: If the target is adjacent to your familiar, it 
  takes 5 extra damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  Level 2 Utility Spell
  spirit	guidance	
  Sorcerer Utility 2
  You allow your magic to flow toward your familiar so that 
  your next attack is more accurate.
  encounter	✦	arcane
  minor	action	
  	
  Personal
  requirement:	Your familiar must be in its active mode.
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 power 
  bonus to attack rolls against any creature adjacent to your 
  familiar.
  Level 3 Encounter Spell
  Flame	entanglement	
  Sorcerer attack 3
  Cords of flame leap from your hands and entwine your foe’s 
  body.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fire,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
   
  active	Familiar: If your familiar is adjacent to the target, 
  the target grants combat advantage to you for this attack.
  Hit: 2d8 + Charisma modifier fire damage, and the target is 
  slowed until the end of your next turn.
   
  dragon	magic: This attack ignores fire resistance, but not 
  immunity.
  Level 5 Daily Spell
  Pinning	darts	
  Sorcerer attack 5
  Barbs of force fly from your hands, pinning your enemy to the 
  ground.
  daily	✦	arcane,	Force,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier force damage, and the target is 
  immobilized until the end of your next turn.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is immobilized until the end 
  of your next turn.
   active	Familiar: If you rolled an even number on the attack 
  roll, you do not expend this power if you choose to deal no 
  damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Familiar Power: Sorcerers
  22
  Level 6 Utility Spell
  Protective	Familiar	
  Sorcerer Utility 6
  Your familiar has a link to your soul. You can protect an ally 
  from damage with your familiar, but you are going to feel it.
  daily	✦	arcane
  immediate	interrupt
  requirement:	Your familiar must be in its active mode.
  trigger: an attack hits an ally you can see
  effect: Your familiar can shift its speed; if it ends this move-
  ment adjacent to the triggering ally, the triggering attack 
  hits your familiar instead of the ally. You take damage equal 
  to your level.
  Level 7 Encounter Spell
  Horror	Blast	
  Sorcerer attack 7
  A wave of pure terror emanates from your body and drives 
  your enemies away.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement,	Psychic
  standard	action	
  Close burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you push 
  the target 2 squares.
   
  active	Familiar: any enemy that is adjacent to your 
  familiar after you push it falls prone.
  Level 9 Daily Spell
  Flanking	Familiar	
  Sorcerer attack 9
  Your familiar attacks one of your enemies, then runs around 
  the battlefield aiding your allies.
  daily	✦	arcane,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 20
  requirement: Your familiar must be in its active mode.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your familiar gains 
  a power bonus to all defenses equal to your Charisma 
  modifier. Your familiar can move its speed.
  target: One creature adjacent to your familiar
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and your familiar can 
  flank with you and your allies until the end of your next 
  turn.
  sustain	minor: Your familiar can flank with you and your allies 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Level 10 Utility Spell
  shielding	the	Bound	spirit	 Sorcerer Utility 10
  Sometimes your familiar enters combat, and you have to make 
  sure that you protect it.
  daily	✦	arcane
  minor	action	
  	
  ranged 10
  target: Your familiar
  effect: Your familiar gains a power bonus to all defenses equal 
  to your Charisma modifier and resist 10 to all damage until 
  the end of the encounter.
  Level 13 Encounter Spell
  Chaos	Poison	Blast	
  Sorcerer attack 13
  You crack planar boundaries, seeping extraplanar poison into 
  your enemy’s body.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement,	Poison;	varies
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target:	One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  	
  active	Familiar: If you rolled an even number on the attack 
  roll, the target cannot take opportunity actions until the 
  end of your next turn. If you rolled an odd number on the 
  attack roll, the target is slowed until the end of your next 
  turn.
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier poison damage. If the attack 
  roll was a natural 20, the target is blinded until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Level 15 Daily Spell
  Opportunistic	Familiar	
  Sorcerer attack 15
  Your familiar moves about the field of battle, seeking to take 
  advantage of cracks in your opponent’s defenses.
  daily	✦	arcane,	implement
  minor	action	
  	
  ranged 10
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your familiar gains hit 
  points equal to your bloodied value, and you can give your 
  familiar the following special commands.
   standard	action: Melee 1; targets one creature; Charisma vs. 
  aC; 2d10 + Charisma modifier damage.
   Opportunity	attack: Melee 1; targets one creature; Cha-
  risma vs. aC; 1d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and the 
  target takes 5 ongoing damage (save ends).
   minor	action: Your familiar moves up to its speed +2.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Familiar Power: Sorcerers
  23
  Level 16 Utility Spell
  rise,	my	Pet	
  Sorcerer Utility 16
  Your familiar rises from the dead on the battlefield and is 
  ready to act again.
  daily	✦	arcane,	teleportation
  minor	action	
  	
  Personal
  effect:	Your familiar appears in passive mode in your space or 
  in active mode adjacent to you, even if it is destroyed.
  Level 17 Encounter Spell
  rolls	of	thunder	
  Sorcerer attack 17
  Spheres of thunder manifest and roll through the air to bowl 
  over your enemies.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement,	thunder
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One or two creatures
  attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 3d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and the target falls 
  prone.
   
  active	Familiar: You can also push the target 3 squares.
  Level 19 Daily Spell
  spiritual	venom	
  Sorcerer attack 19
  Your familiar manifests a stinger and injects your foe.
  daily	✦	arcane,	implement,	Poison
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  requirement: Your familiar must be in its active mode.
  target: One creature adjacent to your familiar
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 3d10 + Charisma modifier poison damage, and the target 
  takes ongoing 10 poison damage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 poison 
  damage (save ends).
  Level 22 Utility Spell
  savior	spirit	
  Sorcerer Utility 22
  Your familiar latches onto an ally, then both teleport away.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	teleportation
  move	action	
  	
  Close burst 10
  requirement: Your familiar must be in its active mode.
  target: One ally adjacent to your familiar
  effect: Teleport your familiar and the target 10 squares to 
  squares adjacent to one another. Then, you can teleport 
  your familiar 10 squares.
  Level 23 Encounter Spell
  inferno	ring	
  Sorcerer attack 23
  A ring of fire settles down around your enemy, charring it and 
  its allies.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fire,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage, and each enemy 
  adjacent to the target takes 1d10 + Charisma modifier fire 
  damage.
  	
  active	Familiar: Each enemy adjacent to your familiar 
  takes 1d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage. 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Familiar Power: Sorcerers
  24
  Level 25 Daily Spell
  Chaotic	spray	
  Sorcerer attack 25
  Arcs of raw primordial energy lash out from your body, becom-
  ing deadlier to those near your familiar.
  daily	✦	acid,	arcane,	implement,	lightning
  standard	action	
  Close burst 2
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier acid and lightning damage, and 
  ongoing 10 acid and lightning damage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and ongoing 5 acid and lightning damage 
  (save ends).
  active	Familiar: If the target is adjacent to your familiar, it 
  gains vulnerable 5 acid until it saves against the ongoing 
  damage from this power.
  Level 27 Encounter Spell
  lightning	Backlash	
  Sorcerer attack 27
  Lightning rips from your fingertips, jumping from creature to 
  creature.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement,	lightning
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 4d10 + Charisma modifier lightning damage, and make a 
  secondary attack if your familiar is in active mode.
  	
  secondary	target: Each creature adjacent to your familiar
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  	 Hit: 1d10 + Charisma modifier lightning damage.
  	
  effect: Your familiar is destroyed.
  Level 29 Daily Spell
  necrotic	storm	
  Sorcerer attack 29
  Black tendrils attack your enemy seemingly out of nowhere, 
  pulling your enemy apart.
  daily	 	arcane,	implement,	necrotic
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 6d10 + Charisma modifier necrotic damage, and the tar-
  get is stunned (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
  active	Familiar: When the target saves against this power, you 
  can destroy your familiar as a free action to make the target 
  reroll the saving throw and take the lower result. 
  About the Author
  arthur	Wright is a father of three living in upstate New 
  York. A long time gamer and D&D® player, he has played 
  every incarnation of the D&D game. When he’s not playing 
  games or spending time with his family, Arthur is pursu-
  ing his dreams of having a work related to the D&D game 
  published, having a D&D book with “Arthur Wright” in the 
  credits, and someday appearing on the show Survivor. one 
  down, two to go.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  25
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Eytan Bernstein
  Drizzt illustration by Todd Lockwood ✦ other illustrations by McLean Kendree 
  Bazaar of the Bizarre:
   
   the Items of the Drizzt Saga
  A scimitar. Its curving blade was of silver, and diamond edged. Drizzt raised it 
  before him, marveling at its lightness and perfect balance.
  “A few baubles . . . and this,” he  corrected.
  —R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt describing Icingdeath,  
  following the battle with the dragon of the same name
  Drizzt Do’Urden is one of the most beloved  characters in fantasy literature. 
  For many readers, R.A. Salvatore’s protagonist has served as an  introduction to both the 
   Forgotten Realms® as a game  setting and to the fantasy genre in general. Young role-
  players often seek to emulate Drizzt by playing  characters of evil races that defy their 
  upbringing to live lives of virtue—despite the odds.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  26
   
  The heart of the Drizzt saga is the heroic exploits 
  of the characters—Drizzt, Catti-Brie, Wulfgar, Brue-
  nor, Regis, and eventually others. The characters also 
  possess a number of signature items. They acquired 
  most of these items during their numerous adven-
  tures, and these items often play a pivotal role in the 
  plot and in key battles.
   
  As a drow, Drizzt has the longevity to survive the 
  many years that have passed since the events of Spirit 
  Soaring, but not all of his friends were as lucky or as 
  long-lived. In the last 100 years, some of the famed 
  items of the Drizzt saga might have been lost or repli-
  cated. The secrets to their creation might be found in 
  ancient, underground dwarven citadels. New adven-
  turers might also best Drizzt in a fight and acquire 
  his famed treasures (see “Campaign Workbook Hero 
  Battle: Drizzt” in Dungeon #171).
   
  If you wish to have characters acquire the items, 
  you can check each entry to read a brief history of 
  the item, as well as view statistics for each treasure. 
  Do not consider these items to be standard items 
  that a character can create like any other with the 
  enchant Magic Item ritual. each is unique, and you 
  should tie the acquisition, creation, and discovery of 
  each one into your campaign’s story. Because these 
  items are more unusual, and sometimes more power-
  ful, than an equivalent item of the same level, they 
  should always be an interesting and exciting addition 
  to the game.
  acquiring  
  drizzt’S itemS
  Since the time jump from the events of The Ghost King, 
  Drizzt has been adventuring throughout the north. 
  We know that he has made relationships with the 
  elves of the Moonwood and even some other reformed 
  drow. He has been interested in the development of 
  the Kingdom of Many-Arrows. Drizzt continues to 
  fight for peace and justice, and this could put him in 
  league with the player characters, but it could also put 
  him at odds with them. If you wish to use Drizzt as 
  an adversary, see “Campaign Workbook Hero Battle: 
  Drizzt” in Dungeon #171, which presents plot hooks, 
  encounters, and complete statistics for Drizzt.
   
  During the period following the Spellplague, and 
  leading up to the present Realms, the elves of the 
  Moonwood made a study of magic items, especially 
  weapons. We know that Drizzt gave them Khazid’hea 
  to study, feeling that the vicious weapon would be 
  safer in their hands. Perhaps he also allowed them 
  to study his other items. They might have even made 
  copies of some, with the permission of Drizzt.
   
  As for Khazid’hea, it’s unlikely that the elves would 
  lend out the vicious “Cutter,” but the sword is always 
  scheming for a more “worthy” master. Perhaps it 
  drives one of them insane, and that elf releases it back 
  into circulation. It could wind up in the hands of the 
  characters or in a villain’s possession.
  Rare Items in Your Game
  The items known to fans of R.A. Salvatore’s books all 
  over the world will recognize the names Twinkle and 
  Guenhwyvar. For the purpose of characters adventur-
  ing in the Realms, where these items are already 
  owned by someone, we’ve provided less-specific ver-
  sions of most of these legendary items. The famous 
  versions of each item are provided, but you’ll notice 
  that each is a unique take of a more generic item 
  also provided. In this way, your DM can feel free to 
  preserve the special flavor of each of these magic 
  items, while still allowing you to equip your charac-
  ter with a similar version. And if you happen to run 
  into Drizzt and he decides you’re a worthy successor, 
  maybe your character will end being the next wielder 
  of Icingdeath!
  Twinkle
  Drizzt Do’Urden is the master of a number of power-
  ful and storied items. Drizzt acquired the scimitar 
  Twinkle from Malchor Harpell, the Black Sheep of 
  the eccentric Harpell wizard family. While Drizzt 
  and Wulfgar were on the trail of Regis, who had been 
  kidnapped by Artemis entreri, they met up with Mal-
  chor Harpell in the extraplanar Twilight Tower. After 
  a lesson in discipline for Wulfgar, Malchor gave the 
  pair magic horseshoes to help speed them along their 
  way, and Drizzt received the scimitar Twinkle.
   
  elves forged Twinkle centuries before Drizzt’s 
  adventures, and they crafted it to emanate a sense 
  of the stars, the moon, and the mysteries of the soul. 
  Twinkle trails blue light with each motion and has an 
  extremely keen edge. Drizzt fights with Twinkle in his 
  left hand.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  27
  dazzling	Weapon	
  level 15+
  This weapon seems to sparkle with radiant light barely  
  contained within it.
  lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp 
  lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  Weapon: axe, hammer, heavy blade
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d10 radiant damage per plus
  Property: This weapon ignores the first 10 points of radiant 
  resistance.
  Power	(at-Will	✦	radiant): Free action. all damage dealt by 
  this weapon is radiant damage. While this weapon is deal-
  ing radiant damage, it also sheds bright light in a 5-square 
  radius. another free action returns the damage to normal.
  twinkle	
  level 25
  Its star-cut blue sapphire sparkling with moonlight, Twinkle 
  slices arcs of brilliant energy in air and flesh.
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  (unique; this item cannot be purchased or created with the 
  Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Weapon: Scimitar
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d10 radiant damage per plus
  Power	(at-Will	✦	radiant):	Free action. all damage dealt 
  by Twinkle is radiant damage. another free action returns 
  the damage to normal. While the weapon deals radiant 
   damage, it sheds bright light in a 5-square radius.
  Power	(encounter	✦	radiant):	Free action. Use this 
  power when making an attack that targets aC. The attack 
  targets reflex instead. all damage from the attack is  
  radiant damage.
  Icingdeath
  After Guenhwyvar, this scimitar is probably Drizzt’s 
  most well-known item. He acquired it from the plun-
  der of the dragon Ingeloakastimizilian, also known as 
  Icingdeath, and it takes its name from that dragon’s 
  nickname. Wulfgar had gone to slay the dragon, and 
  Drizzt followed to keep an eye on him. In a heroic 
  battle, they slew the dragon, acquiring considerable 
  plunder that they later to used to raise an army to 
  defend the Ten Towns against a monstrous force seek-
  ing the Crystal Shard.
   
  A wielder of Icingdeath can inflict icy wounds on 
  foes and is also protected from the harmful effects of 
  fire. The weapon trails blue radiance and lights the 
  way into danger. Drizzt fights with Icingdeath in his 
  right hand.
  Chill	Wind	Weapon	
  level 15+
  The weapon seems to radiate an aura of cold, glistening like a 
  razor-sharp icicle.
  lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp 
  lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  Weapon: Heavy blade
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 cold damage per plus and ongoing 10 cold 
  damage (save ends)
   
  Level 25-30: Ongoing 20 cold damage (save ends).
  Property: You gain resist 15 fire.
   
  Level 25-30: resist 30 fire.
  Power	(at-Will	✦	Cold): Free action. all damage dealt by 
  this weapon is cold damage. another free action returns 
  the damage to normal.
  icingdeath	
  level 25
  Limned in frost and diamond edged, this silver blade can slice 
  through a steel door.
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  (unique; this item cannot be purchased or created with the 
  Enchant Magic Item ritual))
  Weapon: Scimitar
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 cold damage per plus and ongoing 10 cold 
  damage (save ends)
  Property:	You gain resist 30 fire.
  Power	(at-Will	✦	Cold): Free action. all damage dealt by 
  Icingdeath is cold damage. another free action returns the 
  damage to normal.
  Power	(daily	✦	Cold):	Free action. You can use this power 
  when you hit with the weapon. The target takes 5d8 extra 
  cold damage and is slowed until the end of your next turn.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  28
  Guenhwyvar
  Guenhwyvar is the most famous treasure of the Drizzt 
  saga, though most people don’t think of her as an item 
  at all. Guenhwyvar, or Guen as she is often called by 
  Drizzt and the companions, is a figurine of wondrous 
  power: an animate magic panther that resides in 
  the Astral Plane. Drizzt acquired her from the drow 
  wizard Masoj Hunett. Seeing Guen as a sentient 
  being and not just a tool, Drizzt killed Masoj and 
  became a kinder owner for Guenhwyvar.
   
  Guen has been with Drizzt in all of his battles and 
  has fought alongside all the companions, flanking 
  their enemies and acting as a stalwart ally. However, 
  she had many owners before Drizzt came across her. 
  The human wizard Anders Beltgard created her more 
  than a thousand years before Drizzt found her, and 
  the elf bladesinger Josidiah Starym named her.
  guenhwyvar	
  level 21
  This onyx figurine is a ferocious panther.
  Wondrous	item	225,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Power	(daily	✦	Conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
   figurine to conjure Guenhwyvar (see below for statistics). 
  as a free action, you can spend a healing surge when 
   activating this item to give the creature temporary hit 
  points equal to your healing surge value.
  special:	Guenhwyvar cannot be summoned more than three 
  times a week.
  Guenhwyvar
  large natural animate
  initiative	as conjurer senses	perception +20; low-light vision 
  and darkvision
  HP 50; Bloodied 25
  aC 35; Fortitude 33, reflex 35, Will 33
  speed 8, climb 6
  m Claw	(standard, at-will)
   
  +26 vs. armor Class; 2d8 + 9 damage, and Guenhwyvar 
  shifts 1 square.
  M	Bite	(standard; at-will)
   
  Targets a prone creature; +26 vs. aC; 2d10 + 10 damage, 
  and the target is grabbed (until escape).
  M	Charging	Pounce	(standard; at-will)
   
  When Guenhwyvar charges and hits with her claw, she 
  deals 2d8 extra damage and the target falls prone.
  Combat	advantage
   
  When Guenhwyvar hits a creature with her claw attack 
  and the creature is granting combat advantage to her, the 
  target falls prone.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages	Understands
   
   
   
  Common, Elven
  skills	acrobatics +22, athletics +20, Stealth +22
  str	20 (+15) 
  dex 24 (+17) 
  Wis	20 (+15)
  Con 17 (+13) 
  int 6 (+8) 
  Cha 10 (+10)
  	
  Description: When you activate a figurine, Guen-
  hwyvar appears in a space adjacent to you, provided 
  the space is large enough to contain her without 
  squeezing. Guen obeys only you, responding to com-
  mands spoken in any language. Guenhwyvar remains 
  for up to 8 hours or until you use a minor action to 
  dismiss her. She acts on the same initiative count as 
  you. every action Guen takes costs you a minor action 
  (which you use to issue commands), and Guenhwyvar 
  cannot exceed her normal allotment of actions (a 
  standard, a move, and a minor action) during her 
  turn. If you spend no minor actions on your turn to 
  command Guenhwyvar, she remains where she is 
  without taking any actions on her turn.
   
  Guenhwyvar has hit points, defenses, and attacks 
  as indicated in her statistics block. She has no heal-
  ing surges and cannot be healed, though she can still 
  benefit from temporary hit points. When reduced 
  to 0 hit points or fewer, Guenhwyvar disappears and 
  cannot be conjured again until after you’ve taken an 
  extended rest. Guenhwyvar lacks basic attacks and 
  therefore cannot make opportunity attacks.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  29
  Khazid-hea
  Khazid-hea, also known as “Cutter,” is a bloodthirsty, 
  sentient longsword that attempts to drive its wielder 
  into constant battle. originally wielded by Dan-
  trag Baenre, the weaponmaster of the first house 
  of Menzoberranzan, the sword drove him toward 
  competition with the other male warriors of the City 
  of Spiders, and eventually into conflict with Drizzt, 
  Catti-Brie, and Artemis entreri. The heroes defeated 
  Dantrag in their flight from Menzoberranzan, and 
  Catti-Brie usurped the blade.
   
  Khazid-hea had an uneasy relationship with Catti-
  Brie from the start. It was a powerful weapon, but 
  its desire for bloodshed was at odds with Catti-Brie’s 
  love of community and peace. Throughout her owner-
  ship of the weapon, it always desired to be wielded 
  by Drizzt. When its calls for blood were ignored, it 
  possessed Wulfgar’s wife Delly Curtie, forcing her 
  to charge into an orc camp, which led to her death. 
  Both obould and Tos’un wielded it, but neither found 
  the blade to their liking, feeling discomfited by its 
  domineering influence. Tos’un returned the blade to 
  Drizzt, who eventually donated it to the elves of the 
  Moonwood for study.
  deep	Wounding	Weapon	
  level 10+
  This weapon has a thin, serrated blade that punches deeply 
  into an enemy and leaves behind a nasty wound.
  lvl 10 
  +2 
  5,000 gp 
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp
  Weapon: Heavy blade
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d12 damage per plus
  Power	(daily):	Free action. Trigger: You hit an enemy with a 
  melee weapon attack using this weapon. Effect: The target 
  takes ongoing 10 damage (save ends). If the triggering at-
  tack was made using an extra action gained by using an 
  action point, the target takes a –5 penalty to saving throws 
  against this ongoing damage.
  khazid’hea	
  level 25
  This thin, sharp longsword bears a stylized unicorn pommel of 
  the goddess Mielikki.
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Weapon: longsword
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d12 damage per plus, and ongoing 10 damage 
  (save ends)
  Power	(daily):	Free action. Trigger: You hit an enemy with a 
  melee weapon attack using Khazid’hea. Effect: The target 
  takes ongoing 10 damage (save ends). If the triggering at-
  tack was made using an extra action gained by using an 
  action point, the target takes a –5 penalty to saving throws 
  against this ongoing damage.
  Communication:	Telepathy
  Persona:	Khazid’hea desires constant battle and bloodshed, 
  and it wants to be wielded by the greatest warrior in 
  the world. It is not happy when idle, so it tries to initiate 
  conflict or find a more suitable owner. Sometimes it does 
  this by dominating the wielder into battle; other times, it 
  lures a weaker mind in the hopes that its target will bring it 
  to a location where it can find a better wielder. It cares not 
  whether its wielder harms friend or foe.
  alignment	Chaotic evil	
  languages	—
  skills:	Khazid’hea grants a +2 bonus to skill checks related to 
  battle strategy and to intrigue.
  special:	Once per tenday, Khazid’hea can try to dominate a 
  wielder that has not slain another creature in battle. It can 
  dominate the wielder if it is dissatisfied. It makes an attack 
  roll against the wielder’s Will with a +28 bonus. If the at-
  tack succeeds, the sword controls the target’s actions and 
  can make the target perform any actions it chooses, includ-
  ing forcing the wielder to use encounter and daily attack 
  powers (save ends).
  Dantrag’s Bracers
  Drizzt defeated the drow weaponmaster Dantrag 
  Baenre when he, Catti-Brie, and Artemis entreri were 
  escaping Menzoberranzan. From the spoils, he took 
  Dantrag’s magic bracers of speed. Dantrag had worn 
  the bracers on his wrists to aid him in his weapon 
  attacks. Drizzt later decided that they would be more 
  useful to him on his feet, and now they provide him 
  with greater speed and agility in battle.
  Bracers	of	speed	
  level 13
  These wide bracers are lined with gleaming mithral rings.
  lvl 13 
  17,000 gp
  item	slot: arms
  Property: You can draw or sheathe a weapon, or draw or stow 
  an item, once per round as a free action.
  Power	(daily): Standard action. Make a melee basic attack 
  against one or two creatures.
  dantrag’s	Bracers	
  level 23
  These wide bracers are lined with gleaming mithral rings.
  lvl 18 
  85,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be purchased or 
  created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  item	slot: arms or feet
  Property: You can draw or sheathe a weapon, or draw or stow 
  an item, once per round as a free action.
  Power	(daily): Requirement: You must be using Dantrag’s brac-
  ers in the arms slot. Standard action. Make a melee basic 
  attack against one or two creatures.
  Power	(encounter): Requirement: You must be using Dantrag’s 
  bracers in the feet slot. Move action. Shift a number of 
  squares equal to half your speed.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  30
  acquiring regiS’S 
  ruBy pendant or 
  Jarlaxle’S eye patch
  Jarlaxle had a copy of the ruby pendant made while he 
  had the original in his possession. Drizzt, Bruenor, 
  and the rest of the Mithral Hall folk would never 
  have allowed the Calimport underworld (or any other 
  unsavory elements) to regain access to the danger-
  ous pendant, but Jarlaxle is another story altogether. 
  While he holds his items in high esteem, he also plays 
  mysterious games. He might loan the ruby pendant 
  out, give it out as a reward, or make more copies 
  if it suits him. of course, he would keep a copy for 
  himself, but the characters could have several oppor-
  tunities to get their hands on one (or perhaps on the 
  secret to how to make one at least).
   
  Characters might acquire Jarlaxle’s eye patch in a 
  similar fashion. Jarlaxle has allowed allies to use it to 
  prevent them from coming under the sway of power-
  ful mental influence, so he might loan it out (or a copy 
  of it) for just that purpose. He also might lend it out in 
  dire circumstances, but be unable to retrieve it, which 
  allows it to get into circulation. As one might expect, 
  Jarlaxle would very much want his favorite item back.
  Regis’s Ruby Pendant
  It’s hard to believe that one small stone could cause so 
  much trouble. But that’s exactly what happened with 
  the ruby pendant that Regis stole from the Pasha Pook. 
  Regis had left his life of thievery in Calimport, but 
  he took the Pasha’s ruby, with its powerful hypnotic 
  powers, with him. The ruby pendant was responsible 
  for getting the Pook to the top of Calimport’s Under-
  ground and he was not about to let it go, so he sent 
  assassin Artemis entreri to recover the halfling and 
  his gem. Regis eventually came to be free of Pook and 
  entreri, and the pendant became the halfling’s most 
  prized possession.
   
  Regis wears the ruby pendant on a gold chain 
  around his neck. By dangling it in front of the eyes of 
  another person he can make powerful hypnotic sug-
  gestions and create confusion. These suggestions can 
  be short and immediate, or can be complex and last 
  for years.
   
  Regis ultimately met his demise when he 
  attempted to coax Catti-Brie out of her Spellplague-
  induced prison with the gem. The ruby pendant 
  created a pathway that drew Regis into another Realm 
  from which he never returned—until his death.
  Hypnotic	Pendant	
  level 13+
  This pendant has the power to plant hypnotic suggestions in 
  the minds of those around you.
  lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp 
  lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  item	slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, Will
  Power	(daily	✦	Charm): Standard action. You make the 
  following ranged attack against one creature within 10 
  squares of you; +16 vs. Will. Hit: You designate a specific 
  time or date in the future (for example, noon tomorrow) or 
  a specific event that might occur in the future (for example, 
  when you next see the blacksmith). If the designated time 
  or event occurs before you use this item’s power again, the 
  target is dominated by you (save ends). You do not need to 
  be near the target or have line of sight or effect to the  
  target to choose its actions for the purposes of the  
  dominated effect.
  	 	 Level 18: +21 vs. Will.
  	 	 Level 23: +26 vs. Will.
  	 	 Level 28: +29 vs. Will.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  31
  regis’s	ruby	Pendant	
  level 23
  This large, glittering  pear-shaped ruby hangs from a heavy 
  gold chain.
  lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  item	slot: Neck
  enhancement: Fortitude, reflex, Will
  Power	(daily	✦	Charm): Standard action. You make the 
  following ranged attack against one creature within 10 
  squares of you; +30 vs. Will. Hit: You designate a specific 
  time or date in the future (for example, noon tomorrow) or 
  a specific event that might occur in the future (for example, 
  when you next see the blacksmith). If the designated time 
  or event occurs before you use this item’s power again, the 
  target is dominated by you (save ends). You do not need to 
  be near the target or have line of sight or effect to the  
  target to choose its actions for the purposes of the  
  dominated effect.
  Jarlaxle’s Eye Patch
  Jarlaxle has a mercurial and chaotic personality, and 
  his eye patch serves as an emblem for his pragmatic, 
  yet whimsical nature. It serves a purely magical pur-
  pose—he has both of his eyes and they possess the 
  drow race’s normally keen vision. Nevertheless, Jar-
  laxle wears the patch, constantly shifting it from one 
  eye to the other.
   
  The eye patch protects its wearer from mental 
  influence and detection, so those attempting to read 
  the wearer’s thoughts or control the wearer find it dif-
  ficult. This proved extremely important when Jarlaxle 
  and Drizzt attempted to wrest Catti-Brie and Regis 
  from the influence of the uncontrollable blue fire of 
  the Spellplague. Drizzt wore the eye patch to prevent 
  himself from being permanently sucked into the pris-
  ons that held Catti-Brie and Regis.
  eye	of	Watchfulness	
  level 17
  This eye patch hides potent magic that makes you more  
  perceptive than you appear to be.
  lvl 17 
  65,000 gp
  item	slot: Head
  Property: You can see invisible creatures.
  Property: Other creatures take a –10 penalty to skill checks 
  made to use scrying and divination rituals targeting you.
  Jarlaxle’s	eye	Patch	
  level 27
  This black felt eye patch fits over either eye and does not  
  hinder your vision.
  item	slot:	Head	1,625,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Property: You can see invisible creatures.
  Property: Other creatures take a –10 penalty to skill checks 
  made to use scrying and divination rituals targeting you.
  Property: any attack targeting your Will must roll twice on the 
  attack roll and take the worse of the two results.
  acquiring taulmaril 
  and aegiS Fang
  As the weapons of Bruenor’s adopted children, these 
  two items hold more importance than any other 
  in Mithral Hall. It’s likely that they would only be 
  bestowed upon great heroes or friends of the dwarves. 
  only characters who fought in a life-or-death battle to 
  save Mithral Hall or went on a quest of the magnitude 
  that discovered the Hall in the first place would be 
  deemed worthy of receiving the weapons.
  Taulmaril the 
  Heartseeker and the 
  Quiver of Anariel
  Taulmaril is a fabled bow, given to the dwarves of 
  Mithral Hall by the Lady Anariel. The companions dis-
  covered it in their exploration of the depths of the Hall 
  as they were creeping away from the shadow dragon 
  Shimmergloom. The bow served both Catti-Brie and 
  later Drizzt quite well, and Drizzt continues to wield it 
  now, even after the events of the Spellplague.
   
  Taulmaril is actually two items because it is paired 
  with the constantly refilling quiver of Anariel. It fires 
  powerful arrows of silver energy that drive deep into 
  their target, exploding in sparks that destroy all but 
  the toughest of foes. As the wielder fires the bow, the 
  quiver replenishes with more of the silvery arrows, 
  though the source of this ammunition is unknown.
  lightning	strike	Bow	
  level 10+
  This weapon appears to be formed out of a solidified silver  
  bolt of lightning.
  lvl 10 
  +2 
  5,000 gp 
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp
  Weapon: long bow, short bow
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d10 lightning damage per plus and the target 
  falls prone
  Property: This weapon deals double damage to objects.
  Power	(at-Will	✦	lightning): Free action. all damage dealt 
  by this weapon is lightning damage. another free action 
  returns the damage to normal.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  32
  taulmaril	the	Heartseeker	
  level 25
  The deep finish of the wood in this bow has not been marred 
  by the ages. Silvery glowing arrows poke out from the top of its 
  matching quiver, waiting to be fired at unwary foes.
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Weapon: longbow
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 force damage per plus, and the target falls prone
  Property:	 Taulmaril and the quiver of Anariel cannot remain 
  apart. If the bow is moved more than 6 squares from the 
  other, the quiver instantly teleports adjacent to the bow. No 
  amount of force can prevent it from returning to its match.
  Property:	Taulmaril deals double damage to objects.
  Power	(at-Will	✦	Force,	lightning):	Free action. all damage 
  dealt by Taulmaril is force and lightning damage. another 
  free action returns the damage to normal.
  Aegis Fang
  Bruenor Battlehammer was a great smith, and his 
  magnum opus was the powerful warhammer Aegis 
  Fang. In the hands of a lesser mortal, the massive 
  warhammer would have been unwieldy, but for the 
  7-foot-tall barbarian Wulfgar, the adamantine, dia-
  mond, and mithral masterpiece was a work of martial 
  art. Bruenor crafted the hammer, and although not a 
  wizard or other spellcaster, he channeled his dwarf 
  heritage to enchant the hammer, bestowing it on his 
  adopted son Wulfgar.
   
  Wulfgar wielded Aegis Fang through numerous 
  battles, defeating many a foe with brutal swings and 
  devastating throws. It was more than just a weapon 
  to the big man and his companions. It served as a 
  symbol of their companionship and bond, and they 
  fought to reclaim it when it was lost.
  Crashing	Weapon	
  level 9+
  This weapon has a heft to it that makes it seem bulky, yet it 
  flies through the air with incredible speed.
  lvl 9 
  +2 
  4,200 gp 
  lvl 24 
  +5 
  525,000 gp
  lvl 14 
  +3 
  21,000 gp 
  lvl 29 
  +6 
  2,625,000 gp
  lvl 19 
  +4 
  105,000 gp
  Weapon: axe, hammer, pick
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 damage per plus and the target is 
  knocked prone
  Property: This weapon can be used as a heavy thrown weapon 
  with a range of 5/10.
  Power	(daily): Free action. Trigger: You hit with a ranged 
  weapon attack using this weapon. Effect: The target and 
  each creature adjacent to the target is knocked prone. 
  aegis	Fang	
  level 19
  This massive and magnificently fashioned dwarven warham-
  mer is wrought from mithral, adamantine, and diamond.
  lvl 19 
  +4 
  105,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Weapon: Craghammer
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d12 damage per plus, and the target is 
  knocked prone
  Property:	Aegis Fang can be used as a heavy thrown weapon 
  with a range of 5/10.
  Power	(encounter):	Free action. Trigger: You hit with a ranged 
  weapon attack using Aegis Fang. Effect: The target and each 
  creature adjacent to the target is knocked prone.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  33
  acquiring entreri’S 
  JeWeled dagger
  Artemis entreri was unparalleled in skill, but as a 
  human, his lifespan couldn’t hold up to the drow with 
  whom he so frequently associated. Jarlaxle and the 
  other drow of Bregan D’aerthe have long eclipsed 
  entreri in years. Jarlaxle might have acquired entre-
  ri’s jeweled dagger later in the assassin’s life, though 
  the dagger could have passed back into the world in 
  any number of other ways. The jeweled dagger doesn’t 
  fit with Jarlaxle’s personality, thus he most likely has 
  long since parted with it.
  Entreri’s Jeweled Dagger
  entreri was second to none as an assassin under the 
  employ of the Pasha Pook. Throughout his infamous 
  exploits, entreri favored a vile vampiric jeweled dagger 
  that sucked the life force out of its victims and trans-
  ferred the energy to the assassin. As their lives ebbed 
  away, victims were wracked with excruciating pain 
  and terrible fear. The mere touch of the blade’s cold 
  metal against the skin was enough to induce terror. 
  entreri is known to have kept Regis in a state of per-
  petual torment through the use of this jeweled dagger.
  vitality	drinking	Weapon	
  level 10+
  This finely crafted weapon seems to drink in the light, just as it 
  drinks in the life of your enemies.
  lvl 10 
  +2 
  5,000 gp 
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp
  lvl 15 
  +3 
  25,000 gp 
  lvl 30 
  +6 
  3,125,000 gp
  lvl 20 
  +4 
  125,000 gp
  Weapon: light blade, heavy blade
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 necrotic and psychic damage per plus
  Property: When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with an 
  attack using this weapon, you gain 5 temporary hit points
  Power	(daily	✦	Healing,	necrotic): Free action. Trigger: You 
  hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack using this 
  weapon. Effect: The target is immobilized and weakened 
  (save ends both).
    Level 25-30: The target is immobilized, weakened, and 
  takes ongoing 15 necrotic damage (save ends all). Each 
  time the target takes this necrotic damage, you heal 5  
  hit points. 
  entreri’s	Jeweled	dagger	
  level 25
  This exquisitely wrought dagger is set with large emeralds.
  lvl 25 
  +5 
  625,000 gp (unique; this item cannot be 
  purchased or created with the Enchant Magic Item ritual)
  Weapon: Dagger
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 necrotic and psychic damage per plus, and you 
  regain 1 healing surge.
  Property	(Healing):	When you reduce a creature to 0 hit 
  points, you regain 5 hit points.
  Power	(daily	✦	Healing,	necrotic):	Free action. Trigger: You 
  hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack using Entreri’s 
  jeweled dagger. Effect: The target is immobilized, weakened, 
  and takes ongoing 15 necrotic damage (save ends all).  
  Each time the target takes this necrotic damage, you heal 
  5 hit points.
  About the Author
  Eytan	Bernstein hails from New York City. He spends 
  his days writing and editing history books for a major edu-
  cational publisher. By night, he works as a game designer, 
  editor, and developer. His many previous credits for Wizards 
  of the Coast include Adventurer’s Vault™, Open Grave: Secrets of 
  the Undead™, and Arcane Power™.
  
  March 2010  |		Dr agon	385
  34
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Ari Marmell 
  Illustration by Eric Belisle
  Class Acts: Druid
  other planes “leak” through into the mortal realm. 
  The Feywild overlaps a haunted wood; the Shadow-
  fell bleeds into a grim necropolis. The ravages of 
  a volcanic eruption carry energies and entities of 
  the elemental Chaos. Such events aren’t precisely 
  common, but they’re just another trait of the cosmos.
   
  However, in certain select regions of the mortal 
  realm, the walls between worlds are particularly 
  thin. Here, creation itself was left unfinished, or else 
  forces from beyond has damaged them. Here, the 
  fundamental aspects of the world are weakened, 
  influenced, and besieged by these other worlds. 
  From the multiworld archon fortress of Mordram 
  Bek to Firestorm Peak; from the portals of west-
  ern Nentir Vale to the entirety of the Underdark’s 
  depths—these areas, and many more yet undiscov-
  ered, have worn ragged where worlds abrade against 
  each other. The influence of other planes is constant, 
  warping the laws of nature and magic, and loosing 
  all manner of horrors.
   
  These regions are still a part of the natural world, 
  however, and the primal spirits still dwell within 
  them and watch over them. Many druidic circles, 
  as well as other primal sects, refer to these regions 
  informally as the Hinterlands. even druids, shamans, 
  and barbarians who readily deal with the most 
  vicious and fearsome of primal entities often balk at 
  interacting with, or serving, the spirits of these pecu-
  liar lands.
   
  often—but not always.
   
  The primal spirits of the Hinterlands are as harsh 
  as the domains in which they dwell, but they are no 
  less embodiments of the natural world. Those who 
  can steel their nerves to interact with these spirits, 
  and those who come to understand them, real-
  ize that the Hinterlands need the spirits, and their 
  primal worshipers, even more than the rest of the 
  world. Because here, as nowhere else, nature must be 
  defended.
   
  Druids who choose to serve or to call upon these 
  spirits are known as “Stepchildren of the Hinter-
  lands.” This is an informal designation, not an actual 
  sect; even so, such druids often see one another as 
  kindred spirits, at least until and unless given reason 
  to feel otherwise.
  Stepchildren 
   
   Hinterlands
  of 
   the
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Druid
  35
  Hinterland Spirits
  The Underdark has its own collection of primal 
  spirits—an entire population of such entities, in fact. 
  The spirits of the other Hinterlands, however, tend 
  not to be widely known, not because they are any 
  weaker than others, but because they are primar-
  ily local. That said, a select few Hinterland spirits 
  have achieved as much fame (or notoriety) as some 
  of the more potent spirits such as the World Serpent 
  or Great Bear (see Primal Power). A couple of these 
  include the following.
  Bitter Eidolon
  Most of the Hinterland spirits were preexisting 
  primal spirits that slowly changed as nature around 
  them changed. Bitter eidolon, however, is said to be 
  the earliest primal spirit to have been “born” (that 
  is, to have first manifested) within the Hinterlands. 
  She, the spirit of what should have been, is of pristine 
  nature from before the touch of other, unnatural 
  worlds. She manifests in a swirl of emotion—primarily 
  sorrow and rage. When she appears visually, it’s as a 
  phantasmal image of a single aspect of the terrain—
  a tree, a hill, occasionally an animal—appearing 
  incorporeal, but otherwise perfect, amid a corrupted 
  region. For the Stepchildren, Bitter eidolon can 
  either represent their efforts at restoring nature—or at 
  destroying creatures of the other worlds.
  Steadfast Henge
  originally a simple spirit of a tangle of briars at 
  the edge of a great forest, Steadfast Henge was sup-
  posedly present when, in the days immediately 
  following the Dawn War, the first postwar planar 
  breach encroached upon the world. (Legends differ 
  as to whether the other plane was the Feywild or the 
  elemental Chaos.) Today, Steadfast Henge manifests 
  in many spots where the worlds overlap and stands 
  against other forces that would encroach upon the 
  natural order. He is the patron spirit of many druids 
  (and other primal characters) who believe that the 
  Hinterlands are just another part of nature and 
  should be accepted as such despite their abnormal 
  traits—but that they must also be kept separate from 
  the world around them, lest they spread their influ-
  ence too far and disrupt the balance of the world.
  New Druid Powers
  The following powers can help you implement the 
  Hinterlands in your campaign.
  Level 1 At-Will Evocation
  spirit	Briar	
  Druid attack 1
  The phantom thorns of Steadfast Henge gouge the flesh of 
  those who move against them.
  at-Will ✦	implement,	Poison,	Primal
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier poison damage. Choose either 
  yourself or one ally you can see. If the target ends its next 
  turn adjacent to the chosen creature, it takes poison dam-
  age equal to your Dexterity modifier.
   level 21: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage.
  Level 2 Utility Evocation
  all-encompassing	nature	
  Druid Utility 2
  Your view of nature is broader than most, expanding your 
  knowledge.
  encounter	✦	Primal
  Free	action	
  Personal
  requirement:	You must be trained in Nature.
  trigger: You would make an arcana, Dungeoneering, or 
  religion check
  effect: You can roll a Nature check instead.
  Level 9 Daily Evocation
  Pain	from	Perseverance	
  Druid attack 9
  Your wrath carries the spirit of Bitter Eidolon through your 
  foe, transforming its resistance into weakness.
  daily ✦	implement,	Primal,	Psychic
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage.
  effect: Choose one damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning or 
  thunder. The target loses any resistances to that damage 
  type and gains vulnerable 5 damage to that damage type 
  (save ends both). Until the end of the encounter, your druid 
  attacks can deal damage of the type you chose instead of 
  their normal damage type.
  Level 15 Daily Evocation
  World-Warp	
  Druid attack 15
  A ripple in the natural world transports your enemy and pro-
  tects you from its attack.
  daily ✦	Primal,	teleportation
  immediate	interrupt	
  Close burst 10
  trigger: an adjacent enemy makes a melee attack against you
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect: The target and one of your allies within range teleport 
  to switch places. The triggering attack now targets another 
  creature of your choice adjacent to the target. If the trigger-
  ing attack has no legitimate target, the target’s action is lost.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Druid
  36
  Level 19 Daily Evocation
  thorns	of	the	Hinterlands	
  Druid attack 19
  All across the field of battle, thickets and brambles rise up to 
  entrap your foes.
  daily ✦	acid,	Conjuration,	implement,	Poison,	Primal
  standard	action	
  area wall 6 within 20 squares
  effect: You conjure one or two walls of thorny, writhing vines, 
  which cannot have any squares adjacent to each other. 
  Each wall can be up to 4 squares high; it must be on a solid 
  surface, and it lasts until the end of your next turn. The wall 
  provides cover and blocks line of sight.
     Entering a wall square costs 2 extra squares of move-
  ment. If a creature enters the wall’s space or starts its turn 
  there, that creature takes 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier 
  acid and poison damage and ongoing 5 acid and poison 
  damage (save ends).
  sustain	minor: The walls persist.
  Level 23 Encounter Evocation
  Fungal	eruption	
  Druid attack 23
  The Deep Winds blow from below, spreading fungus and 
  mold through your enemy’s flesh.
  encounter ✦	implement,	Poison,	Primal,	zone
  standard	action	
  area burst 1 within 10 squares
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d6 + Wisdom modifier poison damage, and the target is 
  weakened and takes a –2 to all defenses and to perception 
  checks (save ends both).
  effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of your 
  next turn. any creature that enters or starts its turn within 
  the zone is slowed until the start of its next turn. (This 
  effect has the poison keyword.)
  Level 25 Daily Evocation
  Writhing	Henge	
  Druid attack 25
  The limbs of Steadfast Henge protrude from the earth, fling-
  ing and rending at your command.
  daily ✦ implement,	Primal,	summoning
  standard	action	
  Close burst 10
  effect: You summon up to six Medium briar-covered tendrils in 
  unoccupied squares within range, no two of which can be 
  adjacent to the same creature. The tendrils have a speed 
  of 0 and are immune to being pushed, pulled, or slid. You 
  lose a healing surge only when all the tendrils have been 
  destroyed. You can give the tendril the following special 
  command. On the turn you summon the tendrils, you give 
  that command as a part of using this power.
  	 	 	 standard	action: Each tendril summoned by this power 
  makes an attack; melee 2; targets one creature; Wisdom 
  vs. reflex; 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage plus ongoing 5 
  damage (save ends), and you slide the target 3 squares.
  	 	 	 instinctive	effect: If you haven’t given the tendrils any 
  commands by the end of your turn, each one attacks an 
  enemy within 2 squares of it if it can. Otherwise, the ten-
  dril slides one of your allies within 2 squares of it up to 3 
  squares.
  About the Author
  ari	Marmell was born in New York, moved to Houston when 
  he was a year old, moved to Austin when he was 27, but has 
  spent most of his life living in other worlds through a combi-
  nation of writing and roleplaying games. He has been writing 
  more or less constantly for the last dozen years, though he has 
  only been paid for it the past five. He is the author of multiple 
  roleplaying game supplements including work on Dungeons 
  & Dragons®. Ari lives in Austin with his wife George and 
  two cats. Visit him online at his Dungeons & Dragons blog 
  page, at his website, on Twitter, or at his Facebook fan page.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  37
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By David Adams 
  Illustration by Eric Belisle
  Class Acts: 
   Clerics of Prophecy
  Typically aloof and preoccupied with their own 
  cosmic, unfathomable agendas, deities rarely com-
  municate directly with their mortal followers. on 
  occasion, however, they attempt to intervene in 
  the affairs of the world, and when they choose to 
  do so, the nature of their minds, the power of their 
  thoughts, and their own whimsy often forces them to 
  rely on other forms of communication. In addition, 
  numerous complex, nearly incomprehensible agree-
  ments between individual deities, as well as between 
  other powers, often prohibit the deities from acting 
  or communicating directly with their followers. And 
  finally, exposing their plans directly often leads to 
  exploitations by their fiercest rivals. As a result, dei-
  ties can choose to work through mortal prophets to 
  communicate their will to the world. only the most 
  devout servants of the gods have the patience and 
  tenacity of will to serve in such a capacity. The gods 
  use these mortal servants to pursue and advance 
  their diverse goals and agendas. Bane might attempt 
  to spur his followers to war, Vecna might desire that 
  certain heroes be mislead so that his secrets are 
  kept, Corellon might wish to inspire new works of 
  magic in the world, Sehanine might want to play 
  games with the lives of mortals, and all of the deities 
  have plans that they conspire to keep hidden from 
  their adversaries.
   
  Prophetic servants share a watchful, pensive 
  disposition, whether or not they have clung to their 
  sanity through exposure to the source of their 
  divine inspiration. With divinely inspired insight, 
  they attempt to discern messages in mundane 
  occurrences. A dream of ravens might presage the 
  death of a family member. The alignment of stars 
  might foretell an auspicious birth. Windblown 
  leaves might warn of an impending conflict. These 
  signs arise without warning, often come unbidden, 
  and are frequently part of some greater missive. 
  Sharing and analyzing these signs and portents 
  in the context of an organized group increases the 
  likelihood that the faithful can discern the signifi-
  cance of these events.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Cleric
  38
  the haruSpex 
  aSSemBly
  The Haruspex Assembly is one of the most active 
  groups that focus on prophecy. Coming from a vari-
  ety of faiths, the members of the Assembly form a 
  loose network of agents who travel the world and 
  beyond in search of divine omens. Most believe 
  that deities reveal the destiny of the world through 
  visions, signs, and other portents. They contend 
  that the original design the gods had intended for 
  the planes of existence was one most favorable for 
  mortals. Thus, discovering their intentions for the 
  future is the only way to ensure the preservation of 
  the mortal realm. However, the various aims that 
  the gods have for their prophets makes it difficult to 
  separate trivial omens from the auspicious ones, the 
  treacherous from the true. As a result, many mem-
  bers develop a hardened pragmatism and cautious 
  cynicism even as the gravity of their lofty ambitions 
  drives them forward.
   
  Ansis Belriah is recognized by many within the 
  Haruspex Assembly as their leader. This deva priest 
  of Ioun attempts to coordinate the disparate discov-
  eries of the Assembly’s operatives to understand the 
  looming peril facing the world. He believes that the 
  most significant prophecies concerning the growing 
  threat to the world originate from whatever mysteries 
  Ioun bore witness to when she looked through the 
  Living Gate. As a result, Ansis suspects that, as some 
  scholars have suggested, the greatest danger to the 
  continuity of the mortal realms exists within the Far 
  Realm. He also has a pronounced interest in those 
  who have developed psionic talents, speculating that 
  the existence of these individuals is another mani-
  festation of divine providence and that their abilities 
  are the only weapon capable of thwarting any future 
  incursions.
   
  Although not every operative of the Haruspex 
  Assembly shares Ansis’s particular outlook, the deva 
  is nonetheless a respected authority on interpreting 
  prophetic events. He has spent many of his countless 
  lifetimes drawn to serve the gods as an instrument 
  of prophecy. Much of the knowledge he garnered has 
  gone missing since his personal library in Shavost 
  was lost in the fall of Nerath. Though much is forgot-
  ten, Ansis still has great insight and has connected 
  many of the disparate strands of prophecy while 
  members of the Assembly look for some sign of Sha-
  vost and the lost library. It is through this activity 
  that many adventurers come into contact with the 
  Haruspex Assembly.
   
  Currently, the Assembly lacks a centralized head-
  quarters. Several operatives have settled in Nentir 
  Vale and its surrounding environs. Like members 
  elsewhere, the oracular gifts they possess are viewed 
  superstitiously by most commoners. The more brazen 
  among the populace occasionally seek out members 
  of the Assembly and request blessings or ask to have 
  their own futures divined. Those operatives willing 
  to indulge these requests often carry astragali, which 
  are carved sheep knuckle bones, and they ritually 
  toss them to glean insight into individual futures. In 
  return for these secret favors, most local populations 
  provide the Assembly with whatever resources they 
  can as the Assembly pursues its agenda.
  the haruSpex aSSemBly  
  in eBerron
  In Eberron, the Haruspex assembly focuses on 
  understanding the Draconic prophecy and how 
  the gods are attempting to use it to instruct and 
  warn their followers. ansis Belriah had kept his 
  library in Kalazart in Cyre, and since the Mourn-
  ing, the assembly has become more active in 
  promoting awareness of the prophecy. This 
  makes them one of the most accessible organi-
  zations for those looking to find more detailed 
  information about the Draconic prophecy. The 
  size of their network of agents limits the quantity 
  and quality of the information they have avail-
  able, but they are seldom hesitant to share. ansis 
  Belriah and much of his work on the nature of the 
  Draconic prophecy was lost during the events of 
  the Mourning, and although many of the assem-
  bly have continued their work as before, others 
  attempt to recover the remains of ansis’s library 
  or have taken up residence in New Cyre, awaiting 
  the return of the deva who was once their leader. 
  The Brelish crown is suspicious of the Haruspex 
  assembly’s motives and keeps detailed dossiers 
  on members and their activities within New Cyre.
   
  The interests of the Haruspex assembly also 
  make them an organization likely to harbor those 
  who bear aberrant dragonmarks or any dragon-
  marked characters attempting to escape the 
  influence of the Houses. They often attempt to 
  exploit these individuals for the furtherance of 
  their understanding of the Draconic prophecy or 
  coerce them into fulfilling prophecies that they 
  believe can help preserve the status quo and 
  ensure the continued existence of the mortal 
  world. The assembly is far from being malicious, 
  but those bearing dragonmarks are not entirely 
  safe when working with or on behalf of the 
  organization.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Cleric
  39
  Background
  The following background can provide your charac-
  ter with a tie to prophecy.
  	
  Prophetic	Sanctification: You have preternatu-
  ral insight that frequently leads you to find omens in 
  events that seem mere happenstance to others. The 
  event that revealed this ability to you forever changed 
  the course of your life. Perhaps in the middle of debil-
  itating illness you began babbling in Supernal before 
  miraculously being healed. During your investiture 
  you might have been struck by visions that appeared 
  to last for days in which you spoke with an avatar of 
  your deity. You might have witnessed portents during 
  a short walk through the wilderness, only to return 
  home and discover you had been gone for a week 
  while the events that were foretold during your jour-
  ney come to pass. Regardless of how you awakened 
  to your gifts, you have now become an instrument of 
  prophecy. Do you find it onerous to interpret the signs 
  given to you by your god or is it obvious to you what 
  events are truly prophetic and which are merely coin-
  cidence? Is this ability a boon or would you rather be 
  rid of the capability?
   
  Associated Skills: Insight, Perception
  neW cleric poWerS
  Many clerics turn their prophetic abilities against 
  their enemies by relying upon the assistance of the 
  gods to provide them with the insight to turn their 
  enemies’ ill-fortune against them, prevent allies from 
  coming to harm, or alter fate so that it is easier for 
  their attacks to strike true.
  Level 1 Encounter Prayer
  Prophetic	guidance	
  Cleric attack 1
  A glimpse into your enemy’s future allows you to guide your 
  allies’ attacks with incredible precision.
  encounter	✦	divine
  standard	action	
  ranged 5
  target: One enemy
  effect: The target grants combat advantage until the end of 
  your next turn, and your allies gain a power bonus to dam-
  age rolls against the target equal to your Wisdom modifier 
  until the end of your next turn. The next ally who misses 
  the target before the end of your next turn can reroll the 
  attack.
  Level 5 Daily Prayer
  sundered	Fortune	
  Cleric attack 5
  Your prayer disconnects your enemies from their good fortune, 
  and each success they have now brings them misery.
  daily	✦	divine,	implement
  standard	action	
  area burst 1 within 5 squares
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: The target is subjected to sundered fortune (save ends). 
  While under the effect of a sundered fortune, the target 
  takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls and takes damage equal to 
  5 + your Wisdom modifier each time it hits with an attack 
  or succeeds at a saving throw (including the save against 
  this power).
  effect: The target grants combat advantage until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Level 10 Utility Prayer
  Prophetic	Protection	
  Cleric Utility 10
  The enemy’s success is undone as you manipulate fate to pro-
  tect yourself or an ally.
  encounter	✦	divine
  immediate	interrupt	
  Close burst 5
  trigger: an enemy in burst scores a critical hit with an attack 
  against you or an ally
  effect: The triggering enemy must re-roll the attack with a 
  penalty to the attack roll equal to your Charisma modifier.
  Level 13 Encounter 
  Prayer
  Ominous	Portent	
  Cleric attack 13
  You prophesize that your enemy’s failure will continue to be 
  its destiny.
  encounter	✦	divine,	implement,	Psychic
  immediate	reaction	
  ranged 5
  trigger: an enemy within 5 squares of you misses with an 
  attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage. The target grants 
  combat advantage and takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls 
  until the end of its next turn.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Cleric
  40
  Level 15 Daily Prayer
  ruinous	kismet	
  Cleric attack 15
  A glimpse of the future reveals the demise of your enemy, and 
  now fate will not allow it to escape.
  daily	✦	divine,	implement
  standard	action	
  area burst 1 within 5 squares
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 2d6 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target takes a –2 
  penalty to all defenses (save ends).
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, the target takes damage 
  equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier the first time each 
  turn any of your allies misses it with an attack. 
  Level 17 Encounter 
  Prayer
  Prescient	Boon	
  Cleric attack 17
  You manipulate fate so that you and your allies become the 
  rewarded instruments of prophecy for a time.
  encounter	✦	divine,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 5
  target: One enemy
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: Until the end of your next turn, each of your allies can roll 
  twice on the first attack he or she makes on his or her turn 
  against the target. If both attack rolls hit, the target takes 
  extra damage equal to 5 + your Charisma modifier.
  Level 22 Utility Prayer
  Prophetic	Fervor	
  Cleric Utility 22
  Visions of imminent battle swim in your mind, and you in-
  vigorate your allies to prepare them for what is to come.
  daily	✦	divine
  no	action	
  Close burst 5
  trigger: You roll initiative
  target:	You and each ally in burst
  effect:	Each target gains a +2 bonus to the initiative check and 
  temporary hit points equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier.
  Level 27 Encounter 
  Prayer
  auspicious	Foresight	
  Cleric attack 27
  The signs reveal an opportunity for you to undo the failure of 
  an ally.
  encounter	✦	divine,	implement
  immediate	reaction	
  ranged 5
  trigger: an ally misses a target
  target: The triggering target creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + Charisma modifier damage. The target takes a –2 
  penalty to all defenses until the end of your next turn, and 
  the ally can reroll the attack against the target.
  About the Author
  David	adams has been playing Dungeons & Dragons for 
  nearly ten years. During this time he has manage to obtain a 
  bachelor’s degree in biology and bathe regularly. This is his 
  first article, the result of maddening visions imparted to him 
  by the dark, forgotten gods he serves within the secluded pri-
  meval wilderness of eastern Kentucky.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  41
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Craig A. Campbell 
  Illustration by Eric Belisle
  Barbarians, shamans, and druids have long com-
  muned with primal spirits in an effort to protect the 
  natural world. Some, however, take this mission a step 
  further. These individuals are not content to guard 
  a single sacred grove or patrol one unblemished 
  tundra. They instead believe in a great interconnect-
  edness among all parts of the natural world and strive 
  to strengthen their ties to the spirits that give them 
  their power so that they might stand strong against all 
  danger. Adventurers and other individuals of many 
  primal stripes share this belief, but some of the most 
  dedicated among them are wardens who become 
  members of the Coterie of the All-Spirit.
  the all-Spirit
  Members of the Coterie of the All-Spirit see the whole 
  of creation as one great, all-encompassing organism—
  more so than other primal characters do. To them, 
  the world is not just an amalgamation of animals, 
  plants, weather, and physicality. Rather, it is a com-
  plex association of primal spirits that constantly feed 
  on, influence, and strengthen each other.
   
  They believe that the sun spirit and storm spirits of 
  the world feed the earth, causing vegetation to grow 
  and flourish. Animals consume this vegetation, and 
  it strengthens them and allows them to pass along 
  this spiritual essence to those creatures that prey 
  upon them, creating a circle of life that connects each 
  organism to another. Members of the coterie call this 
  circle, and everything within it, the All-Spirit, a driv-
  ing force that they must protect at all costs. To them, 
  the All-Spirit the core truth of the world in which 
  they live— it is a greater spirit unto itself.
  the coterie  
  oF the all-Spirit
  The Coterie of the All-Spirit is a loose organization 
  of wardens who seek to better understand the source 
  of their power by communing with the All-Spirit on 
  a regular basis. Like all wardens, coterie members 
  typically make contact with their spirit-patrons only 
  when they take on a guardian form. Members of the 
  coterie, however, constantly seek methods by which 
  they might commune with the All-Spirit in a more 
  direct way, so as to strengthen their understand-
  ing of the world as a whole and better serve as the 
  guardians of nature. This impetus begins early in a 
  warden’s career and continues throughout his or her 
  other service to the All-Spirit.
  Class Acts: Warden
  of 
   the
  Coterie  
   
   All Spirit
  the
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warden
  42
  Learning of the Coterie
  Typically, wardens learn of the coterie by glimpsing 
  the All-Spirit while in a guardian form. Some catch 
  a glimpse while in battle in a guardian form. others 
  might see it while perfecting their understanding of 
  the guardian form. Still others experience the All-
  Spirit while dreaming. In this latter case, the warden 
  awakens from sleep having subconsciously trans-
  formed into a guardian form.
   
  With this glimpse of the All-Spirit comes a deep-
  seated understanding that others have shared these 
  visions. once a warden glimpses the greater primal 
  power, he or she is compelled to discover the coterie. 
  Current coterie members who are near a warden 
  who is beginning his or her path become aware that 
  another has been called and actively seek to bring the 
  new initiate into the fold.
  Initiation
  To become a member of the coterie, an initiate under-
  goes a week-long trial that stresses the body and 
  prepares the initiate for his or her future path. each 
  initiate travels into the wilderness, carrying only a 
  small knife and a lit torch, and begins a week-long 
  fast while he or she mediates on the nature of the 
  All-Spirit. During this time, he or she builds a sweat 
  lodge, but sleeps outside it. on the final day of the 
  fast, the initiate lights a fire in the sweat lodge and 
  sits down within its walls. There, hunger, stress, and 
  smoke propel him or her into a trance within which 
  he or she communes with the All-Spirit. After the 
  trance ends, the initiate disassembles the spirit lodge, 
  hunts a small animal, and ends his or her fast, now a 
  full member of the coterie.
  The Three-Fold Oath
  Members of the Coterie of the All-Spirit hold three 
  tenets of faith dear to their hearts. These tenets are 
  referred to collectively as the Three-Fold oath. When 
  a warden becomes a member of the coterie, each 
  warden joins his or her spirit with that of the All-
  Spirit and takes the oath.
   
  The	Tenet	of	Seeking: Seek greater personal 
  understanding of the All-Spirit to bring all nature 
  into harmony and better ally yourself with those who 
  serve the All-Spirit.
   
  The	Tenet	of	opposition: oppose the intentions 
  of the Impure in all its forms, even if it leads to your 
  death.
   
  The	Tenet	of	Communion: Bring understanding 
  of the All-Spirit to all in need.
  Day-to-Day Life  
  in the Coterie
  To uphold their tenets, coterie members actively seek 
  out intelligent denizens of the world who are in need 
  of guidance so that they can bring understanding 
  of the All-Spirit to them. As a result, they travel fre-
  quently and stay in one location only as long as they 
  are needed. Their journeys help them remain tolerant 
  of other races as they seek a way for their words and 
  deeds to live on in the descendants of those whom 
  they contact. While traveling and assisting others, 
  members might also face the Impure from time to 
  time, as well.
   
  Additionally, though coterie members ally 
  themselves with the All-Spirit, they don’t ignore 
  the individual, simpler spirits of the world. Rather, 
  they revel in these basic primal spirits. They walk 
  in the middle of lightning storms, call to animals, 
  tend crops, and embrace the earth when it rumbles 
  beneath their feet. Also, they feel a greater connec-
  tion with the primal spirits whose form they can take, 
  since they view these forms as an important part of 
  the whole they revere. Recognizing these basic spirits 
  furthers their overall understanding of the All-Spirit.
   
  In general, though, each member faces differ-
  ent challenges while upholding the tenets. Because 
  the coterie recognizes that members have varying 
  experiences, they come together upon occasion to 
  share knowledge and better themselves through the 
  wisdom others gain from their journeys. These get-
  togethers are called spirit moots.
  Spirit Moots
  A spirit moot is a meeting of coterie members in a 
  special spirit realm called the Three-Fold Grove. 
  The grove is a realm of peace and tranquility, and 
  it appears as a small copse of vibrant trees in the 
  middle of a vast field.
   
  An elder coterie member calls a spirit moot by 
  using a secret ritual. once he or she performs the 
  ritual, coterie members the world-over hear the call 
  in the back of their minds and decide whether they 
  wish to attend. Attendance is a simple matter of a 
  member finding a quiet place to sit and voluntarily 
  enter a trance that propels their spirit to the Three-
  Fold Grove.
   
  During a spirit moot, attendees meet, exchange 
  stories, commune with the All-Spirit, and discuss 
  coterie business. Spirit moots occur once per month, 
  but an elder can invoke them more often in times of 
  great need.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warden
  43
  Holy Days
  Members of the coterie hold four days as holy.
   
  The	Festival	of	the	Bleak	Hand: on the winter 
  solstice, members voluntarily forgo using guardian 
  forms in an effort to better appreciate the power the 
  spirits grant them.
   
  The	Festival	of	the	Bright	Hand: on the 
  summer solstice, all members of the coterie engage in 
  a grand spirit moot where they exchange knowledge, 
  revel in their successes, and lament their failures.
   
  The	Festivals	of	the	Balanced	Hands: on 
  the spring and fall equinoxes, members spend the 
  day helping others. They might help plant or har-
  vest crops, teach locals how to deal with natural 
  disasters, or train locals to fight nearby beast or 
  humanoid threats.
   
  on any of these holy days, when multiple members 
  of the coterie gather together in the same place, they 
  engage in a feast called the Unity of the All-Spirit, 
  where they break bread and revel in their shared call-
  ing personally.
  Scion of the All-Spirit
  “The All-Spirit fills me with understanding of all things. I 
  will now teach you about these things.”
   
  Prerequisite: Warden
  Although many wardens acknowledge the All-Spirit 
  in name, you welcome the All-Spirit into the very core 
  of your being, transforming yourself into the strong 
  right hand of the All-Spirit and seeking to bring the 
  truth of the All-Spirit to bear in everything you do.
   
  Becoming a scion of the All-Spirit is a transforma-
  tive experience that shapes you in myriad ways. You 
  shrug off the seemingly inconsequential minutiae 
  of your mortal existence in favor of embracing the 
  greater spirit that subsumes all creation. Although 
  you still exist in corporeal form, you develop a spiri-
  tual communion with the All-Spirit that reshapes 
  your essence and combines your soul with the great-
  est primal spirit. You are a pure representative of the 
  All-Spirit, seeking to protect the natural world by 
  channeling the power you have been granted by the 
  All-Spirit.
  Scion of the All-Spirit  
  Path Features
  	
  all-Spirit	action	(11th	level): When you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you become 
  insubstantial and gain phasing until the end of your 
  next turn.
  	
  all-Spirit	Strike	(11th	level):	Whenever you 
  score a critical hit, your damage ignores all the tar-
  get’s resistances, including insubstantial.
  	
  Share	the	all-Spirit	(16th	level): Whenever you 
  spend a healing surge, one ally within 5 squares of 
  you makes a saving throw with a bonus equal to your 
  Constitution modifier.
  the pure  
  and the impure
  Members of the Coterie of the all-Spirit view 
  those who worship other powers as falling into 
  two camps: the pure and the Impure.
  the pure
  Those who espouse good intentions or other-
  wise seek a balance in the world are referred 
  to as the pure. For the most part, the gods 
  presented in the Player’s Handbook fall into 
  this category, since their intentions coincide 
  with the intentions of the all-Spirit.
  the impure
  Those who seek darkness or destruction 
  oppose the intentions of the all-Spirit. Evil 
  gods fall into this category and the coterie 
  consider them to be Impure. additionally, 
  members of the coterie deem those who serve 
  primordial cults and demon princes as being 
  part of the Impure. Members of the coterie 
  combat the Impure as part of the second tenet 
  of the Three-Fold Oath they undertake.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warden
  44
  Scion of the All-Spirit Powers
  voice	of	
  Scion of the all-Spirit attack 11
  the	all-spirit
  Your attack resonates with the voice of the All-Spirit, render-
  ing your foes prone for future attacks.
  encounter		Primal,	thunder,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  Close	burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier thunder damage, and the target 
  falls prone. The target is deafened and marked until the 
  end of your next turn.
  all-spirit	step	
  Scion of the all-Spirit Utility 12
  The All-Spirit beckons to your enemies as you slip out  
  of trouble.
  encounter		Primal,	teleportation
  move	action	
  	
  Personal
  effect: You mark each enemy adjacent to you and then 
  teleport your speed. You must end this teleport adjacent  
  to at least one enemy you marked with this power.
  Form	of	
  Scion of the all-Spirit attack 20
  the	all-spirit
  Your body becomes a miasma of primal spirits encompassing 
  animal, plant, weather, and elemental aspects in equal parts. 
  Your new form reaches out to your allies and strikes at  
  your foes.
  daily		Polymorph,	Primal
  minor	action	
  	
  Personal
  effect: You assume the guardian form of the all-Spirit until 
  the end of the encounter. While you are in this form, you 
  gain a +1 power bonus to all defenses. In addition, you  
  and each ally adjacent to you gain resist 5 to all damage.
   Once during this encounter, you can make the following 
  weapon attack while you are in this form.
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  effect: Before the attack, you teleport your speed.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. Will
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is 
  dominated until the end of your next turn.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed until the end of 
  your next turn.
  About the Author
  Craig Campbell was suckered into playing D&D® in 1990 
  when some of his college friends told him he needed to 
  get out less. In the time since, he’s devoured many source-
  books, transforming himself into a zombielike creature that 
   constantly seeks to tell amazing stories and eat the brains 
  of his players. Hailing from northeastern Wisconsin (go 
  Packers!), he currently lives in Marietta, Georgia with his all-
  consuming love of bad movies.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  45
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Mike Mearls 
  Illustration by Eric Belisle
  Class Acts: 
   Dealers in Deviltry:
  C
  enturies ago, the folk of Bael Turath struck a  bargain 
  with Asmodeus. They became the first tieflings, and in 
  the name of the Nine Hells they conquered lands far 
  and wide.  Today, their empire is a warning to those who would 
  deal with the infernal powers. Yet, at the time of the empire’s 
  height many believed that the lords of Bael  Turath had done the 
  unthinkable in outwitting Asmodeus.  
    To this day, some folk believe that Bael  Turath fell only 
  because of  Arkhosia’s overwhelming might, a power that not even 
  the Prince of Hell could overcome with the boons he  offered. 
   
  The Crimson Knights stood as one of Bael Turath’s most 
  potent weapons. A cadre of paladins and warlocks, these crusaders 
  were the cutting edge of the empire’s war machine. Their power rested 
  at the center of the compact between Asmodeus and Bael Turath.
  Crimson Knights 
   
   Bael Turath
  of
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warlock
  46
  neW Warlock SpellS
  As part of the bargain, Asmodeus compelled each of 
  the other eight lords of Hell to impart one secret of 
  their magic to the warlocks of Bael Turath.
   
  The lords of Hell, loathe to surrender an iota of 
  their might to mortals, attached a price to their spells. 
  The spell’s destructive power required a sacrifice, 
  either from the warlock or from the spell’s victim. 
  The grasping, hungry nature of these spells makes 
  them more likely to harm a target, but this benefit 
  comes at the price of the warlock’s life force.
   
  Infernal	Pact: A warlock who chooses the infer-
  nal pact can choose to gain gift to Avernus instead of 
  hellish rebuke.
  Level 1 At-Will Spell
  gift	to	avernus	
  Warlock attack 1
  You lash forth with a crackling ray of arcane power. As the 
  beam rips into your foe’s flesh, you release part of your life 
  force to ensure that this hellish bolt carries a portion of your 
  foe’s with it.
  at-Will	✦	arcane,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 1d10 + Charisma modifier damage.
  	 Level 21:	2d10 + Charisma modifier.
  miss: You can choose to take damage equal to your level to 
  reroll the attack roll. You can choose this only once each 
  time you use this attack.
  Level 1 Encounter Spell
  grasp	of	the	iron	tower	
  Warlock attack 1
  A hand of iron appears around your foe and crushes it with 
  the sickening sound of popping bones and grinding flesh.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and the primary 
  target cannot willingly move closer to you until the end of 
  your next turn.
  	
  infernal	Pact: You gain resist to all damage equal to 2 + 
  your Intelligence modifier until the end of your next turn.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
  	
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Fortitude
  	 	 Hit: One-half of 2d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and 
  the secondary target cannot willingly move closer to you 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Level 3 Encounter Spell
  lure	of	minauros	
  Warlock attack 3
  You whisper dark promises on the wind, sending them forth 
  to pollute your enemy’s mind with overwhelming terror that 
  compels it to lash out in a panic.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fear,	implement,	Psychic
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 1d10 + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the pri-
  mary target takes a free action to make a melee basic at-
  tack against itself or an adjacent creature.
  	
  infernal	Pact: Until the end of your next turn, whenever an 
  enemy attacks you, each other enemy adjacent to you takes 
  psychic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
   
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  	 	 Hit: One-half of 1d10 + Charisma modifier psychic dam-
  age, and the secondary target takes a free action to make 
  a melee basic attack against a creature of your choice (in-
  cluding itself) that is adjacent to it; the secondary target’s 
  attack deals half damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warlock
  47
  Level 7 Encounter Spell
  Pain	to	Pleasure	
  Warlock attack 7
  You unleash the dark magic of Belial, drawing strength and 
  pleasure from your enemy’s tormented screams.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fire,	Healing,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. reflex. Make two attack rolls. If 
  either of them hits, resolve them as a single hit, and both of 
  them must miss for the attack to miss.
  Hit: 1d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage if one attack roll 
  hits, or 2d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage if two hit. If 
  at least one attack roll hits, you regain hit points equal to 
  your Intelligence modifier.
  	
  infernal	Pact: You regain additional hit points equal to your 
  Charisma modifier.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
   
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. reflex. Make two attack 
  rolls. If either of them hits, resolve them as a single hit, and 
  both of them must miss for the attack to miss.
    Hit: One-half of 1d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage 
  if one attack roll hits, or 2d10 + Charisma modifier fire 
  damage if two hit. If at least one attack roll hits, you  
  regain hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier.
  Level 13 Encounter Spell
  ice	Blades	of	levistus	
  Warlock attack 13
  You hurl a storm of ice shards at your foe while invoking the 
  dark challenge of Levistus. The target must fight you, but like 
  Levistus you do not believe in fighting on fair terms.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Cold,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 2d10 + Charisma modifier cold damage. In addition, 
  you mark the target and immobilize it until the end of  
  your next turn.
  	
  infernal	Pact: If the target makes an attack that does not 
  include you as a target before the end of your next turn, it 
  takes 2d10 + your Charisma modifier cold damage.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
   
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack:	Charisma vs. Will
  	 	 Hit: One-half of 2d10 + Charisma modifier cold damage. 
  In addition, you mark the target and slow it until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Level 17 Encounter Spell
  dire	Portents	of	malbolge	 Warlock attack 17
  Your foe shrieks in terror as, in its mind, horrid growths erupt 
  across its body. It hacks away at them, heedless of the horrible 
  injuries it inflicts upon itself.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fear,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 3d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and the primary tar-
  get is dazed until the start of its next turn.
  	
  infernal	Pact: You can slide each enemy within 2 squares 
  of the primary target a number of squares equal to your 
  Intelligence modifier to a square more than 2 squares from 
  the primary target.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
   
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  	 	 Hit: One-half of 3d10 + Charisma modifier damage, and 
  the secondary target is dazed until the start of its next turn.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Warlock
  48
  Level 23 Encounter Spell
  Web	of	lies	
  Warlock attack 23
  You weave a skein of lies worthy of Baalzebul around your 
  enemy, turning friend to foe as it lashes out in a blind panic
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fear,	implement,	Psychic,	zone
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  Hit: 4d10 + Charisma modifier psychic damage, and you create 
  a zone that lasts until the end of your next turn. The zone fills 
  the primary target’s space and all squares adjacent to it. The 
  primary target cannot willingly leave the zone, and it can 
  make attacks only against creatures within the zone.
  	
  infernal	Pact: If the primary target does not attack during 
  its next turn, it takes psychic damage equal to 15 + your 
  Intelligence modifier.
  miss: You take damage equal to your level but can make a 
  secondary attack.
   
  secondary	target: One creature other than the primary 
  target
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  	 Hit: One-half of 4d10 + Charisma modifier psychic damage, 
  and you create a zone that lasts until the end of your next 
  turn. The zone fills the secondary target’s space and all 
  squares adjacent to it. The secondary target cannot will-
  ingly leave the zone, and it can make attacks only against 
  creatures within the zone.
  Level 27 Encounter Spell
  Hellfire	Fury	
  Warlock attack 27
  You unleash the fires of Mephistopheles. They will not be sated 
  until they have charred your enemy’s flesh. Failing that, your 
  ally’s flesh will do.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Fire,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 20
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. reflex
  Hit: 4d10 + Charisma modifier fire damage.
  	
  infernal	Pact: You gain a power bonus to your next attack 
  roll against the target equal to your Intelligence modifier.
  miss: You must repeat this attack against a different creature, 
  gaining a cumulative +5 bonus to the damage roll each 
  time you miss. You cannot target the same creature with 
  this attack twice. You can choose to take damage equal to 
  your level to cancel this miss effect.
  neW Warlock itemS
  The Crimson Knights fashioned weapons and armor 
  in the style of Hell’s legions. Some of these items 
  survive to this day.
  rod	of	avernus	
  level 3+
  This brass rod is tipped with a gleaming, red jewel that glows 
  with a yellow aura. As you grasp it, your enemies instinctively 
  cower before you.
  lvl 3 
  +1 
  680 gp 
  lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp
  lvl 8 
  +2 
  3,400 gp 
  lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  implement	(rod)
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d6 damage per plus
  Property: When you gain the benefit of your warlock’s pact 
  boon, you can slide each enemy affected by your Warlock’s 
  Curse 1 square.
  Power	(daily): Minor action. Until the end of the encounter, 
  any enemy that ends its turn adjacent to you takes 5 psy-
  chic damage.
    Level 13 or 18:	The damage increases to 10.
    Level 23 or 28: The damage increases to 15.
  armor	of	dark	majesty	
  level 4+
  This armor is studded with gleaming, brass studs that flicker 
  with hellish energies when you cast a spell.
  lvl 4 
  +1 
  840 gp 
  lvl 19 
  +4 
  105,000 gp
  lvl 9 
  +2 
  4,200 gp 
  lvl 24 
  +5 
  525,000 gp
  lvl 14 
  +3 
  21,000 gp 
  lvl 29 
  +6 
  2,625,000 gp
  armor: leather, hide
  enhancement: aC
  Property: You gain an item bonus to Bluff and Intimidate 
  checks equal to this armor’s enhancement bonus.
  Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to all defenses against 
  enemies under your Warlock’s Curse.
  Power	(daily): Minor action. place your Warlock’s Curse on 
  any enemy you can see, rather than the nearest enemy.
  About the Author
  Mike	Mearls is the Lead Designer for the Dungeons & 
  Dragons® roleplaying game. His recent credits include 
  Player’s Handbook™ 3, Hammerfast, and Primal Power™.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  49
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Eric Belisle
  Class Acts:
   
    Barbarian
  Since the legendary Battle of the Nine Sons, 
  humanity has given up ground. It has retreated to 
  Nerath’s crumbling bastions, and now it huddles in 
  the feeble light left from their last empire. As civili-
  zation recedes, it abandons cities, towns, farmland, 
  and battlefields to the few hardy souls who refuse to 
  follow the rest of humanity into hiding.
   
  The True Born is one such group of people. Claim-
  ing descent from the doughty warriors who stood 
  against the gnoll hordes, the True Born stood fast 
  while the wilderness swept around them to reclaim 
  cultivated lands. Distance separates them from other 
  human settlements, leaving them to ensure their own 
  survival in the harsh landscape. Although they cling 
  to the ancient values and traditions put forward by 
  the Nerathi kings, time has swept away much of their 
  knowledge until only fragments remain.
   
  The people of the True Born survive in the hostile 
  world due to their deep reverence for the warriors 
  who came before them. As a primal people, the True 
  Born calls upon the land’s spirits—but not the spirits 
  of the trees and rocks. Instead they seek to contact the 
  fallen knights and soldiers who died to protect Nerath 
  from the White Ruin. All warriors undergo secret 
  rites of passage in which they invite warrior spirits to 
  aid in their struggle and lend them strength against 
  the enemy. During this rite, a worthy warrior sees an 
  ancestor and the two merge into one being. From that 
  day forward, the True Born warrior abandons his or 
  her childhood name and takes the name of the war-
  rior whose spirit reside within him or her.
   
  The greatest warriors are berserkers—in the heat 
  of battle, the ancestor spirit does not rest easy and 
  lends its incredible strength and courage to the 
  combat more directly. These “rages” turn an already 
  fearsome warrior into a savage killer, and nothing 
  can stand for long before the wrath of this melding of 
  warrior and spirit.
   
  Although the True Born is a human tribe, they are 
  not so closed as to disallow worthy additions from 
  other races or from other tribes. Such characters must 
  learn the tribe’s lore, embrace its history and purpose, 
  and undergo the rite of passage. Characters associ-
  ated with the True Born can be of any class, though 
  the True Born favor primal classes, with thaneborn 
  barbarians being preferred most of all.
  Secrets 
   
   True Born
  of 
   the
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Barbarian
  50
  neW BarBarian 
  evocationS
  The ancestor spirits residing in barbarians awaken 
  new techniques and styles, many of which find their 
  roots in the old Nerathi battle tactics.
  Level 1 Encounter Evocation
  rending	strike	
  Barbarian attack 1
  You tear your weapon through the enemy, leaving it vulnerable 
  to an ally’s attack.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the next time the 
  target takes damage before the start of your next turn, it 
  takes 1d6 extra damage and you slide it 1 square.
  	
  thaneborn	triumph: You can slide the target a number of 
  squares equal to your Charisma modifier instead of 1.
  Level 2 Utility Evocation
  Bloodthirsty	resurgence	
  Barbarian Utility 2
  When you call upon your hidden reserves, you evoke the same 
  new will in your allies.
  encounter	✦	Primal
  Free	action	
  	
  Close burst 2
  trigger: You spend a healing surge
  target: Each ally in burst that can see you
  effect: The target gains temporary hit points equal to your 
  Charisma modifier.
  Level 3 Encounter Evocation
  roaring	Challenge	
  Barbarian attack 3
  Upon striking your foe, you let loose a challenging roar, daring 
  your foes to face you.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  Primary	target: One creature
  Primary	attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you make a close 
  blast 3 secondary attack.
  	
  secondary	target:	Each enemy in blast
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  	 	 Hit: The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 7 Encounter Evocation
  Wheat	to	the	scythe	
  Barbarian attack 7
  The enemies fall before your weapon’s wide arc, like wheat to 
  the scythe.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Healing,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  Close burst 1
  target: Each enemy in burst that you can see
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, the target falls prone, 
  and you regain 1 hit point.
  	
  thaneborn	triumph: You can push the target 1 square.
  Level 13 Encounter Evocation
  ruinous	strike	
  Barbarian attack 13
  The enemy recoils from your strike, shrinking away from you 
  in terror to its own detriment.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, you can slide the target 
  1 square, and the target gains vulnerable 5 to the next at-
  tack that hits it before the start of your next turn.
  	
  thaneborn	triumph: You can slide the target a number of 
  squares equal to your Charisma modifier instead of 1.
  Level 16 Utility Evocation
  kill	them	all	
  Barbarian Utility 16
  You wrench your weapon from the corpse and call out to your 
  comrades to end this fight.
  encounter	✦	Primal
  Free	action	
  	
  Close burst 3
   
  thaneborn	triumph: The burst is equal to 1 + your 
  Charisma modifier.
  trigger: You reduce an enemy to 0 hit points
  target: Each ally in burst that can hear you
  effect: The target gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls and 
  deals 1d6 extra damage on melee and ranged attacks until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 17 Encounter Evocation
  Bloody	roar	
  Barbarian attack 17
  Your savage strike compels you to loose a terrifying scream at 
  your enemies.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you make a close 
  blast 3 secondary attack.
  	
  secondary	target:	Each enemy in blast
  	
  secondary	attack: Charisma vs. Will
  	 	 Hit: You push the target 3 squares, and the target takes a 
  –2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Class Acts: Barbarian
  51
  Level 23 Encounter Evocation
  throw	Back	the	Horde	
  Barbarian attack 23
  The enemies gather around you, but you throw them back with 
  a roar and a wide sweep of your weapon.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Healing,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  Close burst 1
  target: Each enemy in burst that you can see
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, you push the target 3 
  squares and knock it prone, and you regain 2 hit points.
  	
  thaneborn	triumph: You push the target a number of 
  squares equal to 2 + your Charisma modifier instead of 3 
  squares.
  Level 27 Encounter Evocation
  nowhere	to	run	
  Barbarian attack 27
  Your strike causes the enemy to panic, but no matter where it 
  turns, your allies are there to confound its escape.
  encounter	✦	Fear,	Primal,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you slide the 
  target 1 square. Whenever the target is damaged by an  
  attack before the start of your next turn, the target takes 
  1d6 extra damage and you slide the target 1 square.
  neW BarBarian FeatS
  The following feats provide new options for 
  thaneborn barbarians. While inspired by the True 
  Born, these feats are available to any character who 
  meets the prerequisites.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Fearsome Bloodlust
  	
  Prerequisite:	Barbarian, Thaneborn Triumph 
  class feature
  	
  Benefit:	Whenever you bloody an enemy with a 
  barbarian attack power, you gain temporary hit points 
  equal to your Charisma modifier.
  Thaneborn Fury
  	
  Prerequisite:	Barbarian, Thaneborn Triumph 
  class feature
  	
  Benefit:	When you hit a creature with a melee 
  basic attack granted by the Rampage class feature, 
  the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the 
  end of your next turn. A creature that is immune to 
  fear is not subject to this penalty.
  Wrathful Recovery
  	
  Prerequisite:	Barbarian, Thaneborn Triumph 
  class feature
  	
  Benefit:	When you use your second wind while 
  raging, you regain extra hit points equal to your Cha-
  risma modifier.
  Paragon Tier Feats
  Feats in this section are available to any characters of 
  11th level and above who meet the prerequisites.
  Bloodthirsty Visage
  	
  Prerequisite:	11th level, barbarian, Thaneborn 
  Triumph class feature
  	
  Benefit:	You gain a feat bonus equal to your Cha-
  risma modifier to damage rolls with barbarian fear 
  powers.
  Echoing Roar
  	
  Prerequisite:	11th level, barbarian, roar of triumph 
  power
  	
  Benefit:	Whenever you use your second wind, 
  you also regain the use of roar of triumph.
  About the Author
  robert	J.	Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose more recent work can be found in Martial Power™ 2, 
  Draconomicon™ 2, and Primal Power™. Robert lives in  Tennessee.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  52
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Matthew J. Hanson 
  Illustration by Sarah Stone
  Changelings are a diverse race in many ways. Some 
  changelings wear their racial identity proudly, adopt-
  ing the guise of another race only when they need 
  to do so. others have a dozen identities and switch 
  between them as though they are switching hats. A 
  few changelings choose to live their life as one race, 
  and often as a single individual. What these change-
  lings sacrifice in breadth they make up for in depth, 
  becoming perfect copies of the race they imitate. 
  These changelings are known as becomers.
  BecomerS oF choice 
  and BecomerS oF 
  circumStance
  Most changelings who adopt permanent identities 
  choose their path. They might feel that one race best 
  reflects their personalities, or they might idealize a 
  race’s culture and claim it as their own. In kingdoms 
  where one race holds power over others, opportu-
  nistic changelings might become a member of the 
  race on top. A few becomers choose a race to honor a 
  certain individual. For instance, if a half-orc paladin 
  sacrificed himself to save a changeling’s childhood 
  village, that changeling might live as a half-orc to 
  honor the fallen hero.
   
  Some changelings who live as becomers feel they 
  have no other option. In many lands changelings are 
  feared for their shapechanging abilities, and some king-
  doms hunt down and execute changelings for the crime 
  of being born. In these cases, fear drives changelings to 
  adopt a single identity. In extreme situations change-
  lings pass down borrowed races from parent to child. 
  Generations of changelings might live among another 
  race, and none but the changelings know the truth.
  A Life of Lies
  Many becomers struggle with the fact that a core 
  element of their identity is a lie. Although they might 
  trust traveling companions with their lives, many 
  becomers do not reveal their secret to their closest 
  friends. Some becomers marry a member of their 
  chosen race without letting their spouse know the 
  truth. Most rationalize their lies, believing that it 
  serves the greater good, or that the truth could only 
  hurt their friends and loved ones. others fear that if 
  their friends knew the truth, they would turn on the 
  changeling as so many have done before. only the 
  most malicious becomers delight in their deception.
   
  Some becomers take their false identity a step 
  further. They lie so well that the changelings them-
  selves believe that they are a member of the race 
  they imitate. Most of the time when this happens, 
  the changeling is mentally unbalanced. Sometimes 
  changelings born to becomer parents genuinely fail 
  to realize they are different. In either case, if these 
  changelings are confronted with evidence of their 
  true nature, they assume it is some kind of trick or 
  that they have been magically transformed.
  Winning Races: Changeling
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Changeling
  53
  Choice of Race
  Although some changelings choose to become 
  whichever race is most prevalent within the area, 
  many changelings imitate a race for which they have 
  a special affinity.
  	
  Deva: Because devas are tied to the good gods, 
  some of the most religious changelings choose to 
  live their lives as devas. Such changelings devote 
  themselves fanatically to the causes of good. Change-
  ling “devas” frequently draw from the divine power 
  source, and many become paladins.
  	
  Dragonborn: Since changelings have no true 
  culture of their own, some are drawn to races with 
  rich histories, such as the dragonborn of Arkhosia. 
  These becomers memorize the legends of their 
  adopted empire and recite them to any willing to 
  listen. Becomers who live as dragonborn favor classes 
  such as warlord, bard, and sorcerer (particularly the 
  dragon pact).
  	
  Human: Because of humanity’s varying nature, 
  they are one of the easiest races into which change-
  lings can blend. Many choose to become humans 
  because it is the most convenient race at the time. 
  others instead admire humanity’s adaptability and 
  the cultural heights of the empire of Nerath. Just as 
  humans are comfortable in any class, so are change-
  lings who imitate them.
  	
  Dwarf: Dwarven culture venerates tradition, 
  laws, and honor, and it can be the polar opposite of 
  the changelings’ mercurial nature. For some change-
  lings, constancy is exactly the point. They reject 
  their nature and seek something much more stable. 
  These changelings become dwarves who are among 
  the most devoted to the ways of their ancestors, and 
  they can recite their (fabricated) clan lineage back a 
  hundred generations. A sizable number of becomers 
  combine their changeling intellect with the dwarves’ 
  love for creation and frequently take the artificer 
  class. others frequently become paladins or  
  crossbow-wielding rogues.
  	
  Eladrin: Changelings drawn to arcane arts 
  choose to live as eladrin. These becomers are proud 
  to live as part of a race with ancient roots of magical 
  power, and they play up this element frequently. Not 
  surprisingly many such changelings become wizards 
  and swordmages. These changelings learn spells 
  that allow them to teleport to conceal their lack of a 
  natural fey step.
  	
  Elf: Some changelings feel more at home in the 
  great forests than in large towns, and these change-
  ling sometimes elect to become elves. They might live 
  by themselves or as part of elven communities. Many 
  are devoted to nature and violently oppose any who 
  defile it. Changelings who live as elves sometimes 
  draw from the primal power source, but favor martial 
  classes such as rogues and rangers.
  	
  genasi: The power of fire, frost, thunder, and 
  lightning appeal to many changelings, and some of 
  these choose to live as genasi. Most changelings imi-
  tate the more chaotic manifestations such as fire and 
  wind, but plenty adopt the earth and water manifes-
  tation as well. Changelings who imitate genasi take 
  arcane classes that wield elemental powers, such as 
  wizard, swordmage, and sorcerer (especially storm 
  sorcerer).
  	
  goliath: Changelings who choose to live their 
  lives among goliaths are drawn to the race’s sense of 
  competition. Although few such becomers cheat, they 
  might find ways to bend the rules to work to their 
  advantage. other becomers adopt a goliath shape 
  among civilized lands, both for the respect granted 
  their newfound girth and because, as a more exotic 
  race, fewer people know enough about goliaths to 
  question the becomer’s story. Just as the goliaths they 
  imitate, such becomers favor the primal power source 
  and become druids, shamans, and barbarians.
  	
  Half-Elf: Many becomers see the way that half-
  elves are caught between two worlds, and view it 
  as a fitting metaphor for their own situation. These 
  changelings realize that they will never truly fit in. 
  However, they see becoming a half-elf as a way to still 
  not fit in, while avoiding the fear and distrust that 
  normally comes with being a changeling. Change-
  lings who become half-elves frequently become 
  bards, sorcerers, rogues, or warlocks.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Changeling
  54
  	
  Half-orc: Changelings who adopt the form of the 
  half-orc are attracted to the race’s brash attitude and 
  zest for life. Some choose to become half-orcs for their 
  ability to intimidate others into letting them break 
  society’s duller rules. either way, becomer half-orcs 
  frequently play up the half-orc’s aggressive nature 
  and fondness for battle. Changelings who become 
  half-orcs are most often martial classes, especially 
  ranger, rogue, and warlord.
  	
  Kalashtar: Some changelings can tap their 
  minds and unlock psionic powers. These change-
  lings admire the kalashtar as the race most closely 
  tied to the psionic power source. Changelings who 
  choose to take on the form of kalashtar play up the 
  mystical and otherworldly elements of the kalashtar 
  race, particularly in lands with few kalashtar. These 
  changelings frequently become one of the psionic 
  classes, particularly psion and monk.
  	
  Shifter: Some changelings recognize shifters 
  as fellow shapechangers and feel a certain kinship 
  because of it. others rebel against civilization and 
  wish to return to an existence closer to the animals 
  and see becoming a shifter as the natural way to do 
  so. Becomers who imitate shifters frequently take 
  primal classes, as well as ranger or rogue.
  	
  Tiefling: Some changelings are attracted to the 
  darker elements of their soul, and for these change-
  lings, becoming a fusion of human and demon can be 
  appealing. Although they are not always evil, change-
  lings who become tieflings are typically full of angst, 
  a lust for power, or a need for revenge. A few change-
  lings elect to become tieflings not because of the 
  race’s ties to darkness, but for the achievements of the 
  ancient Bael Turath empire. Regardless of their moti-
  vation, changelings who imitate tieflings frequently 
  take the rogue, wizard, and especially warlock classes.
  Becomer Backgrounds
  The following backgrounds represent different rea-
  sons why a changeling might decide to permanently 
  take on the guise of another race.
  	
  Driven	into	Hiding: You wear your disguise out 
  of fear. You might live in a land where all changelings 
  are hunted, or you might be singled out. Perhaps you 
  were falsely accused of a crime, or witnessed some-
  thing so unspeakable that the perpetrator cannot 
  bear to let you live. How do you decide who to trust 
  with your identity and who might betray you?
   
  Associated Skills: Bluff, Stealth
   
  Associated Languages: A language the imitated race 
  speaks.
  	
  racial	Devotee:	You have chosen to imitate a 
  race because you idealize the race or think that it best 
  represents your personality. Why did you choose this 
  race? How do you think true members of the race 
  would react if they found out the truth about you? 
  How does it feel to be so close to the race you admire 
  but never really be a part of it?
   
  Associated Skills: History, Insight
   
  Associated Languages: A language the imitated race 
  speaks.
  	
  raised	as	another: Your changeling parents 
  wore the guise of another race and have passed that 
  on to you. You might have believed yourself a member 
  of that race until only recently or known it since you 
  were young. How did you react when you learned the 
  truth of your identity? Will you cling to your adopted 
  form or adopt the fluid ways of the changeling?
   
  Associated Skills: A skill to which the imitated race 
  gains a bonus.
   
  Associated Languages: A language the imitated race 
  speaks.
  Heroic Tier Feat
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Becomer
  	
  Prerequisite: Changeling, changeling disguise 
  power
  	
  Benefit: When you select this feat, you must 
  choose one race that you can imitate with your 
  changeling disguise power. You learn one additional 
  language known by the race you chose (if the race 
  can choose any language so can you), and you gain a 
  +2 racial bonus to one skill to which the chosen race 
  gains a bonus (if you chose human you gain the bonus 
  to one skill of your choice). Additionally, when using 
  changeling disguise to imitate your chosen race, you 
  gain an additional +5 bonus to avoid detection.
  About the Author
  Matthew	J.	Hanson currently lives in Minneapolis Min-
  nesota, where he is pursuing a teaching license (as part of a 
  clever plot to pass on D&D to future generations). His other 
  recent RPG writings include contributions to Azagar’s Book 
  of Rituals and an article in the Spring 2010 issue of Kobold 
  Quarterly Magazine.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  55
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Matt James 
  Illustration by Sarah Stone
  Winning Races: Goliath
   
         Giants of War
  W
  ith a heritage that is deeply seeded in the principles of 
  strength, competition, and glory, goliaths take pride in all 
  they do in life. In battle, few allies are better suited to have at your 
  side than a goliath. Trained and disciplined from a young age, 
  goliaths grow from the strength of the mountains to  withstand 
  the hardships, trials, and tribulations of extended conflict.
   
  The goliaths’ power and ability to withstand immense hardship has not gone 
   unnoticed. Some immoral individuals have made a practice of capturing goliath 
   children at play in their mountain homes—something more easily  accomplished than 
  might be expected. Goliaths, from an early age, are given to solitary wanderings in 
  the harsh natural environs in which they live. enterprising and well-equipped  slavers 
  have had a great deal of success snatching such individuals. The tribes, for their 
  part, often never realize that the youths have been kidnapped. Falls into mountain 
   crevasses, while rare for the sure-footed goliaths—are not completely  uncommon.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Goliath
  56
   
  Captured goliath slaves are raised in brutal con-
  ditions, toughened to pain, and turned into fierce 
  gladiatorial warriors. These pit fighters have the 
  opportunity to earn their freedom by amassing 
  enough victories, but many find life outside the pit 
  awkward. Years of harsh treatment and never-ending 
  battle make acclimating to a “normal” life difficult, 
  if not impossible. As a result, goliath slaves end up 
  joining mercenary outfits. These goliath irregulars 
  are elite soldiers that have formed bands across the 
  world as a means of earning an honest living by 
  augmenting other military units. Some call them 
  mercenaries, others brutes, but their effectiveness 
  cannot be questioned.
   
  Many goliath slaves, current and former, follow the 
  edicts and mandates of Kord, the storm god and lord of 
  battle. His mandates state that followers must be strong 
  of heart and mind, and that strength should never be 
  used for wasteful destruction. He declares that follow-
  ers must always be brave in the face of adversity and 
  that cowardice is not to be tolerated. Many goliaths fit 
  well into these mandates since their society encourages 
  a willingness to win glory and renown.
   
  What follows is material that provides you with 
  rules for making your goliath character into a gladia-
  tor. A background, several feats, two magic items, and 
  a paragon path should give your character both the 
  flavor of coming from a gladiatorial background as 
  well as rules-based options to back up that story deci-
  sion for your character.
  goliath gladiator
  You are the epitome of strength, skill, and grit on the 
  field of battle. Because you have trained your entire 
  life to entertain others in bloody gladiatorial matches, 
  you have gained unique talents found only in the 
  arena. Your experiences have tempered you so that 
  you can endure the unendurable and push to defeat 
  the undefeatable. Scars crisscross your body, detailing 
  your tumultuous journey in the gladiatorial pits and 
  beyond them.
  Background
  The following background can help you develop your 
  character’s story.
  	
  Veteran	of	the	arena: You know what it takes 
  to defeat an opponent and make no apologies for 
  the lifestyle you have chosen. Borne of blood and 
  sweat, you have endured what has sundered so many 
  others. Were you conscripted into the gladiator corps 
  as a means of bolstering existing forces? Were you 
  destined to follow in the footsteps of a great family 
  patron?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, endurance
  FeatS
  The following feats can provide a goliath with 
  enhanced ways of dealing with the brutal world in 
  which he or she journeys.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  The following feats are suitable for any character who 
  meets the prerequisite.
  Brute Force
  	
  Prerequisite: Goliath
  	
  Benefit: When you hit an enemy with a melee 
  weapon daily attack, you can also push the target 1 
  square and knock the target prone.
  Cast Aside
  	
  Prerequisite: Goliath
  	
  Benefit: Whenever a Medium or smaller creature 
  succeeds in escaping from being grabbed by you, you 
  can slide the creature 3 squares as an opportunity 
  action.
  Goliath Resolve
  	
  Prerequisite: Goliath
  	
  Benefit: When you use your second wind, you 
  gain +3 to all defenses instead of the normal +2.
  Natural Intimidator
  	
  Prerequisite: Goliath
  	
  Benefit: You gain a +3 feat bonus to Intimidate 
  checks. During a skill challenge, you accrue failures 
  on Intimidate checks only if you fail by 5 or more.
  Paragon Tier Feat
  The feat in this section is available to any characters 
  of 11th level and above who meet the prerequisites.
  Legacy of War
  	
  Prerequisite: 11th level, goliath, stone’s endurance
  	
  Benefit: You add your Constitution modifier 
  to the resistance provided by your stone’s endurance 
  racial power.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Goliath
  57
  magic itemS
  Boots	of	the	giantkind	
  level 9+
  These boots are made of overlapping flaps of behemoth skin 
  and are extremely heavy.
  item	slot: Feet
  lvl 9 
  4,200 gp 
  lvl 29 
  2,625,000 gp
  lvl 19 
  105,000 gp
  Property:	You gain a +2 item bonus to athletics checks and a 
  +2 item bonus to Strength attacks made to grab a creature.
  Power	(daily): Minor action. Effect: You gain a +4 item bonus 
  to all athletics checks and Strength attacks made to grab a 
  creature until the end of your next turn.
   
  Level 19: +7 item bonus.
   
  Level 29: +10 item bonus.
  Crown	of	the	goliath	Champion	
  level 12
  This crown is made of bone with carved archaic markings.
  item	slot: Head 13,000 gp
  Property:	You gain resist 10 thunder.
  Power	(encounter):	Immediate Interrupt. Until the start of 
  your next turn, you gain resistance to all damage equal to 
  the number of healing surges you have spent since your last 
  extended rest.
  goliath Juggernaut
  “Everybody! Move!”
  	
  Prerequisite:	Goliath
  You are a horrific and awe-inspiring sight on any 
  battlefield. When working in mercenary units as a 
  means to shatter an enemy’s defensive line, you and 
  your fellow juggernauts use a combination of brute 
  strength and cunning tactics to crush anything in 
  your path. Many armies have seen their shield-lines 
  falter under the crushing cascade of goliath jugger-
  nauts and many commanders have come to fear your 
  presence in any conflict.
   
  However, your unpredictable methods makes you 
  a controversial addition to the rosters of any army. 
  No one can tell what will happen when you enter the 
  fray, and you’ve discovered that some commanders 
  prefer to avoid using your skills altogether due to your 
  rumored capriciousness. However, this purported 
  impulsiveness has a purpose: If your foe can’t antici-
  pate your next move, you are more likely to succeed at 
  your chosen task.
   
  When you choose the life of an adventurer, 
  whatever your reasons for doing so, you use your 
  knowledge of tactics to become a truly efficient part 
  of the team with which you journey. In combat, you 
  prefer to place yourself in the middle of the fray so 
  that you can cause as much chaos as possible in as 
  short a period as is required. However, you don’t posi-
  tion yourself in this manner consistently enough to 
  become predictable. Also, you are not without wits. 
  Many discount your ability to anticipate your foe’s 
  maneuvering and tactics, which can cause them to 
  underestimate you and ultimately lead you to success.
  Goliath Juggernaut Path Features
  	
  Warborn	(11th	level): Your maximum hit points 
  increase by 10.
  	
  rampaging	action	(11th	level):	When you 
  spend an action point to make an attack, if you hit 
  with the attack you knock all enemies adjacent to one 
  target you hit prone.
  	
  Battlefield	Warcry	(16th	level):	Whenever you 
  first become bloodied in an encounter, you and each 
  ally within 5 squares of you gain a +2 bonus to attack 
  rolls until the end of your next turn.
  Goliath Juggernaut Attack Powers
  drive	them	
  Goliath Juggernaut attack 11
  to	their	knees
  You smash your foe to the ground even while the wound from 
  your last attack is still fresh.
  encounter	✦	Weapon
  Free	action	
  melee 1
  trigger: You hit an enemy with a melee weapon attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect:	The triggering attack deals 1[W] extra damage and the 
  target falls prone.
  undeniable	
  Goliath Juggernaut Utility 12
  tenacity
  You wade through the battlefield, shrugging off lesser wounds.
  daily	✦ stance
  move	action
  effect:	You enter the undeniable tenacity stance. Until the 
  stance ends, you increase any resistances you have by an 
  amount equal to your Constitution modifier.
  annihilating	
  Goliath Juggernaut attack 20
  strike
  You crush your enemy and drive it before you.
  daily	✦	reliable,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength or Constitution vs. Fortitude
  Hit:	5[W] + your Strength modifier + your Constitution modi-
  fier damage. You can slide the target 2 squares and then 
  shift 2 squares to a square adjacent to the target.
  About the Author
  When not writing for Dungeons & Dragons®, Matt	James is 
  chained to his desk working endlessly on developing his web-
  site: Loremaster (http://www.loremaster.org). You can also 
  follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  58
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By James Auwaerter 
  Illustration by Sarah Stone
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  T
  he half-orc barbarian. The half-orc fighter. 
  The half-orc rogue. These racial archetypes come 
  to mind when people think of a half-orc character, 
  but half-orcs excel at several other, less traditional 
  classes. Why do these half-orcs sometimes choose to 
  follow nontraditional paths?
   
  Some of them spit in the face of tradition by refus-
  ing to be limited by the stricture of society, whether 
  that society be a tribe of savage orcs, or a mixed 
  gang of toughs within a bustling city. others are less 
  confrontational, seeking to express themselves more 
  completely. For example, Thanhk was a half-orc left at 
  the stairs of a temple run by the priests of the Raven 
  Queen. As he grew to be a strong young male, he 
  learned from the priests’ teaching and was eventually 
  initiated to the priesthood. Now Thanhk the battle 
  cleric has joined a band of adventurers on the trail of 
  an orcus cult that had infiltrated the highest ranks of 
  the local government, seeking how far the corruption 
  has spread.
   
  Although an average half-orc is stronger and more 
  dexterous than an average human, individuals vary 
  widely. A particular half-orc might find revelations 
  in the stories of a swordmage hero and be inspired 
  to pursue a similar path, while another might find 
  guidance from a priest or paladin, and experience an 
  awakening that leads him to his calling. For instance, 
  Tawar was born a sickly child in a mixed tribe of 
  half-orcs and orcs, and many thought she would 
  not live to adulthood. But inside her frail body was 
  a powerful mind and will. She trained far from the 
  rest of the tribe, and she grew as strong as any of the 
  full-blooded orcs. In the end, while in the stillness 
  of her blade training she felt power calling to her. 
  As she reached out for it, it enveloped her, and she 
  could feel it protecting her from harm. Tawar left her 
  tribe in search of someone to explain what she had 
  found, and Tawar the swordmage now seeks to pro-
  tect others to prove to them—and herself—that she is 
  worthy of the power she has found.
   
  Finally, other half-orcs find that life’s paths have 
  taken them somewhere unexpected. For example, 
  Ugarth was an orphan living on the streets of a small 
  city. He sought to join a local gang for protection, and 
  for his initiation, he was told to steal a book from a 
  local cloister of Ioun. The gang leaders expected he’d 
  be caught before getting past the main doors, but the 
  young half-orc made it into the inner sanctum of the 
  library before being apprehended. Rather than turn 
  the boy over to the local authorities for punishment, 
  one of the guards took the time to speak with him 
  and found out why he had done what he had done. 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  59
  The guard befriended Ugarth and took him away 
  from the city to a hidden monastery. There, he was 
  trained in the ways of the avenger. Ugarth still has 
  a few tricks from his days on the streets, but he now 
  employs his talents on his god’s behalf, rather than 
  working against him.
  Take a look at a couple of examples of nontraditional 
  class choices for half-orcs, as well as some feats and 
  paragon paths to support them.
  heroic tier FeatS
  The following feats are suitable for a character who 
  meets the prerequisites.
  Blessed Strength
  	
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, paladin
  	
  Benefit: You can use your Strength modifier in 
  place of your Charisma modifier when determining 
  damage for your Divine Challenge or divine sanction.
  Dodgy Charge
  	
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, avenger, oath of enmity 
  power
  	
  Benefit: When you charge your oath of enmity 
  target, your movement during the charge does not 
  provoke opportunity attacks.
  Invigorated Healing
  	
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, cleric
  	
  Benefit: When you are first bloodied in an 
  encounter, until the end of your next turn whenever 
  you use a healing power, the targets of that power 
  heal additional hit points equal to the number of 
  temporary hit points you gained from your Half-orc 
  Resilience racial trait.
  Strong-Arm Tactics
   
  Prerequisite: Half-orc
  	
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Intimidate 
  checks and you can use your Strength modifier in 
  place of your Charisma modifier for Intimidate 
  checks.
  avengerS
  Religious half-orcs are drawn to become clerics and 
  paladins, but some choose a different route. A half-
  orc avenger is an implacable foe. Taking advantage of 
  their natural dexterity, most make use of the Censure 
  of Pursuit class feature. Wielding massive weapons 
  such as execution axes and fullblades, they strike 
  with great power . . . and running from them only 
  makes them even deadlier.
   
  Many evil half-orc avengers follow Gruumsh and 
  swear oaths of vengeance against the elven peoples. 
  They wear little more than a loincloth as they charge 
  into the middle of their foes, seeking to inspire terror. 
  Some choose to put out an eye in emulation of their 
  god, but they are just as deadly (if not more so) than 
  their fully sighted fellow half-orcs.
   
  Unaligned half-orcs are more likely to follow 
  Kord. They can have a mercenary outlook, seeking 
  opportunities to prove their strength. If they do not 
  feel sufficiently challenged, they might seek to make 
  a battle more difficult for themselves, or seek out new 
  battles entirely. Their desire for battle is more tem-
  pered than followers of the one-eyed God because 
  they believe that battle should be fought for greater 
  glory, and not for destruction’s sake alone. In either 
  case, half-orcs seek to prove their might and the 
  might of their gods as they overcome their foes.
  Paragon Path:  
  Mighty Judge
  “You have been judged . . . and found wanting.”
  	
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, avenger, Censure of Pur-
  suit class feature, oath of enmity class feature
  You are compelled to seek out and destroy those 
  unworthies who thwart—by intent or by accident—the 
  will of your patron. Your deity has tasked you to hunt 
  down these infidels and see them brought to justice, 
  and you do so with implacable zeal. You remain vigi-
  lant for signs of enemies of your faith. When you find 
  them, you follow the will of your deity to the letter, 
  bringing these foes to their knees. You tolerate no 
  deviations from your course, whether brought about 
  by others or by what some would call extenuating cir-
  cumstances. Your half-orc heritage provides you with 
  physical strength to handle those who might oppose 
  your efforts to judge others as well as with mental for-
  titude to follow through on the task at hand.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  60
   
  Your god has taught you that strength hidden is 
  strength lost. When battle must be joined, you let 
  your foes know that you stand in judgment of them, 
  displaying your power unflinchingly. When you call 
  them out, they know that their time is at hand. You 
  will carry out the sentence that you levied against 
  them, and when they fall, you know that your god 
  smiles upon your efforts.
  Mighty Judge Path Features
  	
  Furious	Judgment	(11th	level): Whenever an 
  enemy moves away from you willingly, instead of 
  gaining the bonus to damage rolls from Censure of 
  Pursuit you can choose to regain the use of your furi-
  ous assault racial power.
  	
  refocusing	action	(11th	level): When you 
  spend an action point to make a weapon attack, you 
  can change your oath of enmity target to one of the tar-
  gets of your attack before making that attack.
  	
  Jailer	of	the	gods	(16th	level): Whenever you 
  reduce a creature that is the target of your oath of 
  enmity to 0 hit points, instead of killing the target or 
  knocking it unconscious you can instead banish the 
  target permanently to a prison within the chosen 
  domain of your deity.
  	
  relentless	advance	(16th	level): When you 
  charge your oath of enmity target, you can use bond of 
  pursuit, bond of retribution, or leading strike in place of a 
  melee basic attack during the charge.
  Mighty Judge Powers
  Overpowering	
  Mighty Judge attack 11
  retribution
  A solid blow to your enemy lets you forget the pain it caused.
  encounter	✦	divine,	Weapon
  immediate	interrupt	
  melee weapon
  trigger: You are damaged by an enemy’s attack
  target:	The triggering enemy
  attack:	Wisdom vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. If your attack does 
  more damage than the triggering attack, reduce the  
  damage from the triggering attack to 0.
  special: If you use your furious assault racial power to add extra 
  damage to this attack, you gain a +2 power bonus to your 
  next attack roll made before the end of the encounter with 
  an avenger attack power or a mighty judge paragon path 
  attack power.
  ameliorating	
  Mighty Judge Utility 12
  Onslaught
  Your powerful strike lets you share your strength with an in-
  jured companion.
  daily	✦	divine,	stance,	Healing
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: You enter the ameliorating onslaught stance. Until the 
  stance ends, whenever you gain the damage bonus from 
  your Censure of pursuit class feature when you hit an en-
  emy, one ally within 5 squares of that enemy regains hit 
  points equal to the damage bonus from your Censure of 
  pursuit class feature.
  sentence	
  Mighty Judge attack 20
  of	Banishment
  Your enemy has two options: to face you, or to be banished to 
  a realm where it feels your god’s wrath.
  daily	✦	divine,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target:	One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. aC
  Hit:	4[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: The first time the target makes an attack that does not 
  include you as a target before the end of the encounter, re-
  move the target from play after the attack is resolved. If the 
  target is under the effect of your oath of enmity, that effect 
  ends and you regain the use of your oath of enmity power. 
  The target returns to play at the end of its next turn in the 
  same square from which it was removed, or in the nearest 
  unoccupied square.
  special: If you use your furious assault racial power to add extra 
  damage to this attack, you gain a +2 power bonus to your 
  next attack roll made before the end of the encounter with 
  an avenger attack power or a mighty judge paragon path 
  attack power.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  61
  clericS and paladinS
  Half-orcs have less use for organized religion as a 
  whole than other races, seeking to worship the gods 
  on their own terms rather than through more tradi-
  tional venues. Those who can navigate the twists and 
  turns of a temple’s hierarchy to ordination or inves-
  titure of power make excellent clerics and paladins. 
  They channel their strength through service to deities 
  such as Kord, Melora, or Pelor. Half-orc clerics try to 
  regain some of the mobility lost to heavy armor by 
  becoming proficient with scale armor, while half-orc 
  paladins are more likely to use two-handed weapons 
  than suffer penalties due to a heavy shield. In either 
  case, a half-orc prefers to attack with a greataxe or a 
  maul rather than with a holy symbol—half-orcs revel 
  in their physicality.
  Paragon Path:  
  Lightning Blitzer
  “I will be where my honor requires me to be—in the front of 
  the fight.”
  	
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, cleric or paladin
  You grew up in a tribe that valued speed in battle, to 
  the point that none would wear any armor heavier 
  than a leather vest, or perhaps a hide cuirass. When 
  you came of age, you saw the downsides of this strat-
  egy. Swift warriors found that their enemies’ blades 
  were just a little swifter. You challenged the ortho-
  doxy of the tribe, favoring heavier and heavier armor. 
  Your tribe mocked you, for with your protection, you 
  found you could no longer keep up with the rest of the 
  tribe in battle and would inevitably fall behind your 
  comrades as they claimed glory. Some murmured 
  that you wore the armor so that you would not have to 
  fight and risk your life.
   
  You would not be known as a coward, so you went 
  on a pilgrimage in honor of your deity. You wanted 
  to prove your bravery and seek an answer to your 
  problem—the balance of defense and agility. When 
  you reached your goal, tired and worn, you did not 
  ask the gods for answers: You demanded them. You 
  had shown your strength and proven your courage. 
  A blessing from the gods was the only just reward for 
  your exploits. A storm raged about you, and as you fin-
  ished your demands, lightning struck you. Many gods 
  would have killed you for your effrontery, but perhaps 
  you pleased your patron with your attitude. You awoke 
  later, unharmed, and you knew your prayers were 
  answered.
   
  Many of your tribe had already written you off as 
  dead when you began your pilgrimage, and they were 
  astounded to see you return. You would not tell them 
  what happened, preferring once again to prove your-
  self through your deeds. When next the tribe went 
  into battle, they were surprised as you kept speed 
  with the other warriors, and amazed when you fell 
  upon your enemies, your every blow ringing out with 
  the power of the storm.
  Lightning Blitzer Path Features
  	
  armored	Swiftness	(11th	level): You take no 
  penalty to speed and gain a +1 bonus to your Reflex 
  when wearing heavy armor.
  	
  repositioning	action	(11th	level): When you 
  spend an action point to make an attack, you can shift 
  half your speed before or after the attack.
  	
  Thunder	god’s	Blessing	(16th	level): When you 
  use your furious assault racial power to add damage 
  to a divine weapon attack, you also deal thunder 
  damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to each 
  enemy adjacent to the target.
  Lightning Blitzer Powers
  Prophecy	of	reprisal	lightning Blitzer attack 11
  The power of your deity arcs through your weapon and into 
  your foe, giving it pause. Any grievous wounds you have sus-
  tained focus the strength your heritage provides once again.
  encounter	✦	divine,	lightning,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target:	One creature
  attack:	Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier lightning damage, and the target 
  is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  effect: If you are bloodied, you regain the use of your furious 
  assault racial power if you have already expended it.
  Charging	rebuke	
  lightning Blitzer Utility 12
  You drive back those that would attack you as you make your 
  way across the battlefield.
  encounter	✦	divine
  Free	action	
  melee 1
  trigger: an enemy hits you with an opportunity attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect:	The target takes a –2 penalty to the triggering 
  attack roll. after the attack is resolved, you push the  
  target 2 squares.
  Catastrophic	impact	 lightning Blitzer attack 20
  You raise your weapon high, and it crackles with the power of 
  the storm as you charge.
  daily	✦	divine,	lightning,	thunder,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target:	One creature
  special: You can use this attack in place of a melee basic attack 
  when you charge.
  attack:	Strength vs. aC
  Hit:	3[W] + Strength modifier lightning and thunder damage, 
  and the target is blinded and deafened (save ends).
  miss: Half damage and the target is blinded and deafened until 
  the end of your next turn.
  effect: If you are bloodied, you regain the use of your furious 
  assault racial power if you have already expended it.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  62
  SWordmageS
  The path of the swordmage for a half-orc is a long 
  and arduous one. The unfair stereotype of the stupid 
  half-orc leads potential tutors to reject the half-orc as 
  a student. Some eladrin swordmages bear ill-will to 
  orcs, and half-orcs by extension, and seek to block any 
  from learning their spells and secrets. For their part, 
  half-orcs who might do well as swordmages instead 
  take up the craft of the warlord, leading their tribe or 
  an adventuring party in battle.
   
  Those half-orcs who do become swordmages learn 
  from other half-orc swordmages or the occasional 
  genasi or human—if they learn from anyone at all. 
  Half-orcs who find mentors work best with those 
  who can understand the value of physical strength 
  along with the mental discipline required to be a suc-
  cessful swordmage, and these mentors should also 
  lack any strong racial prejudice against half-orcs. on 
  the other hand, self-taught half-orc swordmages can 
  come as a great surprise to gangs of toughs or tribes 
  of primitive humanoids who expect that a lone half-
  orc with a sword and leather armor can’t fight all of 
  them at once.
   
  In any of these cases, the half-orc learns the ways 
  of the assault swordmage. This allows the half-orc to 
  take advantage of his or her strength and dexterity 
  to learn to handle his or her blades more effectively 
  as weapons, rather than implements of his or her 
  will. Half-orc swordmages learn to use some of their 
  more basic spells when given the slightest opportu-
  nity, and some become masters of their heavy blades. 
  Furthermore, half-orc swordmages have learned to 
  compensate for the decreased strength of their ward-
  ing while wielding a two-handed blade with a style of 
  parrying and deflection that is all their own.
   
  Half-orcs make for surprisingly graceful sword-
  mages. The only race that rivals them in grace is the 
  eladrin, but each achieves grace in different ways. 
  The eladrin swordmage is a single flower petal falling 
  on a still pond—calm, with a sense of inevitability. The 
  half-orc swordmage is a hunting panther or a diving 
  falcon—power contained effortlessly, then unleashed 
  in an instant.
   
  one group that has fully embraced these concepts 
  is called the Sharakim. Taking its name from a race 
  of orcs who sought to overcome their more savage 
  impulses, the Sharakim is a group composed entirely 
  of half-orcs who intend to prove themselves the equal 
  of any swordmage, both on the battlefield and off. 
  They refuse to let the common prejudices against orcs 
  and half-orcs define how they should act—either by 
  conforming to those prejudices, or mindlessly react-
  ing against them.
  Paragon Path:  
  Sharakim Blademaster
  “I will be myself—not who you believe I should be.”
  Prerequisite: Half-orc, swordmage, Aegis of Assault 
  class feature
  You have proven yourself to the Sharakim and are a 
  full blademaster of the order. It has not been an easy 
  path, but you have found a balance between your 
  instincts and the rules of the society in which you 
  live. You have trained in etiquette so that you are, at 
  the least, competent in such matters, but you are not 
  afraid to unleash your inner savage when it serves you 
  better. In either case, your words demand that listen-
  ers pay you heed.
   
  In battle, you are continually in motion. each step 
  flows another strike against a foe, and when you 
  explode into action, all enemies around you can feel 
  the pain. even in the middle of your battle fury, you 
  work to protect your allies, drawing a foe’s attention 
  to you with every blow.
  Sharakim Blademaster  
  Path Features
  	
  Flurry	of	action	(11th	level): When you spend 
  an action point to make a swordmage attack or a 
  Sharakim blademaster attack, if the attack hits you 
  can use your furious assault racial power to add extra 
  damage to that attack, even if you have already used 
  furious assault during this encounter.
  	
  Sharakim	gravitas	(11th	level): You gain train-
  ing in Diplomacy and Intimidate. The first time that 
  you earn a success with Diplomacy or Intimidate 
  during a skill challenge, it counts as two successes, 
  even if the skill allows for a maximum of one success.
  	
  Expansive	aegis	(16th	level): The range on your 
  aegis of assault power increases to Close burst 5.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Winning Races: Half-Orc
  63
  Sharakim Blademaster  
  Path Powers
  Blade	Flows	
  Sharakim Blademaster attack 11
  like	Water
  As you stride forward, you deal a blow to each enemy you pass.
  encounter	✦	arcane,	Force,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  effect: You shift 4 squares. Each time you enter a square 
  adjacent to an enemy for the first time during the move, 
  you can use the following attack against that enemy.
  target:	One creature
  attack:	Intelligence vs. aC
  Hit:	2[W] + Intelligence modifier force damage, and you mark 
  the target until the end of your next turn.
  special: If you have not yet expended your furious assault 
  racial power in this encounter, you also add your Strength 
  modifier to the damage of this attack.
  ghost	
  Sharakim Blademaster Utility 12
  lion’s	step
  You move through the battlefield with supreme confidence, 
  letting nothing stop you.
  encounter	✦	arcane
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, you do not provoke 
  opportunity attacks from moving, you ignore difficult 
  terrain, and you are immune to being dazed, slowed, or 
  immobilized.
  enforced	Peace	 Sharakim Blademaster attack 20
  If the enemy chooses to attack your allies, the consequences are 
  on his own head.
  daily	✦	arcane,	reliable,	Weapon
  immediate	reaction	
  Close burst 10
  trigger: an enemy that you marked hits one of your allies with 
  an attack
  effect: You teleport 10 squares to a square adjacent to the 
  triggering enemy and make the following attack.
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack:	Intelligence vs. Fortitude, reflex, Will. You make 
  one attack roll, comparing the result against these three 
  defenses. The target suffers the effect associated with each 
  defense that the attack hits.
  Hit	(Fortitude):	The target is weakened until the end of its next 
  turn.
  Hit	(reflex):	The target is slowed until the end of its next turn.
  Hit	(Will): The target is dazed until the end of its next turn.
  Hit	(any): 2[W] + Intelligence modifier damage.
  special: If you have not yet expended your furious assault 
  racial power in this encounter, you also add your Strength 
  modifier to the damage of this attack.
  About the Author
  Jim	auwaerter hails from a small village off the coast of the 
  Lugotak Sea, far to the north of the Moonsea. Please feel free 
  to give feedback to him on the Wizards Community forums 
  or at www.loremaster.org. Follow Jim online at www.twitter.
  com/heridfel.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  64
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Andrew Schneider 
  Illustration by Chuck Lukacs
  Channel Divinity: Corellon
  The House of Flowers
  Hate the drow? Don’t be ridiculous.  
  How can you hate something that has  
  no place in the world? Their entire 
   existence was an accident—a mistake—
  and it is up to us to correct it.
  —Liria Valthorin
  Bards sing of the archfey known as the Rose King, who 
  led an entire eladrin city in a grand crusade against 
  the drow and their followers. The Rose King claimed 
  to be the son of Corellon, and he convinced the city 
  that it was their duty and their birthright to perma-
  nently resolve the problem of the drow. They began 
  with the drow city of Irith Tal.
   
  Unfortunately, the Rose King underestimated the 
  dangers of the Feydark and the willingness of the drow 
  to put aside their rivalries when faced with an outside 
  foe. Drow raiders harried his army at every step, fading 
  in and out of the shadows, while aberrant horrors 
  feasted on scouts and pickets one by one. Nevertheless, 
  the archfey would not be dissuaded. He and a corps of 
  his elite guards made it as far as the heart of Irith Tal 
  before they were ambushed and killed. With the Rose 
  King and his army dead, the drow responded in kind, 
  reducing the archfey’s city to ruins and scattering its 
  name on the winds.
   
  The tales also report that Liria Valthorin, a young 
  devotee of Corellon and handmaiden to the Rose King, 
  was among the few who survived.
   
  The truth is more sordid. Zarra, a drow priestess 
  from Irith Tal, arrived one morning at the palace of 
  the Rose King, seeking asylum from her people. Zarra 
  seduced the Rose King, and together they had a daugh-
  ter, Liria. Zarra intended to spirit Liria away to Irith 
  Tal—with the blood of an archfey in her veins, Liria was 
  to have ensured the dominance of Zarra’s house in drow 
  politics for centuries to come—but escaping an archfey, 
  even a romantic such as the Rose King, was no mean 
  feat. After ten years, the Rose King traveled to the Court 
  of Stars on a matter of state, and Zarra escaped.
   
  The Rose King, and his ill-fated war, soon followed. 
  Liria watched wide-eyed from her mother’s tower as 
  the Rose King fell under the onslaught of a coven of 
  drow matriarchs. Using her own nascent powers, Liria 
  broke through the teleportation wards around the 
  city and escaped with Janil, the captain of her father’s 
  guard. Together, they fled to the deepest Feywild 
  where they founded the House of Flowers.
   
  In the early days of the House of Flowers, Liria 
  and Janil walked through her memories of that day, 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Corellon
  65
  attempting to recreate the Rose King’s fighting style to 
  preserve the specialized combat techniques developed 
  by her father. Passing this knowledge on to adventur-
  ers, she gains a small bit of vengeance for every drow 
  who falls to one of her trainees.
   
  Liria has a network of spies throughout the world 
  and Feywild, watching for those wronged by the drow 
  and then recruiting them to her cause. She also keeps 
  an eye out for martial-minded devotees of Corellon, 
  talented sword wielders, and adventurers who have 
  proven themselves against the drow.
  acolyte oF the 
  houSe oF FloWerS
  Grace, mobility, and magic, that is the way of the House 
  of Flowers. The sword dance is more than an extension of 
  your will—it is what you are.
  —Janil, House of Flowers warmaster
  Followers of the House of Flowers fight drow and their 
  allies from early in their careers. Zarra, now a drow 
  matron, has never given up her dream of using her 
  daughter’s power to her advantage, and drow scouts 
  scour the Feywild for signs of her. The House of Flow-
  ers moves often to avoid detection, but running battles 
  occur between drow and acolytes in defense of the 
  school. Liria sends advanced students as ambassadors, 
  either into the depths of the Feydark to negotiate tem-
  porary alliances with fomorian lords, or to the Court 
  of Stars itself, to plead for the unification of the entire 
  Feywild against the drow threat beneath their feet. 
  Liria’s dearest dream is to preside over the destruction 
  of Irith Tal and her mother’s downfall, but neither she 
  nor her students yet equal her father’s power.
   
  Several backgrounds, feats, and grandmaster train-
  ing options are available to help add a story-based and 
  rules-based dimension to your acolyte of the House of 
  Flowers character.
  Backgrounds
  Choose one of the following backgrounds to help flesh 
  out your character’s backstory.
   
  Survivor	of	Drow	raiders: Your life was com-
  paratively peaceful before the night of fire and death, 
  when a drow raiding party in search of treasure and 
  slaves boiled out of a hole in the ground and destroyed 
  everything you held dear. Shortly thereafter, agents 
  from the House of Flowers contacted you and took you 
  in as a trainee. Were you overlooked during the drow 
  attack, or did you fight to freedom? Were any of your 
  friends or family captured in the raid? Do you hate the 
  drow, or have put your hatred behind you?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Religion
   
  Associated Languages: elven
   
  Blademaster:	A consummate duelist, you crossed 
  blades with the best you could find and lived to tell of 
  it. That is, until you met Liria Valthorin. Disarmed and 
  with her sword at your throat, she offered you training 
  at her school, the House of Flowers, instead of death. 
  Did you duel for money, fame, or some other reason? 
  Are you a young hotshot, still building your reputation, 
  or is this a new chapter in a long career? Do you con-
  sider Liria a teacher, friend, or rival?
   
  Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Insight
   
  Associated Languages: elven
  Heroic Tier Feats
  The following feats are taught at the House of Flow-
  ers. They are useful for both divine and arcane classes 
  who seek to emulate Corellon’s skill and grace with the 
  longsword. each power associated with these feats is 
  accompanied by an abbreviation to indicate in which 
  product the power appears: Arcane Power (AP), Divine 
  Power (DP), Forgotten realms Player’s Guide (FRPG), 
  Player’s Handbook (PH), Player’s Handbook 2 (PH2), 
  Player’s Handbook Heroes: Series 2 (PHH2).
  Rose King’s Balm
   
  Prerequisite: Paladin or swordmage, proficiency 
  with longsword
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Heal checks.
   
  on your turn, if you hit an enemy with an attack 
  power associated with this feat while using a longsword, 
  you gain a +2 power bonus to saving throws at the end of 
  your turn. If you ended your turn more than 2 squares 
  away from where you started, the bonus is instead +5.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: greenflame blade 
  (swordmage FRPG), holy strike (paladin PH)
  Rose King’s Fallen Petals
   
  Prerequisite: Bard or cleric, proficiency with long-
  sword
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Nature checks.
  When you hit an enemy with an attack power associ-
  ated with this feat while using a longsword, a dying ally 
  adjacent to you gains a +5 power bonus to their next 
  death saving throw.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: guiding strike (bard 
  PH2), priest’s shield (cleric PH)
  Rose King’s Lunge
  	
  Prerequisite: Avenger, cleric, or paladin; profi-
  ciency with longsword
  	
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Athletics 
  checks.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Corellon
  66
   
  once per turn when you hit an enemy with an 
  attack power associated with this feat while using a 
  longsword, you can move 2 squares, even if you are 
  restrained or immobilized.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: bond of pursuit 
  (avenger PH2), righteous brand (cleric PH), valiant strike 
  (paladin PH)
  Rose King’s Reprise
  	
  Prerequisite:	Bard or cleric, proficiency with long-
  sword
  	
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Perception 
  checks.
   
  When you hit an enemy with an attack power asso-
  ciated with this feat using a longsword, until the end 
  of your next turn whenever you or an ally adjacent to 
  you spends a healing surge, you and all adjacent allies 
  regain 1 hit point.
  	
  associated	at-Will	Powers: recovery strike (cleric 
  DP), war song strike (bard PH2)
  Rose King’s Run
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger or swordmage, proficiency 
  with longsword
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Athletics 
  checks.
   
  When you hit an enemy with an attack power asso-
  ciated with this feat while using a longsword, you gain 
  a climb speed equal to your speed –2 until the end of 
  your turn.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: luring strike (sword-
  mage AP), bond of retribution (avenger PH2)
  Rose King’s Shield
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger or swordmage, proficiency 
  with longsword
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to endurance 
  checks.
   
  once per turn when you hit an enemy with an attack 
  power associated with this feat while using a longsword, 
  you gain 5 temporary hit points. If you ended your turn 
  more than 2 squares away from where you started, you 
  instead gain 10 temporary hit points.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: booming blade (sword-
  mage FRPG), focused fury (avenger PHH2)
  Rose King’s Step
   
  Prerequisite:	Avenger or swordmage, proficiency 
  with longsword
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Acrobatics 
  checks.
   
  When you hit an enemy with an attack power asso-
  ciated with this feat while using a longsword, you can 
  ignore difficult terrain while shifting until the end of 
  your turn.
   
  associated	at-Will	Powers: luring strike (sword-
  mage AP), overwhelming strike (avenger PH2)
  grandmaSter training
  Liria has waited hundreds of years and trained thou-
  sands of heroes. Many die deep beneath the earth, 
  while others abandon Liria’s vendetta out of weariness 
  or disgust at her hatred. Nevertheless, Liria hopes to 
  find those destined to exterminate the drow once and 
  for all. To the most gifted and resilient of her pupils, 
  she teaches bladework learned on her father’s knee.
   
  Shunned by her father’s people and coveted by her 
  mother’s, Liria leads a life of cautious seclusion. View-
  ing the drow as a blight on the world’s garden, she 
  likewise reviles the drow blood that colors her skin 
  and bleaches her hair. When meeting with outsiders, 
  she disguises herself with make-up and magic.
  What Is Grandmaster Training?
  Grandmaster training is a type of alternative treasure 
  reward detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide 2. It is a 
  more story-driven reward than a magic item. See Dun-
  geon Master's Guide 2 for more details on grandmaster 
  training.
  liria	valthorin’s	silverlight	riposte	level 11
  Your guard never falters, foiling the blades of sneaks  
  and assassins.
  grandmaster	training 
  9,000 gp
  Power	(encounter): Immediate Interrupt. Trigger: You are hit by 
  an attack while you grant combat advantage. Effect: Negate 
  any extra damage or effects that are a result of you granting 
  combat advantage for the triggering attack.
  liria	valthorin’s	unshakable	Pursuit	level 13
  Walls and ceilings prove no refuge as you learn to take the 
  battle to your enemy.
  grandmaster	training 
  17,000 gp
  Power	(encounter): Minor action. Gain a climb speed equal to 
  your speed until the end of your next turn.
  liria	valthorin’s	Blinding	Blade	
  level 21
  Your blade pulses with eldritch power, and your opponent’s 
  sight is lost to the aching beauty of the Feywild.
  grandmaster	training 
  225,000 gp
  Power	(daily): Free action. Trigger: You hit with a melee attack. 
  Effect: The target is blinded (save ends). Special: If the trig-
  gering attack was made with a longsword, the target takes 
  a –2 penalty to its saving throw to end this effect.
  About the Author
  andrew	g.	Schneider always wanted to be a wizard when 
  he grew up, but now instead of throwing fireballs, he makes 
  magic with words. An author and freelance game designer, he 
  also serves as Cormyr’s writing director for Living Forgotten 
  Realms. Andrew lives in his hometown in the Washington, 
  D.C. area.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  67
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Claudio Pozas 
  Illustration by Chuck Lukacs
  Channel Divinity:
  Sehanine
  Arrows from the Moonbow
  every night, as the sun sets, the world plunges 
  into another period of darkness. For lovers, it is an 
  embracing cloak that hides them from unwanted 
  eyes. For thieves and tricksters, it is a partner in 
  their sneaky endeavors. However, the night would 
  be filled with nothing but horrors were it not for 
  the pale silver light that shines down on the world. 
  The moon is not the fierce, judgmental gaze of the 
  sun, but rather the knowing eye of an accomplice, 
  of a partner, of a lover. That gleaming eye belongs to 
  Sehanine, the Moonbow.
   
  The core of Sehanine’s teachings—forging one’s 
  own destiny—makes her popular among folk from 
  all walks of life. Whether rural or urban, martial or 
  arcane, every mortal can relate to this empowering 
  credo. even so, some rise to a position where they can 
  lord over their lessers and deny these poor souls the 
  ability to write their own history. It could be a tyrant 
  enslaving peasants to toil the fields, an overzealous 
  father forbidding a daughter’s true love, or a righteous 
  ruler instituting a strict martial law over a commu-
  nity. No matter how justified or well meaning, some 
  try to exert undue power over the lives of others. And 
  when these dark ambitions become too threatening 
  to be ignored, heroes arise to give them battle. Rebels, 
  outsiders, tricksters—their names are legion. But they 
  are all arrows shot from the Moonbow.
  Serving Sehanine
  The common folk have reasons aplenty to honor 
  Sehanine. She marks the passing months, encour-
  ages love and friendship, and teaches self-reliance. 
  But those heroic few who come to dedicate their 
  lives to the Moonbow are cut from a different cloth. 
  Most of Sehanine’s champions have experienced loss 
  in their lives. The backgrounds below are examples 
  of how one might come—voluntarily—to the service 
  of Sehanine.
   
  Lost	Love: You have lost a loved one, and it 
  had a profound impact on you. Was it a romantic 
  partner, a family member, or a good friend? Was 
  someone responsible for the death or departure of 
  your loved one, or was it a cruel trick of life? Do you 
  use this empathy to prevent others from suffering 
  the same fate? How do you react to those who steal 
  away loved ones, such as kidnappers or a mischie-
  vous fey? Do you favor bounties and quests aimed at 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Sehanine
  68
  rescuing relatives, or do you undertake those mis-
  sions expecting no reward?
   
  Regardless of how you lost a loved one, your heart 
  guides you and helps you understand and appeal to 
  the hearts of others.
   
  Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Insight
   
  runaway: You are on the run from a harsh 
  authority. Did you commit an actual crime, or were 
  you falsely accused? What might happen if you were 
  found out? How do you react to authority now? Do 
  you try not to draw attention to yourself, for fear of 
  being recognized, or do you boldly challenge anyone 
  with a badge? Would you ever return to face those 
  who accuse you, perhaps once you’ve found evidence 
  of your innocence? or do you plan on taking revenge 
  on corrupt officials who framed you?
   
  Did the authorities put a bounty on your head? If 
  so, do you seek to evade the bounty hunters, or do you 
  face them head-on, hoping to discourage others from 
  trying their luck against you?
   
  Stick to the shadows and keep your ears open to 
  any rumors of your pursuers’ whereabouts.
   
  Associated Skills: Stealth, Streetwise
   
  Persecuted: You lived under a regime that hunted 
  those like you. Was it because of your race or faith? 
  Was it because of your power source? Was that 
  regime always in place, or was it a recent develop-
  ment? Perhaps you adventure in hopes of finding the 
  means to topple the authorities that persecute you 
  and your kind. or maybe you’re searching for a haven 
  or sanctuary, so you can lead those like you to a new, 
  welcoming home.
   
  To survive, you learned to hide your true identity 
  or heritage and to notice when someone might be 
  tracking you.
   
  Associated Skill: Bluff, Perception
   
  Pledged	Scout: You found Sehanine’s teachings to 
  your liking from an early age, and after your coming-
  of-age you joined the ranks of the Pledged Scouts, 
  consummate explorers and wanderers devoted to 
  the Moonbow. Are you specially pious, seeing omens 
  everywhere? How did your family and friends react 
  to your choice of career? Were you indoctrinated 
  by another Pledged Scout, or were you a self-taught 
  mystic? As a Pledged Scout you tend not to stay put 
  for long. Do you have a hard time making friends, or 
  do you leave behind a network of acquaintances that 
  make you feel welcome whenever you return? Do you 
  dream of one day crossing the forest paths of the Fey-
  wild, or perhaps reaching Arvandor?
   
  You are at home in the wilderness, wondering 
  what’s over the next horizon.
   
  Associated Skills: Nature, Perception
   
  Freed	Slave: You toiled under harsh masters until 
  you were freed by one of Sehanine’s champions. After 
  years of suffering, your deliverance—whether by force 
  of arms or by subterfuge—inspired you to repay the 
  favor. Who enslaved you? Were they regular mas-
  ters, hailing from the common races, or were they 
  supernatural overlords, such as mind flayers, drow, or 
  vampires? Do you seek to eradicate slavery altogether, 
  or do you focus on freeing one slave at a time? Do you 
  see slavery as another facet of a harsh world, trying 
  not to think too much about those still in chains?
   
  Are you afraid of returning to the site of your 
  forced labor? Maybe your old masters might recog-
  nize you and try to take away your freedom again. or 
  perhaps you still have friends or family among the 
  slaves there?
   
  enduring years of labor has made you strong and 
  resilient, the better to face the challenges ahead.
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, endurance
  omenS and riteS  
  oF Sehanine
  Sehanine sends messages to her faithful through sev-
  eral means. Some are widespread and witnessed by 
  an entire region, while others are private and seen by 
  a single mortal. Her omens (and their connotations) 
  include the following:
  ✦  Blue moon (good omen, marks an auspicious 
  event);
  ✦  Red moon (bad omen, heralds bloodshed);
  ✦  Dead tree with a single gold leaf (good omen, 
  encourages hope);
  ✦  Shadows moving on their own (bad omen, her-
  alds betrayal);
  ✦  A person who briefly casts no shadow (bad omen, 
  marks a bringer of misfortune);
  ✦  An archer’s arrow turns to silver (good omen, 
  marks a bringer of justice);
  ✦  A candle’s flame glows with silvery light during 
  prayer (good omen, marks a heard prayer).
  Priests of Sehanine are called upon to officiate sev-
  eral events, depending on the community they preach 
  to. But the most common are these:
  ✦  Marriages (especially secret ones);
  ✦  Naming ceremonies;
  ✦  Archery contests;
  ✦  Harvest festivals.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Sehanine
  69
  FeatS
  Consider choosing one or more of the following feats 
  for any character who worships Sehanine.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Argent Falcon [Familiar]
  	
  Prerequisite: Arcane Familiar feat, must worship 
  Sehanine
  	
  Benefit: The argent falcon feat power replaces one 
  of your 6th-level or higher utility powers.
  argent	Falcon	
  Feat power
  Your familiar transforms into a silver falcon, and shines with 
  pure moonlight.
  encounter	✦	divine
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: Your familiar sheds bright light in its square and each 
  square within 3 squares of it until the end of your next 
  turn. Until the end of your next turn, enemies grant com-
  bat advantage while within 3 squares of your familiar.
  Moon Sight
  	
  Prerequisite: Bard, Virtue of Prescience class 
  feature, must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	When you use your Virtue of Prescience, 
  the triggering enemy takes psychic damage equal to 
  your Wisdom modifier.
  Moon Strike
  	
  Prerequisite:	Must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	While an enemy grants combat advan-
  tage to you, your attacks against that enemy count as 
  silvered (Player’s Handbook, page 220).
  Moonbow Dedicate
  	
  Prerequisite:	Must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	You gain proficiency with the shortbow, 
  plus you can use a shortbow as an implement for 
  divine and arcane powers. In addition, you gain a +1 
  feat bonus to weapon and implement damage rolls 
  with the shortbow. Increase this bonus to +2 at 11th 
  level and +3 at 21st level.
  Moonbow Stalker
  	
  Prerequisite: Rogue, must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit: You gain proficiency with the shortbow. 
  In addition, you can use a shortbow with Sneak 
  Attack and with any rogue power that normally 
  requires a crossbow.
  Sehanine is a popular deity with heroes from all 
  walks of life, and each follower seeks to emulate 
  or honor his or her deity. Below are suggestions of 
  how a nondivine character can reflect devotion to 
  the Moonbow.
  claSS BuildS
   
  martial: Tempest fighter, archer ranger, artful 
  dodger rogue, resourceful warlord.
   
  arcane: prescient bard, ensnaring swordmage, 
  wild magic sorcerer, fey pact warlock, orb of decep-
  tion wizard.
   
  Primal: Whirling barbarian, predator druid, 
  panther shaman, wildblood warden.
  WeaponS
  Bows of all qualities are favored by Sehanine, 
  but shortbows are held in special regard, being 
  easier to hide. Crossbows are frowned upon as 
  lolth’s weapons.
   
  Daggers, kukris, scimitars, falchions, and 
  kopeshes are common in the hands of Sehanine’s 
  followers, because their curved blades are reminis-
  cent of a crescent moon.
  SkillS
  Stealth and Thievery are probably the most 
  common skills among Sehanine’s worshipers.
  poWerS
  powers that deal cold, psychic, and radiant damage 
  are favorites, and fire-based powers are avoided. 
  poison is frowned upon as Zehir’s weapon.
  companionS
  arcane followers of Sehanine take falcon familiars 
  that have sparkling silver wings and leave a trail 
  of stars behind as they fly. Spiders and snakes 
  are avoided.
   
  Beastmaster rangers favor raptor companions 
  and use bows to strike from afar. Serpents and 
  spiders are avoided.
  Sehanine and the nondivine WorShiper
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Sehanine
  70
  Serene Archery
   
  Prerequisite: Wis 13, must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	When you make a ranged basic attack 
  using a bow with which you are proficient, you can 
  use Wisdom instead of Dexterity for the attack roll 
  and the damage roll.
  Silvery Glow
   
  Prerequisite: Must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	You gain a +2 feat bonus to damage rolls 
  with cold powers and radiant powers. Increase this 
  bonus to +3 at 11th level and +4 at 21st level.
  Swirling Leaves of Autumn
  	
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Fey Pact class feature, 
  must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit: When your Misty Step pact boon trig-
  gers, the square you leave and each square adjacent 
  to it become lightly obscured until the start of your 
  next turn.
  Paragon Tier Feat
  The feat in this section is available to any character of 
  11th level and above who meets the prerequisites.
  Moonbow Prelate
  	
  Prerequisite:	11th level, must worship Sehanine
  	
  Benefit:	When you use a shortbow as an imple-
  ment for a ranged or area divine attack power or 
  ranged or area arcane attack power, you can extend 
  the power’s range by 5 squares.
  neW paragon path
  Those who worship Sehanine might want to affect 
  the lives of others in a positive fashion by ensuring 
  that each person has a chance to make his or her own 
  destiny. For these people, the Arrow of the Moonbow 
  paragon path is an excellent choice.
  Arrow of the Moonbow
  “The moon aims at the darkness, and we are the arrows.”
  	
  Prerequisite: Channel Divinity class feature, pro-
  ficiency with a bow, must worship Sehanine
  Under the cloak of night, tyrants and murderers grow 
  restless. They sense an intent gaze upon them, like 
  a bird of prey circling in for the kill. Sometimes this 
  unease is enough to discourage despicable acts. But far 
  too often, a more direct course of action needs to be 
  taken, and the silvered head of an arrow puts down evil.
   
  The Arrows of the Moonbow are a scattered sect 
  of sworn brothers and sisters who dedicate their lives 
  to ensuring that each mortal has a fair chance at writ-
  ing his or her own destiny and changing his or her 
  own stars. The Arrows travel far and wide, seeking no 
  reward but that which they confiscate from the corpses 
  of their targets. All sorts of divine heroes work among 
  their ranks but, regardless of inclination, they all come 
  to favor subterfuge, trickery and, above all, stealth.
  Arrow of the Moonbow  
  Class Features
  	
  Moonkissed	action	(11th	level): When you 
  spend an action point to make an attack using a bow, 
  you can roll one attack roll twice and take either result.
  	
  Walker	in	Twilight	(11th	level): You gain train-
  ing in Stealth and also gain low-light vision. If you 
  already have training in Stealth, you gain the Skill 
  Focus feat for Stealth.
  	
  Break	the	Bonds	(16th	level): You gain the break 
  the bonds Channel Divinity power.
  Channel	divinity:		arrow of the Moonbow Feature
  	 Break	the	Bonds
  You will not bow to an outside force.
  encounter	✦	divine
  no	action	
  Personal
  trigger:	You are dominated, immobilized, petrified, or 
  restrained 
  effect: The triggering effect ends.
  Arrow of the Moonbow Prayers
  three	moonbeams	
  arrow of the Moonbow 
  	
  attack 11
  Your arrows glow with moonlight, bathing your targets with a 
  cold radiance and granting your allies a chance to reposition 
  themselves.
  encounter	✦	Cold,	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement: You must be wielding a bow.
  target: One, two or three creatures
  attack:	Wisdom or Charisma vs. aC
  Hit:	1[W] + Wisdom or Charisma modifier cold and radiant 
  damage per attack, and each ally adjacent to the target can 
  shift 1 square as a free action. If you target only one crea-
  ture, the attack deals 1[W] extra damage.
  moon	eye	
  arrow of the Moonbow Utility 12
  No darkness can blind you when you carry the moon in your 
  heart.
  daily	✦	divine
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of the encounter you gain darkvision and 
  cannot be blinded.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Sehanine
  71
  moon	shot	
  arrow of the Moonbow attack 20
  You gather the moon’s white light around your arrow and fire 
  it at your enemy, chilling it to the bone. To your ally, the light 
  becomes a healing balm.
  daily	✦	Cold,	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a bow.
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom or Charisma vs. aC
  Hit:	5[W] + Wisdom or Charisma modifier cold and radiant 
  damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Each ally adjacent to the target can spend a healing 
  surge.
  Sehanine’S prayerS
  Sehanine’s champions favor subtlety and trickery 
  when fighting, regardless of the character’s original 
  role. Prayers that deal actual damage can assault the 
  mind of the target (dealing psychic damage) or to use 
  the light of the Moonbow (dealing cold and radiant 
  damage). In addition to Wisdom, these prayers rely 
  on Dexterity, Intelligence, or Charisma, showing the 
  deity’s favor for stealth, ingenuity and emotion.
  Avenger Prayers
  Level 6 Utility Prayer
  Cloaked	steps	
  avenger Utility 6
  Shadows cling to you whenever you move, like a lover’s embrace.
  daily	✦	divine,	stance
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect: Until the stance ends, if you move more than 2 squares on 
  your turn, you gain concealment until the start of your next turn.
  Level 7 Encounter Prayer
  dark	moon	strike	
  avenger attack 7
  You mark a foe as your sworn enemy and you disappear from 
  the minds of all other foes.
  encounter	✦	divine,	illusion,	implement
  standard	action	
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit:	2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target becomes 
  the target of your oath of enmity, replacing the current 
  target. You become invisible to all enemies other than the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  Level 9 Daily Prayer
  shadow	tricks	
  avenger attack 9
  Your brilliant strike against your sworn enemy causes its allies 
  to cast long shadows, creating openings in their defenses.
  daily	✦	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. aC
  Hit:	3[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: If the target is your oath of enmity target, each enemy 
  within 5 squares of you other than the target grants combat 
  advantage until the end of your next turn.
  Cleric Prayers
  Level 1 At-Will Prayer
  silvery	arrow	
  Cleric attack 1
  Your arrow bites deep into your opponent. The next time the 
  enemy is hit, the arrow shatters into a shower of light.
  at-Will	✦	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a bow.
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. aC
  Hit:	1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the next ally to hit 
  the target before the end of your next turn deals extra radi-
  ant damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
  Level 3 Encounter Prayer
  lost	love	
  Cleric attack 3
  You call upon Sehanine to place great love in your enemy’s 
  heart . . . and then yank it away.
  encounter	✦	divine,	implement,	Psychic
  standard	action	
  ranged 5
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit:	1d8 + Wisdom modifier + Charisma modifier psychic 
  damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the 
  end of your next turn.
  Level 15 Daily Prayer
  Full	eclipse	
  Cleric attack 15
  Your shot carries the light of the full moon and the darkness of 
  the new moon to your foe.
  daily	✦	Cold,	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a bow.
  target: One creature
  attack:	Wisdom vs. aC
  Hit:	2[W] + Wisdom + Charisma modifier cold and radiant 
  damage, and the target is blinded (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target grants combat advantage 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Invoker Prayers
  Level 3 Encounter Prayer
  Falling	leaves	
  Invoker attack 3
  Autumn leaves of golden light fall into the world from the 
  mighty trees of Arvandor, clinging to your enemies and allies. 
  They carry the echoes of summer and the preludes of winter.
  encounter	✦	divine,	implement,	radiant
  standard	action		
  area	burst 1 within 10 squares
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack:	Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit:	2d8 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and if the target 
  ends its next turn adjacent to an ally, it takes 5 radiant 
  damage.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Channel Divinity: Sehanine
  72
  Level 5 Daily Prayer
  Howl	at	the	moon	
  Invoker attack 5
  You call upon the inner beast of all creatures, entrancing them 
  with the moon’s radiance.
  daily	✦	divine,	implement,	Psychic
  standard	action	
  area burst 1 in 10 squares
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack:	Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit:	1d8 + Wisdom + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, 
  and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn. If 
  the target is a shapechanger, it is instead dazed (save ends).
  Level 9 Daily Prayer
  Bestowed	lunacy	
  Invoker attack 9
  Moon madness spreads through your foes, as they strike their 
  former comrades to avert the pressure in their minds.
  daily	✦	divine,	implement,	Psychic
  standard	action		
  area	burst 1 within	10 squares
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack:	Wisdom vs. Will
  Hit:	1d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and at the start of the 
  target’s next turn, the target	takes a free action to make a basic 
  attack against its nearest ally. If it cannot do so, it takes another 
  5 psychic damage and becomes dazed until the end of its turn.
  miss: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and the target 
  is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  Paladin Prayers
  Level 3 Encounter Prayer
  night’s	mantle	
  paladin attack 3
  Your shot leaves your allies concealed by faint shadow.
  encounter	✦	divine,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged weapon
  requirement:	You must be wielding a bow.
  target: One creature
  attack:	Charisma vs. aC
  Hit:	2[W] + Charisma modifier damage, and you subject the 
  target to your divine sanction (Divine Power, page 82) until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 7 Encounter Prayer
  Crescent	moon	
  paladin attack 7
  You cut a wide arc with your glowing weapon, drawing a cres-
  cent moon of light that careens toward your foe.
  encounter	✦	divine,	radiant,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  ranged 5
  special: If you are wielding a heavy blade, the range is 10 
  squares.
  target: One creature
  attack:	Strength vs. reflex
  Hit:	2[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage, and you subject 
  the target to your divine sanction (Divine Power, page 82) 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Level 16 Utility Prayer
  stave	Off	Winter	
  paladin Utility 16
  Death’s cold chill threatens your allies, but as autumn holds 
  back winter, so shall you hold back the final fate.
  daily	✦	divine,	Healing
  immediate	interrupt	
  Close	burst 5
  trigger:	an ally within 5 squares of you drops to 0 hit points 
  or fewer
  target: You and each ally in burst
  effect: You can spend a healing surge but regain no hit points 
  from it. When you spend a healing surge, the triggering ally 
  regains hit points equal to his or her healing surge value. 
  In addition, you can spend up to three additional healing 
  surges but regain no hit points from them. For each surge 
  you spend, choose an effect below (you cannot choose the 
  same effect twice):
  1. Each target gains resist 20 cold until the end of the 
  encounter.
  2. Each target gains resist 20 necrotic until the end of the 
  encounter.
  3. Each target ignores difficult terrain until the end of the 
  encounter.
  magic item
  moonbow	
  level 13+
  This slender bow is made of white wood so polished it looks 
  like pearl, and its string is almost invisible. As you draw the 
  string, a gleaming arrow of light appears, nocked and ready.
  lvl 13 
  +3 
  17,000 gp 
  lvl 23 
  +5 
  425,000 gp
  lvl 18 
  +4 
  85,000 gp 
  lvl 28 
  +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  Weapon:	Bow
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d10 radiant damage per plus
  Property: Sehanine worshipers can use this weapon as an 
  implement for divine and arcane powers.
  Property: Weapon and implement attacks made with this 
  weapon count as silvered (Player’s Handbook, page 220).
  Property: This weapon creates its own ammunition when 
  drawn. It can still be used with ammunition, if desired.
  Power	(at-Will): Minor action. This weapon sheds bright light 
  or dim light in a 5-square radius, or ceases to shed light. 
  About the Author
  Claudio	Pozas is a hybrid artist/writer multiclassed as a 
  jack-of-all-trades. In the past 10 years, he worked on dozens 
  of RPG products, usually doing both text and art. His credits 
  include Fiery Dragon’s Counter Collection and BattleBox series. 
  He lives in his native Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with his wife 
  Paula, son Daniel and their pet dire tiger Tyler. His art can be 
  seen at www.enworld.org/Pozas.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  73
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  By Matt James 
  Illustration by SC Watson
  Power Play:
   
   The Covenant Agent
  “No please, allow me to buy you another 
  drink. Tell me, gorgeous, where is that 
  man you came in with?”
  —Sevelyn
  Some believe that the end justifies the means. Fur-
  ther, some place such high importance on the will 
  of their deity that they not only embrace this belief 
  with regards to their deity, but they also make daily 
  decisions that include this belief. Several of those who 
  follow this path have skills that allow them to lead a 
  life of subterfuge and treachery—all in the name of 
  their deity, of course. Unlike so many other braggarts 
  and strivers found in every tavern and pub, these 
  individuals are a cut above others in their chosen pro-
  fession, which essentially involves infiltrating other 
  organizations and performing assassinations in the 
  name of their god.
   
  Covenant agents receive training and practice 
  discipline so that they can accomplish all manner of 
  covert goals in the name of their deity, and they swear 
  a covenant to the god of their choice to do what needs 
  to be done to protect the deity’s interests and further 
  the deity’s agenda. Whether they must deftly bypass 
  a location’s or creature’s defenses, or smooth-talk an 
  acquaintance of an assassination before killing the 
  target, these experts in subterfuge are highly prized 
  by those in a position of authority within relevant reli-
  gious organizations.
   
  Before beginning their specialized training, cov-
  enant agents frequently begin as priests or other loyal 
  members of a congregation. Because of their faithful 
  service to the faith, those within a position of power 
  have already vetted them and, most likely, placed 
  them among the trusted circles of their ministry. As 
  each covenant agent takes on the new path placed 
  before him or her, each also must shroud his or her 
  ties to the religion to prevent any unfortunate politi-
  cal mistakes that would otherwise stain the good 
  name of his or her holy benefactor.
   
  These clandestine champions of a religious organi-
  zation’s will rarely receive training from more than a 
  single member of the organization. Frequently, train-
  ers are older covenant agents who wish to take a step 
  back from active work and ensure that they can pass 
  on their training to the next generation of covenant 
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Power Play: the Covenant Agent
  74
  agents. The manner in which they choose (or gain, 
  if an aspiring agent is assigned to them) a student 
  involves a lot of secrecy, as well, and both trainer and 
  student work together in environs that allow them 
  to remain unnoticed—if they don’t make mistakes. 
  If the chosen environment becomes troublesome to 
  either the trainer or student, they leave and find a 
  new location in which to train.
   
  Most religious organizations, regardless of disposi-
  tion, make use of covenant agents within their ranks. 
  Due to the nature of the work involved, however, 
  different organizations have varying levels of secrecy 
  regarding the existence of covenant agents. In those 
  religions that preach peace and honesty, the covenant 
  agent and those who know of his or her existence 
  might discover that the calling to continue on the 
  path must be strong indeed to overcome the conflict 
  between the religious ideals of the deity and the prac-
  tical day-to-day considerations he or she faces when 
  attempting to implement the larger plan of his or her 
  deity. Additionally, the measures and tactics taken by 
  a covenant agent within one organization could vary 
  dramatically from those in another. For instance, a 
  follower of Kord might see an assassination as a mar-
  tial challenge to overcome and care little for collateral 
  damage if the adversaries are a worthy addition to the 
  challenge, whereas a follower of Ioun might prefer to 
  find another means of accomplishing the same goal 
  that involves taking out only the intended target. The 
  skills a covenant agent learns are tools: The individ-
  ual agent must determine which tool is appropriate 
  for the task at hand.
   
  What follows includes a background to use if 
  you wish to take the covenant agent paragon path 
  (presented later in the article), new powers for both 
  assassins and avengers, and new feats.
  Background
  If you want to make the covenant that an agent forms 
  with his or her religious organization an important 
  part of your character’s background, consider choos-
  ing the background presented below.
  	
  Holy	Killer:	As a trained practitioner of decep-
  tion, you have spent a good portion of your life in 
  service to your temple as an information broker and 
  eradicator. Mastering the intricacies of conversational 
  encounters, you can learn exactly what you need 
  to hunt and slay your prey. Why did you decide to 
  answer a call to become a killer? Do you fear that you 
  will face internal struggles regarding your work? And, 
  if your religion does not normally condone killing 
  others, do you feel redemption will be given one day 
  for your acts? How do you feel about your religion in 
  this case?
   
  Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Insight
  aSSaSSin poWerS
  Covenant agents who are assassins can make use of 
  the following powers.
  Level 2 Utility Hex
  Contrivance	of	speed	
  assassin Utility 2
  Your deft speed and skill allow you to move around combat 
  effortlessly.
  daily	✦	shadow,	stance
  minor	action
  effect:	You enter the contrivance of speed stance. Until the 
  stance ends, you can shift 2 squares as a move action.
  Level 6 Utility Hex
  shadow	adept	
  assassin Utility 6
  You have mastered the art of bending light, which makes you 
  extremely difficult to locate.
  encounter	✦	shadow
  immediate	interrupt
  trigger:	You are hidden and become no longer hidden from an 
  enemy.
  effect:	You teleport 3 squares to a space where you have cover 
  or concealment from an enemy and can make a Stealth 
  check to hide.
  Level 10 Utility Hex
  vaporous	step	
  assassin Utility 10
  A swift prayer enhances the prowess of your group.
  daily	✦	shadow
  move	action
  target:	You and each ally within 5 squares of you
  effect:	The target shifts 2 squares as a free action.
  sustain	move: You and each ally within 5 squares gains the 
  effects of this power again.
  holy killer optionS
  If you choose the holy killer background, ask 
  your DM if you can select the following benefit.
  ✦ Gain a +2 bonus to skills associated with your 
  background
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Power Play: the Covenant Agent
  75
  avenger poWerS
  Avengers can take on a position as a covenant agent 
  within their religions, and the following powers help 
  provide them with further tools to carry out the will 
  of their chosen deity.
  Level 2 Utility Prayer
  Holy	Blessing	
  avenger Utility 2
  Kissing your holy symbol, you momentarily consider your next 
  prey and how best to attack it.
  encounter	✦	divine
  Free	action	
  Close	burst 10
  trigger: Your oath of enmity target drops to 0 hit points
  target: One other enemy within range.
  effect: You use oath of enmity on the target. Until the end of 
  your next turn, the target grants combat advantage to you.
  Level 6 Utility Prayer
  Prayer	of	sacrifice	
  avenger Utility 6
  You are unwilling to fail your god and make a personal sacri-
  fice to help ensure your success with the task at hand.
  daily	✦	divine,	stance
  minor	action	
  Personal
  effect:	You enter the sacrificial prayer stance. Until the stance 
  ends, when you miss all targets with an encounter attack 
  power, you can choose to take 10 damage that cannot be 
  reduced or negated by any means. If you do so, you regain 
  the use of the encounter attack power.
  FeatS
  The following feats can provide a covenant agent with 
  enhanced ways of dealing with unique situations.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  The following feats are suitable for any character who 
  meets the prerequisites.
  Death Sight
   
  Prerequisite: Assassin
  	
  Benefit: Bloodied creatures do not gain the ben-
  efit of cover and concealment against your attacks.
  Deific Instrument
  	
  Prerequisite: Assassin, avenger
  	
  Benefit: You can use a holy symbol as an imple-
  ment for assassin attack powers.
  Oathbound Stalker
  	
  Prerequisite: Assassin, avenger, oath of enmity 
  power
  	
  Benefit: When you teleport, you can add 2 
  squares to your teleport distance as long as you tele-
  port adjacent to your oath of enmity target.
  Vengeful Shade
  	
  Prerequisite: Assassin, any divine class, assassin’s 
  shroud power
  	
  Benefit: When you invoke your shrouds when 
  using a divine attack power, you can choose to have 
  the damage from assassin’s shroud be radiant damage.
  reconciling the divine 
  and ShadoW
  It might seem incongruous for a character to 
  embrace both the divine and shadow power 
  sources. One involves gaining power from devo-
  tion to a deity, while the other involves carving 
  out a piece of your soul and giving it over to the 
  Shadowfell. It almost goes without saying that an 
  individual who can reconcile these two disparate 
  ideals is rare.
   
  But devotion—and especially devotion to an 
  agent as demanding as most deities—requires 
  sacrifice. For some, this comes in the form of 
  a code of conduct, such as those followed by 
  many paladins. For others, it involves spreading 
  the word of the deity’s power—or wrath. and 
  for others, it involves an even greater sacrifice. 
  These individuals, to best advance the causes 
  their patron espouses, are willing to give up a 
  piece of themselves in a way few can fathom. 
  They freely sacrifice a portion of their soul to 
  the fathomless, hungry darkness of the Shadow-
  fell. In service to the divine, they make this gift 
  willingly, and wear the title of covenant agent 
  proudly.
  
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Power Play: the Covenant Agent
  76
  covenant agent
  “You never know when the hand of a god will intercede 
  directly in your life—or death.”
  	
  Prerequisite:	Assassin, avenger, either the oath of 
  enmity or assassin’s shroud power
  Covenant agents are elite killers who are trained to 
  deal precision strikes against enemies of their god 
  with little to no detection. As a loyal member of your 
  chosen deity, you have already learned skills that 
  make you a prime candidate for taking on the mantle 
  of covenant agent. How you got to this point varies 
  and is based on your religion’s structure (or lack 
  thereof), and what goals you accomplish in the name 
  of your god can also vary greatly from any other cov-
  enant agent’s goals.
   
  You already know how to kill. It’s not a question of 
  skill in that area, nor does anyone question your com-
  mitment to kill when needed. Now, however, you are 
  fully invested in being a weapon used by your chosen 
  deity. You spend countless hours honing your skills 
  in stealth, subterfuge, and unconventional stratagem, 
  plus you must tend to your normal commitments to 
  your religious patron and maintain whatever façade 
  you have chosen. Your path is one of secrecy—none 
  outside your religious organization should learn of 
  your ties to it. This can place pressures on you that 
  those with whom you travel do not understand. As 
  far as they know, you are what you choose to present 
  to them, whether that’s a light-hearted adventurer 
  seeking treasure or a stoic combat veteran who just 
  happens to know a few extremely effective ways to 
  deal with those seeking your blood.
  Covenant Agent  
  Path Features
  	
  Bleeding	Defeat	action	(11th	level):	When you 
  spend an action point to make an attack, if that attack 
  hits and deals damage, the target also takes ongoing 
  10 radiant and necrotic damage (save ends).
  	
  Shadow	of	the	gods	(11th	level): once per turn 
  when you deal necrotic damage or radiant damage to 
  an enemy with an assassin attack, an avenger attack, 
  or a covenant agent attack, the target of the damage 
  also takes a –3 penalty to the next saving throw it 
  makes before the end of your next turn.
  	
  Harbinger	(16th	level):	Any creature that has 
  one of your shrouds on it or is your oath of enmity 
  target loses necrotic resistance and radiant resistance.
  Covenant Agent Powers
  Withering	
  Covenant agent attack 11
  Onslaught
  Your deft speed and skill allow you to debilitate your enemy 
  with deadly precision.
  encounter	✦	divine,	necrotic,	radiant,	shadow,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target:	One enemy
  attack:	Dexterity vs. aC
  Hit:	3[W] + Dexterity modifier necrotic and radiant damage.
  effect:	You can choose to either place your oath of enmity 
  effect on the target (in addition to any other creature that 
  is already on the target of your oath of enmity) or subject 
  the target to one additional shroud (as per your assassin’s 
  shroud power).
  Precision	gait	
  Covenant agent Utility 12
  You skillfully stride across terrain, allowing very little to hin-
  der your precise movement.
  daily	✦	divine,	shadow,	stance
  move	action
  effect:	You shift a number of squares equal to your speed and 
  enter the prevision gait stance. Until the stance ends, you 
  can shift your speed as a move action.
  Covenant	
  Covenant agent attack 20
  of	assassination
  You are a master of death, and, with one perfectly timed slice, 
  you end the suffering of any rival.
  daily	✦	divine,	necrotic,	radiant,	shadow,	Weapon
  standard	action	
  melee weapon
  target:	One creature
  attack:	Dexterity vs. aC
  Hit:	5[W] + Dexterity modifier necrotic and radiant damage.
  miss:	Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, you can choose to 
  have any assassin, avenger, or covenant agent attacks  
  you make deal necrotic and radiant damage instead of  
  their normal damage.
  About the Author
  When not writing for Dungeons & Dragons®, Matt	James is 
  chained to his desk working endlessly on developing his web-
  site: Loremaster (http://www.loremaster.org). You can also 
  follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matt_james_rpg.
  
  A M P e R S A N D
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  by Bill Slavicsek
  77
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Demons, Beholders, 
   and Other Things ...
   
  ... that Go Bump in the Night
  As we approach the summer season, I’m gathering 
  more and more stuff to share with Insiders. This 
  month, for example, in addition to my usual round of 
  reminders and updates, I’m going to show off a choice 
  bit of the upcoming Demonomicon as well as provide 
  details on a special collector’s item we’re rolling out 
  later this year. Let’s get to it!
  This Month’s Picks 
  Make sure you get to your local game store this 
  month to check out our newest Dungeons & Drag-
  ons releases. The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea 
  explores the realm of gods and dominions in exqui-
  site detail. It features key locations, new monsters, 
  adventure hooks, hazards, and more that can be 
  dropped into any D&D campaign. And for something 
  a little different, look for Three Dragon Ante: Emperor’s 
  Gambit. This sequel to our smash card game can be 
  played alone or combined with the original Three 
  Dragon Ante to create a whole new experience. And 
  it’s full of dragons! Try a game and you’ll be hooked!
  Dungeons & Dragons 
  Encounters 
  our new in-store organized play program is going 
  strong, and it’s never too late to hop into the action. 
  every Wednesday, a new part of the Undermountain 
  adventure unfolds. If you haven’t dropped by yet, I have 
  to tell you that the energy level at the ongoing event is 
  amazingly high, and everyone I’ve spoken to or heard 
  from who’s played can’t wait to go back and play again. 
  For a location near you, visit our Retailer Locator.
   
  Also, we’re currently running a retail promotion for 
  stores running encounters. If you’re store isn’t participat-
  ing, encourage the store owner or manager to get involved.
  Beholders Collector’s Set 
  This fall, we’re rolling out a very limited edition of 
  the Beholders Collector’s Set. This set of four large 
  Beholder miniatures comes in cool packaging that 
  can be used as a display case. Note that three of the 
  Beholders are new types right out of Monster Manual 
  3 that have never been created in plastic before. The 
  availability will be along the lines of our From the 
  Vault products for Magic: The Gathering. You’ll only 
  be able to find these sets at your local hobby store and 
  only while supplies last. The MSRP is $34.99. Watch 
  for more information on this limited edition item as 
  we get closer to its release date.
  Here Demon, Demon, Demon! 
  For my sneak peek this month, I decided to delve into 
  the upcoming Demonomicon, which releases in July. 
  I just grabbed some pieces that I found interesting. 
  Here they are, in no particular order. enjoy!
  the demonomicon 
  oF iggWilv
  FRom THE DEmonomICon oF IggWILv	
  Many are they who would gladly have prostrated them-
  selves before me, promising their fortunes, their families, 
  their very souls to possess the tome you now hold in your 
  hands. No matter how powerful you believe yourself to 
  be, no matter how great your claim to knowledge—on 
  matters of demon lore, you are a rank novice in my sight. 
   
  Demons are not a class of creature easily codified, 
  and no amount of vellum and ink can possibly hope 
  to catalog their innumerable attributes and permuta-
  tions. The research collected in this Demonomicon is 
  accurate and impeccable, I assure you. But entering 
  into battle against a demon requires more than mere 
  knowledge. For demons are creatures of chaos—muta-
  ble and forever adapting to their environment. A tactic 
  employed successfully against an abyssal horde one 
  time might result in your utter destruction the next.
   
  Although you might have gained temporary posses-
  sion of my precious tome, you still stand to gain only 
  an inkling of the innermost workings of demonkind—a 
  subject I have lived and breathed over uncounted 
  centuries of life. Was it unwise to set hard-won knowl-
  edge to parchment so sneak thieves such as yourself 
  could steal away with it? Perhaps. But unless you are a 
  special kind of fool, you know that I am already hunt-
  ing you. So find what wisdom you can in these pages, 
  for the time in which it might serve you is short. . . .
  
  A M P e R S A N D
  78
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Six volumes of the legendary Demonomicon of Iggwilv 
  are known to exist, all of which have changed hands 
  many times over long centuries. This vile codex held 
  the dark secrets of Iggwilv’s dominance over more 
  than a dozen abyssal lords; numerous wizards and 
  sages have sought to equal that power by gaining 
  access to all six tomes. As yet, none has succeeded.
   
  The Demonomicon is said to be based on a prior 
  work titled the Tome of Zyx, written by the legend-
  ary archmage and former mentor of Iggwilv, Zagig 
  Yragerne. The Demonomicon represents the Witch 
  Queen’s primary repository of demonic knowledge, 
  drawn from a multitude of years spent plumbing the 
  hidden depths of the Abyss and from her personal 
  interactions with the demon lords themselves.
   
  each volume is a heavy, brassbound tome of parch-
  ment pages set with clawed clasps. Dark covers crafted 
  from demon leather and sinew bind and protect the 
  profane lore within. Beyond its invaluable information 
  regarding the Abyss and its inhabitants, the Demonomi-
  con contains secret lore for summoning and binding 
  demon lords, unique rituals for crafting permanent 
  demongates, and spells and prayers of the utmost evil.
  demonic phySiology
  FRom THE DEmonomICon oF IggWILv	
  Demon physiology is fascinating beyond measure. I 
  know of no other type of creature in the cosmos that 
  so rapidly and thoroughly adapts to its environment. 
  Take a fiery immolith and drop it in the frigid expanses 
  of the Iron Wastes. Come back in a few months, 
  and you will discover the immolith’s shroud of flame 
  replaced by an aura of bitter frost. Return a few years 
  hence and you’ll likely find a demon closer in appear-
  ance and power to a jarrlak than the creature of fire 
  you left behind. Many, many times I have repeated 
  this experience, each in a different abyssal layer and 
  all with similar results. If I locked him away for a span 
  of years in the Forest of Living Tongues, I wonder what 
  form my beloved Graz’zt would eventually take? 
  No one knows exactly how or why the first demons 
  took form. Some sages believe that the fusion of the 
  shard of evil and the physical instability inherent in 
  the elemental Chaos was the catalyst that spawned 
  demonkind. others believe that the shard of absolute 
  evil was, in fact, the aggregate of the wasted souls 
  of much of the obyrith race. When that evil fused 
  with the elemental Chaos, a new kind of creature 
  was spawned. Whatever the case, the physiology of 
  the demon is dramatically different from that of any 
  other creature.
  demonic monSter 
  themeS
  Demons are born of the raw essence of chaos, and 
  their wide range of features and powers reflects this 
  chaos. Although individual demons of the same type 
  resemble each other, this chaotic nature can manifest 
  in differences between them. Likewise, creatures 
  tainted by demonic power can adopt a dizzying array 
  of new abilities and twisted forms.
   
  The demonic themes presented in this section pro-
  vide a DM with tools to customize demons, creating 
  variations on the standard creatures presented in the 
  Monster Manual and other supplements. These themes 
  can also be used to give fiendish qualities to nonde-
  mons, reflecting the way in which the Abyss warps all 
  life that dwells there.
   
  In addition to the themes presented here, Chapter 4 of 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide 2 presents three themes designed 
  for servants of the lords of the Abyss: the Demogorgon 
  cultist, Lolth’s chosen, and the orcus blood cultist.
  Using Themes 
  Applying a monster theme allows you to customize 
  an existing monster’s role and powers. The process 
  is like applying a template, but it is much simpler 
  and does not require rebuilding a monster’s statistics 
  block. You can run the monster with only a few notes 
  jotted in the margin to detail its additional features.
  Step	1:	Choose	a	Theme 
  The themes presented in this section allow you to grant 
  a specific flavor to the servants of a particular demon 
  lord. For example, vrocks that serve Dagon can feel and 
  act different from vrocks bound to Pazuzu. Specialized 
  themes can also be used to customize mortal demon 
  cultists or spellcasters who bind demons to their service.
  Step	2:	Choose	a	Monster 
  After you’ve selected the monster theme, choose the 
  monster you want to modify. You might select a mon-
  ster appropriate for the theme or choose one that best 
  fits a specific encounter or adventure.
   
  Some themes work better with particular types of 
  creatures or monster roles. each theme describes the 
  roles it fits best. You can modify creatures of other 
  roles with one of those powers, but the modified mon-
  ster takes on some of the feel of the role described 
  with the power. This doesn’t change the monster so 
  much that its original role changes.
   
  Some powers grant a monster the leader role, as 
  noted in the text. Powers that do not reference a spe-
  cific role are suitable for all creatures.
  
  A M P e R S A N D
  79
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Step	3:	Choose	Story	Changes 
  A theme is more than a menu of new powers. It’s also 
  a story template that you can use to turn a mundane 
  creature into a unique opponent. It’s easy to forget 
  description and story elements when assembling a 
  monster’s statistics and powers, but story plays an 
  important role in how a monster functions in a game. 
  A monster without a good story is just a collection of 
  numbers and can result in forgettable encounters.
   
  When adding a theme to a monster, take note of 
  any changes to its appearance or behavior. These 
  changes should reflect both the monster’s altered 
  powers and its new allegiance to a specific demon lord.
   
  Choosing story changes can take place after choos-
  ing new powers if that works better for you. In fact, 
  some powers might suggest particular story changes 
  and vice versa, so jump back and forth between Step 
  3 and Step 4 as you need to.
  Step	4:	Choose	Powers 
  each theme adds a number of powers to the monster 
  you’ve chosen to rework.
   
  Choose one attack power and one utility power 
  from the theme and add them to the monster’s sta-
  tistics block. You can also apply the theme’s skill 
  modifications, though this is optional.
   
  Avoid the temptation to pile on new powers. 
  Adding more than two new powers to a monster not 
  only makes it more complicated to run (potentially 
  slowing down combat), it risks increasing the crea-
  ture’s effectiveness in combat beyond its normal level.
   
  Most powers use the level of the creature they are 
  applied to for calculating attack rolls and damage 
  rolls. Melee attack powers marked “melee reach” use 
  the reach of the base creature’s melee basic attack.
  	
  attack	Powers: each theme includes a number of 
  different attack powers. Some give a monster a new 
  attack or the ability to impose some debilitating effect 
  on its foes. others powers provide enhancements to a 
  monster’s existing attack powers. each power is writ-
  ten in the style of a normal monster power entry, with 
  a header noting which part of a monster’s statistics 
  block it is added to. This is accompanied by a descrip-
  tion of the most appropriate roles for the power, along 
  with optional story hooks.
  	
  Utility	Powers: In addition to attack powers, a 
  theme might include options such as auras, healing 
  powers, special movement, and situational benefits.
  In most cases, adding a utility power doesn’t alter 
  a monster’s core identity or tactics as drastically as 
  adding a new attack power. Possible exceptions are 
  noted in the option’s text.
  Baphomet’s	maze	(sample	power)	
   
  This power casts the target’s mind into Baphomet’s Endless 
  Maze, the 600th layer of the abyss. There, it wanders 
  helplessly until it can escape. Baphomet commonly grants 
  this power to oni, minotaur priests of his cults, and tomb 
  demons. This power is best suited for controllers, and is a 
  sign of Baphomet’s utmost favor. 
  minOr	aCtiOns 
   R Baphomet’s	maze ✦ encounter 
  Attack: ranged 10 (one creature); level + 3 vs. Will
  Hit: The target is stunned (save ends). at the start of each of its 
  turns, the target can make an Intelligence check to end the 
  stunned effect (DC equal to 10 + this creature’s level). The 
  target gains a +5 bonus to this check for each prior failed check. 
  Demonic Traps and Hazards
  With the Blood War in a state of dark truce, the con-
  flict between devils and demons plays out more and 
  more in the mortal realm. The demon cults of the 
  world are all too eager to spread the power of their 
  abyssal masters, and their temples and sanctuaries 
  quickly become polluted by dark magic.
   
  This section presents new hazards and traps for 
  use in designing demonic encounters, and it describes 
  features commonly found in the temples and shrines 
  of worldly demon cults.
  Pillars of Chaos 
  The inner precincts of many demonic temples are 
  lined with pillars carved to reflect the visages of their 
  abyssal lords. The magic of these pillars presents a 
  potent obstacle to any creatures that trespass.
  Pillars	of	Chaos	
  level	4	Obstacle 
  Trap 
  Xp 175 
  The pillars set around this chamber are covered with leering 
  demonic faces, their eyes seeming to follow you as you move. 
  trap: planar energy infuses the pillars of chaos, hurling victims 
  randomly throughout the chamber. Six pillars make up this 
  trap, each of which occupies 1 square.
  Perception	
   
  No perception check is necessary to notice the pillars. 
  additional	skill:	arcana
  ✦ DC 12: These pillars are infused with the planar energy of 
  the abyss.
  ✦ DC 17: The pillars of chaos warp space around them. 
  Demons can use the power of the pillars to teleport, but 
  other creatures are drawn through the teleportation field at 
  random. 
  trigger	
   
  a pillar attacks whenever a nondemon starts its turn 
  adjacent to it.
  attack	
  Opportunity	action  
  Close burst 1 centered on the 
  pillar adjacent to the triggering creature
  target: The triggering creature 
  attack: +7 vs. Fortitude 
  Hit: The target is teleported to an unoccupied square adjacent 
  to one of the trap’s other pillars, determined randomly. 
  
  A M P e R S A N D
  80
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  special: as a move action, a demon adjacent to a pillar of 
  chaos can teleport to any unoccupied space it can see 
  adjacent to another pillar of chaos.
  Countermeasures	
  ✦ a character adjacent to a pillar of chaos can make a DC 
  17 arcana check (as a move action) to control the trap’s 
  teleportation field. On a successful check, the character 
  teleports to any unoccupied square it can see adjacent to 
  another pillar of chaos.
  ✦ a character can attack a pillar to destroy it (aC 5, reflex 5, 
  Fortitude 10, 30 hit points). Destroying all the pillars ends 
  this trap’s threat.
  aBySSal Scavenger
  Abyssal Scavengers are thought of as vermin in their native 
  realm—a reputation that inspires these horrors to seek easy 
  hunting grounds in the mortal world. Creating strength 
  in numbers, a pack of abyssal scavengers can quickly lay 
  waste to even the largest humanoid settlements.
  Lore 
  arcana	DC	15: Like all demons, abyssal scavengers live 
  to destroy. In contrast to most of their kind, scavengers 
  consume the creatures they kill in order to spawn hatch-
  lings. In the Abyss, their numbers are kept in check by 
  the voracious appetites of demons more powerful than 
  they are. An infestation of scavengers in the world can 
  quickly multiply to overwhelm humanoid settlements.
   
  These creatures are also known for a deadly side effect 
  of their insatiable appetites. each scavenger carries a 
  mote of the raw essence of the Abyss within it. If signifi-
  cant numbers of scavengers gather in tight quarters, their 
  abyssal essence can consume them, leaving a demongate 
  in its wake. Such gates rarely last for long, but they can 
  touch any layer of the Abyss. other demons take advan-
  tage of these temporary crossings to the mortal world, 
  and what began as an infestation of relatively weak scav-
  engers can quickly become a full-scale demonic invasion.
  Encounters 
  Few sane spellcasters attempt to summon abyssal 
  scavengers, for fear that their numbers will quickly 
  grow out of control. These creatures’ potential to 
  create demongates does. however, make them a favor-
  ite target of summoning rituals by apocalyptic cults of 
  Demogorgon and oublivae.
  abyssal	scavenger  
  level	2	skirmisher	(leader) 
  small	elemental	beast	(demon)  
  XP	125 
  HP 34; Bloodied 17 
  initiative +6
  aC 16, Fortitude 13, reflex 15, Will 13 
  Perception +2
  speed 8 
  low-light vision
  standard	actions 
  m Claw ✦ at-Will 
  Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. aC Hit: 1d8 + 5 
  damage. 
  M Frenzied	Claw ✦ at-Will 
  Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. aC Hit: 1d8 + 5 
  damage, and any other scavenger within 5 squares of the 
  target can shift 2 squares toward the target as a free action. 
  move	actions 
  C	scuttle ✦ at-Will 
  Effect: The scavenger shifts 3 squares. 
  triggered	actions 
  death	shriek 
  Trigger: The scavenger drops to 0 hit points.
  Effect (no Action): Close burst 3 (creatures in burst); 
  any scavenger in the burst can make a melee basic attack  
  as a free action. 
  variable	resistance ✦ encounter 
  Trigger: The scavenger takes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or 
  thunder damage.
  Effect (Free Action): The scavenger gains resist 5 to the trig-
  gering damage type until the end of the encounter. 
  skills Stealth +9 
  	
  str 13 (+2) 
  dex 16 (+4) 
  Wis 13 (+2)
  Con 10 (+1) 
  int 3 (–3) 
  Cha 10 (+1)
  alignment chaotic evil; 
  languages —
  Abyssal Scavengers  
  in Combat 
  Abyssal scavengers attack together, staying close to 
  maximize the effect of frenzied claw and death shriek. 
  A scavenger becomes more animated and aggressive 
  with each foe that drops to its allies’ attacks.
  In Case You Don’t Know Him 
  Bill	Slavicsek’s gaming life was forever changed when he 
  discovered Dungeons & Dragons in 1976. He became a 
  gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West end 
  Games as an editor. He quickly added developer, designer, 
  and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped 
  shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplay-
  ing games. He even found some time during that period to do 
  freelance work for D&D 1st edition. In 1993, Bill joined the 
  staff of TSR, Inc. as a designer/editor. He worked on a bunch 
  of 2nd edition material, including products for Core D&D, 
  Dark Sun, Ravenloft, and Planescape. In 1997, he was part of 
  the TSR crowd that moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the 
  Coast, and in that year he was promoted to R&D Director for 
  D&D. In that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both the 
  3rd edition and 4th edition of the D&D Roleplaying Game. 
  He was one of the driving forces behind the D&D Insider proj-
  ect, and he continues to oversee and lead the creative strategy 
  and effort for Dungeons & Dragons.
   
  Bill’s enormous list of credits includes Alternity, d20 
  Modern, d20 Star Wars, Pokemon Jr., Eberron Campaign Setting, 
  the D&D For Dummies books, and his monthly Ampersand (&) 
  column for Dragon Magazine.
  That’s it for this month. Until next time,  
  Keep Playing!
  
  C o N F e S S I o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T I M e  W I Z A R D
  By	sHelly	mazzanOBle
  illustrations by William O’Conner
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  81
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  I must confess. Sometimes I’m a bit insecure. And no, 
  not in the predictable “does this belt of vigor make 
  my butt look fat?” way. And certainly not in the “Holy 
  cow, is the wait staff looking at me funny because I 
  just devoured two baskets of chips, a grande burrito, 
  and fried ice cream?” way that I probably should be. 
  I’m talking about playmat insecurity. Yes, that’s right. 
  Your Player-in-Chief sometimes lacks confidence in 
  her PC prowess.
   
  The sorts of things that get me include: Could I 
  have negotiated a better deal from our patron and 
  gotten the party more gold pieces? Did I give up too 
  much info to the armed guards and put the party in 
  danger? Should I stand here? or here? What about 
  over there? Should I make an Arcana check? or His-
  tory? or just wait for New DM to ask for a Perception 
  check. 
   
  So mostly, I stick with what I know. It’s all scorch-
  ing burst this and magic missile that. But why am I so 
  uptight? It’s just a game, right? Just like dancing was 
  supposed to be just a hobby, but now I’m terrified of 
  being a duck! 
   
  Right. I guess I should explain that.
   
  When I was four my mom enrolled me in dance 
  classes. This was after the “Balance Beam Blunder” 
  but before the “Diving Board Disaster.” I really 
  wanted to be a dancer like the ones on Solid Gold, and 
  Mom loved the idea of starting me early in something 
  that could potentially get me a college scholarship. I 
  don’t remember the classes, which probably explains 
  what happened at the much-anticipated recital. That, 
  I remember, thanks in part to the pictures. The radio-
  active yellow ducky costume with white bobby socks 
  and chunky tap shoes. My hands over my head while 
  everyone else’s were down. Me pirouetting when 
  the other girls step ball changed. Their feet stomped 
  while my fingers snapped. That’s the day I gave up 
  my dream of becoming a Solid Gold dancer, and Mom 
  opened a college fund.
   
  I tried to be a good duck, but there were just too 
  many moves to remember. I figured it would be better 
  to forgo learning the entire routine in favor of getting 
  really, really good at one or two things like pirouet-
  ting and finger snapping. 
   
  And here I am, many years later, feeling like that 
  4-year-old duck when I play D&D. I want to be a more 
  strategic player. I want to maximize Tabitha’s powers. 
  Confessions of an 
  Overwhelmed Duckling
  
  C o N F e S S I o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T I M e  W I Z A R D
  82
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  I want to help the party solve puzzles and reap 
  rewards. And yet, sometimes I choose to have Tabitha 
  cast scorching burst because I know she’s good at it. I 
  can attack and roll damage without once referencing 
  my character sheet. 
   
  Here’s another secret. After Tabitha and company 
  leveled and I retrieved my freshly minted character 
  sheet from the printer, I looked at it. I mean, really 
  looked at it. Hmm . . . when did I get wizard’s escape? 
  oh yeah, I have a shield! I double-checked to make 
  sure this character sheet said  “Tabitha Sparkles.” I 
  guess I always thought my fellow party members just 
  had more options than I did. I thought maybe wizards 
  were minimalists. But now it was abundantly clear. 
  Tabby is packing. I just didn’t know it. 
   
  I know there are programs on my computer I’ve 
  never bothered to learn to use. There’s probably an 
  app on my phone that does even cooler things than 
  I use it for. There might be buttons on my remote 
  control that do my laundry, pay the bills, and turn 
  cats into pots of gold for all I know. But those don’t 
  impact things like the health and safety of my fellow 
  party members. 
   
  For instance, in a recent session, Bart’s kenku 
  Holden was getting his feathers handed to him. 
  The poor little birdman was down to single digit hit 
  points, out of encounter and daily powers, and was 
  the only party member left that could offer some 
  healing. He was only 5 squares from Tabitha and 
  marked by a mezzodemon, which was how Tabby 
  managed to creep by it to find a bit of cover. one 
  more decent hit and Holden would be a McKenku 
  Nugget. You know what would have been cool? If 
  someone had cast invisibility on Holden to give him a 
  chance to get out of harm’s way. It turns out Tabby 
  could have, if she bothered looking at her spell list 
  once in a while. Instead she tossed a wimpy scorch-
  ing burst at the offending monster, dealing maybe 7 
  damage. Holden survived, but no thanks to me.
   
  This is all cathartic, so pardon me while I continue 
  with a full disclosure. once in a while, Tabitha gets 
  close enough to the action to actually get hit with a 
  melee weapon. That’s not the embarrassing part. My 
  little wizard has been toting around something called 
  wizard’s escape in her big, old spellbook. She could 
  have teleported away from the enemy who hit her 
  instead of clutching her bleeding oblique and provok-
  ing an attack of opportunity when she ran away. That 
  same spell book contains arcane insight, which would 
  allow Tabitha to reroll an Arcana check. Imagine 
  that! Instead of saying, “Sorry guys, I must been out 
  sick the day we covered force fields,” she may have 
  been able to offer up some knowledge that would 
  have helped the party in a skill challenge. Ugh. I hope 
  they don’t read this.
   
  Whew! That felt good! Anyway, while I was discov-
  ering my past failings and pondering my future as a 
  wizard, something inexplicable happens. As if Avan-
  dra herself decided to take a hand in Tabby’s fate, a 
  magical book lands on my desk. Actually I have no 
  proof of its magical abilities, but I’m taking it as a sign 
  anyway. It’s called the Player’s Strategy Guide. I flip the 
  book open and read an inscription written on a Post-
  It note:
   
  “Hey there,” says the note. “You and Tabby might 
  want to read this.”
   
  A gift from a secret admirer? Nice! Turning the 
  book over, I see why. 
   
  “For Awesome Characters only.”
   
  of course! The back cover promises to make me the 
  envy of my gaming group due to my jaw-droppingly 
  awesome newfound player skillz. Wait a minute. New 
  player skills? You mean my sub-par D&D proficiencies 
  are that obvious? Suddenly I feel like those people who 
  order “Flab-Be-Gone” or face freezing lotion from late 
  night infomercials. oh please, let this work! I dig into 
  the first chapter right away.
   
  It says something about why I might enjoy playing 
  D&D. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I probably want to play more 
  effectively. Sure, sure, whatever. Then: “on the other 
  hand, you might be struggling with the number of 
  options available to your character.”
   
  Whoa! This is a sign. Already I’m starting to feel 
  better. If R&D wrote a whole book about this topic, 
  then surely there have to be more of us out there, 
  right? 
    
  “What are you reading?” my boss asked, walking 
  by my desk. 
   
  “Nothing!” I answer, snapping the book shut. Why 
  am I being so defensive? Am I not allowed to read the 
  books we publish? It’s not like I’m reading US Weekly 
  or How to Deal with Ineffective Leadership or something. 
  But sometimes you don’t want to let anyone in on your 
  quest for self-improvement until you know it’s going 
  to work. Plus my boss is in my game. If I forget to use 
  shield again, that could show up on my review. Better 
  that she, and the rest of the Wyld Stallyns, stay in the 
  dark a little longer. 
   
  In the safety of my own home I returned to 
  studying. 
   
  Tabitha doesn’t have to be perfect. Just like the 
  little duckling Shelly didn’t have to perform every step 
  perfectly. But there are similarities between a dance 
  recital and a D&D party. You should be in synch. 
  
  C o N F e S S I o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T I M e  W I Z A R D
  83
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  each person should have a role. If one falters, plays 
  half-assed, or goes rogue during an encounter, you all 
  suffer for it. (You might also laugh your face off like 
  my brother did. There are pictures of that, too.) 
   
  Is Tabitha really the best possible character she can 
  be? Not according to Chapter 1. I mean, sure, she’s got 
  a backstory—that was one of the first things New DM 
  tasked us with before we even sat down to play as a 
  group—but does she have goals? Career ambitions? An 
  epic destiny? I didn’t know she needed one!
   
  At least I’m doing something right. The book rec-
  ommends you, “shop for particularly utilitarian or 
  extraordinary flamboyant clothing.” Finally! My work 
  as Player-in-Chief has paid off. It then goes on to say, 
  “Come up with a couple of interesting possessions to 
  wear or carry.” This must be a nod to Tabby getting 
  a new outfit or accessory every time we finish an 
  adventure. She’s been dressed by the best—bracers by 
  Hershey, robes by Cote D’or, feather boa by . . . well. . 
  . someone’s Halloween costume. 
   
  I skip ahead to the section about choosing powers. 
  Tabby kills stuff, so I must be at least moderately pro-
  ficient in that aspect. It turns out, nope. Apparently 
  my method of choosing spells based on maximum 
  dice of damage isn’t always the best option. Perhaps 
  this is why most of my daily and encounter powers 
  are fire-based. That’s great if you’re only going to fight 
  stacks of dry logs and marshmallows, but maybe not 
  the best defense when you’re fighting a fire elemen-
  tal. Maybe I should look into swapping some out in 
  exchange for powers that will round out the types of 
  damage Tabby can dish. 
   
  And clearly I have issues with utility powers. You’d 
  think something that basically promises to be useful 
  would be easier to remember. Arcane insight, invis-
  ibility, wizard’s escape, shield. Yep. Pretty useful. And 
  with the exception of invisibility they’re all encounter 
  powers. Who picked these? Remember that fight I 
  mentioned earlier? The one where only Holden and 
  Tabby were left standing and both of us were getting 
  beat up from all angles? My shield may have prevented 
  enough damage for me to sustain Tabitha’s flaming 
  sphere and keep attacking the naga rather than spend 
  a healing surge.
   
  So it’s pretty clear I need to develop mission state-
  ments for Tabitha.
   
  Mission	Statement	#1: examine utility powers 
  and learn what they do. 
   
  Mission	Statement	#2: Use them! 
  To be honest, at this point I kind of wish I had a 
  scorching burst right now so I could scorch away this 
  depressing book. or maybe fry some ice cream. Not 
  since the Great Duck Debacle have I felt so poorly 
  about myself. But just as my spirits hit rock bottom, 
  I saw a beacon of hope: Quizzes! How would I have 
  ever known what kind of friend I am or what my 
  purse says about me without quizzes? 
   
  I open right up to the “What Class Are You?” quiz. 
  Hmm. . .  maybe I’ve been playing this all wrong? 
  The fantasy me has always been drawn to magic 
  users because the real me loves a little slight of hand. 
  Unfortunately the quiz does little to quell my con-
  cerns. out of ten questions I scored three points each 
  under ranger, rogue, and wizard, and one point under 
  paladin. (How did that get in there?) For the record, 
  question four about my wardrobe didn’t have any 
  appropriate answers. A taxidermy shop? Maybe R&D 
  should have consulted me before coming up with 
  these answers.
   
  I was hoping the “What Race Are You” quiz would 
  be a bit more telling, but instead it depressed me. out 
  of the eight races, I scored one point in every category 
  except tiefling and scored the highest in my least 
  favorite race: human. (I don’t understand the desire 
  to play a human in D&D when you already play one 
  in real life.) Basically, these quizzes only proved what 
  I already knew: Tabitha might be one cocky tiefling, 
  but Shelly is one conflicted human.
   
  Reading on, I come across something I hadn’t 
  heard since my Introduction to Acting class back 
  in college: What’s Your Motivation? Well, what is my 
  motivation? To stay alive? To have a good time? To not 
  get Kierin’s character, Aaeon, caught in Tabby’s bursts 
  or blasts again? According to this quiz, I’m once again 
  at odds, this time between a thinker and a slayer. What 
  does that mean?  I daydream about how to blow up 
  monsters but seldom act on it? I do spend a lot of time 
  fretting over which spell to use. And let’s be honest: 
  encounter powers are the equivalent of TSA regula-
  tions on liquids. I now live in fear of running out of 
  conditioner 537 miles from my bathroom and using 
  up shock sphere 537 feet below ground. And don’t even 
  get me started on daily powers. 
   
  Time to study up for class. My wizard class that is. 
  Thinkers fit best with controller classes. Finally, a sign my 
  seven levels with Tabitha have not been in vain. But 
  I’m disturbed by what it says about wizards under 
  hidden talents: “the widest range of problem-solving 
  options of any character.” Tabitha? Has she ever 
  solved a problem? Not single-handedly, but I realize 
  that’s my fault. While she’s trained in Diplomacy, 
  Insight, and Intimidate (not to mention travels with a 
  show bear who gives her a +2 on Intimidate checks) 
  she is seldom the one to start up critical negotia-
  
  C o N F e S S I o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T I M e  W I Z A R D
  84
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  tions. But that’s me metagaming, rather than possibly 
  (probably) playing in character. I don’t want to say 
  the wrong thing. But Tabitha wouldn’t be so urbane. 
  In fact, if I actually roleplayed her she’d be saying the 
  wrong thing all the time. How’s that for zero pres-
  sure? Play a character without a censor! She’s gruff 
  and intimidating and would rather make you pee 
  your pants than compliment them. I gave her that 
  backstory, yet I’m afraid to use it. I don’t need to show 
  up at our games in a feather boa and horns, but I do 
  need to start thinking like a hot-headed tiefling. 
   
  Mission	Statement	#3: Get into character. 
  I continue to study. According to the PSG, if a player 
  is already feeling overwhelmed, perhaps mastering 
  the powers and knowledge they already have should 
  come before taking on even more. But what fun is 
  that? A long time ago, Tabitha went and got herself 
  all multiclassed as a warlock. oh, I never mentioned 
  that? Well, that’s probably because I have no idea 
  what to do with her fancy warlock sophistication. It’s 
  the same sort of impulse that keep me buying over-
  processed juice at Safeway instead of reading the 
  stupid instructions that go with my big, fancy over-
  priced juicer so I can make my own! I don’t even like 
  juice that much! And Tabby doesn’t really like hellish 
  rebuke. Fortunately Player’s Strategy Guide is all about 
  asking for help—from your DM, your party, your bud-
  dies down in R&D. Maybe Tabby should ditch her 
  dreams of becoming a warlock and concentrate on 
  becoming a really good wizard. And maybe I should 
  figure out how to make a smoothie at home. That 
  leads me to:
   
  Mission	Statement	#4: Use it or lose it. 
  Here’s a topic my group continues to debate: When 
  ten monsters are spread out on the playmat, is it 
  better to split up and target multiple enemies or focus 
  all of our efforts on one? Just like it’s hard to resist 
  buying two dozen rolls of paper towels at Costco (I 
  may not need that many rolls at the time and have 
  nowhere to put them, but I’ll never have to buy them 
  again), sometimes it’s hard for Tabby to resist drop-
  ping a big, flaming orb on a gaggle of baddies. That’s 
  kind of the point of a burst and blast, right? But if 
  there’s not a grouping or a clear leader of the bad 
  guys, we’re all over the place, knocking over book-
  shelves and jumping over sarcophaguses and firing 
  at whomever is closest. Apparently, this sort of tactic 
  is a little counterproductive. Right. If common sense 
  didn’t tell you that, simple math should. There’s a 
  whole chapter in this book on strategy and tactics, 
  and I’m about to read it for the fourth time. And I add 
  the following to my list:
   
  Mission	Statement	#5: Think before you 
  detonate.
  Tabby might not be a sequin-adorned dancing duck, 
  but she’s certainly a quack. I feel like I just completed 
  my first year of wizardry grad school and there’s 
  still more studying to do. I haven’t even gotten to the 
  “Don’t Be a Jerk” section of Chapter 4 (sorry, New 
  DM), but I’m certainly inspired to try out some of my 
  newfound wisdom in the coming weeks. It looks like 
  Tabby needs to learn the whole routine. Snapping 
  your fingers only gets you so far. 
   
  To be continued…
  About the Author 
  Inspired by Tabitha’s make-over, Shelly	Mazzanoble 
  decided to take a dance class, which ended badly when 
  the teacher scolded her for trying to bully 4 year-olds into 
   pirouetting and finger snapping instead of those lame moves 
  they were being forced to learn.
  
  D
  D & D  A L U M N I
  85
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast llC. all rights reserved.
  by Bart Carroll and Steve Winter
  Pick a card, any card… 
  With Dragon Magazine’s release of the 4th edition 
  Deck of Many Things, D&D Alumni was compelled to 
  cover the history of this powerful item. Personally, it 
  ranks among this author’s favorite magic items, along 
  with the bag of tricks and wand of wonder—magic items 
  that offer a veritable lottery of effects. This random-
  izing element provided the appeal (oddly enough) 
  of these items, at least to me: some results might be 
  helpful, some less so… and in the case of the Deck, 
  some results could be outright calamitous, including 
  the loss of one’s life, soul, or every last possession.
   
  By their nature in the game, magic items are 
  desired because they’re decidedly and definitively 
  helpful, the exceptions being the cursed items of past 
  editions (whose return I campaign for wholeheart-
  edly). Yet for all their uncertainty of results (“both 
  beneficial and baleful”), it’s precisely this gamble 
  that makes the Deck of Many Things so wonderfully 
  compelling.
  A Little Historical 
  Background
  A deck of cards ranks among the more familiar items 
  in fantasy—not to the same extent as the more iconic 
  sword, shield, or crown, but somewhere on a similar 
  level of, say, magic boots, a sack of gold, or a talking 
  animal. This is perhaps most famously personified in 
  Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts. Also consider 
  the first three books in Michael Moorcock’s tales 
  of Corum, The Knight of the Swords, The Queen of the 
  Swords, and The King of the Swords; the use of trumps 
  to communicate and travel instantly in the Chronicles 
  of Amber; and countless tales of mortals either play-
  ing or cutting cards with the Devil for ownership of 
  their souls. This association even carries over to this 
  day—no stage magician is without his deck of cards, 
  and card tricks are usually the first type of illusion an 
  aspiring magician learns.
  Tarot cards—appearing throughout medieval 
  europe—have long been entwined with divination, 
  alchemy and mysticism (not to mention as images 
  featured on two of this author’s tattoos), as well as 
  ostensibly for gaming; the tarot’s swords, staffs, cups, 
  and coins theoretically became modern playing 
  cards’ diamonds, clubs, spades, and hearts. Tarot 
  decks have also made their appearance in literature, 
  everywhere from Stephen King’s The Gunslinger to 
  J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
   
  When it comes to cards in Dungeons & Dragons, 
  it’s fairly easy to imagine the game’s creators incor-
  porating materials at hand into their sessions. After 
  all, Gary Gygax wrote dime store toy monsters into 
  the game as the rust monster, owlbear, and bullete. 
  A standard 6-sided die might have been employed 
  as the first cube of force or cubic gate. Similarly, a deck 
  of cards might have been offered, enticing players to 
  draw one and test their luck.
  Deck of Many Things
  
  D & D  A L U M N I
  86
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Supplement 1
  The first Deck of Many Things appeared as far back 
  as Supplement 1: Greyhawk, a slightly truncated ver-
  sion—only 18 unnamed cards—with the following 
  effects (and the playing cards used to represent them; 
  AH=Ace of Hearts, and so on):
  aH	
  immediately	gain	50,000	experience	points.
  kH	
  gain	miscellaneous	magical	item	of	the		
  	
  player’s	choice.
  QH	
  gain	1d3	wishes	to	be	taken	when	the	
  	
  player	likes.
  JH	
  Help	from	a	high-level	warrior	with	+3	armor,
  	
  shield,	and	sword	for	one	hour	when	you	call		
  	
  for	him.
  ad	
  immediately	gain	map	to	richest	treasure	on	
  	
  any	dungeon	level.
  kd	
  gain	5d6	pieces	of	jewelry	immediately.
  Qd	
  gain	scroll	of	seven	spells	with	no	1st-level	
  	
  spells	on	it.
  Jd	
  add	one	point	to	any	ability	score.
  as	
  lose	one	experience	level	immediately.
  ks	
  a	high-level	warrior	with	+4	armor,	shield,	
  	
  and	sword	attacks	you.
  Qs	
  immediate	death,	no	saving	throw.
  Js	
  monster	from	the	gray	Waste	attacks	
  	
  by	surprise.
  aC	
  Change	alignment	immediately	(randomly).
  kC	
  lose	your	most	prized	magical	item	immediately.
  QC	
  turn	to	stone,	no	saving	throw.
  JC	
  lose	1	point	from	your	Prime	requisite.
  J	(2)	
  gain	25,000	experience	points	immediately	
  	
  or	select	two	additional	cards.
  1st edition
  From the Dungeon Master’s Guide, this next iteration 
  had expanded to 22 named cards:
   
  “A deck of many things (beneficial and baneful) usu-
  ally is found contained within a box or leather pouch. 
  each deck contains a number of thin plaques or plates. 
  These sheets are usually of ivory or vellum. each is 
  engraved and/or inscribed with glyphs, characters, 
  and magical sigils. As soon as one of these sheets is 
  drawn forth from the pack, its magic is bestowed 
  upon the person who drew it, for better or worse. The 
  character gaining a deck of many things may announce 
  that only 1 will be drawn from the pack, or he or she 
  may opt to draw forth 2, 3, or even 4, but the number 
  must be announced prior to the first plaque with-
  drawn. Note that if the jester is drawn, the possessor 
  of the deck may elect to draw 2 additional cards. each 
  time a plaque is taken from the deck it is replaced 
  unless the draw is a jester or fool, in which case the 
  plaque is discarded from the pack.”
  A few explanatory notes. Drawing the Key meant roll-
  ing on the treasure map table (located earlier in the 
  DMG) with +20%:
  dice	result	
  01-05:	False	map	
  06-70:	map	to	monetary	treasure	
  71-90:	map	to	magic	treasure	
  91-00:	map	to	a	combined	hoard
  As with so very many things in the 1st edition DMG, 
  a wonderful surplus of tables and extraneous writing 
  helped flesh out this simple chart. For example, trea-
  sure shown on the map would be:
  01-10:	Buried	and	unguarded.	
  11-20:	Hidden	in	water.	
  21-70:	guarded	in	a	lair.	
  71-80:	somewhere	in	a	ruins.	
  81-90:	in	a	burial	crypt.	
  91-00:	secreted	in	a	town.
  When it came to magic treasure, “most treasures will 
  have magic potions, scrolls, armor and weapons. This 
  is carefully planned so as to prevent imbalance in the 
  game. Keep potent magic items rare. (Increase scar-
  city by destroying or stealing what is found!)… These 
  are the real finds, which can satisfy even the most 
  avaricious dwarf’s greed.”
  
  D & D  A L U M N I
  87
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
   
  A standard deck of cards had other uses as well; 
  the 1st edition DMG also used them for the deck of 
  illusions. Dragon Magazine #36 (June 1979) provided 
  results for the Major Arcana in a tarot deck with its 
  Tarot Deck of Unalterable Fate; Dragon #77 (September 
  1983) utilized every card in a tarot deck; and, just 
  as with tarot readings, these results varied depend-
  ing on if a card were drawn upright or reversed. For 
  instance, upon drawing the chariot card:
  	
  Upright: The drawer is cured of all diseases, 
  lycanthropy, deafness, blindness, curses, charms, and 
  the like of which she or he is a victim, and will be 
  15% less susceptible to them from now on. Also, the 
  drawer will be able to coax an extra 3 movement out 
  of any vehicle, mount, or other mode of travel, as long 
  as the drawer’s mind is clear and free to concentrate.
  	
  reversed: The drawer, over the next seven days, 
  begins to manifest a severe and chronic disease, 
  which can only be cured by a potion made from the 
  brains of two different kinds of sphinxes. The disease 
  will not prove fatal for at least 49 days.
  2nd Edition
  The Deck nearly disappeared from AD&D with 2nd 
  edition. That wasn’t because it was monstrously 
  random and dangerous to characters—which it cer-
  tainly was—but because its randomness and power 
  gave it the potential to destroy campaigns if DMs 
  allowed the Deck to be, or were bullied into letting it 
  be, abused. Sadly, countless letters to Dragon Maga-
  zine indicated that was exactly what was happening 
  in many cases.
   
  The Deck survived, though, on the philosophy that 
  it would be used wisely, or at least cautiously, far more 
  often than abusively.
  3rd Edition
  What changed with the 3rd edition’s version of the 
  Deck?
   
  While the earlier Skull card had you fighting 
  death itself (at least a minor version: AC -4; 33 hit 
  points; strikes with a scythe for 2-16 hit points, never 
  missing, always striking first in a round. If the char-
  acter is slain he or she is slain forever. Treat the Death 
  as undead with respect to spells. Cold or fire do not 
  harm it, neither does electrical energy.), this version 
  became an unturnable dread wraith.
   
  Likewise, drawing the Flames originally created 
  an enmity between you and a greater devil (pos-
  sibly even an arch-devil… so good luck with that 
  encounter); in this version, you simply angered some 
  undefined outsider.
   
  Yet the spirit of the cards remained the same. In 
  all versions, the Vizier gave you an answer, the Fates 
  let you avoid some situation, and the Donjon left a 
  character stripped of his possessions and imprisoned. 
  You could now also use select cards from a tarot deck 
  to represent the many things:
  sun	
  kd	
  gain	beneficial	miscellaneous
  	
  	
  magic	item	and	50,000		
  	
  	
  experience	points.
  moon	
  Qd	
  you	are	granted	1-4	wishes.
  star	
  Jd	
  immediately	gain	2	points	on	
  	
  	
  your	major	ability.
  Comet	
  2d	
  defeat	the	next	monster	you		
  	
  	
  meet	to	gain	1	level.
  throne	
  kH	
  gain	charisma	of	18	and	
  	
  	
  small	keep.
  key	
  QH	
  gain	a	treasure	map	plus	
  	
  	
  1	magic	weapon.
  knight	
  JH	
  gain	the	service	of	a	4th		
  	
  	
  level	fighter.
  gem	
  2H	
  gain	your	choice	of	20	jewelry	
  	
  	
  or	50	gems.
  the	void	 ks	
  Body	functions,	but	soul	is	
  	
  	
  trapped	elsewhere.
  Flames	
  QC	
  enmity	between	you	and	a	devil.
  skull	
  JC	
  defeat	death	or	be		
  	
  	
  forever	destroyed.
  talons	
  2C	
  all	magic	items	you	possess	are	
  	
  	
  torn	from	you.
  ruin	
  ks	
  immediately	lose	all	wealth	and	
  	
  	
  real	property.
  euryale	
  Qs	
  minus	3	on	all	saving	throws	vs.
  	
  	
  petrifaction.
  rogue	
  Js	
  One	of	your	henchmen	turns	
  	
  	
  against	you.
  Balance	 2s	
  Change	alignment	or	be	judged.
  Jester	
  J	
  gain	10,000	experience	points		
  	
  	
  or	2	more	draws	from	the	deck.
  Fool	
  J	with	
  lose	10,000	experience
  	
  trademark	
  points;	draw	again.
  vizier	
  ad	
  know	the	answer	to	your	
  	
  	
  next	dilemma
  idiot	
  aC	
  lose	1-4	points	of	intelligence,	
  	
  	
  you	may	draw	again.
  Fates	
  aH	
  avoid	any	situation	you	
  	
  	
  choose…	once.
  donjon	
  as	
  you	are	imprisoned.
  
  D & D  A L U M N I
  88
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  4th Edition
  From Dungeon Magazine #177’s introduction:
   
  “of all artifacts to grace the world with their 
  presence, perhaps none is more dangerous than 
  the infamous Deck of Many Things. The artifact has 
  appeared in every edition of Dungeons & Dragons, 
  and first appeared in the Greyhawk supplement in 
  1975. Through each of its iterations, the Deck of Many 
  Things has remained a dangerous and chaotic artifact. 
  This 4th edition update of the classic artifact retains 
  much of the traditional version’s chaotic nature 
  while bringing its mechanics more in line with what 
  modern Dungeon Masters can use in their games.” 
   
  Rodney Thompson recreated the Deck, casting it 
  not as a mere magic item, but now as an artifact. And 
  while his iteration maintains the cards’ effects, it also 
  provides some solid roleplaying structure to their 
  results. Take the Donjon card, for example. Its earlier 
  explanation read in full:
   
  “This signifies imprisonment—either by spell or 
  by some creature/being at your option. All gear and 
  spells will be stripped from the victim in any case.
  The new version expands on what this can mean in 
  your game, should a player ever suffer the misfortune 
  of drawing it:”
  Plaque		
  tarot	Card	
  Playing	Card	
  summary	of	effect
  Balance	
  Justice	
  two	of	spades	
  Change	alignment	instantly.
  Comet	
  two	of	swords	
  two	of	diamonds	
  defeat	the	next	monster	you	meet	to	gain	one	level.
  donjon	
  Four	of	swords	
  ace	of	spades	
  you	are	imprisoned.
  euryale	
  ten	of	swords	
  Queen	of	spades	
  –1	penalty	on	all	saving	throws	henceforth.
  the	Fates	 three	of	cups	
  ace	of	hearts	
  avoid	any	situation	you	choose...	once.
  Flames	
  the	devil	
  Queen	of	clubs	
  enmity	between	you	and	an	outsider.
  Fool	
  the	Fool	
  Joker	(with	trademark)	
  lose	10,000	experience	points	and	you	must	
  	
  	
  	
  draw	again.
  gem	
  seven	of	cups	
  two	of	hearts	
  gain	your	choice	of	twenty-five	pieces	of	jewelry		
  	
  	
  	
  or	fifty	gems.
  idiot	
  two	of	pentacles	
  two	of	clubs	
  lose	intelligence	(permanent	drain).	you	may		
  	
  	
  	
  draw	again.
  Jester	
  the	Hanged	man	
  Joker	(without	trademark)	
  gain	10,000	XP	or	two	more	draws	from	the	deck.
  key	
  the	Hierophant	
  Queen	of	hearts	
  gain	a	major	magic	weapon.
  knight	
  Page	of	swords	
  Jack	of	hearts	
  gain	the	service	of	a	4th-level	fighter.
  moon	
  the	moon	
  Queen	of	diamonds	
  you	are	granted	1d4	wishes.
  rogue	
  Five	of	swords	
  Jack	of	spades	
  One	of	your	friends	turns	against	you.
  ruin	
  the	tower	
  king	of	spades	
  immediately	lose	all	wealth	and	real	property.
  skull	
  death	
  Jack	of	clubs	
  defeat	dread	wraith	or	be	forever	destroyed.
  star	
  the	star	
  Jack	of	diamonds	
  immediately	gain	a	+2	inherent	bonus	to	one	
  	
  	
  	
  ability	score.
  sun	
  the	sun	
  king	of	diamonds	
  gain	beneficial	medium	wondrous	item	and	
  	
  	
  	
  50,000	XP.
  talons	
  Queen	of	pentacles	
  ace	of	clubs	
  all	magic	items	you	possess	disappear	permanently.
  throne	
  Four	of	staves	
  king	of	hearts	
  gain	a	+6	bonus	on	diplomacy	checks	plus	a	
  	
  	
  	
  small	keep.
  vizier	
  the	Hermit	
  ace	of	diamonds	
  know	the	answer	to	your	next	dilemma.
  the	void	
  eight	of	swords	
  king	of	clubs	
  Body	functions,	but	soul	is	trapped	elsewhere.
  
  D & D  A L U M N I
  89
  April 2010  |		Dr agon	386
  Donjon 
  You are imprisoned by magic—which leaves you in 
  a state of dreamless sleep—deep beneath the earth. 
  Though your body vanishes, your magic items and 
  other gear remain behind. The party gains the follow-
  ing major quest:
  Major Quest– 
  Prison of the Donjon 
  The PCs must find the location of your imprison-
  ment. The prison is deep beneath the earth (possibly 
  within a dungeon, or in a drow citadel in the Under-
  dark). The PCs must journey to that location, find 
  your imprisoned body, and use the Remove Affliction 
  ritual to free you from the prison. 
  	
  reward: 16,000 XP
  Donjon/The Void 
  Two of the cards in the Deck of Many Things, the 
  Donjon and the Void, each remove a character from 
  the party, either physically or mentally. If a player 
  gains the effects of one of these cards, you should 
  allow the player to create a new character (at the 
  same level as the character who drew from the 
  Deck of Many Things) who joins the party soon after. 
  This can be a good chance for the player to try out a 
  race, class, or character archetype he or she has not 
  played before, so don’t be afraid to encourage them 
  to try something radically different from the charac-
  ter that is imprisoned. When the PCs complete the 
  major quest and rescue that player’s character, give 
  the player the option of continuing to play the sur-
  rogate character, or resuming play as the imprisoned 
  character. If they choose the latter, apply any XP 
  gained since the character was imprisoned to that 
  character, in addition to any XP earned from the 
  quest itself. That way, the player isn’t punished for 
  resuming the imprisoned character, and the story 
  can continue as normal.
   
  And so we leave you wishing the best of luck in 
  your draw—and the following concept sketches for 
  what cards you may well come across. enjoy!
  About the Authors
  It is possible that Bart Carroll is a relative of the beholder, 
  for there are remarkable similarities between the two spe-
  cies. Bart dwells only at great depths of the ocean, floating 
  slowly about, stalking prey. He has two huge crab-like pincers 
  to seize its victims and a mouth full of small sharp teeth. 
  His primary weapons, however, are his eyes. The author 
  has a large central eye which emits a blinding flash of light 
  to dazzle and stun those in its unless a saving throw versus 
  death ray/poison is made. The author also has two smaller 
  eyes on long stalks with which he is able to create an illusion; 
  or, acting independently, the small eyes are able to cast hold 
  person and hold monster spells respectively.
   
  Steve Winter is a writer, game designer, and web producer 
  living in the Seattle area. He’s been involved with publishing 
  D&D in one form or another since 1981. Tiny people and 
  monsters made of plastic and lead are among his favorite 
  obsessions.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 4th Edition/Dragon/Dragon_386.pdf