D&D4e Heroes of The Fallen Lands & Forgotten Kingdoms
D&D4e Heroes of The Fallen Lands & Forgotten Kingdoms
C R E AT E A N D P L AY C L E R I C S , F I G H T E R S , R O G U E S , A N D W I Z A R D S !
C R E AT E A N D P L AY C L E R I C S , F I G H T E R S , R O G U E S , A N D W I Z A R D S !
R O L E P L AY I N G G A M E CO R E R U L E S
Mike Mearls ) Bill Slavicsek ) Rodney Thompson
CREDITS
Design Graphic Designers
Mike Mearls, Bill Slavicsek, Leon Cortez, Yasuyo Dunnett, Keven Smith
Rodney Thompson
Cover Illustration
Additional Design Ralph Horsley
Jeremy Crawford, James Wyatt
Interior Illustrations
Development Eric Belisle, Eric Deschamps, Emrah Elmasli,
Andy Collins, Jeremy Crawford, Wayne England, Carl Frank, David Griffith,
Stephen Schubert Brian Hagan, Ralph Horsley, Tyler Jacobson,
Kekai Kotaki, Howard Lyon, Lee Moyer, Jim
Editing Nelson, William O’Connor, Eric Polak, Chris
Michele Carter, Greg Bilsland, Jennifer Seaman, John Stanko, Anne Stokes, Francis
Clarke Wilkes, Scott Fitzgerald Gray Tsai, Eva Widermann, Ben Wootten
Managing Editing Cartographer
Kim Mohan Jason A. Engle
D&D R&D/Book Publishing Director Publishing Production Specialist
Bill Slavicsek Angelika Lokotz
D&D Creative Manager Prepress Manager
Christopher Perkins Jefferson Dunlap
D&D Senior Creative Art Director Imaging Technician
Jon Schindehette Carmen Cheung
D&D Brand Team Production Manager
Liz Schuh, Kierin Chase, Cynda Callaway
Laura Tommervik, Shelly Mazzanoble,
Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross D&D 4th Edition Design
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt
Special Thanks
Bill Rose Building on the design of previous editions by
E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, David “Zeb”
Art Director Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip
Kate Irwin Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Dungeons & Dragons Encounters, Dungeons & Dragons Essentials, Dungeon Master’s
Kit, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, Monster Vault, Rules Compendium, all other Wizards of the Coast product
names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters
and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. 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 LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein is
purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
START HERE
If you haven’t picked it up yet, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Fantasy Roleplaying
Game Starter Set is a great place to start your experience. It contains the basic
rules of the game, dice, and starting adventures to kick off a campaign. Heroes
of the Fallen Lands™ and its companion, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms,™
provide more options, including more levels of play, more classes, and more races
for you to choose from.
A ROLEPLAYING GAME
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a roleplaying game. In fact, this game
invented roleplaying games and started an industry.
A roleplaying game is a storytelling game that has elements of the games of
make-believe that many of us played as children. However, a roleplaying game
provides form and structure, with robust gameplay and endless possibilities.
In the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, you create a hero (also called a charac-
ter or an adventurer), team up with other adventurers (your friends), explore a
world, and battle monsters. While the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game uses dice
and miniatures or other tokens, the action takes place in your imagination.
There, you have the freedom to create anything you can imagine, with an unlim-
ited special effects budget and the technology to make anything happen.
What makes the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game unique is the Dungeon
Master. The DM is a person who takes on the role of lead storyteller and game
referee. The DM runs adventures for the characters and narrates the action for
the players. The DM makes the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game infinitely flexible—
he or she can react to any situation, any twist suggested by the players, to make
B E N WO OT T E N
A ROLEPLAYING GAME 5
The adventure is the heart of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. It’s like a
fantasy movie or novel, except the characters that you and your friends create are
the stars of the story. The DM sets the scene, but no one knows what’s going to
happen until the characters do something—and then anything can happen! You
might explore a dark dungeon, a ruined city, a lost temple deep in a jungle, or a
lava-fi lled cavern beneath a mysterious mountain. You solve puzzles, talk with
other characters, battle all kinds of fantastic monsters, and discover fabulous
magic items and treasure.
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a cooperative game in which you and
your friends work together to complete each adventure and have fun. It’s a story-
telling game where the only limit is your imagination. It’s a fantasy-adventure
game, building on the traditions of the greatest fantasy stories of all time. During
an adventure, you can attempt anything you can think of. Want to talk to the
dragon instead of fighting it? Want to disguise yourself as an orc and sneak into
the foul lair? Go ahead and give it a try. Your actions might work or they might
fail spectacularly, but either way you’ve contributed to the unfolding story and
had fun along the way.
You “win” the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game by participating in an exciting
story of bold adventurers confronting deadly perils. The game has no real end;
when you fi nish one story or quest, you can start another one. Many people who
play the game keep their games going for months or years, meeting with their
friends every week to pick up the story where they left off.
Your character grows as the game continues. Each monster defeated, each
adventure completed, and each treasure recovered not only adds to your continu-
ing story, but also earns your character new abilities. This increase in power is
reflected by your character’s level; as you continue to play, your character gains
more experience, rising in level and mastering new and more powerful abilities.
Sometimes your character might come to a grisly end, torn apart by fero-
cious monsters or done in by a nefarious villain. But even when your character is
defeated, you don’t “lose.” Your companions can employ powerful magic to revive
your character, or you might choose to create a new character to carry on. You
might fail to complete the adventure, but if you had a good time and you created
a story that everyone remembers for a long time, the whole group wins.
6 Introduction
T HE MOST IMPORTANT RULE
How do you know if your sword-swing hurts the dragon, or just bounces off its
iron-hard scales? How do you know if the ogre believes your outrageous bluff, or
if you can swim the raging river and reach the other side?
All these actions depend on one simple rule: Decide what you want your char-
acter to do and tell the Dungeon Master. The DM tells you to make a check and
determines your chance of success by picking a target number for the check.
You roll a twenty-sided die (d20), add some numbers, and try to hit the target
number determined by the DM. That’s it!
If your check succeeds, you determine the outcome. If your check was an attack,
you roll damage. If it was a check to see if you managed to jump across a pit, your
check result determines whether or not you made it. If you succeed on a check
when you’re trying to hide, the monsters don’t see you.
There’s a little more to it than that, but this rule governs all game play. All the
rest of the rules are extensions and refinements of this simple game rule.
GAME OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an overview of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. The
game’s complete rules can be found in the Rules Compendium. Use this chapter to
become familiar with the core concepts of the game and to review game elements.
A FANTASTIC WORLD
The world of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a place of magic and monsters,
of brave warriors and spectacular adventures. It begins with a basis of medieval
fantasy and then adds the creatures, places, and powers that make the DUNGEONS
& DRAGONS world unique.
The world of the DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS game is ancient, built upon . . . a place of magic and
and beneath the ruins of past empires, monsters, of brave warriors
leaving the landscape dotted with
places of adventure and mystery. and spectacular adventures.
Legends and artifacts of past empires
still survive—as do terrible menaces.
The current age has no all-encompassing empire. The world is shrouded in
a dark age, caught between the collapse of the last great empire and the rise of
the next, which might be centuries away. Minor kingdoms prosper, to be sure:
baronies, holdings, city-states. But each settlement appears as a point of light in
the widespread darkness, an island of civilization in the wilderness that covers
the world. Adventurers can rest in settlements between adventures, but no settle-
ment is entirely safe. Adventures break out within (and under) such places as
often as not.
During your adventures, you will visit fantastic locations: wide caverns cut
by rivers of lava; towers held aloft in the sky by ancient magic—anything you can
imagine, your character might experience as the game unfolds.
Monsters and supernatural creatures are a part of this world. They prowl the
dark places between the points of light. Some are threats, others are willing to
aid you, and many fall into both camps and might react differently depending on
how you approach them.
Magic is everywhere. People believe in and accept the power that magic pro-
vides. However, true masters of magic are rare. Many people have access to a
little magic, but those who have the power to shape magic the way a blacksmith
shapes metal are as rare as adventurers and appear as friends or foes to you and
your companions.
At some point, all adventurers rely on magic. Wizards and warlocks draw
CHRIS SE AMAN
magic from the fabric of the universe. Clerics and paladins call down the wrath
The knight Dendric confronts the blue dragon Furystorm at the moathouse gate
A FANTASTIC WORLD 9
of their gods to sear their foes with divine radiance, or they invoke their gods’
mercy to heal their allies’ wounds. Fighters and rogues don’t use magical powers,
but their expertise with magic weapons makes them masters of the battlefield. At
the highest levels of play, even nonmagical adventurers perform deeds no mortal
could dream of doing without magic.
WHAT’S IN A GAME
All DUNGEONS & DRAGONS games have several basic components: at least one
player (five players works best), a Dungeon Master, an adventure, and game
books and accessories, including dice.
Players
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS players fill two distinct roles in the game: controlling the
players’ characters—also called adventurers—and acting as the Dungeon Master.
These roles aren’t mutually exclusive, and a player can roleplay an adventurer
today and run an adventure for the other players tomorrow. Although everyone
who plays the game is technically a player, this book usually refers to players as
those who run the adventurers.
Each player creates an adventurer, part of a team that delves into dungeons,
battles monsters, and explores the world’s dark wilderness. Like the protago-
nists of a novel, a movie, or a video game, adventurers stand at the center of the
game’s action.
When you play your character, you put yourself into your character’s boots
and make decisions as if you were that character. You decide which door your
character opens next. You decide whether to attack a monster, to negotiate with
a villain, or to attempt a dangerous quest. You can make these decisions based
on your character’s personality, motivations, and goals, and you can even speak
or act in character if you like. You have almost limitless control over what your
character can do and say in the game.
The Dungeon Master controls the monsters and villains in the adventure, but
the DM isn’t your adversary. The DM’s job is to provide a framework for the
whole group to enjoy an exciting adventure. That means challenging the player
characters with interesting encounters and tests, keeping the game moving, and
applying the rules of the game fairly.
Many players find that being the Dungeon Master is the best part of the game.
Taking on the Dungeon Master role isn’t necessarily a permanent post—you
and your friends can take turns being the DM from adventure to adventure.
If you think you’d like to be the Dungeon Master in your group, you can find
all the tools to help you in the Dungeon Master’s Kit™ (a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Essentials product).
The Adventure
Adventurers need adventures. A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure consists of a
series of linked events. As the players decide which way to go next and how their
characters meet the resulting encounters and challenges, they turn the adventure
into an exciting story about their characters. All DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adven-
tures feature action, combat, mystery, magic, challenges, and lots of monsters.
Adventures come in three forms:
✦ Ready-to-Play: The DM can buy or obtain professionally written, ready-to-
play adventures from a number of sources, including your local game store
and www.DungeonsandDragons.com.
✦ Adventure Hooks and Components: Most DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
products offer pieces of adventures—story ideas, maps, interesting villains
or monsters—that the DM can assemble into an adventure. DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS Insider (www.DungeonsandDragons.com) is also a rich source of
adventure material.
A FANTASTIC WORLD 11
✦ Homemade: Many DMs choose to create their own adventures, building
challenging encounters and stocking them with monsters from the Monster
Vault and treasure from the Dungeon Master’s Kit.
T IERS OF PLAY
Heroes in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game and most of the threats that they
face have levels, which reflect their relative power. Levels are grouped into three
tiers: the heroic tier (levels 1–10), the paragon tier (levels 11–20), and the epic tier
(levels 21–30).
When adventurers leave one tier and cross the threshold into a new one, they
experience a major increase in power. At the same time, the threats that they
face become more lethal. As a campaign progresses through the three tiers, its
story and the style of its encounters also typically evolve.
T HE ESSENTIALS PRODUCTS
The action of the game takes place mostly in your imagination, but you need a
few things to play the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. The following DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS Essentials products provide a great place to start.
GAME DICE
The game uses polyhedral dice with different numbers of sides. You can find dice
like these in game stores and in many bookstores.
In these rules, the different dice are referred to by the letter “d” followed by
the number of sides: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. For example, a d6 is a six-
sided die (the typical cube that many games use).
When you need to roll dice, the rules tell you how many dice to roll, what
size they are, and what modifiers to add. For example, “3d8 + 5” means you roll
three eight-sided dice and add 5 to the total.
Encounters
Encounters are the action scenes in an adventure, various kinds of challenges
that the adventurers must face and overcome. Encounters come in two types.
✦ Combat encounters are battles against nefarious foes. In a combat
encounter, adventurers and monsters take turns attacking until one side or
the other is defeated.
✦ Noncombat encounters include deadly traps, difficult puzzles, and other
obstacles to overcome. Sometimes you overcome noncombat encounters by
using your character’s skills, sometimes you can defeat them with clever
use of magic, and sometimes you have to puzzle them out with nothing but
your wits. Noncombat encounters also include social interactions, such as
attempts to persuade, bargain with, or obtain information from a character
played by the DM.
Adventurers have an array of tools at their disposal to help them overcome the
challenges in encounters, including attack powers—like a wizard’s fireball or a
fighter’s power strike—that deal damage and other effects to enemies in combat.
Characters also have utility powers, skills, and other features that can be useful
in both combat and noncombat encounters.
Exploration
Between encounters, your characters explore the world. You make decisions
about which way to travel and what your character tries to do next. Exploration
is the give-and-take of you telling the DM what you want your character to do,
and the DM telling you what happens when your character does it.
For example, let’s say the heroes have just climbed down into a dark chasm.
The DM tells you that your characters see three tunnels leading from the
chasm floor into the gloom. You and the other players decide which tunnel
your characters venture into first, and you tell the DM which way your char-
acters are heading. That’s exploration. You might try almost anything else:
fi nding a place to hide and set an ambush in case monsters come by, shouting
“Hello, any monsters here?” as loud as you can, checking each tunnel entrance
HOW TO PLAY 15
for signs of passage or for traps, or searching the chasm floor carefully in
case there’s anything interesting lying amid the boulders and moss. That’s all
exploration, too.
Decisions you make as you explore eventually lead to encounters. For
example, one tunnel might lead into a cave full of goblins. If you decide to go that
way, your characters are heading into a combat encounter. Another tunnel might
lead to a door sealed by a magic lock that you have to break through—a noncom-
bat encounter. The third tunnel might lead to a chamber that contains both a
trap and some monsters, resulting in a mixed encounter that includes elements
of both combat and noncombat situations.
While exploring a dungeon or other adventure location, you might try to do
any of the following actions:
✦ Move down a hallway, follow a passage, cross a room
✦ Have conversations with DM-controlled characters
✦ Listen by a door to try to hear anything on the other side
✦ Try a door to see if it’s locked
✦ Break down a locked door
✦ Search a room for treasure
✦ Pull levers or push statues or furnishings around
✦ Pick the lock of a treasure chest
✦ Jury-rig a trap
The Dungeon Master decides whether something you try actually works. Some
actions automatically succeed (you can usually move around without trouble).
Some require one or more die rolls, called checks (breaking down a locked
door, for example). And some actions simply can’t succeed. Your character can
perform any deeds a strong, smart, agile, and well-armed human action hero can
pull off—and sometimes even more than that!
Chris (DM): Old stone steps climb about 30 feet or so into the mountain, along-
side a cold stream that splashes through the cave. The steps end at a landing
in front of a big stone door carved with the image of a bearded dwarf face.
The door stands open about a foot or so. There’s a bronze gong hanging from a
bracket in the wall nearby. What do you do?
Mike (Uldane): I’ll creep up and peek through the opening.
Jennifer (Albanon): I want to take a closer look at the gong.
Justin (Shara): I’m going to hang back and keep watch, in case Uldane gets into
trouble.
Mike (Uldane): Not a chance, I’m a professional.
Chris (DM): OK, first Albanon: It’s a battered old bronze gong. There’s a small
hammer hanging beside it.
Justin (Shara): Don’t touch it!
Jennifer (Albanon): I wasn’t going to! It looks like the doorbell to me. No sense
telling the monsters we’re here.
Chris (DM): Now for Uldane. Since you’re trying to be sneaky, Mike, make a
Stealth check.
Mike (rolls a Stealth check for Uldane): I got a 22.
Chris (DM): Uldane is pretty stealthy.
Chris compares Uldane’s Stealth check result to the Perception check result of the
monsters he knows are in the next room. Mike’s roll beats the Perception check, so the
monsters don’t know the halfling is there.
Jennifer (Albanon): So what’s in there?
HOW TO PLAY 17
Chris (DM): You’re by the gong, remember? Uldane, you peek through the door’s
opening, and you see a large stone hall with several thick pillars. There’s a
large fire pit in the center of the room filled with dimming embers. You see
four beastlike humanoids with hyena faces crouching around the fire pit, and
a big animal—like a hyena, but much bigger—dozing on the floor nearby. The
hyena-men are armed with spears and axes.
Justin (Shara): Gnolls! I hate those guys.
Jennifer (Albanon): Looks like we’ll have to fight our way in. Can we take them?
Mike (Uldane): No problem—we’ve got the drop on ’em.
Chris (DM): So are you going through the door?
The players all agree that they are.
Show me where your characters are standing right before you go in.
The players arrange their characters’ tokens on the Dungeon Tiles that Chris has
prepared for the encounter. They’re now on the landing just outside the room with
the gnolls.
Justin (Shara): All right, on the count of three . . .
Mike (Uldane): Is that on three or right after three?
Jennifer (Albanon): Uldane!
Mike (Uldane): What? I’m just asking for clarification!
Justin (Shara): One . . . two . . . three!
Chris (DM): You have surprised the gnolls! Everybody roll initiative, and we’ll
see if you can take these monsters down or not.
What happens next? Can Shara, Uldane, and Albanon defeat the gnolls? That depends
on how the players play their characters, and how lucky they are with their dice!
Checks
The three basic checks that you’ll use all the time are attack rolls, skill checks,
and ability checks. You usually make checks against a target number, but
sometimes your check is compared to another character’s check. This is an
opposed check.
A modifier is any number that adds to or subtracts from a die roll. Your
ability scores, for example, provide modifiers that you apply to many applications
in the game. A bonus is a positive modifier (such as a +2 bonus). A penalty is a
negative modifier (for example, a –1 penalty).
In any task, your modifiers represent your training, competence, and natural
talent. The d20 roll, on the other hand, reflects luck and the unpredictable
nature of action and adventure.
Attack Rolls An attack roll is a kind of check that occurs in every battle,
where the target number for the check is the defense (AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or
Will) of a target. Attacks come in a variety of forms, depending on a character’s
class. Fighters, for example, use weapons to make attacks. Wizards, on the other
hand, cast spells.
Attack rolls are often described using a shorthand notation:
The target number for a skill check—called its Difficulty Class or DC—is deter-
mined by the DM. When you use a skill to solve a task, you want to get a result
that’s equal to or higher than the DC.
For example, a published adventure might include the following skill check
notation: “Make a DC 20 Acrobatics check.” You make a check (roll a d20 and
add all modifiers; see page 43 for how to calculate skill checks) and compare the
result to the target DC of 20.
Ability Checks When you try to accomplish a task that isn’t an attack or
a skill check, you make an ability check. Ability checks give the DM a method for
adjudicating other actions in the game, including whenever your character tries
to do something out of the ordinary.
Ability checks sometimes use the following notation:
Ability checks follow the rules for skill checks, with a DC set by the DM. For
instance, your character might try to hold a door closed against an orc. The
DM decides that’s a test of raw strength and asks for a Strength check. You make
a check (roll a d20 and add all modifiers; see page 42 for how to calculate ability
checks) and compare the result to the target DC.
The Start of a Turn The start of a turn always takes place, even if the
creature is unconscious. This phase takes no time in the game world. An adven-
turer or monster can’t take any actions during this phase of its turn.
Certain effects are tracked during this phase, including ongoing damage,
regeneration, and some other effects. These effects take place in whatever order
the player prefers. Some effects end automatically at the start of a turn.
A player can take these actions in any order, and can skip any of them.
The End of a Turn A turn ends when the adventurer or monster fin-
ishes taking actions during its turn. The end of a turn always takes place, even if
the adventurer or monster is unconscious. This phase takes no time in the game
world. An adventurer or monster can’t take any actions during this phase of
its turn.
An adventurer or monster makes saving throws (page 25) at the end of its turn
to try to end any effects on it that a save can end. If a creature has used a power
that it can sustain for multiple turns, check at the end of its turn to see whether it
spent the action required to sustain the power. If the creature didn’t, the power’s
effect ends. Some other effects end automatically at the end of a turn.
Triggered Actions
Most of a creature’s actions take place among the regular actions on its turn.
But anyone can take free actions on anyone else’s turn, and an event or another
creature’s action might be the trigger that lets a adventurer or monster use a
triggered action. There are two kinds of triggered actions: opportunity actions
and immediate actions. Some free actions also have triggers. An adventurer or
monster can take a triggered action only if its specific trigger occurs.
Action Points
Action points allow characters and some monsters to take more actions than
normal. A character can spend an action point on his or her turn as a free action.
When the character does so, he or she gains an extra action to use during that
turn. The action can be a standard action, a move action, or a minor action. An
adventurer can spend an action point only once per encounter, and never during
a surprise round. An action point is gone when spent.
Adventurers start their careers with 1 action point each. They earn action
points as they complete more and more encounters. Each adventurer gains 1
action point when he or she reaches a milestone (after completing two encoun-
ters). A character’s action point total reverts to its starting value of 1 whenever he
or she completes an extended rest.
MOVEMENT
During an encounter, adventurers and monsters use move actions to position
themselves, and they sometimes move other creatures forcibly. Some creatures
have movement powers that let them teleport, moving instantly from one loca-
tion to another.
See the following terms in the Rules Compendium or the glossary of this book:
speed, walk, shift, run, crawl, stand up, diagonal movement, double move,
occupied squares, difficult terrain, blocking terrain, hindering terrain, falling,
flanking, forced movement (push, pull, and slide), and teleportation.
ATTACKS
On a typical turn, an adventurer uses his or her standard action to make an
attack using an attack power. The player makes an attack roll to determine
whether the attack hits its target.
To make an attack roll, you roll a d20, add whatever modifiers apply (see
page 24), and compare the result to one of the target’s four defenses: Armor
Class, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will.
Whatever character you’re playing, attacks follow the same basic process.
1. Choose the attack the character will use. Each attack has an attack type:
melee, ranged, close, or area. See Chapter 3 for discussion of these
attack types.
ATTACKS 23
2. Choose targets for the attack. See Chapter 3 for discussion of choosing targets.
3. Make an attack roll, rolling a d20 and adding the appropriate bonuses and
penalties. Compare the roll to the target’s defense to determine whether the
attack hits or misses. If the result equals or exceeds the specified defense of
the target (AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will), the attack hits. Otherwise, it misses.
See page 41 for how to calculate your character’s attack rolls. If the d20 roll
comes up 20 or 1, special rules apply (see the glossary entries for automatic hit
and automatic miss).
4. Deal damage and apply any other effects.
See the glossary for defi nition of these terms: combat advantage, cover, and
concealment.
Attack Results
Powers specify what happens when their attacks hit or miss. The most common
result of an attack that hits is damage. Attacks also subject targets to conditions,
forced movement, and unusual effects described in certain powers.
Durations
Many powers are instantaneous and produce no lasting effects. However, some
powers have effects that last for a round or more. The durations of those effects
are specified in powers and are either conditional or sustained.
Conditional durations last until a specific event occurs, such as the start or
end of a creature’s next turn, the end of the encounter, or when the target makes
a successful saving throw.
A sustained duration lasts as long as the effect’s creator sustains it. See
“Sustain,” page 64.
Saving Throws
Some persistent effects last until a creature makes a successful saving throw
against them, and some instantaneous effects, such as falling down a pit, can be
avoided by making a successful saving throw, or save.
A persistent effect that a save can end includes one of the following notations:
“save ends,” “save ends both,” or “save ends all.” For example, “The target is dazed
(save ends)” means the target is dazed until it saves against that condition.
The rules tell you when an instantaneous effect can be avoided with a save.
At the end of each of your character’s turns, you make a saving throw against
each effect on the character that a save can end. Whenever you make saving
throws against multiple effects that a save can end, you choose the order of the
saving throws.
To make a saving throw, roll a d20 without adding any modifiers, unless the
character has bonuses or penalties that specifically apply to saving throws. If you
roll lower than 10, the character fails the saving throw, and the effect continues.
If you roll 10 or higher, the character saves, and the effect ends.
If a character is subjected to identical effects that a save can end, ignore all
but one of those effects. For example, if you are dazed (save ends) and then are
attacked and again dazed (save ends), ignore the second effect, since it is identical
to the effect you are already suffering.
ATTACKS 25
Default Attack Powers
Characters most often use their class powers to make attacks. Here are funda-
mental powers that everyone can use, regardless of class. See Chapter 3 for how
to read a power description.
Basic Attack Sometimes a creature just wants to hit something. The fol-
lowing two basic attack powers—one melee and one ranged—offer that simple
option. Some classes provide alternatives to these default powers.
A creature can make a ranged basic attack as long as it has something to throw
or shoot.
Bull Rush When a creature wants to push another creature away, the bull
rush power is a good option.
Grab Attack
You reach out and grasp your foe, preventing it from moving.
At-Will
Standard Action Melee touch
Requirement: You must have a hand free.
Target: One creature that is no more than one size category larger than you
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: You grab the target until the end of your next turn. You can end the grab as a free
action.
Sustain Minor: The grab persists until the end of your next turn.
Short Rest
About 5 minutes long, a short rest consists of stretching one’s muscles and catch-
ing one’s breath after an encounter. When a character takes a short rest, he or
she regains the use of any encounter powers used during the encounter. After a
short rest, a character can spend as many healing surges as the player wants.
Extended Rest
At least 6 hours long, an extended rest includes relaxation, sometimes a meal,
and usually sleep. A character can take an extended rest only once per day; after
fi nishing the rest, he or she has to wait 12 hours before beginning another one. A
character normally sleeps during an extended rest, but doesn’t have to. The char-
acter can engage in light activity that doesn’t require much exertion.
At the end of an extended rest, a character regains any lost hit points and any
spent healing surges. The character also regains the use of all his or her encoun-
ter powers and daily powers. The character starts fresh with 1 action point.
M AKING CHARACTERS
Your first step in playing an adventurer in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is to
imagine a character of your own and create it. Your character is a combination
of game statistics, roleplaying hooks, and
your imagination. You choose a race (such Your first step: Imagine
as human or elf ), a class (such as fighter or
wizard), and other game elements appro- a character and create
priate to the character you have in mind, it. Choose a race, a class,
including skills, powers, and feats. You
also invent the personality, appearance, powers, and feats. Invent
and backstory of your character. Once his or her personality
completed, your character serves as your
representative in the game, your avatar in and backstory.
the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world.
Creating your character is just the beginning. As the character goes on various
adventures, he or she earns experience points and gain levels, leading to new
options and greater power as time goes on.
31
HEROES OF THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS
Classes (roles) Races
Druid, sentinel (leader) Dragonborn
Paladin, cavalier (defender) Drow
Ranger, hunter (controller) Half-elf
Ranger, scout (striker) Half-orc
Warlock, hexblade (striker) Human
Tiefling
Character Sheet: To keep track of all the important information about your
character, use a photocopy of the character sheet in the back of this book, or
download the character sheet available at www.DungeonsandDragons.com.
32 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Choose Skills. Skills measure a character’s ability to perform tasks such
as jumping across chasms, hiding from observers, and identifying mon-
sters. Your character’s class tells you how many trained skills to pick at 1st
level. Some races give you an additional skill choice as well. After choosing
trained skills, note the character’s modifier for every skill, including the +5
bonus for a trained skill. See Chapter 6 for details on skills.
Choose Powers. Consult your character class for how many powers you
choose at 1st level. Your choice of class powers defi nes how your character
functions in and out of combat. See Chapter 3 for how powers work.
Select Feats. Feats represent natural advantages or special training. You
choose at least one feat at 1st level for your character, who might get a
bonus feat or two from your race or class selection. See Chapter 7 for more
about feats.
Select Equipment. Your character begins with 100 gold pieces at 1st level,
enough gold to purchase basic gear. As characters adventure, they fi nd
magic items that improve their capabilities significantly. See Chapter 8 for
more about equipment.
Fill in the Numbers. Calculate your character’s hit points, defenses (Armor
Class, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will), initiative modifier, attack roll modifiers,
damage roll modifiers, and skill check modifiers. See page 39 for details.
Other Character Details. Flesh out the character with details of alignment,
god worshiped, background, personality, appearance, and languages. See
“Other Character Details,” page 43, for more information.
As you make your choices, look ahead to what your character gains at higher
levels from his or her class. The options at higher levels might influence the
choices you make. And don’t worry if you’re unsure about an option you pick
now; you can change your mind later, using the retraining rules. For more about
leveling up and retraining, see “Gaining Levels.” page 55.
Class
The first decision you make in character creation is picking your character’s
class. Many different types of heroes inhabit the world: sneaky rogues, clever
wizards, burly fighters, and more. Your class represents your character’s vocation,
whereas your race defines a character’s appearance and natural talents.
Your choice of class probably also says something about the character’s per-
sonality. A wizard might be quick-witted but a tad absentminded, for example,
whereas a cleric might be serious in his or her religious devotions but cheerful in
social interactions.
Here’s a quick rundown of the classes available in this book.
Role
Character class determines your character’s role—the main job your character
does when the adventuring group is in combat. Each class specializes in one of
four roles: controller, defender, leader, or striker.
Roles mostly serve as handy tools for building adventuring groups. It’s a good
idea to cover each role with at least one character. If you don’t have all the roles
covered, that’s fine; it just means that the group needs to compensate for the
missing function in some manner.
Defender Defenders have the highest defenses in the game and good
close-up offensive capabilities. They are the party’s frontline combatants; wher-
ever they’re standing, that’s where the action is. Defenders have abilities and
powers that make it difficult for enemies to move past them or to ignore them in
battle. The knight is a classic example of a defender.
Leader Leaders inspire, heal, and aid the other characters in an adventuring
group. Leaders have good defenses, but their strength lies in powers that protect
their companions and target specific foes for the party to concentrate on. The
warpriest is a classic example of a leader.
34 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Members of this role encourage and motivate, but that doesn’t mean they’re
necessarily a group’s spokesperson or commander. The party leader—if the group
has one—might as easily be a charismatic member of another role. Leaders (the
role) fulfi ll their function through their powers and class features; party leaders
are born through roleplaying.
Race
A variety of fantastic races populate the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world—people
such as dwarves, elves, and halfl ings —but humans outnumber them all. In any
city or large town, members of several races intermingle. Some of them are
residents, and others are travelers or wandering mercenaries looking for their
next challenge.
Each character race has innate strengths that make it more suited to particu-
lar classes. However, you can create any combination you like. There’s nothing
wrong with playing against type; dwarves aren’t usually rogues, but you can
create an effective dwarf rogue by choosing your feats and powers carefully.
Many different intelligent creatures populate the world, creatures such as
dragons, mind flayers, and demons. These aren’t races you can play; they are
monsters you encounter.
Your character is an adventurer of one of the civilized races of the world.
Here’s a quick rundown of the races available in this book.
Dwarf: Tough and strong, dwarves are indomitable warriors and master arti-
sans. Smaller in stature but broader and more solidly built than humans,
dwarves freely intermingle with the other races.
Eladrin: Graceful and magical, these elves of the Feywild love arcane magic,
swordplay, and mental challenges of all sorts.
Elf: Kin to the eladrin, elves dwell in the deep forests of the world and have an
affi nity for nature.
Halfl ing: The smallest of the races, halfl ings are curious, fearless, and extremely
likable. They love to explore and go on adventures.
Human: Brave, ambitious, and extremely versatile, humans are the most numer-
ous of all the civilized races.
36 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Constitution (Con)
Constitution represents health, stamina, and vital force. All adventurers benefit
from a high Constitution score.
✦ At 1st level, an adventurer’s Constitution score is added to his or her hit
points.
✦ The number of healing surges that an adventurer can use each day is influ-
enced by his or her Constitution modifier.
✦ Constitution is the key ability for Endurance skill checks (page 295).
✦ An adventurer’s Constitution modifier contributes to Fortitude, unless his
or her Strength modifier is higher.
Dexterity (Dex)
Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance.
✦ The default ranged basic attack (page 26) is based on Dexterity.
✦ Dexterity is the key ability for Acrobatics, Stealth, and Thievery skill checks
(pages 286, 301, and 302 respectively).
✦ An adventurer’s Dexterity modifier contributes to Reflex, unless his or her
Intelligence modifier is higher.
✦ An adventurer’s Dexterity modifier contributes to initiative checks.
✦ If an adventurer is wearing light armor or no armor, the adventurer’s
Dexterity modifier contributes to Armor Class, unless his or her
Intelligence modifier is higher.
Intelligence (Int)
Intelligence describes how well a character learns and reasons.
✦ Intelligence is the key ability for Arcana, History, and Religion skill checks
(pages 287, 296, and 300 respectively).
✦ An adventurer’s Intelligence modifier contributes to Reflex, unless his or
her Dexterity modifier is higher.
✦ If an adventurer is wearing light armor or no armor, the adventurer’s
Intelligence modifier contributes to Armor Class, unless his or her
Dexterity modifier is higher.
Wisdom (Wis)
Wisdom measures common sense, perception, self-discipline, and empathy.
✦ Wisdom is the key ability for Dungeoneering, Heal, Insight, Nature, and
Perception skill checks (pages 294, 295, 297, 298, and 299 respectively).
✦ An adventurer’s Wisdom modifier contributes to Will, unless his or her
Charisma modifier is higher.
Balanced Scores
16 14 14 11 10 10
You’re strong in one area, but you aren’t weak in anything. This set of numbers
gives you strong offense and defense, with no weaknesses to cover. Before
you add any racial modifiers, you get a +3 bonus and two +2 bonuses, with no
penalties.
Specialist Scores
18 14 11 10 10 8
You’re really good in one area, but you have a significant weakness and your
other scores are average. This provides you with a very strong offense, but you
take a hit in one defense as a consequence. Before you add any racial modifiers,
you get a +4 bonus and a +2 bonus, with a –1 penalty.
You can do two things quite well, but you wind up with a weakness in one ability.
This gives you a strong offense and defense, and you get the most out of class fea-
tures and powers that rely on a secondary ability score. Before you add any racial
modifiers, you get two +3 bonuses, a +1 bonus, and a –1 penalty.
38 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
OTHER METHODS
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Rules Compendium gathers all the rules of the game
into a single volume and features additional methods for determining a charac-
ter’s ability scores. They include a random generation method and a point-buy
customization method. These methods should be used only with the permission
of your Dungeon Master.
Selecting Equipment
Refer to your specific class entry for what kinds of weapons and armor are suit-
able for your character. Then check out Chapter 8 for more details.
Initiative
In every battle, the participants act in an order determined by initiative checks
that they make at the start of the battle. Making those checks is called rolling
initiative. Each creature has an initiative modifier, which is the number that the
creature adds when it rolls initiative.
Your initiative modifier is determined at character creation and increases
with level, as follows:
✦ One-half the character’s level
✦ The character’s Dexterity modifier
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
Speed
A character’s speed is determined by the character’s race and any bonuses and
penalties. The most common penalty to speed comes from certain types of armor
(page 326). For example, an elf starts with a speed of 7. But Lyriel the elf fighter
wears plate armor, so her speed drops to 6, since the armor imposes a –1 penalty
to speed.
Defenses
Every character has four defenses: Armor Class, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. You
determine the character’s defense scores as described below.
✦ Base Defense: Each defense starts at 10 + one-half the character’s level.
✦ Armor Class: Add the armor bonus provided by the armor you have
equipped. Add the shield bonus of the shield you are carrying, if any. If you
are wearing light armor or no armor, also add your Dexterity modifier or
Intelligence modifier, whichever is higher.
✦ Fortitude: Add your Strength modifier or Constitution modifier, which-
ever is higher.
✦ Reflex: Add your Dexterity modifier or Intelligence modifier, whichever is
higher. If you use a shield, add its shield bonus.
✦ Will: Add your Wisdom modifier or Charisma modifier, whichever is higher.
In addition, add any of the following modifiers that apply to each defense:
✦ A bonus from the character’s class
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ An enhancement bonus (usually from magic armor or from a neck slot
magic item)
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
40 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
TEMPORARY MODIFIERS
Powers, circumstances, conditions, and the like produce many bonuses and
penalties in play. For instance, your target might have partial cover, causing you
to take a –2 penalty to the attack roll you make against the target. Or you might
use a power that grants a temporary bonus to all of your companions’ defenses.
Temporary modifiers are extremely varied and are specified in many different
parts of the game. In particular, see page 24 for a list of the most common attack
roll modifiers.
Bonuses: There’s one important rule for bonuses: Don’t add together bonuses of
the same type to the same roll or score. If a creature has two or more bonuses
of the same type (such as “power bonus”) that apply to the same roll or score,
use the higher bonus. For example, if a character has a +2 power bonus to
attack rolls and gains a +4 power bonus to attack rolls, the character has a
+4 power bonus, not a +6 power bonus.
Bonus Types: If a bonus has a type, one of the following words precedes the
word “bonus” in the rules text: armor, enhancement, feat, item, power, pro-
ficiency, racial, or shield. These types are defined and explained in the Rules
Compendium.
Untyped Bonuses: Some bonuses have no type (“a +2 bonus,” for instance).
Most of these bonuses are situational and add together with other bonuses,
including other untyped bonuses. However, untyped bonuses from the same
named game element (a power, a feat, and the like) are not cumulative; only
the highest applies, unless noted otherwise.
Penalties: Unlike bonuses, penalties don’t have types. Penalties add together,
unless they’re from the same named game element. If two monsters attack
an adventurer with the same power and each causes the adventurer to take
a penalty to a particular roll or score, he or she doesn’t add the penalties
together but instead takes the worst penalty.
A penalty might be effectively canceled by a bonus and vice versa. If a
creature gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls
at the same time, it ends up with a +0 modifier.
Any of these other factors might also apply to an ability check modifier:
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
42 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Skill Check Modifier
Determine your adventurer’s skill check modifier for each skill. Your character’s
skill check modifier for a skill always includes the following:
✦ One-half the character’s level
✦ The ability modifier for the skill’s key ability
Any of these other factors might also apply to a skill check modifier:
✦ A +5 bonus if the adventurer has training in the skill (see page 279)
✦ An armor check penalty (page 326) if the adventurer is wearing certain
kinds of armor and the skill’s key ability is Strength, Dexterity, or
Constitution
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
Unaligned
Just let me go about my business.
Unaligned characters don’t actively seek to harm others or wish them ill. But
such characters also don’t go out of their way to put themselves at risk without
some hope for reward. They support law and order when doing so benefits them.
They value their own freedom, without worrying too much about protecting the
freedom of others.
A few unaligned people, and most unaligned deities, aren’t undecided about
alignment. Rather, they’ve chosen not to choose, either because they see the ben-
efits of both good and evil or because they see themselves as above the concerns
of morality. The Raven Queen and her devotees fall into the latter camp, believ-
ing that moral choices are irrelevant to their mission, since death comes to all
creatures regardless of alignment.
Good characters believe it is right to aid and protect those in need. Such charac-
ters are not required to sacrifice themselves to help others, but might be asked to
place the needs of others above their own, even if that means putting themselves
in harm’s way. In many ways, that’s the essence of being a heroic adventurer. The
people of the town can’t defend themselves from the marauding goblins, so the
good character descends into the dungeon—at significant personal risk—to put an
end to the goblin raids.
44 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Members of this alignment follow rules and respect authority but are keenly
aware that power tends to corrupt those who wield it, too often leading them to
exploit their power for selfish or evil ends. When that happens, good characters
feel no obligation to follow the law blindly. It’s better for authority to rest in the
hands of a community than in the hands of a power-hungry individual or group.
When law becomes exploitation, it crosses into evil territory, and good characters
feel compelled to fight it.
Good and evil represent fundamentally different viewpoints, cosmically
opposed and unable to coexist in peace. Good and lawful good characters,
though, get along fi ne, even if a good character thinks a lawful good companion
might be a little too focused on following the law, rather than simply doing the
right thing.
Lawful good characters respect the authority of personal codes of conduct, laws,
and leaders, and they believe that those codes are the best way of achieving one’s
ideals. Virtuous authority promotes the well-being of its subjects and prevents
them from harming one another. Lawful good characters believe just as strongly
in the value of life, and they put even more emphasis on the need for the power-
ful to protect the weak and lift up the downtrodden. The exemplars of the lawful
good alignment are shining champions of what’s right, honorable, and true,
risking or even sacrificing their own lives to stop the spread of evil in the world.
When leaders exploit their authority for personal gain, when laws grant privi-
leged status to some citizens and reduce others to slavery or untouchable status,
law has given in to evil and just authority becomes tyranny. Lawful good charac-
ters are not only capable of challenging such injustice, but are morally bound to
do so. However, such characters would prefer to work within the system to right
such problems, rather than resorting to lawless methods.
For the purpose of game effects, a lawful good character is also considered to
be good.
Evil characters don’t necessarily go out of their way to hurt people, but they’re
perfectly willing to take advantage of the weakness of others to acquire what
they want.
Evil characters use rules and order to maximize personal gain. They don’t
care whether laws hurt other people. They support institutional structures
that give them power, even if that power comes at the expense of the freedom
of others. Slavery and rigid caste structures are not only acceptable but desir-
able to evil characters, as long as they are in a position to benefit from the order
they provide.
Chaotic evil characters have a complete disregard for others. Each believes he
or she is the only being that matters. Such characters have no problem killing,
stealing, and betraying others to gain power. Their word is meaningless and their
actions destructive. Their world views can be so warped that they destroy any-
thing and anyone that doesn’t directly contribute to their specific interests.
By the standards of good and lawful good people, chaotic evil is as abhor-
rent as evil—perhaps even more so. Chaotic evil monsters such as demons and
orcs are at least as much of a threat to civilization and general well-being as evil
monsters are. An evil creature and a chaotic evil creature are both opposed to
good, but they don’t have much respect for each other either and rarely cooperate
toward common goals.
For the purpose of game effects, a chaotic evil character is also considered evil.
46 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Appearance
Is your character tall, short, or in between? Solid and muscular, or lean and wiry?
Male or female? Old or young? These decisions have no impact on game statistics,
but they affect the way others think about your character.
Each race description gives the average height and weight for a character of
that race. You can decide for your character to be above or below average.
You should also decide what color skin, hair, and eyes your character has.
Most races approximate the human range of coloration, but some races also have
unusual coloration, such as the stony gray skin of dwarves or the violet eyes of
some elves.
Finally, consider features that distinguish your character from others. Some
of these might be inborn, such as an unusual eye color or skin color, while others
might be habits of fashion or the scars of past injuries. Jewelry, clothing, tattoos
and birthmarks, hairstyles and colors, and posture—one unusual feature from
among those choices can make your character stand out in the minds of the
other players.
Background
Your character’s background often stays there—in the background. What’s most
important about your character is what he or she does over the course of adven-
tures, not what happened in the past. Even so, thinking about your character’s
birthplace, family, upbringing, training, and previous occupation can help you
decide how to play your character.
These questions—directed at your character—can help you start thinking
about your character’s background.
✦ Why did you decide to be an adventurer? How old were you then, and how
old are you now?
✦ How did you acquire your class? If you’re a fighter, for example, you might
have been in a militia, come from a family of soldiers, trained in a martial
school, or be a self-taught warrior.
✦ How did you acquire your starting equipment? Did you assemble it piece
by piece over time? Was it a gift from a parent or a mentor? Do any of your
personal items have special significance?
✦ What’s the worst event of your life?
✦ What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
✦ Do you stay in contact with your family? What do your relatives think of
you and your chosen career?
✦ Which cultures did you interact with as a child? Did those interactions
influence your language choices?
The Gods
The deities of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game world reside in the countless
dominions that swirl through the Astral Sea. They appear in dreams and visions
to their followers and wear countless different faces, and artwork depicting them
shows them in a variety of forms. Their true nature is beyond any physical form.
Corellon is often depicted as an eladrin, but he is no more an eladrin than he is a
fey panther—he is a god, and he transcends the physical laws that bind all other
beings to concrete forms.
Some deities are good or lawful good, some are evil or chaotic evil, and some
are unaligned. Each deity has a vision of how the world should be, and the agents
of the deities seek to bring that vision to life. Even the agents and worshipers of
deities who share an alignment can come into confl ict. Except for chaotic evil
gods, all deities are enemies of the demons, which would rather destroy the
world than govern it.
48 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Most people revere more than one deity, praying to different gods at differ-
ent times. Commoners in a small town might visit a temple that has three altars,
where they pray to Bahamut for protection, Pelor for fertile crops, and Moradin
to aid their skill at crafting. Clerics and paladins more often serve a single deity,
championing that god’s particular cause in the world. Other adventurers range
across the spectrum, from paying lip service to the whole pantheon, to fervently
serving a single god, to ignoring the gods entirely as they pursue their own
divine ascension.
The gods appropriate for player characters to revere follow.
THE DEITIES
Deity Alignment Areas of Influence
Avandra Good Change, luck, trade, travel
Bahamut Lawful good Justice, honor, nobility, protection
Corellon Unaligned Arcane magic, spring, beauty, the arts
Erathis Unaligned Civilization, invention, laws
Ioun Unaligned Knowledge, prophecy, skill
Kord Unaligned Storms, strength, battle
Melora Unaligned Wilderness, sea
Moradin Lawful good Creation, artisans, family
Pelor Good Sun, summer, agriculture, time
Raven Queen Unaligned Death, fate, winter
Sehanine Unaligned Trickery, moon, love, autumn
Avandra
Good
Corellon
Unaligned
Erathis
Unaligned
Erathis, the god of civilization, is the muse of great invention, founder of cities,
and author of laws. Rulers, judges, pioneers, and devoted citizens revere her, and
her temples hold prominent places in most of the world’s major cities. Her laws
are many, but their purpose is straightforward:
✦ Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always
stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
L E E M OY E R (5)
50 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
✦ Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habi-
tation, and defend the light of civilization
against the encroaching darkness.
✦ Seek out new ideas, new inventions,
new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to
conquer. Build machines, build cities, build
empires.
Ioun
Unaligned
Kord
Unaligned
Moradin
Lawful Good
Pelor
Good
52 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
The Raven Queen
Unaligned
Sehanine
Unaligned
54 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
GAINING LEVELS
As your character goes on adventures and gains experience points (XP), he or she
advances in level. Gaining a level (also called leveling or leveling up) is one of the
biggest rewards your character receives in the game. Your character improves in
several ways every time he or she gains a level.
Each time you overcome a noncombat encounter, defeat monsters, or com-
plete a quest, your Dungeon Master awards you experience points. When you
earn enough experience points, you reach a new level. Each class description in
Chapter 4 includes tables that summarize the benefits you gain at each new level.
Step-by-Step Advancement
This section gives a step-by-step overview of how to level up your character.
Your class description details the benefits your character gains at each level.
For instance, if you’re playing a slayer, consult the slayer section (starting on
page 146) to fi nd out what benefits your fighter gains at each level.
At most levels, your character gains access to new capabilities: powers, class
features, and feats. The game assumes that your character learns these capabili-
ties in his or her spare time, studying tomes of lore or practicing a complex series
of maneuvers. In game terms, though, as soon as characters gain a level, they can
use their new capabilities.
1. Ability Scores At 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th levels, increase
two ability scores of your choice by 1. At 11th and 21st levels, every ability score
increases by 1.
If you increase an ability score to an even number, the related ability modi-
fier goes up, and that change affects powers, skills, and defenses that rely on that
ability score. Make a note, but don’t change any numbers just yet.
GAINING LEVELS 55
4. Hit Points Your character’s class determines the number of hit points
the character gains at each level. Add the number to your character’s total.
If your character’s Constitution score increased, the character’s hit points
increase by 1. Also, if the Constitution score increased to an even number, the
character’s number of healing surges increases by 1.
6. Feats Your character starts with a feat of your choice at 1st level and
gains a feat at every even-numbered level after that, plus one feat at 11th and
21st levels.
Retraining
Sometimes you make decisions when you create or advance your character that
you later regret. Perhaps a power you chose isn’t working with your character
concept, or a feat never comes into play the way you anticipated. Fortunately, you
aren’t stuck with bad character decisions, for you have an opportunity to change
a decision whenever your character levels up.
Every time your character gains a level, you can retrain. To do so, change one
of the following: a feat, a power, or a trained skill. You can make only one change
per level. If your character class tells you to replace one of your character’s
powers with a different power of a higher level, this doesn’t count as retraining,
so you can still retrain a feat, a power, or a trained skill.
Replacing a Feat You can use retraining to replace one feat with
another. Your character must meet the prerequisites of the new feat. You can’t
replace a feat if it’s a prerequisite for any of your character’s other attributes or
if the feat is a feature of your character’s class, paragon path (page 79), or epic
destiny (page 79).
56 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Replacing a Trained Skill You can use retraining to replace one
trained skill with another from your character’s class list. You can’t replace a
skill if it’s a prerequisite for a feat, a power, or any other attribute you have, or if
it’s predetermined by your class (such as Arcana for wizards). If your character’s
class requires you to choose one of two skills (such as either Dungeoneering or
Nature), you can alter your choice by retraining, but you must replace one skill
with the other.
OTHER SOURCES
Other DUNGEONS & DRAGONS supplements, including DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Insider, offer additional powers that you can choose from. Whenever you choose
a new class power, you can select it from the list presented in this book or
you can take a power of the same class, level, and type (attack or utility) from
another source.
For example, when your slayer reaches 2nd level, you could select a 2nd-level
fighter utility power from a source other than this book or you could choose one
of the 2nd-level fighter utility powers in the “Knight” section of this book.
JIM NELSON
GAINING LEVELS 57
CHAPTER 3
UNDERSTANDING
POWERS
Adventurers and monsters have powers—special capabilities that have instan-
taneous or lingering effects. Some powers harm enemies, other powers help
allies, and some powers do both. Powers can be magical or nonmagical and
include a wizard’s spells, a cleric’s healing prayers, a fighter’s battle stances, and
a dragon’s breath.
Character classes grant powers, as do
some races, and adventurers sometimes Powers can be magical
fi nd additional powers in magic items.
or nonmagical. They
include a wizard’s spells,
POWER T YPES a cleric’s healing prayers,
There are two types of powers.
✦ Attack Powers: These powers are
a fighter’s battle stances,
used to damage or hinder others. and a dragon’s breath.
Some attack powers have beneficial
effects as well.
✦ Utility Powers: These powers have a variety of uses, including granting
bonuses. Some are useful only outside combat, and others are useful only
in combat. Some utility powers can be used in any situation.
As adventurers gain levels, they acquire a mix of attack powers and utility
powers.
A conscious creature affected by a power knows what a power has done to it,
regardless of the power’s type, unless the power specifies otherwise.
Usage Types
Whether a power is an attack power or a utility power, it has a usage type: at-will,
encounter, or daily. The usage type tells you how often a power can be used.
Regardless of a power’s usage type, a character can use the power only if he or
she is able to take the action that the power requires (see “The Structure of a
Turn,” page 21).
At-Will Powers At-will powers are not expended when they’re used, so a
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
character can use them again and again. They represent easy weapon swings or
simple magical effects that require little effort to pull off.
Valenae’s weapon glows with radiant energy, driving the vampires before her
POWER TYPES 59
Encounter Powers An encounter power can be used once per encoun-
ter. When a character uses an encounter power, the power is expended, and
the character needs to take a short rest (page 29) before he or she can use the
power again.
Encounter powers produce effects that are more powerful and dramatic than
at-will powers. A nonmagical encounter power represents a maneuver or a stunt
that a character can pull off only once before recuperating. Magical encoun-
ter powers require enough energy that their users must replenish their magic
reserves during a short rest before using the powers again.
Daily Powers A daily power can be used only once per day. When a char-
acter uses a daily power, the power is expended, and the character must take an
extended rest (page 29) before using the power again. Daily attack powers usually
include an effect that takes place whether or not the attacks hit. As a result, daily
powers typically have at least some useful effect every time they are used.
Daily powers represent the most powerful effects that a character can
produce, and using such a power takes a significant toll on a character’s physi-
cal and mental resources. When a character uses a nonmagical daily power, the
character is reaching into deep reserves of energy to pull off an amazing deed.
When a character uses a magical daily power, the character might be reciting a
magical formula of such complexity that his or her mind can hold it for only so
long; once the formula is recited, it is wiped from memory and can be regained
only as part of an extended rest. Or the magic of the power might be so strong
that the character’s mind and body can harness it only once per day.
CARL FR ANK
60 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
POWER FORMATS
Powers are incredibly diverse, yet the way in which they are described follows
a structured format. The format has several variations, the main two being the
format for player powers and that for monster powers.
Whatever format is used, a power description follows three basic principles.
Entries: A power’s information is organized into named entries. The entries’
names are a guide to what happens in the entries: “Attack,” “Hit,” “Miss,” and
the like.
Sequence: The order of entries in a power description is a general guide to
the sequence in which the power’s effects occur. For example, an “Effect” entry
might appear before an “Attack” entry to show that something happens before
the attack.
Indentation: When a power entry is indented, that entry is a subentry and is
contingent on the entry above it. For instance, an indented “Secondary Attack”
subentry right below the primary attack’s “Hit” entry is a reminder that the sec-
ondary attack occurs only if the primary attack hits. Often, the text of an entry
states when to proceed to a subentry. For example, the “Hit” entry that leads to a
“Secondary Attack” subentry most likely instructs the player to make the second-
ary attack.
POWER EFFECTS
Powers create a huge variety of effects: damage, healing, penalties, bonuses,
conjured objects, zones of magical energy, and so on. The first step in under-
standing a power’s effects is to read the definitions of the power’s keywords (see
“Keywords,” discussed later in this chapter).
The next step is making sure you’re familiar with the other rules commonly
used in powers. See the Rules Compendium for full details of these rules, or con-
sult the glossary in this book for brief treatments.
The most common rules are those regarding bonuses and penalties; damage,
including the meaning of “[W]”; forced movement, including the rules for pulling,
pushing, and sliding; healing; durations; saving throws, including the meaning of
“save ends”; ongoing damage; and all conditions.
POWER FORMATS 61
Name, Type, and Level The first line of a power description is a
colored bar that contains the power’s name, its type (attack or utility), its origin (a
class, a race, or something else), and the power’s level, if any. The color of the bar
indicates how often you can use the power: Green means the power is an at-will
power, red means it’s an encounter power, and black means it’s a daily power.
Flavor Text The next line, in italicized text, briefly explains what the
power does, from the perspective of your character in the world. This material
is intended to help you narrate what your character is doing when he or she uses
the power. Feel free to invent a description of the power yourself, sprinkling it
with details specific to your character.
Usage The first word on the next line tells you how often you can use the
power; that is, whether it is an at-will, an encounter, or a daily power.
Keywords The power’s keywords appear next. The keywords tell you the
power source, any damage types associated with the power, accessories you can
use with it, and other associated effects. See “Keywords” (page 69) for keyword
defi nitions.
Action Type The next line in a power description begins with the type of
action required to use the power: standard action, move action, minor action,
free action, immediate reaction, immediate interrupt, or opportunity action.
Some powers require no action to use. See “The Structure of a Turn,” page 21, for
more information about action types.
62 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Target If a power directly affects one or more creatures other than the user,
its description has a “Target” entry that specifies whom or what the power can
affect. If a power directly affects only its user or the environment, the power
description lacks this entry.
If the power description includes a secondary or a tertiary target, this entry
is labeled “Primary Target” to distinguish this target definition from the power’s
other target defi nitions. See “Secondary Attacks” and “Secondary Powers,” below.
See “Choosing Targets,” later in this chapter, for the rules on target selection.
Attack This entry specifies the ability modifier used to make an attack roll
with the power and which of the target’s defenses the power attacks. The entry
also notes any special modifiers that apply to the attack roll.
If you use a power against multiple targets at once, you make a separate attack
roll against each target.
See “Attack Rolls,” page 19, for more information on making an attack.
Hit This entry specifies what happens when a target is hit by the power’s
attack. If a power hits multiple targets, this entry applies to each of those targets
individually.
Miss This entry specifies what happens when a target is missed by the
power’s attack. If a power misses multiple targets, this entry applies to each of
those targets individually.
“Half damage” in this entry means a missed target takes damage as if hit by
the attack, but that damage is halved. Roll the damage specified in the power’s
“Hit” entry, add the appropriate modifiers, and deal half of the result (round
down) to each target missed by the power’s attack.
Unless noted otherwise, the “half damage” notation does not apply to ongoing
damage or to any other damaging effects in the “Hit” entry.
POWER FORMATS 63
Some secondary attacks have the same targets as their primary attacks,
whereas others have targets of their own, noted in “Secondary Target” entries.
Sustain If a creature uses a power that has a “Sustain” entry, it can keep part
of that power active by taking a specific type of action before the end of each of
its turns. The creature cannot take this sustaining action until its turn after it
uses the power and can take the action no more than once per round. The entry
name specifies the action type that must be taken—most often minor, move, or
standard. The entry then notes which of the power’s effects continue when the
power is sustained. If the “Sustain” entry has an instantaneous effect that occurs
each time the power is sustained, that fact is noted in the entry too.
64 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Level The strength of some powers increases as their users gain levels. Such
a power’s description contains one or more entries that specify what part of the
power changes, and in what ways, when its user reaches certain levels.
For example, a power description might contain the following subentry
beneath its “Hit” entry: “Level 21: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier fire damage.” That
means the “Hit” entry’s damage changes to the specified amount when the user
reaches 21st level.
Special Any unusual information about the use of a power appears in this
entry. For example, some powers can be used as basic attacks, which is noted in a
“Special” entry.
Areas of Effect
An area of effect is an area of a specific size where a particular effect takes place.
The effects of most area powers and close powers are contained within one of
three areas of effect: a blast, a burst, or a wall.
Some melee powers and ranged powers create these areas of effect as well. For
instance, a character might use a melee power that involves a weapon attack fol-
lowed by a burst of divine radiance.
Blast: A blast fi lls an area adjacent to its origin square, which is almost always
the space of its creator. The area is a specified number of squares on a side. For
example, a close blast 3 is a 3-square-by-3-square area adjacent to its creator.
The blast must be adjacent to its origin square, which is the space of the blast’s
creator. The origin square is not affected by the blast. A blast affects a target
only if the target is in the blast’s area and if there is line of effect from the
origin square to the target.
Burst: A burst starts in an origin square and extends in all directions to a speci-
fied number of squares from the origin square. For example, a power might
create an area burst 2 within 10 squares, which means the power originates in
66 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
a square up to 10 squares away from its creator and affects the origin square
and every square within 2 squares of it (a 5-square-by-5-square area). A close
burst uses the space of the burst’s creator as its origin square, while an area
burst uses a single square within range as the origin square. A burst affects a
target only if there is line of effect from the burst’s origin square to the target.
Unless a power description says otherwise, a close burst does not affect its
creator. However, an area burst can affect its creator.
Wall: A wall fi lls a specified number of contiguous squares within range, start-
ing from an origin square. For example, a wall 8 fills 8 contiguous squares.
The squares can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically. A power speci-
fies a wall’s maximum height in its description. Each square of the wall must
share a side—not just a corner—with at least one other square of the wall, but a
square can share no more than two sides with other squares in the wall (this
limitation does not apply when stacking squares on top of each other). A wall’s
creator can shape the wall within those limitations. A solid wall, such as a wall
of ice or stone, cannot be created in occupied squares.
Choosing Targets
To use a power on a target, the target must be within the power’s range and must
not be completely behind a barrier. If a power can target multiple creatures, each
of those creatures must be an eligible target.
Creatures, Enemies, and Allies: The most common targets are creatures,
enemies, and allies. When you use a power, keep in mind that “creature”
means a creature of any sort, whether that creature is an enemy or an ally
of your character. “Enemy” means a foe of your character, and “ally” refers
to your character’s companions in an encounter. When a power targets your
character’s allies and refers to them as allies, they are free to ignore the
power’s effects. In contrast, your character’s allies are treated the same as
enemies if they are included as targets of a power that specifically targets crea-
tures, as opposed to allies or enemies.
Targeting Objects: At the discretion of the Dungeon Master, a power that
targets one or more creatures can target one or more objects, as long as the
number of targets does not exceed the number specified in the power. For
example, a player might want her wizard to attack a door with a spell that
normally targets a single creature. If the DM says yes, the spell can’t be used to
target a creature and the door at the same time, since doing so would exceed
the number of targets specified in the power.
Line of Effect
When there is a clear line from one point to another in an encounter, there is
line of effect. Unless otherwise noted, there must be line of effect between the
origin square of an effect and its intended target for that target to be affected. If
every imaginary line traced from the origin square to the target passes through
or touches blocking terrain, there is no line of effect between the two.
Fog, darkness, and similarly obscured squares block vision, but they don’t
block line of effect. If Albanon the wizard hurls a fireball into a pitch-black room,
he doesn’t have to see creatures in the room for the fire to hit them. In contrast,
a character can see through a transparent wall of magical force but doesn’t have
line of effect through it. The character can see the snarling demon on the other
side, but the wall blocks attacks.
Line of Sight
Typically the user of a power doesn’t have to be able to see the power’s targets. A
few powers do require a user to be able to see a creature to target it, however. For
instance, a power might specify that it targets “one creature you can see.” In other
words, the creature must be within the user’s line of sight.
To determine whether a power’s user can see a target, pick a corner of the
user’s space and trace an imaginary line from that corner to any part of the tar-
get’s space. The user can see the target if at least one line doesn’t pass through or
touch an object or an effect—such as a stone wall, a thick curtain, or a cloud of
fog—that blocks the user’s vision.
Even if a power’s user can see a target, objects and effects can still partially
block its view. If the user can see a target but at least one line passes through an
obstruction, the target has cover or concealment.
68 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
K EYWORDS
A power’s keywords summarize important aspects of the power. With a glance
at a power’s keywords, you can learn various things about the power: what its
power source is, whether it has any damage types, and what special rules are
required to use it.
Keywords help in describing a power’s effects and can aid in classifying
types of powers. For example, powers that have the thunder keyword are
called thunder powers, and powers that create illusion effects have the illusion
keyword. Various rules in the game, such as those for feats and class features,
refer to powers using keywords. For instance, a feat might grant a bonus to the
damage rolls of a character’s fire powers, which is another way of saying the
character’s powers that have the fire keyword.
Keywords help determine how, or if, a power works when a target has resis-
tance, vulnerability, or immunity to a damage type or an effect type, or if the power
interacts with the environment in some unusual way. For example, a magic circle
that forbids teleportation could block a power that has the teleportation keyword.
When first using a power, a player should make sure he or she is familiar with
the defi nitions of its keywords, if any. This section defines the most common
keywords in the game and organizes them into five categories: power sources,
schools of magic, accessories, damage types, and effect types.
Power Sources
Every class relies on a particular source of energy to fuel its powers. The source
of a power is identified by its power source keyword. If a power has more than
one power source keyword, the power counts as belonging to each of those
power sources.
The most common power sources are arcane, divine, martial, and primal.
Other power sources exist, including psionic and shadow. These are the three
power sources that are used in this book.
Arcane: Drawing on magical energy that permeates the cosmos, the arcane
power source can be used for a variety of effects, from fireballs to fl ight to
invisibility. Wizards and warlocks are examples of arcane magic users. Each
class is the representative of a different tradition of arcane study, and other
traditions exist. Arcane powers are called spells.
Divine: Divine magic comes from the gods, who grant power to their devotees,
such as clerics and paladins. Divine magic excels at healing, protection, and
smiting enemies of the gods. Divine powers are called prayers.
Martial: Martial powers are not magic in the traditional sense, although some
martial powers are well beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals. Martial
characters use their own strength and willpower to vanquish their enemies.
Training and dedication replace arcane formulas and prayers to grant power to
fighters, rangers, and rogues, among others. Martial powers are called exploits.
KEYWORDS 69
Schools of Magic
After generations of study, practitioners of arcane magic have identified various
types of magic and have grouped them into categories, which are called schools.
Wizardry is particularly focused on the schools, and wizards often specialize in
the practice of one or two of the schools. Each school of magic includes a variety
of damage types and effects. Here are the three common schools discussed in
this book.
Enchantment: Enchantment powers alter creatures’ emotions, thoughts, and
actions, including beguiling onlookers, terrifying foes, and encouraging allies.
Evocation: Evocation powers bring various magical effects into being, including
explosions, rays of magical energy, and lingering environmental effects. This is
the most widely practiced school of magic.
Illusion: Illusion powers deceive the mind or the senses, often creating elaborate
apparitions. Illusions are also an effect type (page 74).
Accessories
The two accessory keywords—implement and weapon—indicate whether a power
can be used with an implement or a weapon.
Weapon The weapon keyword identifies a power that is used with a weapon
(see “Weapons,” page 326). The range and the damage of a weapon power is
usually determined by the weapon used with it. A [W] in a power’s damage
expression stands for the damage dice of the weapon used with it (see “Damage,”
page 24).
If your character uses a weapon power with a weapon that he or she has profi-
ciency with, add the weapon’s proficiency bonus to the attack rolls of that power.
An adventurer’s class and feats determine his or her weapon proficiencies.
Magic weapons provide special benefits, such as bonuses to attack rolls and
damage rolls, when used with weapon powers. See “Magic Items,” page 337, for
more about magic weapons.
70 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Damage Types
Many attacks deal a specific type of damage, and each damage type has a
keyword associated with it.
✦ Acid: Corrosive liquid or vapor.
✦ Cold: Ice crystals, arctic air, or frigid liquid.
✦ Fire: Explosive bursts, fiery rays, or simple ignition.
✦ Force: Invisible energy that can used as if it were solid.
✦ Lightning: Electrical energy.
✦ Necrotic: Deathly energy that deadens flesh or wounds the soul.
✦ Poison: Toxins that harm, hinder, or both.
✦ Psychic: Effects that assault the mind.
✦ Radiant: Searing white light or shimmering colors.
✦ Thunder: Shock waves and deafening sounds.
If a power has one of these keywords, it deals the associated type of damage. The
exception is poison, which is a keyword for both a damage type and an effect
type (see “Poison,” below).
“Varies”: If the notation “Varies” appears among a power’s keywords, that means
the power has variable damage types, which the user or the circumstances
determine.
Resistance and Vulnerability: Creatures sometimes have resistance or vulner-
ability to certain damage types, and some effects grant temporary resistance
or inflict short-term vulnerability.
Adding and Removing Damage Types: If a power gains or loses damage
types, the power gains the keywords for any damage types that are added,
and it loses the keywords for any damage types that are removed. However,
the poison keyword is removed from a power only if that power neither deals
poison damage nor has any nondamaging effects.
For example, if a wizard casts shock sphere, a lightning power, through a
magic staff that changes the damage to fire, the power gains the fire keyword
and loses the lightning keyword for that use, since the power is dealing fire
damage instead of lightning damage. That use of the power can therefore
benefit from effects, such as feats, that affect fire powers, but not from things
that affect lightning powers.
KEYWORDS 71
Effect Types
Effect type keywords signify the presence of particular effects in powers, and
many of these keywords have special rules that govern how their powers are
used. Whether or not an effect type keyword has special rules, other effects in
the game refer to that keyword. For example, the charm keyword has no special
rules, but some creatures gain a bonus to saving throws against charm powers.
This section contains the defi nitions of the game’s main effect type keywords.
72 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Occupies No Squares: The conjuration occupies no squares. The conjuration
does not need to be supported by a solid surface, so it can float in the air.
Unaffected by the Environment: Terrain and environmental phenomena have
no effect on the conjuration. For example, a conjuration that is an icy hand
functions in an inferno without penalty.
Creator’s Defenses: Normally, a conjuration cannot be attacked or physically
affected. If a conjuration can be attacked or physically affected, it uses its
CHRIS SE AMAN
KEYWORDS 73
creator’s defenses. Unless an attack specifically targets conjurations, only
the attack’s damage (not including ongoing damage) affects the conjuration.
For example, an attack that would cause a creature to take 20 cold damage
and become immobilized would instead deal only the cold damage to a
conjuration.
Attacking with a Conjuration: Normally, a conjuration cannot attack. If a
conjuration can attack, its creator makes the attack, determining line of effect
from the conjuration as if the creator were in the conjuration’s space. If line of
sight is relevant, determine it from the creator, not the conjuration.
Movable Conjurations: If the power used to create a conjuration allows it to be
moved, it’s a movable conjuration. At the end of the creator’s turn, the movable
conjuration ends if the creator doesn’t have line of effect to at least 1 square of
the conjuration or if the creator isn’t within range (using the power’s range) of
at least 1 square of the conjuration.
A conjuration can’t be moved through blocking terrain.
Death Ends: A conjuration ends immediately if its creator dies.
Fear A fear power inspires fright. This fright is often represented by a crea-
ture being forced to move, taking a penalty to attack rolls or defenses, or granting
combat advantage.
Healing A healing power restores hit points, usually either by restoring hit
points immediately or by granting regeneration.
Illusion An illusion power deceives the mind or the senses. Illusions often
obstruct vision or redirect attacks. If an illusion power deals damage, the damage
itself is not an illusion. Users of arcane magic, such as wizards, consider illusion
to be one of the schools of magic (page 70).
74 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Instantaneous: Teleportation is instantaneous. The target disappears and
immediately appears in the destination space you choose. The movement is
unhindered by intervening creatures, objects, or terrain.
Destination Space: The destination of the teleportation must be an unoccupied
space that the target can occupy without squeezing. If arriving in the destina-
tion space would cause the target to fall or if that space is hindering terrain,
the target can make a saving throw. On a save, the teleportation is negated.
Line of Sight: The user of the teleportation power must have line of sight to the
destination space.
No Line of Effect: Neither the user of the teleportation power nor the target
needs line of effect to the destination space.
No Opportunity Actions: The target doesn’t provoke opportunity actions for
leaving its starting position.
Immobilized or Restrained: Being immobilized or restrained doesn’t
prevent a target from teleporting. If a target teleports away from a physical
restraint, a monster’s grasp, or some other immobilizing effect that is
located in a specific space, the target is no longer immobilized or restrained.
Otherwise, the target teleports but is still immobilized or restrained when it
reaches the destination space.
Zone Powers that have the zone keyword create zones, which are magical
areas that last for a round or more. Unless noted otherwise, a zone uses the fol-
lowing rules.
Fills an Area: The zone fi lls each square in a specific area, which is usually a
burst or a blast. The squares must be within line of effect of the origin square.
Unaffected by Attacks and the Environment: The zone cannot be attacked or
physically affected, and terrain and environmental phenomena have no effect
on it. For example, a zone that deals fire damage is unaffected by cold damage.
Overlapping Zones: If zones overlap and impose penalties to the same roll or
game statistic, a creature affected by the overlapping auras is subjected to
the worst penalty; the penalties are not cumulative. For instance, if a crea-
ture is affected by two overlapping zones that each impose a –2 penalty to all
defenses, the creature takes a –2 penalty, not a –4 penalty.
Movable Zones: If the power used to create a zone allows it to be moved, it’s a
movable zone. At the end of the creator’s turn, the movable zone ends if the
creator doesn’t have line of effect to at least 1 square of the zone or if the creator
isn’t within range (using the power’s range) of at least 1 square of the zone.
A zone can’t be moved through blocking terrain.
Death Ends: A zone ends immediately if its creator dies.
KEYWORDS 75
CHAPTER 4
CHARACTER CLASSES
Characters in a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game share many common traits, includ-
ing a thirst for excitement and a need to adventure. They are heroes, compelled
to explore the dark places of the world and take on the challenges that lesser men
and women cannot stand against.
Your character’s class is a profession or vocation. It determines the kind of
adventurer you can become and the types of things you can do in the game.
Combat prowess, magical aptitude, skills, and other capabilities are defined and
given boundaries by your class.
Most of the special abilities provided by your class fall into one of two catego-
ries: features and powers.
Features are special talents your char-
acter learns. They make you better at a Characters share many
task related to your class, or they give you
a special benefit in certain situations. If
traits, including a thirst
you play a wizard, for example, you gain for excitement and a
class features that grant you benefits for a
specific type of magic. As a fighter, on the
need for adventure.
other hand, you gain class features that Character class affects
hone your combat skill.
Powers are active abilities that represent
the type of adventurer
special actions that a character can take, you can become.
often during combat. A wizard’s spells are
all powers, as are a rogue’s tricks and a
fighter’s devastating attacks.
T HE CLASSES
This book provides all the information you need to create and play four distinct
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS character classes: cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard.
Together, these form the classic adventuring party and cover all the roles in the
game. A brief description of each class follows, after which are the full write-ups
for each class. Each write-up includes an explanation of the class’s background
and abilities, along with a step-by-step guide to creating a character of that class.
A class provides a general set of abilities and traits that all characters of that
class share. Individual members of a class can vary wildly, however, and the
type of character you can create within a given class leaves you plenty of room
for customization. Though your choices won’t be unlimited with the material
in this book, when you add other products and information from DUNGEONS &
H OWA R D LYO N
Lyriel defends her party from the evil wizard’s lightning bolt attack
THE CLASSES 77
Cleric
A cleric is a master of the divine magic granted by the gods. As a faithful servant
of a deity, a cleric taps into the divine power source to fuel his or her prayers.
In combat, clerics excel at smiting their enemies while they defend their allies.
Clerics also wield powerful healing magic. A cleric fi lls the role of leader in an
adventuring party.
The type of cleric you can create using this book is a warpriest, a divine cru-
sader who bravely storms dark dungeons, crumbling ruins, and other dangerous
locations.
Fighter
A fighter is a master of weapon combat, skilled in the use of heavy armor and
unmatched in close-quarters fighting. Fighters draw on the martial power
source—the innate potential for greatness that every creature possesses. Their
intense dedication and endless training make them unmatched opponents. A
fighter usually fi lls the role of defender in an adventuring party, though some
fighter types also lean toward the striker role.
You can create two types of fighters using this book. A knight is a bold
warrior skilled in defending against the forces of darkness. A slayer wields heavy
weapons and dishes out damage at a remarkable rate.
Rogue
A rogue is a cunning trickster who relies on wits, speed, stealth, and agility to
evade enemies. Rogues wear light armor and can use only a limited range of
weapons. However, their ability to exploit an enemy’s weaknesses lets them make
stealthy attacks that can devastate their foes. Like fighters, rogues use the martial
power source. However, while fighters focus primarily on weapon attacks, rogues
excel at superhuman feats of acrobatics and stealth. A rogue fills the role of
striker in an adventuring party.
The type of rogue you can create using this book is a thief, an expert at getting
into and out of places that won’t yield to strength or magic.
Wizard
The wizard is a master of the arcane power source. Arcane magic permeates the
world and the planes beyond, and wizards understand this energy better than
anyone else. Employing thick books full of mysterious spells, wizards can
unleash explosive blasts of fi re and force, create illusions to trick and confuse
their enemies, and even bend time and space to their will. A wizard fills the role
of controller in an adventuring party.
The type of wizard you can create using this book is a mage, a wielder of a
broad range of spells who specializes in a particular school of magic.
78 CH A P T ER 4 | Character Classes
PARAGON PATH
You have survived and thrived through ten levels of adventure. You’ve explored
dank dungeons, defeated vile monsters, and learned priceless secrets.
You’ve started making a name for yourself.
Now you’re ready to take the next step: You’re ready for your paragon path.
As your class describes your basic role in the party, your paragon path repre-
sents a particular area of expertise or interest in the world itself. Some paragon
paths allow specialization within your existing class or role, such as mastery of
a particular weapon or school of magic. Others demonstrate your devotion to a
specific deity or cause.
Your paragon path grants you new features and powers from 11th level to
20th level. But adopting a paragon path doesn’t mean you stop advancing in your
class. All the powers and features you gain from your paragon path come in addi-
tion to your class powers and features, not instead of them. You don’t stop being a
slayer when you become a mythic slayer. Instead, you gain new capabilities that
extend, enhance, and complement the abilities of your class.
When your adventurer reaches 11th level, you select a paragon path from
among the options available to you. This book presents one option for each type
of character, but additional paragon paths appear in other DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
supplements and on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Insider. You can select a different
paragon path if you meet the path’s prerequisites; simply replace the noted fea-
tures and powers of the path presented in this book with those of the new path.
EPIC DESTINY
After twenty levels of adventure, what trials could be left to challenge you? You
have conquered countless foes and become a hero to common folk everywhere.
Deadly dragons and gibbering aberrations have fallen to your might. Your gaze
has begun to turn to the planes beyond the world, and even to the gods them-
selves. Finally, you realize there are no heights you cannot achieve.
It’s time for you to assume your epic destiny and shape your legend in the uni-
verse forevermore.
Like a paragon path, an epic destiny grants special powers and features in
addition to your class features. Unlike paragon paths, epic destinies are not mere
specializations of your talents. Instead, they offer extraordinary abilities that rep-
resent your journey toward your ultimate fate as you define it.
When your adventurer reaches 21st level, you select an epic destiny from
among the options available to you. This book presents one epic destiny—the
Indomitable Champion, on page 245. Additional epic destinies appear in other
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS supplements and on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Insider. You
can select a different epic destiny if you meet the destiny’s prerequisites (many
destinies don’t have any); simply replace the noted features and powers of the
destiny presented in this book with those of the new destiny.
EPIC DESTINY 79
CLERIC
Divine Leader: You lead by healing and shielding allies with your prayers, and
by drawing on divine power to improve your allies’ attacks. Your high Armor
Class and effective weapon attacks let you lean toward defender as a second-
ary role.
Why This Is the Class for You: You like playing a character who fights in the
thick of combat while wielding magic and healing allies.
The gods are a powerful force in the fantasy world of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
game, but they do have their limits. In the earliest days of creation, during the
Dawn War, all the gods fought the powerful beings known as the primordials for
control of the world. In the aftermath of their ancient wars, the gods were pre-
vented from directly manifesting in the world for extended periods of time. Now
they war among themselves, with good deities opposing the endless schemes of
their evil counterparts. In the world, they wage their struggles and spread their
influence through mortal followers who draw on their divine power.
Clerics are battle leaders invested with divine power. A cleric might be a humble
servant of a god or a divine enforcer, protecting what is sacred, questing for holy
artifacts, and pursuing adventure in order to spread the tenets of his or her god.
The common folk look to the gods for guidance and aid, and each cleric is
expected to act as a deity’s emissary in the world. A cleric might lack a fighter’s
skill at arms or a wizard’s ability to call down the deadliest spells. However, some
of the greatest deeds accomplished by mortals have been inspired by a cleric’s
drive, vision, and ability to turn a fractious group of adventurers into heroes.
The type of cleric you can create with this book is the warpriest.
WARPRIEST
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Constitution
80 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
next. The power of weapons and the might of magic meet in the divine mandate
of the warpriest.
CREATING A WARPRIEST
This section walks you through the steps of creating a warpriest. As you make
choices at each step, consider how those choices relate to your character’s person-
ality, backstory, and goals.
Consult the three class tables, one
for each tier of play, for a summary of Class Traits
what you gain as you advance in level. Hit Points: You start with hit points
equal to 12 + your Constitution score.
Domain and Deity You gain 5 hit points each time you
gain a level.
Clerics derive their power from the
gods, and choosing which deity your Bonus to Defenses: +1 to Fortitude, +1
character follows is an important fi rst to Will
step when creating a warpriest. The Healing Surges per Day: 7 + your Con-
deity your character follows helps to stitution modifier
shape the powers you wield and your Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
place in the world. hide, chainmail; light shield, heavy
A domain is a sphere of power shield
that specific deities control. No god
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee,
is powerful enough to claim the
simple ranged
entirety of creation. Instead, each
deity watches over a specific portion Implement Proficiencies: Holy symbols
of the world and the activities of its Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Diplomacy
people. As warrior clerics, warpriests (Cha), Heal (Wis), History (Int), Insight
have an affi nity for deities associated (Wis), Religion (Int)
with domains that provide the power Trained Skills: Religion, plus three
and might needed to drive back the more from the list of class skills
forces of evil. Two such domains—
storm and sun—are summarized
below. Each domain mentions specific deities that are tied to it. Your Dungeon
Master might also have other gods you can choose from that are specific to the
campaign world.
Before you choose a domain, think about the kind of warpriest you want to
play. Clerics of the storm domain believe in taking the fight to the enemy. They
focus on destructive attacks that set up a clear path for their allies’ assault. The
powers offered by the storm domain leave creatures broken and vulnerable
against the next attacks they face. Clerics of the sun domain use their power pri-
marily to shield their allies from enemy attacks. Such clerics might use magic to
wrap their allies in protective wards or to incapacitate their foes, leaving them
unable to attack.
CREATING A WARPRIEST 81
Storm Domain A storm
might pass quickly, but the damage it
unleashes lasts far longer. The wrath
and power of the storm god creates
moments of fury that can echo
through history. The storm is impla-
cable until it has spent its energy—but
by then, those who oppose it have
been destroyed.
The storm domain grants you the
powers of thunder and lightning to
smite your enemies, and the secrets
of wind to carry your allies to safety
and shield them from harm. Select
the storm domain if you favor brutal
attacks balanced against the cunning
needed to effectively counter your
enemies’ tactics.
Kord is the god of storms. A mighty
warrior who revels in strong drink,
he is moody and prone to anger,
laughter, and gloom in equal mea-
sures. He expects his clerics to match
his thirst for battle. Although Kord
is a force for destruction, he has no
stomach for bullies. Wanton devas-
tation or attacks on the weak and
defenseless draw his fury.
See page 109 for storm domain
features and powers.
82 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
enemies, punishing them when they emerge from the shadows to spread their
evil. Select the sun domain if you like striking a balance between protecting your
allies and punishing your foes.
Pelor is the god of the sun. He is a kindly deity who expects his priests to
serve as his emissaries across the world. As a cleric of Pelor, you tend to the sick
and wounded wherever you fi nd them. When evil threatens the land, you carry
Pelor’s light into the heart of darkness in an effort to banish that darkness forever.
See page 115 for sun domain features and powers.
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Dwarf, elf, and human are particularly good choices
for a warpriest.
Dwarf Dwarves are a natural fit as warpriests, since they can gain a bonus
to both Wisdom and Constitution. Even better, as a dwarf, you can heal yourself
by using your second wind as a minor action. This ability is useful for a cleric,
because it allows you to recover from your own wounds while you use other
healing powers on embattled allies. The dwarves’ aptitude for the path of the
cleric runs deep in their culture. Notoriously suspicious of arcane magic, dwarves
put their faith in the power of the divine.
Elf Elves can receive a bonus to Wisdom, making them a good choice for the
cleric class. The elven accuracy racial power is an advantage for a warpriest, because
it improves your chance of getting the full benefit out of your many daily powers.
Although arcane spellcasters are common among the elves, they also main-
tain a strong bond with divine magic. When the elves entered the world from the
Feywild, they faced long years of uncertainty. Even though they loved the natural
world, they were forced to adapt to survive within it. During this time, elf clerics
rose to prominence among their people. Now, elf warpriests are instrumental in
defending their people and the allied races of the mortal world.
Human Humans excel as clerics, because the race’s +2 bonus to any ability
score can boost Wisdom, and the extra feat can be used to improve defenses or
weapon attacks. Humans are well known for their independence and ambition,
and these two traits are no less important in human warpriests. Clerics of other
races are sometimes content to simply serve the gods, tending to their communi-
ties and supporting the existing social structure. A human cleric is more often
driven to launch crusades against evil, forge empires under the banner of a deity,
and expand a god’s power in the world.
As a human warpriest, you are a frontline warrior in the battles that play out
between the servants of evil and good. You are dedicated to spreading your god’s
word far and wide while you seek out and crush those who serve the darkness.
CREATING A WARPRIEST 83
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores
(page 38), keeping in mind that a
warpriest depends on Wisdom to
wield the most powerful divine magic.
As a cleric, you are expected to use
the gods’ power with foresight and
consideration.
Constitution should be your second-
highest ability score, making you more
durable in combat and maximizing
the effectiveness of several of your
powers and class features.
You increase two ability scores of
your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th,
24th, and 28th. In addition, all your
ability scores increase by 1 at 11th and
21st levels.
A good Strength score works well
with the storm domain’s focus on
power and fury. As an initiate of Kord,
you revel in wrestling, weapon tourna-
ments, and other physical contests.
The sun domain makes good use of a
high Charisma, since most folk turn
to you for support and insight in times
of trouble. Clerics of Pelor are seen as
natural leaders in the settlements of
the borderlands and in adventuring
parties.
Skills
At 1st level, you have training in Reli-
gion. In addition, you choose three
more trained skills from the following
list of class skills: Arcana, Diplo-
macy, Heal, History, and Insight. See
Chapter 6 for information on skills.
Because you are a cleric, the people
you meet have a natural tendency to
look to you for guidance. Training in
R ALPH HOR SLE Y
84 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
adventuring party’s spokesperson. Heal is a useful skill for aiding injured allies
when your magic runs dry, while Insight helps you detect lies and sort friend
from foe.
Most clerics spend at least some of their time between adventures studying
at a temple or shrine dedicated to their deity. The skills you choose can help to
defi ne that part of your character’s life. Your training in History might reflect a
stern instructor who forced you to spend countless hours copying ancient texts as
punishment for your tendency to get into brawls at the local tavern. Training in
Diplomacy might have made you a leader in the communities of the borderlands.
That in turn might have inspired you to first take up a life of adventure, vowing to
take on the monstrous threats that challenge those communities.
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
The divine devotion feat category presents options suitable for any warpriest.
These feats reflect the strength of your faith and your knowledge of doctrine and
divine magic. You can choose feats that match the feel of your choice of deity, or
that fit your character’s personality and tactics.
If you are a storm cleric, you should also look at feats from the weapon train-
ing category. A warpriest has proficiency with simple weapons, but you might
want to take a feat to gain proficiency with a military weapon, which will be
more effective in combat. If you don’t care about using a shield, the longspear is
a good choice, because it allows you to attack an enemy from a distance. If you
prefer to use a shield, consider a weapon such as the warhammer, which deals
more damage than a mace or a spear.
For sun clerics, the feats from the armor training category are a useful option.
You can upgrade to scale armor to increase your AC, allowing you to avoid more
attacks and focus your healing abilities on your allies.
As with skills, your choice of feats can reflect or inspire a sense of who your
character was before becoming a cleric. For example, proficiency with a military
weapon might suggest a mercenary warrior converted to your faith by a wander-
ing mystic. When you tie your character’s story to your feats, you help make him
or her a living, breathing member of the world.
CREATING A WARPRIEST 85
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, hide, and
chainmail. You can also use light shields and heavy shields. You have proficiency
with the following weapon types: simple melee and simple ranged. You also have
proficiency with holy symbols, although you channel your divine magic through
a weapon when you use most of your warpriest powers.
When it comes to armor, heavier is better. You have 100 gp to buy your start-
ing equipment. Unless you have a Dexterity of 16 or higher, you should buy
chainmail. Otherwise, hide armor is a good choice.
A shield helps to increase your Armor Class, but you might want to consider
purchasing a two-handed weapon instead. Otherwise, a mace or a spear is a good
choice for a starting character. You should also purchase a holy symbol and a
ranged weapon, either a crossbow or a sling.
HEROIC WARPRIEST
In the heroic tier, your abilities as a warpriest focus on directing the magic offered
by your domain. You learn to call down new effects as your mastery increases.
86 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
WARPRIEST HEROIC TIER
Total Feats
XP Level Known Class Features and Powers
0 1 1 Healing word
Domain features and powers
Channel divinity powers
Daily power
1,000 2 +1 Utility power
2,250 3 — Domain encounter power
3,750 4 +1 Ability score increase
Holy cleansing
5,500 5 — Domain feature
Daily power
7,500 6 +1 Utility power
10,000 7 — Domain encounter power
13,000 8 +1 Ability score increase
Resurrection
16,500 9 — Daily power
20,500 10 +1 Domain feature
Utility power
HEROIC WARPRIEST 87
Level 1: Domain Features
When you choose a domain, you establish a path for your warpriest that grants
you distinctive abilities. You are a cleric of the storm or a cleric of the sun, forever
binding yourself to the faith that grants you your power.
Benefit: You gain benefits associated with your domain, which include
special features plus two at-will attack powers, one utility power, and one
encounter attack power. See page 109 for the storm domain benefits and
page 115 for the sun domain benefits.
Smite Undead The gods created life, and most deities view undead
creatures as abominations that must be destroyed. As a warpriest, you lead the
fight against such creatures, scouring them with the divine energy you channel
through your weapon attacks.
88 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 1: Daily Power
By channeling the power of your faith, you can unleash attacks that devastate
your foes. However, these most powerful prayers are so potent that they can be
called on only once per day.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Nimbus of Holy Shielding From the time you first learned to invoke
this prayer, you have felt the divine energy of your faith alive inside you. You stand
protected in combat by your own righteousness, dividing the battlefield into those
who stand at your side and those who will fall to your wrath.
HEROIC WARPRIEST 89
Levy of Judgment Warpriests who stand against a single powerful
enemy favor this prayer. Whether you engage in mortal combat with a dragon or
a primordial, or seek to bring a foul villain or an evil high priest to justice, your
attack places a divine mark upon your enemy that twists fate to turn an ally’s
failed attack into a success.
Bless You sanctify the field of battle, calling down the gods’ blessings on
your allies in their moment of need. The blessing is powerful enough to persist
through any fight, helping to expedite victory.
90 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Resurgent Strength You understand the importance of taking a fight to
your foes. To that effect, your healing prayer imbues you or an ally with a lust for
battle while also curing a grievous wound.
Shield of Faith The power of your faith protects you and your allies
while also serving as a battle standard. In the great battles of the past, warpriests
used shield of faith not only for its defensive power but also as a rallying point.
HEROIC WARPRIEST 91
Holy Cleansing Cleric Utility
You channel healing energy into yourself or an ally, driving out disease and other ills.
Daily ✦ Divine
Minor Action Close burst 5
Target: You or one ally in the burst
Effect: The target makes a saving throw with a +5 power bonus against each effect on him
or her that a save can end. In addition, if the target suffers from a disease, he or she can
spend a healing surge to improve the disease by 2 stages. The target regains no hit points
for spending the healing surge. If the target is subject to a petrifying effect, that effect
ends but the target loses any remaining healing surges.
92 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Inspire Fervor A warpriest must fight from the front, leading the faithful
into battle and serving as an exemplar of courage, martial skill, and determina-
tion. When you channel divine power into your battle cry, your example inspires
righteous fervor in the allies who fight at your side.
Weapon of the Gods As you increase in might, you gain the ability
to infuse the power of your faith into weapons. By calling on the strength of your
deity, you empower a weapon wielded by yourself or an ally with the power of
holy vengeance. Each strike with the weapon smites a foe with radiant energy
and weakens its ability to stand fast against subsequent attacks.
HEROIC WARPRIEST 93
Cure Serious Wounds Cleric Utility 6
You utter a simple prayer and gain the power to instantly heal wounds. Your touch suffuses you or
a wounded creature with a bright silver light that restores health and vigor.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing
Standard Action Melee touch
Target: You or one creature
Effect: The target regains hit points as if it had spent two healing surges.
Mark of Victory You have mastered the ability to focus your divine
might into runes and glyphs, just as the symbol of your deity on your armor or
clothing marks the power of your faith. It is said that in ages past, the gods them-
selves used mark of victory to show their legions of angels which enemy to slay
next. In your hands, the mark helps ensure your foe’s demise.
94 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 8: Ability Score Increase
You reap the reward of constant challenge by increasing your physical and
mental well-being.
Benefit: You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.
Level 8: Resurrection
As your power increases, so too does your stature within the ranks of the defend-
ers of your faith. You gain the ability to overcome death itself—a mark of high
power that makes you the envy of warriors and kings.
Benefit: You gain the resurrection power.
HEROIC WARPRIEST 95
Divine Punishment As a warpriest, you are dedicated to defending
your allies. However, through the darkest hours of combat, you have learned to
refocus that dedication even when you cannot protect your companions as well
as you would like. Drawing strength from wounded friends, you unleash the
wrath of the gods against a hated foe.
96 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Battle Surge This powerful prayer has turned the tide of countless battles.
Your divine might grants a boost of vigor to keep you and your allies fighting
when the need is greatest.
Radiant Armor Your foe’s mightiest attacks are like a drizzle of rain
against a stone keep when you use this powerful defensive prayer. Your god’s will
can keep you or your ally safe from any foe’s blow, whether from a titan’s club or
a dragon’s jaws.
HEROIC WARPRIEST 97
PARAGON WARPRIEST
Having mastered the fundamental powers of your domain, you now concentrate
on refi ning your skill at wielding divine magic. In the paragon tier, your capabili-
ties improve to match the demons, titans, and similar enemies you might face.
98 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 11: Ability Score Increase
Your improved physical and mental prowess highlights your entrance into the
paragon tier.
Benefit: Each of your ability scores increases by 1.
PARAGON WARPRIEST 99
Level 13: Domain Encounter Power
By demonstrating your mastery of divine magic, you can tap into even more pow-
erful combat abilities.
Benefit: You gain an encounter attack power associated with your domain
(storm, page 109, or sun, page 115). This new power replaces the encounter
attack power you gained at 1st level from your domain.
Levy of Damnation Runes and symbols are the signs through which
the gods unleash their most potent power. Since time immemorial, levy of damna-
tion has been a symbol reserved for the greatest heresies and the gods’ fiercest
foes. When you wield this prayer’s power, you twist fate to ensure that it brings
swift doom to its bearer.
100 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Levy of Damnation Cleric Attack 15
Your divine power exacts a heavy toll from your foe, who suffers the worst from you and your al-
lies’ attacks.
Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex
Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you or any ally makes a damage roll
against the target, you or the ally rolls twice and uses either result.
Chosen Servant Those who have shown exemplary service when doing
the bidding of the gods are granted divine protection. Your favor with your deity
allows you to grant a boon to an ally whose efforts at your side enable you to
fulfi ll your god’s decrees.
Cure Critical Wounds The divine power you channel can cure even
the most grievous wounds, bringing a creature from the brink of death back to
full fighting form.
Divine Armor The power of your faith is stronger than steel, and it
provides you and your allies with a resilience that exceeds even that of the
strongest armor.
102 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 17: Domain Encounter Power
The ever-increasing power of sun or storm allows you to unleash a burst of deadly
power to devastate your foes.
Benefit: You gain an encounter attack power associated with your domain
(storm, page 109, or sun, page 115). This new power replaces the encounter
attack power you gained at 3rd level from your domain.
Gaze of the Sun The light of the gods drives away all shadow. Unleash-
ing a burst of the divine radiance that scoured the primordials in the dying days
of the Dawn War, this power forces enemies that would hide from you to stand
against your wrath.
Wrathful Judgment Some of those who stood against the gods in the
Dawn War were punished with endless torment, a fragment of which you inflict
on your foe. Unless your enemy stands down, its anger will be its doom.
EPIC WARPRIEST
The power you now wield grows in strength to match the same abilities wielded
by your deity. Where you once faced the minions of a god or primordial, you now
battle such potent foes directly.
When your warpriest reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of
the Indomitable Champion (page 245). This epic destiny represents the grand
fi nale of your adventuring career, and like your paragon path, it grants a set of
related features and powers.
104 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
WARPRIEST EPIC TIER
Total Feats
XP Level Known Class Features and Powers
175,000 21 +1 Ability score increase
Epic destiny feature
210,000 22 +1 Utility power
255,000 23 — Domain encounter power
310,000 24 +1 Ability score increase
Epic destiny feature
375,000 25 — Daily power
450,000 26 +1 Epic destiny power
550,000 27 — Domain encounter power
675,000 28 +1 Ability score increase
825,000 29 — Daily power
1,000,000 30 +1 Epic destiny power
Heal The power of life and death is yours to command. In the heat of combat,
your touch channels divine energy that is strong enough to restore all vitality.
Divine Battle Lord You are your deity’s emissary on the battlefield,
taking on the mantle of a divine general. The fate of whole worlds might rest on
your success and failure, as your struggles become inextricably tied to the strug-
gles of the gods.
106 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Divine Battle Lord Cleric Attack 25
A radiant blast knocks your enemies to the ground and imbues you with the power to sear your
foes.
Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant
Standard Action Close burst 2
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Effect: Each target falls prone. Until the end of the encounter, you gain a power bonus
to melee damage rolls, to Strength checks, and to Athletics checks equal to your
Constitution modifier. Also, until the end of the encounter, any enemy that ends its turn
adjacent to you takes 10 radiant damage.
Subjugating Strike Your allies look to you as a leader, and you reward
their trust by channeling your faith to the front lines of combat. By reserving this
power for closely clustered minions or the ranks of the badly wounded, you tip
the tide of battle with a single attack.
Ordained Victory Your dedication, strength, and faith have helped you
ascend to the uppermost limits of divine power. The gods reward you with this
prayer, a mighty attack that steadies your allies’ hands in battle.
Visage of the Gods The mere sight of a god is enough to fill lesser
creatures with pain and terror. As one of the gods’ most revered servants, you
gaze into a foe’s eyes to overwhelm it with your deity’s divine majesty.
108 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
STORM DOMAIN
As an initiate of the storm god, you learn to invoke prayers that draw howling
winds and lashing storms from the Astral Sea into the mortal realm. The
storm is a force of raw destruction that brings its power to bear upon those that
lack shelter.
Domain At-Will Power Your dedication to the storm god puts the
power of thunder and lightning into your hands. The storm grants you strength
and shows you how to strike with unmatched speed and fury.
110 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Storm Surge Cleric Utility 1
Crackles of lightning dance along the weapon you bless, ready to unleash a surge of power.
Encounter ✦ Channel Divinity, Divine
Minor Action Close burst 2
Target: You or one ally in the burst
Effect: The next time the target makes a damage roll for a melee weapon attack before the
end of your next turn, the target deals 4 extra lightning damage.
Level 11: The extra damage increases to 6.
Level 21: The extra damage increases to 8.
Special: You can use only one channel divinity power per encounter.
112 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 12: Storm Domain Utility Power
Devout warpriest paragon path feature
In one of the fi nal battles of the Dawn War, the primordials waited in a deadly
ambush, hoping to dispatch the gods once and for all. The gods escaped, though,
using a great planar storm to carry them away and shield them until they could
ready a counterattack. By drawing on the remnant energy of that storm, you can
lift your allies into more advantageous positions on the battlefield.
114 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Thunder of Justice Cleric Attack 23
You hurl your weapon with a thunderous strength that shatters the space around you, drawing you
and your allies toward your chosen foe.
Encounter ✦ Divine, Lightning, Teleportation, Thunder, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged 10
Requirement: You must use this power with a melee weapon.
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. AC
Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier lightning and thunder damage.
Effect: Your melee weapon returns to your hand. You can then teleport yourself and up to
three allies within 10 squares of you to squares adjacent to the target.
SUN DOMAIN
The sun is the source of all life. Its warmth draws forth crops from freshly tilled
fields. Its blinding radiance drives undead back to their crypts and holds the
horrid monsters of the Underdark within their subterranean realm. The sun
watches over the lands of humans, elves, dwarves, and halfl ings as sentinel,
guardian, and provider.
Domain At-Will Power Your allies might not share your faith, but
from the day they joined you in your cause, the sun god’s favor has shone on
them. By evoking a subtle glowing brand above a companion, you mark him or
her with the sun’s saving power.
116 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Domain Utility Power Even in darkest night and far from the open
air of the surface world, you can call on the power of the sun to light your way.
Sun clerics use this power to shed their deity’s light in places shrouded by dark-
ness and evil.
Domain Encounter Power Although the sun is the source of life, its
relentless heat destroys those who do not learn to respect it. When your weapon
flares into a brilliant corona, you channel both aspects of the sun god’s power.
118 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Level 11: Devout Action (Sun)
Devout warpriest paragon path feature
As you enter the paragon tier, the offensive power of your magic does not cause
you to neglect your responsibility to your allies. When you push past your own
limits in combat, the sun’s power flows through you to soothe the injuries of
your companions.
Benefit: When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you (if you
are bloodied) and each bloodied ally within 5 squares of you regain hit points
equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier.
120 CH A P T ER 4 | Cleric
Solar Flare Devout Warpriest Attack 20
Radiant energy erupts from your weapon, exploding in a flare of blinding light.
Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action Close burst 1
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and the target is blinded (save ends).
Miss: Half damage, and the target is blinded until the end of its next turn.
Fighters train long and hard to become masters of combat. When a fighter is in a
party, he or she defines the front line of every battle, bashing and slicing foes into
submission while blocking and parrying attacks from all directions. Fighters use
their battle-honed skills to gain gold and glory, for honor and duty, and for the joy
of unrestrained combat.
Through endless hours of practice and determination, a fighter develops a
distinctive style of combat. This style builds atop the foundation of whatever early
training the fighter received, whether formal schooling in the military arts or
trial by fire on the borders of the fallen lands, and then borrows from the styles of
every opponent the fighter meets.
The people of villages and towns look to fighters to protect them from the
threats that surround them. Bandits, marauders, and wandering monsters of all
types constantly assault the last vestiges of light and civilization in a dark world,
and it often falls on fighters to lead the defense of every settlement. From there,
some fighters go on to become adventurers, taking the battle into the darkness in
order to strike before the next raid hits home.
The types of fighter you can create with this book are the knight and the slayer.
BASIC ATTACKS
As a fighter, you make most of your attacks using basic attacks (page 26). Some
classes rely primarily on class-specific attack powers, whereas you typically
make basic attacks enhanced by your fighter stances and other class features
and powers.
122 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
K NIGHT
Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution
Along the borderlands, knights are the stalwart commanders of peasant militias,
caravan guards, and adventuring groups. Their cunning and skill puts them in
control of the battlefield and lets them minimize the onslaught of their enemies.
Rampaging monsters fear a knight above almost any other attacker. While the
knight locks down a formidable foe, the other members of a party close in for
the kill.
Many knights are members of chivalrous orders, though some are inde-
pendent warriors who wander wherever their hearts take them. Each order
combines a rigid sense of honor and relentless training to produce champions
of the borderlands. Whenever ogres descend from the hills, when hobgoblins
march from their strongholds, and when necromancers call forth armies of
undead, a noble knight is the best defense an isolated community can hope for.
All sorts of warriors follow the path of the knight: young wanderers seeking
to prove their mettle and gain full membership into a knightly order, reclusive
warriors who abandon material comforts in favor of crusades for justice, or self-
centered mercenaries who hope to claim treasure and power after every fight.
Most knights start as squires, training with orders that have heroic and his-
toric names such as the Knights of the Watch or the Order of the Silver Dragon.
Through study, martial practice,
and adventuring, a squire earns Class Traits
the right to wear armor and bear
Hit Points: You start with hit points
the weapons of a knight. Orders
equal to 15 + your Constitution score.
maintain small keeps on the bor-
You gain 6 hit points each time you
derlands, from which they send out
gain a level.
patrols, enforce the law, and repel
monstrous incursions. Bonus to Defenses: +2 to Fortitude
Healing Surges per Day: 9 + your Con-
CREATING A
stitution modifier
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
Human Human knights embrace the extremes that this class offers. Many
serve as exemplars of bravery and honor, even as others serve only their own
sense of self-importance.
If you see yourself as a heroic knight, you are committed to justice and the
common good. You hope to earn a place in legend through great deeds and sac-
rifice. Knights such as you strive to grow their orders in both size and power,
bolstering the defenses of kindly rulers against the endless depredations of evil.
On the borderlands, the common folk look to human knights for the fearless
leadership that can tame the wilds and help push back the darkness.
Virtuous human knights typically worship Bahamut, while unaligned knights
favor Kord or Erathis.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), keeping in mind that a knight is best
served by superior Strength and Constitution. Strength improves your attacks,
while Constitution plays a role in several of your utility powers.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
Your other ability scores can help to define your character’s personality. If
you have a good Intelligence, you might be a scholar of your order’s history, or
a warrior who knows the legends of the past and seeks to emulate them. A high
Charisma points to a natural leader—an inspiring figure who rallies the common
folk in times of need. A good Dexterity might indicate a youth spent playing
games of agility, a knack for sneaking around, or just a balanced approach to
physical exercise.
124 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Skills
At 1st level, choose three trained
skills from the following list of
class skills: Athletics, Diplomacy,
Endurance, Heal, and Intimidate.
See Chapter 6 for information
on skills.
Athletics and Endurance are
both good skill choices, granting
access to utility powers that make
you tougher and more maneuver-
able. Outside combat, Diplomacy
and Intimidate allow a knight to
act as the party’s strong spokes-
person, while Heal can mean the
difference between life and death.
Once you’ve chosen your skills,
think about how and why your
character learned them. Diplo-
macy and Intimidate point to a
past spent dealing with others.
Did you help organize the militia
in frontier villages, teaching
farmers to fight with spears and
crossbows to defend their homes?
Endurance might indicate a hard
upbringing, or long years spent
wandering the land alongside the
knight you served as a squire. Is
that knight still a part of your life
now? Did you leave each other on
good terms, or did some conflict or
secret drive you apart?
Class Features
and Powers
Note which class features and
powers you gain at 1st level, as
specified on the Knight Heroic
Tier table on page 128.
You should remember that you
are the party’s defensive specialist
H OWA R D LYO N
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level.
You gain an additional feat at
every even-numbered level, plus
a feat at 11th and 21st levels.
See Chapter 7 for information
on feats.
When choosing your feats,
think about the approach your
knight takes when protect-
ing allies and participating
in adventures. Feats from the
weapon training category
can be used to represent your
prowess with a certain type
of weapon—perhaps one that
will come to be recognized as
an iconic part of your fighting
style. Taking such a feat might
represent years of study under
a particular weapon master,
who trained you from the time
you first held the weapon until
you went out into the world.
Alternatively, you might be self-
taught, having mastered your
own unique fighting style as a
result of being thrust into a life
of adventure.
CHRIS SE AMAN
126 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Taking feats from the enduring stamina category reflects your character’s
ability to withstand punishment and helps suggest more details of your history.
You could be a veteran of countless battles, taught to withstand hardship by your
experiences. Or, brutality and oppression might have numbed you to pain that
would cripple most other characters.
Like weapon training feats, the feats in the armor training category might be
a sign of the path you followed to knighthood. Are you a member of an order of
knights that trains steadfastly in the ways of combat and warfare? Or did you
pledge yourself as an apprentice to a reclusive master-at-arms, whose knowledge
of unique fighting styles now lives on only in you?
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, hide,
chainmail, scale, and plate. You can also use light shields and heavy shields. You
have proficiency with the following weapon types: simple melee, military melee,
simple ranged, and military ranged.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. You can expect to stand
at the front of any battle and draw the attacks of the most powerful monsters,
so purchase the best armor and shield you can find (usually plate armor and a
heavy shield). Then choose a one-handed martial weapon such as a longsword or
a warhammer. If you have enough gold, consider picking up a ranged weapon
as well.
HEROIC K NIGHT
A knight in the heroic tier is still in the process of mastering basic tactics and
weapons. The talents you establish over the course of these levels are the founda-
tion for all that comes after.
128 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 1: Defender Aura
You are a knight, and the battlefield is your home. Amid the chaos and violence,
you keep a cool head as you carefully measure your foes, counting on your pres-
ence and the threat of your weapon to keep their focus on you.
Benefit: You gain the defender aura power.
Battle Wrath Tactics and cunning have their place in every battle.
However, you learned early in your training that raw anger is an effective weapon
against a foe that refuses to die.
130 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Defend the Line When numerous foes threaten to overwhelm your
allies, you focus on keeping those enemies close. By vowing to hold the line, you
ensure that your attacks leave your foes struggling to move into optimal position
before you strike again.
Hammer Hands The first time an enemy slipped past you to strike one
of your allies, you learned that combat mastery is about more than the strength
of your arm. As long as an enemy is a threat to your allies, you rely on the hammer
hands stance to keep that foe exactly where you want it.
Measured Cut Your ability to stay in motion can turn the tide of battle
against foes that depend on gaining superior positions. You have trained hard to
let the force of your attacks carry you past your enemies, shifting boldly through
combat with each successive strike.
132 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Battle Leader When you took up the path of the knight, you learned
quickly that martial training was only part of your strength. Your allies look to
you for guidance and direction in battle. They trust you to lead them into the best
positions to gain the advantage over your foes.
Glowering Threat Some foes respond only to brute force. Others can
be distracted by a well-timed threat. You have learned how to draw attention
to yourself through combat skill and threatening displays. By drawing your
enemies’ wrath upon yourself, you hope to give your allies a moment’s respite.
Minor Resurgence In your earliest training, you learned not only how
to infl ict pain but how to take it. Now, when your injuries mount in battle, you
draw on the memory of that training for the strength to let you finish the fight.
134 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 6: Utility Power
Your skill training once more helps to expand your abilities in combat.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Knight’s Challenge You understand the role honor and pride can
play in a warrior’s heart. You might scorn it, or you might live by a rigid code of
conduct. In either case, you have learned to call on a foe’s honor, bloodlust, or
pride to force it into a confrontation. By playing on your enemy’s emotions, you
draw it into the fray.
Bladed Step You have learned to fight on two sides at once, so your
enemies never know where your next attack might come from.
Benefit: After you use power strike with a heavy blade, you can immediately
shift 1 square to a square adjacent to an enemy. You then gain combat advantage
against that enemy until the end of your next turn.
136 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 8: Ability Score Increase
You reap the reward of constant challenge by increasing your physical and
mental well-being.
Benefit: You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.
Battlefield Healing All those who study the healing arts can lend aid to
their allies when the fight is done. However, your combined focus on healing and
combat lets you minister to a wounded ally even during battle.
Iron Defiance Other warriors depend only on armor and shields for
protection. Following the training of the masters of your order, you have honed
the resilience of the body within the armor, letting you shrug off even the most
potent attacks.
138 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
PARAGON K NIGHT
In the paragon tier, you learn techniques for both offense and defense that allow
you to face giants, dragons, and worse. Your talent and training combine to push
your skills to the limits attainable by mortals.
Shielding Blade When an enemy swings wide, you forego a quick coun-
terstrike to take advantage of the error. By adopting a defensive posture, your
blade becomes a shield against that foe as it tries in vain to strike again.
140 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Bludgeoning Counterstrike You have trained to take advantage of
a foe’s misstep, and when the enemy’s attack goes wide, you are ready. The heft of
your weapon lends deadly weight to your counterattacks.
142 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
EPIC K NIGHT
As you enter the epic tier, although your abilities are still driven wholly by your
talent, focus, and training, those watching you in battle might believe that some
sort of magic must drive your great deeds.
When your knight reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Indomitable Champion (page 245). This epic destiny represents the grand finale
of your adventuring career, and like your paragon path, it grants a set of related
features and powers.
144 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 28:
Ability Score
Increase
Training, practice, and expe-
rience have molded your
abilities. Even as you near
your fi nal destiny, you con-
tinue to hone your talents for
the tests you will soon face.
Benefit: You increase
two ability scores of your
choice by 1.
Level 29:
Spirit of War
Your fighting spirit remains
undimmed despite the worst
efforts of your enemies. By
sheer focus and strength of
will, you can shrug off even
the most potent physical and
magical effects.
Benefit: At the start of
An epic knight is a hardened veteran
your turn, you can make a
saving throw against one
effect that a save can end. If the saving throw succeeds, the effect ends, prevent-
ing it from affecting you on your current turn.
If the saving throw fails, you still make a saving throw against the effect at the
end of your turn.
When tales are told of the most legendary warriors, slayers are the heroes those
stories speak of. Slayers are elite shock troops, standing at the forefront of battle
with a combination of strong armor, advanced tactical cunning, and a mastery of
withering two-handed weapon attacks.
On the borderlands of civilization, the common folk are beset on all sides by a
multitude of foes. Goblin invaders can outnumber a town’s defenders five to one,
and powerful giants and trolls can easily shrug off a spear thrust or a crossbow
bolt. The slayer is trained to correct this imbalance. By pairing the heaviest melee
weapons with fearless combat tactics, a slayer can score deadly blows against
larger enemies or hew through mobs of lesser foes.
Slayers come from all backgrounds and societies. Some are warriors with
only the most basic training, relying on raw fury and instinct to overwhelm their
enemies. Others might be former soldiers whose homes have been destroyed
like so many others on the borderlands, and who have sworn to use their martial
skills for vengeance.
The slayer combines the best traits
of a defender and a striker, with supe-
rior defenses backed by devastating Class Traits
weapon attacks. This class grants Hit Points: You start with hit points
heavy armor proficiency and plenty equal to 15 + your Constitution score.
of hit points, making a slayer the You gain 6 hit points each time you
ideal warrior to stand at the front line gain a level.
of battle. Bonus to Defenses: +2 to Fortitude
Healing Surges per Day: 9 + your
CREATING A
Constitution modifier
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
146 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Dwarf,
human, and half-orc are particularly
good choices for a slayer.
Half-Orc If you have Player Essentials: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, you
might consider a half-orc slayer. Powerfully built and fearless in a fight, half-orcs
defi ne the slayer’s offensive role in the same way that dwarves represent the best
defensive option for this class. Bonuses to Strength and Dexterity improve your
half-orc slayer’s attacks and initiative. In addition, the half-orc’s furious assault
racial power grants a useful damage boost to help fi nish off your foes.
Half-orc fighters are often mercenaries and treasure seekers. If you didn’t
serve your people as a soldier, perhaps you were a marauder who mended your
ways—whether from a growing sense of guilt or at the point of a paladin’s blade.
Half-orc fighters usually worship Kord, for the same reasons as humans.
However, some unaligned half-orc slayers turn to Bane, seeing the god of war as
the ultimate expression of indomitable will and unmatched martial talent.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), keeping in mind that a slayer is best
served by superior Strength and Dexterity. You balance offense and defense
better than other warriors, and these two skills are the foundation of your
success on the battlefield.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
Although your ability scores aside from Strength and Dexterity are less
integral to your powers and class features, they provide the foundation of your
character’s personality. With a good Intelligence, you might be a student of mili-
tary history who seeks treasures lost on ancient battlefields. A high Charisma
points to a natural leader—perhaps a former officer in a military order. A good
Wisdom makes you a skilled judge of character, and perhaps a highly moral
warrior. You might have always sought to be a wandering champion, using skill
at arms to protect those who cannot defend themselves.
148 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Skills
At 1st level, choose three trained
skills from the following list of class
skills: Athletics, Endurance, Heal,
Intimidate, and Streetwise. See
Chapter 6 for information on skills.
When selecting your trained
skills, Athletics and Endurance
are a good starting point. Athletics
is handy for leaping over chasms,
climbing walls, and navigating
treacherous environments. Endur-
ance allows you to shrug off the heat
of a desert, the frigid winds of arctic
climes, and other environmental
threats, letting you reserve your vigor
for combat.
Your character’s backstory can
play a role in determining your skills.
If you were a member of your clan or
village’s militia, Intimidate represents
your ability to stand fast against any
threat. Streetwise is a skill you might
have learned as a former bodyguard,
keeping your ear to the ground and
one eye open for threats against your
employer. Perhaps you were con-
scripted into military service, either
by your own people or an invading
force. Your training in Endurance is a
reminder of the grueling life of near-
slavery you survived.
Class Features
and Powers
Note which class features and powers
you gain at 1st level, as specified
on the Slayer Heroic Tier table on
page 152.
A slayer focuses on offense, but
the stances you choose at 1st level
can increase your flexibility. Unfet-
J O H N S TA N KO
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
When selecting feats for your slayer, it’s a good idea to focus on either offense
or defense. To improve your offense, look at the weapon training category for
feats that increase your accuracy or the amount of damage you deal. Conversely,
taking Armor Proficiency: Plate from the armor training category lets you stand
fast against even the strongest foes.
The feats in the enduring stamina category provide a good way to bulk up on
hit points and healing surges. Having relied on your innate toughness to survive
injury or tragedy in your past, you depend on that toughness now during your
adventures. The few extra rounds that such feats allow you to stand against a
dragon or a demon might be all you need to score the killing blow.
Many slayers believe that whoever strikes first strikes hardest. The sooner you
can engage and attack an enemy, the quicker a fight ends. The feats in the quick
reaction category allow you to act before your enemies, and you can use this
advantage to deadly effect.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, hide,
chainmail, and scale. You have proficiency with the following weapon types:
simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, and military ranged.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Buy the best armor and
weapons that you can: scale armor, either a greataxe or a greatsword, and
a dagger. If you have enough gold, consider picking up a ranged weapon as well.
150 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Greatsword The great-
sword deals lower damage than
other two-handed weapons, but it
offers greater accuracy. Wielding a
greatsword properly requires more
grace and balance than a greataxe.
If you favor the greatsword, you
value skill over brute strength. You
might have been trained accord-
ing to a rigid martial discipline
or some other formal school of
fighting. However, even if you are
entirely self-taught, you practice
each day to maintain your skill at
the highest level.
Defenses and
Hit Points
Calculate your defenses using your
ability modifiers and the bonus
for your character’s armor and
shield (see “Defenses,” page 40).
In addition, you gain a +2 bonus to
Fortitude.
A slayer shrinks from no challenge, not even that of a great dragon
You start with hit points equal
to 15 + your Constitution score.
You gain 6 hit points each time you gain a level. You have a number of healing
surges per day equal to 9 + your Constitution modifier.
152 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 1: Fighter Stances
Fighters learn a number of stances—special powers that combine positioning,
footwork, and combat tactics to maximum effect. A stance allows you to custom-
ize your approach for fighting different enemies. For example, duelist’s assault lets
you unleash your full fury against foes that try to slip away, while mobile blade
lets you excel in the thick of the fight, moving freely to take on a different enemy
each round.
Benefit: You gain two of the following powers of your choice.
Battle Wrath Tactics and cunning have their place in every battle.
However, you learned early in your training that raw anger makes an effective
fallback position against a foe that refuses to die.
Berserker’s Charge Subtle shifting and skirmish tactics work for some,
but you prefer to make your movement in combat count. You have trained to
unleash the full fury of your combat style in devastating charge attacks that let
you lay waste to your foes.
Mobile Blade You have learned to let the momentum of each attack carry
you into position for your next strike. Your willingness to fight foe to foe lets you
make your way through a crowd to reach your real target, and is especially effec-
tive against minion defenders that cannot stand against your assault.
Poised Assault The more often you hit, the more your foe hurts. You
learned this basic truth of combat with your earliest weapon training, and have
since honed and refined it. Spotting the weaknesses in any foe’s defenses, you
take advantage of those weaknesses as no one else can.
154 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Unfettered Fury Other warriors try to control their rage out of the fear
that it will compromise their careful training. You prefer to embrace your ber-
serker fury, gladly sacrificing accuracy in combat to take out lightly armored foes
with crippling attacks.
Minor Resurgence In your earliest training, you learned not only how
to infl ict pain but how to take it. Now, when your injuries mount in battle, you
draw on the memory of that training for the strength to let you finish the fight.
Single Out Your fury in combat gives your enemies pause, and you have
learned to focus your wrath on foes susceptible to your intimidation. When an
opponent cowers at your challenge, you gain the advantage.
Sudden Sprint Your combat style lends itself to bursts of raw speed,
not careful movement. By carrying the fight to an enemy, you attack on your
own terms.
156 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Sudden Sprint Fighter Utility 2
You put on a burst of speed as you launch yourself toward a foe.
Encounter ✦ Martial
Minor Action Personal
Prerequisite: You must have training in Athletics.
Effect: You move a number of squares up to your Dexterity modifier to a square adjacent
to an enemy.
Get Up! You never back down in combat, but sometimes your allies need a
helping hand in order to follow your example. Using your healing training, you
help a fallen comrade get back into the fight.
Line Breaker As a slayer, you view lesser enemies as little more than
obstructions. Pushing through them is easy enough, but you have learned to do
so while keeping up your defenses and avoiding attacks.
Veteran Gambit You have learned to recognize the combat tactics used
by your foes, and you have developed techniques to counter them and adjust your
defenses accordingly.
158 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 7: Extra Fighter Stance
Your mastery of the fighting arts is honed by each new challenge you face. You
learn a new fighting style to build on the methods you have already perfected.
Benefit: You gain one additional fighter stance from the options on page 153.
Brutal Axe Few foes are tenacious enough to face you in combat. Against
them, you have developed a suitable maneuver—a brutal axe strike that knocks a
creature to the ground and leaves it at your mercy.
Benefit: When you use power strike with a two-handed axe, you can knock the
target prone.
Grim Presence Most foes are smart enough to fall back when you strike.
However, for those who are not, you have learned to channel your intimidating
presence into an unavoidable warning of the destruction to come. Using this
power is a convenient way to assess which of your foes are weak-willed.
Hold Your Ground You have been knocked off your feet once too often
in battle. Now you are resolved to stay standing. You have learned to absorb the
force of an enemy’s attack, using your athletic prowess to stand fast.
Temporary Relief Your training in the healing arts takes over when
endurance and raw strength fail. With determination and focus, you can over-
come even the worst pain.
160 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Temporary Relief Fighter Utility 10
With a healer’s focus, you look past the pain that plagues you.
Encounter ✦ Martial
No Action Personal
Prerequisite: You must have training in Heal.
Trigger: You take ongoing damage at the start of your turn.
Effect: You do not take the ongoing damage this turn. In addition, you make a saving throw
against the ongoing damage, with a +5 power bonus.
PARAGON SLAYER
A paragon slayer is an implacable force on the battlefield. Your weapon becomes
an extension of your body. It moves with unmatched speed, fluidity, and force.
Few foes can withstand your attacks for long.
Reaping Axe When you first took up the axe, you treated each missed
strike in combat as a failure. In the time since, you have learned to shift your
stroke when you feel an attack go wide, forcing your foe to feel a small portion of
your deadly strength.
162 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Reaping Axe Mythic Slayer Utility 12
You strike with such force that even a glancing blow is felt by your enemy.
Encounter ✦ Martial
Free Action Melee weapon
Trigger: You miss an enemy with a melee attack using an axe.
Target: The enemy you missed
Effect: The target takes damage equal to your Strength modifier.
164 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
EPIC SLAYER
In the hands of an epic slayer, a simple blade can become the tool of a god’s
downfall. Your talents now enable you to stand against deadliest creatures in
the cosmos. Each minute of training you have undertaken and each foe you have
defeated on the path to the epic tier have contributed to making you one of the
deadliest warriors in the planes.
When your slayer reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Indomitable Champion (page 245). This epic destiny represents the grand finale
of your adventuring career, and like your paragon path, it grants a set of related
features and powers.
166 CH A P T ER 4 | Fighter
Level 25: Epic Slayer
The unmatched damage you deal out with your weapon attacks gives you an edge
over even the strongest foes.
Benefit: The bonus to weapon damage rolls granted by your Heroic Slayer
class feature increases to 8 + your Dexterity modifier.
Many people have a romantic view of the rogue, seeing the members of this class
as dashing scoundrels with a complete disregard for the law and essentially good
hearts. Others see the rogue as a shiftless ne’er-do-well, whose selfishness and
greed lead inevitably to opportunism and a life of crime. Either of these extremes
might capture the essence of a rogue, but the true spirit of the class lies some-
where in between.
Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and the vulnerabilities of their opponents to get
the upper hand. A rogue provides versatility and resourcefulness to any adven-
turing party. Whether a daring stunt or a trick up the sleeve, a rogue can usually
fi nd a way to get the team out of any tough situation.
The common folk are divided on their opinion of rogue heroes. Most distrust
the rogue, seeing nothing more than a glorified thug or burglar. Others see a
charming hero who makes up the rules along the way. You have the opportu-
nity to mold your own destiny, to shape opinions by the actions you perform.
In the end, that’s all any rogue really wants—the ability to take every day, every
dungeon, one step at a time.
The type of rogue you can create with this book is the thief.
BASIC ATTACKS
As a rogue, you make most of your attacks using basic attacks (page 26).
Some classes rely primarily on class-specific attack powers, whereas you
typically make basic attacks enhanced by your rogue tricks and other class
features and powers.
168 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
T HIEF
Key Abilities: Dexterity; Strength or Charisma
A thief specializes in agility and trickery, using hard-earned skills to pilfer and
hide, escape from tight situations, and overcome deadly traps. A thief has power-
ful combat abilities, but relies first and foremost on circumventing an enemy’s
defenses through acrobatics and stealth. Brute strength and arcane power
have their uses, but a thief ’s quick reflexes and agile touch can get the drop on
enemies before they know what hit them.
Most thief adventurers are explorers and treasure hunters, keen on delving
into long-forgotten ruins in the hope of fi nding valuable lore, treasure, or magic.
Many thieves learn their skills on the streets or as unapologetic criminals.
However, such characters often develop noble intentions, choosing to steal only
from the wealthy or from those in need of being taught a lesson. After all, some-
times bad guys make the best good guys.
T HIEF
Hit Points: You start with hit points
equal to 12 + your Constitution score.
You gain 5 hit points each time you
This section walks you through the
gain a level.
steps of creating a thief. As you make
choices at each step, consider how Bonus to Defenses: +2 to Reflex
those choices relate to your charac- Healing Surges per Day: 6 + your
ter’s personality, backstory, and goals. Constitution modifier
Consult the three class tables, one Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather
for each tier of play, for a summary of Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, hand
what you gain as you advance in level. crossbow, shortbow, short sword,
sling
Race Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athlet-
Choose your race (page 35). Elf and ics (Str), Bluff (Cha), Dungeoneering
halfl ing are particularly good choices (Wis), Insight (Wis), Intimidate (Cha),
for a thief. Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex),
Streetwise (Cha), Thievery (Dex)
Elf Their natural grace makes elves Trained Skills: Stealth and Thievery,
well suited to the thief class. An elf ’s plus four more from the list of class
racial bonus to Dexterity supports the skills
thief ’s attack powers, which are made
all the more deadly by the elven accu-
racy power. As a thief, you make shifting a regular part of your combat repertoire.
As such, you maintain maximum mobility by shifting through difficult terrain
with the Wild Step racial trait.
170 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
stature and natural agility to slip quietly through the halls of manors and palaces
undetected. Perhaps it is simple curiosity that guides you—your trickery inspired
not by malice or greed but simply by the need to know what lies beyond every
locked door.
Halfl ing thieves often worship Sehanine for her dual connection to both
trickery and the origins of the halfl ing race. Some are followers of Avandra, par-
ticularly those whose penchant for thievery sends them far from civilization and
out across the wide world.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), ensuring that Dexterity is your highest
score. Not only does Dexterity improve your attacks, it grants you a defensive
edge to supplement your light armor and is the foundation of your most impor-
tant skills. Strength and Charisma are also important to a thief, so consider
making one of them your second-highest ability score. Your Athletics checks
depend on your Strength, while interpersonal skills such as Bluff and Diplomacy
rely on Charisma.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
Your other ability scores can help to shape your character’s background and
interests. If you have a good Intelligence score, you might fancy yourself a crimi-
nal mastermind. You concoct elaborate plans full of misdirection and false trails,
and you approach combat as a battle of wits as much as weapons. If you have a
good Charisma score, you might instead play the part of the dashing scoundrel,
fast-talking your way past guards and monsters even as you earn the trust of
those you steal from.
Skills
At 1st level, you have training in Stealth and Thievery. In addition, you choose
four more trained skills from the following list of class skills: Acrobatics, Athlet-
ics, Bluff, Dungeoneering, Insight, Intimidate, Perception, and Streetwise. See
Chapter 6 for information on skills.
Rogues (including thieves) are the undisputed masters of skills. They have the
widest range of skill choices and receive training in the most skills. A thief gains
a degree of specialization in those skills that allows the character to perform
extraordinary actions.
The skills you choose can help to defi ne who your character is and where he
or she comes from. Training in Intimidate and Streetwise might mark you as a
former street tough who grew up fending for yourself and learning to survive in
the urban jungle of the city. If you have training in Dungeoneering and Percep-
tion, you might have pursued the path of a treasure hunter, exploring ancient
ruins for profit and honing your skills to avoid the traps and other dangers.
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You
gain an additional feat at every
even-numbered level, plus a feat at
11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7
for information on feats.
Feats from the quick reaction
group are a good choice for thieves
who appreciate getting the jump
on their enemies. You are quick on
the draw with your lightning-fast
reflexes, leaping into action before
other combatants have even raised
their weapons. In the same vein,
thieves prefer small, light weapons
that can be easily hidden. Feats
from the two-weapon training
group allow you to wield two such
weapons for increased damage
and defense.
B E N WO OT T E N
172 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Most thieves stay in motion during combat, using their awareness of the bat-
tlefield to execute ambushes and daring exploits. A character who thrives in the
thick of combat might select from the vigilant reflexes group (particularly Defen-
sive Mobility and Superior Reflexes) to gain an advantage in evading attacks.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth and leather. You
have proficiency with the following weapons: dagger, hand crossbow, shortbow,
short sword, and sling.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Begin by purchasing thieves’
tools, which help you open locks or disarm traps. Next, buy a suit of leather
armor to protect you in combat. Last, pick up the weapon you will use for melee
attacks. A short sword is a good choice: It’s accurate and deals more damage than
a dagger. If you have extra money, consider buying a ranged weapon as well. The
sling is the cheapest option. A shortbow has better range and deals more damage,
but it requires two hands to use. Alternatively, you could purchase a couple of
daggers for throwing.
SNEAK ATTACK
Level Extra Damage
1–10 2d6
11–20 3d6
21–30 5d6
174 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Level 1: Backstab
Since the day you first picked up a blade, you have understood that the best fights
are those that end quickly. Sometimes you need to prevent a foe from unleashing
its most powerful counterattacks. Sometimes you need to drop an enemy before it
can raise an alarm or call for reinforcements. Whenever you gain the advantage,
your subtle combat skill ensures that your attack hits home.
Benefit: You gain the backstab power.
Acrobat’s Trick A thief must always find a way to surprise an enemy. You
rely on light armor and smaller weapons, making a stand-up fight inadvisable.
With this trick, you use your speed and balance to approach an enemy or escape
along the side of a wall. If you use this trick to lead into an attack, the momentum
of this move translates into a more forceful, powerful strike.
Ambush Trick An exposed enemy is a far easier target for a sudden feint
or bounding maneuver. With this trick, you move or feint with such speed and
agility that you throw off its defenses. You might dash by an enemy to stab it in
the back, or you feint in one direction, force your enemy to react, and fire an
arrow while it is off balance.
176 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Escape Artist’s Trick This trick allows you to dart in and out of melee,
dancing just out of the edge of your opponent’s grasp. You can move, attack, and
then use a quick maneuver to disengage. This trick is particularly useful when
combined with a ranged attack or an ambush, since you can move, attack, move,
and then make a Stealth check to hide.
Feinting Trick A feint draws its strength from misdirection. You move
one way, but your enemy expects you to move another. You take advantage of this
confusion by anticipating it, aiming your next attack at where your foe’s back is as
he turns in the wrong direction to meet your approach.
Sneak’s Trick If you can remain out of sight, you can remain out of
danger. This trick allows you to make the most of your surroundings. You
move slowly, picking your way from shadow to shadow to stay out of sight.
Once you fade into the background, you can unleash a deadly attack or slip
away unnoticed.
Thug’s Trick Some rogues develop a taste for dishing out punishment.
With this trick, you keep a steady eye on an enemy that you have surrounded.
The slightest move creates an opening you can exploit, your blade providing a
compelling argument for it to stand and face you.
178 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Unbalancing Trick A feint can accomplish many things. It can open an
enemy’s defenses, force the enemy to move, or ruin its balance. This trick twists
your enemy around, causing it to lose its balance and footing. This maneuver
requires a subtle mix of guile and speed. Because it allows you to maneuver a
foe at your whim, it often works best when you use it to set up an enemy for your
allies’ attacks.
Fleeting Ghost The most successful thieves combine stealth with speed,
and you have practiced long and hard to follow their example. With light steps
and an instinctive sense of stealth, you move like a fleeting ghost.
Sudden Leap Over the course of countless close calls in battle, you have
learned the value of always having a quick escape route. In cases where one is
not conveniently provided, your diligent training lets you create your own path
to safety.
180 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Tumble When you were a child, the games you played took advantage of
your superior acrobatic ability. Now that same combination of balance and speed
lets you dodge past foes without leaving yourself open to attack.
Nimble Climb Other characters might limit their movement to the battle-
field, but you set your sights higher. Through innate skill and rigorous training,
you have learned to climb with as much ease as you can walk. Enemies that
think they have you cornered are stuck watching as you quickly scramble out
of reach.
Slip Aside Any thief can sneak through the shadows, but your superior
instinct lets you momentarily obscure yourself even in the heat of battle. By
forcing a foe to lose track of you even for a moment, you turn a devastating attack
into a glancing blow.
182 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Slip Aside Rogue Utility 6
You distract a foe to diminish the effect of an attack.
Encounter ✦ Martial
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Prerequisite: You must have training in Stealth.
Trigger: You are hit by an attack against your AC or Reflex.
Effect: You take only half damage from the triggering attack.
Swift Parry A thief prefers to avoid a direct fight, but sometimes you have
no choice. When you must fight, you both attack and defend with elegance and
precision. This power reflects your training with weapons such as a rapier or a
short sword. It allows you to defend against an attack and then follow up with a
deadly counter.
Acrobat’s Escape Most thieves can make a quick escape when neces-
sary. You have trained to slip away from an enemy with a cunning feint that
leaves that foe frozen.
184 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Nimble Fingers Your subtle sleight of hand knows no bounds. Your foes
often discover your talent when they suddenly discover an empty scabbard or
a missing wand. Having adjusted the odds in your favor, you can swiftly fi nish
the fight.
186 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Level 11: Masterful Cunning
Master thief paragon path feature
You always have a trick up your sleeve, ready to reveal when the situation
demands it. This allows you to turn every encounter to your advantage.
Benefit: Once during your fi rst turn in an encounter, you can shift up to 3
squares as a free action.
188 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Level 18: Ability Score Increase
You are a true paragon of physical and mental achievement.
Benefit: You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.
EPIC T HIEF
Having reached the epic tier, you now stand among the greatest thieves who ever
lived. Gods, demon lords, and archdevils alike fear the threat you pose. With
skill, practice, and perhaps a little luck, there is nothing you cannot steal.
When your thief reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Indomitable Champion (page 245). This epic destiny represents the grand finale
of your adventuring career, and like your paragon path, it grants a set of related
features and powers.
190 CH A P T ER 4 | Rogue
Level 24: Epic Destiny Feature
Your place in the cosmic order becomes cemented as you gain still more power.
At this point, fate seems to bend and weave to ensure your survival.
Benefit: You gain a feature associated with your epic destiny (see page 245).
Wizards remind people of the mysteries of the world. Wizards are synonymous
with arcane power, and as inexplicable as the magic they wield. They frighten
some folk, anger others, and most just avoid them altogether. And the majority of
wizards are perfectly fi ne with this reaction.
A wizard uses magic for offense and defense, as well as for a myriad of other
tasks and applications. Wizards approach spellcasting as a science, training and
studying long hours to control even the most rudimentary cantrips and spells.
Few wizards can master the art of arcane magic without a mentor, and many
seek entry into an arcane academy to learn the lore and traditions of spellcasting.
Wizards become adventurers to add to their knowledge of arcane lore, to
discover lost techniques, and to fi nd artifacts of great power. Some treat their
adventures as a personal quest to improve the state of their art. For others, they
are a higher calling, in which those wizards use the arcane power they have mas-
tered to take on the evils that plague the world.
The type of wizard you can create with this book is the mage.
M AGE
Key Abilities: Intelligence; Constitution, Wisdom, or Charisma
192 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
in the world and even among the eladrin of the Feywild. In time, single towers
devoted to a single arcane discipline gave way to grand academies where illusion
magic was taught alongside evocation magic.
Today, where and how arcane magic is taught depends on where you happen
to be. On the borderlands, in places such as Fallcrest, solitary mages pass on their
knowledge to one or two apprentices at a time. In larger settlements, such as the
city of Nera, academies are dedicated to the training of mages in all of the schools
of magic.
Illusion School Using spells of the illusion school, you trick and control
your enemies by creating apparitions and false images that confuse and control
the senses. Illusion spells can leave your foes frozen in fear or lashing out at
imaginary threats. Meanwhile, your allies close in for the kill.
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Eladrin and human are particularly good choices for
a mage.
Eladrin Hailing from the mystical Feywild, the eladrin have a natural talent
for magic that makes them ideal wizards. With their bonus to Intelligence,
eladrin have sharp minds. Moreover, their ability to teleport gives them a useful
escape route away from the thick of combat.
As an eladrin mage, you wander the world in search of lost lore and the
enemies of the Feywild. In particular, the evil drow—your people’s sinister
cousins—plot endlessly to topple the eladrin realms and should be fought at
every opportunity.
The eladrin are renowned for their arcane academies, and you likely
received formal instruction in the use of magic. Although these academies offer
unmatched expertise, they also demand absolute faith and years of dull toil.
Perhaps you left your school under a dark cloud, expelled before graduation and
forced to continue learning magic on your own. Old rivals from school (either
classmates or professors) might still dog your steps.
Most eladrin mages worship Corellon, the god of arcane magic and patron of
the fey. However, some of the younger eladrin charting their own destinies in the
world turn to Ioun instead, acknowledging Corellon’s mastery of arcane magic
but focusing on the knowledge to be found in the mortal realm.
194 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Human Though they lack the
long tradition and rigid academies
of the eladrin, humans make pow-
erful mages. Humanity’s natural
ambition is well suited to decoding
the secrets of arcane magic, and
many of the most legendary mages
(including Mordenkainen and Bigby)
were human. Eladrin wizards might
outnumber human wizards overall,
but human drive and ambition often
allow mages of that race to reach
greater heights of power.
As a human mage, you prob-
ably apprenticed to a solitary mage
dwelling in a remote tower along
the borderlands. You spent many
long nights mixing potions, repair-
ing broken tools, sweeping the floor,
and otherwise playing the role of
a simple servant. Your master gave
you instruction in the art of magic in
return, which you have honed and
mastered over long years.
When thinking of your back-
ground, consider your master’s
personality and the nature of your
training. Was your master a kindly
teacher or a cruel tyrant? Did he or
she send you into the world on some
long-term quest, or did you escape
one step ahead of sworn vengeance
after you ruined a critical experi-
ment? Perhaps your master was slain
by some rival to his or her power—a
rival who now hunts you.
Human mages tend to worship
Corellon or Ioun according to their
individual history. Self-taught or
apprenticed mages feel an innate
connection to the raw power of
arcane magic as Corellon first
CHRIS SE AMAN
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), making Intelligence your highest
score. Not only does Intelligence power your attacks, but learning and master-
ing arcane magic is an ongoing exercise in decoding theoretical and practical
mysteries.
Also consider the ability scores associated with the schools of magic. Mages
who specialize in the evocation school tend to have high Constitution scores,
allowing them to withstand destructive magical energy and the rigors of battle.
Enchantment specialists are often eloquent, charming, or wily and therefore
have high Charisma scores. Unusually perceptive and sometimes shrewd, stu-
dents of illusion typically have high Wisdom scores.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
As a mage, your sharp mind is a given, but what kind of genius are you? Look
to your other ability scores to help flesh out your character’s personality and
background. A high Strength or Constitution points to a life of toil far from the
dusty confi nes of any academy. Did you serve a cruel master who worked you
half to death in return for his secrets? Were you a simple peasant forced to enter
an apprenticeship against your will? Likewise, a low Charisma might cast you
as a withdrawn, sullen mystic who would rather spend hours in a library than
among other folk.
Skills
At 1st level, you have training in Arcana. In addition, you choose three more
trained skills from the following list of class skills: Diplomacy, Dungeoneering,
History, Insight, Nature, and Religion. See Chapter 6 for information on skills.
Consider your skill choices as a sketch of your life experiences as you labored
and studied to become a mage. Did your master or professor take you on expedi-
tions to dangerous lands or send you on quests to find rare reagents or lore? In
either case, Dungeoneering and Nature can eflect such experiences. Training in
Religion might reflect a devout master who instilled a strong sense of faith in you,
or a culture (such as that of the eladrin) in which faith and arcane spellcraft are
closely entwined. Diplomacy is a good skill for a former apprentice who acted
as a servant to visiting nobles and wizards. Perhaps you have a few friends (or
enemies) in high places because of such encounters.
196 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Class Features
and Powers
Note which class features and
powers you gain at 1st level, as speci-
fied on the Mage Heroic Tier table on
page 199.
As a 1st-level mage, the powers
you choose to add to your spellbook
probably reflect your choice of school.
Aside from cantrips (which aren’t
associated with schools), one or more
of your 1st-level at-will, encounter,
and daily power choices should be
associated with the school you have
picked. For example, if you choose
evocation as your first school of spe-
cialization, you might want to select
arc lightning and freezing burst as your
at-will powers, or you might select
one of those and pick your second
power from a different school, for
variety.
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You
gain an additional feat at every
even-numbered level, plus a feat at
11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7
for information on feats.
Since you use an implement,
consider feats from the implement
training category. Implement Focus
or one of the expertise feats can make
your attack spells even more potent.
Likewise, feats from the quick reac-
tion category allow you to unleash
your spells before your enemies can
react, giving you an edge at the start
of combat.
ERIC DESCHAMPS
Equipment
As a wizard, you have proficiency with cloth armor. You have proficiency with
the following weapons: dagger and quarterstaff. However, your use of arcane
magic for offense and defense means you have little need for weapons and armor.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Purchase a dagger or a
quarterstaff for emergencies, but you should otherwise spend your money on
adventuring gear and supplies of use to you and your allies.
You use an implement—an orb, a staff, or a wand—as a conduit for your spells.
Magic implements add to your attack rolls and damage rolls with your arcane
powers, just as magic weapons do to weapon powers. You should purchase the
proper implement if you have taken one of the implement training feats.
198 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
HEROIC M AGE
After years of toil and practice, you have fi nally learned enough of the matters
of the arcane to head out on your own. In the heroic tier you gain power quickly,
but you must still carefully shepherd your magic. One mistake can mean the dif-
ference between victory and defeat.
200 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 1: Mage Cantrips
The basic tricks of magic are known as cantrips, and they are the first spells that a
beginning wizard learns. The formula underlying a cantrip is so simple that each
cantrip can be committed to memory and used at will once you have mastered it.
Benefit: You gain three of the following powers of your choice.
Ghost Sound Useful for creating diversions both in and out of combat,
ghost sound can help you distract other creatures with mysterious footsteps,
the sound of a brawl coming from around a corner, or any other sound you
can imagine.
Light With a light cantrip at your disposal, you need never worry about carry-
ing torches, lanterns, or oil.
Mage Hand When you first took up the often-dangerous study of alchemy,
mage hand allowed you to mix reagents and volatile components from a safe dis-
tance. In lost ruins or the throne rooms of dukes and kings, this minor magic has
even more uses.
202 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Suggestion While you were a mage in training, this simple cantrip proved
useful for wringing favors from more experienced mages—and enticing lesser
apprentices to do your bidding.
Arc Lightning Many evocation spells are too devastating to use in close-
quarters combat where your own allies might be struck down by your power. Arc
lightning accurately channels that power’s full destructive potential.
Freezing Burst The flashiest evocation spells tap into the energy of fire
and lightning, but you are not afraid to wield more subtle weapons. By drawing
on the power of elemental cold, freezing burst lets you scour and scatter your foes.
204 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Hypnotism Wizard Attack 1
Your piercing gaze and whispered word let you seize momentary control of your enemy’s mind.
At-Will ✦ Arcane, Charm, Enchantment, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One enemy
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: Choose one of the following effects:
✦ The target uses a free action to make a melee basic attack against a creature of your
choice, with a +4 power bonus to the attack roll.
✦ You slide the target up to 3 squares.
Burning Hands Cowardly pack fighters such as goblins and kobolds see
your lack of armor and weapons as an excuse to mob you. This spell shows them
the error of their ways. Fanning your hands before you, you blast jets of flame
from your fi ngertips that can wipe out a dozen or more minions and leave stron-
ger foes quaking.
206 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Illusory Obstacles Wizard Attack 1
The image of treacherous terrain appears in the minds of your enemies, which become disoriented.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Illusion, Implement
Standard Action Area burst 1 within 10 squares
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is dazed and unable to charge until the end of your next turn.
Miss: The target is unable to charge until the end of your next turn.
Sleep Countless legends tell of mortals who have stumbled into the Feywild
and slept for hundreds of years. Such stories build on elements of the truth, for
the eladrin are known for their tendency to incapacitate threats they have no
immediate need to destroy. This spell is only a pale reflection of the potent magic
of the fey, but it lets you dispense with troublesome foes in a bloodless manner.
208 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Instant Friends Enchantment magic used in the thick of combat typi-
cally needs to control an enemy only for a moment. Outside battle, a wizard can
afford to undertake a more subtle approach. Instant friends creates a rapport
between caster and target, making it possible for you and your allies to gain valu-
able aid and information.
Shield Shield is a potent defensive spell whose power remains dormant until
you need it.
Spectral Image A favorite spell of those who favor illusion magic, spectral
image lets you shape and control a lifelike image of any object or creature you can
imagine. Although it has no offensive power, your illusion can steal a moment’s
distraction from even the deadliest foes.
Maze of Mirrors Illusion spells hinder foes for the short term but gener-
ally infl ict no lasting injuries, so using them effectively requires strategy. A spell
such as maze of mirrors is best used against enemies advancing or retreating in a
tight group at the start or end of battle. Frozen into place and hampered in their
attacks, your foes are left at the mercy of you and your allies.
210 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Maze of Mirrors Wizard Attack 3
You envelop your enemies in an illusory labyrinth of mirrors, which conceals the world around
them.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Illusion, Implement
Standard Action Area burst 1 within 10 squares
Target: Each creature in the burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is immobilized and takes a –4 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your
next turn.
Miss: The target is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Shock Sphere When you hurl this orb of arcane power, you trade off
the high number of potential targets against the need to avoid your allies with
a deadly burst of lightning. Use this spell in concert with forced movement
that pushes your foes together, or to get the drop on a group of enemies in a
confi ned space.
Fireball The most famous evocation spell ever devised, fireball is known—and
feared—by folk who have never even seen it cast. Whether turning a horde of orc
or goblin warriors to cinders in the blink of an eye, or used as the catalyst that
unleashes an inferno in a tinder-dry building, fireball is a potent addition to any
mage’s arsenal of magic.
212 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Visions of Avarice The most powerful illusions play to an enemy’s
darkest desires. When you cast visions of avarice, you create an ever-shifting illu-
sion of a treasure that cannot be resisted. As your foes throw themselves into the
area transformed by the spell, they are held enraptured and at your mercy.
Invisibility The most potent combat illusion lets you summon up an image
of nothing at all. A creature you choose vanishes from sight, but only your sus-
tained concentration can maintain its invisibility.
214 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 7: Encounter Powers
Whether enchantment, evocation, or illusion is your focus, your mastery of battle
magic continues to improve.
Benefit: You add two of the following powers to your spellbook.
Charm of the Defender This spell twists and warps a foe’s desire
to protect its allies, swapping friend for enemy. A cowardly leader defended by
minions is especially susceptible to this enchantment, mowing through its own
servants with each frenzied attack made at your command.
Lightning Bolt One of the most famous evocation spells, lightning bolt
lashes out against only the targets you choose, avoiding the collateral damage of
fireball and other less forgiving spells. Use this spell against creatures that stay in
the thick of combat against your allies.
Phantom Foes Those who describe illusion as the subtlest form of magic
have never been subjected to phantom foes. This deadly spell assaults its victims
with a spectral horde of enemies that cannot be ignored. With their combat
prowess sapped, those victims are subtly manipulated to carry out your own
violent retribution.
Ice Storm Few evocation spells are as visually impressive as ice storm. With
a shout, you call down a pounding gale of fist-sized hailstones and shrieking
winds that can rend flesh from bone. In the aftermath, you leave the ground a
frozen morass as a stark reminder of your power.
216 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Phantasmal Killer Phantasmal killer is the most storied illusion of the
heroic tier. Reaching into your victim’s mind, you make real its greatest fears,
creating a foe that cannot be overcome.
Arcane Gate At the height of the heroic tier, you and your allies fight with
a singular unity and focus. Your mastery of the battlefield is made more complete
by arcane gate, which opens up a temporary portal controlled by the power of
your mind.
Blur First perfected by the legendary combat casters of old, the blur spell
wraps you in an arcane shroud that shields you from your enemies’ sight.
Mass Resistance Wielding the most powerful arcane energy grants you
unique insights into how to defend against that energy.
218 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Mass Resistance Wizard Utility 10
You wrap arcane strands about yourself and all your allies, insulating all against a particular type
of damage.
Daily ✦ Arcane
Minor Action Close burst 10
Target: You and each ally in the burst
Effect: Choose acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder.
Until the end of the encounter, each target gains resistance to that damage type equal to
5 + your Intelligence modifier.
PARAGON M AGE
Having entered the paragon tier, you now command a strong array of spells. Your
gain more versatility as your grasp of magic expands to match the lore contained
within your spellbook. Spells that once seemed impossible to you are now simple,
rote exercises.
220 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 12: Enigmatic Utility Power
Enigmatic mage paragon path feature
Your increased mastery of a school of magic allows you to shape and direct the
flow of battle.
Benefit: You gain a 12th-level utility power that is associated with the school
of magic for which you have the Master Mage benefit (enchantment, page 238;
evocation, page 240; or illusion, page 242).
This power can be used in addition to the powers you prepare from your
spellbook.
Hold Monster The destructive power of the spells you wield too often
leaves your foes in no condition for questioning. Hold monster serves you well
when a lighter touch is required, or when you need to lock down an enemy to
hinder its most potent attacks. Despite its name, this spell functions equally well
on creatures that are not monstrous.
222 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Cone of Cold Wizard Attack 15
A freezing blast spirals out from your outstretched hand.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Cold, Evocation, Implement
Standard Action Close blast 5
Target: Each creature in the blast
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Hit: 3d8 + Intelligence modifier cold damage.
Effect: The target is immobilized and takes ongoing 5 cold damage (save ends both).
Special: If this power reduces an enemy to 0 hit points, that enemy is petrified instead of
being killed. You can end the petrification as a minor action.
Slumber of the Winter Court The fey of the Winter Court are as
cruel as the season they embrace, and this spell reflects their subtle treachery.
By forcing foes into a deep sleep, you negate their threat. Minions that succumb
to this spell can be fi nished off at your leisure, while their powerful leader is dis-
armed and taken prisoner under your control.
224 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Dimension Switch The enemies you fight now are far more formidable
than those in the heroic tier, and their tactics show it. Fierce melee combat-
ants delight in targeting your lower Armor Class and hit points, but your foe is
caught short when it suddenly finds itself face to face with one of your warrior
allies instead.
Fly When melee foes close in, this spell allows you to soar to safety, ready to
unleash potent magic from above.
Phantom Mask This subtle but potent illusion allows you to shroud the
identities of you and your companions. With the right mix of luck and audacity,
phantom mask lets you slip past even the most watchful creatures, or keep enemy
combatants guessing when the appearance of your party mirrors theirs.
Dancing Flames It is said that the elves first created this spell, using it to
purge the bands of goblins, kobolds, and orcs that swarmed their forests. The fire
you wield maintains a bare elemental sentience that you control. By command-
ing the flames to seek out only those that mean you harm, you leave your allies
safe in the midst of a deadly storm of fire.
226 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Phantasmal Horror Wizard Attack 17
Your enemy is assailed by an imaginary monster ripped from its nightmares, frightening it into a
catatonic state.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Fear, Illusion, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is stunned until the end of your next turn. While the target is stunned by
this power, you gain a +4 power bonus to damage rolls against it.
Miss: The target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
Thought Cage A strong-willed creature might think itself safe from your
most potent phantasms. For such a foe, you turn instead to a singularly pleas-
ant illusion. Your thought cage can hold any creature fast in an idyllic vista of its
mind’s own making—a fantasy world that it struggles in vain to break free of.
228 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
EPIC M AGE
Few mages reach the epic tier. Those who are not slain by enemies before
advancing this far usually become content to set aside the adventurer’s life and
accept the power they have accumulated as the height of their potential. But
because you have survived and pushed on, you now stand among the most pow-
erful spellcasters in history.
When your mage reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Indomitable Champion (page 245). This epic destiny represents the grand finale
of your adventuring career, and like your paragon path, it grants a set of related
features and powers.
Arcane Recall In the epic tier, your arcane knowledge begins to extend
beyond spellcasting and into the makeup of magic itself. By casting arcane recall,
you gather the residual energy of spells you previously cast and restore them to
your mind, effectively trading a higher-level utility power for access to a wider
range of magic.
Mass Fly This spell was first cast by planar wizards exploring the unpre-
dictable reaches of the Elemental Chaos, but its utility in combat makes it even
more valuable. With the power of flight at your command, you and your allies
can easily gain the advantage over land-bound foes.
230 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Time Stop The relentless advancement of time is a force that even the gods
cannot fully control. However, as you advance into the epic tier, a small measure
of temporal mastery lets you act at lightning speed compared to your foes. Make
use of this power at the beginning of combat, using your extra standard actions to
cast utility spells that can set up your eventual victory.
Wall of Force A second wave of defenders is cut off from allies. A dragon
or a demon is forced to face you, unable to hide behind the servants that harry
you from the back. By helping you isolate and split up your enemies into smaller
groups, this potent spell can turn the tide of any battle. For as long as it takes
your foes to batter away at the wall of force in the hope of bringing it down, you
have the upper hand.
232 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Deceptive Shadows Wizard Attack 23
Darkness swirls around your foes, assaulting their minds and clouding their vision.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Illusion, Implement, Psychic
Standard Action Area burst 2 within 20 squares
Target: Each creature in the burst
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: 3d8 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage.
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, each target cannot see any creatures that are not
adjacent to it.
Delayed Blast Fireball Foes that recognize your prowess with evoca-
tion spells learn to time their attacks to avoid the brunt of your arcane power.
Delayed blast fireball stymies their efforts to second-guess your attack, allowing
you to hold the deadly power of this spell to maximize its devastating potential.
Phantom Reality This subtle spell wraps your foe in a shrewd illusion
just different enough from reality to destroy the enemy’s timing in combat. Foes
and allies swap forms and faces under your direction, leaving your enemy flailing
madly as its attacks go awry.
234 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Phantom Reality Wizard Attack 25
You create an intricate illusion in your enemy’s mind, convincing it that friends are foes and lead-
ing it wherever you desire.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Illusion, Implement
Standard Action Ranged 20
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Will
Hit: The target is subjected to a phantom reality until the end of the encounter.
Miss: The target is subjected to a phantom reality until the end of its next turn.
Effect: While the target is subjected to the phantom reality, it must make a saving throw
whenever it uses an attack power. If the saving throw fails, you can either force the target
to attack one creature instead of another or change the location of the attack power’s
area of effect, if any. Either change must be valid for the power, and you cannot force the
target to attack itself. In addition, whenever the target ends a move, you can slide it up to
4 squares as a free action.
Confusion In an echo of the magic of the Feywild from which this spell
was first crafted, confusion allows you to impose your will upon an enemy. A more
powerful form of control than mere domination, this spell lets you force your foe
to move and attack, leaving it out of position and vulnerable.
Sequestering Force The epic evocation magic you wield can rend the
fabric of reality itself. A pulse of pure arcane force tears through the creatures
you target, but their attempts at retribution are thwarted. In the aftermath
of your attack, space twists around your victims, holding them fast while you and
your allies regroup.
236 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
False Reality At the apex of the illusion-wielder’s art, false reality lets you
drown your enemy in its own dreams and desires. Lost within its thoughts, your
helpless foe can make no effort to defend itself from you and your allies. Even
worse for your enemy, the process of shaking off this effect tears at its mind with
a psychic shock.
Legion’s Hold Some charm spells work best against a single foe that can
be turned into an effective weapon in your hands. Other times, you need to exert
a measure of control over the entire field at once. Legion’s hold has turned the tide
of countless great battles, and monsters from devils to angels to titans know to
fear it.
ENCHANTMENT SCHOOL
The enchantment school of magic centers on the study of charms and other spells
that change a creature’s attitudes and perceptions. Specialization in enchantment
magic allows you to exercise powerful and precise control over your enemies,
even to the point where they attack with a fanatic’s fury at your command.
238 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 11: Enchantment Encounter Power
Enigmatic mage paragon path feature
The legendary wizard Otto made a career of melding music and arcane spell-
craft. This spell creates a discordant tune that echoes through a victim’s mind,
forcing it to do your bidding. Moreover, even after your control is broken, the
victim is unable to fully react—a prime target for you and your allies.
EVOCATION SCHOOL
The evocation school of magic focuses on the most destructive expressions of
arcane energy.
240 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 5: Evocation Expert
Expert Mage feature
The destructive power of your magic imbues you with an intensity that your
enemies can sense. At the same time, your focus on the raw power of evocation
enhances your stamina, making you tougher than those foes would ever suspect.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Endurance checks and Intimidate checks.
ILLUSION SCHOOL
Spells of the illusion school deceive the mind and confuse the senses. A master
of illusion uses arcane magic to build on a natural talent for trickery, and knows
that the timing of an illusion is often as important as its power.
242 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
Level 1: Illusion Apprentice
Apprentice Mage feature
Any mage can make use of illusion magic, but your specific focus lends potency
to the spells you cast. A creature caught up in your illusion remains rattled even
after the magic is done, unable to focus past its terror or confusion as it makes its
counterattack.
Benefit: When you hit a target with an arcane illusion power, the target takes
a –2 penalty to the next attack roll it makes against you before the end of your
next turn.
244 CH A P T ER 4 | Wizard
INDOMITABLE CHAMPION
It is your destiny to stand against the encroaching darkness that threatens to
overwhelm the world. You started with battles against goblins and kobolds, but
as time passed and your skill grew you faced ever more dangerous foes. Now,
you understand that your fate rests far beyond the borders of the lands you have
defended. Great powers from other planes threaten the world, and it is up to you
to endure their attacks and end their menace forever.
As an Indomitable Champion, you are almost impossible to sway from your
quest. Drawing on reserves of vitality, energy, and vigor, you push on despite your
enemies’ efforts. Destiny has chosen you to achieve some great deed, and as an
epic hero you soldier on despite the obstacles and foes you face.
CHARACTER R ACES
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world is a rich tapestry featuring a great variety of
societies and cultures. Your character is a member of one of the races that holds
the most influence and the most territory in a realm where monstrous creatures
are a constant threat.
T HE R ACES
Five of the races found in the game world are presented here. They are the most
common folk, though humanity outnumbers each of the others by a wide margin.
Dwarf: The stout dwarves are mountaineers and miners. They are the toughest
of the common folk.
Eladrin: Hailing from the Feywild, a realm of verdant magic, the eladrin are
masters of arcane power.
Elf: The elves have a deep love of nature, and their accuracy with bow, blade, or
spell is unmatched.
Halfl ing: Clever wanderers and curious explorers, halfl ings who want to hide
from prying eyes are almost impossible to spot.
Human: Humanity is the most ambitious of all folk. Humans count among their
numbers the greatest heroes, lords, and villains.
Racial Benefits
Each race offers a variety of benefits, summarized below.
Ability Scores: Your character race offers a bonus to one ability score and your
choice of a bonus to one of two other scores.
Speed: Your race determines how fast you can move. Dwarves are stockier than
other folk, and thus move slower, while elves are quicker than other folk.
Vision: Some folk have the ability to see clearly in gloomy light, while others
have no special ability to see in the dark.
Languages: Based on cultural history and tendencies, some races master a
wider variety of languages than others. In some cases, a race allows you to pick
a language of your choice. Other races provide a specific list of languages.
Other Racial Traits: While every race provides the mechanical abilities out-
lined above, some races grant additional benefits and abilities. These include a
bonus to a defense, proficiency with a weapon group, and so forth.
Racial Power: Every race has a special knack that can prove useful during an
adventure. These range from the eladrin’s ability to teleport to the legendary
ERIC DESCHAMPS
dwarven endurance.
Kathra prepares to turn the tide of battle by unleashing a powerful arcane spell
Racial Traits
Average Height: 4´ 3˝–4´ 9˝
Average Weight: 160–220 lb.
Cast-Iron Stomach: You have a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
Dwarven Weapon Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the throwing hammer and
the warhammer.
Encumbered Speed: You move at your normal speed even when it would be reduced
by armor or a heavy load. Other effects that limit speed (such as difficult terrain or
magic) affect you normally.
Stand Your Ground: When an effect forces you to move—through a pull, a push, or
a slide—you can move 1 square less than the effect specifies. This means an effect
that normally pulls, pushes, or slides a target 1 square does not force you to move
unless you want to.
In addition, when an attack would knock you prone, you can make a saving
throw to avoid falling prone.
Dwarven Resilience: You have the dwarven resilience power.
Dwarf heroes
DWARF 249
human towns and villages, these isolated dwarves still dream of their ancient
homes. They remain bitter enemies of the giants, orcs, goblins, and dragons that
they blame for their demise.
Physical Qualities
Dwarves average about 4½ feet in height and are very broad, weighing as much
as adult humans. Dwarves have the same variety of skin, eye, and hair colors
as humans, although red hair is more common among them. Male dwarves are
often bald and braid their long beards into elaborate patterns. Female dwarves
braid their hair to show clan and ancestry. Dwarven attire and equipment,
including weapons and shields, are decorated with bold geometric shapes,
natural gems, and ancestral faces.
Although they reach physical maturity at roughly the same age as humans,
dwarves age more slowly and remain vigorous well past 150 years of age, often
living to see 200.
Dwarf Adventurers
Most dwarves are driven by one of three goals—the acquisition of wealth,
the collection of dwarven relics, or the conquest of lost dwarven strongholds.
Dwarves from the few remaining strongholds are typically fighters and clerics,
DWARF 251
though rangers and wizards are
more common among dwarves that
hail from human lands.
Wizard Dwarves have long had a mistrust of the arcane arts, instead putting
their faith in strength and steel. A dwarf wizard is almost always something of a
recluse among his or her people. However, the inclination to study spellcraft is
built on the same ingenuity and focus that makes the dwarves legendary craft-
B R I A N H AG A N
ers in so many other disciplines. To dwarf wizards, casting a spell is much like
Roleplaying a Dwarf
When creating a dwarf character, here are a few points to consider.
The past lives with you. You honor your ancestors and the ancient ways.
Whether you grew up in a stronghold or within the dwarven quarter of a human
town or city, stories of past dwarven glory have always filled your imagination.
Scores must be settled. Orcs, goblins, giants, and dragons continue to
threaten the dwarven way of life. Your people have countless enemies, and it is
your turn to start settling scores. Remember those that have acted against your
people, and strike at them whenever you can.
The clan above all else. Most adventurers are their own masters, content
to roam where they wish. You temper that wanderlust with the understanding
that if your clan needs you, you answer the call. You must be ready at all times to
aid your people. Even if your clan has been destroyed, you serve its memory by
undertaking quests to slaughter the creatures responsible for such an atrocity.
This same loyalty extends to your friends—particularly those friendships forged
in battle and adventure. A dwarf remains an ally to the death.
Your battle cry. Dwarves are creatures of industry and purpose. When you
embarked on the adventuring life, you likely did so with a concrete goal in mind.
Do you fight to restore your family’s fortune? Do you dream of slaying the great
dragon Narsylex and reclaiming the hallowed halls of Mount Defiance? Your
battle cry reminds you of your purpose, announcing to your enemies that they
face a dwarf willing to die for a cause.
Common dwarf battle cries connect to ancestors, lost glories, and similar
touchstones. Dwarves use these cries to remind themselves and their allies why
they are fighting. During the game, your battle cry is the perfect accompaniment
for your use of dwarven resilience. Examples include:
“For the Three-Mountain King! Ever may he reign!”
“By our axes, the glory that was ours shall rise again!”
“We have seen their best! Now show them our worst!”
Dwarf Characteristics: Acquisitive, brave, hard-working, loyal, organized,
stern, stubborn, tenacious, vengeful
Male Names: Adrik, Baern, Berend, Darrak, Darrum, Eberk, Fargrim, Gardain,
Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Rangrim, Thoradin, Tordek, Vondal
Female Names: Artin, Bardryn, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Gurdis, Helja, Kathra,
Kristryd, Mardred, Riswynn, Torbera, Vistra
Clan Names: Battlehammer, Belindorn, Crownshield, Deepdelve, Forgekeep,
Malthin, Soldorak, Stonestaff, Talnoth, Zord
DWARF 253
ELADRIN
Powerful wizards, haughty courtiers, creatures of the mysterious Feywild
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 5˝–6´ 1˝
Average Weight: 130–180 lb.
The eladrin originated in the Feywild, a strange realm of verdant forests, unfet-
tered magic, and boundless wonder. Feywild eladrin dwell in expansive cities
whose spires rise high into the sky, surrounded on all sides by dense woodlands.
Where the magic of the Feywild crosses into the mortal realm, its power is
such that careless mortals can fall into an endless dazed dream of illusion and
enchantment. To many eladrin, the natural world is a rustic backwater barely
worth paying attention to. However, some eladrin choose to dwell in that world
ELADRIN 255
of all eladrin realms. As each passing year threatens to undo the Feywild’s fragile
beauty, many eladrin believe that their leaders do not merely respect the past,
but are clinging to it in stark denial of the present and the future.
A growing number of such eladrin seek to forge a new future—one grounded
in the past but built to account for the dangerous changes in their world. This
bold generation faces many daunting obstacles, chief among which are the
voices that continue to deny any need for change. Moreover, the drow, spurred
on by their own dark hearts and Lolth’s poisoned whispers, continue to dream of
smashing the eladrin realms.
Humans, dwarves, halfl ings, and especially elves often find eladrin leaders—
those most rooted in the old traditions and customs—dismissive and even rude.
As a result, alliances are difficult to form and even harder to sustain. Despite
these obstacles, however, young eladrin continue to fight for their future.
Once the eladrin fielded great warriors, mighty wizards, and peerless archers to
defeat the drow. In time, perhaps the glory of old will be matched by the ambi-
tion and resolve of the future.
Physical Qualities
Eladrin traveling in the world draw attention at every turn. Their straight, fine
hair is often white, silver, or pale gold, and they wear it long and loose. Their ears
are long and pointed. Their eyes are pearly and opalescent orbs of vibrant blue,
violet, or green, lacking pupils. They move with a fluid grace, and even the plain-
est among them is a creature of beauty and elegance. Eladrin can’t grow facial
hair and have little body hair.
Their striking appearance causes many eladrin to travel in secret. While
among the folk of the natural world, eladrin favor heavy cloaks and deep cowls.
They fear drow spies, and believe that orcs, goblins, gnolls, and other bestial crea-
tures consider their flesh a delicacy.
Eladrin children grow much as human children do, but their aging process
slows to a crawl when they reach maturity. They enjoy youth and health for most
of their lives, and don’t begin to feel the effects of age until the middle of their
third century. Most live for over three hundred years, and even at the end, they
suffer few of the infirmities of old age that beset other races.
Eladrin Communities
The few eladrin communities in the natural world all remain bound to the
Feywild. In some places, small outposts stand watch over planar portals to that
wondrous realm. In others, great eladrin cities appear in the world only at spe-
cific times of the year, drawn by the arrangement of sun and stars, and by the
strange currents of magic that run between the Feywild and the mortal realm.
Visitors to an eladrin city perceive it as a gleaming, spectral image. When they
step within its gates, they are whisked across the planes.
The eladrin rarely welcome unwanted visitors with open arms. Although the
eladrin stop short of violence, such visitors can expect a litany of probing ques-
tions and, at best, restricted access to an eladrin settlement. Elves rarely meet
such overt hostility, but the icy attitude and arrogance displayed by many of their
eladrin cousins makes their visits just as trying.
An eladrin city demonstrates a grand expression of the fey folk’s artistry,
beauty, and ideals. Towers sweep high above the trees, inlaid with colorful stones
and gems that gleam in the sun. Where the elves are content to exist within
nature, the eladrin hope to change, control, and improve it. Trees are carefully
sculpted and shaped where they line a city’s boulevards, and eladrin buildings
are constructed as an idealized representation of nature. The defensive walls of
an eladrin settlement are as stout as any dwarven stonework, and are painted
with vivid frescoes depicting ancient heroes and great eladrin victories.
The seemingly timeless nature of eladrin cities makes them unparalleled
storehouses of ancient lore. As the first race to embrace arcane spellcasting, the
eladrin have constructed libraries and created academies of magic whose secrets
are coveted by the sages of other races. Some wizards try to curry favor with the
ELADRIN 257
eladrin to gain access to such lore. Others are not above stealing the knowledge
they seek. However, making enemies of the eladrin is not for the faint of heart.
Their city guard includes wizards, eladrin knights, and trained beasts such as
griffons and owlbears, as well as allied fey creatures.
Eladrin Adventurers
Most eladrin adventurers are young adults eager to see the world and break free
of their increasingly stultified culture. However, there are exceptions. Eladrin
training to be wizards are occasionally sent into the world to prove themselves.
Other times, an older eladrin might embark on a quest to avenge the death of a
relative or to destroy an ancient evil. Most eladrin adventurers are a new breed,
though, seeking to use their past to improve the future.
Fighter Their strong traditions and sense of history inspire the eladrin to
create numerous martial orders. The fighters of these orders are well respected
among their people, and are dedicated to defending the eladrin settlements of
the Feywild and the world. At the heart of most orders’ history is the memory
of those times when humans, eladrin, dwarves, and elves united to fight side by
side against common threats. For this reason, eladrin fighters treat outsiders with
greater respect than do many of their kin.
Rogue Relatively few eladrin openly embrace the path of larceny, theft,
and trickery. Rather, eladrin rogues dedicate themselves to uncovering the lost
knowledge and relics of their people. The treasures of the Feywild were scattered
far and wide in the confl icts that split eladrin, elf, and drow. Now, many eladrin
are anxious to recover those lost treasures and return them to the Feywild.
However, some eladrin rogues are not above dedicating themselves to more pro-
active enterprises, setting their sights on relics and treasure that seem ill suited
to possession by the “lesser races.”
Wizard The eladrin were the first to master arcane spellcraft, and they
remain the foremost practitioners of that art. Their academies of magic produce
more wizards than the traditions of any other race, and formations of wizards
serve a vital role in eladrin armies. Most eladrin wizards train at an arcane
college that has a long and storied history. This training is more comprehensive
than that of most other wizards, but it comes with political ties (both wanted and
unwanted), rivalries with competing schools, and other entanglements.
ELADRIN 259
ELF
Unmatched archers, cunning explorers, protectors of the wild forests
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 4˝–6´ 0˝
Average Weight: 130–170 lb.
In ancient times, the elves lived within the wild magic and lush beauty of the
Feywild, free of strife, hunger, and want. Passing their days with feasting and
song, they studied mystic lore and crafted objects of beauty for the sheer joy of
knowledge and creation.
As with all good things, the elves’ prosperity came to an end. In those days,
the gods Corellon, Sehanine, and Lolth lingered long among the fey people.
Corellon taught his children the secrets of arcane magic. With the strength of
that magic, he sustained their prosperity despite the ravages of the war between
the gods and the primordials. Sehanine taught the fey folk to seek their own
paths and pursue their dreams, nurturing fierce fires of passion and commitment
in their hearts. And all the while, Lolth plotted and schemed in secret, teaching
ELF 261
At the same time, invading orcs, conquest-minded human tribes, ravaging
goblins, and restless undead pressed upon elven territory. With the coming of
Nerath, countless elven tribes were absorbed into the human empire.
Today, in the wake of the fall of Nerath, elves can be found in most areas of
the world. Many human settlements include at least a few elves, and some have
entire elven communities within them. Other elven tribes continue to wander
the wilderness, though they face increasingly violent raids by orcs, goblins,
gnolls, and worse. Each year, the shadow spreading over the world closes tighter
and tighter around elven territories, forcing the elves to seek alliances with the
other humanoid races to survive.
Physical Qualities
Elves are slender, athletic folk about as tall as humans. They have the same range
of complexions as humans, tending more toward tan or brown hues. A typical
elf ’s hair color is dark brown, autumn orange, mossy green, or deep gold. Elven
ears are long and pointed, while an elf ’s eyes are vibrant blue, violet, or green.
Elves favor a wild and loose look to their hair.
Elves mature at about the same rate as humans, but they show few effects of
age past adulthood. The first sign of an elf ’s advancing age is typically a change
in hair color—sometimes graying but usually darkening or taking on more
autumnal hues. Most elves live to be well over two hundred years old and remain
vigorous almost to the end.
Elf Communities
Elf communities are an integral part of the forests in which they are found.
Where humans might clear-cut a patch of woods, erect a stockade, and build
houses, elves seek ways to meld their dwellings within the fabric of the living
forest. They use magic and clever planning to guide the growth of trees, letting
their branches serve as platforms for small huts high above the forest floor.
Slender bridges of rope and wood connect these dwellings, and the elves pick
out paths to the surface along the stoutest lower branches. Even an experienced
ranger can walk beneath an elf village without realizing it.
Elves protect their homelands with a combination of stealth and ambush.
They allow small bands of travelers to pass unhindered, preferring to remain
unnoticed whenever possible. Only if traffic increases, or if outsiders make it
clear that they intend to despoil the woods, do the elves take action. However,
evil creatures such as orcs and goblins are typically attacked without provoca-
tion. Orcs tell tales of the Hungry Woods—forests where well-armed warrior
bands disappear without a trace. Such tales often originate with the stealthy and
brutal combat tactics of the elves.
Some elves live among humans, either by choice or as a result of the assimilation
that occurred during the rise of Nerath. To them, humans too-often combine their
passion and ambition with a singular lack of wisdom. However, elves are loyal to
those who show loyalty, and they seek to better understand their short-lived friends.
Elf Adventurers
The elves’ love of simple pleasures and endless wandering leads many to pursue
lives of adventure. Adventuring elves typically believe that their people must take
a more active role in the world. They yearn to explore distant lands, partake of
new experiences, and fight against the darkness that threatens the natural world.
Cleric The elves have a complex relationship with the gods. Most elves
worship Corellon or Sehanine through their race’s ancient connection to those
deities. However, some consciously divorce themselves from the past by favoring
Melora, Pelor, or Avandra. The elves regard the gods with the same respect one
might afford a powerful neighbor. An elf cleric is not a deity’s servant, but rather
a servant of the people who have chosen to show respect for that deity’s power.
Elf clerics fight first and foremost to protect and preserve their people, holding
the glory and the will of the gods a distant second in consideration.
ELF 263
Fighter Elf fighters are the masters of bow and blade. Where other elves
spend time in song and dance, fighters devote endless hours to sword and
archery drills that take combat to the level of high art. An elf fighter fi nds per-
fection in a well-placed parry or strike, preferring speed and artistry to raw
strength. An elf fighter fears no foe. Wherever evil rises, these warriors stand as
its most resolute enemies.
bookish sages.
ELF 265
H ALFLING
Resourceful wanderers, cunning scouts, travelers of forgotten roads
Racial Traits
Average Height: 3´ 10˝–4´ 2˝
Average Weight: 75–85 lb.
Of all the races, halfl ings are perhaps the most frequently misunderstood. Most
dwarves equate halfl ings with rogues and thieves, though they warily trade with
halfl ing clans and communities. Elves and eladrin sometimes regard halflings
as little more than itinerant wanderers, though they listen intently to the rumors
and news that halflings bring to their borders. Many humans adopt a paternal-
istic attitude toward the small folk, but they also know enough to never break a
deal with them or double-cross them.
Their small size makes halfl ings an easy race to underestimate. Though they
have founded no empires and scorn traditional structures of nobility and rule,
they have survived and even flourished where other folk have risen high and
fallen into inevitable ruin.
HALFLING 267
rarely amass full-scale armies, preferring instead to form small, elite bands that
can take out the toughest foes without notice. Under the best circumstances,
such attacks are rarely traced back to the halfl ings who carried them out. Their
enemies, unwilling or unable to believe that so small a threat could perpetrate
such a precision assault, turn against other more obvious targets.
A common folk tale unites all halfl ings, with every child hearing stories of
a wondrous land of verdant fields and endless sunshine. This land is said to be
a small place that the bigger folk have overlooked, and that the halflings must
fi nd. They consider this mythical land their true home—a safe haven where the
halfl ing race can fi nally create an everlasting kingdom. Whether this place truly
exists, none can say. However, the dream of its discovery has given the halflings
the strength to carry on through adversity, and to persevere in their slow spread
throughout the world.
Physical Qualities
Halfl ings stand about 4 feet tall and weigh about 80 pounds. They resemble
small humans and are proportioned like human adults. Halflings have the same
range of complexions as humans, but most halfl ings have dark hair and eyes.
Halfl ing males don’t have beards, but many have long, full sideburns. Halflings
of both genders often wear complicated hairstyles, featuring complex braiding
and weaving techniques.
Halfl ings typically dress in clothes that match their surroundings, preferring
earth tones and various shades of green. Their clothing and gear feature woven
textures and stitching. Birds, river patterns, boats, and fish are common images
in halfl ing art and decoration.
Halfl ings have life spans comparable to those of humans.
Halfling Communities
A halfl ing community typically consists of a band of travelers from a dozen to a
hundred strong. Each halfling family has its own mode of conveyance (typically
a boat or a wagon, depending on the locale). When a halfling couple marries,
the newlyweds build their own wagon or boat as part of a grand celebration
in the community.
With their strong tradition of oral history, halfl ings have catalogued
uncounted ruins and ancient roads long forgotten by the races that made them.
Though they travel freely along well-established trade routes, they also ply these
secret roads, paths, and waterways known only to their kind.
Nomadic halfl ings travel with the seasons. As winter approaches, they either
move to warmer climes or settle down alongside the communities of humans
and other folk. Their extensive travels make halfl ings excellent traders, selling
the goods they have accumulated throughout the year to buy enough food and
supplies to last the winter.
Some halfl ing communities are more stable, established along waterways or
in neighborhoods within the settlements of other races. These halfling quarters
typically house one or more inns, taverns, or trading posts. Some conceal more
illicit enterprises such as gambling halls or a thieves’ guild.
Halfling Adventurers
Their wandering spirit makes halfl ings a natural fit for the adventuring life.
Legends and fables told around the campfi re ignite the imaginations of young
halfl ings, pushing many to venture into the world in search of lost treasures and
ancient ruins. When these adventuring halfl ings return to their people, they
become protectors and guardians—and the source of a new generation of legends.
Cleric Few halfling communities have more than one cleric, inspiring many
young acolytes to strike out on their own. Avandra commands the most devotion
among wandering halfl ing clerics, who hope to reap good fortune in their travels.
HALFLING 269
Fighter Few halfl ings use
heavy armor and weapons, pre-
ferring instead to rely on stealth
and speed in battle. Halflings
who follow the fighter path
favor offense over defense. They
wear leather or hide armor for a
modicum of protection, practicing
fast-moving tactics that let them
contain monsters while their
allies deliver the killing blows.
HALFLING 271
HUMAN
Ambitious explorers, driven leaders, eager to master the world
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 6˝–6´ 2˝
Average Weight: 135–220 lb.
More numerous than elves, dwarves, halflings, and eladrin, the race of humans
has been the primary architect of history for centuries. While members of
the other races withdraw to their isolated realms and strongholds in the face
of danger, humans push forward with an ever-burning desire to overcome all
challenges. Yet the same ambition and energy that pushes humans to civilize
unsettled lands also makes them covet power and wealth. Even among their own
kind, humans are given to confl ict, infighting, and great wars.
On the borderlands, humans defend their territories against the rise of
darkness even as other folk fall back to the distant mountains and dense
forests. Humans strike out against the unknown, eager to leave a mark on
the world. However, although humans have reached great heights, they have
also become their own worst enemies time and again. A human realm faces
more than just the threat of monstrous incursions. Bickering and political
confl ict often push human lands to the brink of civil wars more ruinous than
any external foe. After all, the worst enemy is one who knows your strengths
and weaknesses.
Ambition and a sometimes-reckless drive for power combine to push many
humans to seek out fame and fortune through adventure and exploration.
Physical
Qualities
Humans come in a wide
variety of heights, weights, and
colors. Some humans have
black or dark brown skin,
others are as pale as snow, and
they cover the whole range of
tans and browns in between.
Their hair is black, brown, or a
range of blonds and reds. Their
eyes are most often brown, blue,
or hazel.
Humans’ attire varies wildly,
depending on the environment and
society in which they live. Their cloth-
ing can be simple, ostentatious, or
anything in between. It’s not unusual
for several distinct human cultures to
live side by side in a particular area
and mingle. As a result, human armor,
weaponry, and other items incorporate
a variety of designs and motifs.
Humans have average life spans of
about seventy-five years, though some
venerable members of the race live as
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
Human heroes
HUMAN 273
Attitudes and Beliefs
Humans are decisive and sometimes rash. They explore the darkest reaches of
the world in search of knowledge and power. They hurl themselves into danger,
dealing with consequences as they arise. They act first and ponder later, trusting
their will to prevail and their natural resourcefulness to see them through peril-
ous situations.
Humans always look to the horizon, seeking to expand their influence and
their territory. They chase power and want to change the world, for good or for
ill. Their settlements are among the brightest lights in a dark and untamed world,
and humans constantly seek to explore new lands and settle new frontiers.
Their self-reliance and bravery inclines humans toward martial classes such
as fighter and rogue. They often prefer to find hidden reserves of strength in
themselves rather than trust to the magic of wizards or clerics.
That said, humans tend to be a pious race, worshiping the whole pantheon of
gods. Their myths name no god as the creator of their race. Some tales say the
gods worked together to create humans, infusing them with the best qualities of
each race that had come before. Other tales say that humans were the creation of
a god whose name is no longer known—a deity killed in the war against the pri-
mordials or assassinated by Asmodeus or Zehir.
Humans are tolerant of other races, different beliefs, and foreign cultures.
Most human settlements consist of diverse enclaves where different races live
together in relative peace. The human empire of Nerath, the last great world
power, united many different peoples and ruled the land for more than five
hundred years before it collapsed about a century ago. Most of the human settle-
ments that survived the empire’s fall now stand as fortified bastions against the
encroaching darkness. When elven forests are razed or dwarven mines overrun,
the survivors often flee to the nearest human town or city for protection.
Despite the far reach and power of Nerath, humans in the present day are a
scattered and divided people. Dozens of small baronies, fiefdoms, and free city-
states have arisen from Nerath’s ruins, and many of these realms are petty, weak,
and isolated. Tensions and misunderstandings can precipitate skirmishes, espio-
nage, betrayal, and even open warfare between neighboring communities.
Human Communities
Humans are the most adaptable of all folk. Their communities range from forest
villages surrounded by stockades, to tent cities built around desert oases, to clus-
ters of ice-walled huts in the farthest northern reaches, to great fortified cities
standing at the center of widespread realms. Other races are known for their
relationships with specific environments—the dwarves in their mountain halls,
the elves with their forest realms, and the halfl ings following the course of river
and stream. Humans, in contrast, pride themselves on being able to adapt to
any environment, and to reshape that environment to their own needs. As long
Human Adventurers
Some of the most powerful and successful adventurers to have ever roamed the
world were human. Many humans are forced into adventuring by the pressures
of life on the borderlands. However, just as many seek out that life as the fastest
way to achieve their goals. As they are in every enterprise, humans who take up
adventuring are flexible, unpredictable, adaptable, and capable of great deeds.
HUMAN 275
Fighter All human communities depend on stalwart warriors to defend them
from the surrounding darkness. As such, fighters are a dominant part of human
culture. Some humans take up the path of the fighter as a means to protect their
friends and loved ones. Others see the fighter’s highly skilled approach to combat
as the best method for slaying powerful monsters and plundering treasure in the
aftermath. Whether they first pick up the sword out of dire need or take to the
class as an honored profession, human fighters place their trust in their weapons,
their armor, and their combat skills above all else.
Rogue Humans
become rogues primarily
in pursuit of excitement,
thrills, and wealth—though
not necessarily in that
order. Some human rogues
use their skills to become
consummate explorers
and dungeoneers. Others
fancy themselves as trea-
sure hunters or hope to
use their unique abili-
ties to battle evil. More
than a few embrace the
arts of thievery simply to
acquire wealth and power.
However, most human
rogue adventurers have at
least a modicum of good
intentions to back up their
quickness, charm, and
natural cunning.
Wizard Although
humans were not the
first folk to master arcane
magic, they are now
among its most skilled
practitioners. A human
character’s natural curi-
osity and ambition are
well suited to dedicat-
ing endless hours to the
study of spells and arcane
EMR AH ELMASLI
Roleplaying a Human
When creating a human adventurer, here are a few points to consider.
Fame, fortune, or power? Humans are driven to adventuring by any number
of reasons. Most humans who dwell in the borderlands fi nd their day-to-day life
challenging enough. Your homeland is a harsh realm rife with monsters and
other threats, yet something inspires you to seek out even more danger. You
might adventure for wealth or glory, seeking the vast fortunes to be looted from
dungeons and the power to be gained with increased experience. You might fight
for your homeland, striking against the forces of darkness before those forces can
lash out against your people. You might hope to combine both goals—creating a
hero’s name for yourself as a means of gaining the prestige and fame needed to
unite the common folk under your rule.
Home is the beginning of all things. In the absence of an overriding
human culture, you maintain a strong connection to the land of your birth and
the home you grew up in. Most humans gather in villages, towns, and other com-
munities, though a few prefer a more isolated existence. Your early years in such
an environment shaped you, as did your reasons for leaving that home. Did you
turn away from your family under a dark cloud of conflict that now puts you on
the run? Or was your village attacked—and your kin slain—by invading monsters
against which you swore a dark oath of vengeance?
Ideals and dreams. Many human adventurers live by a code of conduct, or
they fight for some cause. You might dedicate yourself to a noble lord, to your
faith, or to an organization whose values you share. Your goals might be entirely
material, driving you to seek wealth or some specific relic or lore important to
you. Or, your objectives might be entirely ephemeral, based on a certain philoso-
phy or state of mind. You might fight only for yourself, seeking the wealth and
power that will allow you to make a difference in the end.
Human Characteristics: Adaptable, ambitious, bold, corruptible, creative,
driven, hardy, pragmatic, resourceful, territorial, tolerant
Male Names: Alain, Alek, Benn, Brandis, Donn, Drew, Erik, Gregg, Jarren,
Jonn, Kris, Marc, Mikal, Pieter, Quinn, Regdar, Samm, Thom, Wil
Female Names: Ana, Cassi, Gwenn, Jenn, Kat, Keira, Luusi, Mari, Mika, Miri,
Shara, Stasi, Zanne
HUMAN 277
CHAPTER 6
SKILLS
Have you studied ancient tomes that describe the nature of magic and the struc-
ture of the universe? Do you have a golden tongue that can pass off the most
outrageous lies as truth? Do you have a knack for getting information out of
people? In the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, these questions are answered by the
skills your character has.
Adventurers have a basic level of competence in every skill. As a character
advances in level, his or her level of competence improves. A character’s ability
scores also affect his or her use of skills; a halfl ing rogue who has a high Dexter-
ity is better at Acrobatics than a clumsy dwarf fighter who has a lower Dexterity.
When using a skill in the game, success is measured with a skill check, a d20 roll
that determines whether—and sometimes how well—your character accomplishes
a skill-based task.
This chapter tells you the basics about
skills. For more details on this topic, check Have you studied
out Chapter 4 in the Rules Compendium. ancient tomes? Do
you have a golden
Skill Training
Having training in a skill means that tongue? Can you extract
your adventurer has some combination of information from
formal instruction, practical experience,
and natural aptitude using that skill. people? Your character
An adventurer who has training in a can, with the right skills.
skill gains a +5 bonus to that skill, though
he or she can’t gain training in a skill more
than once. A character class description specifies how many skills a member of
that class has training in and what skills you can choose at 1st level.
For example, if you create a 1st-level fighter, you can pick three skills from the
fighter’s list of class skills. Some feats, such as Skill Training, give an adventurer
training in a skill even if it’s not on the class skill list.
Key Ability
The Skills table below shows the skills available in the game and the key ability
for each one. A skill’s key ability determines the ability modifier used when cal-
culating your character’s modifier with that skill.
H OWA R D LYO N
279
SKILLS
Skill Key Ability Skill Key Ability
Acrobatics Dexterity Insight Wisdom
Arcana Intelligence Intimidate Charisma
Athletics Strength Nature Wisdom
Bluff Charisma Perception Wisdom
Diplomacy Charisma Religion Intelligence
Dungeoneering Wisdom Stealth Dexterity
Endurance Constitution Streetwise Charisma
Heal Wisdom Thievery Dexterity
History Intelligence
USING SKILLS
The Dungeon Master determines if a skill check is appropriate in a given situa-
tion and directs players to make a check if circumstances call for one. A player
often initiates a skill check by asking the DM if he or she can make one. Almost
always, the DM says yes.
Making a skill check is discussed in “Playing the Game,” page 19. See page 41
for how to determine your character’s skill check modifiers.
Difficulty Class
When making skill checks, high results are best. You’re always trying to meet or
beat a certain number. That number is called a Difficulty Class (DC). A skill’s DC
depends on what a character is trying to accomplish with the skill check, and the
Dungeon Master sets this number.
Typically, your character either succeeds or fails at a skill check, meaning your
check result meets or exceeds the DC or else falls below it. Some skill checks
have degrees of success or failure that depend on the difference between your
check result and the DC. Unless otherwise noted, when a creature fails a skill
check, it can try again with a new check.
Many of the skill entries in this chapter give sample DCs for common uses of
the skills. Some DCs are fi xed, whereas others scale with level. A fi xed DC rep-
resents a task that gets easier as your adventurer gains levels. By the time your
adventurer reaches epic level, certain tasks become trivial. In contrast, a DC
that scales with level represents a task that remains at least a little challenging
throughout your adventurer’s career.
The Dungeon Master can use the suggested DC for a task or set one using
the Difficulty Class by Level table. The table provides three DCs at each level
based on a task’s difficulty: easy, moderate, or hard. When choosing a DC from
the table, the DM typically picks one at the level of the character performing
the check.
280 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
DIFFICULTY CLASS BY LEVEL
Level Easy Moderate Hard Level Easy Moderate Hard
1 8 12 19 16 16 22 31
2 9 13 20 17 16 23 31
3 9 13 21 18 17 23 32
4 10 14 21 19 17 24 33
5 10 15 22 20 18 25 34
6 11 15 23 21 19 26 35
7 11 16 23 22 20 27 36
8 12 16 24 23 20 27 37
9 12 17 25 24 21 28 37
10 13 18 26 25 21 29 38
11 13 19 27 26 22 29 39
12 14 20 28 27 22 30 39
13 14 20 29 28 23 30 40
14 15 21 29 29 23 31 41
15 15 22 30 30 24 32 42
The following defi nitions are used by the Dungeon Master to predict which of
the three DCs is appropriate for a particular check.
Easy: An easy DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who do not have
training in a particular skill. Such characters have about a 65 percent chance
of meeting an easy DC of their level. An easy DC is a minimal challenge for a
character who has training in the skill and is almost a guaranteed success for
a character who has a high bonus with the skill. In group checks (page 283)
or when every adventurer in a party is expected to attempt a given skill check,
particularly when no one necessarily has training, the DM typically chooses an
easy DC.
Moderate: A moderate DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who have
training in a particular skill as well as for characters that don’t have training but
have a high ability score (18 or higher) in the skill’s key ability. Such characters
have about a 65 percent chance of meeting a moderate DC of their level. In a
skill challenge (page 283), the DM typically chooses a moderate DC for a skill
check that a single adventurer is expected to make.
Hard: A hard DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who have training
in a particular skill and also have a high ability score (18 or higher) in the skill’s
key ability. Such characters have about a 65 percent chance of meeting a hard
DC of their level. The DM typically chooses a hard DC for a skill check that only
an expert is expected to pass consistently.
Aid Another
In some situations, characters can work together to use a skill or an ability. An
adventurer can help another make a skill or an ability check by taking the aid
another action. Given a choice, a group of adventurers should have the character
who has the highest skill or ability check modifier take the lead, while the other
characters cooperate to provide assistance.
Aid Another
✦ Action: Standard action. When an adventurer takes this action, he or she
chooses a target adjacent to him or her.
✦ DC: The adventurer makes a skill check or an ability check with a DC
equal to 10 + one-half his or her level.
282 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
✦ Success: The target gains a +2 bonus to the next check using the same skill
or ability before the end of the assisting adventurer’s next turn.
✦ Failure: The target takes a –1 penalty to the next check using the same
skill or ability before the end of the assisting adventurer’s next turn. This
penalty represents the distraction or interference caused by the failed
assistance.
An adventurer can affect a particular check only once using the aid another
action. However, up to four adventurers can use aid another to affect a
single check.
In certain circumstances, the DM might decide that only one, two, or three
adventurers can try to aid a check. For example, it is unlikely that four characters
can assist in picking a lock.
Group Checks
The Dungeon Master sometimes asks the adventurers to make a check as a
group. This is called making a group check. In such a situation, the characters
who are skilled at a particular task help cover those who aren’t.
To make a group check, everyone in the group makes a skill check or an
ability check specified by the DM. A group check is almost always against an
easy DC. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds. Other-
wise, the group fails.
Group checks might come up in a variety of situations: when the adventurers
try to sneak past some sentries (using Stealth), try to scale a sheer cliff together
(using Athletics), use disguises to pass as a group of orc soldiers (using Bluff ), and
so on. Such checks are particularly common in skill challenges (see below).
Skill Challenges
A skill challenge represents a series of tests that adventurers must face. To deal
with a typical skill challenge, a group of adventurers makes a series of skill
checks, sometimes spread over a few rounds and sometimes spread over days.
The skill challenge is completed either when a specified number of successful
skill checks is reached or when three failures are reached.
An audience with the duke, a mysterious set of sigils in a hidden chamber,
fi nding a safe path through a haunted forest—all of these situations present
opportunities for skill challenges, because they take time and a variety of skills
to overcome. A skill challenge takes complex activities and structures them
into a series of skill checks. A skill challenge should not replace the roleplaying,
the puzzling, and the ingenuity that players put into handling those situations.
Instead, it allows the Dungeon Master to defi ne the players’ efforts within the
rules structure so that the players understand their options and the DM can
more easily adjudicate the outcome.
K NOWLEDGE SKILLS
Your character’s skill in Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature, and Religion
helps determine what knowledge he or she has about particular topics. A char-
acter can use these skills to remember a useful bit of information or to recognize
a clue related to one of these topics. Using a skill in this way is called making a
knowledge check. With the exception of History, these skills can also be used to
identify certain kinds of monsters, as noted in a skill’s description.
Knowledge Checks
Refer to these rules whenever your character makes a knowledge check, regard-
less of the skill he or she is using.
✦ Action: No action. You either know or don’t know the information.
✦ DC: See the Knowledge Checks table. The check DC increases based on
the topic and how common the knowledge is. A Dungeon Master might
decide that certain information is available only to adventurers who have
training in the appropriate knowledge skill.
✦ Success: You recall a relevant piece of lore in the field of knowledge or rec-
ognize a clue related to it.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information. The Dungeon Master
might allow a new check if further information comes to light.
KNOWLEDGE CHECKS
Information DC
General Easy
Specialized Moderate
Esoteric Hard
284 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Monster Knowledge Checks
Refer to these rules whenever your character makes a check to identify a
monster, regardless of the knowledge skill he or she is using. The DM typi-
cally tells a player which skill to use, based on the creature’s origin or relevant
keyword. If a monster’s origin and keyword suggest the use of two different
skills, the DM decides which skill can be used to identify the monster, and might
allow the use of either skill.
✦ Action: No action. You either know or don’t know the information.
✦ DC: The DM sets the DC using the Difficulty Class by Level table
(page 281), selecting the moderate DC for the monster’s level instead of
your level.
✦ Success: You identify the monster and know its origin, type, typical
temperament, and keywords. If you meet or exceed the hard DC for the
monster’s level, he or she also knows the monster’s resistances and vulner-
abilities, as well as what its powers do.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information about the monster.
The Dungeon Master might allow a new check if further information
comes to light.
SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
The game’s skills have many different uses—as many as you can imagine. Each
skill is presented in the following format.
Key Ability: The first line of a skill description after the name of the skill shows
the key ability for that skill. Use the ability modifier of a skill’s key ability to
help determine your skill check modifier for that skill.
Armor Check Penalty: For skills based on Strength, Constitution, and Dexter-
ity, the line containing the key ability also includes a reminder that an armor
check penalty (page 326) applies to that skill.
Typical Uses: A skill description describes typical ways that the skill is used.
Each description specifies the kind of action that is usually required to use the
skill. Some of the descriptions specify the consequences of success or failure.
See the Rules Compendium for sample DCs and additional information.
Acrobatics
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
Adventurers typically use the Acrobatics skill to maintain their balance while
walking on narrow or unstable surfaces, to slip free of a grab or restraints, and to
take less damage from a fall.
Moving across a surface that is slippery doesn’t usually require an Acrobatics
check; that surface is instead treated as difficult terrain. If a surface is extremely
slippery, the DM might require an Acrobatics check to cross it.
Balance
Make an Acrobatics check (with at least a moderate DC) to be able to move
across a surface less than 1 foot wide (such as a ledge or a tightrope) or across
an unstable surface (such as a wind-tossed rope bridge or a rocking log). This
check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of your character’s
actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You can move on the surface for the rest of the action, using squares
of movement from the action. You must spend 1 extra square of movement for
each square you enter on the surface. While on the surface, you grant combat
advantage and might fall if you take damage (see below).
Failure by 4 or Less: You can’t move any farther on the surface as part of
your current action, but you don’t fall.
Failure by 5 or More: You can’t move any farther as part of the current move
action. If you are on a narrow surface, you fall off it. If you are trying to move
across an unstable surface that isn’t narrow, you instead fall prone.
286 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
If you succeed, you maintain your balance. If you fail, you fall or fall prone,
depending on the surface upon which you are balancing.
Hop Down
Make a DC 15 Acrobatics check to hop down no more than 10 feet and land
standing. The check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of
your character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You land standing and take no falling damage. The downward move
uses no movement from the action.
Failure: You fall.
Arcana
Intelligence
The Arcana skill encompasses knowledge about magic-related lore and magical
effects. Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as
a hobby. This knowledge can touch on any source of magical power—whether
arcane, divine, primal, or another one—and extends to information about the
Arcana Knowledge
Make an Arcana check to recall a relevant piece of magic-related lore or to recog-
nize a magic-related clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 284).
You must have training in Arcana to know information about the Far Realm.
Monster Knowledge
Construct, Elemental, Fey, and Shadow
Make an Arcana check to identify a creature that is a construct or that has the
elemental, the fey, or the shadow origin (see “Monster Knowledge Checks,”
page 285).
288 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Sense the Presence of Magic Make an Arcana check (hard DC) to sense
the presence of magic in an area. Typically characters use the skill in this way
when no magic is observable, but they suspect it is present. This is a standard
action. You attempt to detect each source of magical energy within a number of
squares equal to 5 + your level, ignoring all barriers. You automatically succeed
in detecting any source of magical energy within range that is 5 or more levels
lower than you.
Success: You detect each source of magical energy within range and learn
its power sources, if any. If a source of magical energy is within line of sight, you
pinpoint its location. If it’s not within line of sight, you know the direction from
which the magical energy emanates but do not know how far away it is.
Failure: You detect nothing, or nothing is within range to detect. You can’t try
again until after a short rest.
Athletics
Strength (Armor Check Penalty)
Adventurers use the Athletics skill to attempt physical activities that rely on
muscular strength, including climbing, escaping from a grab, jumping, and
swimming.
Climb
Make an Athletics check to climb up or down a surface (the surface helps deter-
mine the DC). A character who has a climb speed doesn’t have to make Athletics
checks to climb.
A climb check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of the
character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You can climb on the surface for the rest of the action, using squares
of movement from the action. You must spend 1 extra square of movement for
each square you enter on the surface. While climbing, you grant combat advan-
tage and might fall if you take damage (see below).
When you move from a vertical surface to a horizontal surface, such as when
climbing out of a pit, you choose to arrive either standing or prone.
Failure by 4 or Less: If you were already climbing, you don’t fall. If you were
trying to start climbing, you fail to do so. Either way, you can’t move any farther
as part of the current action.
Taking Damage while Climbing While climbing, you must make a new
Athletics check if you take damage. This is a free action. The check is a response
to taking damage.
Success: You hold on.
Failure: You fall but can try to catch hold.
Catching Hold If you fall while climbing, you can make an Athletics check
(DC of the climb plus 5) to catch hold of something to stop the fall immediately.
This is a free action. The check is a response to falling.
Success: You don’t fall.
Failure: You fall and can’t try to catch hold again as part of this fall.
Jump
Make an Athletics check to jump vertically to reach a dangling rope or a high
ledge or to jump horizontally to leap over a pit, a patch of difficult terrain, a low
wall, or some other obstacle.
Simply scrambling onto a terrain feature such as a table or a chair doesn’t
require an Athletics check, because such terrain features are usually treated as
difficult terrain.
High Jump Make an Athletics check to make a high jump, usually to reach
or grab hold of something overhead. The check is usually part of a move
action, but it can be part of any of your character’s actions that involve him or
her moving.
Divide the check result by 10 (round down). This value is the number of feet
you jump up, or in other words, the height that your feet clear.
All the squares of the jump, if any, use squares of movement from the action.
The High Jump table summarizes the total distances of various high jumps
based on Athletics check results. If you run out of movement before landing on
something or grabbing onto something, you fall. However, if the jump was part
of a move action, you can continue the jump as part of a double move, ending the
first move action in midair and continuing the jump as part of the second move
action. You make a single Athletics check for the jump but can use squares of
movement from both actions for it.
Running Start: If you move at least 2 squares as part of the action and then
jump, double the result before dividing by 10 (or simply divide the result by 5).
290 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Reaching Something: To determine whether you can reach something while
jumping, calculate what one-third of your height is (round down to the nearest
inch). This extra one-third represents the length of your arms. Add that number
to your height and the distance cleared based on your Athletics check.
HIGH JUMP
Athletics Result Distance Cleared
9 or lower 0 feet
10–19 1 foot
20–29 2 feet
30–39 3 feet
40–49 4 feet
And so on . . .
Long Jump Make an Athletics check to make a long jump. The check is usually
part of a move action, but it can be part of any of your character’s actions that
involve him or her moving.
Divide your Athletics check result by 10 (rounded down). This determines
the number of squares you clear with the jump. You land 1 square beyond the
square you clear. All the squares of the jump, including the landing square, use
squares of movement from the action. The Long Jump table summarizes the total
distances of various long jumps, including the landing square.
If you end your movement over a drop, you fall and can’t move any farther as
part of the current action. If you run out of movement before landing, you also
fall. However, if the jump was part of a move action, you can continue the jump
as part of a double move, ending the fi rst move action in midair and continuing
the jump as part of the second move action. You make a single Athletics check
for the jump but can use squares of movement from both actions for it.
Running Start: If you move at least 2 squares as part of the action and then
jump, double the result before dividing by 10 (or simply divide the result by 5).
Distance Cleared Vertically: To determine the number of feet that you clear
vertically during the long jump, divide your check result by 10 and then add 2
if the result is at least 1. If you don’t jump high enough to clear an obstacle along
the way, you hit the obstacle, fall prone, and can’t move any farther as part of the
current action.
LONG JUMP
Athletics Result Distance Cleared Total Move
9 or lower 0 squares 0 squares
10–19 1 square (3 feet up) 2 squares
20–29 2 squares (4 feet up) 3 squares
30–39 3 squares (5 feet up) 4 squares
40–49 4 squares (6 feet up) 5 squares
And so on . . .
Bluff
Charisma
Characters use the Bluff skill to make what’s false seem true, what’s outrageous
seem plausible, and what’s suspicious seem ordinary. A character makes a Bluff
check to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, gamble, pass off a disguise, fake a
piece of documentation, or mislead in some other way.
A Bluff check is usually a standard action. The Dungeon Master might allow
you to make a Bluff check as part of another action, depending on what you want
to do.
The check is an opposed check against a target’s passive Insight, or against the
target’s Insight check if it is actively trying to see through your deception. You
can make the check against multiple targets at once, opposing the passive Insight
of each target with a single Bluff check.
Success: Your deception is successful against the target that opposed
the check.
Failure: The target doesn’t believe your deception.
292 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Gain Combat Advantage
Make a Bluff check to gain combat advantage against an enemy by feinting. This
is a standard action. You can take this action only once per encounter.
The check is an opposed check against an adjacent target’s passive Insight.
Success: You gain combat advantage against the target until the end of your
next turn.
Diplomacy
Charisma
Adventurers use the Diplomacy skill to influence others using tact, subtlety, and
social grace. Make a Diplomacy check to change opinions, inspire good will,
haggle with a merchant, demonstrate proper etiquette and decorum, or negotiate
a deal in good faith (a target’s attitude helps determine the DC).
This is usually a standard action. The Dungeon Master might allow you to
make a Diplomacy check as a free action.
Success: You achieve the desired influence. This might be the first of several
successes required—perhaps as part of a skill challenge—to fully influence
a target.
Dungeoneering
Wisdom
The Dungeoneering skill represents knowledge and skills related to dungeon
exploration, including fi nding your way through underground complexes, navi-
gating winding caverns, recognizing subterranean hazards, and foraging for food
in the Underdark.
Training in this skill represents formalized study or extensive experience.
Adventurers who have training in the skill can also identify creatures of the
Far Realm.
Dungeoneering Knowledge
Make a Dungeoneering check to recall a relevant piece of lore about an under-
ground environment or to recognize an underground hazard or clue (see
“Knowledge Checks,” page 284).
Examples of dungeoneering knowledge include determining cardinal direc-
tions while underground (hard DC), recognizing a dangerous underground plant
(moderate DC), spotting new carvings or construction (moderate DC), and notic-
ing a change in depth while exploring an area (moderate DC).
Monster Knowledge
Aberrant
Make a Dungeoneering check to identify a creature that has the aberrant origin
(see “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 285).
Forage
Make a Dungeoneering check to locate and gather food and water in an under-
ground environment that includes pools of water, edible fungi or lichen, small
vermin, or the like.
The check takes 1 hour of effort.
Success: You fi nd enough food and water for 24 hours.
Failure: You fi nd no food or water. You must wait 24 hours to try again in the
same area.
294 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
IMPROVISING WITH DUNGEONEERING
✦ Determine how to cause part of a tunnel to collapse (hard DC)
✦ Figure out the direction to a source of moving air while underground (mod-
erate DC)
✦ Leave well-placed marks to avoid getting lost underground (easy DC)
Endurance
Constitution (Armor Check Penalty)
The Endurance skill is used to stave off ill effects and to push beyond normal
physical limits. An adventurer who has training in Endurance can hold his or
her breath for long periods of time, forestall the debilitating effects of hunger and
thirst, and swim or tread water for extended periods. Some hazards—including
extreme temperatures, violent weather, and diseases—require characters to make
Endurance checks to resist or delay debilitating effects.
Characters rarely use Endurance actively; the DM directs players to use it in
response to certain hazards. Using the skill in that way requires no action, unless
otherwise noted.
Heal
Wisdom
The Heal skill is used to help others recover from wounds or debilitating condi-
tions, including disease.
Treat Disease
Make a Heal check to treat a subject infected by a disease.
Rather than taking a particular action, you must attend the subject periodi-
cally throughout an extended rest taken by the subject and make a Heal check
when the rest ends. You can take an extended rest at the same time.
The check result determines the disease’s effects if the result is higher than
the result of the Endurance check (or other check) that the subject makes
against the disease.
History
Intelligence
The History skill encompasses knowledge related to the history of a region and
beyond, including the chronological record of significant events and an explana-
tion of their causes. This knowledge includes information pertaining to royalty
and other leaders, wars, legends, important personalities, laws, customs, tradi-
tions, and memorable events.
Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as a
hobby. Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric his-
torical information.
Make a History check to remember a relevant piece of historical lore or to rec-
ognize a historical clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 284).
296 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
IMPROVISING WITH HISTORY
✦ Inspire a receptive militia with tales of its heroic ancestors (moderate DC)
✦ Locate the secret tomb of a bandit prince by interpreting the chronicles of
his final days (hard DC)
✦ Recite a canto from one of the epic poems of old (hard DC)
✦ Win a game such as chess using historic strategies (hard DC)
Insight
Wisdom
The Insight skill is used to discern intent and decipher body language during
social interactions. Adventurers use the skill to comprehend motives, to read
between the lines, to get a sense of moods and attitudes, and to determine how
truthful someone is being.
Insight is used to oppose Bluff checks and as the social counterpart to the
Perception skill. The skill can also be used to gain clues, to figure out how well a
social situation is going, and to determine if someone is under the influence of an
outside force.
When you use Insight, you are making a best guess about another creature’s
motives and truthfulness. Insight is not an exact science or a supernatural power;
it represents the ability to get a sense of how a person is behaving.
The use of this skill is usually a minor action. No action is required when
opposing a Bluff check. You need some amount of interaction with a target to
interpret its words or behavior.
Success: You counter a Bluff check, gain a clue about a social situation, or
sense an outside influence on someone.
Failure: You can’t try again until circumstances change.
Intimidate
Charisma
An adventurer can make an Intimidate check to influence others through hostile
actions, overt threats, or deadly persuasion.
This is usually a standard action. Outside combat, the DM might allow you to
make the check as part of another action.
Nature
Wisdom
The Nature skill encompasses knowledge and skills related to nature, including
fi nding ways through wilderness, recognizing natural hazards, dealing with and
identifying natural creatures, and living off the land.
Training in this skill represents formalized study or extensive experience.
Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric informa-
tion in the field of study.
Nature Knowledge
Make a Nature check to recall a relevant piece of lore about the natural world—
terrain, climate, weather, plants, or seasons—or to recognize a nature-related clue
(see “Knowledge Checks,” page 284).
Examples of Nature knowledge include determining cardinal direc-
tions or finding a path (easy DC), recognizing a dangerous plant or another
natural hazard (moderate DC), or predicting a coming change in the weather
(moderate DC).
Monster Knowledge
Natural
Make a Nature check to identify a creature that has the natural origin (see
“Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 285).
Forage
Make a Nature check to locate and gather food and water in the wilderness.
298 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
This check takes 1 hour of effort.
Success: You fi nd enough food and water for 24 hours.
Failure: You fi nd no food or water. You must wait 24 hours to try again in the
same area.
Calm Animal
Make a Nature check to calm a natural beast (hard DC of the beast’s level). For
instance, you might use this check to get a wild horse to let you ride it. This is a
standard action. You can’t try to calm a creature you are fighting.
Success: The beast is calmed.
Train Animal
Make a Nature check to teach a natural beast a simple trick (come, fetch, heel,
stay, and so forth). This use of the skill is usually part of a skill challenge, which
might take much longer than an encounter to complete.
Perception
Wisdom
The Perception skill encompasses perceiving things, most often by sight or sound.
Make a Perception check to notice a clue, detect a secret door, find a trap, follow
tracks, listen for sounds behind a closed door, or locate a hidden object.
In most situations, the DM uses passive Perception to determine if a creature
notices things. A creature that has fallen asleep naturally (as opposed to being
knocked unconscious by a power or other effect) is unconscious, but not totally
deprived of awareness; it can use its passive Perception to hear things, but with a
–5 penalty.
Perceive Something
Make a Perception check to perceive something, such as a hidden door, a con-
cealed object, a group of creatures talking, or a monster’s tracks.
This is usually a minor action. No action is required when the DM is using
your passive Perception. Carefully searching an area (your space and squares
adjacent to it) requires 1 minute or more.
Success: You perceive something. If you are carefully searching an area, you
fi nd something, assuming there’s something to fi nd.
Religion
Intelligence
The Religion skill encompasses knowledge about gods, sacred writings, religious
ceremonies, holy symbols, and theology. This knowledge extends to information
about the undead and about the Astral Sea, including the creatures of that plane.
Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as a
hobby. Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric
information in the field of study.
Religion Knowledge
Make a Religion check to recall a piece of relevant religious lore or to recognize a
religion-related clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 284).
Monster Knowledge
Immortal and Undead
Make a Religion check to identify a creature that has the immortal origin or the
undead keyword (see “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 285).
300 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Stealth
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
Characters use the Stealth skill to conceal themselves from enemies, slink
past guards, slip away without being noticed, and sneak up on others without
being detected.
The check is usually at the end of a move action, but it can be at the end of any
of your character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Make an opposed check against the passive Perception of each target crea-
ture present. If you move more than 2 squares during the action, you take a –5
penalty to the Stealth check. If you run, the penalty is –10.
You can make a Stealth check against a target only if you have superior cover
or total concealment against that target or if you are outside the target’s line of
sight. Outside combat, the DM might allow you to make a Stealth check against a
distracted target, even if you don’t have superior cover or total concealment and
aren’t outside the target’s line of sight. The target might be focused on something
in a different direction, allowing you to sneak around it.
Success: You become hidden from the target. Being hidden means being
silent and invisible.
Remaining Hidden: You remain hidden as long as you meet these
requirements.
Keep out of Sight: If you no longer have any cover or concealment from a target,
you don’t remain hidden from the target. You don’t need superior cover, total
concealment, or to stay outside line of sight, but you at least need partial cover or
partial concealment from a target to remain hidden. A hidden creature can’t use
another creature as cover to remain hidden.
Keep Quiet: If you speak louder than a whisper or otherwise draw attention to
yourself with a noise, you don’t remain hidden from any creature that can hear you.
Keep Still: If you move more than 2 squares during an action, you must make
a Stealth check to remain hidden, with a –5 penalty, or a –10 penalty if you run.
If any creature’s passive Perception beats your check result, you don’t remain
hidden from that creature.
Don’t Attack: If you make an attack, you don’t remain hidden.
Not Remaining Hidden: If you take an action that causes you not to remain
hidden, you retain the benefits of being hidden, such as combat advantage, until
the action is resolved. You can’t become hidden again as part of that same action.
Also, if an enemy tries to enter your space, you don’t remain hidden from
that enemy.
Thievery
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
The Thievery skill encompasses various abilities that require nerves of steel and a
steady hand: disabling traps, opening locks, picking pockets, and sleight of hand.
The DM might decide that some uses of this skill are so specialized that
an adventurer is required to have training in Thievery to have a chance of
succeeding.
Disable Trap
Make a Thievery check to prevent a known trap from triggering. Some traps
cannot be disabled using Thievery.
This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be adjacent to part
of the trap to try to disable it.
302 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Success: You disable the trap. Some traps, however, require multiple checks
to be disabled.
Failure by 4 or Less: Nothing happens, unless the trap’s description says
otherwise.
Failure by 5 or More: You trigger the trap.
Open Lock
Make a Thievery check to pick a lock. This is a standard action. Unless otherwise
noted, you must be adjacent to a lock to pick it.
Success: You pick the lock. A complicated lock might require multiple checks
before it can be opened.
Pick Pocket
Make a Thievery check to lift a small object (such as a purse or a key) from a
target creature without that creature being aware of the theft (hard DC of the
target’s level). This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be
adjacent to the target, and the target must not be holding the object.
Success: You lift a small object from the target without the target noticing.
Failure by 4 or Less: You fail to lift an object, but the target doesn’t notice.
Failure by 5 or More: You fail to lift an object, and the target notices
the attempt.
Sleight of Hand
Make a Thievery check to perform an act of legerdemain, such as palming an
unattended object small enough to fit in your hand (a coin or a ring, for instance).
This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be adjacent to
the object.
This is an opposed check against the passive Perception of each creature
present.
Success: You pull off the sleight of hand.
Failure: You perform the sleight of hand but are obvious, unconvincing,
or both.
FEATS
A feat is a talent, a knack, or a natural aptitude. It embodies the training, the
experience, and the abilities you have acquired beyond what your class provides.
A feat can represent the days you spent learning to handle a sword, your natural
toughness and tenacity, or your unshakable faith in the gods.
You can think of feats as a flourish you add to your character, an additional
layer of customization that makes him or her unique.
✦ Choosing Feats: The basics for picking feats, including how prerequisites
work and feat summaries separated by category.
✦ Adventurer Feats: Complete descriptions of each feat, presented alpha-
betically from Aggressive Advantage to Weapon Focus.
Prerequisites
Some feats have “Prerequisite” entries, which specify any precondition an adven-
turer must meet to take those feats. If your adventurer does not meet a feat’s
prerequisite, you cannot select that feat.
Some feats have minimum ability scores as prerequisites. These feats repre-
sent specialized abilities that are too difficult for the average person to master.
T Y L E R J ACO BS O N
Your adventurer’s ability score must be equal to or higher than the requisite
ability score in order for you to select the feat.
Fargrim challenges the fire giant during the Battle of Three Corners
Feat Categories
The feats in this chapter are organized into different categories based on themes.
The categories have no effect on a feat’s rules or mechanics. Instead, the catego-
ries represent an easy way to approach feat selection. When choosing a feat, you
can start by looking at the categories that appeal to you.
Armor Training In most cases, the armor proficiencies your class pro-
vides are enough to cover your needs. However, learning to use better armor—or
figuring out how to better wear your armor—can provide a useful edge in combat.
Divine Devotion The gods are an important part of your life. You could
be a priest or a cleric, or you might be a member of the uninitiated who makes
offerings at temples before venturing into the wilds. Maybe you were raised
among religious parents, or your homeland is a theocracy. Regardless of the
reason, you have a close bond with a particular deity, and that bond is repre-
sented in your abilities.
The feats in this category reflect your commitment to the principles of the
gods, but they don’t require that you worship a single deity. You might worship
many deities, so your feats reflect your respect for many different ideals.
306 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Enduring Stamina You shrug off powerful attacks and can push on
when others would fail. The feats in this category let you resist certain types of
damage, bounce back faster from injuries, or survive more battles between rests.
Implement Training For those who wield magic rather than steel, an
implement provides a conduit for deadly power. The feats in this category allow
you to improve your prowess with implements. As you master their use, you learn
to draw upon their unique traits.
Learning and Lore You have pondered ancient texts, listened to bards’
tales, and discovered as much as you can about the world around you. The feats
in this category reflect practical knowledge, academic study, and other endeavors
of learning.
Vigilant Reflexes You have an intuitive sense of the ebb and flow of the
battlefield, letting you predict when to duck out of the way. The feats in this cat-
egory give you superior reactions and improved awareness, often bolstering your
AC or Reflex.
308 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Weapon Training Weapons offer different strengths and weaknesses,
but it takes training to unlock their potential. The feats in this category allow
you to make the most of your chosen weapon, granting superior accuracy and
damage along with other benefits that reflect a weapon’s capabilities.
A DVENTURER FEATS
This section presents the feats in alphabetical order. Each feat might have the fol-
lowing entries.
Name and Description: The feat’s name followed by a general overview of its
effects and background. Some feats, such as armor proficiency feats, lack a
description.
Prerequisite: Any preconditions an adventurer must fulfill before taking the feat.
Benefit: What the feat does for you.
Special: Any additional information or exceptions that apply to the feat.
Alertness The hair on the back of your neck might stand up, or perhaps
your keenly honed senses detect an otherwise imperceptible change in your envi-
ronment. Whatever the case, you’re always ready for trouble.
Benefit: You cannot be surprised.
Also, you gain a +2 feat bonus to Perception checks.
310 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Bow Expertise Your steady accuracy allows you to fire arrows with great
precision. With training, you’ve learned to hone in on lone foes to deal out crip-
pling strikes.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with
a bow. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll of any weapon
attack you make with a bow against a single creature that is not adjacent to
any other creature. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at 11th level and
+3 at 21st level.
Cold Adaptation Frozen climes are home to you, whether you hail from
the endless tundra or the high, snow-capped mountains. Extreme cold does little
harm to you.
Benefit: You gain resist 5 cold. The resistance increases to 10 at 11th level
and 15 at 21st level.
Combat Medic You know that on the battlefield, every second counts.
When your companions are badly injured, you tend to their wounds with speed
and confidence.
Prerequisite: Training in Heal
Benefit: You can administer first aid to stabilize a dying creature as a minor
action, instead of a standard action.
Also, you gain a +2 feat bonus to Heal checks.
Disciple of Death The Raven Queen watches over the gates of death
and works to ensure that all creatures meet their fates. Your faith that she
watches over you provides the determination to survive even the worst perils.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 13
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to death saving throws.
Disciple of Light Pelor, the Sun Lord, teaches his followers to carry the
sun’s purifying light to the darkest corners of the world. When hope and light
fade, Pelor’s indomitable radiance still burns within your heart, inspiring others.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 13
Benefit: Whenever you spend a healing surge while bloodied, each ally
within 5 squares of you gains 3 temporary hit points. These temporary hit
points increase to 5 at 11th level and 8 at 21st level.
312 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Disciple of Lore As god of knowledge and skill, Ioun expects her fol-
lowers to achieve perfection through study and practice. Your mental acuity and
relentless training allow you to excel in areas you have studied.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to skills in which you have training.
Durable Your natural tenacity and durability allows you to outlast your
enemies and overcome obstacles. Over the course of a day, you can take more
punishment than other adventurers.
Benefit: Your number of healing surges increases by two.
Heavy Armor Agility Your strength and toughness allow you to easily
shoulder the burden of heavy armor. Even in plate, you move as fast as an unar-
mored warrior.
Prerequisite: Strength 15 or Constitution 15
Benefit: You ignore the speed penalty for wearing heavy armor.
314 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Improved Defenses You hone your body and mind to guard against a
variety of attacks.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. This bonus
increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Improved Initiative You might be slow or clumsy, but when swords are
drawn, your reflexes kick in. Through practice, awareness, and agility, you tend
to strike first in battle.
Benefit: You gain a +4 feat bonus to initiative.
Iron Will Your mind is as tough and resilient as iron. You effortlessly resist
powerful attacks aimed at breaking your will or penetrating your psyche.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
Jack of All Trades You have picked up a little bit of everything in your
travels. You might not be an expert in many disciplines and practices, but you are
at least competent in each of them.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to untrained skill checks.
Light Blade Expertise What a light blade lacks in weight and power,
it makes up in accuracy. In your hands, this advantage becomes even deadlier
when your foe’s defenses are down.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with a
light blade. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage rolls of weapon
attacks that you make with a light blade against a creature granting combat
advantage to you. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at 11th level and +3
at 21st level.
Resilient Focus You are so focused on victory that magic, curses, and
poisons cannot slow you down. When you face threats, you grit your teeth and
push through them with sheer determination.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to saving throws.
Shield Finesse You use your shield with such speed and grace that it
never interferes with what you’re doing.
Benefit: You ignore the check penalty for wearing a shield.
Skill Focus Through diligent study and endless hours of practice, you have
transformed simple training in a skill into unmatched expertise.
316 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Prerequisite: Training in chosen skill
Benefit: Choose a skill in which you have training. You gain a +3 feat bonus to
the chosen skill.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose a different skill.
Skill Training
Benefit: You gain training in one skill, which doesn’t need to be on your class
skills list.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose a different skill.
Spear Expertise Your talent with the spear is deadliest when you are
advancing upon a foe.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with a
spear. When charging, you also gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls of weapon
attacks that you make with a spear. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at
11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Speed Loader Your quick hands and experience with the weapon allow
you to reload a crossbow in the blink of an eye.
Benefit: As a free action, you can reload a crossbow you’re wielding that has
the load minor weapon property.
Superior Reflexes Your speed and agility give you the upper hand at
the start of combat as well as an advantage against certain attacks.
Prerequisite: Dexterity 15 or Intelligence 15
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Reflex. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
You also gain combat advantage against all enemies during your fi rst
turn in an encounter.
Superior Will You can shrug off attacks that try to seize your mind or
leave you senseless.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 15 or Charisma 15
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
In addition, if you are dazed or stunned, you can make a saving throw at
the start of your turn to end that effect, even if the effect doesn’t normally
end on a save.
Swift Recovery You recover from minor cuts and bruises faster than
other adventurers do. Your resilience allows you to press on when some would
have to stop and rest.
Prerequisite: Training in Endurance
Benefit: You gain a +3 feat bonus to your healing surge value. The bonus
increases to +4 at 11th level and +5 at 21st level.
Tenacious Resolve Your stamina and mental focus allow you to shake
off persistent injuries and effects.
Prerequisite: Training in Endurance
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage.
318 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Two-Weapon Defense With two weapons in hand, you use one to
parry and feint and the other for attacks.
Prerequisite: Dexterity 13, Two-Weapon Fighting feat
Benefit: While wielding a melee weapon in each hand, you gain a +1 shield
bonus to AC and Reflex.
Wand Expertise The wand is the most precise implement. You have
learned to use it to deliver perfectly aimed attacks in spite of any cover your
foes have.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls that you make
with a wand. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Also, you ignore partial cover and superior cover on implement attacks
you make with a wand.
Weapon Focus Through training and careful practice, you have learned
to deal more deadly attacks with your chosen weapon.
Benefit: Choose a weapon group, such as spear or heavy blade. You gain a
+1 feat bonus to the damage rolls of weapon attacks that you make with a
weapon from that group. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at
21st level.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose another weapon group.
Weapon Proficiency
Benefit: You gain proficiency with a single weapon of your choice.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose another weapon.
Albanon casts a spell of teleportation to take him back to his tower in Fallcrest
Exchange Value
Monetary Unit cp sp gp pp ad
Copper piece (cp) 1 1/10 1/100 1/10,000 1/1,000,000
Silver piece (sp) 10 1 1/10 1/1,000 1/100,000
Gold piece (gp) 100 10 1 1/100 1/10,000
Platinum piece (pp) 10,000 1,000 100 1 1/100
Astral diamond (ad) 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 100 1
Armor Types
Armor is grouped into categories. These categories can help you decide what
armor is best for you.
Your class tells you what kinds of armor you have proficiency with. You can
take feats to learn the proper use of other kinds of armor. If you wear armor you
don’t have proficiency with, it makes you clumsy and uncoordinated: You take a
–2 penalty to attack rolls and to Reflex.
Putting on a suit of armor always takes at least 5 minutes, which means that
it’s an activity you can undertake only outside combat (likely while you’re taking
a short rest).
While wearing a suit of armor, you gain an armor bonus to Armor Class,
determined by the type of armor.
Armor is defined as either light or heavy.
Light armor is easy to move in if you have proficiency with it. Cloth armor,
leather armor, and hide armor are light armor. While you’re wearing light
armor, you add either your Intelligence modifier or your Dexterity modifier to
your Armor Class, whichever is higher.
Heavy armor is more restrictive, so your natural agility matters less. When you
wear heavy armor, you don’t add an ability score modifier to your AC. In addi-
tion, a typical suit of heavy armor imposes a penalty to your speed, as noted in
the armor’s entry. Chainmail, scale armor, and plate armor are heavy armor.
CHOOSING ARMOR
There are a few different aspects to determining your armor choice. Decide
what you want your character to be able to do within your class role, and think
about your ability scores and how they affect your Armor Class. Take a look at
an armor’s encumbrance (light or heavy), and think about its check penalty and
speed. You might be able to have the same AC with more mobility, which could
be a better choice for your character and your adventuring party. Your decision
to use a shield rather than a two-handed weapon, or vice versa, might also influ-
ence whether you choose a certain suit of armor, so include that factor in your
decision making.
Cloth Armor Jackets, mantles, woven robes, and padded vests don’t, by
themselves, provide any significant protection. However, you can imbue them
with protective magic. Cloth armor doesn’t slow you down or hinder your move-
ment at all. All characters have proficiency with cloth armor.
Hide Armor Thicker and heavier than leather, hide armor is composed
of skin from any creature that has a tough hide, such as a bear, a griffon, or a
dragon. Hide armor can bind and slightly hinder your precision, but it’s light
enough that it doesn’t affect your speed.
1 3
8
5
4
2
6
1. Cloth armor; 2. Leather armor; 3. Hide armor; 4. Chainmail; 5. Scale armor; 6. Plate armor; 7. Light shield; 8. Heavy shield
DAV I D G R I F F I T H
Shield Types
A shield grants a shield bonus that you add to your AC and Reflex while you’re
using the shield. However, if you don’t have proficiency with a shield, you don’t
gain its shield bonus.
To use a shield, you must strap it to your forearm. Doing so is a standard
action, unless otherwise noted. Removing the shield is also a standard action.
While using a shield, you gain a shield bonus to AC and Reflex, determined by
the type of shield.
Light Shield While you’re using a light shield, you can use your shield
hand to hold another item, to climb, and the like, but you can’t make attacks with
that hand or with anything in it.
Heavy Shield While you’re using a heavy shield, you can’t use your shield
hand for any other task, since you must use that hand to handle the shield.
WEAPONS
When you confront villains and monsters in their lairs, you often end up in situ-
ations that can be resolved only with arms and magic. If you don’t have magical
powers, you had better have a weapon or two. In fact, you might want a weapon
to back up or even augment the powers you wield.
CHOOSING WEAPONS
If you belong to a class whose powers don’t include weapon keywords, just
pick weapons that you have proficiency with and that you’d like to use. If you’re
a fighter or a member of any other class that has powers linked to particular
weapon groups, you care more about weapons than other characters might. Be
sure to consider the powers you’d like to use when choosing your weapons, and
vice versa.
You want to have an option for melee combat as well as ranged combat, even
if you’re not as effective at one or the other. Be sure to choose at least one of
each kind of weapon. When that flying monster makes its getaway, you don’t
want to be left standing around with nothing to do but hurl insults at it.
Weapons in all categories are further defined as melee weapons, which you use
to attack foes within reach of the weapon (1 square unless otherwise noted), or
ranged weapons, which you use to fire at more distant targets. You can’t use a
ranged weapon as a melee weapon. A melee weapon with the heavy thrown or
the light thrown property (see below) counts as a ranged weapon when thrown,
and it can be used with ranged attack powers that have the weapon keyword.
Finally, weapons are classified as either one-handed or two-handed. A one-
handed weapon is light enough or balanced enough to be used in one hand. A
two-handed weapon is too heavy or unbalanced to use without two hands. Bows
and some other weapons require two hands because of their construction.
Some one-handed weapons are light enough for you to use in your off hand
while holding another one-handed weapon in your other hand. Doing this
doesn’t let you make multiple attacks in a round (unless you have powers that let
you do so), but you can attack with either weapon. Other one-handed weapons
are large enough that you can keep a good grip on them with two hands and deal
extra damage by using them as two-handed weapons.
Weapon Groups
Weapon groups are families of weapons that share certain properties. They’re
wielded similarly and are equally suited to certain kinds of attacks. In game
terms, some powers and feats work only when you’re attacking with a weapon in
a specific group.
If a weapon falls into more than one group, you can use it with powers that
require a weapon from any of its groups.
Axe: Axes have bladed, heavy heads and deal vicious cuts. An axe’s weight makes
it fi ne for delivering crushing blows.
Bow: A bow is a shaft of strong, supple material with a string stretched between
its two ends. It’s a projectile weapon that you use to fire arrows.
WEAPONS 327
Crossbow: Essentially a small metal bow mounted on a stock and equipped
with a mechanical trigger, a crossbow is a point-and-shoot projectile weapon.
Crossbows are popular because they require little training to master, yet the
heavy pull of the metal bow gives them substantial power.
Hammer: A hammer has a blunt, heavy head with one or more flat striking sur-
faces attached to a haft.
Heavy Blade: Blades are balanced edged weapons. Heavy blades share some of
the precision of light blades and some of the mass of axes. Heavy blades are
used primarily for slashing cuts rather than stabs and thrusts.
Light Blade: Light blades reward accuracy as much as force. Pinpoint attacks,
lunges, and agile defenses are the strong points of these weapons.
Mace: Much like hammers, maces are blunt weapons that have a heavier head
than handle, but they’re more balanced than hammers. They’re useful for
delivering crushing blows.
Polearm: Polearms are reach weapons mounted at the end of long hafts. All
polearms have a second weapon group, such as axe or spear.
Sling: Slings are leather straps used to hurl stones or metal pellets. They are pro-
jectile weapons.
Spear: Consisting of a stabbing head on the end of a long shaft, a spear is great
for lunging attacks.
Staff: In its most basic form, a staff is a long piece of wood or some other sub-
stance, roughly the same diameter along its whole length.
STRENGTH OR DEXTERITY?
As a rule, the attack you’re making determines the ability you use with the attack.
When you use a power, the power tells you whether you’re making a Strength
attack, a Dexterity attack, or an attack based on a different ability. When you
make a basic attack, though, the ability you use depends on the weapon you’re
wielding.
A basic attack with a melee weapon is always a Strength attack. A basic attack
with a ranged weapon is usually a Dexterity attack, unless the weapon you’re
using has the heavy thrown property (see “Weapon Properties”).
Weapon Properties
Weapon properties defi ne additional characteristics shared by weapons that
might be in different groups.
Heavy Thrown (HT): You hurl a thrown weapon from your hand, rather than
using it to launch a projectile. A ranged basic attack with a heavy thrown
weapon uses your Strength instead of your Dexterity for the attack rolls and
damage rolls, unless otherwise noted.
High Crit (HC): A high crit weapon deals more damage when you score a
critical hit with it. On a critical hit, the weapon deals 1[W] extra damage
at 1st–10th levels, 2[W] extra damage at 11th–20th levels, and 3[W] extra
damage at 21st–30th levels. This extra damage is in addition to any critical
damage the weapon supplies if it is a magic weapon.
WEAPONS 329
Light Thrown (LT): You hurl a thrown weapon from your hand, rather than
using it to launch a projectile. A ranged basic attack with a light thrown
weapon uses your Dexterity, unless otherwise noted.
Load (L): Ranged weapons that launch projectiles, including bows, crossbows,
and slings, take some time to load. Any weapon that has the load property
requires two hands to load, even if you can use only one hand to attack with it.
(The sling, for example, is a one-handed weapon, but you need a free hand to
load it.)
When a weapon shows “load free” (Lf ) on the Ranged Weapons table, that
means you draw and load ammunition as a free action, effectively part of the
action used to attack with the weapon.
The crossbow is “load minor” (Lm), which means it requires a minor action
to load a bolt into the weapon. If a power allows you to hit multiple targets, the
additional load time for multiple projectiles is included in the action used by
the power.
Off-Hand (O): An off-hand weapon is light enough that you can hold it and
attack effectively with it while holding a weapon in your main hand. You can’t
attack with both weapons in the same turn, unless you have a power that lets
you do so, but you can attack with either weapon.
6
8
5 10
12
7
9
4
2 11
1
WAY N E E N G L A N D
1. Quarterstaff ; 2. Javelin; 3. Greatclub; 4. Hand crossbow; 5. Dagger; 6. Scythe; 7. Crossbow; 8. Club; 9. Sling; 10. Mace;
11. Sickle; 12. Spear
Melee Weapons
SIMPLE MELEE WEAPONS
One-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Club +2 1d6 — 1 gp 3 lb. — Mace
Dagger +3 1d4 5/10 1 gp 1 lb. O, LT Light blade
Javelin +2 1d6 10/20 5 gp 2 lb. HT Spear
Mace +2 1d8 — 5 gp 6 lb. V Mace
Sickle +2 1d6 — 2 gp 2 lb. O Light blade
Spear +2 1d8 — 5 gp 6 lb. V Spear
Two-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Greatclub +2 2d4 — 1 gp 10 lb. — Mace
Quarterstaff +2 1d8 — 5 gp 4 lb. — Staff
Scythe +2 2d4 — 5 gp 10 lb. — Heavy blade
WEAPONS 331
Two-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Greataxe +2 1d12 — 30 gp 12 lb. HC Axe
Greatsword +3 1d10 — 30 gp 8 lb. — Heavy blade
Longspear +2 1d10 — 10 gp 9 lb. R Polearm, spear
Maul +2 2d6 — 30 gp 12 lb. — Hammer
Ranged Weapons
SIMPLE RANGED WEAPONS
One-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Hand crossbow +2 1d6 10/20 25 gp 2 lb. Lf Crossbow
Sling +2 1d6 10/20 1 gp 0 lb. L, free Sling
Two-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Crossbow +2 1d8 15/30 25 gp 4 lb. Lm Crossbow
11
9
5
3 7
1 13
13
4
12
10
8
2
WAY N E E N G L A N D
Silvered Weapons
Some monsters, such as werewolves, are susceptible to attacks made by silvered
weapons. A single weapon, 30 arrows, 10 crossbow bolts, or 20 sling bullets can
be silvered at a cost of 500 gp. This cost represents not only the price of the silver,
but the time and expertise needed to add silver to a weapon without making it
less effective.
Selling Equipment
You cannot sell mundane armor, weapons, or adventuring gear unless your
Dungeon Master allows, in which case you receive one-fifth of an item’s market
price. Art objects or fine goods that have a specific value, such as a gold dagger
worth 100 gp, bring their full price.
IMPLEMENTS
Some creatures use implements to channel the magical energy that fuels their
powers. Members of certain classes, such as wizards, rely so heavily on imple-
ments that their members rarely use weapons, unleashing attacks through
implements instead.
An implement is different from a weapon in many ways. It doesn’t typically
have a damage die, a range, or properties. In fact, nonmagical implements are
little more than symbols of their users’ magic; for instance, a wizard can cast any
of his or her spells without needing an implement at all. See page 347 for how
magic implements work.
Proficiency
Unlike weapons, an implement doesn’t grant a proficiency bonus. Instead, an
adventurer must have proficiency with an implement to use it at all. In the hands
of a nonproficient user, an implement—magical or nonmagical—is effectively
a bauble.
1. Greatsword; 2. Handaxe; 3. Longsword; 4. Shortbow; 5. Short sword; 6. Maul; 7. Greataxe; 8. Longbow; 9. Warhammer;
10. Battleaxe; 11. Throwing hammer; 12. Scimitar; 13. Rapier
IMPLEMENTS 333
Using an Implement
Implements are used with powers that have the implement keyword. A creature
must be holding an implement to use it, unless otherwise noted.
An implement cannot be used to make a weapon attack. Some types of imple-
ments, such as staffs, expressly break this rule.
A DVENTURING GEAR
From meals to torches, adventuring gear is essential to your party’s success.
You’re assumed to start with basic clothing, and before your first adventure, you
should equip yourself with weapons, armor, and other gear. See the table on the
following page.
Adventurer’s Kit: This kit includes all the items grouped beneath its entry on
the table: a backpack, a bedroll, fl int and steel, a belt pouch, two sunrods, ten
days’ worth of trail rations, 50 feet of hempen rope, and a waterskin.
Ammunition: Arrows come in a quiver that holds thirty, crossbow bolts come in
a case that holds twenty, and sling bullets come in a pouch that holds twenty.
Ammunition is used up when you fire it from a projectile weapon.
Arcane Implement: Wizards use orbs, staffs, or wands as focus items for
their spells. Using a nonmagical implement confers no benefit. You can pur-
chase a magic implement to gain an enhancement bonus to attack rolls and
damage rolls with your arcane powers. A staff implement also functions as
a quarterstaff.
ADVENTURING GEAR
Item Price Weight Item Price Weight
Adventurer’s kit 15 gp 33 lb. Chain (10 ft.) 30 gp 2 lb.
Backpack (empty) 2 gp 2 lb. Chest (empty) 2 gp 25 lb.
Bedroll 1 sp 5 lb. Climber’s kit 2 gp 11 lb.
Flint and steel 1 gp — Grappling hook 1 gp 4 lb.
Pouch, belt (empty) 1 gp ½ lb. Hammer 5 sp 2 lb.
Rations, trail (10 days) 5 gp 10 lb. Pitons (10) 5 sp 5 lb.
Rope, hempen (50 ft.) 1 gp 10 lb. Everburning torch 50 gp 1 lb.
Sunrods (2) 4 gp 2 lb. Fine clothing 30 gp 6 lb.
Waterskin 1 gp 4 lb. Flask (empty) 3 cp 1 lb.
Ammunition Holy symbol 10 gp 1 lb.
Arrows (30) 1 gp 3 lb. Journeybread (10 days) 50 gp 1 lb.
Crossbow bolts (20) 1 gp 2 lb. Lantern 7 gp 2 lb.
Sling bullets (20) 1 gp 5 lb. Rope, silk (50 ft.) 10 gp 5 lb.
Arcane implement Spellbook 50 gp 3 lb.
Orb 15 gp 2 lb. Tent 10 gp 20 lb.
Staff 5 gp 4 lb. Thieves’ tools 20 gp 1 lb.
Wand 7 gp — Torch 1 sp 1 lb.
Candle 1 cp —
Item Price
Food
Meal, common 2 sp
Meal, feast 5 gp
Drink
Ale, pitcher 2 sp
Wine, bottle 5 gp
Inn stay (per day)
Typical room 5 sp
Luxury room 2 gp
Level A magic item’s level is a general measure of its power and translates to
the average level of characters using that item. An item’s level doesn’t limit who
can acquire or use the item, though it’s unusual for an adventurer to fi nd magic
items more than a few levels above his or her own level.
Name and Level The name of the magic item, the item’s level, and its
rarity (common, uncommon, or rare) appear on the first line of the description.
If an item’s level entry ends with a plus sign (+), that item is available at more
than one level, with higher-level versions having a greater enhancement bonus or
more potent powers and properties, as described later in the item’s description.
Example: The defensive weapon is available as a 2nd-level item and also comes in
higher-level versions. It’s a common magic item, relatively easy to buy or sell.
Flavor Text The next entry gives a description of the item, sometimes
explaining what it does in plain language, other times offering flavorful informa-
tion about its appearance, origin, effect, or place in the world. This material isn’t
rules text; when you need to know the exact effect, look at the rules text below.
Property Some magic items have a special property that is constantly active
(or active under certain conditions). A property doesn’t normally require any
action to use, although some properties allow you to turn them off (or on again).
Example: While wielding a defensive weapon, you increase your defenses when-
ever you take the total defense or second wind action.
Power Some uncommon and most rare magic items have a special power.
This entry, when present in an item description, includes the action required to
use the power and the effect of the power. In some cases, it might also specify
the circumstances in which the power can be used (for instance, only if you’re
bloodied). In general, magic item powers follow the same rules as other powers
(see Chapter 3).
Like other powers, magic item powers often have keywords, which indicate
the powers’ damage or effect types. When using a magic item as part of a racial
power or a class power, all the keywords of the item’s power and the other
power apply.
Like other powers, magic item powers are sometimes at-will powers, some-
times encounter powers, and sometimes daily powers. Magic item powers have
two other categories as well: healing surge powers and consumable powers. The
power’s category appears in parentheses following “Power” in the entry.
At-Will: These powers can be used as often as their action types allow.
Encounter: These powers can be used once per encounter and are recharged
when their user takes a short rest.
Daily: A magic item’s daily power can be used once per day and is recharged
when its user takes an extended rest.
Special If any special rules or restrictions on the item’s use exist, you’ll find
them in this section of the magic item’s entry.
Armor Magic armor adds an enhancement bonus to AC. If you don’t have
proficiency with the armor type, you take –2 penalty to attack rolls and to your
Reflex but still gain the enhancement bonus of the magic armor. Magic armor
has the same check speed, and weight as its base type.
Magic appears at higher levels, and grants higher armor bonuses than its
mundane counterpart. Magic armor always has an enhancement bonus, and
the price of the armor material is incorporated into the overall cost of the magic
armor. For example, a level 22 set of +5 veteran’s plate adds a total bonus of 17 to
the wearer’s Armor Class (12 for the armor bonus and 5 for the enhancement
bonus), and costs 325,000 gp.
The category determines what kind of armors can be enchanted with that par-
ticular set of qualities. “Any” includes all armors: cloth, leather, hide, chainmail,
scale, and plate.
Magic armors appear in many varieties and using construction techniques
unique to specific cultures and locations. For example, magic cloth armor might
be made of feyweave woven by the eladrin or starweave fashioned after patterns
created in the divine dominions of the Astral Sea. Feyleather armor is cured
by an elven method, while starleather armor is infused with the raw spiritual
matter of the Astral Sea. Darkhide armor is a superior tiefling armor cured in
fire and infused with shadow, and elderhide armor involves scouring the mate-
rial with elemental forces. Forgemail armor is made with superior metallurgy
and a chain-making technique perfected by the dwarves; spiritmail armor draws
on techniques developed in the divine dominions. Wyrmscale is made using
ancient techniques the dragonborn invented to mimic the strength of overlap-
ping dragon scales, and elderscale is a similar armor scoured with elemental
forces. Legend holds that Moradin made the first godplate armor for use during
the Dawn War, when the gods and the primordials fought over the world.
Ancient dwarf smiths copied his patterns imperfectly to make warplate armor.
Weapons
A magic weapon adds an enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls of
attacks used with the weapon. The bonus does not apply to any ongoing damage
dealt by those powers.
If you don’t have proficiency with the weapon type, you don’t gain the pro-
ficiency bonus to attack rolls, but you still gain the enhancement bonus of the
magic weapon.
A magic weapon’s category determines the sorts of weapons that can be
enchanted with that particular set of qualities. “Any ranged” includes projectile
weapons and weapons with the heavy thrown or the light thrown property. “Any”
or “Any melee” includes all applicable categories.
adjacent squares: Two squares are adjacent if a side or a corner of one touches
a side or a corner of the other. Two creatures or objects are adjacent if one of
them is in a square adjacent to a square occupied or filled by the other, or if
they are in the same square.
adventurer: The character controlled by a player other than the Dungeon
Master. An adventurer is sometimes called a player character. See also
character.
area of effect: An area of a specific size where a particular effect takes place. An
area of effect usually has one of three types: blast, burst, or wall. Area powers
and close powers almost always involve an area of effect.
armor class (AC) [defense]: Armor class measures how hard it is to land a sig-
nificant blow on a creature with an attack using a weapon or a magical effect
that works like a weapon. Some creatures have a high AC because they are
extremely quick or intelligent and able to dodge well, while other creatures
have a high AC because they wear heavy armor that is difficult to penetrate.
Astral Sea: A plane. The Astral Sea floats above the world and is home to the
gods’ dominions, the Nine Hells, and githyanki pirates.
attack: An attack roll and its effects, including any damage rolls. The word
“attack” is sometimes used as shorthand for “attack power.” Some attack
powers include multiple attacks, and some powers, such as magic missile,
are designated as attacks yet lack attack rolls (using such a power counts as
making an attack if the power has a target).
automatic hit: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 20 on the d20,
the attack automatically hits, regardless of modifiers. The attacker also prob-
ably scored a critical hit.
automatic miss: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 1 on the
d20, the attack automatically misses, regardless of modifiers.
battle grid: The network of 1-inch squares that represents an encounter area.
blinded [condition]: While a creature is blinded, it can’t see, which means
its targets have total concealment against it, and it takes a –10 penalty to
Perception checks. It also grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
blindsight: A creature that has blindsight can clearly see creatures or objects
within a specified radius and within line of effect, even if they are invisible
or in obscured squares. The creature otherwise relies on its other senses.
blocking terrain: An obstacle such as a large tree, a pillar, or a floor-to-ceil-
ing wall blocks a square entirely by completely filling it. Creatures can’t
GLOSSARY 353
normally enter a square of blocking terrain, and when blocking terrain fills a
square, a creature can’t move diagonally across the corner of that square.
bonus: A number added to a die roll. If a bonus has a type (such as a power or a
feat bonus), the bonus is not cumulative with bonuses of the same type; only
the highest bonus applies. Bonuses that have no type are called untyped
bonuses. Such bonuses are cumulative. However, untyped bonuses from the
same named game element (such as a power or a feat) are not cumulative;
only the highest applies.
character: Another term for a creature. The term is usually used to refer to
a person who is not monstrous: either an adventurer or a DM-controlled
person (sometimes called a nonplayer character, or NPC).
charge [action]: A charge is a special kind of attack. As a standard action, a crea-
ture chooses a target and then moves up to its speed. Each square of move-
ment must bring the creature closer to the target, and the creature must end
the move at least 2 squares away from its starting position. At the end of the
move, the creature either makes a melee basic attack against the target or
uses bull rush against it. The creature gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll. The
creature can’t take any further actions this turn, except free actions.
climb speed: A creature that has a climb speed moves on vertical surfaces at
that speed without having to make Athletics checks to climb. While climb-
ing, the creature ignores difficult terrain, and climbing doesn’t cause it to
grant combat advantage.
combat advantage: One of the most common attack modifiers is combat advan-
tage, which represents a situation in which a creature can’t give full attention
to defense. The creature is flanked by multiple enemies, stunned, surprised,
or otherwise caught off guard. A creature gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls
against a target granting combat advantage to it.
concealment: Many types of terrain offer places to hide or obstructions that
combatants can duck behind to avoid attacks. Concealment means objects
or effects that don’t physically impede an attack but instead hide a creature
from view. Concealment comes into play when a target is invisible or in an
obscured square. See also partial concealment and total concealment.
conditions: Conditions are states imposed on creatures by various effects,
including powers, traps, and the environment. A condition is usually tem-
porary, imposing a penalty, a vulnerability, a hindrance, or a combination
of effects. Some conditions include other conditions within their effects. For
example, an unconscious creature is also helpless and prone.
The conditions defined in this glossary include blinded, dazed, deafened,
dominated, dying, helpless, immobilized, marked, petrified, prone, removed
from play, restrained, slowed, stunned, surprised, unconscious, and weakened.
coup de grace [action]: A coup de grace is a special kind of attack. As a stan-
dard action, the creature uses one of its attack powers against an adjacent
target that is helpless. If the attack hits, it automatically scores a critical hit
354 GLOSSA RY
against the target. If the critical hit deals damage greater than or equal to the
target’s bloodied value, the target dies.
cover: Many types of terrain offer places to hide or obstructions that combatants
can duck behind to avoid attacks. Cover means solid obstructions that can
physically deflect or stop objects. See the Rules Compendium for how to deter-
mine cover. See also partial cover and superior cover.
crawl [action]: A prone creature uses a move action to move up to half its speed.
creature: A being in the game world. Both adventurers and monsters are crea-
tures. See also adventurer and monster.
critical hit: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 20 on the d20, the
attack not only automatically hits, but is a critical hit (also called a crit) if the
result of the attack roll, after all modifiers are applied, is high enough to hit the
target’s defense. A critical hit deals maximum damage. If an attack normally
deals no damage, it still deals no damage on a crit. If a character scores a criti-
cal hit with a magic weapon or implement, or with a high crit weapon, the
item causes the attack to deal a specific amount of extra damage (or to impose
some special effect). If that extra damage involves a die roll, the extra damage
is not automatically maximized.
damage roll: A roll of a die or dice to determine damage dealt by a power or
some other effect. Modifiers to a damage roll apply to the entire roll, not to
each die rolled.
damage type: A specific type of damage: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning,
necrotic, poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder. Each damage type has a
keyword associated with it. If a power has such a keyword, the power deals
that type of damage (the exception is poison, the keyword for which refers to
damage, a nondamaging effect, or both).
darkvision: A creature that has darkvision can see normally regardless of light.
The creature therefore ignores concealment that is a result of dim light or
darkness.
dazed [condition]: While a creature is dazed, it doesn’t get its normal comple-
ment of actions on its turn; it can take either a standard, a move, or a minor
action. The creature can still take free actions, but it can’t take immediate or
opportunity actions. It also grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
deafened [condition]: While a creature is deafened, it can’t hear, and it takes a
–10 penalty to Perception checks.
diagonal movement: Moving diagonally works the same as other movement,
except that a creature can’t cross the corner of a wall or another obstacle that
fi lls the corner between the square the creature is in and the square it wants
to enter. A creature can move diagonally past creatures, since they don’t fill
their squares.
difficult terrain: Rubble, undergrowth, shallow bogs, steep stairs, and other
impediments are difficult terrain, which hampers movement. Each square of
GLOSSARY 355
difficult terrain costs 1 extra square of movement to enter. Because difficult
terrain costs that extra square of movement to enter, a creature can’t nor-
mally shift into it.
distance: When determining how far away one square is from another, start
counting from any square adjacent to one of the squares (even one that is
diagonally adjacent but around a corner), then count around blocking terrain
and end up in the other square. Make sure to use the shortest path.
dominated [condition]: While a creature is dominated, it can’t take actions
voluntarily. Instead, the dominator chooses a single action for the creature
to take on the creature’s turn: a standard, a move, a minor, or a free action.
The only powers and other game features that the dominator can make the
creature use are ones that can be used at will, such as at-will powers. The
creature also grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
double move: A creature can move twice on its turn if it takes another move
action instead of a standard action. During a double move, first add the
speeds of two identical move actions together. The creature moves using the
combined speed.
dying [condition]: A dying creature is unconscious and must make death saving
throws. This condition ends immediately on the creature when it regains hit
points.
effect: The result of a game element’s use. The damage and conditions caused
by an attack power are the power’s effects, for instance. Some powers have
“Effect” entries, which contain some but not necessarily all of the powers’
effects. In an attack power, the effects of such an entry are not contingent on
a hit or a miss.
Elemental Chaos: A plane. The Elemental Chaos churns below the world and is
populated by elementals and home to the Abyss, the abode of demons.
ending a move: A creature must have enough movement to enter its destination
space. A creature can’t partly enter a square: If it doesn’t have enough move-
ment or runs out on the way, its move ends in the last square it could get to.
enter a square: Move to a square on the battle grid by any means, whether will-
ingly or unwillingly.
escape [action]: A creature can attempt to escape when it is grabbed or subject
to other immobilizing effects. As a move action, the creature makes either
an Acrobatics check or an Athletics check against a set DC. If the check suc-
ceeds, the immobilizing effect ends on the creature, which can then shift 1
square.
extra damage: Many powers and other effects grant the ability to deal extra
damage. Extra damage is always in addition to other damage and is of the
same type or types as that damage, unless otherwise noted. An effect that
deals no damage cannot deal extra damage.
facing: A creature that is taking part in an encounter is assumed to be in
356 GLOSSA RY
constant motion, looking here and turning there. Because of this assump-
tion, no one ever has to keep track of which direction a creature is facing.
falling: When a creature falls at least 10 feet, it takes 1d10 damage for each
10 feet it falls, to a maximum of 50d10. The creature falls prone when it
lands, unless it took no damage from the fall. If a creature has training in
Acrobatics, it can make a check to reduce the damage of a fall.
Far Realm: A plane that lies outside the normal realms of existence, the source
of aberrant monsters.
Feywild: A plane. The Feywild is an enchanted reflection of the world. Coursing
with arcane magic, it is home to eladrin and other fey creatures.
fi lling a square: When something fi lls a square, that thing functions as blocking
terrain. Unless otherwise noted, a creature or an object such as a chair does
not fi ll squares in its space.
flanking: To flank an enemy, a creature and an ally must be adjacent to the
enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space. Creatures have
combat advantage against any enemies that they’re flanking.
fly speed: A creature that has a fly speed can fly a number of squares up to that
speed as a move action. If the creature is stunned or knocked prone while
flying, it falls. See also hover.
flying: To fly, a creature takes the walk, run, or charge action but uses its fly
speed in place of its walking speed. A creature that has a fly speed can also
shift and take other move actions, as appropriate, while flying. While flying,
a creature can move straight up, straight down, or diagonally up or down.
There is no additional cost for moving up or down. If a creature falls prone
while it is flying, it falls.
forced movement: Movement that a creature is compelled to do, specifically
a pull, a push, or a slide. A creature can be moved in other ways, such as
through teleportation, but only pulls, pushes, and slides are technically
forced movement. A creature must have line of effect to any square that
it pulls, pushes, or slides a target into. Forced movement doesn’t provoke
opportunity attacks or other opportunity actions and isn’t hindered by dif-
ficult terrain.
Fortitude [defense]: Fortitude measures the inherent toughness, mass, and
resilience of a creature. It is often the defense against attacks that include
effects such as disease, poison, and forced movement.
grabbed [condition]: While a creature is grabbed, it is immobilized.
Maintaining this condition on the creature occupies whatever appendage,
object, or effect the grabber used to initiate the grab. This condition ends
immediately on the creature if the grabber is subjected to an effect that pre-
vents it from taking actions, or if the creature ends up outside the range of
the grabbing power or effect.
half damage: When a power or another effect deals half damage, apply all
GLOSSARY 357
modifiers to the damage, including resistances and vulnerabilities, and then
divide the damage in half (round down).
heavily obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has total concealment
when it is in a heavily obscured square, although it has only partial conceal-
ment against an enemy adjacent to it. Examples: Heavy fog, smoke, or foliage.
Contrast with lightly obscured and totally obscured.
helpless [condition]: While a creature is helpless, it grants combat advantage.
hidden: When a creature is hidden from an enemy, the creature is silent and
invisible to that enemy. A creature normally uses the Stealth skill to become
hidden. See also invisible.
hindering terrain: Pits, electrifying runes, lava, extremely deep water, and
other harmful environmental phenomena are hindering terrain, which pun-
ishes creatures that are in it or try to enter it. A creature can make a saving
throw to avoid being forced into hindering terrain, whether it is pulled,
pushed, slid, teleported, or otherwise moved against its will.
hover: If a creature can hover, it can remain in the air if it is stunned. See also
fly speed.
immobilized [condition]: When a creature is immobilized, it can’t move,
unless it teleports or is pulled, pushed, or slid.
immunity: If a creature has immunity to a damage type, it doesn’t take that type
of damage. If a creature is immune to charm, fear, illusion, or poison, it is
unaffected by the nondamaging effects of a power that has that keyword.
initiative: Before the first round of combat, each creature rolls initiative to deter-
mine the order of turns within a round. Then the participants take turns,
round after round in the initiative order from highest to lowest, until one
side or the other flees or is defeated and the encounter ends. See page 39 for
how to calculate your initiative modifier.
insubstantial: When a creature is insubstantial, it takes half damage from any
damage source, including ongoing damage. See also half damage.
invisibility: The most common way to become invisible is to use the Stealth skill
to become hidden. An invisible creature can’t be seen by normal forms of
vision. It has total concealment against any enemy that can’t see it, and gains
combat advantage against any enemy that can’t see it (but it still has to be
able to see the enemy). It doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from enemies
that can’t see it.
knowledge check: A skill check used to remember a useful bit of information
in a particular field of knowledge. Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature,
and Religion are the skills most commonly used to make knowledge checks.
leave a square: Move out of a square on the battle grid by any means, whether
willingly or unwillingly.
lightly obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has partial concealment
358 GLOSSA RY
when it is in a lightly obscured square. Examples: Dim light, foliage, fog,
smoke, and heavy rain or falling snow. Contrast with heavily obscured and
totally obscured.
line of effect: A clear line from one point in space to another point in an
encounter that doesn’t pass through or touch blocking terrain. Unless noted
otherwise, there must be line of effect between the origin square of an effect
and its intended target for that target to be affected.
line of sight: A clear line from one point in space to another point in an encoun-
ter that doesn’t pass through or touch an object or an effect—such as a stone
wall, a thick curtain, or a cloud of fog—that blocks the vision of the viewer.
low-light vision: A creature that has low-light vision can see in dim light without
penalty.
marked [condition]: When a creature marks a target, the target takes a –2
penalty to attack rolls for any attack that doesn’t include the marking crea-
ture as a target. A creature can be subjected to only one mark at a time, and a
new mark supersedes an old one. A mark ends immediately when its creator
dies or falls unconscious.
milestone: A character reaches a milestone each time he or she completes two
encounters without taking an extended rest. Each character who reaches a
milestone gains 1 action point.
modifier: A bonus or a penalty applied to a die roll. See bonus and penalty.
monster: A creature controlled by the Dungeon Master. The term is usually
used to refer to creatures that are hostile to the adventurers (often including
DM-controlled characters). See also adventurer, character, and creature.
move: Any instance of movement, whether it is done willingly or unwillingly.
Whenever a creature, an object, or an effect leaves a square to enter another,
it is moving. Shifting, teleporting, and being pushed are all examples of
moves.
nearest creature or square: To determine the nearest creature or square, count
distance normally. When two or more creatures or squares are equally close,
the creature’s player can pick either one as the nearest.
occupied squares: A creature occupies all the squares of its space. A creature
can enter an ally’s space, but it can end its move in an ally’s space only if the
ally is prone. A creature can’t enter an enemy’s space unless that enemy is
helpless or two size categories larger or smaller than it. A creature can end
its move in an enemy’s space only if the enemy is helpless.
once per round: Some effects can occur only once per round. When a creature
uses such an effect, the creature can’t use the effect again until the start of its
next turn.
once per turn: Some effects can occur only once per turn. When a creature uses
such an effect, the creature can use the effect on each turn, not only during
its turn.
GLOSSARY 359
ongoing damage: Damage that occurs on consecutive turns. When a creature
is subjected to ongoing damage, it does not take the damage right away.
Instead, the creature takes the specified damage at the start of each of its
turns until the ongoing damage ends. Unless noted otherwise, an instance
of ongoing damage lasts on a creature until the creature makes a successful
saving throw against it. See “Saving Throws,” page 25.
origin square: The square where an effect originates. Every power has an
origin square. A power’s attack or utility type determines the origin
square’s location.
partial concealment: A target in a lightly obscured square or in a heavily
obscured square but adjacent to an attacker has partial concealment against
that attacker, causing the attacker to take a –2 penalty to melee and ranged
attack rolls against the target.
partial cover: An attacker takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against a target that
has partial cover. When a creature makes a ranged attack against an enemy
target and other enemies are in the way, the target has partial cover.
penalty: A number subtracted from a die roll. Unlike bonuses, penalties don’t
have types. Penalties add together, unless they’re from the same named
game element (such as a power or a trait).
petrified [condition]: While a creature is petrified, it is unconscious. In addi-
tion, it has resist 20 to all damage and doesn’t age.
phasing: While phasing, a creature ignores difficult terrain, and it can enter
squares containing enemies, blocking terrain, or other obstacles. The crea-
ture follows the normal rules for where it must end its movement (normally
an unoccupied space).
planes: Other planes of existence exist around or outside the world. They are
home to creatures beyond the mortal realm.
position: The location of a creature, an object, or an effect on the battle grid.
prone [condition]: When a creature is prone, it is lying down. If the creature is
climbing or flying when it is knocked prone, it falls instead. A prone creature
takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls, and the only way it can move is by crawl-
ing, teleporting, or being pulled, pushed, or slid. In addition, it grants combat
advantage to enemies making melee attacks against it, but it gains a +2 bonus
to all defenses against ranged attacks from enemies that aren’t adjacent to
it. A creature can end this condition on itself by standing up. A creature can
drop prone as a minor action.
pull (forced movement): Pulling a target means that each square of the forced
movement must bring the target closer to the creature or effect that is
pulling it.
push (forced movement): Pushing a target means that each square of the forced
movement must move the target farther away from the creature or effect that
is pushing it.
360 GLOSSA RY
range: The maximum distance that an effect can reach. Range is often expressed
as a number of squares.
reach: A creature’s size affects its reach, which is measured in squares. A crea-
ture’s reach can influence several things in the game, such as how far away
the creature can touch or grab something as well as the range of some of its
melee powers. A typical adventurer’s reach is 1 square.
Reflex [defense]: Reflex measures a creature’s ability to predict attacks or to
deflect or dodge an attack. It’s often useful against areas of effect such as
dragon breath or a fireball spell.
regeneration: Regeneration is a special form of healing that restores a fi xed
number of hit points every round without drawing on healing surges. A
creature regains the hit points at the start of its turn, but only if it has at least
1 hit point.
removed from play [condition]: Some effects can temporarily remove a crea-
ture from play. While a creature is removed from play, its turns start and end
as normal, but it can’t take actions. In addition, it has neither line of sight nor
line of effect to anything, and nothing has line of sight or line of effect to it.
resistance: Resistance means a creature takes less damage from a specific
damage type. “Resist 5 fire,” for example, means that any time the creature
takes fire damage, that damage is reduced by 5. (An attack can’t do less
than 0 damage.)
restrained [condition]: While a creature is restrained, it can’t move, unless it
teleports. It can’t even be pulled, pushed, or slid. It also takes a –2 penalty to
attack rolls, and it grants combat advantage.
round: A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. In a round, every
combatant takes a turn. See also turn and once per round.
run [action]: A creature uses a move action to move its speed plus up to 2 addi-
tional squares. As soon as a creature begins running, it grants combat advan-
tage and takes a –5 penalty to attack rolls until the start of its next turn.
save: A successful saving throw. A save ends an effect that includes one of the fol-
lowing notations: “save ends,” “save ends both,” or “save ends all.”
Shadowfell: A plane. The Shadowfell is a dark echo of the world. It is the first
destination of souls after death and inhabited by undead.
shift [action]: A creature uses a move action to move 1 square (certain powers
allow a creature to shift more than 1 square). Shifting doesn’t trigger oppor-
tunity actions such as opportunity attacks.
size: One of six categories—Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan—
that determines the extent of a creature’s space. Depending on his or her
race, an adventurer’s size is usually either Small or Medium.
slide (forced movement): Sliding a target can move it in any direction.
Sometimes a creature can swap places with a target. Doing so is a special
GLOSSARY 361
kind of slide; the creature slides the target into its space and then shifts so
that its space includes at least 1 square that the target just left.
slowed [condition]: When a creature is slowed, its speed becomes 2 if it was
higher than that. This speed applies to all of the creature’s movement modes
(walking, flying, and so on), but it does not apply to forced movement against
it, teleportation, or any other movement that doesn’t use the creature’s speed.
The creature also cannot benefit from bonuses to speed, although it can take
actions, such as the run action, that allow it to move farther than its speed.
solid obstacle: See blocking terrain.
space: A creature’s space is the area—measured in squares—that the creature
occupies on the battle grid. This area represents the cubic space that the
creature needs to take part in an encounter, allowing it to turn around,
attack, fall prone, and so on.
speed: Each creature has a speed that is measured in squares. This speed repre-
sents how far a creature can move using the walk action. The most common
way that a creature moves is by taking a move action, such as the walk or the
run action, that is based on its speed. See page 39 for how to determine your
character’s speed.
square: A 1-inch square on the battle grid, which is equivalent to a 5-foot square
in the game world. The square is the main unit of measurement in the game.
stand up [action]: A prone creature uses a move action to stand up, which ends
the prone condition on it.
stunned [condition]: While a creature is stunned, it can’t take actions. It also
grants combat advantage and can’t flank. The creature falls if it is flying,
unless it can hover.
superior cover: An attacker takes a –5 penalty to attack rolls against a target that
has superior cover.
surprise round: Some combat encounters begin with a surprise round. All crea-
tures that aren’t surprised can take one action in initiative order during that
round. A creature can also take free actions, but it cannot spend an action
point. Surprised creatures can’t act at all during the surprise round.
surprised [condition]: While a creature is surprised, it can’t take actions. It also
grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
swim speed: A creature that has a swim speed moves through water at that
speed without having to make Athletics checks to swim.
telepathy: A creature that has telepathy can communicate mentally with any
creature that has a language, even if they don’t share the language. The other
creature must be within line of effect and within a specified range. Telepathy
allows for two-way communication.
teleportation: A teleportation power transports creatures or objects instantly
from one location to another.
362 GLOSSA RY
threatening reach: A creature that has threatening reach can make an
opportunity attack against any enemy within its reach that provokes
an opportunity attack.
total concealment: A target that an attacker can’t see at all—because the
attacker is invisible or the target is in a totally obscured square or in a
heavily obscured square and not adjacent to the attacker—has total conceal-
ment, causing the attacker to take a –5 penalty to melee and ranged attack
rolls against the target.
total defense [action]: As a standard action, a creature can focus its attention
on defense to gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its next turn.
totally obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has total concealment
when it is in a totally obscured square. Example: Total darkness. Contrast
with heavily obscured and lightly obscured.
tremorsense: A creature that has tremorsense can clearly see creatures or
objects within a specified radius, even if they are invisible, obscured, or
outside line of effect, but both they and the creature must be in contact with
the ground or the same substance, such as water or a web. The creature oth-
erwise relies on its other senses.
turn: On a creature’s turn, it takes actions: a standard action, a move action, a
minor action, and any number of free actions, in any order it wishes. See also
once per turn.
unconscious [condition]: While a creature is unconscious, it is helpless, it can’t
take actions, and it takes a –5 penalty to all defenses. It also can’t flank and is
unaware of its surroundings. When a creature is subjected to this condition,
it falls prone, if possible. See also helpless and prone.
unoccupied square: A square that is neither occupied by a creature nor filled
by an object.
vulnerability: Vulnerability to a damage type means the creature takes extra
damage from that damage type. “Vulnerable 5 fire” means that any time
the creature takes fire damage, it takes 5 extra fire damage.
walk [action]: A creature uses a move action to move up to its speed.
weakened [condition]: While a creature is weakened, its attacks deal half
damage. However, two kinds of damage that it deals are not affected:
ongoing damage and damage that isn’t generated by an attack roll. See also
half damage.
Will [defense]: Will is a creature’s defense against effects that disorient,
confuse, or overpower the mind. It measures self-discipline, strength of will,
and devotion.
willing movement: Movement of any sort that a creature does of its own free
will. Any other sort of movement, such as forced movement, is unwilling.
GLOSSARY 363
Index
cloth armor 324 first aid (Heal) 296
coins and currency 322 food, drink, and lodging 336
ability check modifier 42 combat encounters 15 forage (Nature) 298
ability checks 20 combat sequence 21 Fortitude 40
ability modifiers (table) 36 conjuration (effect type) 72 free action 22
ability scores 36 Constitution 37 gain combat advantage (Bluff) 293
ability scores, determining 38 controller (role) 34 gaining levels 55
Acrobatics skill 286 copper piece 322 gems and jewelry 322
action points 23 create a diversion to hide (Bluff) gold piece 322
action types 62 293 gods, the 48
actions during a turn 22 creature (as a target) 67 grab 27
adventuring gear (table) 335 critical (of a magic item) 342 group checks 283
aftereffect (of a power) 64 crossbow (weapon group) 328 half damage 63
aid another 282 daily powers 60 halfling 266
alignment 44 damage 24 hammer (weapon group) 328
ally (as a target) 67 damage roll modifiers 41 hands slot items 350
ammunition (of a magic weapon) damage rolls 25 hard DC 281
346 damage types (keywords) 71 head slot items 350
appearance (of a character) 47 death 28 Heal skill 295
Arcana skill 287 death saving throw 28 healing (effect type) 74
arcane (power source) 69 defender (role) 34 healing the dying 29
area of effect 66, 68 defenses 40 healing surges 28, 41
area power 66 deities, the (table) 49 heavy armor 323
armor 323, 343 detect magic (Arcana) 288 heavy blade (weapon group) 328
armor and shields (table) 325 determining ability scores 38 heavy load 336
armor check penalty 326 Dexterity 37 heavy shield 325
Armor Class 40 dice 14 heavy thrown (weapon property)
arms slot items 349 Difficulty Class 280 329
art objects 333 Difficulty Class by level (table) 281 heroic tier 12
astral diamonds 322 Diplomacy skill 293 hide armor 324
at-will powers 59 disable trap (Thievery) 302 high crit (weapon property) 329
Athletics skill 289 divine (power source) 69 high jump (table) 291
attack and utility types (of powers) Dungeoneering skill 294 History skill 296
65 durations 25 hit points 27, 41
attack powers 59 dwarf 248 hop down (Acrobatics) 287
attack roll modifiers 41 dying 29 human 272
attack roll modifiers (table) 24 easy DC 281 identifying magic items 338
attack rolls 19, 23 effect types (keywords) 72 illusion (effect type) 74
aura (effect type) 71 effects (of a power) 61 illusion (school) 70, 194, 242
axe (weapon group) 327 eladrin 254 immediate actions 22
balance (Acrobatics) 286 elf 260 immediate interrupt 22
background (of a character) 47 enchantment (school) 70, 194, 238 immediate reaction 23
basic attack 26 encounter powers 60 implement (keyword) 70
blast 66 encounters 15 implements 333, 347
bloodied value 28 end of a turn 22 Indomitable Champion 245
Bluff skill 292 Endurance skill 295 initiative 39
bonuses 42 enemy (as a target) 67 initiative modifier 39
bow (weapon group) 327 enhancement bonuses 341 Insight skill 297
bull rush 26 epic destiny 79 Intelligence 37
burst 66 epic tier 13 Intimidate skill 297
calm animal (Nature) 299 escape (Acrobatics) 287 item slots 340
carrying, lifting, and dragging 336 escape (Athletics) 290 jump (Athletics) 290
chainmail 325 evocation (school) 70, 194, 240 key ability (of a skill) 279
channel divinity (effect type) 72 experience points 55 keywords 62, 69
Charisma 38 exploration 15 knight 123
charm (effect type) 72 extended rest 29 knowledge checks 284
checks 19 failed saving throw 64 knowledge skills 284
choosing armor 323 fear (effect type) 74 languages 48
choosing feats 305 feat categories 306 leader (role) 34
choosing targets 67 feats 305 leather armor 324
class (of an adventurer) 33 feats, replacing 56 level (of a magic item) 337
class features 77 feet slot items 349 level (of a power) 62, 65
cleric 80 fighter 122 level modifier 55
climb (Athletics) 289 find a hidden creature (Perception) light armor 323
close power 66 300 light blade (weapon group) 328
364 INDE X
light shield 325 primary target 67 target (of a power) 63
light thrown (weapon property) property (of a magic item) 342 targeting objects 67
330 proficiency (with implements) 333 teleportation (effect type) 74
line of effect 68 proficiency (with weapons) 329 temporary hit points 28
line of sight 68 race (of an adventurer) 35 temporary modifiers 41
load (weapon property) 330 range (of a power) 68 thief 168
long jump (table) 291 range (of a weapon) 329 Thievery skill 302
long range 65 ranged basic attack 26 thrown weapons, magic 346
mace (weapon group) 328 ranged power 65 train animal (Nature) 299
mage 192 ranged weapons 327 trained skills, replacing 57
magic armor (tables) 344 ranged weapons (table) 332 treat disease (Heal) 296
magic implements 347 rarity (of a magic item) 337 trigger (of a power) 62
magic item values (table) 339 reach (weapon property) 331 triggered actions 22
magic items 337 reduce falling damage (Acrobatics) turn 21
magic weapons 345 287 two-handed weapons 327
making checks 19 Reflex 40 type (of a power) 59
martial (power source) 69 Religion skill 300 usage types (of powers) 59
maximum drag load 336 remaining hidden 301 utility powers 59
melee basic attack 26 requirement (of a power) 62 versatile (weapon property) 331
melee power 65 retraining 56 waist slot items 351
melee weapons 327 rogue 168 wall 67
melee weapons (table) 331 role (of an adventurer) 34 wand (implement group) 334
military weapons 327 saving throws 25 wands 348
minor action 22 scale armor 325 warpriest 80
moderate DC 281 schools of magic 70, 193 weapon damage dice 25, 329
monster knowledge checks 285 second wind 28 weapon (keyword) 70
monster origins and keywords secondary attacks 63 weapon groups 327
(table) 285 secondary powers 64 weapon properties 329
mounts and transport 336 seeing and targeting 68 weapons 326, 345
move action 22 selling equipment 333 Will 40
movement 23 shields 325 Wisdom 37
Nature skill 298 short rest 29 wizard 192
neck slot items 351 silver piece 322 zone (effect type) 75
noncombat encounters 15 silvered weapons 333
normal load 336 simple weapons 327
off-hand (weapon property) 330 skill challenges 283
one-handed weapons 327 skill check modifier 41
open lock (Thievery) 303 skill checks 20
opportunity actions 22 skill training 279
opportunity attack 27 slayer 146
opposed checks 282 sleight of hand (Thievery) 303
orb (implement group) 334 sling (weapon group) 328
orbs 347 small (weapon property) 331
paragon path 79 spear (weapon group) 328
paragon tier 13 speed 39
passive checks 282 staff (implement group) 334
penalties 42 staff (weapon group) 328
perceive something (Perception) staffs (implements) 348
299 stance (effect type) 74
Perception skill 299 standard action 22
personal power 66 start of a turn 21
personality (of a character) 46 starting gear 321
pick pocket (Thievery) 303 Stealth skill 301
plate armor 325 storm domain 109
platinum piece 322 Streetwise skill 302
poison (effect type) 74 Strength 36
polearm (weapon group) 328 striker (role) 34
potions 352 sun domain 115
power (of a magic item) 342 surprise round 21
power formats 61 sustain 64
power sources 69 swim (Athletics) 292
power types 59 swimming for an hour or more
powers, replacing 56 (Endurance) 295
prerequisite (of a feat) 305 taking 10 282
prerequisite (of a power) 62 taking your turn 16
INDEX 365
COMBAT STATISTICS
CHARACTER NAME
Thievery ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK When you attack, roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. Compare
the result to the monster’s defense to see if you hit. If you do hit,
roll damage.
Intelligence MODIFIER CHECK
Intelligence describes how well you learn and reason. Hit Points Bloodied
Arcana ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK Your hit points measure the damage you can take before falling
unconscious. Your bloodied value is half of your hit points
History ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK (rounded down).
Permission is granted to photocopy this character sheet for home game use only. TM & ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
CHARACTER SKETCH
POWERS AND FEATS
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Use this space to draw a picture of your character, your
_______________________________________ character’s symbol, or some other identifying mark.
CHARACTER NOTES
EQUIPMENT AND MAGIC ITEMS
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________ Use this space however you like: to record what happens on
your adventures, track quests, describe your background
_______________________________________ and goals, note the names of the other characters in your
party, or draw a picture of your character.
_______________________________________
EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP)
WEALTH
Permission is granted to photocopy this character sheet for home game use only. TM & ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
EXPLORE A WORLD OF
MAGIC AND MONSTERS
In a world of deadly monsters and forbidding dungeons, mighty heroes come forth
in search of adventure and glory. Heroes of the Fallen Lands™ presents some of the
most popular DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Fantasy Roleplaying Game character options, from
brave fighters to wily rogues. Create your hero, plunge into the grim depths of ancient
catacombs, battle monsters, and emerge triumphant with a king’s ransom in gold
and jewels. Within these pages, a world of adventure awaits you!
This essential DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rulebook contains details on the cleric, fighter,
rogue, and wizard classes, along with rules for human, dwarf, eladrin, elf, and halfling
characters. In addition, it provides an array of feats, weapons, armor, and adventuring
gear, as well as a basic summary of the rules of play.
HEROES OF THE
FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS TM
C R E A T E A N D P L AY D R U I D S , P A L A D I N S ,
R A N G ER S , A N D WA R LOCK S!
R O L E P L AY I N G G A M E CO R E R U L E S
Mike Mearls ) Bill Slavicsek ) Rodney Thompson
CREDITS
Design Graphic Designers
Mike Mearls, Bill Slavicsek, Leon Cortez, Bob Jordan, Keven Smith
Rodney Thompson Cover Illustration
Additional Design Ralph Horsley
Jeremy Crawford, James Wyatt Interior Illustrations
Steve Argyle, Kerem Beyit, Zoltan Boros &
Development
Gabor Szikszai, Devon Cady-Lee, Chippy,
Jeremy Crawford, Stephen Schubert
Julie Dillon, Steve Ellis, Wayne England,
Editing Emily Fiegenschuh, Adam Gillespie, Tomas
Michele Carter, Cal Moore, Giorello, David Griffith, Tyler Jacobson, Lee
Scott Fitzgerald Gray Moyer, William O’Connor, Steve Prescott,
David Rapoza, Chris Seaman, John Stanko,
Managing Editing Sarah Stone, Eva Widermann, Ben Wootten
Kim Mohan
Cartographer
D&D R&D/Book Publishing Director Jason A. Engle
Bill Slavicsek Publishing Production Specialist
D&D Creative Manager Angelika Lokotz
Christopher Perkins Prepress Manager
Jefferson Dunlap
D&D Senior Creative Art Director
Jon Schindehette Imaging Technician
Sven Bolen
D&D Brand Team
Production Manager
Liz Schuh, Kierin Chase,
Cynda Callaway
Laura Tommervik, Shelly Mazzanoble,
Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross D&D 4th Edition Design
Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, James Wyatt
Special Thanks
Bill Rose Building on the design of previous editions by
E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, David “Zeb”
Art Director Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip
Kate Irwin Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Encounters, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Essentials, Dungeon Master’s
Kit, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, Monster Vault, Rules Compendium, all other Wizards of the Coast product
names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters
and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. 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 LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein is
purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
START HERE
If you haven’t picked it up yet, the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Fantasy Roleplaying
Game Starter Set is a great place to start your experience. It contains the basic
rules of the game, dice, and starting adventures to kick off a campaign. Heroes
of the Forgotten Kingdoms™ and its companion, Heroes of the Fallen Lands™, pro-
vide more options, including more levels of play, more classes, and more races
for you to choose from.
A ROLEPLAYING GAME
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a roleplaying game. In fact, this game
invented roleplaying games and started an industry.
A roleplaying game is a storytelling game that has elements of the games of
make-believe that many of us played as children. However, a roleplaying game
provides form and structure, with robust gameplay and endless possibilities.
In the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, you create a hero (also called a charac-
ter or an adventurer), team up with other adventurers (your friends), explore a
world, and battle monsters. While the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game uses dice
and miniatures or other tokens, the action takes place in your imagination.
There, you have the freedom to create anything you can imagine, with an unlim-
ited special effects budget and the technology to make anything happen.
What makes the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game unique is the Dungeon
Master. The DM is a person who takes on the role of lead storyteller and game
referee. The DM runs adventures for the characters and narrates the action
T Y L E R J ACO BS O N
for the players. The DM makes the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game infinitely
The warlock Brandis confronts the evil sorcerer atop the Keep on the Borderlands
A ROLEPLAYING GAME 5
flexible—he or she can react to any situation, any twist suggested by the players,
to make each adventure vibrant, exciting, and unexpected.
The adventure is the heart of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. It’s like a
fantasy movie or novel, except the characters that you and your friends create are
the stars of the story. The DM sets the scene, but no one knows what’s going to
happen until the characters do something—and then anything can happen! You
might explore a dark dungeon, a ruined city, a lost temple deep in a jungle, or a
lava-filled cavern beneath a mysterious mountain. You solve puzzles, talk with
other characters, battle all kinds of fantastic monsters, and discover fabulous
magic items and treasure.
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a cooperative game in which you and your
friends work together to complete each adventure and have fun. It’s a storytelling
game where the only limit is your imagination. It’s a fantasy-adventure game, build-
ing on the traditions of the greatest fantasy stories of all time. During an adventure,
you can attempt anything you can think of. Want to talk to the dragon instead of
fighting it? Want to disguise yourself as an orc and sneak into the foul lair? Go
ahead and give it a try. Your actions might work or they might fail spectacularly, but
either way you’ve contributed to the unfolding story and had fun along the way.
You “win” the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game by participating in an exciting
story of bold adventurers confronting deadly perils. The game has no real end;
when you finish one story or quest, you can start another one. Many people who
play the game keep their games going for months or years, meeting with their
friends every week to pick up the story where they left off.
Your character grows as the game continues. Each monster defeated, each
adventure completed, and each treasure recovered not only adds to your continu-
ing story, but also earns your character new abilities. This increase in power is
reflected by your character’s level; as you continue to play, your character gains
more experience, rising in level and mastering new and more powerful abilities.
Sometimes your character might come to a grisly end, torn apart by fero-
cious monsters or done in by a nefarious villain. But even when your character is
defeated, you don’t “lose.” Your companions can employ powerful magic to revive
your character, or you might choose to create a new character to carry on. You
might fail to complete the adventure, but if you had a good time and you created
a story that everyone remembers for a long time, the whole group wins.
6 | Introduction
T HE MOST IMPORTANT RULE
How do you know if your sword-swing hurts the dragon, or just bounces off its
iron-hard scales? How do you know if the ogre believes your outrageous bluff, or
if you can swim the raging river and reach the other side?
All these actions depend on one simple rule: Decide what you want your char-
acter to do and tell the Dungeon Master. The DM tells you to make a check and
determines your chance of success by picking a target number for the check.
You roll a twenty-sided die (d20), add some numbers, and try to hit the target
number determined by the DM. That’s it!
If your check succeeds, you determine the outcome. If your check was an attack,
you roll damage. If it was a check to see if you managed to jump across a pit, your
check result determines whether or not you made it. If you succeed on a check
when you’re trying to hide, the monsters don’t see you.
There’s a little more to it than that, but this rule governs all game play. All the
rest of the rules are extensions and refinements of this simple game rule.
GAME OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an overview of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game.
The game’s complete rules can be found in the Rules Compendium. Use this
chapter to become familiar with the core concepts of the game and to review
game elements.
A FANTASTIC WORLD
The world of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a place of magic and monsters,
of brave warriors and spectacular adventures. It begins with a basis of medieval
fantasy and then adds the creatures,
places, and powers that make the
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world unique. . . . a place of magic and
The world of the DUNGEONS & monsters, of brave warriors
DRAGONS game is ancient, built upon
and beneath the ruins of past empires, and spectacular adventures.
leaving the landscape dotted with
places of adventure and mystery.
Legends and artifacts of past empires still survive—as do terrible menaces.
The current age has no all-encompassing empire. The world is shrouded in a
dark age, caught between the collapse of the last great empire and the rise of the
next, which might be centuries away. Minor kingdoms prosper, to be sure: bar-
onies, holdings, city-states. But each settlement appears as a point of light in the
widespread darkness, an island of civilization in the wilderness that covers the
world. Adventurers can rest in settlements between adventures, but no settlement is
entirely safe. Adventures break out within (and under) such places as often as not.
During your adventures, you will visit fantastic locations: wide caverns cut
by rivers of lava; towers held aloft in the sky by ancient magic—anything you can
imagine, your character might experience as the game unfolds.
Monsters and supernatural creatures are a part of this world. They prowl the
dark places between the points of light. Some are threats, others are willing to
aid you, and many fall into both camps and might react differently depending on
how you approach them.
Magic is everywhere. People believe in and accept the power that magic pro-
vides. However, true masters of magic are rare. Many people have access to a
ZO LTA N B O R OS & G A B O R S Z I K S Z A I
little magic, but those who have the power to shape magic the way a blacksmith
shapes metal are as rare as adventurers and appear as friends or foes to you and
your companions.
At some point, all adventurers rely on magic. Wizards and warlocks draw
magic from the fabric of the universe. Clerics and paladins call down the wrath
The red dragon Ashardalon rises from the lava to attack Roghar the paladin of Bahamut
A FANTASTIC WORLD 9
of their gods to sear their foes with divine radiance, or they invoke their gods’
mercy to heal their allies’ wounds. Druids and rangers have an affinity for the
primal spirits that pervade the natural world. Fighters and rogues don’t use
magical powers, but their expertise with magic weapons makes them masters
of the battlefield. At the highest levels of play, even nonmagical adventurers
perform deeds no mortal could dream of doing without magic.
WHAT’S IN A GAME
All DUNGEONS & DRAGONS games have several basic components: at least one
player (five players works best), a Dungeon Master, an adventure, and game
books and accessories, including dice.
Players
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS players fill two distinct roles in the game: controlling the
players’ characters—also called adventurers—and acting as the Dungeon Master.
These roles aren’t mutually exclusive, and a player can roleplay an adventurer
today and run an adventure for the other players tomorrow. Although everyone
who plays the game is technically a player, this book usually refers to players as
those who run the adventurers.
Each player creates an adventurer, part of a team that delves into dungeons,
battles monsters, and explores the world’s dark wilderness. Like the protago-
nists of a novel, a movie, or a video game, adventurers stand at the center of the
game’s action.
When you play your character, you put yourself into your character’s boots
and make decisions as if you were that character. You decide which door your
character opens next. You decide whether to attack a monster, to negotiate with
a villain, or to attempt a dangerous quest. You can make these decisions based
on your character’s personality, motivations, and goals, and you can even speak
or act in character if you like. You have almost limitless control over what your
character can do and say in the game.
The Dungeon Master controls the monsters and villains in the adventure, but
the DM isn’t your adversary. The DM’s job is to provide a framework for the
whole group to enjoy an exciting adventure. That means challenging the player
characters with interesting encounters and tests, keeping the game moving, and
applying the rules of the game fairly.
Many players find that being the Dungeon Master is the best part of the game.
Taking on the Dungeon Master role isn’t necessarily a permanent post—you
and your friends can take turns being the DM from adventure to adventure.
If you think you’d like to be the Dungeon Master in your group, you can find
all the tools to help you in the Dungeon Master’s Kit™ (a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Essentials product).
The Adventure
Adventurers need adventures. A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure consists of a
series of linked events. As the players decide which way to go next and how their
characters meet the resulting encounters and challenges, they turn the adventure
into an exciting story about their characters. All DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adven-
tures feature action, combat, mystery, magic, challenges, and lots of monsters.
Adventures come in three forms:
✦ Ready-to-Play: The DM can buy or obtain professionally written, ready-to-
play adventures from a number of sources, including your local game store
and www.DungeonsandDragons.com.
✦ Adventure Hooks and Components: Most DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
products offer pieces of adventures—story ideas, maps, interesting villains
or monsters—that the DM can assemble into an adventure. DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS Insider (www.DungeonsandDragons.com) is also a rich source of
adventure material.
WHAT’S IN A GAME 11
✦ Homemade: Many DMs choose to create their own adventures, building
challenging encounters and stocking them with monsters from the Monster
Vault and treasure from the Dungeon Master’s Kit.
T IERS OF PLAY
Heroes in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game and most of the threats that they
face have levels, which reflect their relative power. Levels are grouped into three
tiers: the heroic tier (levels 1–10), the paragon tier (levels 11–20), and the epic tier
(levels 21–30).
When adventurers leave one tier and cross the threshold into a new one, they
experience a major increase in power. At the same time, the threats that they
face become more lethal. As a campaign progresses through the three tiers, its
story and the style of its encounters also typically evolve.
T HE ESSENTIALS PRODUCTS
The action of the game takes place mostly in your imagination, but you need a
few things to play the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. The following DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS Essentials products provide a great place to start.
GAME DICE
The game uses polyhedral dice with different numbers of sides. You can find dice
like these in game stores and in many bookstores.
In these rules, the different dice are referred to by the letter “d” followed by
the number of sides: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. For example, a d6 is a six-
sided die (the typical cube that many games use).
When you need to roll dice, the rules tell you how many dice to roll, what
size they are, and what modifiers to add. For example, “3d8 + 5” means you roll
three eight-sided dice and add 5 to the total.
Encounters
Encounters are the action scenes in an adventure, various kinds of challenges
that the adventurers must face and overcome. Encounters come in two types.
✦ Combat encounters are battles against nefarious foes. In a combat
encounter, adventurers and monsters take turns attacking until one side or
the other is defeated.
✦ Noncombat encounters include deadly traps, difficult puzzles, and other
obstacles to overcome. Sometimes you overcome noncombat encounters by
using your character’s skills, sometimes you can defeat them with clever
use of magic, and sometimes you have to puzzle them out with nothing but
your wits. Noncombat encounters also include social interactions, such as
attempts to persuade, bargain with, or obtain information from a character
played by the DM.
Adventurers have an array of tools at their disposal to help them overcome the
challenges in encounters, including attack powers—like a paladin’s valiant strike
or a warlock’s eldritch bolt—that deal damage and other effects to enemies in
combat. Characters also have utility powers, skills, and other features that can be
useful in both combat and noncombat encounters.
Exploration
Between encounters, your characters explore the world. You make decisions
about which way to travel and what your character tries to do next. Exploration is
the give-and-take of you telling the DM what you want your character to do, and
the DM telling you what happens when your character does it.
For example, let’s say the heroes have just climbed down into a dark chasm.
The DM tells you that your characters see three tunnels leading from the chasm
floor into the gloom. You and the other players decide which tunnel your
characters venture into first, and you tell the DM which way your characters
are heading. That’s exploration. You might try almost anything else: finding a
place to hide and set an ambush in case monsters come by, shouting “Hello, any
HOW TO PLAY 15
monsters here?” as loud as you can, checking each tunnel entrance for signs of
passage or for traps, or searching the chasm floor carefully in case there’s any-
thing interesting lying amid the boulders and moss. That’s all exploration, too.
Decisions you make as you explore eventually lead to encounters. For
example, one tunnel might lead into a cave full of goblins. If you decide to go that
way, your characters are heading into a combat encounter. Another tunnel might
lead to a door sealed by a magic lock that you have to break through—a noncom-
bat encounter. The third tunnel might lead to a chamber that contains both a
trap and some monsters, resulting in a mixed encounter that includes elements
of both combat and noncombat situations.
While exploring a dungeon or other adventure location, you might try to do
any of the following actions:
✦ Move down a hallway, follow a passage, cross a room
✦ Have conversations with DM-controlled characters
✦ Listen by a door to try to hear anything on the other side
✦ Try a door to see if it’s locked
✦ Break down a locked door
✦ Search a room for treasure
✦ Pull levers or push statues or furnishings around
✦ Pick the lock of a treasure chest
✦ Jury-rig a trap
The Dungeon Master decides whether something you try actually works. Some
actions automatically succeed (you can usually move around without trouble).
Some require one or more die rolls, called checks (breaking down a locked
door, for example). And some actions simply can’t succeed. Your character can
perform any deeds a strong, smart, agile, and well-armed human action hero can
pull off—and sometimes even more than that!
Joey (DM): It looks like someone piled rubble here to obscure the stairs leading
down to the cellars beneath the monastery. A 10-foot-wide staircase descends
at a steep angle, going down for about 30 feet before ending at a chamber. It’s
too dark to make out any details from here.
Deanne (Bree): I’ll light a torch and start down the stairs.
Johnny (Garan): I’m right behind you. Blackfang will walk alongside Bree.
Tommy (Tempest): Okay, I guess that means I’ll watch our backs. I’m still not
happy we couldn’t catch those goblins. I bet they ran off to warn someone that
we’re here.
Joey (DM): As you head down the stairs, the light from your torch reveals that
the chamber is about 30 feet long. You can see three other doorways set in the
center of the southern, eastern, and western walls. What’s everyone’s passive
Perception?
Deanne (Bree): Mine’s 12.
Tommy (Tempest): I have a 9.
Johnny (Garan): 14, and Blackfang’s is 16.
Joey (DM): Blackfang’s fur bristles as he reaches the edge of the room, and he
growls as he looks up toward the ceiling. You can see thick cobwebs up there,
stretching from one end of the room to the next. It takes a moment for your
eyes to adjust to the gloom, but you can see a dark shape moving around
up there.
Deanne (Bree): I reach up with my torch. Can I touch the web with it?
Joey (DM): It looks like you can.
Deanne (Bree): Okay, guys, step back. I’m going to set the web on fire and flush
out that thing before it can pounce on us from above.
HOW TO PLAY 17
Joey (DM): The web catches fire, and the flames begin to spread across its ten-
drils. The dark shape scuttles away from the fire and then leaps to the floor.
You see a giant spider, nearly 4 feet long. Its eight red eyes glare at you.
Tommy (Tempest): That’ll teach it for trying to ambush us. Let’s squash it!
Joey (DM): Hold on! First, you see several more sets of eyes from the darkness
behind the spider. Two more spiders have dropped down from the ceiling.
Tempest’s passive Perception is 9, right?
Tommy (Tempest): Yes, it’s a 9.
Joey (DM): Okay, does an 18 hit your Armor Class?
Tommy (Tempest): It does. Do I want to know why you ask?
Joey (DM): A sling stone glances off your helm for 7 points of damage. Behind
you, you hear the distinctive cackle of a goblin. Two of them stand at the top
of the stairs, one with a sling and the other with a battleaxe. The one with the
axe points at you, then drags its finger across its throat. Roll for initiative!
Will the characters fight their way out of this ambush, or are they doomed to become
spider food? It all depends on the players’ choices and the luck of the dice!
Attack Rolls An attack roll is a kind of check that occurs in every battle,
where the target number for the check is the defense (AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or
Will) of a target. Attacks come in a variety of forms, depending on a character’s
class. Rangers, for example, use weapons to make attacks. Warlocks, on the other
hand, cast spells.
Attack rolls are often described using a shorthand notation:
The ability and the defense involved are specified in the attack used. If the result
of the attack roll is equal to or higher than your target’s defense, your attack hits.
For example, an attack power might include the following attack roll notation:
“Strength vs. Fortitude.” You make a check (roll a d20 and add all modifiers; see
page 40 for how to calculate attack rolls) and compare the result to the target’s
Fortitude. The power specifies what happens if the power hits and might even
specify something that happens on a miss.
The target number for a skill check—called its Difficulty Class or DC—is deter-
mined by the DM. When you use a skill to solve a task, you want to get a result
that’s equal to or higher than the DC.
For example, a published adventure might include the following skill check
notation: “Make a DC 20 Acrobatics check.” You make a check (roll a d20 and
Ability Checks When you try to accomplish a task that isn’t an attack or
a skill check, you make an ability check. Ability checks give the DM a method for
adjudicating other actions in the game, including whenever your character tries
to do something out of the ordinary.
Ability checks sometimes use the following notation:
Ability checks follow the rules for skill checks, with a DC set by the DM. For
instance, your character might try to hold a door closed against an orc. The DM
decides that’s a test of raw strength and asks for a Strength check. You make
a check (roll a d20 and add all modifiers; see page 41 for how to calculate
ability checks) and compare the result to the target DC.
RUNNING COMBAT
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game organizes the chaos of combat into an orderly
cycle of rounds and turns. This section is intended as a very brief overview; see
the Rules Compendium for complete rules, and the glossary at the end of this book
for terms and definitions.
A combat encounter follows these steps.
1. Determine surprise. The DM determines whether anyone involved in the
combat encounter is surprised. If any creatures notice enemies without being
noticed in return, the aware creatures gain a surprise round.
2. Establish positions. The DM decides where the creatures are positioned on
the battle grid.
3. Roll initiative. Everyone involved in a combat encounter rolls initiative,
determining the order of combatants’ turns.
4. Take surprise round actions. If any creatures gained a surprise round, they
act in initiative order, each taking a single action. (Surprised creatures take
no actions during the surprise round.) The surprise round then ends, and the
first regular round of combat begins.
The Start of a Turn The start of a turn always takes place, even if
the character or creature is unconscious. This phase takes no time in the game
world. A character or creature can’t take any actions during this phase of its turn.
Certain effects are tracked during this phase, including ongoing damage,
regeneration, and some other effects. These effects take place in whatever order
the player prefers. Some effects end automatically at the start of a turn.
A player can take these actions in any order, and can skip any of them.
The End of a Turn A turn ends when the character or creature fin-
ishes taking actions during its turn. The end of a turn always takes place, even if
the character or creature is unconscious. This phase takes no time in the game
world. A character or creature can’t take any actions during this phase of its turn.
A character or creature makes saving throws (page 25) at the end of its turn
to try to end any effects on it that a save can end. If a creature has used a power
that it can sustain for multiple turns, check at the end of its turn to see whether it
spent the action required to sustain the power. If the creature didn’t, the power’s
effect ends. Some other effects end automatically at the end of a turn.
RUNNING COMBAT 21
Triggered Actions
Most of a creature’s actions take place among the regular actions on its turn.
But anyone can take free actions on anyone else’s turn, and an event or another
creature’s action might be the trigger that lets a character or creature use a trig-
gered action. There are two kinds of triggered actions: opportunity actions and
immediate actions. Some free actions also have triggers. A character or crea-
ture can take a triggered action only if its specific trigger occurs.
Action Points
Action points allow creatures to take more actions than normal. A character can
spend an action point on his or her turn as a free action. When the character
does so, he or she gains an extra action to use during that turn. The action can
be a standard action, a move action, or a minor action. An adventurer can spend
an action point only once per encounter, and never during a surprise round. An
action point is gone when spent.
Adventurers start their careers with 1 action point each. They earn action
points as they complete more and more encounters. Each adventurer gains 1
action point when he or she reaches a milestone (after completing two encoun-
ters). A character’s action point total reverts to its starting value of 1 whenever he
or she completes an extended rest.
ATTACKS
On a typical turn, an adventurer uses his or her standard action to make an
attack using an attack power. The player makes an attack roll to determine
whether the attack hits its target.
To make an attack roll, you roll a d20, add whatever modifiers apply (see page
24), and compare the result to one of the target’s four defenses: Armor Class,
Fortitude, Ref lex, or Will.
Whatever character you’re playing, attacks follow the same basic process.
1. Choose the attack the character or creature will use. Each attack has an
attack type: melee, ranged, close, or area. See Chapter 3 for discussion of
these attack types.
2. Choose targets for the attack. See Chapter 3 for discussion of choosing targets.
3. Make an attack roll, rolling a d20 and adding the appropriate bonuses and
penalties. Compare the roll to the target’s defense to determine whether the
attack hits or misses. If the result equals or exceeds the specified defense of
the target (AC, Fortitude, Reflex, or Will), the attack hits. Otherwise, it misses.
See page 40 for how to calculate your character’s attack rolls. If the d20 roll
comes up 20 or 1, special rules apply (see the glossary entries for automatic hit
and automatic miss).
4. Deal damage and apply any other effects.
ATTACKS 23
ATTACK ROLL MODIFIERS
Circumstance Modifier
Combat advantage against target +2
Attacker is prone –2
Attacker is restrained –2
Target has partial cover –2
Target has superior cover –5
Target has partial concealment (melee and ranged only) –2
Target has total concealment (melee and ranged only) –5
Long range (weapon attacks only) –2
See the glossary for definition of these terms: combat advantage, cover, and
concealment.
Attack Results
Powers specify what happens when their attacks hit or miss. The most common
result of an attack that hits is damage. Attacks also subject targets to conditions,
forced movement, and unusual effects described in certain powers.
Damage Rolls
When most attacks deal damage, they do so through a damage roll: a roll of dice
to determine damage. Whenever a power or other effect requires a damage roll,
it specifies which dice to roll and how many of them. For example, an attack
might indicate that it deals 2d8 + 4 damage on a hit. When a creature hits with
that attack, roll 2 eight-sided dice and add 4 to determine how much damage it
deals. See page 41 for how to calculate your character’s damage rolls.
Weapon Damage Dice: A [W] in a damage roll expression is a variable
that stands for the damage dice of the weapon used to deal the damage. The
number before the [W] indicates the number of times to roll the weapon dice.
For example, if a power deals 2[W] + Strength modifier damage and the attacker
uses a dagger (1d4 damage), roll 2 four-sided dice (2d4), then add the attacker’s
Strength modifier.
Saving Throws
Some persistent effects last until a creature makes a successful saving throw
against them, and some instantaneous effects, such as falling down a pit, can be
avoided by making a successful saving throw, or save.
A persistent effect that a save can end includes one of the following notations:
“save ends,” “save ends both,” or “save ends all.” For example, “The target is dazed
(save ends)” means the target is dazed until it saves against that condition.
The rules tell you when an instantaneous effect can be avoided with a save.
At the end of each of your character’s turns, you make a saving throw against
each effect on the character that a save can end. Whenever you make saving
throws against multiple effects that a save can end, you choose the order of the
saving throws.
To make a saving throw, roll a d20 without adding any modifiers, unless the
character has bonuses or penalties that specifically apply to saving throws. If you
roll lower than 10, the character fails the saving throw, and the effect continues.
If you roll 10 or higher, the character saves, and the effect ends.
If a character is subjected to identical effects that a save can end, ignore all
but one of those effects. For example, if you are dazed (save ends) and then are
attacked and again dazed (save ends), ignore the second effect, since it is identical
to the effect you are already suffering.
Basic Attack Sometimes a creature just wants to hit something. The fol-
lowing two basic attack powers—one melee and one ranged—offer that simple
option. Some classes provide alternatives to these default powers.
ATTACKS 25
Melee Basic Attack Basic Attack
You resort to the simple attack you learned when you first picked up a melee weapon.
At-Will ✦ Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
A creature can make a ranged basic attack as long as it has something to throw
or shoot.
Bull Rush When a creature wants to push another creature away, the bull
rush power is a good option.
Grab By using the grab power, any creature can try to seize a target bodily
and keep it from moving.
Short Rest
About 5 minutes long, a short rest consists of stretching one’s muscles and catch-
ing one’s breath after an encounter. When a character takes a short rest, he or
she regains the use of any encounter powers used during the encounter. After a
short rest, a character can spend as many healing surges as the player wants.
Extended Rest
At least 6 hours long, an extended rest includes relaxation, sometimes a meal,
and usually sleep. A character can take an extended rest only once per day; after
finishing the rest, he or she has to wait 12 hours before beginning another one. A
character normally sleeps during an extended rest, but doesn’t have to. The char-
acter can engage in light activity that doesn’t require much exertion.
At the end of an extended rest, a character regains any lost hit points and any
spent healing surges. The character also regains the use of all his or her encoun-
ter powers and daily powers. The character starts fresh with 1 action point.
M AKING CHARACTERS
Your first step in playing an adventurer in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is to
imagine a character of your own and create it. Your character is a combination
of game statistics, roleplaying hooks, and
your imagination. You choose a race (such Your first step: Imagine
as human or dragonborn), a class (such as
druid or ranger), and other game elements a character and create
appropriate to the character you have in it. Choose a race, a class,
mind, including skills, powers, and feats.
You also invent the personality, appear- powers, and feats. Invent
ance, and backstory of your character. his or her personality
Once completed, your character serves
as your representative in the game, your and backstory.
avatar in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world.
Creating your character is just the beginning. As the character goes on various
adventures, he or she earns experience points and gain levels, leading to new
options and greater power as time goes on.
Trouble finds the ranger Gwenn in the frozen waters of the Wailing Sea
Character Sheet: To keep track of all the important information about your
character, use a photocopy of the character sheet in the back of this book, or
download the character sheet available at www.DungeonsandDragons.com.
32 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Some races give you an additional skill choice as well. After choosing trained
skills, note the character’s modifier for every skill, including the +5 bonus for
a trained skill. See Chapter 6 for details on skills.
Choose Powers. Consult your character class for how many powers you choose
at 1st level. Your choice of class powers defines how your character functions
in and out of combat. See Chapter 3 for how powers work.
Select Feats. Feats represent natural advantages or special training. You choose
at least one feat at 1st level for your character, who might get a bonus feat or
two from your race or class selection. See Chapter 7 for more about feats.
Select Equipment. Your character begins with 100 gold pieces at 1st level,
enough gold to purchase basic gear. As characters adventure, they find magic
items that improve their capabilities significantly. See Chapter 8 for more
about equipment.
Fill in the Numbers. Calculate your character’s hit points, defenses (Armor
Class, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will), initiative modifier, attack roll modifiers,
damage roll modifiers, and skill check modifiers. See page 39 for details.
Other Character Details. Flesh out the character with details of alignment, god
worshiped, background, personality, appearance, and languages. See “Other
Character Details,” page 43, for more information.
As you make your choices, look ahead to what your character gains at higher
levels from his or her class. The options at higher levels might influence the
choices you make. And don’t worry if you’re unsure about an option you pick
now; you can change your mind later, using the retraining rules. For more about
leveling up and retraining, see “Gaining Levels,” page 55.
Class
Picking your character’s class is the first step in character creation. A wide
variety of adventurers delve into forgotten dungeons and ancient ruins, including
druids, paladins, rangers, and warlocks. Your class represents your character’s
vocation, the talents and abilities learned through study and practice.
Your choice of class plays a large role in determining your character’s per-
sonality. A ranger might be a gruff, independent wanderer, while a paladin is
typically a kindhearted, heroic figure.
Here’s a quick rundown of the classes available in this book.
Druid: Druids wield primal magic, the power of the natural world. They can
grant an ally the strength of a bear or the wisdom of an owl. If you want to
play a healer who fights alongside a ferocious animal companion, select a
druid. Using this book, you can create a type of druid known as a sentinel.
Role
Character class determines your character’s role—the main job your character
does when the adventuring group is in combat. Each class specializes in one of
four roles: controller, defender, leader, or striker.
Roles mostly serve as handy tools for building adventuring groups. It’s a good
idea to cover each role with at least one character. If you don’t have all the roles
covered, that’s fine; it just means that the group needs to compensate for the
missing function in some manner.
Defender Defenders have the highest defenses in the game and good close-
up offensive capabilities. They are the party’s frontline combatants; wherever
they’re standing, that’s where the action is. Defenders have abilities and powers
that make it difficult for enemies to move past them or to ignore them in battle.
The cavalier is an example of a defender.
Leader Leaders inspire, heal, and aid the other characters in an adventuring
group. Leaders have good defenses, but their strength lies in powers that protect
their companions and target specific foes for the party to concentrate on. The
sentinel is an example of a leader.
34 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Members of this role encourage and motivate, but that doesn’t mean they’re
necessarily a group’s spokesperson or commander. The party leader—if the group
has one—might as easily be a charismatic member of another role. Leaders (the
role) fulfill their function through their powers and class features; party leaders
are born through roleplaying.
Race
Humans are the most common folk in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world, but
they share the civilized realm with a number of other races. Some are outcasts,
forced to flee their homelands as criminals or pariahs. Others are wanderers and
explorers, eager to see the world beyond their homes.
Each character race has innate strengths that make it more suited to par-
ticular classes. However, you can create any combination you like. Sometimes,
playing against a stereotype is a fun way to create a memorable character.
Many different intelligent creatures populate the world, creatures such as
dragons, mind flayers, and demons. These aren’t races you can play; they are
monsters you encounter.
Here’s a quick rundown of the races available in this book.
Dragonborn: Proud warriors and brave explorers, the dragonborn are fierce
enemies and steadfast allies.
Drow: Once the drow lived among the elves and the eladrin, but an internal
struggle turned the drow to evil. They now live in the Underdark, but a few
virtuous drow outcasts venture to the surface world.
Half-Elf: Mixing the best of both elf and human, half-elves temper their ambi-
tion with an unmatched talent for diplomacy and teamwork.
Half-Orc: These tough, barbaric folk are renowned for their strength and feroc-
ity. They hail from the edge of the civilized world.
Human: Brave, ambitious, and extremely versatile, humans are the most numer-
ous of all the civilized races.
Tief ling: The tieflings were once human, but an ancient pact with a diabolic
power warped and changed their appearance. They are skilled with magic.
36 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Charisma (Cha) Charisma measures force of personality, persuasive-
ness, and leadership.
✦ Charisma is the key ability for Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Streetwise
skill checks (see Chapter 6).
✦ An adventurer’s Charisma modifier contributes to Will, unless his or her
Wisdom modifier is higher.
Balanced Scores
16 14 14 11 10 10
You’re strong in one area, but you aren’t weak in anything. This set of numbers
gives you strong offense and defense, with no weaknesses to cover. Before you add
any racial modifiers, you get a +3 bonus and two +2 bonuses, with no penalties.
Specialist Scores
18 14 11 10 10 8
You’re really good in one area, but you have a significant weakness and your
other scores are average. This provides you with a very strong offense, but you
take a hit in one defense as a consequence. Before you add any racial modifiers,
you get a +4 bonus and a +2 bonus, with a –1 penalty.
You can do two things quite well, but you wind up with a weakness in one ability.
This gives you a strong offense and defense, and you get the most out of class fea-
tures and powers that rely on a secondary ability score. Before you add any racial
modifiers, you get two +3 bonuses, a +1 bonus, and a –1 penalty.
38 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
OTHER METHODS
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Rules Compendium gathers all the rules of the game
into a single volume and features additional methods for determining a charac-
ter’s ability scores. They include a random generation method and a point-buy
customization method. These methods should be used only with the permission
of your Dungeon Master.
Selecting Equipment
Refer to your specific class entry for what kinds of weapons and armor are suit-
able for your character. Then check out Chapter 8 for more details.
Defenses Every character has four defenses: Armor Class, Fortitude, Reflex,
and Will. You determine the character’s defense scores as described below.
✦ Base Defense: Each defense starts at 10 + one-half the character’s level.
✦ Armor Class: Add the armor bonus provided by the armor you have
equipped. Add the shield bonus of the shield you are carrying, if any. If you
are wearing light armor or no armor, also add your Dexterity modifier or
Intelligence modifier, whichever is higher.
✦ Fortitude: Add your Strength modifier or Constitution modifier, which-
ever is higher.
✦ Ref lex: Add your Dexterity modifier or Intelligence modifier, whichever is
higher. If you use a shield, add its shield bonus.
✦ Will: Add your Wisdom modifier or Charisma modifier, whichever
is higher.
In addition, add any of the following modifiers that apply to each defense:
✦ A bonus from the character’s class
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ An enhancement bonus (usually from magic armor or from a neck slot
magic item)
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
40 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Also add any of the following modifiers that apply:
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ An enhancement bonus (usually from a magic weapon or implement)
✦ A proficiency bonus (if the power is a weapon power and the character
wields a weapon that he or she has proficiency with)
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
TEMPORARY MODIFIERS
Powers, circumstances, conditions, and the like produce many bonuses and
penalties in play. For instance, your target might have partial cover, causing you
to take a –2 penalty to the attack roll you make against the target. Or you might
use a power that grants a temporary bonus to all of your companions’ defenses.
Temporary modifiers are extremely varied and are specified in many different
parts of the game. In particular, see page 24 for a list of the most common attack
roll modifiers.
Any of these other factors might also apply to an ability check modifier:
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
Any of these other factors might also apply to a skill check modifier:
✦ A +5 bonus if the adventurer has training in the skill (see page 277)
✦ An armor check penalty (page 328) if the adventurer is wearing certain
kinds of armor and the skill’s key ability is Strength, Dexterity, or
Constitution
✦ Racial or feat bonuses
✦ Any other bonuses or penalties
Bonuses: There’s one important rule for bonuses: Don’t add together bonuses of
the same type to the same roll or score. If a creature has two or more bonuses
of the same type (such as “power bonus”) that apply to the same roll or score,
use the higher bonus. For example, if a character has a +2 power bonus to
attack rolls and gains a +4 power bonus to attack rolls, the character has a
+4 power bonus, not a +6 power bonus.
Bonus Types: If a bonus has a type, one of the following words precedes the
word “bonus” in the rules text: armor, enhancement, feat, item, power, pro-
ficiency, racial, or shield. These types are defined and explained in the Rules
Compendium.
Untyped Bonuses: Some bonuses have no type (“a +2 bonus,” for instance).
Most of these bonuses are situational and add together with other bonuses,
including other untyped bonuses. However, untyped bonuses from the same
named game element (a power, a feat, and the like) are not cumulative; only
the highest applies, unless noted otherwise.
Penalties: Unlike bonuses, penalties don’t have types. Penalties add together,
unless they’re from the same named game element. If two monsters attack
an adventurer with the same power and each causes the adventurer to take
a penalty to a particular roll or score, he or she doesn’t add the penalties
together but instead takes the worst penalty.
A penalty might be effectively canceled by a bonus and vice versa. If a
creature gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls and takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls
at the same time, it ends up with a +0 modifier.
42 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Other Character Details
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is, first and foremost, a roleplaying game,
which means that it’s all about taking on the role of a character in the game.
Some people take to this play-acting naturally and easily; others find it more of
a challenge. This section is here to help you out, whether you’re comfortable and
familiar with roleplaying or you’re new to the concept.
Your character is more than a combination of race, class, and feats. He or
she is one of the protagonists in a living, evolving story line. Like the hero of any
fantasy novel or film, your character has ambitions and fears, likes and dislikes,
motivations and mannerisms, moments of glory and of failure. The best char-
acters blend the ongoing story of their adventuring careers with memorable
characteristics or traits. Jaden the 4th-level human fighter is a perfectly play-
able character even without any embellishment, but the personality of Jaden
the Grim—brooding, fatalistic, and honest—suggests a particular approach to
negotiating with townsfolk or discussing issues with the other characters. A well-
crafted personality expands your experience of the game dramatically.
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a roleplaying game but not necessarily an
exercise in improvisational theater. Sometimes, the role you play is defender or
leader; the character you’re playing is engaged in combat and has a job to do so
that your team comes out victorious. Even in combat, though, you can interject
bits of personality and dialogue that make your character more than just the sta-
tistics on your character sheet.
Alignment
A character’s alignment describes his or her moral stance. Many adventur-
ers, and some monsters, are unaligned, which means they have no overriding
moral stance. If you choose an alignment for your character, you’re indicating
the character’s dedication to a set of moral principles: good, lawful good, evil, or
chaotic evil. In a cosmic sense, it’s the team he or she believes in and fights for
most strongly.
Alignments are tied to universal forces bigger than deities or any other alle-
giance that a character might have. A lawful good paladin is on the same team
as the god Bahamut, who is also lawful good, even if that paladin isn’t devoted to
Bahamut. Most people in the world, and plenty of adventurers, haven’t signed up
to play on any team—they’re unaligned. Picking and adhering to an alignment
represents a distinct choice.
If you choose an alignment for your character, you should pick either good or
lawful good. Unless your DM is running a campaign in which all the characters
are evil or chaotic evil, playing an evil or chaotic evil character usually disrupts
an adventuring party.
Unaligned characters don’t actively seek to harm others or wish them ill. But
such characters also don’t go out of their way to put themselves at risk without
some hope for reward. They support law and order when doing so benefits them.
They value their own freedom, without worrying too much about protecting the
freedom of others.
A few unaligned people, and most unaligned deities, aren’t undecided about
alignment. Rather, they’ve chosen not to choose, either because they see the ben-
efits of both good and evil or because they see themselves as above the concerns
of morality. The Raven Queen and her devotees fall into the latter camp, believ-
ing that moral choices are irrelevant to their mission, since death comes to all
creatures regardless of alignment.
Good characters believe it is right to aid and protect those in need. Such charac-
ters are not required to sacrifice themselves to help others, but might be asked to
place the needs of others above their own, even if that means putting themselves
in harm’s way. In many ways, that’s the essence of being a heroic adventurer. The
people of the town can’t defend themselves from the marauding goblins, so the
good character descends into the dungeon—at significant personal risk—to put an
end to the goblin raids.
Members of this alignment follow rules and respect authority but are keenly
aware that power tends to corrupt those who wield it, too often leading them to
exploit their power for selfish or evil ends. When that happens, good characters
feel no obligation to follow the law blindly. It’s better for authority to rest in the
hands of a community than in the hands of a power-hungry individual or group.
When law becomes exploitation, it crosses into evil territory, and good characters
feel compelled to fight it.
Good and evil represent fundamentally different viewpoints, cosmically
opposed and unable to coexist in peace. Good and lawful good characters,
though, get along fine, even if a good character thinks a lawful good companion
might be a little too focused on following the law, rather than simply doing the
right thing.
44 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
The Lawful Good Alignment
An ordered society protects us from evil.
Lawful good characters respect the authority of personal codes of conduct, laws,
and leaders, and they believe that those codes are the best way of achieving one’s
ideals. Virtuous authority promotes the well-being of its subjects and prevents
them from harming one another. Lawful good characters believe just as strongly
in the value of life, and they put even more emphasis on the need for the power-
ful to protect the weak and lift up the downtrodden. The exemplars of the lawful
good alignment are shining champions of what’s right, honorable, and true,
risking or even sacrificing their own lives to stop the spread of evil in the world.
When leaders exploit their authority for personal gain, when laws grant privi-
leged status to some citizens and reduce others to slavery or untouchable status,
law has given in to evil and just authority becomes tyranny. Lawful good charac-
ters are not only capable of challenging such injustice, but are morally bound to
do so. However, such characters would prefer to work within the system to right
such problems, rather than resorting to lawless methods.
For the purpose of game effects, a lawful good character is also considered to
be good.
Evil characters don’t necessarily go out of their way to hurt people, but they’re
perfectly willing to take advantage of the weakness of others to acquire what
they want.
Evil characters use rules and order to maximize personal gain. They don’t
care whether laws hurt other people. They support institutional structures
that give them power, even if that power comes at the expense of the freedom
of others. Slavery and rigid caste structures are not only acceptable but desir-
able to evil characters, as long as they are in a position to benefit from the order
they provide.
Chaotic evil characters have a complete disregard for others. Each believes he
or she is the only being that matters. Such characters have no problem killing,
stealing, and betraying others to gain power. Their word is meaningless and their
actions destructive. Their world views can be so warped that they destroy any-
thing and anyone that doesn’t directly contribute to their specific interests.
Personality
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Personality Traits
game is a game of heroic Humble Adaptable Commanding
extremes, populated by Adaptable Grim Pragmatic
legendary heroes and
Boastful Gullible Protective
unrepentant villains. Your
character needs only a Bold Happy-go-lucky Reckless
few personality traits that Brave Hard-hearted Relaxed
you can use as roleplaying Brooding Helpful Reserved
touchstones, key traits that
Calm Honest Restless
you can focus on and that
are fun to play. A complex Cautious Honorable Scrupulous
background and extensive Charming Hopeful Self-assured
motivations aren’t necessary, Cheerful Impassioned Skeptical
although you can flesh out
Commanding Impatient Skittish
your character’s personality
as much as you like. Competitive Impulsive Steady
A typical adventure offers Curious Kind Stern
many opportunities for your Easygoing Morose Stoic
character’s personality to
Enthusiastic Naive Talkative
shine. Pick two or three per-
sonality traits from the list Fatalistic Oblivious Thoughtful
below as a starting point for Fierce Open-minded Unshakable
developing a story for your Flexible Patient Wild
character.
Appearance
Is your character tall, short, or in between? Solid and muscular, or lean and wiry?
Male or female? Old or young? These decisions have no impact on game statistics,
but they affect the way others think about your character.
Each race description gives the average height and weight for a character of
that race. You can decide for your character to be above or below average.
You should also decide what color skin, hair, and eyes your character has.
Most races approximate the human range of coloration, but some races also have
46 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
unusual coloration, such as the stony gray skin of dwarves or the violet eyes of
some elves.
Finally, consider features that distinguish your character from others. Some
of these might be inborn, such as an unusual eye color or skin color, while others
might be habits of fashion or the scars of past injuries. Jewelry, clothing, tattoos
and birthmarks, hairstyles and colors, and posture—one unusual feature from
among those choices can make your character stand out in the minds of the
other players.
Background
Your character’s background often stays there—in the background. What’s most
important about your character is what he or she does over the course of adven-
tures, not what happened in the past. Even so, thinking about your character’s
birthplace, family, upbringing, training, and previous occupation can help you
decide how to play your character.
These questions—directed at your character—can help you start thinking
about your character’s background.
✦ Why did you decide to be an adventurer? How old were you then, and how
old are you now?
✦ How did you acquire your class? If you’re a ranger, for example, you might
have been in a militia, learned your skills on the frontier, trained with a
more experienced scout, or be a self-taught hunter.
✦ How did you acquire your starting equipment? Did you assemble it piece
by piece over time? Was it a gift from a parent or a mentor? Do any of your
personal items have special significance?
✦ What’s the worst event of your life?
✦ What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you?
✦ Do you stay in contact with your family? What do your relatives think of
you and your chosen career?
✦ Which cultures did you interact with as a child? Did those interactions
influence your language choices?
Languages
Ten languages form the basis of every dialect spoken and written throughout
the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world and the planes beyond. These languages are
transcribed in different scripts, most of which are alphabets, from the flowing
characters of the Rellanic alphabet to the runes of the Davek alphabet. The
Supernal script is a system of hieroglyphics.
Depending on your character’s race, your character starts off knowing two or
three languages and the script associated with each. Characters can learn addi-
tional languages through options such as the Linguist feat.
The Gods
The deities of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game world reside in the countless
dominions that swirl through the Astral Sea. They appear in dreams and visions
to their followers and wear countless different faces, and artwork depicting them
shows them in a variety of forms. Their true nature is beyond any physical form.
Corellon is often depicted as an eladrin, but he is no more an eladrin than he is a
fey panther—he is a god, and he transcends the physical laws that bind all other
beings to concrete forms.
Some deities are good or lawful good, some are evil or chaotic evil, and some
are unaligned. Each deity has a vision of how the world should be, and the agents
of the deities seek to bring that vision to life. Even the agents and worshipers of
deities who share an alignment can come into conflict. Except for chaotic evil
gods, all deities are enemies of the demons, which would rather destroy the
world than govern it.
Most people revere more than one deity, praying to different gods at differ-
ent times. Commoners in a small town might visit a temple that has three altars,
where they pray to Bahamut for protection, Pelor for fertile crops, and Moradin
to aid their skill at crafting. Clerics and paladins more often serve a single deity,
championing that god’s particular cause in the world. Other adventurers range
across the spectrum, from paying lip service to the whole pantheon, to fervently
serving a single god, to ignoring the gods entirely as they pursue their own
divine ascension.
The gods appropriate for player characters to revere follow.
48 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
THE DEITIES
Deity Alignment Areas of Influence
Avandra Good Change, luck, trade, travel
Bahamut Lawful good Justice, honor, nobility, protection
Corellon Unaligned Arcane magic, spring, beauty, the arts
Erathis Unaligned Civilization, invention, laws
Ioun Unaligned Knowledge, prophecy, skill
Kord Unaligned Storms, strength, battle
Melora Unaligned Wilderness, sea
Moradin Lawful good Creation, artisans, family
Pelor Good Sun, summer, agriculture, time
Raven Queen Unaligned Death, fate, winter
Sehanine Unaligned Trickery, moon, love, autumn
Avandra
Good
Corellon
Unaligned
Erathis
Unaligned
50 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
✦ Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always
stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
✦ Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of
civilization against the encroaching darkness.
✦ Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness
to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.
Ioun
Unaligned
Kord
Unaligned
Moradin
Lawful Good
Pelor
Good
52 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
The Raven Queen
Unaligned
Sehanine
Unaligned
54 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
GAINING LEVELS
As your character goes on adventures and gains experience points (XP), he or she
advances in level. Gaining a level (also called leveling or leveling up) is one of the
biggest rewards your character receives in the game. Your character improves in
several ways every time he or she gains a level.
Each time you overcome a noncombat encounter, defeat monsters, or com-
plete a quest, your Dungeon Master awards you experience points. When you
earn enough experience points, you reach a new level. Each class description in
Chapter 4 includes tables that summarize the benefits you gain at each new level.
Step-by-Step Advancement
This section gives a step-by-step overview of how to level up your character.
Your class description details the benefits your character gains at each level. For
instance, if you’re playing a hexblade, consult the hexblade section (starting on
page 201) to find out what benefits your warlock gains at each level.
At most levels, your character gains access to new capabilities: powers, class
features, and feats. The game assumes that your character learns these capabili-
ties in his or her spare time, studying tomes of lore or practicing a complex series
of maneuvers. In game terms, though, as soon as characters gain a level, they can
use their new capabilities.
1. Ability Scores At 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th levels, increase
two ability scores of your choice by 1. At 11th and 21st levels, every ability score
increases by 1.
If you increase an ability score to an even number, the related ability modi-
fier goes up, and that change affects powers, skills, and defenses that rely on that
ability score. Make a note, but don’t change any numbers just yet.
GAINING LEVELS 55
4. Hit Points Your character’s class determines the number of hit points
the character gains at each level. Add the number to your character’s total.
If your character’s Constitution score increased, the character’s hit points
increase by 1. Also, if the Constitution score increased to an even number, the
character’s number of healing surges increases by 1.
6. Feats Your character starts with a feat of your choice at 1st level and
gains a feat at every even-numbered level after that, plus one feat at 11th and
21st levels.
Retraining
Sometimes you make decisions when you create or advance your character that
you later regret. Perhaps a power you chose isn’t working with your character
concept, or a feat never comes into play the way you anticipated. Fortunately, you
aren’t stuck with bad character decisions, for you have an opportunity to change
a decision whenever your character levels up.
Every time your character gains a level, you can retrain. To do so, change one
of the following: a feat, a power, or a trained skill. You can make only one change
per level. If your character class tells you to replace one of your character’s
powers with a different power of a higher level, this doesn’t count as retraining,
so you can still retrain a feat, a power, or a trained skill.
Replacing a Feat You can use retraining to replace one feat with
another. Your character must meet the prerequisites of the new feat. You can’t
replace a feat if it’s a prerequisite for any of your character’s other attributes or
if the feat is a feature of your character’s class, paragon path (page 81), or epic
destiny (page 81).
56 CH A P T ER 2 | Making Characters
Replacing a Trained Skill You can use retraining to replace one
trained skill with another from your character’s class list. You can’t replace a
skill if it’s a prerequisite for a feat, a power, or any other attribute you have, or if
it’s predetermined by your class (such as Nature for druids). If your character’s
class requires you to choose one of two skills (such as either Dungeoneering or
Nature), you can alter your choice by retraining, but you must replace one skill
with the other.
OTHER SOURCES
Other DUNGEONS & DRAGONS supplements, including DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Insider,
offer additional powers that you can choose from. Whenever you choose a new
class power, you can select it from the list presented in this book or you can take
a power of the same class, level, and type (attack or utility) from another source.
For example, when your scout reaches 2nd level, you could select a 2nd-level
ranger utility power from a source other than this book or you could choose one
of the 2nd-level ranger utility powers in the “Hunter” section of this book.
GAINING LEVELS 57
CHAPTER 3
UNDERSTANDING
POWERS
Adventurers and monsters have powers—special capabilities that have instanta-
neous or lingering effects. Some powers harm enemies, other powers help allies,
and some powers do both. Powers can be magical or nonmagical and include a
warlock’s spells, a paladin’s healing prayers, a ranger’s aspects of the wild, and a
dragon’s breath.
Character classes grant powers, as do
some races, and adventurers sometimes Powers can be magical
find additional powers in magic items.
or nonmagical. They
include a wizard’s spells,
POWER T YPES a cleric’s healing prayers,
There are two types of powers.
✦ Attack Powers: These powers are
a fighter’s battle stances,
used to damage or hinder others. and a dragon’s breath.
Some attack powers have beneficial
effects as well.
✦ Utility Powers: These powers have a variety of uses, including granting
bonuses. Some are useful only outside combat, and others are useful only
in combat. Some utility powers can be used in any situation.
As adventurers gain levels, they acquire a mix of attack powers and utility
powers.
A conscious creature affected by a power knows what a power has done to it,
regardless of the power’s type, unless the power specifies otherwise.
Usage Types
Whether a power is an attack power or a utility power, it has a usage type: at-will,
encounter, or daily. The usage type tells you how often a power can be used.
Regardless of a power’s usage type, a character can use the power only if he or
she is able to take the action that the power requires (see “The Structure of a
Turn,” page 21).
At-Will Powers At-will powers are not expended when they’re used, so a
character can use them again and again. They represent easy weapon swings or
simple magical effects that require little effort to pull off.
J O H N S TA N KO
The druid Jaron calls forth vines and roots to entangle the hostile lizardfolk
POWER TYPES 59
Encounter Powers An
encounter power can be used once
per encounter. When a character
uses an encounter power, the power
is expended, and the character needs
to take a short rest (page 29) before
he or she can use the power again.
Encounter powers produce effects
that are more powerful and dramatic
than at-will powers. A nonmagi-
cal encounter power represents a
maneuver or a stunt that a character
can pull off only once before recu-
perating. Magical encounter powers
require enough energy that their
users must replenish their magic
reserves during a short rest before
using the powers again.
60 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
regained only as part of an extended rest. Or the magic of the power might be so
strong that the character’s mind and body can harness it only once per day.
POWER FORMATS
Powers are incredibly diverse, yet the way in which they are described follows
a structured format. The format has several variations, the main two being the
format for player powers and that for monster powers.
Whatever format is used, a power description follows three basic principles.
Entries: A power’s information is organized into named entries. The entries’
names are a guide to what happens in the entries: “Attack,” “Hit,” “Miss,” and
the like.
Sequence: The order of entries in a power description is a general guide to
the sequence in which the power’s effects occur. For example, an “Effect” entry
might appear before an “Attack” entry to show that something happens before
the attack.
Indentation: When a power entry is indented, that entry is a subentry and is
contingent on the entry above it. For instance, an indented “Secondary Attack”
subentry right below the primary attack’s “Hit” entry is a reminder that the sec-
ondary attack occurs only if the primary attack hits. Often, the text of an entry
states when to proceed to a subentry. For example, the “Hit” entry that leads
to a “Secondary Attack” subentry most likely instructs the player to make the
secondary attack.
POWER EFFECTS
Powers create a huge variety of effects: damage, healing, penalties, bonuses,
conjured objects, zones of magical energy, and so on. The first step in under-
standing a power’s effects is to read the definitions of the power’s keywords (see
“Keywords,” discussed later in this chapter).
The next step is making sure you’re familiar with the other rules commonly
used in powers. See the Rules Compendium for full details of these rules, or con-
sult the glossary in this book for brief treatments.
The most common rules are those regarding bonuses and penalties; damage,
including the meaning of “[W]”; forced movement, including the rules for pulling,
pushing, and sliding; healing; durations; saving throws, including the meaning of
“save ends”; ongoing damage; and all conditions.
POWER FORMATS 61
Name, Type, and Level The first line of a power description is a
colored bar that contains the power’s name, its type (attack or utility), its origin (a
class, a race, or something else), and the power’s level, if any. The color of the bar
indicates how often you can use the power: Green means the power is an at-will
power, red means it’s an encounter power, and black means it’s a daily power.
Flavor Text The next line, in italicized text, briefly explains what the
power does, from the perspective of your character in the world. This material
is intended to help you narrate what your character is doing when he or she uses
the power. Feel free to invent a description of the power yourself, sprinkling it
with details specific to your character.
Usage The first word on the next line tells you how often you can use the
power; that is, whether it is an at-will, an encounter, or a daily power.
Keywords The power’s keywords appear next. The keywords tell you the
power source, any damage types associated with the power, accessories you can
use with it, and other associated effects. See “Keywords” (page 69) for keyword
definitions.
Action Type The next line in a power description begins with the type of
action required to use the power: standard action, move action, minor action,
free action, immediate reaction, immediate interrupt, or opportunity action.
Some powers require no action to use. See “The Structure of a Turn,” page 21, for
more information about action types.
62 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Target If a power directly affects one or more creatures other than the user,
its description has a “Target” entry that specifies whom or what the power can
affect. If a power directly affects only its user or the environment, the power
description lacks this entry.
If the power description includes a secondary or a tertiary target, this entry
is labeled “Primary Target” to distinguish this target definition from the power’s
other target definitions. See “Secondary Attacks” and “Secondary Powers,” below.
See “Choosing Targets,” later in this chapter, for the rules on target selection.
Attack This entry specifies the ability modifier used to make an attack roll
with the power and which of the target’s defenses the power attacks. The entry
also notes any special modifiers that apply to the attack roll.
If you use a power against multiple targets at once, you make a separate attack
roll against each target.
See “Attack Rolls,” page 19, for more information on making an attack.
Hit This entry specifies what happens when a target is hit by the power’s
attack. If a power hits multiple targets, this entry applies to each of those targets
individually.
Miss This entry specifies what happens when a target is missed by the
power’s attack. If a power misses multiple targets, this entry applies to each of
those targets individually.
“Half damage” in this entry means a missed target takes damage as if hit by
the attack, but that damage is halved. Roll the damage specified in the power’s
“Hit” entry, add the appropriate modifiers, and deal half of the result (round
down) to each target missed by the power’s attack.
Unless noted otherwise, the “half damage” notation does not apply to ongoing
damage or to any other damaging effects in the “Hit” entry.
POWER FORMATS 63
Some secondary attacks have the same targets as their primary attacks,
whereas others have targets of their own, noted in “Secondary Target” entries.
Sustain If a creature uses a power that has a “Sustain” entry, it can keep part
of that power active by taking a specific type of action before the end of each of
its turns. The creature cannot take this sustaining action until its turn after it
uses the power and can take the action no more than once per round. The entry
name specifies the action type that must be taken—most often minor, move, or
standard. The entry then notes which of the power’s effects continue when the
power is sustained. If the “Sustain” entry has an instantaneous effect that occurs
each time the power is sustained, that fact is noted in the entry too.
64 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Level The strength of some powers increases as their users gain levels. Such
a power’s description contains one or more entries that specify what part of the
power changes, and in what ways, when its user reaches certain levels.
For example, a power description might contain the following subentry
beneath its “Hit” entry: “Level 21: 2d8 + Intelligence modifier fire damage.” That
means the “Hit” entry’s damage changes to the specified amount when the user
reaches 21st level.
Special Any unusual information about the use of a power appears in this
entry. For example, some powers can be used as basic attacks, which is noted in a
“Special” entry.
KEREM BEYIT
66 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Areas of Effect
An area of effect is an area of a specific size where a particular effect takes place.
The effects of most area powers and close powers are contained within one of
three areas of effect: a blast, a burst, or a wall.
Some melee powers and ranged powers create these areas of effect as well. For
instance, a character might use a melee power that involves a weapon attack fol-
lowed by a burst of divine radiance.
Blast: A blast fills an area adjacent to its origin square, which is almost always
the space of its creator. The area is a specified number of squares on a side. For
example, a close blast 3 is a 3-square-by-3-square area adjacent to its creator.
The blast must be adjacent to its origin square, which is the space of the blast’s
creator. The origin square is not affected by the blast. A blast affects a target
only if the target is in the blast’s area and if there is line of effect from the
origin square to the target.
Burst: A burst starts in an origin square and extends in all directions to a speci-
fied number of squares from the origin square. For example, a power might
create an area burst 2 within 10 squares, which means the power originates in
a square up to 10 squares away from its creator and affects the origin square
and every square within 2 squares of it (a 5-square-by-5-square area). A close
burst uses the space of the burst’s creator as its origin square, while an area
burst uses a single square within range as the origin square. A burst affects a
target only if there is line of effect from the burst’s origin square to the target.
Unless a power description says otherwise, a close burst does not affect its
creator. However, an area burst can affect its creator.
Wall: A wall fills a specified number of contiguous squares within range, start-
ing from an origin square. For example, a wall 8 fills 8 contiguous squares.
The squares can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically. A power speci-
fies a wall’s maximum height in its description. Each square of the wall must
share a side—not just a corner—with at least one other square of the wall, but a
square can share no more than two sides with other squares in the wall (this
limitation does not apply when stacking squares on top of each other). A wall’s
creator can shape the wall within those limitations. A solid wall, such as a wall
of ice or stone, cannot be created in occupied squares.
Choosing Targets
To use a power on a target, the target must be within the power’s range and must
not be completely behind a barrier. If a power can target multiple creatures, each
of those creatures must be an eligible target.
Line of Effect
When there is a clear line from one point to another in an encounter, there is
line of effect. Unless otherwise noted, there must be line of effect between the
origin square of an effect and its intended target for that target to be affected. If
every imaginary line traced from the origin square to the target passes through
or touches blocking terrain, there is no line of effect between the two.
Fog, darkness, and similarly obscured squares block vision, but they don’t
block line of effect. If Albanon the wizard hurls a fireball into a pitch-black room,
he doesn’t have to see creatures in the room for the fire to hit them. In contrast,
a character can see through a transparent wall of magical force but doesn’t have
line of effect through it. The character can see the snarling demon on the other
side, but the wall blocks attacks.
68 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Line of Sight
Typically the user of a power doesn’t have to be able to see the power’s targets. A
few powers do require a user to be able to see a creature to target it, however. For
instance, a power might specify that it targets “one creature you can see.” In other
words, the creature must be within the user’s line of sight.
To determine whether a power’s user can see a target, pick a corner of the
user’s space and trace an imaginary line from that corner to any part of the tar-
get’s space. The user can see the target if at least one line doesn’t pass through or
touch an object or an effect—such as a stone wall, a thick curtain, or a cloud of
fog—that blocks the user’s vision.
Even if a power’s user can see a target, objects and effects can still partially
block its view. If the user can see a target but at least one line passes through an
obstruction, the target has cover or concealment.
K EYWORDS
A power’s keywords summarize important aspects of the power. With a glance at
a power’s keywords, you can learn various things about the power: what its power
source is, whether it has any damage types, and what special rules are required
to use it.
Keywords help in describing a power’s effects and can aid in classify-
ing types of powers. For example, powers that have the thunder keyword are
called thunder powers, and powers that create illusion effects have the illusion
keyword. Various rules in the game, such as those for feats and class features,
refer to powers using keywords. For instance, a feat might grant a bonus to the
damage rolls of a character’s fire powers, which is another way of saying the
character’s powers that have the fire keyword.
Keywords help determine how, or if, a power works when a target has resis-
tance, vulnerability, or immunity to a damage type or an effect type, or if the
power interacts with the environment in some unusual way. For example, a
magic circle that forbids teleportation could block a power that has the teleporta-
tion keyword.
When first using a power, a player should make sure he or she is familiar with
the definitions of its keywords, if any. This section defines the most common
keywords in the game and organizes them into five categories: power sources,
schools of magic, accessories, damage types, and effect types.
Power Sources
Every class relies on a particular source of energy to fuel its powers. The source
of a power is identified by its power source keyword. If a power has more than
one power source keyword, the power counts as belonging to each of those
power sources.
KEYWORDS 69
The most common power sources are arcane, divine, martial, and primal.
Other power sources exist, including psionic and shadow. These are the four
power sources that are used in this book.
Arcane: Drawing on magical energy that permeates the cosmos, the arcane
power source can be used for a variety of effects, from fireballs to flight to
invisibility. Wizards and warlocks are examples of arcane magic users. Each
class is the representative of a different tradition of arcane study, and other
traditions exist. Arcane powers are called spells.
Divine: Divine magic comes from the gods, who grant power to their devotees,
such as clerics and paladins. Divine magic excels at healing, protection, and
smiting enemies of the gods. Divine powers are called prayers.
Martial: Martial powers are not magic in the traditional sense, although some
martial powers are well beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals. Martial
characters use their own strength and willpower to vanquish their enemies.
Training and dedication replace arcane formulas and prayers to grant power to
fighters, rangers, and rogues, among others. Martial powers are called exploits.
Primal: Primal magic draws on the spirits of nature that pervade the world.
Some primal powers are more overtly magical than others, but they all evoke
these primal spirits. Some characters channel primal spirits through their
bodies to transform themselves and make their physical attacks more formi-
dable. Others evoke primal spirits to create external effects, including terrain
effects, localized storms, bursts of fire, or temporary manifestations of the
spirits. Primal powers are called evocations.
E VA W I D E R M A N N
Martial characters rely on their skill and equipment to accomplish the task at hand
70 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Schools of Magic
After generations of study, practitioners of arcane magic have identified various
types of magic and have grouped them into categories, which are called schools.
Wizardry is particularly focused on the schools, and wizards often specialize in
the practice of one or two of the schools.
Accessories
The two accessory keywords—implement and weapon—indicate whether a power
can be used with an implement or a weapon.
Weapon The weapon keyword identifies a power that is used with a weapon
(see “Weapons,” page 328). The range and the damage of a weapon power is
usually determined by the weapon used with it. A [W] in a power’s damage
expression stands for the damage dice of the weapon used with it (see “Damage,”
page 24).
If your character uses a weapon power with a weapon that he or she has profi-
ciency with, add the weapon’s proficiency bonus to the attack rolls of that power.
An adventurer’s class and feats determine his or her weapon proficiencies.
Magic weapons provide special benefits, such as bonuses to attack rolls and
damage rolls, when used with weapon powers. See “Magic Items,” page 338, for
more about magic weapons.
Damage Types
Many attacks deal a specific type of damage, and each damage type has a
keyword associated with it.
✦ Acid: Corrosive liquid or vapor.
✦ Cold: Ice crystals, arctic air, or frigid liquid.
✦ Fire: Explosive bursts, fiery rays, or simple ignition.
✦ Force: Invisible energy that can used as if it were solid.
✦ Lightning: Electrical energy.
KEYWORDS 71
✦ Necrotic: Deathly energy that deadens flesh or wounds the soul.
✦ Poison: Toxins that harm, hinder, or both.
✦ Psychic: Effects that assault the mind.
✦ Radiant: Searing white light or shimmering colors.
✦ Thunder: Shock waves and deafening sounds.
If a power has one of these keywords, it deals the associated type of damage. The
exception is poison, which is a keyword for both a damage type and an effect
type (see “Poison,” below).
“Varies”: If the notation “Varies” appears among a power’s keywords, that means
the power has variable damage types, which the user or the circumstances
determine.
Resistance and Vulnerability: Creatures sometimes have resistance or vulner-
ability to certain damage types, and some effects grant temporary resistance
or inflict short-term vulnerability.
Adding and Removing Damage Types: If a power gains or loses damage
types, the power gains the keywords for any damage types that are added,
and it loses the keywords for any damage types that are removed. However,
the poison keyword is removed from a power only if that power neither deals
poison damage nor has any nondamaging effects.
For example, if a hexblade casts eldritch bolt, a force power, through a magic
wand that changes the damage to fire, the power gains the fire keyword and
loses the force keyword for that use, since the power is dealing fire damage
instead of force damage. That use of the power can therefore benefit from
effects, such as feats, that affect fire powers, but not from things that affect
force powers.
Effect Types
Effect type keywords signify the presence of particular effects in powers, and
many of these keywords have special rules that govern how their powers are
used. Whether or not an effect type keyword has special rules, other effects in
the game refer to that keyword. For example, the charm keyword has no special
rules, but some creatures gain a bonus to saving throws against charm powers.
This section contains the definitions of the game’s main effect type keywords.
72 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Unaffected by the Environment: The aura is unaffected by environmen-
tal phenomena and terrain, although blocking terrain blocks an aura. For
instance, an aura of fire is unaffected by an area of extreme cold.
Overlapping Auras: If auras overlap and impose penalties to the same roll or
game statistic, a creature affected by the overlapping auras is subjected to the
worst penalty; the penalties are not cumulative. For instance, if a creature is
affected by three overlapping auras that each impose a –2 penalty to attack
rolls, the creature takes a –2 penalty, not a –6 penalty.
Deactivating an Aura: A creature can take a minor action to deactivate or reac-
tivate one of its auras.
Death and Unconsciousness End: A creature’s auras end immediately when it
falls unconscious or dies.
KEYWORDS 73
Movable Conjurations: If the power used to create a conjuration allows it to be
moved, it’s a movable conjuration. At the end of the creator’s turn, the movable
conjuration ends if the creator doesn’t have line of effect to at least 1 square of
the conjuration or if the creator isn’t within range (using the power’s range) of
at least 1 square of the conjuration.
A conjuration can’t be moved through blocking terrain.
Death Ends: A conjuration ends immediately if its creator dies.
Fear A fear power inspires fright. This fright is often represented by a crea-
ture being forced to move, taking a penalty to attack rolls or defenses, or granting
combat advantage.
Healing A healing power restores hit points, usually either by restoring hit
points immediately or by granting regeneration.
Illusion An illusion power deceives the mind or the senses. Illusions often
obstruct vision or redirect attacks. If an illusion power deals damage, the damage
itself is not an illusion. Users of arcane magic, such as wizards, consider illusion
to be one of the schools of magic (page 71).
74 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
Stance When a character uses a stance power, the character assumes a
stance that lasts until he or she assumes another stance, falls unconscious, or
dies. A stance also ends at the end of the encounter, unless the stance can be
assumed at will. A character can assume no more than one stance per turn.
KEYWORDS 75
Attacks and checks made through the creature do not include any temporary
bonuses or penalties to the summoner’s statistics.
Duration: The summoned creature lasts until the summoner takes a minor
action to dismiss it or until the end of the encounter.
S T E V E P R E S COT T
76 CH A P T ER 3 | Understanding Powers
No Line of Effect: Neither the user of the teleportation power nor the target
needs line of effect to the destination space.
No Opportunity Actions: The target doesn’t provoke opportunity actions for
leaving its starting position.
Immobilized or Restrained: Being immobilized or restrained doesn’t prevent
a target from teleporting. If a target teleports away from a physical restraint,
a monster’s grasp, or some other immobilizing effect that is located in a spe-
cific space, the target is no longer immobilized or restrained. Otherwise,
the target teleports but is still immobilized or restrained when it reaches the
destination space.
Zone Powers that have the zone keyword create zones, which are magical
areas that last for a round or more. Unless noted otherwise, a zone uses the fol-
lowing rules.
Fills an Area: The zone fills each square in a specific area, which is usually a
burst or a blast. The squares must be within line of effect of the origin square.
Unaffected by Attacks and the Environment: The zone cannot be attacked or
physically affected, and terrain and environmental phenomena have no effect
on it. For example, a zone that deals fire damage is unaffected by cold damage.
Overlapping Zones: If zones overlap and impose penalties to the same roll or
game statistic, a creature affected by the overlapping auras is subjected to
the worst penalty; the penalties are not cumulative. For instance, if a crea-
ture is affected by two overlapping zones that each impose a –2 penalty to all
defenses, the creature takes a –2 penalty, not a –4 penalty.
Movable Zones: If the power used to create a zone allows it to be moved, it’s
a movable zone. At the end of the creator’s turn, the movable zone ends if
the creator doesn’t have line of effect to at least 1 square of the zone or if the
creator isn’t within range (using the power’s range) of at least 1 square of
the zone.
A zone can’t be moved through blocking terrain.
Death Ends: A zone ends immediately if its creator dies.
KEYWORDS 77
CHAPTER 4
CHARACTER CLASSES
Characters in a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game share many common traits, includ-
ing a thirst for excitement and a need to adventure. They are heroes, compelled
to explore the dark places of the world and take on the challenges that lesser men
and women cannot stand against.
Your character’s class is a profession or vocation. It determines the kind of
adventurer you can become and the types of things you can do in the game.
Combat prowess, magical aptitude, skills, and other capabilities are defined and
given boundaries by your class.
Most of the special abilities provided by
your class fall into one of two categories: Characters share many
features and powers.
Features are special talents your char-
traits, including a thirst
acter learns. They make you better at a for excitement and a
task related to your class, or they give you
a special benefit in certain situations. If
need for adventure.
you play a paladin, for example, you gain Character class affects
class features that grant you benefits for a
specific virtue you espouse. As a ranger,
the type of adventurer
on the other hand, you gain class features you can become.
that hone your combat skill.
Powers are active abilities that
represent special actions that a character can take, often during combat. A war-
lock’s spells are all powers, as are a druid’s wilderness knacks and a ranger’s
devastating attacks.
T HE CLASSES
This book provides all the information you need to create and play four distinct
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS character classes: druid, paladin, ranger, and warlock.
Each of these four classes represents a unique approach to adventuring. A brief
description of each class follows, after which are the full write-ups for each class.
Each write-up includes an explanation of the class’s background and abilities,
along with a step-by-step guide to creating a character of that class.
A class provides a general set of abilities and traits that all characters of that
class share. Individual members of a class can vary wildly, however, and the
type of character you can create within a given class leaves you plenty of room
for customization. Though your choices won’t be unlimited with the material
in this book, when you add other products and information from DUNGEONS &
A DA M G I L L E S P I E
The drow ranger Zarra attempts to avoid the yuan-ti abomination’s incoming strike
THE CLASSES 79
Druid
A druid draws upon primal magic, the power of the natural world. Primal magic
infuses lakes, rivers, forests, and plains. From a sun-blasted desert to the frozen
tundra, primal magic sustains and strengthens nature. The primal spirits are the
manifestation of this power. A druid uses primal magic to trap enemies in thorny
brambles and mend wounds by tapping into the nurturing power of the wild.
The type of druid you can create using this book is a sentinel, a leader who
adventures alongside an animal companion. Sentinels use primal magic to keep
their allies fighting against creatures that would despoil and ravage the world.
Paladin
A paladin is a skilled warrior who draws upon the divine power of the gods to
defeat monsters. To a paladin, weapon training, heavy armor, and divine magic
combine to form a potent arsenal. A paladin’s training might fall short of a fight-
er’s talents, but access to divine power closes that gap.
You can create a cavalier using this book, a paladin whose devotion to the chi-
valric virtues is so deep that it taps into the power of the gods.
Ranger
In the wild areas between cities and towns, rangers thrive. Skilled skirmish-
ers, cunning explorers, and masters of woodcraft, rangers wander into the wild
where few others dare to tread. Rangers are stealthy and quick on their feet. If
you need to explore a distant wilderness, no one but a druid can match a ranger’s
outdoor skills. Like paladins, rangers augment their fighting skills with magic.
Rangers delve into primal magic, tapping into it through the study of the natural
world and their deep connection to its mysteries.
You can create two types of rangers with this book. The scout is a striker who
fights with two weapons, relying on a rapid flurry of attacks to dispatch enemies.
The hunter is an expert archer, a skilled controller who can unleash a volley of
arrows upon a foe.
Warlock
Warlocks strike bargains with otherworldly creatures in order to gain a quick
path to power. These bargains are based on strange inconsistencies in the fabric
of arcane magic, the ebb and flow of power between the planes, and the arrange-
ment and motion of the stars. Few understand the true nature of these pacts, but
their results are unquestionable. A warlock gains the power to command arcane
magic, but at the cost of supplying energies taken from defeated enemies to
their masters.
With this book you can create a type of warlock called a hexblade, a striker
whose pact manifests as a gleaming melee weapon of arcane energy.
80 CH A P T ER 4 | Character Classes
PARAGON PATH
You have survived and thrived through ten levels of adventure.
You’ve explored dank dungeons, defeated vile monsters, and learned
priceless secrets.
You’ve started making a name for yourself.
Now you’re ready to take the next step: You’re ready for your paragon path.
As your class describes your basic role in the party, your paragon path repre-
sents a particular area of expertise or interest in the world itself. Some paragon
paths allow specialization within your existing class or role, such as mastery of
a particular weapon or school of magic. Others demonstrate your devotion to a
specific deity or cause.
Your paragon path grants you new features and powers from 11th level to
20th level. But adopting a paragon path doesn’t mean you stop advancing in your
class. All the powers and features you gain from your paragon path come in addi-
tion to your class powers and features, not instead of them. You don’t stop being
a hunter when you become a peerless hunter. Instead, you gain new capabilities
that extend, enhance, and complement the abilities of your class.
When your adventurer reaches 11th level, you select a paragon path from
among the options available to you. This book presents one option for each type
of character, but additional paragon paths appear in other DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
supplements and on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Insider. You can select a different
paragon path if you meet the path1s prerequisites; simply replace the noted fea-
tures and powers of the path presented in this book with those of the new path.
EPIC DESTINY
After twenty levels of adventure, what trials could be left to challenge you? You
have conquered countless foes and become a hero to common folk everywhere.
Deadly dragons and gibbering aberrations have fallen to your might. Your gaze
has begun to turn to the planes beyond the world, and even to the gods them-
selves. Finally, you realize there are no heights you cannot achieve.
It’s time for you to assume your epic destiny and shape your legend in the uni-
verse forevermore.
Like a paragon path, an epic destiny grants special powers and features in
addition to your class features. Unlike paragon paths, epic destinies are not mere
specializations of your talents. Instead, they offer extraordinary abilities that rep-
resent your journey toward your ultimate fate as you define it.
When your adventurer reaches 21st level, you select an epic destiny from
among the options available to you. This book presents one epic destiny—the Des-
tined Scion, on page 237. Additional epic destinies appear in other DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS supplements and on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Insider. You can select a
different epic destiny if you meet the destiny’s prerequisites (many destinies don1t
have any); simply replace the noted features and powers of the destiny presented
in this book with those of the new destiny.
EPIC DESTINY 81
DRUID
Primal Leader: You wield the magic of the natural world, using your connection
to the primal spirits to tend the wounds of your allies and lead them to victory.
Why This Is the Class for You: You want to play a weapon-wielding master of
primal magic who has an animal companion.
82 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
SENTINEL
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Constitution
CREATING A
SENTINEL
This section walks you through the
steps of creating a sentinel. As you
make choices at each step, consider
how those choices relate to your char-
acter’s personality, backstory, and goals.
Consult this chapter’s three class
feature tables—one for each tier of
play—for a summary of what you gain
as you advance in level.
T Y L E R J ACO BS O N
CREATING A SENTINEL 83
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Half-elf and human are particularly good choices for
a sentinel.
Half-Elf Half-elf sentinels are a common sight in the wilderness areas where
human blood and elf blood often mix. Taking after their elf parents more often
than not, half-elf sentinels can benefit from an ability score boost to Wisdom that
increases the effectiveness of most druid powers.
Moreover, half-elves work well as sentinels because they epitomize the path
between two worlds that a sentinel must walk. Taking training in Diplomacy and
focusing on feats that enhance their social skills, half-elf sentinels are equally
at home in the frontier communities of humans and elves alike, and can act as
ambassadors between their parent races and the natural world.
The varying aspects of nature and the wilderness are represented equally by
Corellon and Melora. Corellon is often worshiped by half-elf sentinels who have
been raised in elven cultures, while half-elves who favor their human side more
often turn to Melora. However, many druids ignore the gods in favor of venerat-
ing primal spirits.
Human A human sentinel uses his or her race’s ability score boost to
increase Wisdom, and can make good use of the race’s bonus feat to enhance
his or her skill in combat. Such a sentinel thrives in battle, taking advantage
of a boost to AC or to attack rolls that can mean the difference between life
and death.
Human sentinels are known for their wisdom and counsel. They listen to the
whispers on the wind that can foretell a hard winter or a bountiful harvest. Many
human sentinels begin their lives as simple farmers or herders, then take up
arms and the mastery of primal magic in the defense of their communities.
Human sentinels most often worship Melora, god of the wilderness, seeking
her favor to help them endure the harsh conditions of the frontier.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), keeping in mind that a sentinel is best
served by superior Wisdom and Constitution. Wisdom improves both the accu-
racy and the damage of your attacks, and a good Constitution score improves
many of your utility powers and class features.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
Your other ability scores can help to define your character’s personality. A
high Strength might indicate that you once toiled in the fields or were a dedi-
cated hunter of wild game, with that connection to the natural world first
exposing you to the mysteries of primal power. If you have a high Intelligence
84 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
score, you might have been a scholar
studying the intricate secrets of
nature—secrets that led to your
mastery of primal magic and your
dedication to take up arms against
the natural world’s enemies.
Skills
At 1st level, you have training in
Nature. In addition, you choose
three more trained skills from the
following list of class skills: Arcana,
Athletics, Diplomacy, Endurance,
Heal, History, Insight, and Percep-
tion. See Chapter 6 for information
on skills.
Your choice of skills reflects your
character’s background as much as it
influences your approach to adven-
turing. Training in Diplomacy might
indicate a life spent wandering from
community to community, or a role
as an advisor to the leaders of your
village or clan. The History skill can
reflect a life spent studying legends
and lore, looking at the events of the
past as a means to countering the
threats of the present. Training in
Heal marks you as a character who
has given aid to those in need, and
as one who might have witnessed
tragedy in your early years.
Skills such as Perception and
Insight might mark a stronger-than-
normal connection to the primal
spirits that now guide you. From the
time you were a child, did you hear
mysterious whispers that warned
you of imminent danger or of the
plots and subterfuge of others? Was
this sense of connection to the world
around you a part of what inspired
you to take up the life of the sentinel
J O H N S TA N KO
CREATING A SENTINEL 85
Class Features and Powers
Note which class features and powers you gain at 1st level, as specified on the
Sentinel Heroic Tier table on page 88. You also select an at-will attack power and
a daily attack power as the cornerstone of your combat capabilities.
For your at-will power, your choice should be guided in part by your compan-
ions’ abilities. After all, as a leader, you have powers well suited for bringing out
the best in them. Dynamic assault is a great choice if you adventure with mobile
strikers or rely on a single defender to protect you. Reap the harvest is a good
way to increase your group’s damage. Tending strike helps sustain your allies,
especially if you are the only healer.
Also, when you take the Acolyte of the Natural Cycle class feature, you decide
which season you most embody. This choice determines the nature of your animal
companion, as well as some of the powers and features you gain at later levels.
Finally, choose two wilderness knacks. Herb Lore is a good choice to maxi-
mize the benefits of resting, while Watchful Rest ensures that you and your
companions are rarely surprised while camping. If there are any rangers in the
group, it also helps to see which knacks they have chosen.
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
You take the fight to your enemies with devastating weapon attacks. As such,
the weapon training feat category presents many useful options. The weapon
expertise feat appropriate to your chosen weapon boosts your accuracy. Likewise,
the appropriate Weapon Focus feat increases your damage.
If a low Constitution or Armor Class might hinder your ability to see a fight
through to the end, consider feats from the enduring stamina category. Improved
Defenses and other feats can help you last longer in combat, which in turn allows
you to use your healing powers on your allies rather than on yourself.
Feats from the primal soul category represent an innate connection to some
of the most powerful primal spirits. Such feats offer a good way to reinforce your
connection to the spirits of the natural world on whose power you draw.
As with your skills, consider your background when choosing feats. If you
were raised in the wilderness or forced to fend for yourself from an early age, a
feat from the quick reaction category suggests the heightened sense of awareness
you developed as a result. Alternatively, if you were raised in an urban environ-
ment before finally settling in the borderlands, feats from the learning and lore
category can reflect the formal education that was part of your upbringing.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, and hide.
You can also use light shields. You have proficiency with the following weapon
types: simple melee, simple ranged. You also have proficiency with staffs and
totems, although you typically channel your primal magic through a weapon.
86 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
You have 100 gp to buy your starting
equipment. Purchase the weapon that
matches the benefit you receive from the
Acolyte of the Natural Cycle class feature.
Choose hide armor for maximum protec-
tion, or leather if you want to reduce the
armor check penalty to your skills. If you
don’t wield a two-handed weapon, pick
up a light shield. If you have enough gold,
consider picking up a ranged weapon
as well.
Beyond weapons and armor, consider
purchasing equipment that’s useful in
the wilderness or on extended dungeon
expeditions. You are dedicated to shel-
tering and protecting your allies, and a
pack well stocked with provisions, rope,
and other essential gear makes that
task easier.
Defenses and
Hit Points
Calculate your defenses, using your
ability modifiers and the bonus for
your character’s armor and shield (see
“Defenses,” page 40) and making sure to
account for your Primal Guardian class
feature. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus Jaron, human sentinel
to Fortitude.
You start with hit points equal to 12 + your Constitution score. You
gain 5 hit points each time you gain a level. You have a number of
healing surges per day equal to 7 + your Constitution modifier.
also helps to spend a few minutes working out how or if you know the other
players’ characters.
CREATING A SENTINEL 87
HEROIC SENTINEL
In the heroic tier, you master the basics of primal magic. Your skill in battle also
increases as you and your animal companion learn to fight together as one.
Druid of Spring You draw your strength from the spring, a time when
life emerges once more from the bleakness of winter and reaches for the sun.
You believe that all things can be renewed, and you show your allies how to
shrug off pain and injury, just as the spring sun melts away the last remnants of
winter’s snow.
88 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Your chosen weapons are the scimitar, the spear, the dagger, and the sickle.
The bright steel of these weapons gleams like the spring sun. In battle, you rely
on accuracy and precision rather than brute force to defeat your foes.
Benefit: You gain the following benefits.
✦ Your animal companion is a wolf.
✦ You gain proficiency with the scimitar.
✦ You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with scimitars, spears, daggers, and sickles.
✦ You gain a +2 bonus to Heal checks.
Druid of Summer You feel the strongest association with the high heat
of summer, a time when the life of the natural world stands in full bloom. You
are a symbol of the power and vibrancy of life, embodying the full resilience of
nature. You draw strength from the light of the sun, the green of the forest, and
the blue of the sky, demonstrating to your allies that the present is always the
season of their greatest strength.
Your chosen weapons are the staff and the club. They represent summer’s
enduring strength, the trees that flourish in that season and persist through the
darkest winter. Your fighting style reflects that strength, as you rely on overpow-
ering force to batter your foes into submission.
Benefit: You gain the following benefits.
✦ Your animal companion is a bear.
✦ When wielding a one-handed mace, you use a d10 for its weapon damage.
When wielding a staff or a two-handed mace, you use a d12 for its
weapon damage.
✦ You gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks.
HEROIC SENTINEL 89
Your animal companion has only animal intelligence, so it cannot communicate
or understand complex topics.
Your animal companion’s level is equal to yours, and its hit points, defenses,
and attacks are determined by your level, as noted in its stat block.
Your animal companion shares your healing surge total. Whenever an effect
requires your animal companion to spend a healing surge, the surge is deducted
from your total. Whenever you use your second wind, your animal companion
also regains hit points equal to your healing surge value. At the end of a short
rest, your animal companion regains all its hit points.
If you die or your animal companion drops to 0 hit points, it disappears as the
primal magic that sustains it dissipates. You have two ways of calling your com-
panion back:
✦ Minor Action: You take a minor action and lose a healing surge. Doing so
causes your animal companion to appear in the nearest unoccupied space,
with hit points equal to your healing surge value.
✦ Short or Extended Rest: You lose a healing surge at the end of a rest. Doing
so causes your animal companion to appear in the nearest unoccupied space,
with full hit points.
90 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
An animal companion acting independently can take either a standard, a
move, or a minor action on its turn. It can also take opportunity actions and free
actions, but it cannot take immediate actions.
Druid of Spring: Wolf Wolves are stealthy predators that prowl the
forests and tundra. Your primal bond with your wolf enhances your connection
to the wilderness and gives you a stalwart companion at your side.
HEROIC SENTINEL 91
Level 1: Primal Guardian
Your innate connection to nature grants you the resilience of the primal spirits.
Benefit: While you are not wearing heavy armor, you can use your Constitu-
tion modifier in place of your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier to determine
your AC.
92 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Level 1: At-Will Power
You place yourself in the front lines of combat, the better to defend against those
that threaten the natural world and its people. At 1st level, you adopt a signature
combat move that will serve you well in any fight.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Reap the Harvest Primal energy shrouds your foe in the aftermath of
your weapon strike, attuning itself to an ally’s follow-up attack. The next strike
that misses is like a pass of the reaper’s scythe, cleanly cutting through your
foe’s defenses.
Tending Strike This basic power emboldens your ally with a burst of
primal power drawn from the resilience of the earth itself. This power can be
used to aid an ally who is prevented by an enemy’s magic from partaking of a
healing effect, or who needs a last-minute surge of strength to finish the fight.
HEROIC SENTINEL 93
Tending Strike Druid Attack 1
Primal energy summoned by your attack courses through a chosen ally to grant a burst of
stamina.
At-Will ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
Effect: One ally within 5 squares of the target gains temporary hit points equal to your
Constitution modifier.
Heat Metal Within every weapon rests the memory of fire, either the
flames used to forge its metal or the wildfire that once burned through the
forest that offered up its wood. This power draws forth that memory, causing the
weapon to burst into searing flames.
94 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Vexing Overgrowth Even in the most remote mountains or the darkest
caverns of the Underdark, the potential for life thrives within the earth and rock.
This power allows you to call on the primal spirits of verdant life in any environ-
ment. Spectral vines of pure magic erupt and flow around you, forming a halo
that harasses your foes.
Beast Empathy The beasts of the wilderness see and know most of what
unfolds in their realm. Few folk heed them, but you have learned to understand
and interpret their actions and attitudes. Your woodcraft is short of the magical
ability to communicate with animals directly, but it is enough to reveal secrets
that others miss.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks
against beasts. You can communicate simple concepts and commands to such
creatures, though they are under no compulsion to obey you. With a successful
Insight check (DC determined by the DM), you can read a creature’s body lan-
guage and vocalizations enough to understand basic messages from it.
Herb Lore You have studied the properties of various plants. Even in
distant lands your lore serves you well in finding the right leaves and roots to
harvest. By brewing a soothing tea or mixing a poultice, you help soothe the
aches, bruises, and cuts you and your allies suffer.
Benefit: You and each ally can add 2 to his or her healing surge value when
spending heading surges during a short rest. To gain this benefit, you must take
the short rest in an area that offers easy access to plants. The additional hit points
increase to 4 at 11th level and 6 at 21st level.
HEROIC SENTINEL 95
Mountain Guide You have clambered over steep cliffs and ranged
across imposing mountains. Your knack for climbing allows you to pick out the
easiest paths up even the most imposing slopes.
Benefit: Whenever you succeed on an Athletics check to climb, you reduce
the DC of that climb by 2 for your allies until the end of the encounter. Only
allies who see you make the climb gain this benefit.
Watchful Rest Long days spent in the wilds have taught you the best way
to set up a camp. By picking out an easily defensible spot and carefully position-
ing your gear, you ensure that you and your allies have the best chance to avoid
an ambush.
Benefit: When you take an extended rest, you and any allies also taking the
rest do not take the –5 penalty to Perception checks for sleeping.
Bear’s Strength This power uses primal magic to infuse you and your
allies with the raw strength of the rampaging bear. No feat of athleticism or phys-
ical might is beyond the capability of one who channels such might.
96 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Cat’s Grace The dexterous grace of the leopard and the lion manifests
in the primal spirits of the hunt. By calling on those spirits, you gain a surge of
agility and a deadly focus in combat.
Elk’s Fortitude Despite foul weather, floods, and deadly predators, the
elk endures whatever the world pits against it. This power draws on the elk’s stoic
resistance, granting the target the inner strength needed to survive.
Seed of Healing This power lets you create a golden seed that, when
eaten, provides a surge of strength and energy. Pain fades away as the primal
magic bound within the seed provides nourishment and succor.
HEROIC SENTINEL 97
Level 3: Improved Combined Attack
With each battle you complete, the signature combat move you practice with
your animal companion becomes a more integral part of your tactics.
Benefit: You gain one more use of combined attack per encounter, but you can
still use it only once per turn.
Destructive Harvest When you use destructive harvest, you plant the
seeds of primal magic within the wounds of your enemy. When your allies get
close to that enemy, the primal magic you planted there seeps out and makes
their attacks more destructive.
Hunger of the Land This power causes plants to spring up from under
the feet of your enemy, grasping at it hungrily. As you attack your foe, you use
primal magic to tempt the hungry earth into feeding on the wounded enemy,
causing plants to emerge and wrap themselves around the target.
98 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Hunger of the Land Druid Attack 5
As you slash at your foe, vines and the stalks of plants grow suddenly to grasp it.
Daily ✦ Primal, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Wisdom vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: The target is immobilized and grants combat advantage (save ends both).
Life Blood Harvest This power calls on the principles of the harvest,
allowing you to reap vitality from an enemy to use it to give sustenance to an ally.
Life blood harvest converts your enemy’s life energy into healing for your ally, and
as such it is a good way to turn the tide of battle—a wounded ally is restored to
fighting shape at the same time an enemy is damaged.
Eagle’s Splendor The people of the frontier look to you and your allies
for defense and leadership, tasks made easier by this power. The majesty of the
primal spirits threads through its target, granting a force of personality that
marks that individual as the greatest of heroes.
HEROIC SENTINEL 99
Eagle’s Splendor Druid Utility 6
You invoke primal magic to bestow the majestic presence of the eagle upon you or your ally.
Daily ✦ Primal
Minor Action Melee 1
Target: You or one ally
Effect: The target gains the following benefits until the end of his or her next extended
rest.
✦ +1 power bonus to Charisma attack rolls.
✦ +1 power bonus to Will.
✦ +2 power bonus to Charisma-based skill checks and Charisma ability checks.
100 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Leaf Wall The breezes of autumn carry with them the whispers of the leaf
wall, whose primal power obscures and harries your foes. Shrouded and torn at
by nature’s power, your enemies are left at your mercy.
Reap Vitality This power calls on the primal spirits that govern healing,
enticing them to grant you a fragment of their power. When you provide them
with the blood of your enemies, they infuse you with energy that can close the
wounds of your allies.
102 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Sudden Overgrowth This power allows you to call on the primal
spirits of verdant life. When you offer your sacrifice to these spirits, they flood
you with the same power that makes plants and crops flourish. You exude this
energy, causing plants to grow rapidly from the ground to grab your enemies and
throw them off balance.
Clear the Chaff The final and most important stage of the harvest season
involves using the power of the wind to separate valuable grain from useless
chaff. This power uses that principle, scouring you and your allies with beneficial
energy and letting you shed the worst effects of your enemies’ powers.
Goodberry You have long been able to channel the protective power of the
primal spirits, but your subtle magic now allows you to store that primal energy
for later use. When you master this power, you learn to contain the revitalizing
energy of the primal world within four potent motes of power.
104 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
PARAGON SENTINEL
You have now unlocked many secrets of primal magic, and in battle you and your
animal companion are a fierce pair. Your mastery of primal magic grows ever
stronger as you progress through this new tier.
106 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Druid of Spring As a druid of spring, your magic deals with life, rebirth,
and endurance. In the spring, life arises from the deathlike slumber of winter.
Your magic works in a similar way, harvesting vigor and strength from your
enemy’s demise.
Benefit: When you or your animal companion reduces a nonminion enemy
to 0 hit points, you and your animal companion each regain 10 hit points.
Envenomed Steel When you use this power, you bind snake venom into
a weapon, making it capable of delivering the poison of a snake bite. This venom
has the side effect of making your enemies sluggish, which can often be useful in
keeping them from escaping your wrath.
108 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Level 16: Utility Power
The primal energy you channel grants increased powers of protection for you
and your allies.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Falcon’s Flight This power draws on elemental wind and the spirit of the
falcon to grant one creature the ability to fly.
Nature’s Armor The strength of hide and bark, wind and stone protects
you when you call on the spirits of the natural world, granting you the resilience
of an armored warrior. Even the deadliest attacks can be turned away by this
surge of power, letting you go toe to toe with the toughest enemies.
Primal Restoration Though not all primal spirits fade away over time,
all view death as simply a stage in the cycle of life and growth. By drawing on the
restorative powers of those spirits, you and your allies can shake off ailments and
injuries.
110 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Rapid Growth When you use rapid growth, you offer the sacrifice of your
enemy’s blood in exchange for the assistance of the plants of the earth. As your
target’s vitality is leeched by your attack, you feed the primal spirits and cause
plants to reach up from the ground and firmly grasp your foe.
Diligent Reaping This power calls on the primal spirits of the harvest.
As you bring your enemies low, the spirits of the harvest are pleased and con-
tinue to bless your weapon with their power. As long as you continue to appease
these spirits, your weapon remains keen and powerful.
EPIC SENTINEL
You are now one of the most important mortal guardians of the natural world.
Your command of primal magic is nearly unmatched.
When your sentinel reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of
the Destined Scion (page 237). This epic destiny represents the grand finale of
your adventuring career. Like your paragon path, it grants a set of related features
and powers.
112 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Level 21: Ability Score Increase
You have become an epic hero, and your physical strength and mental acuity
have expanded beyond normal mortal limits.
Benefit: Each of your ability scores increases by 1.
Fey Circles The extraordinary energy of the Feywild fuels the teleporta-
tion magic known as fey circles, a magic that you now control. You might use
this power to cross over a chasm too wide to jump, to circle around behind an
ambush, or to keep one step ahead of fast-moving foes in the thick of combat.
Brittle Frost Blade Just as exposure to the chill of winter leaves one
weak and vulnerable, this power exposes your enemies to the same frailty. You
use this power to bind the barren exposure of deep winter into your weapon,
and then as you lash out at a foe, you release the spirits of winter, which encircle
you for a short while. Those of your enemies that come too near find themselves
exposed to the bitter cold of winter.
114 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
Rejuvenating Harvest This power calls on the primal spirits of the
harvest, exchanging the blood of your enemies for the ability to free your allies of
debilitating effects. As you lash out at your foe, the spirits rise from the earth to
inhabit your body, causing you to transform into a font of rejuvenation that helps
your allies stay in the fight.
Corroding Weapon When you use this power, you transform the
wood, metal, and stone of a weapon into a substance that drips acid and is poi-
sonous to the touch. This power calls on primal spirits associated with lizards,
snakes, and other venomous creatures to perform the transformation, turning
the weapon into a large fang of some monstrous, corrosive beast.
Storm Weapon This power allows you to instill the essence of a thun-
derstorm into a weapon. Each time the weapon strikes, a portion of that storm’s
power is released.
116 CH A P T ER 4 | Druid
PALADIN
Divine Defender: You are a warrior of virtue, a champion of the righteous, and
a defender of the weak. With your sword and your faith, you will shield the
world from evil.
Why This Is the Class for You: You like playing a heroic paradigm of honor
and justice.
Some warriors fight for gold. Others seek glory, power, or prestige. There are
a few, however, who seek the warrior’s path for reasons that transcend the mate-
rial and mundane. Called by divine powers to stand as champions of the light
against the ever-encroaching darkness, paladins fight not because they choose to,
but because, deep within their souls, they know they must. The paladin’s life is
not a choice. It is a destiny.
Paladins are holy warriors, defenders of good and enemies of evil. Paladins
are well trained with their weapons and armor, but they augment that skill with
divine powers that allow them to shield their allies and smite their enemies. A
single paladin can turn the tide of an entire war through a combination of skill
at arms and inspiring leadership. As icons of virtue and heroism, paladins are a
deadly threat to those who would rule through fear, intimidation, and violence.
Paladins typically wander the land either alone or in small groups. They
seek out wrongs to right and villainy to defeat. Most paladins begin as squires to
more experienced holy warriors. Through training and arduous tests, a squire’s
bravery, battle skill, and ethics are all tested to see if the squire is worthy of
becoming a paladin.
The type of paladin you can create with this book is the cavalier.
CAVALIER
Key Abilities: Strength, Charisma
A cavalier is a paladin who has embraced one of the heroic virtues, such as com-
passion, justice, sacrifice, or valor. His or her belief in this virtue is so strong that
it manifests as divine magic. Although many cavaliers pledge their faith to the
gods, others follow no specific religion. Regardless of one’s divine affiliation (or
lack thereof ), a cavalier’s virtue stands paramount. It guides his or her actions,
pointing to the best way to protect the ever-flickering light of hope and civiliza-
tion in the world.
Opposing the cavaliers and the virtues that they champion are the black-
guards, who embody the dreaded vices that the cavaliers stand against. Where
cavaliers embrace compassion, justice, sacrifice, and valor, blackguards epito-
mize fury, tyranny, greed, and terror. Since the earliest days of history, these
CAVALIER 117
two factions have fought each other. Both wander the land, gathering allies and
working to further the cause of their virtues or vices.
At one time, cavaliers formed into chivalrous orders that were dedicated to the
ideal of protecting the civilized realms. The forgotten kingdoms that ruled the
land relied on cavaliers to help keep the peace. Those cavaliers maintained not
only the military security of the land, but also its moral strength. A cavalier might
drive off a marauding troll, but she could also mediate a dispute between two
farmers, break the power of a corrupt noble, or free a wrongly accused prisoner.
As with many things from the time of the forgotten kingdoms, the cavaliers’
glory proved fleeting. The kingdoms of old grew weak, and some of their decline
could be laid at the feet of cavaliers who strayed from the righteous path. All too
often, cavaliers fell victim to the very evils they had sworn to combat. Power cor-
rupts, and in many cases cavaliers served as perfect examples of how power can
twist the most resolute heart.
The grand orders of cavaliers have long since faded, but their glory is not for-
gotten. Even as evil casts its shadow across the land, there are those who hear the
call to the cavalier’s path. Many of the cavaliers of old strayed from their purpose,
but that purpose and the power behind it remains strong for those who stay true
to it.
CAVALIER
Hit Points: You start with hit points
equal to 15 + your Constitution score.
This section walks you through the You gain 6 hit points each time you
steps of creating a cavalier. As you make gain a level.
choices at each step, consider how those Bonuses to Defenses: +1 to Fortitude,
choices relate to your character’s per- +1 to Reflex, +1 to Will
sonality, backstory, and goals. Healing Surges per Day: 10 + your
Consult the three class tables, one for Constitution modifier
each tier of play, for a summary of what
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
you gain as you advance in level.
hide, chainmail, scale, plate; light
shield, heavy shield
Virtues Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee,
Cavaliers respect and follow the ideals military melee; simple ranged,
set forth by all the holy virtues, but each military ranged
cavalier selects one virtue to embrace Implement Proficiencies: Holy symbols
above all others. Two virtues, sacrifice
Class Skills: Athletics (Str), Diplomacy
and valor, are included in this book.
(Cha), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis),
Sacrifice A cavalier of sacrifice History (Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidate
(Cha), Religion (Int)
gives up his or her own safety to shield
others from harm. Such a paladin Trained Skills: Four from the list of
class skills
118 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
shoulders injuries to keep comrades
unharmed and compels enemies to strike
him or her first, rather than the paladin’s
allies. By invoking divine magic, such
cavaliers can sacrifice their vitality and
strength to protect those who are weaker,
and they gladly do so.
See page 140 for the features and
powers associated with the virtue
of sacrifice.
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Dragonborn
and half-elf are particularly good choices
for a cavalier.
Dragonborn A dragonborn’s
bonuses to Strength and Charisma mean
that members of the race make excellent
cavaliers. When the empire of Arkhosia
was at its height, dragonborn cavaliers
served as wandering judges and adminis-
trators. They kept the peace and ensured
that the empire remained strong.
Although Arkhosia is a distant
memory, a few dragonborn cavaliers keep
B E N WO OT T E N
120 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (see page 38). A cavalier needs to be able to fight
effectively in melee, so make Strength your highest score. Charisma helps bolster
the divine magic you use to defend your allies, so it should be your next highest
score. Additionally, a good Constitution grants you the extra hit points you need
to absorb your enemies’ attacks.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
Your Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores will help flesh out your
character. A high Dexterity might point to a past life of crime, perhaps one you
repented before becoming a cavalier. Alternatively, you might hail from a tribe of
horse riders, among whom you honed your balance and reflexes while riding on
the open plains. Wisdom and Intelligence point to a more studious background.
Perhaps you are an ascetic, or come from a scholarly background, but chose to
follow in the footsteps of the cavaliers of old after reading about them.
Skills
At 1st level, choose four trained skills from the following list of class skills: Ath-
letics, Diplomacy, Endurance, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate, and Religion.
See Chapter 6 for information on skills.
Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Insight are good choices for a cavalier. Because of
your good Charisma score, your companions might rely on you to handle social
situations. When you arrive in a strange village, you can bargain for a place to
stay for the night, or for other needs the group might have.
Many injuries occur during combat, so Heal is also a good choice, because it
allows you to tend to wounded comrades. Keep in mind, however, that during a
battle you could be too busy holding back your enemies to aid an ally.
Your skills point to your character’s background. If you select Religion,
perhaps you are a holy warrior who fought as part of a sect alongside clerics
and other divine magic wielders. Are you still a member of the sect, or did you
part on bad terms? Skill in History might suggest a background that included
time spent researching the cavaliers of old—perhaps one of those stories was the
inspiration that got you started on your adventuring career. Is there a specific
champion you look up to or model yourself after?
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, hide,
chainmail, scale, and plate. You can also use light shields and heavy shields. You
have proficiency with the following weapon types: simple melee, military melee,
simple ranged, and military ranged. You also have proficiency with holy symbols,
although you typically channel your divine magic through a weapon.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Since you can expect to
stand at the front of any battle, absorbing and delivering many attacks, you
should purchase the best armor, shield, and weapon you can afford: plate armor,
a heavy shield, and either a longsword or a battleaxe. If you have enough gold,
consider picking up a ranged weapon as well.
Battleaxe A battleaxe metes out more damage than a longsword, but at the
price of lower accuracy. If you can rely on another adventurer to help your accu-
racy—such as a rogue who might commonly take up a flanking position against
the enemy you face—the battleaxe is a solid choice.
122 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Defenses and Hit Points
Calculate your defenses using your ability modifiers and the bonus for your
character’s armor (see “Defenses,” page 40). In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to
Fortitude, Reflex, and Will.
You start with hit points equal to 15 + your Constitution score. You gain 6 hit
points each time you gain a level. You have a number of healing surges per day
equal to 10 + your Constitution modifier.
HEROIC CAVALIER
In the heroic tier, you learn to combine fighting skill and divine magic into a
potent combination.
124 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Righteous Radiance Paladin Attack
You exact divine punishment on a foe that ignores your challenge.
At-Will ✦ Divine, Radiant
Opportunity Action Melee 1
Trigger: An enemy subject to your defender aura either shifts or makes an attack that targets
an ally of yours but not you or an ally who has an active defender aura.
Target: The triggering enemy
Effect: The target takes radiant damage equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Level 11: 6 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Level 21: 9 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
126 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Level 4: Pace of the Virtuous Charger
The first virtuous chargers were magic steeds that served the gods during the
Dawn War. Those loyal steeds carried angels and powerful mortal cavaliers into
battle against the primordials and their servants, and their spirits continue to
roam the astral dominions.
You impart a fraction of the spirit of the great virtuous chargers of ancient
times into any creature ridden by you or an ally.
Benefit: While you are riding a mount, that creature and each allied mount
within 20 squares of you gain a +2 power bonus to speed. This bonus applies only
outside combat.
Fiery Smite When outnumbered, a cavalier must rely on the divine power
of his or her virtue to survive in battle. This smite allows you to clear other
enemies away from your foe, driving them back with divine fire.
Bond of Protection With this power, you create a subtle but power-
ful link with an ally. If your ally takes damage, this bond soothes the wounds by
transferring some of his or her pain to you.
Wrath of the Gods You call upon divine favor to imbue your allies
with a portion of your virtue, allowing them to deliver damaging blows to
your enemies.
128 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Level 7: Improved Righteous Shield
As your faith in your virtue grows, you come to appreciate the value of your allies
and fully understand your duty to protect them from harm. To that end, you are
now able to call upon greater amounts of divine power to shield your allies and
rout your enemies.
Benefit: Your righteous shield power gains an additional effect associated with
your virtue (sacrifice, page 140, or valor, page 143).
Thundering Smite Some attacks are so powerful that they propel magic
across the battlefield. With this smite, you channel the power of divine thunder
into your weapon. When you attack, you create a shock wave that pushes nearby
foes to the ground like strands of wheat in a storm.
Whirling Radiance With this attack, you draw divine power into
yourself and then release it as you swing your weapon in a deadly arc of
radiant energy.
Beacon of Nobility With this power, you offer a steady hand of support
to your allies by granting them the endurance and vitality they need to persist in
their efforts.
130 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Beacon of Penance This power illustrates one of the key principles of
the virtue of sacrifice. You can spend your own vitality to lend your strength to
your allies. From one comes the strength to sustain many.
PARAGON CAVALIER
You have fought many evil foes, and now you are ready to take the battle to even
more powerful enemies. Your dedication to your virtue shines through in each of
your actions.
132 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Level 13: Extra Holy Smite
You have become a champion of your virtue, and your dedication to that ideal
has increased the frequency with which you can smite any foe that seeks to
defy you.
Benefit: You gain one more use of holy smite per encounter, but you can still
use it only once per turn.
Call from the Brink With this power, you call your ally’s spirit back
from the brink of death. Divine strength and endurance flow into that ally,
allowing him or her to see the battle through to victory.
134 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Call from the Brink Paladin Utility 16
As your ally suffers a grievous injury, you channel divine energy into your friend to banish that
wound and provide renewed determination.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing
Immediate Reaction Close burst 5
Trigger: An ally within 5 squares of you drops to 0 hit points or fewer.
Target: The triggering ally in the burst
Effect: The target can spend one or two healing surges. In addition, the target gains a +2
power bonus to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
Smite of the Flame Cage The gods use fire to scour unholy powers
from the land. With this smite, you gather the fires of divine justice within your
weapon and unleash that energy upon enemies that try to flee your wrath or
harm your allies.
EPIC CAVALIER
You are a physical manifestation of your chosen virtue. No villain is beyond your
power to challenge. If it’s necessary to preserve peace and justice, you will travel
across the planes and battle a god.
When your cavalier reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of
the Destined Scion (page 237). This epic destiny represents the grand finale of
your adventuring career. Like your paragon path, it grants a set of related features
and powers.
136 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
CAVALIER EPIC TIER
Total Feats
XP Level Known Class Features and Powers
175,000 21 +1 Ability score increase
Epic destiny feature
210,000 22 +1 Shared Virtue
255,000 23 — Righteous Rescue
310,000 24 +1 Ability score increase
Epic destiny feature
375,000 25 — Daily power
450,000 26 +1 Epic destiny power
550,000 27 — Divine Grace
675,000 28 +1 Ability score increase
825,000 29 — Avatar of virtue
1,000,000 30 +1 Epic destiny power
Roaring Thunder With this power, you slam your weapon into an
enemy with such fury that a peal of thunder emanates from the point of impact.
In its wake, the ground shifts and rolls, knocking your foes to the ground like
rag dolls.
138 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Radiant Storm Paladin Attack 25
A swirling thundercloud of radiant energy forms around you and trails from your weapon as it
scythes through your foes. As you move away, the cloud’s lingering energy remains, lashing out at
any enemy that gets too close.
Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon, Zone
Standard Action Close burst 1
Target: Each enemy in the burst
Attack: Strength vs. Reflex
Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of the encounter. Any enemy that
enters the zone or ends its turn there takes 10 radiant damage.
VIRTUE OF SACRIFICE
A cavalier of sacrifice must be ready to give up anything—money, status, power,
or life itself—to defend those too weak to shield themselves from evil. Cavaliers
of sacrifice are renowned because of the hardships they endure for the good of
others. You sleep in a stable while your allies rest in an inn, to save a few coins for
the poor. You wear little more than simple, peasant’s garb when not in armor and
are an ascetic devoted to your cause, willing to endure any ill or pain to prevent
others from suffering it.
Even though the virtue of sacrifice carries a heavy cost, you must temper your
actions with humility. You give up so much, but that sacrifice does not make you
more noble than others. Pride is your enemy, because it threatens to lead you to
arrogance and ultimately disdain for those you protect. Cavaliers of sacrifice who
fall to evil become even more villainous due to the great distance they tumble.
Alignment: A cavalier of sacrifice must be lawful good. The virtue of sacrifice
demands much from its adherents. Only the most honorable cavaliers embrace it.
140 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Level 1: Spirit of Sacrifice
When you draw on your inner reserves, you can call upon the divine power of
your virtue to instead grant that strength to an injured ally.
Benefit: You gain an additional healing surge. In addition, you can use your
second wind as a minor action to heal an ally of your choice within 5 squares of
you. If you do so, you gain no benefit from using your second wind, but the ally
regains hit points equal to his or her healing surge value.
142 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Burden of Sacrifice Valiant Cavalier Attack 20
Radiant energy flares around you as you land a punishing blow on your enemy. Then, as part of
your sacrifice, the energy streams out of you, taking a portion of your vitality to deliver health to
your allies.
Daily ✦ Divine, Healing, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 5[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: For each ally you choose within 5 squares of you, you can spend a healing surge but
regain no hit points. Instead, that ally regains hit points equal to your healing surge value.
If you spend at least one healing surge in this way, you gain resist 10 to all damage until
the end of the encounter.
VIRTUE OF VALOR
On the battlefield, you are the pinnacle of bravery. You stand resolute against
any foe, from a seemingly endless wave of kobolds to a mountain-shaking titan.
Without valor, the other virtues lose meaning and impact. To stand against a
daunting foe or to hold tight to the exacting standards of the order of cavaliers—
both of these tasks require faultless valor. You stand at the forefront of a battle,
taking the vanguard position to both strike at your foes and shield your allies
from your enemies’ most ferocious attacks. In this manner, your adherence to
valor ensures that your bravery serves as a stirring example.
Level 1: Spirit
of Valor
Some paladins spread justice with a really big warhammer As an adherent of valor,
you are always ready to
take up the cause of justice in battle. Your blade flies from its sheath at the first
sign of combat, while your superior endurance allows you to remain in the fight
long after others have faltered.
Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to initiative checks, and your healing surge
value increases by 2.
144 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Vengeful Strike Paladin Attack 1
You let divine fury wash over you as you strike with your glowing weapon. Your enemy recoils in
pain as the searing wound weakens its defenses.
At-Will ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage. If at least one bloodied ally is within 5
squares of you, the target takes extra radiant damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier radiant damage.
Miss: You gain a +2 power bonus to your next damage roll against the target.
KEREM BEYIT
146 CH A P T ER 4 | Paladin
Banner of Valor Valiant Cavalier Utility 12
A banner of divine energy appears over you, channeling your fighting prowess into inspiration for
your allies’ attacks and defenses.
Daily ✦ Aura, Divine
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You activate an aura 2 that lasts until the end of the encounter. Whenever you hit
an enemy with an attack, each ally in the aura gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls and
all defenses until the end of your next turn.
Some heroes are more at home among the trees or in open fields than they are
when walking the streets of a city. In ages past, rangers kept the peace along the
farthest frontiers of civilization, wandering the land to root out monsters and
keep the roads clear of threats. Today, the empires of old are long gone, their
roads fallen into ruin. Yet even as the encroaching darkness grows ever bolder,
rangers continue the valiant fight to keep the borderlands safe and secure. So
well do they perform this task that many of those on the frontier never realize the
debt they owe to those who protect them.
Many common folk are suspicious of rangers, knowing their kind only as
loners who have no ties to kin or community. Indeed, some rangers eventu-
ally become little more than hermits watching over specific areas of the wild.
However, as the darkness encroaches upon civilization, many rangers take on a
protective role that prompts them to wander throughout all settled lands.
A ranger’s abilities reflect the divide between civilization and wilderness.
Although rangers learn to master weapons, most commonly bows and those used
in two-weapon fighting, they augment this martial training with their knowledge
of primal magic. A ranger in the wild counts on his or her woodcraft and mastery
of magic to survive.
The types of ranger you can create with this book are the hunter and
the scout.
BASIC ATTACKS
As a ranger, you make most of your attacks using basic attacks (page 26); a hunter
specializes in ranged basic attacks, and a scout utilizes melee basic attacks.
Some classes rely primarily on class-specific attack powers, whereas you typi-
cally make basic attacks enhanced by your aspect of the wild and other class
features and powers.
148 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
HUNTER
Key Abilities: Dexterity, Wisdom
Hunters are the masters of ranged weapons, and they draw on cunning battle
tactics to deter their enemies. Reverent allies of the natural world, hunters train
in the deep forests and wilderness, tracking down and slaying monsters intent on
attacking villages and towns. At the same time, they seek to find harmony with
the beneficial creatures of nature, and they learn to dabble in primal power—the
magic of nature itself.
A hunter is a controller first and foremost, manipulating the battlefield using
high-precision ranged attacks. Against single targets, however, a hunter’s attacks
pack a punch that make it lean toward striker as a secondary role.
CREATING A HUNTER
This section walks you through the steps of creating a hunter. As you make
choices at each step, consider how those choices relate to your character’s person-
ality, backstory, and goals.
Consult the three class tables, one
Class Traits
for each tier of play, for a summary
of what you gain as you advance Hit Points: You start with hit points
in level. equal to 12 + your Constitution score.
You gain 5 hit points each time you
Race
gain a level.
Bonus to Defenses: +1 Fortitude, +1
Choose your race (page 35). Drow Reflex
and human are particularly good
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + your Con-
choices for a hunter.
stitution modifier
Drow With an ability score bonus Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather
to both Dexterity and Wisdom, drow Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee,
are excellent hunters. Their speed military melee, simple ranged, mili-
and awareness make them natural tary ranged
archers, much like their surface Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics
cousins. Even better, both cloud of (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endur-
darkness and darkfire are ideal powers ance (Con), Heal (Wis), Nature (Wis),
for a hunter. Cloud of darkness pro- Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex)
vides a handy escape if an enemy
Trained Skills: Dungeoneering or
moves too close to you, while darkfire
Nature, plus four more from the list
makes your targets more susceptible
of class skills
to your ranged attacks.
Human Their additional feat and trained skill make humans among the
most versatile of hunters, giving them the ability to embrace the class’s roles
both in combat and outside it. Some human hunters use their feat and skills to
improve their knowledge of the wilderness; others focus on improving their accu-
racy or damage in battle.
Human hunters are often outsiders who eschew cities and other large settle-
ments, learning their craft as trackers and wilderness guides. As a human hunter,
you might have started out as a member of a frontier community before being
drawn to the forest for its natural splendor. Alternatively, you might be an exile
from your people, forced to survive on your own through long years in a harsh
wilderness.
Human hunters often worship Melora, believing that by her grace they are
allowed to thrive outside the confines of civilization, free of the rules and laws
of others.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page 38), keeping in mind that a hunter is best
served by superior Dexterity and Wisdom. Dexterity is the foundation of your
devastating ranged attack style, while a good Wisdom improves some of your
most important skills and noncombat powers.
You increase two ability scores of your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th. In addition, all your ability
scores increase by 1 at 11th and 21st levels.
When thinking of your character’s personality, think about how your other
ability scores can play a part. A high Charisma suits a former wilderness guide
or an explorer for hire who led expeditions into the dangerous unknown. With a
good Intelligence score, you might have grown up a studious character who trav-
eled the secret roads of ancient forests, studying and cataloging plant and animal
life. A good Strength or Constitution score might indicate military training,
perhaps marking you as a former soldier who turned your back on civilization.
150 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Skills
At 1st level, you have training in
your choice of Dungeoneering or
Nature. In addition, you choose four
more trained skills from the follow-
ing list of class skills: Acrobatics,
Athletics, Dungeoneering, Endur-
ance, Heal, Nature, Perception, and
Stealth. See Chapter 6 for informa-
tion on skills.
When selecting your skills,
think about the harsh condi-
tions you are sure to face over
the course of your adventur-
ing career. Dungeoneering or
Nature is essential to long-term
survival, and can give you
insights into the strengths and
weaknesses of even the most
terrifying monsters. Acrobatics
and Athletics are good choices
for avoiding hazards, whether
you are jumping over chasms,
reducing falling damage, climb-
ing dangerous cliffs—or helping
your allies do the same.
For a hunter, skills and combat
often go hand in hand. Stealth lets
you blend in with your environment,
slipping through forests and ruins
like a ghost to get the drop on your
foes. Likewise, Perception gives you
a heads-up on hazards and traps, lets
you track fleeing enemies, and helps
you avoid ambush.
Your character’s backstory can
help you choose your skills. Training
in Endurance might mark you as a
self-reliant character accustomed
to long treks through harsh terrain,
while the Heal skill might indicate a
character who has spent time wan-
dering from settlement to settlement
CHRIS SE AMAN
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
You gain either Bow Expertise or Crossbow Expertise at 1st level from your
Archery Style class feature. The corresponding Weapon Focus feat is a good sup-
plement to it. Improved Initiative then helps you make the most of those attacks,
setting up your control of the battlefield before enemies have had a chance to
react to your presence. Hunters are famed for their ability to react swiftly to
danger, so a feat from the quick reaction category might suit your character.
Feats from the primal soul category represent your connection to the primal
spirits whose presence imbues the natural world. Such feats offer a good way to
reinforce your connection to the magic that powers your most potent attacks.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth and leather. You
have proficiency with the following weapon types: simple melee, military melee,
simple ranged, and military ranged.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Purchase a ranged weapon
of your choice (see below), and consider leather armor for its balance between
protection and mobility. If you have enough gold, consider picking up a melee
weapon as well. Beyond that, survival and exploration are your character’s forte,
so stock up on provisions accordingly. Trail rations, rope, and other supplies
useful for extended forays underground or into the wilderness can make all the
difference to an adventuring expedition.
152 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Bow Whether in its long or short
form, the bow is one of the oldest
and most reliable weapons.
As a ranger who favors the
bow, you have a certain
amount of finesse in your
fighting style. The bow is
a weapon of speed and elegance,
especially when contrasted with
other weapons that depend more
on sheer power.
Crossbow A weapon
designed to be used even by
characters who have little
martial training, the cross-
bow relies on a simple
point-and-pull mecha-
nism. It’s a good choice
for hunters whose focus
in combat is raw damage. If you
favor the crossbow, you have likely
chosen to concentrate less on pure
marksmanship and more on the
tactical advantages of your weapon.
Every shot is an opportunity to
punish your enemies, leaving them
riddled with bolts as you snipe your
way across the field of battle.
Defenses and
Hit Points
Calculate your defenses, using your
ability modifiers and the bonus
for your character’s armor (see
“Defenses,” page 40). In addition,
you gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude
and Reflex.
You start with hit points equal
to 12 + your Constitution score.
You gain 5 hit points each time you
gain a level. You have a number of
B E N WO OT T E N
HEROIC HUNTER
In the heroic tier, you master both the mysteries of primal magic and the intrica-
cies of the bow. With your aspects, you learn to combine the two into a deadly
fighting style.
154 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 1: Archery Style
All hunters are archers, and your choice of ranged weapon defines an archery
style that you will hone and perfect over the course of your adventuring career.
Many hunters—from the elves and eladrin of the wild forests to the humans
and half-orcs of the plains and tundra—choose the longbow as their signature
weapon. Most halflings prefer the shortbow due to its ease of use by smaller com-
batants, but either weapon excels at mowing down groups of marauding goblins,
orcs, and other foul creatures.
The crossbow is often a more useful weapon in the cramped quarters of
the Underdark. The dwarf hunters who took up their profession in the ancient
caverns of their race’s fallen strongholds favor the crossbow, as do hunters who
spend their time in the gloom-tainted forest ruins spread across the borderlands.
You gain one of the following features depending on your choice of
ranged weapon.
Bow Hunter You have spent so many hours training with the bow that
you have learned, on your own, to use the weapon as capably as someone who
received special training.
Benefit: You gain the Bow Expertise feat (page 311).
Crossbow Hunter As an expert with the crossbow, you can reload bolts
in the blink of an eye. You have also mastered the intricacies of this weapon,
attaining a high level of skill through focused training and practice.
Benefit: You gain the Crossbow Expertise feat (page 312).
Also, if a crossbow you wield has the load minor property, you can instead
reload it as a free action.
Aimed Shot Your focus and training allow you to draw a bead on your
target despite cover, fog, and other impediments. Your mind clears, your foe
comes into focus, and you unleash a shot.
Clever Shot Your skill with ranged attacks comes across in a variety of
ways. Aimed shot reflects your focus and accuracy, while rapid shot is the byprod-
uct of your speed and skill in handling your weapon. Clever shot draws on your
guile and insight. You aim your shot to strike your foe at just the right angle, hin-
dering its movement or knocking it backward as you see fit.
156 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Disruptive Shot Ranger Attack
Through a combination of careful aim and perfect timing, your shot ruins your foe’s plans.
Encounter ✦ Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and you choose for the target to be either immobi-
lized (save ends) or dazed (save ends).
Level 17: 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
Level 27: 3[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Aspect of the Lone Wolf Many hunters learn from the lone wolf, a
creature forced to forage on its own. Like a lone wolf, a hunter must sometimes
venture into the wilds without the benefit of companions. During such journeys,
he or she knows the value in finishing a wounded foe as quickly as possible, lest
the enemy overwhelm the hunter with superior numbers.
158 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Aspect of the Lone Wolf Ranger Utility
Like the lone wolf, you learn to pick off the weakest of your enemies with quick and brutal
efficiency.
At-Will ✦ Primal, Stance
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You assume a stance, the aspect of the lone wolf. Until the stance ends, you gain
the following benefits.
✦ When you make a basic attack against a bloodied enemy, you gain a +2 power bonus to
the attack roll.
✦ At the start of each of your turns, you learn the location of every hidden, bloodied
enemy within 5 squares of you.
160 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Beast Empathy The beasts of the wilderness see and know most of what
unfolds in their realm. Few folk heed them, but you have learned to understand
and interpret their actions and attitudes. Your woodcraft is short of the magical
ability to communicate with animals directly, but it is enough to reveal secrets
that others miss.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks
against beasts. You can communicate simple concepts and commands to such
creatures, though they are under no compulsion to obey you. With a successful
Insight check (DC determined by the DM), you can read a creature’s body lan-
guage and vocalizations enough to understand basic messages from it.
Mountain Guide You have clambered over steep cliffs and ranged
across imposing mountains. Your knack for climbing allows you to pick out the
easiest paths up even the most imposing slopes.
Benefit: Whenever you succeed on an Athletics check to climb, you reduce
the DC of that climb by 2 for your allies until the end of the encounter. Only
allies who see you make the climb gain this benefit.
Watchful Rest Long days spent in the wilds have taught you the best way
to set up a camp. By picking out an easily defensible spot and carefully position-
ing your gear, you ensure that you and your allies have the best chance to avoid
an ambush.
Benefit: When you take an extended rest, you and any allies also taking the
rest do not take the –5 penalty to Perception checks for sleeping.
Stalker’s Mist This power is best used to set up ambushes and similar
surprise attacks. You call upon primal magic to create a dense bank of fog that
hides your movement and blocks vision. However, as the fog’s creator, you enjoy
a mystic link to it. In your eyes, the fog is little more than a wispy, barely notice-
able cloud.
162 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 3: Improved Disruptive Shot
Through constant practice, you improve your ability to unleash your most accu-
rate attacks.
Benefit: You gain one more use of disruptive shot per encounter, but you can
still use it only once per turn.
Leaf Wall The breezes of autumn carry with them the whispers of the leaf
wall, whose primal power obscures and harries your foes. Shrouded and torn at
by nature’s power, your enemies are left at your mercy.
Thorn Ward This power allows you to establish a defensive position, one
that extracts a heavy price from enemies that attempt to storm it. You weave
primal magic to create a spectral tangle of briars and thorns. The tangle, being
an ephemeral thing, does nothing to hinder movement. When an enemy lingers
within it, its true power becomes apparent. The thorns lash out at your enemies,
becoming solid long enough to scour flesh from bone.
164 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 7: Improved Disruptive Shot
Through continual practice, you improve your ability to unleash your most accu-
rate attacks.
Benefit: You gain one more use of disruptive shot per encounter, but you can
still use it only once per turn.
Eyes of the Owl The deadliest hunting beasts become even more fear-
some in the dark of night, and you and your allies are no exception. The foulest
creatures too often take advantage of the gloom of lost ruins or the Underdark
to turn the tables on the heroes of the surface world, but the power of the primal
spirits lets you even the odds.
Verdant Flames The primal spirits burn with the force of life, an energy
you can channel and shape to hinder your foes. This powerful evocation can be
the effective endgame of a drawn-out combat against foes that refuse to fall, or
the first salvo in a deadly ambush that gives your enemies no chance to ever gain
the upper hand.
PARAGON HUNTER
As your mastery of both ranged weapons and primal magic increases, you learn
to unleash ever more powerful attacks against your enemies. You are ready to
wander the planes, seeking out threats to the world that lie far beyond the wil-
derness paths you once followed.
166 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
HUNTER PARAGON TIER
Total Feats
XP Level Known Class Features and Powers
26,000 11 +1 Ability score increase
Hunter’s Action [peerless hunter]
Improved Disruptive Shot [peerless hunter]
Superior Archery [peerless hunter]
32,000 12 +1 Hunter’s grasping trap [peerless hunter]
39,000 13 — Improved Disruptive Shot
47,000 14 +1 Ability score increase
57,000 15 — Paragon Weapon Mastery
69,000 16 +1 Threatening Archery [peerless hunter]
Utility power
83,000 17 — Aspect of the wild
99,000 18 +1 Ability score increase
119,000 19 — —
143,000 20 +1 Master Hunter [peerless hunter]
168 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Punishing Quarrel A precisely placed crossbow bolt hits with the force
of a battering ram, leaving your foe reeling in pain.
Benefit: When you hit with disruptive shot using a crossbow, you also push the
target up to 3 squares.
Volley of Arrows You pepper the area around your enemy with a series
of additional shots, causing mayhem in the enemy’s ranks.
Benefit: When you hit with disruptive shot using a bow, each enemy adjacent
to the target takes damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Embrace the Wild The beasts of the wild have enhanced senses, which
are connected to an awareness of the primal spirits. When you call on those
spirits for aid, they channel that awareness through you for a time, letting you
imbue yourself or another with sight, hearing, and reflexes better than any crea-
ture of nature.
Wall of Earth The guardians of stone and soil are the most sluggish of
the primal spirits, but your call brings them to active life with a vengeance. The
earth becomes a bulwark that responds to your command, then crumbles away
to leave heaps of uneven ground in its wake. This mighty wall is best conjured
at the start of battle, letting you reshape the field to your advantage as you send
your enemies sprawling.
170 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 17: Aspect of the Wild
The struggles of the paragon tier let you push past all previous limitations, focus-
ing your warrior’s spirit as you come to terms with your true potential.
Benefit: You gain one additional aspect of the wild chosen from the options
on page 157.
EPIC HUNTER
You are one of the greatest archers who has ever lived. Only the most powerful
creatures can hope to withstand your attacks.
When your hunter reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Destined Scion (page 237). This epic destiny represents the grand finale of your
adventuring career. Like your paragon path, it grants a set of related features and
powers.
172 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 22: Utility Power
The primal power that once deposed the gods themselves opens up to you even
more as you rise through the epic tier.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Veil of Winter The primal spirits embrace all aspects of nature, from the
heights of a verdant summer to the desolate weeks at the heart of winter. With
this power, you draw on the primal magic of winter’s darkness. An area of your
choice is plunged into darkness, though you and your allies can see through it as
if it were a red twilight.
Wrath of Root and Soil You call upon the primal spirits that dwell
deep within the earth, awakening them from their eons-long slumber for but
a moment. At your bidding, they animate roots and earth beneath your foes,
trapping them in place.
174 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
SCOUT
Key Abilities: Dexterity, Wisdom
Scouts learn to wield two weapons at once, from the supple combination of long-
sword and short sword to the brutal double assault of battleaxe and handaxe.
This tactic denies the defensive benefit of a shield, but allows a scout to strike
hard and fast. At their best when outnumbered and surrounded, scouts count on
speed and accuracy in combat to overwhelm their foes.
Scouts augment their combat prowess with primal magic, channeling the
supernatural power of the natural world to their advantage. Primal power
allows a scout to pass by foes unseen, to discourage pursuit, and to keep his
or her companions alive in the wild under conditions that would slay lesser
explorers outright.
CREATING A SCOUT
This section walks you through the steps of creating a scout. As you make choices
at each step, consider how those choices relate to your character’s personality,
backstory, and goals.
Consult the three class tables, one
Class Traits
for each tier of play, for a summary of
what you gain as you advance in level. Hit Points: You start with hit points
equal to 12 + your Constitution score.
Race
You gain 5 hit points each time you
gain a level.
Choose your race (page 35). Half- Bonuses to Defenses: +1 to Fortitude,
orc and drow are particularly good +1 to Reflex
choices for a scout.
Healing Surges per Day: 7 + your
Half-Orc A half-orc’s boost to Constitution modifier
Dexterity makes that race a natural Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
fit for the scout class. Although most hide
scouts do not rely on high Strength, Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee,
the half-orc’s racial bonus gives a military melee, simple ranged,
scout an edge on Athletics checks, and military ranged
it combines with the furious assault Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex),
racial power to make a scout’s two- Athletics (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis),
weapon attacks even more deadly. Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Nature
Half-orcs typically dwell on the (Wis), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex)
edge of civilization, and they must
Trained Skills: Dungeoneering or
sometimes cope with fear and sus-
Nature, plus four more from the list
picion when dealing with humans,
of class skills
elves, and other civilized races. As
176 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
follow the hero’s path learns to keep
a low profile except on the fringes of
civilization.
Most drow scouts who live in
the surface world worship Melora,
seeking to embrace the natural world
and leave behind the memory of their
subterranean homeland and its dark
mistress, Lolth.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (page
38), keeping in mind that a scout is
best served by superior Dexterity and
Wisdom. Your two-weapon fighting
style depends on speed and accuracy
more than on brute strength, and
Wisdom is the foundation of many of
your important skills.
You increase two ability scores of
your choice by 1 each when you reach
certain levels: 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th,
24th, and 28th. In addition, all your
ability scores increase by 1 at 11th
and 21st levels.
When determining your charac-
ter’s other ability scores, think about
how your character’s personality
might be reflected in certain abilities.
A high Charisma might cast you in a
leadership role, perhaps as someone
local settlers and other rangers have
always looked to for advice. A high
Strength or Constitution might mean
that you first learned your deadly
fighting skills as a soldier, a gladia-
tor, or a slave. Only recently did you
flee the civilization that made you,
seeking solitude and cultivating your
knowledge of primal magic along the
wild frontier.
A DA M G I L L E S P I E
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
Your focus on melee combat makes feats from the weapon training category
a good place to start. The appropriate expertise feat for your primary weapon
improves the accuracy of your attacks. (Don’t worry about selecting the corre-
sponding feat for your off-hand weapon, since your powers that make use of that
178 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
weapon seldom require you to make attacks with it.) Likewise, your place in the
center of combat means that you will inevitably take some hits. Feats from the
enduring stamina, steadfast willpower, and vigilant reflexes categories can help
shore up your hit points, defenses, and saving throws.
Outside combat, feats from the primal soul category can express your charac-
ter’s link to the primal spirits of nature that are the source of much of your power.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, and hide.
You have proficency with the following weapon types: simple melee, military
melee, simple ranged, and military ranged.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. You should obtain hide
armor for its superior defense. In addition, because your companions depend on
you to keep them safe in hostile environments far from civilization, stock up on
rope, provisions, and other adventuring gear.
Purchase two melee weapons of your choice, one of which should have
the off-hand property. The handaxe or the short sword is a good choice for your
off-hand weapon. If you have enough gold, consider picking up a ranged weapon
as well.
HEROIC SCOUT
In the heroic tier, you learn to master the art of fighting with two weapons. Your
mobility serves as your shield, while your fighting style devastates your foes.
180 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 1: Two-Weapon Style
From the time you first took up the scout’s two-weapon fighting style, you have
learned to maximize the effectiveness of your favored weapons. You gain one of
the following features, depending on your choice of off-hand weapon.
Flashing Blade Mastery With a light blade in your off hand, you
maintain the agility that lets you keep your foes off balance and susceptible to
your attacks.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to weapon attack rolls while you wield a light
blade in your off hand.
Spinning Axe Mastery The axe is a brutal weapon that you trust to
deal consistent damage. Scouts who face off against the largest, toughest enemies
often favor the axe fighting style.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to weapon damage rolls while you wield an axe
in your off hand.
182 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Aspect of the Charging Ram The ram relies on brute force to
overwhelm its enemies, favoring a deadly charge. You mimic its tactics, drawing
on primal magic to deliver a brutal attack. With this aspect, you run rampant
over the battlefield. Your enemies shrink away as you barrel forward, unwilling
to attack you or stand between you and your target.
184 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Aspect of the Regal Lion The lion is the king of the savannah, a
proud hunter and a ferocious enemy. When you enter this aspect, you gain the
lion’s unmatched bravery and resolute determination. No foe, regardless of its
size or strength, can hope to match your tenacity.
Aspect of the Soaring Hawk From its perch among the winds,
high above the ground, a hawk keeps careful watch on the land. When it spots
its prey, it strikes in the blink of an eye. This aspect allows you to channel the
hawk’s speed and also take advantage of the hawk’s high perch. In battle, your
spirit almost rises out of your body, allowing you to strike true regardless of the
obstacles before you.
Beast Empathy The beasts of the wilderness see and know most of what
unfolds in their realm. Few folk heed them, but you have learned to understand
and interpret their actions and attitudes. Your woodcraft is short of the magical
ability to communicate with animals directly, but it is enough to reveal secrets
that others miss.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks
against beasts. You can communicate simple concepts and commands to such
creatures, though they are under no compulsion to obey you. With a successful
Insight check (DC determined by the DM), you can read a creature’s body lan-
guage and vocalizations enough to understand basic messages from it.
Mountain Guide You have clambered over steep cliffs and ranged
across imposing mountains. Your knack for climbing allows you to pick out the
easiest paths up even the most imposing slopes.
Benefit: Whenever you succeed on an Athletics check to climb, you reduce
the DC of that climb by 2 for your allies until the end of the encounter. Only
allies who see you make the climb gain this benefit.
Watchful Rest Long days spent in the wilds have taught you the best way
to set up a camp. By picking out an easily defensible spot and carefully position-
ing your gear, you ensure that you and your allies have the best chance to avoid
an ambush.
Benefit: When you take an extended rest, you and any allies also taking the
rest do not take the –5 penalty to Perception checks for sleeping.
186 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 2: Utility Power
As you gain experience, your knowledge of primal magic grows ever deeper.
You now supplement your hard-earned woodcraft with the ability to command
primal magic directly.
Benefit: You gain one of the following powers of your choice.
Oak Skin Your connection to the primal spirits makes you aware of the
strength imbued into the oldest trees. By calling on those spirits, you take on
some of that strength and resilience into yourself, shrugging off your enemies’
attacks like the great oak standing steadfast against the strongest storms.
Ranger’s Agility You call on the primal spirits to grant you the agility of
the greatest hunting beasts. Enemies that try to stay at your side in combat find
themselves left alone time and again, cut down by your ranged attacks as you
strike from a safe distance.
Safe Passage You count on being able to find the quickest, safest paths
through the uncharted wilderness. That well-honed nature sense is now aug-
mented by the power of the primal spirits, letting you grant to your allies the
power to move unhindered even in the heat of combat.
188 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Healing Lore Natural healing is steady but slow. Your relationship with
the primal spirits lets you call on their aid to speed that process a hundredfold.
Leaf Wall The breezes of autumn carry with them the whispers of the leaf
wall, whose primal power obscures and harries your foes. Shrouded and torn at
by nature’s power, your enemies are left at your mercy.
Step of Morning Mist By calling on the spirits of the air, you can step
through empty space to reposition yourself on the battlefield—or to flee from a
powerful foe.
Eyes of the Owl The deadliest hunting beasts become even more fear-
some in the dark of night, and you and your allies are no exception. The foulest
creatures too often take advantage of the gloom of lost ruins or the Underdark
to turn the tables on the heroes of the surface world, but the power of the primal
spirits lets you even the odds.
Root Gate Just as the humblest tree can set out roots that dig deep into the
unseen ground, this evocation sends tendrils of primal power twisting through
space. With a single step, you jaunt across the battlefield, setting up the means
for a quick escape or a quicker attack on an unsuspecting foe.
190 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Verdant Flames The primal spirits burn with the force of life, an energy
you can channel and shape to hinder your foes. This powerful evocation can be
the effective endgame of a drawn-out combat against foes that refuse to fall, or
the first salvo in a deadly ambush that gives your enemies no chance to ever gain
the upper hand.
PARAGON SCOUT
In battle, you are now a whirlwind. Your two weapons combine to cleave through
your foes. Your enemies struggle to corner you as you dart from one foe to
the next.
192 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 13: Enhanced Power Strike
Your mastery of primal power grants you unique insights into the hunting forms
of the fiercest predators, just as your choice of favored weapon suggests new
approaches to combat that employ those forms.
Benefit: You gain one more use of power strike per encounter. In addition, you
gain one of the following features depending on your choice of off-hand weapon.
Eagle’s Axe Like the great eagle, you strike with such speed and precision
that your axe cleaves from one foe to the next.
Benefit: While you wield an axe in your off hand, your power strike deals 3
extra damage to the target.
Serpent’s Blade You wield your blades like twin serpents, darting in and
out of your opponents’ reach as you make each attack.
Benefit: While you wield a light blade in your off hand, you can take a free
action to shift up to 3 squares immediately after using power strike.
Iron Endurance You draw on your own vitality as a conduit for the
power of the primal spirits of battle, gaining exceptional vigor. Used at the start
of combat, iron endurance lets you face off against the strongest foes without fear.
Held in reserve, this power offers a last mighty surge of strength that lets you
fight through to the bitter end.
194 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 17: Aspect of the Wild
The struggles of the paragon tier let you push past all previous limitations, focus-
ing your warrior’s spirit as you come to terms with your true potential.
Benefit: You gain one additional aspect of the wild chosen from the options
on page 182.
EPIC SCOUT
You are one of the greatest scouts who has ever lived. You fight with speed and
power, overwhelming your enemies with a flurry of attacks.
When your scout reaches 21st level, he or she takes on the epic destiny of the
Destined Scion (page 237). This epic destiny represents the grand finale of your
adventuring career. Like your paragon path, it grants a set of related features
and powers.
Speed of the Zephyr The primal power of the racing wind adds its
speed to your already formidable movement. You run circles around your foes
each time you surge across the battlefield, treating each attack as an ambush
against enemies that never see you coming.
196 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Speed of the Zephyr Ranger Utility 22
You move with the swiftness of the wind.
Daily ✦ Primal
Minor Action Personal
Effect: You gain a +6 power bonus to speed until the end of the encounter.
Stepping Through the Veil The primal spirits pass through the
world as a veil of shadow, seen only when they want to be seen. By calling on
those spirits to shroud you, you step across the veil between the natural world
and the spirit world—to your enemies’ great peril.
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
198 CH A P T ER 4 | Ranger
Level 24: Epic Destiny Feature
Your place in the cosmic order becomes cemented as you gain still more power.
At this point, fate seems to bend and weave to ensure your survival.
Benefit: You gain a feature associated with your epic destiny (see page 237).
Most people believe that the path to arcane power traces its way through dusty
libraries, impenetrable tomes of lore, and countless hours of practice and study.
What little the common folk under-
stand about wizards revolves around Class Traits
their scholarly pursuits. Warlocks,
Hit Points: You start with hit points
however, know about different paths
equal to 12 + your Constitution score.
to power. The labyrinthine rules and
You gain 5 hit points each time you
theories of arcane magic are by no
gain a level.
means complete. In some places, the
laws of magic are vague, twisted, or Bonuses to Defenses: +1 to Fortitude,
subject to the whims of powerful enti- +1 to Will
ties. Warlocks enter into pacts with Healing Surges per Day: 6 + your Con-
these entities, pledging their service stitution modifier
and their souls in return for access to Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather,
spells. With a word of promise, war- hide, chainmail
locks gain great power, but rarely do
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee,
they have the wisdom and foresight
military melee, simple ranged
needed to wield such power.
A warlock gains this power with Implement Proficiencies: Rods, wands
little practice or focus. One need only Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Bluff (Cha),
learn the rituals needed to contact History (Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidate
a planar entity in order to gain a (Cha), Religion (Int), Stealth (Dex),
warlock’s power. Most warlocks Streetwise (Cha), Thievery (Dex)
face suspicion and mistrust from Trained Skills: Four from the list of
the common people, because all too class skills
often those who embrace this path do
so in search of a quick, easy way to
gain power over others. Yet for every
warlock who enters a pact for selfish reasons, there is one who turned to it as a
last resort against a mad tyrant or a rampaging horde of monsters.
Warlocks rarely congregate in large groups. They easily accept members of
other classes as allies, but there are few if any guilds, schools, or other organiza-
tions to bind them. The typical warlock enters into a pact and perfects its magic
alone. Aside from the rituals used to create pacts, little formal research or study
is involved in the warlock’s art.
The type of warlock you can create with this book is the hexblade.
200 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
HEXBLADE
Key Abilities: Charisma; Dexterity or
Constitution
HEXBLADE 201
CREATING A HEXBLADE
This section walks you through the steps of creating a hexblade. As you make
choices at each step, consider how those choices relate to your character’s person-
ality, backstory, and goals.
Consult the three class tables, one for each tier of play, for a summary of what
you gain as you advance in level.
Pact
Hexblades, like other warlocks, enter into pacts with powerful beings from across
the planes. Your choice of pact has an important effect on the powers and other
abilities you gain.
Fey Pact The fey pact represents a bargain struck with an enigmatic, unpre-
dictable lord of the Feywild. Such entities grant you arcane power in exchange
for a shard of the soul energy taken from each of your defeated foes. In this
manner, a fey lord gains more power and more territory within the Feywild. This
pact requires that you have a good Dexterity score, because its magic focuses on
speed and agility. Fey pact hexblades rely on quick feet and a sharp blade to over-
come their enemies. See page 225 for more information on the fey pact.
Infernal Pact While the fey pact embraces speed and elegance, the infer-
nal pact is all about brutal strength and powerful attacks. By using infernal laws
against the rulers of the hells, this pact allows you to steal power from devils
without making any offering in return. However, the strain of performing this act
and the power you channel through your pact is a burden on your physical vital-
ity. A good Constitution score is critical to succeeding with an infernal pact. Most
infernal pact hexblades rely on heavy armor and great durability to outlast their
foes. See page 230 for more information on the infernal pact.
Race
Choose your race (page 35). Drow and tiefling are particularly good choices for a
hexblade.
Drow Drow who face exile from their Underdark homes sometimes turn to
arcane pacts as the best way to gain the power they need to survive on their own.
Drow hexblades usually enter into fey pacts. They are loners, wanderers, and
mercenaries, dependent on their pact for survival in the surface world. Unfortu-
nately for them, the typical mistrust of drow displayed by surface-dwellers world
only increases when a drow is known to deal in pacts with otherworldly entities.
Drow hexblades are typically pragmatists. They want power as a means to
defend themselves against their murderous kin and to survive in a hostile world.
The fey powers that create these pacts care little for the details of a drow’s life—a
202 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
state of affairs that most exiled drow
find refreshing.
Drow hexblades typically worship
Sehanine, though a few of the more
heroic-minded ones embrace Kord.
Ability Scores
Determine your ability scores (see page
38). As a hexblade, most of your attacks
rely on your force of will to control
your magic, so make Charisma your
highest score.
Your second-highest score should be
either Dexterity or Constitution, based
T Y L E R J ACO BS O N
Skills
At 1st level, choose four trained skills from the following list of class skills:
Arcana, Bluff, History, Insight, Intimidate, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise, and
Thievery. See Chapter 6 for information on skills.
As a hexblade, you’re often dealing with powers not of the world. It’s useful to
have training in Arcana to better understand the creatures you deal with, as well
as to know which of your spells will be the most effective against them. If you
prefer to work from the shadows, Stealth is a skill you will often use. Most hex-
blades also find the Intimidate skill useful.
Once you’ve chosen your skills, think about why your character learned them.
Magic flows through a hexblade’s veins as strongly as blood, so training in Arcana
comes naturally. Are you an explorer, searching for ancient magic held within
items and rituals? History is another great skill for hexblades, because they often
deal with ancient powers and beings through their pact and can pick up bits of
forgotten lore. Perhaps you are an archeologist following clues mentioned by your
patron over the years that will lead to an ancient lost city full of artifacts. Street-
wise and Thievery might mean that you learned to live on the streets, using your
abilities to survive while dealing in obscure information for a price.
204 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Feats
Choose one feat at 1st level. You gain an additional feat at every even-numbered
level, plus a feat at 11th and 21st levels. See Chapter 7 for information on feats.
Since your pact weapon functions as both an implement and as a weapon, the
implement training and weapon training feat categories each include options
that work well for you. Consider improving your damage output by selecting
either Implement Focus or Weapon Focus (but not both, since their bonuses
don’t add together).
Review the quick reaction category for feats that might give you an edge when
combat starts, such as Aggressive Advantage. Feats that boost your defenses, such
as those in the vigilant reflexes and enduring stamina categories, help keep you
alive when you get separated from your allies.
Equipment
You have proficiency with the following types of armor: cloth, leather, hide, and
chainmail. You have proficiency with the following weapon types: simple melee,
martial melee, and simple ranged.
You have 100 gp to buy your starting equipment. Your first purchase should
be armor. If you’re an infernal pact hexblade, you should wear chainmail,
counting on the armor’s high bonus to AC to keep you alive. If you’re a fey pact
hexblade, consider wearing hide or leather armor. Your high Dexterity score will
contribute to your AC while you’re wearing light armor, and the mobility that
such armor offers is useful.
You should buy an implement, since your pact weapon powers rely on your
having one. You don’t need to buy a melee weapon, since you create a weapon
using your Pact Weapon class feature. You also don’t need to purchase a ranged
weapon, because your eldritch bolt works as well as any crossbow.
HEROIC HEXBLADE
In the heroic tier, you first learn to forge your pact weapon from the stuff of raw,
arcane energy. Through practice and battle, you become able to extract more
powerful spells from your master.
206 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Level 1: Pact Reward
The pact you forge with an otherworldly entity provides many benefits. To help
you defeat your enemies, and thereby provide that entity with shards of life force
through the pact, your patron rewards your service with a small gift.
Benefit: You gain a bonus to damage rolls determined by your pact (fey,
page 225, or infernal, page 230).
Hellfire Blast This deadly spell taps into the fire of the Nine Hells,
unleashing it at your command to turn your foes into piles of ash.
208 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Spectral Fade Using this spell, you step into the space between the
planes to render yourself invisible. You remain there for only a moment, because
lurking too long beyond the world can have catastrophic consequences, but it
buys you enough time to escape your enemies or land an attack.
Wrathful Aspect This spell allows you to steal the aspect of a devil and
turn yourself into a scowling, horrific figure clad in a cloak of fire. Your visage
enhances your ability to intimidate others, while the fiery cloak punishes foes
that dare move near you.
Emerald Shield This spell draws on the energy of the Elemental Chaos
to forge a crystalline shield infused with a dazzling, green light, which flickers
within it like a flame. The shield forms around your arm, allowing you to keep
that hand free while blocking enemies’ attacks. At your command, the flame
within the shield unleashes a searing radiance that punishes foes that attack you.
210 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Emerald Shield Warlock Attack 5
Your magic brings forth a shield that is a mixture of green quartz and scintillating energy.
Daily ✦ Arcane
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 shield bonus to AC and Reflex, and
you can use the secondary power at will.
Secondary Power (Arcane, Radiant)
Immediate Reaction Melee 1
Trigger: An adjacent enemy attacks you.
Target: The triggering enemy
Effect: The target takes 5 + Charisma modifier radiant damage.
Astral Eyes Across the Astral Sea, stars twinkle against its silvery back-
drop. This light provides a clear radiance despite the vast distances within the
sea. When you use this spell, you gather the light of those stars into your eyes.
They glow softly with magic that allows you to see in the dark.
Iron Aspect of Dispater Dispater, the lord of the second layer of the
Nine Hells, is paranoid and patient in equal measure. His fear of enemies has
served him well, for in the labyrinth of the hells’ politics, it’s difficult to imagine
more enemies than actually exist. With this power, you borrow a little of the
defensive magic of Dispater’s Iron Tower, the impenetrable fortress from which
he commands his minions.
212 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Level 7: Pact Weapon Retribution
Your mastery of your pact magic has improved. You can now coax magical effects
from your pact weapon through the careful application of arcane power. Energy
that once slumbered within your weapon now emerges at your command.
Benefit: You gain a power associated with your choice of pact weapon (fey,
page 225, or infernal, page 230).
214 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
PARAGON HEXBLADE
Your pact weapon has claimed many enemies, and with each victory your magic
grows stronger. You are now ready to master the secrets of the hexblade’s pact.
216 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Armor of Summer’s Glory In the Feywild, summer is a time of
verdant growth and seemingly endless days. The sun hangs high in the sky,
bathing the land in a light that seems a little too bright and intense to people
from the natural world. This spell harnesses that sunlight and forges it into
a suit of armor that protects you from harm while searing your foes with
radiant energy.
Vortex of Fire The hells are wracked with storms that carry deadly
energy, from freezing gales that cover the land in choking ice and snow to fiery
bursts that can turn a giant into cinders. This spell draws on the power of the
latter, creating a whirling vortex of fire.
218 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Death Shroud Aspect Warlock Utility 16
As your foe attacks, your physical body fades and becomes ghostly. Your enemy’s attack passes
through you, barely injuring you.
Encounter ✦ Arcane
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You take damage from an attack.
Effect: You take only half the damage.
Diabolic Escape The denizens of the Nine Hells endlessly feud and plot
against each other. Between open warfare and subtle manipulation, no devil is
ever safe from enemies within its own ranks. With this spell, you steal a trick
favored by the more powerful devils—the ability to escape from their enemies
with a single step.
Memory of Blades War has been a part of the world since shortly after
the cosmos first sprang to life. The primordials battled each other and eventually
the gods, and since that time an untold number of conflicts have raged. With this
spell, you reach through time and space to gather sundered blades from a dozen
battlefields, forming a shield that slices through your foes while protecting you.
220 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Nightshade Cloud Warlock Attack 19
A thick cloud of smoke pours through the area, choking your enemies and filling their minds with
visions of terror and madness.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Fear, Implement, Poison, Zone
Standard Action Close blast 5
Target: Each creature in the blast
Attack: Charisma vs. Will
Hit: 3d10 + Charisma modifier poison damage, and the target’s mind becomes poisoned
with madness (save ends). While under this effect, the target cannot shift, and if it ends
its turn adjacent to an enemy, it is dazed until the end of its next turn.
Miss: Half damage.
Effect: The blast creates a zone of lightly obscured squares that lasts until the end of the
encounter. Whenever an enemy ends its turn in the zone, you can slide it 1 square as a
free action.
222 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Master of Magic Warlock Utility 22
The secrets of the magic of the planes are revealed to you, allowing you to access any magic to suit
your needs.
Daily ✦ Arcane
Minor Action Close burst 5
Target: You or one ally in the burst
Effect: Choose one of the following effects.
✦ Arcane (Teleportation): You teleport the target up to 20 squares.
✦ Divine (Healing): The target can spend a healing surge. In addition, he or she can make
a saving throw with a +5 power bonus.
✦ Shadow: The target is insubstantial and weakened until the end of the encounter. The
target can end this effect as a minor action.
Armor of the Void Your magic draws forth the material from between
the planes—the dead space where unknown creatures dwell—and forges it into a
suit of dull black armor, which manifests around you. If a creature strikes you, it
comes into contact with the voidstuff, which is infused with the cold of nothing-
ness and allows you to teleport the offending enemy away from you.
Soul Cutter Hexblades must walk a careful line between martial ability
and spellcasting. This spell crosses that divide, allowing you to infuse the most
powerful arcane energy you can gather into your pact weapon to make an attack
capable of slaying a mighty creature in one blow.
224 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Level 30: Epic Destiny Power
You have achieved the absolute pinnacle of your abilities. On the verge of facing
your final destiny, you gain one last edge that could spell the difference between
ultimate victory or utter defeat.
Benefit: You gain a power associated with your epic destiny (see page 237).
FEY PACT
The lords of the Feywild grant power to mortals for a variety of reasons. Some
do so out of a sense of twisted mirth, because they enjoy granting great power to
those without the maturity or sense to use it wisely. Others court mortal champi-
ons who can protect the fey realms and hold back the rising tide of evil.
226 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Winter’s Retributive Escape Warlock Attack 7
You lash out with the fury of a winter storm, leaving your foe frozen in your wake as you swirl
away.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Cold, Psychic, Teleportation
Immediate Reaction Melee 1
Requirement: You must be holding your blade of winter’s mourning.
Trigger: An enemy attacks you.
Target: The triggering enemy
Effect: The target takes 5 + your Charisma modifier cold and psychic damage, and you
teleport a number of squares up to your Dexterity modifier.
Level 17: 10 + your Charisma modifier cold and psychic damage.
Level 27: 15 + your Charisma modifier cold and psychic damage.
228 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Level 16: Improved Fey Pact Boon
Legendary hexblade paragon path feature
Your initial understanding of your fey pact allowed you to move among the fabric
of the planes, disappearing in one spot and appearing elsewhere in the blink of
an eye. With experience, you now know how to draw more deeply on the Fey-
wild’s magic. When you teleport, the magic lingers, cloaking you in invisibility.
Benefit: When you use soul step, you become invisible to your enemies until
the end of your next turn.
INFERNAL PACT
The ancient empire of Bael Turath forged one of the most well-known pacts with
the devils of the Nine Hells. Within the labyrinthine system of codes, laws, and
oaths that bind the devils into their rigid order, a number of secret loopholes and
gaps exist that allow mortals to exploit the deal made by the tieflings’ forefathers.
And you are one of the hexblades who has learned to do so.
Devils harbor a particular hatred for infernal pact hexblades. The devils
prefer worship and subservience, rather than the theft of their power.
230 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Level 1: Infernal Pact Boon
Most hexblades bid some part of their enemies’ souls to their patrons, but you
have turned the laws of the hells against their masters. When you slay a foe, you
claim its soul energy for yourself. Minor cuts and bruises disappear as you reap
the benefits of your treachery. In the back of your mind you can hear the infernal
lords cursing you and plotting your demise.
Benefit: You gain the soul feast power.
232 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Reflexive Hellstrike Warlock Attack
You counterattack against an enemy, delivering a painful and fiery wound upon it.
Encounter ✦ Arcane, Fire, Necrotic
Immediate Reaction Melee 1
Requirement: You must be holding your blade of annihilation.
Trigger: An adjacent enemy attacks you.
Target: The triggering enemy
Effect: The target takes 5 + your Charisma modifier fire and necrotic damage, and you
push it a number of squares up to your Constitution modifier.
Level 17: 10 + your Charisma modifier fire and necrotic damage.
Level 27: 15 + your Charisma modifier fire and necrotic damage.
234 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
Infernal Invocation Legendary Hexblade Utility 12
The lords of the Nine Hells laugh as they exult in your predicament. They lend you the power you
need to survive, but at a steep cost.
Daily ✦ Arcane, Healing
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Choose one of the following effects:
✦ You regain hit points as if you spent two healing surges. You then cannot regain hit
points by any other means until the end of the encounter.
✦ You gain a +10 power bonus to the next saving throw you make during this encounter.
After that saving throw, you take a –2 penalty to saving throws until the end of the
encounter.
236 CH A P T ER 4 | Warlock
DESTINED SCION
The world has seen many empires, but all of them have fallen to treachery from
within and enemies from without. You realize that if the world is ever to be safe-
guarded against evil, the old empires must arise again. It is your destiny to defeat
the cosmic forces—be they deities, demon lords, or archdevils—that conspire to
crush civilization.
As a destined scion, you take the fight to the enemies of the mortal world. In
battle, you are stern and resolute. Your foes’ attacks cannot stop you, and when
the time comes to deliver a killing blow, your attack strikes true.
CHARACTER R ACES
The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world is a rich tapestry featuring a great variety of
societies and cultures. Your character is a member of one of the races that holds
the most influence and the most territory in a realm where monstrous creatures
are a constant threat.
T HE R ACES
Six of the races found in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS world are presented here.
Humanity is the most common among these kinds of people.
Dragonborn: The militaristic dragonborn are warriors and mercenaries. Like
their namesakes, they can breathe fire, lightning, or even poisonous gas.
Drow: Treacherous and cunning, the drow hail from deep within the earth.
Half-Elf: Skilled diplomats and leaders, half-elves combine the best of their two
parents. They excel at fostering teamwork and seem to have an answer for
any problem.
Half-Orc: Strong and ruthless, half-orcs are fierce barbarians. In battle, their
great strength and ferocity allow them to strike telling blows.
Human: Humanity is the most ambitious of all folk. Humans can count among
their numbers the greatest heroes, lords, and villains.
Tief ling: Scions of an empire that struck a pact with a dark power, tieflings are
wrathful masters of magic.
Racial Benefits
Each race offers a variety of benefits, summarized below.
Ability Scores: Your character race offers a bonus to one ability score and your
choice of a bonus to one of two other scores.
Speed: Your race determines how fast you can move.
Vision: Some creatures have the ability to see clearly in gloomy light, while
others have no special ability to see in the dark.
Languages: Based on cultural history and tendencies, some races master a
wider variety of languages than others. In some cases, a race allows you to pick
a language of your choice. Other races provide a specific list of languages.
Other Racial Traits: While every race provides the mechanical abilities out-
lined above, some races grant additional benefits and abilities. These include a
bonus to a defense, proficiency with a weapon group, and so forth.
Racial Power: Every race has a special knack that can prove useful during an
adventure. These include the dragonborn’s ability to breathe fire and the
CHRIS SE AMAN
Racial Traits
Average Height: 6´ 2˝–6´ 8˝
Average Weight: 220–320 lb.
Long ago, the dragonborn ruled over Arkhosia—a great and powerful empire that
controlled vast stretches of the world. Spreading out from the cities at the core
of the empire, the dragonborn built roads, settlements, and fortresses reaching
to the edge of the frontier. Arkhosia was a golden age for the dragonborn, and a
time of great prosperity and honor.
However, this prosperity would not last. Arkhosia fell into conflict with the
tiefling empire of Bael Turath, and a long and bloody war took its toll on both
Physical Qualities
Dragonborn resemble humanoid
dragons. They’re covered in scaly
hide, but they don’t have tails. They
are tall and strongly built, often
standing close to 6½ feet in height and
weighing 300 pounds or more. Their
hands and feet are strong, talonlike
claws with three fingers and a thumb
on each hand. A dragonborn’s head
features a blunt snout, a strong brow,
and distinctive frills at the cheek and
ear. A dragonborn’s eyes are a shade of
red or gold. Behind the brow, a crest
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
Dragonborn heroes
DRAGONBORN 241
A typical dragonborn’s scales can be scarlet, gold, rust, ocher, bronze, or
brown. Rarely do an individual’s scales match the hue of a chromatic or metal-
lic dragon, and scale color gives no indication of the type of breath weapon a
dragonborn uses. Most dragonborn have very fine scales over most of their body,
giving their skin a leathery texture, with regions of larger scales on the forearms,
lower legs and feet, shoulders, and thighs.
Young dragonborn grow faster than human children do. They walk hours
after hatching, reach the size and development of a ten-year-old human child
by the age of three, and reach adulthood by fifteen. They live about as long as
humans do.
Dragonborn Communities
At the height of the human empire of Nerath, the dragonborn were thoroughly
assimilated into that empire and its culture. Today, many people think of dragon-
born only as lone individuals or families living in the midst of mostly human
communities. Such dragonborn often decorate their homes with small dragon
carvings that echo the glorious statues of ancient Arkhosian cities.
A scattering of dragonborn communities can still be found in the former lands
of the Arkhosian Empire. Where great cities once stood, clustered villages and
towns have been built on the ruins of a lost civilization. Such communities often
Dragonborn Adventurers
Dragonborn seek out danger and excitement because doing so offers a chance to
prove their honor and an opportunity to establish themselves as the bravest, most
cunning, and most skillful of their kin. Many dragonborn thus take naturally to
an adventuring life.
Paladin Dragonborn are a natural fit for the paladin class, their sense of
honor lending itself to the dedication and virtue on which the greatest of pala-
dins thrive. Likewise, their reverence of Bahamut means that many dragonborn
are intrinsically inclined toward the moral values for which the most renowned
paladins are known. Dragonborn paladins wear armor and carry weapons
that reflect their devotion to the gods as well as to their draconic heritage.
Their dedication allows them to rise quickly to the highest ranks of their holy
orders. However, this ascent sometimes creates conflict with paladins of other
races, who resent being kept subservient to a dragonborn paladin many years
their junior.
DRAGONBORN 243
Ranger Their imperial heritage means that dragonborn often receive exten-
sive martial training from a young age. As a result, dragonborn are well suited
to the life of the ranger, particularly the scouts that are the masters of melee
combat. Dragonborn rangers are common in the former territories of the Ark-
hosian Empire, possessing a knowledge of land and terrain handed down from
generation to generation. Explorers and traders planning expeditions into such
territories often hire dragonborn rangers as guides, relying on their knowledge
of secret routes and their ability to avoid hazards that rarely make their way onto
maps. Dragonborn rangers are also careful to steer outsiders away from impor-
tant Arkhosian sites, ensuring that treasures from the fallen empire do not fall
into the hands of other races.
Warlock For some dragonborn, the pursuit of honor is tightly tied to the
pursuit of power. Such characters often turn to the warlock’s arcane arts—seeing
in the warlock’s pact an echo of the oaths that are an integral part of dragonborn
society. Many dragonborn warlocks take up that path upon discovering a con-
nection to its power in ancient Arkhosian texts. To a dragonborn, the historical
nature of this pact is often more important than the actual source of the war-
lock’s arcane power. Dragonborn warlocks usually have a specific goal in mind
as they master this power—from the simple need to better defend their home-
land or allies, to the burning desire to channel the power of hated Bael Turath
for good.
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
DRAGONBORN 245
DROW
Graceful and deadly, at home in the depths of darkness
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 4˝–6´ 0˝
Average Weight: 130–170 lb.
Physical Qualities
Drow stand just shy of human height and have slender, athletic builds. Physically,
they resemble eladrin, with wiry builds, pleasing features, and midnight black
skin that has a blue cast. Their eyes are fiery red, lavender, or blue. All drow have
white hair, which most keep long and decorate with intricate pins and webbing
wrought from precious metals. Aside from their tresses and eyebrows, drow have
little facial hair, though males sometimes grow long sideburns or tufts of wispy
hair on their cheeks and chins.
In general, dark elves have life spans somewhat longer than those of their
eladrin and elf cousins. Drow who manage to avoid dying a violent death can live
for well over two hundred years, and exceptional members of the race measure
their ages in centuries.
DROW 247
those drow who escape the yoke of their dark culture typically retain this state of
mind. Drow have little time for indecision or endless discussion, instead favoring
quick action at all times.
Despite the harshness of their culture, the members of the powerful drow
houses live decadent lives. In drow society, an overt display of wealth is a sign of
the strength and power of one’s house, and many drow carry this attitude with
them even after abandoning their people. A drow adventurer might drink only
the finest wines, seek out the most comfortable accommodations, and employ
only the finest clothing, weapons, armor, and gear.
The drow heroes of the surface world have typically rejected the more wicked
tenets of drow society. As such, most surface-dwelling drow have a strong
independent streak. Granted a taste of freedom after having lived under the
oppression of Lolth and her servants, a drow adventurer typically carries a strong
distrust—or outright loathing—for authority figures. Many surface drow seem
arrogant and antisocial as a result, but even those who live comfortably among
other races often chafe against restrictions placed upon them. Surface-dwelling
drow are often drawn to rebellious causes, and they might join or lead uprisings
against oppression, trying to help others throw off the social shackles that they
themselves once wore.
Drow Communities
Most dark elves dwell in the Underdark, living in matriarchal societies whose
noble houses engage in endless plots and intrigues. Drow communities are ruled
by female members of Lolth’s clergy, while males are relegated to the roles of
warriors, crafters, and menial servants.
Drow communities in the world are few and far between, since most drow
who leave the Underdark do so to break away from their wicked kin. As such, it
takes a great deal of providence or a need for enough drow to come together to
form their own community. Moreover, even where such enclaves of like-minded
drow exist in the world, the distrust that most surface drow have learned to live
with—and the constant fear of retribution by the society they fled—means that
such communities typically keep their existence a secret.
A surface-dwelling dark elf most often integrates into a human or mixed-race
community, first earning the trust of its people, then seeking a permanent place
among them. The monstrous threats faced by the villages of the borderlands
means that such settlements are often more open to those of unusual races—
particularly those who have demonstrated ability in combat or magic. However,
drow typically receive a colder welcome in the cities and towns farther from
the frontier.
Drow Adventurers
Drow adventurers are often driven by the need to escape a dark past among their
own people—and a need to prove themselves to their allies as a result. The cut-
throat nature of drow society makes for excellent adventurers, whether hardened
DROW 249
Ranger With their innate survival skills and mastery of weapons, drow are
naturally drawn to the ranger path. In the Underdark, drow rangers act as scouts
keeping the vast territories of the dark elves safe from incursion. Such characters
typically have an easy time adapting their training to the surface world. However,
many surface-dwelling drow become rangers only after having fled their former
lives, drawn to the isolation of that path by their inability to fit into human or
elf society.
Warlock Drow often turn to arcane magic for power, particularly male
drow who are excluded from wielding the most potent divine magic. Many
drow warlocks rechannel their early devotion to the Spider Queen to tap into
the power of mighty infernal forces. However, a significant number of surface-
dwelling drow tap into their race’s long-lost past by channeling the power of the
Feywild. In the world, drow warlocks have a particularly sinister reputation,
often retaining the ruthlessness of their upbringing as they advance their own
agendas with little concern for others.
Roleplaying a Drow
When creating a drow character, here are a few points to consider.
Wherever you walk, you walk alone. The drow of the Underdark are no
longer your people. Though you might still hold pride in some aspects of your
heritage, you have fled from your kin and their wicked ways to live your life as
an outcast. Only rarely will you encounter another of your own race, even as you
must prove your worth to the new races you now live alongside. In the world you
were born into, the rigid hierarchy of the Spider Queen’s servants ordained the
life you would have lived. Now you have freedom, but you pay for that freedom
with an endless solitude as you carve out a new life in a very different world.
Trust must be built and earned. As a member of a race with a dark reputa-
tion, you face prejudice and fear from people who do not know you. If you are to
create a life for yourself, you must earn their trust. You might be the first to step
forward when a dangerous monster must be slain, or to volunteer to deliver a wag-
onload of food to a distant community threatened by starvation. At the same time,
you seek out relationships with other brave folk, creating alliances with commu-
nity leaders and other adventurers as a means of making a name for yourself.
Beware the eyes of Lolth. You might have abandoned the ways of the Spider
Queen, but that does not mean she has forgotten her claim on you. Lolth is venge-
ful, and her agents might hunt you in the world—particularly if you were a person
of importance before you fled from your people. You are wary of fellow drow and
the other creatures that serve Lolth, knowing that failure to show proper caution
could mean a quick end to the life you are attempting to build. Your friends and
allies might scoff at your tendency to jump at shadows, but you have lived in the
shadows long enough to know the dangers they conceal.
Use your reputation to your advantage. Regardless of how much you might
strive for good, many of the common folk will treat you with fear and suspicion
thanks to your race’s history and dark reputation. From time to time, you should
DROW 251
H ALF-ELF
Born heroes and leaders who combine the best features of humans and elves
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 5˝–6´ 2˝
Average Weight: 130–190 lb.
Half-elves are a race originally descended from the union of elves and humans.
Many half-elves are the direct offspring of human and elf parents. However, half-
elves produce half-elf offspring among themselves, and some members of the
race can trace their mixed ancestry back for generations. Half-elves combine the
best traits of both their lines, mixing the wisdom and long-term perspective of
the elves with the energy, ambition, and ingenuity of their human parentage.
Half-elves are most common in places where elves and humans live in close
proximity. In the earliest age of the world, elves lived in the Feywild and did
not mingle with the other mortal races. However, following the bloody war that
HALF-ELF 253
they quickly make themselves at home wherever they end up. When their paths
take them back to a place they have visited before, they track down old friends
and renew old contacts.
Ultimately, half-elves are survivors, able to adapt to almost any situation. They
are generally well liked and admired by everyone, not just elves and humans.
They are empathetic, and better than most others at putting themselves in
others’ shoes.
Physical Qualities
Half-elves tend to be sturdier of build than elves but more slender than most
humans. Half-elves have the same range of complexions as humans and elves,
and, like elves, they often have eye or hair colors not normally found among
humans. Male half-elves can grow facial hair, unlike male elves, and often sport
thin mustaches, goatees, or short beards. Half-elves’ ears are about the size of
human ears, but they are tapered, like the ears of their elf ancestors.
Half-elves usually adopt the dress and hairstyles of the society they spend the
most time with. For example, a half-elf raised among a barbaric human tribe
dresses in the furs and skins favored by the tribe and adopts the tribe’s style of
braids and face paint. However, it is not unusual for half-elves raised among
humans to seek out articles of elven clothing or jewelry so that they can display
signs of their dual heritage.
Half-elves have life spans comparable to those of humans, but like elves they
remain vigorous well into old age.
Half-Elf Communities
Half-elves thrive in cosmopolitan communities that have a broad mix of races,
but most often gravitate toward human villages, towns, and cities. Physically,
half-elves blend in well with humans, and any differences are easily overshad-
owed by the half-elves’ gregarious nature. Half-elves often become upstanding
members of their communities, serving on town councils or acting as mayors
and magistrates. In human settlements that have good relationships with nearby
elven communities, half-elves act as diplomatic envoys or merchants moving
between the settlements of both races.
Half-elves also live within predominantly elven communities, though this
situation is less common. The most isolated elf communities are sometimes less
than accepting of half-elves, seeing them as an aberration. However, most elves
embrace all the members of their ancient line. Half-elves who live in elven com-
munities sometimes find themselves overcome by wanderlust, and they might
spend a great deal of time exploring nearby areas and visiting human villages.
Though in this respect half-elves are tame in comparison to humans, elves still
see half-elves as impulsive and willful, giving them reputations among the elves
as troublemakers and scoundrels.
The rare community that consists mostly of half-elves typically begins when a
few families have congregated together. These communities often spring up when
half-elves intermarry with elves and produce half-elf offspring. Additionally,
half-elves who have experienced prejudice from either side of their parentage
sometimes feel out of place among any but their own kind. Such characters can
seek out a half-elf community as a refuge. Half-elf settlements are often found
on established trade routes, and such an outpost can be relied upon to provide
shelter and aid to travelers passing through.
Half-Elf Adventurers
Half-elves thrive on the excitement and new experiences that come with adven-
turing. A half-elf adventurer is eager to explore new places, to meet new people
and experience new cultures, and to see wonders that others only dream of.
Druid Half-elves make excellent druids by virtue of the wisdom and foresight
they inherit from their elf kin. Moreover, the affinity for the natural world that
they share with their elf ancestors makes it easy for them to channel the power
of the primal spirits. A half-elf druid acts as a liaison between the natural world
and the world of the mortal races, balancing the obligations of a defender of the
primal spirits and those of a shepherd of his or her community.
HALF-ELF 255
Paladin Half-elf paladins who favor their elf side typically serve the deities
revered by their elf kin (typically Corellon and Sehanine). At the same time, the
eagerness and versatility of this race causes many half-elves to favor Avandra,
who in turn blesses those who take chances in her name. The most moral among
them use their force of will to spread the light of virtue to the dark places of the
world, but all half-elf paladins see themselves as setting an example for others to
follow. When brave deeds must be done, a half-elf paladin is the first to step up.
Ranger The isolated life of the ranger does not sit well with most half-elves,
such that half-elf rangers follow the path of wilderness guide and leader rather
than that of lone scout. Half-elf rangers accompany caravans through the wilder-
ness, leading them past danger and defending them against banditry. Such a
character usually has a borderlands settlement that he or she calls home, though
the pressures of adventuring often take a half-elf ranger far afield. Their elf kin’s
affinity for the natural world serves half-elf rangers well, and many use their
time traveling between settlements to commune with the primal spirits as their
ancestors do.
Roleplaying a Half-Elf
When creating a half-elf character, here are a few points to consider.
You are a child of two worlds. As a half-elf, you have a lineage that encom-
passes two wholly different cultures and histories. The type of upbringing you
have had—and the relationship between elves and humans in your homeland—
determines how your ancestry affects you. Some half-elves take equal pride in
both sides of their family line. Others focus more on one side than the other—or
might know next to nothing regarding one half of their heritage. You might con-
sider yourself more elf than human, demonstrating that cultural connection by
employing elven weapons and armor, or by adopting elven styles of dress. If you
embrace your human side, you might actively try to avoid elven cultural touch-
stones—to the point where you hide your mixed-race heritage from even your
closest companions.
You have natural leadership ability. Like all half-elves, you have great
strength of will and a forceful personality. Half-elves are rarely timid or pensive,
HALF-ELF 257
H ALF-ORC
Fierce warriors who combine human resolve with orc savagery
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 9˝–6´ 4˝
Average Weight: 155–225 lb.
Half-orcs are the offspring of orcs and humans—a hybrid race combining the
strength, speed, and aggression that underlie orc culture with the ambition,
resourcefulness, and boldness of the human heart. Half-orcs usually live on the
fringes of society, finding ways to succeed as virtual outcasts among their own
kin. Resilient and persistent, a half-orc is unwilling to accept defeat as long as he
or she still draws breath.
Half-orcs were first seen on the frontier, where isolated human settlements
marked the line between civilization and the wilderness. When the ancient
empires of the world collapsed, these frontier territories were the first to fall into
ruin. Marauding tribes of orcs, previously held at bay by imperial armies, quickly
encroached on settled human lands. Though isolated skirmishes between the
races were the norm for long years, orcs and humans were eventually forced
to ally against the monstrous threats of the ancient frontier. Moreover, primal
power provided a common cultural grounding between the tribes of both races,
Physical Qualities
Half-orcs favor their human lineage
in appearance, but are distinguished
by skin that tends to various shades of
gray, broad jaws, and prominent lower
canine teeth—though these are still a
far cry from the jutting tusks of orcs.
On average, they are taller and stron-
ger than humans as well. Their hair is
usually black, though it grays quickly
with age. Most half-orcs who live
among humans favor human styles
of clothing and hairstyle, but a few
adopt orc traditions, tying small bones
or beads into long braids or bunches
of hair.
Half-orcs don’t live quite as long
as humans do. They mature quickly,
reaching adulthood at about sixteen
years, and rarely live past the age
of sixty.
Attitudes and
Beliefs
Half-orcs believe that their strength
and aggression is a gift. They see phys-
ical might as the most basic form of
power, and they admire those who use
their strength well and wisely. Though
their natural aggression is tempered
S TE VE ARGYLE
HALF-ORC 259
heritage, half-orcs are quick to show their strength when challenged—ensuring
that whoever issues that challenge knows better than to do so again.
Half-orcs possess all the ambition and drive of humans, but most have long
grown accustomed to being judged solely on their brutish exterior. As a result,
half-orcs are conscious of the fact that what is presented on the surface is typi-
cally less important than what lies beneath. A friendly merchant is revealed as
a sinister cultist, just as a demonized criminal might turn out to be a rogue with
a heart of gold. Likewise, a half-orc knows better than to rush into any situation
without first assessing its potential dangers.
Once the proper assessment has been made, however, half-orcs prefer to
confront their problems head-on. They have little patience for the niceties of eti-
quette and polite society, and most have no mind for politics or diplomacy. When
threatened, a half-orc considers that the threat might conceal an even more sinis-
ter intention—but then throws the first punch all the same.
Half-Orc Communities
Half-orcs living among humans sometimes must deal with prejudice from the
other members of their community, and often live at the fringes of human society
as a result. In rural villages and towns, half-orcs sometimes become guards and
scouts, earning respect for their natural combat prowess even as they keep a safe
distance between themselves and other races. The closer one gets to the edge of
civilization, the more accepting human settlements become. Half-orcs in such
areas might become blacksmiths or farmers—professions in which their strength
and endurance helps them fit in.
Within orc communities, half-orcs must earn the respect of their peers
through displays of strength and bravery. Half-orcs who live among orcs often
find that the intelligence and insight of their human parentage makes them
exceptional leaders. However, in a culture where strength is everything, a half-
orc must constantly depend on that insight to outwit rivals for his or her power.
Although half-orcs consistently produce half-orc offspring, communities com-
posed primarily of half-orcs are rare in most areas. Where half-orcs do gather
in significant numbers, it is often as part of a larger culture of humans, orcs,
and half-orcs living as equals. A devotion to primal power provides the founda-
tion for such cultures, whose people take on the responsibility for defending a
wide territory.
Half-Orc Adventurers
The combination of physical power, quick temper, and ambition that defines
their racial heritage gives half-orcs plenty of motivation to seek their fortunes as
adventurers. Half-orcs often take up the heroic lifestyle as a means of proving
their worth to the common folk around them—or to gain the wealth that can be
an even faster route to respect.
Among adventurers, sometimes it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad
HALF-ORC 261
Ranger With their strength, durability, and speed, half-orcs make excep-
tional rangers. At home in the wilderness that covers much of the borderlands,
half-orcs are natural warriors who can survive the harshest challenges of the
natural world. Many half-orcs enjoy the solitude that comes with roaming the
wilds. More important, however, a half-orc ranger has ample opportunity to face
off against monsters and hazards in a show of strength and combat skill. The best
half-orc rangers clad themselves in hide armor crafted from the deadly creatures
they have slain.
Warlock Though few half-orcs have the patience for the complex pacts and
endless study necessary to master the warlock’s power, those who succeed at
this goal have no trouble making a name for themselves. Half-orcs who choose
the path of the warlock tend to be brooding, violent characters as skilled with
weapons as they are with the dark arcane power that is their hallmark. Half-orc
warlocks demonstrate their power at any opportunity, making their magic an
outward sign of strength and prowess. In the same way, a half-orc warlock might
adorn his belt with the shattered weapons—or shrunken heads—of fallen foes as
trophies to awe and intimidate other enemies.
Roleplaying a Half-Orc
When creating a half-orc character, here are a few points to consider.
People see what they want to see. No matter what path you take in life, you
know that others will judge you by your outward appearance. Some orcs dismiss
you because of the weakness of your diluted blood. Humans too often fear you as
A DA M G I L L E S P I E
HALF-ORC 263
HUMAN
Ambitious explorers, driven leaders, eager to master the world
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 6˝–6´ 2˝
Average Weight: 135–220 lb.
More numerous than elves, dwarves, halflings, and eladrin, the race of humans
has been the primary architect of history for centuries. While members of
the other races withdraw to their isolated realms and strongholds in the face
of danger, humans push forward with an ever-burning desire to overcome all
challenges. Yet the same ambition and energy that pushes humans to civilize
unsettled lands also makes them covet power and wealth. Even among their own
kind, humans are given to conflict, infighting, and great wars.
On the borderlands, humans defend their territories against the rise of dark-
ness even as other races fall back to the distant mountains and dense forests.
Humans strike out against the unknown, eager to leave a mark on the world.
However, although humans have reached great heights, they have also become
their own worst enemies time and again. A human realm faces more than just
the threat of monstrous incursions. Bickering and political conflict often push
human lands to the brink of civil wars more ruinous than any external foe. After
all, the worst enemy is one who knows your strengths and weaknesses.
Physical Qualities
Humans come in a wide variety of heights, weights, and colors. Some humans
have black or dark brown skin, others are as pale as snow, and they cover the
whole range of tans and browns in between. Their hair is black, brown, or a
range of blonds and reds. Their eyes are most often brown, blue, or hazel.
Humans’ attire varies wildly, depending on the environment and society
in which they live. Their clothing can be simple, ostentatious, or anything in
between. It’s not unusual for several distinct human cultures to live side by side
in a particular area and mingle. As a result, human armor, weaponry, and other
items incorporate a variety of designs and motifs.
Humans have average life spans of about seventy-five years, though some ven-
erable members of the race live as long as ninety or more years.
HUMAN 265
together in relative peace. The human empire of Nerath, the last great world
power, united many different peoples and ruled the land for more than five
hundred years before it collapsed about a century ago. Most of the human settle-
ments that survived the empire’s fall now stand as fortified bastions against the
encroaching darkness. When elven forests are razed or dwarven mines overrun,
the survivors often flee to the nearest human town or city for protection.
Despite the far reach and power of Nerath, humans in the present day are a
scattered and divided people. Dozens of small baronies, fiefdoms, and free city-
states have arisen from Nerath’s ruins, and many of these realms are petty, weak,
and isolated. Tensions and misunderstandings can precipitate skirmishes, espio-
nage, betrayal, and even open warfare between neighboring communities.
Human Communities
Humans are the most adaptable of all folk. Their communities range from forest
villages surrounded by stockades, to tent cities built around desert oases, to clus-
ters of ice-walled huts in the farthest northern reaches, to great fortified cities
standing at the center of widespread realms. Other races are known for their rela-
tionships with specific environments—the dwarves in their mountain halls, the
B E N WO OT T E N
Human Adventurers
Some of the most powerful and successful adventurers to have ever roamed the
world were human. Many humans are forced into adventuring by the pressures
of life on the borderlands. However, just as many seek out that life as the fastest
way to achieve their goals. As they are in every enterprise, humans who take up
adventuring are flexible, unpredictable, adaptable, and capable of great deeds.
Druid Unlike many other races, humans are equally at home in the sprawl-
ing desert wastes, the frigid polar climes, or the lush jungles of the tropics.
Humans have long had a close tie to primal magic. Though humans have built
many cities and carved kingdoms from the wilderness, their roots point to a
simpler existence in touch with the magic of the world. When great empires have
fallen into ruin, the druids and their primal magic helped humanity to weather
HUMAN 267
the storm. Human druids take their role seriously. They see themselves as guard-
ians of the wild, charged with venturing into dangerous lands to defeat threats to
the natural order.
Paladin It is fitting that the first paladins were humans. Only a human
could muster the energy, ambition, and focus needed to transform a chivalric
virtue into a source of divine might. Human paladins are ardent champions,
eager to prove their skill in battle and vanquish evil. Paladins have sparked many
of the greatest crusades against evil humanoids, demons, and other threats.
Sometimes, all that stood between a conquering dragon and victory was a lone
human paladin willing to sacrifice whatever was required to overcome the
foul creature.
Warlock A human’s ambition and drive make the warlock class a perfect
fit for many would-be masters of the arcane arts. A meteoric rise to power
accompanied by a steep debt to an otherworldly being is the perfect template
for humanity. Many of the most powerful humans have similarly gained power
quickly, only to lose it because of pride or arrogance. Human warlocks are well
aware of this tendency, but if anything, it makes them more likely to push them-
selves to greater risks in search of greater rewards. Though many have faltered, a
few survive to master those that would master them.
Roleplaying a Human
When creating a human adventurer, here are a few points to consider.
Fame, fortune, or power? Humans are driven to adventuring by any number
of reasons. Most humans who dwell in the borderlands find their day-to-day life
challenging enough. Your homeland is a harsh realm rife with monsters and
other threats, yet something inspires you to seek out even more danger. You
might adventure for wealth or glory, seeking the vast fortunes to be looted from
dungeons and the power to be gained with increased experience. You might fight
for your homeland, striking against the forces of darkness before those forces can
lash out against your people. You might hope to combine both goals—creating a
hero’s name for yourself as a means of gaining the prestige and fame needed to
unite the common folk under your rule.
Home is the beginning of all things. In the absence of an overriding
human culture, you maintain a strong connection to the land of your birth and
Zanne
A human wizard calls forth arcane energy to hold back the horde
HUMAN 269
T IEFLING
Heirs of a shattered empire who live in the shadows and do not fear the dark
Racial Traits
Average Height: 5´ 6˝–6´ 2˝
Average Weight: 140–230 lb.
Heirs to an ancient, infernal bloodline, tieflings have no realms of their own but
instead live within human kingdoms and cities. They are descended from human
nobles who bargained with dark powers, and whose empire once subjugated
half the world. But the empire was cast down into ruin, and tieflings were left to
make their own way in a world that often fears and resents them.
Hundreds of years ago, the leaders of the human empire of Bael Turath made
pacts with devils to solidify their hold over its enormous territory. Those humans
became the first tieflings, and they governed their empire in the name of their
infernal masters. In time, Bael Turath came into conflict with Arkhosia, the
ancient empire of the dragonborn, and decades of warfare left both empires in
ruins. Bael Turath’s grand capital was thrown down in ruin.
Following the collapse of their empire, the tieflings were scattered. Bearing
the infernal visage that was the mark of their pact with the forces of darkness,
they found a cold and sometimes deadly welcome in the humanoid societies to
which they fled.
Physical Qualities
The appearance of tieflings testifies
to their infernal bloodline. They have
large horns; thick, nonprehensile
tails that range in length from four
to five feet; sharply pointed teeth;
and eyes that are solid orbs of
black, red, white, silver, or gold.
Their skin color covers the whole
human range and also extends to
reds, from a ruddy tan to a brick red.
Their hair, cascading down behind
their horns, is as likely to be dark
blue, red, or purple as more common
human colors.
Tieflings favor dark colors and
reds, leathers and glossy furs, small
spikes and buckles. Tiefling-crafted
arms and armor often have an
archaic style, harkening back to the
glory of their long-vanished empire.
Tieflings have the same life
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
Tiefling heroes
TIEFLING 271
Attitudes and Beliefs
After long generations of living on the fringes of other cultures, tieflings believe
strongly that all people must fend for themselves. Tieflings practice self-suffi-
ciency with an almost religious devotion, adhering to this virtue throughout
their lives. This attitude can make tieflings seem distrustful—a reputation that
is deserved to some degree. Tieflings who believe that they can rely only on
themselves are naturally skeptical of others that offer help. A tiefling reduced to
destitution by fate will beg, borrow, steal, cajole, or do whatever else is necessary
in order to eat. If that same character later becomes flush with wealth, he hoards
and guards that wealth, not trusting anyone else to even hold it.
Tieflings live for today and tomorrow, only rarely dwelling on the past. This
attitude; which originated in the fall of Bael Turath, enables the tieflings to over-
come the darkness of their history in favor of a future when their kind will rise
to prominence once more. It is easy to assume that tieflings cannot feel guilt or
sadness, but the truth is that they simply do not dwell on such things. Retribution
rather than mourning is the tiefling way.
Tieflings firmly believe that they cannot allow others to run roughshod over
them. The scorn, derision, and violence shown to the tieflings since the fall
of Bael Turath have hardened their race, such that few tieflings will willingly
back down from a confrontation. To do so invites the dismissive treatment once
imposed on their forebears—and a contempt that lessens the worth of the race as
a whole.
Tiefling Communities
Since the fall of Bael Turath, scattered tiefling communities have formed and
fallen apart countless times. In some cases, old rivalries born of the Turathi noble
houses inspire infighting that brings about social unrest and collapse. Other
times, the reputation of their race makes the tieflings unwelcome neighbors,
driven off by suspicious humans or targeted by dragonborn mercenaries seeking
to rekindle ancient rivalries.
Tiefling communities that survive for any length of time are most often found
as small populations within some other society. Tieflings often have to purchase
their acceptance within larger communities, and they can usually afford to do so
only if they are engaged in some kind of profitable venture. As a result, a tiefling
community is typically built around a vocation, from a merchant cartel operating
within a cluster of human towns, to bands of tiefling mercenaries establishing
themselves within the frontier outposts and citadels of other races. In larger
cities, tiefling crime syndicates are common.
Tiefling Adventurers
For generations, tieflings lived by their wits as they stayed constantly on the
move along the fringes of civilization. As a result, the race produces adventurers
at a rate out of proportion to its relatively low numbers. Some tiefling adventurers
seek fame and fortune as a way to overcome the prejudices their race must still
endure. For others, the hero’s path offers a chance to redeem their people in the
eyes of the world.
Druid Although tiefling druids are not common, some tieflings follow this
path as a reflection of the self-reliance for which their race is known. Tiefling
druids often start out as hermits and wanderers, protecting the borderlands but
keeping a safe distance from its people. They easily find acceptance among other
druids and rangers, since those fellow masters of primal power look beyond a
tiefling’s infernal exterior to focus on the quality of his or her character. The
animal companion of a tiefling sentinel sometimes manifests signs of infernal
influence, such as glowing red eyes, unusual coloration, or small horns.
Paladin The self-reliance of their race has long inspired tieflings to be indif-
ferent toward the deities and their faiths. At the same time, a conscious need to
atone for their ancestors’ ancient association with infernal forces inspires many
tieflings to take up the paladin’s path. Tiefling paladins are often zealous devil
hunters, harnessing divine power to strike at the fiendish evil associated with the
rise and fall of Bael Turath. With a zeal born of a hunger for retribution, tieflings
are among the most fervent of all paladins in their pursuit of evil.
TIEFLING 273
Warlock Though
all classes have a place
in tiefling society, war-
locks are most common
among them—more
common, in fact, than
many tieflings would
like to admit. Their
ancient ancestry and
the pacts made by the
masters of Bael Turath
give all tieflings a latent
link to infernal power.
Some learn to draw on
that power in the hope
of controlling it, seeking
a kind of vengeance for
the curse inflicted on
their people from their
dealings with devils.
Others seek to reclaim
that lost heritage, for
good or ill. Some tief-
ling warlocks seek out
fey power as a means
of divesting themselves
of infernal influence,
replacing the pacts
their ancestors made.
Whatever the source of
their power, however,
tiefling warlocks often
carry themselves with a
hint of the malevolence
for which their race
is known.
Roleplaying
a Tiefling
When creating a tiefling
character, here are a few
points to consider.
S A R A H S TO N E
Some young tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, choose a name that
signifies a concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen
name is a noble quest. For others, it is a grim destiny.
Modern Names: Art, Carrion, Chant, Despair, Excellence, Fear, Fortune, Hope,
Ideal, Music, Nowhere, Random, Reverence, Sorrow, Tempest, Torment
TIEFLING 275
CHAPTER 6
SKILLS
Have you studied ancient tomes that describe the nature of magic and the struc-
ture of the universe? Do you have a golden tongue that can pass off the most
outrageous lies as truth? Do you have a knack for getting information out of
people? In the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, these questions are answered by the
skills your character has.
Adventurers have a basic level of competence in every skill. As a character
advances in level, his or her level of competence improves. A character’s ability
scores also affect his or her use of skills; a tiefling ranger who has a high Dexter-
ity is better at Acrobatics than a clumsy dragonborn paladin who has a lower
Dexterity. When using a skill in the game, success is measured with a skill check,
a d20 roll that determines whether—and sometimes how well—your character
accomplishes a skill-based task.
This chapter tells you the basics about
skills. For more details on this topic, check Have you studied
out Chapter 4 in the Rules Compendium. ancient tomes? Do
you have a golden
Skill Training
Having training in a skill means that tongue? Can you extract
your adventurer has some combination of information from
formal instruction, practical experience,
and natural aptitude using that skill. people? Your character
An adventurer who has training in a can, with the right skills.
skill gains a +5 bonus to that skill, though
he or she can’t gain training in a skill more
than once. A character class description specifies how many skills a member of
that class has training in and what skills you can choose at 1st level.
For example, if you create a 1st-level cavalier, you can pick four skills from the
cavalier’s list of class skills. Some feats, such as Skill Training, give an adventurer
training in a skill even if it’s not on the class skill list.
Key Ability
The Skills table below shows the skills available in the game and the key ability
for each one. A skill’s key ability determines the ability modifier used when cal-
culating your character’s modifier with that skill.
T Y L E R J ACO BS O N
Dara and her bear animal companion drive away a band of kobolds
277
SKILLS
Skill Key Ability Skill Key Ability
Acrobatics Dexterity Insight Wisdom
Arcana Intelligence Intimidate Charisma
Athletics Strength Nature Wisdom
Bluff Charisma Perception Wisdom
Diplomacy Charisma Religion Intelligence
Dungeoneering Wisdom Stealth Dexterity
Endurance Constitution Streetwise Charisma
Heal Wisdom Thievery Dexterity
History Intelligence
USING SKILLS
The Dungeon Master determines if a skill check is appropriate in a given situa-
tion and directs players to make a check if circumstances call for one. A player
often initiates a skill check by asking the DM if he or she can make one. Almost
always, the DM says yes.
Making a skill check is discussed in “Playing the Game,” page 18. See page 42
for how to determine your character’s skill check modifiers.
Difficulty Class
When making skill checks, high results are best. You’re always trying to meet or
beat a certain number. That number is called a Difficulty Class (DC). A skill’s DC
depends on what a character is trying to accomplish with the skill check, and the
Dungeon Master sets this number.
Typically, your character either succeeds or fails at a skill check, meaning your
check result meets or exceeds the DC or else falls below it. Some skill checks
have degrees of success or failure that depend on the difference between your
check result and the DC. Unless otherwise noted, when a creature fails a skill
check, it can try again with a new check.
Many of the skill entries in this chapter give sample DCs for common uses of
the skills. Some DCs are fi xed, whereas others scale with level. A fi xed DC rep-
resents a task that gets easier as your adventurer gains levels. By the time your
adventurer reaches epic level, certain tasks become trivial. In contrast, a DC
that scales with level represents a task that remains at least a little challenging
throughout your adventurer’s career.
The Dungeon Master can use the suggested DC for a task or set one using
the Difficulty Class by Level table. The table provides three DCs at each level
based on a task’s difficulty: easy, moderate, or hard. When choosing a DC from
the table, the DM typically picks one at the level of the character performing
the check.
278 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
DIFFICULTY CLASS BY LEVEL
Level Easy Moderate Hard Level Easy Moderate Hard
1 8 12 19 16 16 22 31
2 9 13 20 17 16 23 31
3 9 13 21 18 17 23 32
4 10 14 21 19 17 24 33
5 10 15 22 20 18 25 34
6 11 15 23 21 19 26 35
7 11 16 23 22 20 27 36
8 12 16 24 23 20 27 37
9 12 17 25 24 21 28 37
10 13 18 26 25 21 29 38
11 13 19 27 26 22 29 39
12 14 20 28 27 22 30 39
13 14 20 29 28 23 30 40
14 15 21 29 29 23 31 41
15 15 22 30 30 24 32 42
The following defi nitions are used by the Dungeon Master to predict which of
the three DCs is appropriate for a particular check.
Easy: An easy DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who do not have
training in a particular skill. Such characters have about a 65 percent chance
of meeting an easy DC of their level. An easy DC is a minimal challenge for a
character who has training in the skill and is almost a guaranteed success for
a character who has a high bonus with the skill. In group checks (page 281)
or when every adventurer in a party is expected to attempt a given skill check,
particularly when no one necessarily has training, the DM typically chooses an
easy DC.
Moderate: A moderate DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who have
training in a particular skill as well as for characters that don’t have training but
have a high ability score (18 or higher) in the skill’s key ability. Such characters
have about a 65 percent chance of meeting a moderate DC of their level. In a
skill challenge (page 281), the DM typically chooses a moderate DC for a skill
check that a single adventurer is expected to make.
Hard: A hard DC is a reasonable challenge for characters who have training
in a particular skill and also have a high ability score (18 or higher) in the skill’s
key ability. Such characters have about a 65 percent chance of meeting a hard
DC of their level. The DM typically chooses a hard DC for a skill check that only
an expert is expected to pass consistently.
Aid Another
In some situations, characters can work together to use a skill or an ability. An
adventurer can help another make a skill or an ability check by taking the aid
another action. Given a choice, a group of adventurers should have the character
who has the highest skill or ability check modifier take the lead, while the other
characters cooperate to provide assistance.
Aid Another
✦ Action: Standard action. When an adventurer takes this action, he or she
chooses a target adjacent to him or her.
✦ DC: The adventurer makes a skill check or an ability check with a DC
equal to 10 + one-half his or her level.
280 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
✦ Success: The target gains a +2 bonus to the next check using the same skill
or ability before the end of the assisting adventurer’s next turn.
✦ Failure: The target takes a –1 penalty to the next check using the same
skill or ability before the end of the assisting adventurer’s next turn. This
penalty represents the distraction or interference caused by the failed
assistance.
An adventurer can affect a particular check only once using the aid another
action. However, up to four adventurers can use aid another to affect a
single check.
In certain circumstances, the DM might decide that only one, two, or three
adventurers can try to aid a check. For example, it is unlikely that four characters
can assist in picking a lock.
Group Checks
The Dungeon Master sometimes asks the adventurers to make a check as a
group. This is called making a group check. In such a situation, the characters
who are skilled at a particular task help cover those who aren’t.
To make a group check, everyone in the group makes a skill check or an
ability check specified by the DM. A group check is almost always against an
easy DC. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds. Other-
wise, the group fails.
Group checks might come up in a variety of situations: when the adventurers
try to sneak past some sentries (using Stealth), try to scale a sheer cliff together
(using Athletics), use disguises to pass as a group of orc soldiers (using Bluff ), and
so on. Such checks are particularly common in skill challenges (see below).
Skill Challenges
A skill challenge represents a series of tests that adventurers must face. To deal
with a typical skill challenge, a group of adventurers makes a series of skill
checks, sometimes spread over a few rounds and sometimes spread over days.
The skill challenge is completed either when a specified number of successful
skill checks is reached or when three failures are reached.
An audience with the duke, a mysterious set of sigils in a hidden chamber,
fi nding a safe path through a haunted forest—all of these situations present
opportunities for skill challenges, because they take time and a variety of skills
to overcome. A skill challenge takes complex activities and structures them
into a series of skill checks. A skill challenge should not replace the roleplaying,
the puzzling, and the ingenuity that players put into handling those situations.
Instead, it allows the Dungeon Master to defi ne the players’ efforts within the
rules structure so that the players understand their options and the DM can
more easily adjudicate the outcome.
K NOWLEDGE SKILLS
Your character’s skill in Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature, and Religion
helps determine what knowledge he or she has about particular topics. A char-
acter can use these skills to remember a useful bit of information or to recognize
a clue related to one of these topics. Using a skill in this way is called making a
knowledge check. With the exception of History, these skills can also be used to
identify certain kinds of monsters, as noted in a skill’s description.
Knowledge Checks
Refer to these rules whenever your character makes a knowledge check, regard-
less of the skill he or she is using.
✦ Action: No action. You either know or don’t know the information.
✦ DC: See the Knowledge Checks table. The check DC increases based on
the topic and how common the knowledge is. A Dungeon Master might
decide that certain information is available only to adventurers who have
training in the appropriate knowledge skill.
✦ Success: You recall a relevant piece of lore in the field of knowledge or rec-
ognize a clue related to it.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information. The Dungeon Master
might allow a new check if further information comes to light.
KNOWLEDGE CHECKS
Information DC
General Easy
Specialized Moderate
Esoteric Hard
282 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Monster Knowledge Checks
Refer to these rules whenever your character makes a check to identify a
monster, regardless of the knowledge skill he or she is using. The DM typi-
cally tells a player which skill to use, based on the creature’s origin or relevant
keyword. If a monster’s origin and keyword suggest the use of two different
skills, the DM decides which skill can be used to identify the monster, and might
allow the use of either skill.
✦ Action: No action. You either know or don’t know the information.
✦ DC: The DM sets the DC using the Difficulty Class by Level table
(page 279), selecting the moderate DC for the monster’s level instead of
your level.
✦ Success: You identify the monster and know its origin, type, typical
temperament, and keywords. If you meet or exceed the hard DC for the
monster’s level, he or she also knows the monster’s resistances and vulner-
abilities, as well as what its powers do.
✦ Failure: You don’t recall any pertinent information about the monster.
The Dungeon Master might allow a new check if further information
comes to light.
SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
The game’s skills have many different uses—as many as you can imagine. Each
skill is presented in the following format.
Key Ability: The first line of a skill description after the name of the skill shows
the key ability for that skill. Use the ability modifier of a skill’s key ability to
help determine your skill check modifier for that skill.
Armor Check Penalty: For skills based on Strength, Constitution, and Dexter-
ity, the line containing the key ability also includes a reminder that an armor
check penalty (page 328) applies to that skill.
Typical Uses: A skill description describes typical ways that the skill is used.
Each description specifies the kind of action that is usually required to use the
skill. Some of the descriptions specify the consequences of success or failure.
See the Rules Compendium for sample DCs and additional information.
Acrobatics
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
Adventurers typically use the Acrobatics skill to maintain their balance while
walking on narrow or unstable surfaces, to slip free of a grab or restraints, and to
take less damage from a fall.
Moving across a surface that is slippery doesn’t usually require an Acrobatics
check; that surface is instead treated as difficult terrain. If a surface is extremely
slippery, the DM might require an Acrobatics check to cross it.
Balance
Make an Acrobatics check (with at least a moderate DC) to be able to move
across a surface less than 1 foot wide (such as a ledge or a tightrope) or across
an unstable surface (such as a wind-tossed rope bridge or a rocking log). This
check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of your character’s
actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You can move on the surface for the rest of the action, using squares
of movement from the action. You must spend 1 extra square of movement for
each square you enter on the surface. While on the surface, you grant combat
advantage and might fall if you take damage (see below).
Failure by 4 or Less: You can’t move any farther on the surface as part of
your current action, but you don’t fall.
Failure by 5 or More: You can’t move any farther as part of the current move
action. If you are on a narrow surface, you fall off it. If you are trying to move
across an unstable surface that isn’t narrow, you instead fall prone.
284 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
If you succeed, you maintain your balance. If you fail, you fall or fall prone,
depending on the surface upon which you are balancing.
Hop Down
Make a DC 15 Acrobatics check to hop down no more than 10 feet and land
standing. The check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of
your character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You land standing and take no falling damage. The downward move
uses no movement from the action.
Failure: You fall.
Arcana
Intelligence
The Arcana skill encompasses knowledge about magic-related lore and magical
effects. Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as
a hobby. This knowledge can touch on any source of magical power—whether
arcane, divine, primal, or another one—and extends to information about the
Arcana Knowledge
Make an Arcana check to recall a relevant piece of magic-related lore or to recog-
nize a magic-related clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 282).
You must have training in Arcana to know information about the Far Realm.
Monster Knowledge
Construct, Elemental, Fey, and Shadow
Make an Arcana check to identify a creature that is a construct or that has the
elemental, the fey, or the shadow origin (see “Monster Knowledge Checks,”
page 283).
286 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Sense the Presence of Magic Make an Arcana check (hard DC) to sense
the presence of magic in an area. Typically characters use the skill in this way
when no magic is observable, but they suspect it is present. This is a standard
action. You attempt to detect each source of magical energy within a number of
squares equal to 5 + your level, ignoring all barriers. You automatically succeed
in detecting any source of magical energy within range that is 5 or more levels
lower than you.
Success: You detect each source of magical energy within range and learn
its power sources, if any. If a source of magical energy is within line of sight, you
pinpoint its location. If it’s not within line of sight, you know the direction from
which the magical energy emanates but do not know how far away it is.
Failure: You detect nothing, or nothing is within range to detect. You can’t try
again until after a short rest.
Athletics
Strength (Armor Check Penalty)
Adventurers use the Athletics skill to attempt physical activities that rely on
muscular strength, including climbing, escaping from a grab, jumping, and
swimming.
Climb
Make an Athletics check to climb up or down a surface (the surface helps deter-
mine the DC). A character who has a climb speed doesn’t have to make Athletics
checks to climb.
A climb check is usually part of a move action, but it can be part of any of the
character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Success: You can climb on the surface for the rest of the action, using squares
of movement from the action. You must spend 1 extra square of movement for
each square you enter on the surface. While climbing, you grant combat advan-
tage and might fall if you take damage (see below).
When you move from a vertical surface to a horizontal surface, such as when
climbing out of a pit, you choose to arrive either standing or prone.
Failure by 4 or Less: If you were already climbing, you don’t fall. If you were
trying to start climbing, you fail to do so. Either way, you can’t move any farther
as part of the current action.
Taking Damage while Climbing While climbing, you must make a new
Athletics check if you take damage. This is a free action. The check is a response
to taking damage.
Success: You hold on.
Failure: You fall but can try to catch hold.
Catching Hold If you fall while climbing, you can make an Athletics check
(DC of the climb plus 5) to catch hold of something to stop the fall immediately.
This is a free action. The check is a response to falling.
Success: You don’t fall.
Failure: You fall and can’t try to catch hold again as part of this fall.
Jump
Make an Athletics check to jump vertically to reach a dangling rope or a high
ledge or to jump horizontally to leap over a pit, a patch of difficult terrain, a low
wall, or some other obstacle.
Simply scrambling onto a terrain feature such as a table or a chair doesn’t
require an Athletics check, because such terrain features are usually treated as
difficult terrain.
High Jump Make an Athletics check to make a high jump, usually to reach
or grab hold of something overhead. The check is usually part of a move
action, but it can be part of any of your character’s actions that involve him or
her moving.
Divide the check result by 10 (round down). This value is the number of feet
you jump up, or in other words, the height that your feet clear.
All the squares of the jump, if any, use squares of movement from the action.
The High Jump table summarizes the total distances of various high jumps
based on Athletics check results. If you run out of movement before landing on
something or grabbing onto something, you fall. However, if the jump was part
of a move action, you can continue the jump as part of a double move, ending the
first move action in midair and continuing the jump as part of the second move
action. You make a single Athletics check for the jump but can use squares of
movement from both actions for it.
Running Start: If you move at least 2 squares as part of the action and then
jump, double the result before dividing by 10 (or simply divide the result by 5).
288 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Reaching Something: To determine whether you can reach something while
jumping, calculate what one-third of your height is (round down to the nearest
inch). This extra one-third represents the length of your arms. Add that number
to your height and the distance cleared based on your Athletics check.
HIGH JUMP
Athletics Result Distance Cleared
9 or lower 0 feet
10–19 1 foot
20–29 2 feet
30–39 3 feet
40–49 4 feet
And so on . . .
Long Jump Make an Athletics check to make a long jump. The check is usually
part of a move action, but it can be part of any of your character’s actions that
involve him or her moving.
Divide your Athletics check result by 10 (rounded down). This determines
the number of squares you clear with the jump. You land 1 square beyond the
square you clear. All the squares of the jump, including the landing square, use
squares of movement from the action. The Long Jump table summarizes the total
distances of various long jumps, including the landing square.
If you end your movement over a drop, you fall and can’t move any farther as
part of the current action. If you run out of movement before landing, you also
fall. However, if the jump was part of a move action, you can continue the jump
as part of a double move, ending the fi rst move action in midair and continuing
the jump as part of the second move action. You make a single Athletics check
for the jump but can use squares of movement from both actions for it.
Running Start: If you move at least 2 squares as part of the action and then
jump, double the result before dividing by 10 (or simply divide the result by 5).
Distance Cleared Vertically: To determine the number of feet that you clear
vertically during the long jump, divide your check result by 10 and then add 2
if the result is at least 1. If you don’t jump high enough to clear an obstacle along
the way, you hit the obstacle, fall prone, and can’t move any farther as part of the
current action.
LONG JUMP
Athletics Result Distance Cleared Total Move
9 or lower 0 squares 0 squares
10–19 1 square (3 feet up) 2 squares
20–29 2 squares (4 feet up) 3 squares
30–39 3 squares (5 feet up) 4 squares
40–49 4 squares (6 feet up) 5 squares
And so on . . .
Bluff
Charisma
Characters use the Bluff skill to make what’s false seem true, what’s outrageous
seem plausible, and what’s suspicious seem ordinary. A character makes a Bluff
check to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, gamble, pass off a disguise, fake a
piece of documentation, or mislead in some other way.
A Bluff check is usually a standard action. The Dungeon Master might allow
you to make a Bluff check as part of another action, depending on what you want
to do.
The check is an opposed check against a target’s passive Insight, or against the
target’s Insight check if it is actively trying to see through your deception. You
can make the check against multiple targets at once, opposing the passive Insight
of each target with a single Bluff check.
Success: Your deception is successful against the target that opposed
the check.
Failure: The target doesn’t believe your deception.
290 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Gain Combat Advantage
Make a Bluff check to gain combat advantage against an enemy by feinting. This
is a standard action. You can take this action only once per encounter.
The check is an opposed check against an adjacent target’s passive Insight.
Success: You gain combat advantage against the target until the end of your
next turn.
Diplomacy
Charisma
Adventurers use the Diplomacy skill to influence others using tact, subtlety, and
social grace. Make a Diplomacy check to change opinions, inspire good will,
haggle with a merchant, demonstrate proper etiquette and decorum, or negotiate
a deal in good faith (a target’s attitude helps determine the DC).
This is usually a standard action. The Dungeon Master might allow you to
make a Diplomacy check as a free action.
Success: You achieve the desired influence. This might be the first of several
successes required—perhaps as part of a skill challenge—to fully influence
a target.
Dungeoneering
Wisdom
The Dungeoneering skill represents knowledge and skills related to dungeon
exploration, including fi nding your way through underground complexes, navi-
gating winding caverns, recognizing subterranean hazards, and foraging for food
in the Underdark.
Training in this skill represents formalized study or extensive experience.
Adventurers who have training in the skill can also identify creatures of the
Far Realm.
Dungeoneering Knowledge
Make a Dungeoneering check to recall a relevant piece of lore about an under-
ground environment or to recognize an underground hazard or clue (see
“Knowledge Checks,” page 282).
Examples of dungeoneering knowledge include determining cardinal direc-
tions while underground (hard DC), recognizing a dangerous underground plant
(moderate DC), spotting new carvings or construction (moderate DC), and notic-
ing a change in depth while exploring an area (moderate DC).
Monster Knowledge
Aberrant
Make a Dungeoneering check to identify a creature that has the aberrant origin
(see “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 283).
Forage
Make a Dungeoneering check to locate and gather food and water in an under-
ground environment that includes pools of water, edible fungi or lichen, small
vermin, or the like.
The check takes 1 hour of effort.
Success: You fi nd enough food and water for 24 hours.
Failure: You fi nd no food or water. You must wait 24 hours to try again in the
same area.
292 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
IMPROVISING WITH DUNGEONEERING
✦ Determine how to cause part of a tunnel to collapse (hard DC)
✦ Figure out the direction to a source of moving air while underground (mod-
erate DC)
✦ Leave well-placed marks to avoid getting lost underground (easy DC)
Endurance
Constitution (Armor Check Penalty)
The Endurance skill is used to stave off ill effects and to push beyond normal
physical limits. An adventurer who has training in Endurance can hold his or
her breath for long periods of time, forestall the debilitating effects of hunger and
thirst, and swim or tread water for extended periods. Some hazards—including
extreme temperatures, violent weather, and diseases—require characters to make
Endurance checks to resist or delay debilitating effects.
Characters rarely use Endurance actively; the DM directs players to use it in
response to certain hazards. Using the skill in that way requires no action, unless
otherwise noted.
Heal
Wisdom
The Heal skill is used to help others recover from wounds or debilitating condi-
tions, including disease.
Treat Disease
Make a Heal check to treat a subject infected by a disease.
Rather than taking a particular action, you must attend the subject periodi-
cally throughout an extended rest taken by the subject and make a Heal check
when the rest ends. You can take an extended rest at the same time.
The check result determines the disease’s effects if the result is higher than
the result of the Endurance check (or other check) that the subject makes
against the disease.
History
Intelligence
The History skill encompasses knowledge related to the history of a region and
beyond, including the chronological record of significant events and an explana-
tion of their causes. This knowledge includes information pertaining to royalty
and other leaders, wars, legends, important personalities, laws, customs, tradi-
tions, and memorable events.
Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as a
hobby. Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric his-
torical information.
Make a History check to remember a relevant piece of historical lore or to rec-
ognize a historical clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 282).
294 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
IMPROVISING WITH HISTORY
✦ Inspire a receptive militia with tales of its heroic ancestors (moderate DC)
✦ Locate the secret tomb of a bandit prince by interpreting the chronicles of
his final days (hard DC)
✦ Recite a canto from one of the epic poems of old (hard DC)
✦ Win a game such as chess using historic strategies (hard DC)
Insight
Wisdom
The Insight skill is used to discern intent and decipher body language during
social interactions. Adventurers use the skill to comprehend motives, to read
between the lines, to get a sense of moods and attitudes, and to determine how
truthful someone is being.
Insight is used to oppose Bluff checks and as the social counterpart to the
Perception skill. The skill can also be used to gain clues, to figure out how well a
social situation is going, and to determine if someone is under the influence of an
outside force.
When you use Insight, you are making a best guess about another creature’s
motives and truthfulness. Insight is not an exact science or a supernatural power;
it represents the ability to get a sense of how a person is behaving.
The use of this skill is usually a minor action. No action is required when
opposing a Bluff check. You need some amount of interaction with a target to
interpret its words or behavior.
Success: You counter a Bluff check, gain a clue about a social situation, or
sense an outside influence on someone.
Failure: You can’t try again until circumstances change.
Intimidate
Charisma
An adventurer can make an Intimidate check to influence others through hostile
actions, overt threats, or deadly persuasion.
Nature
Wisdom
The Nature skill encompasses knowledge and skills related to nature, including
fi nding ways through wilderness, recognizing natural hazards, dealing with and
identifying natural creatures, and living off the land.
Training in this skill represents formalized study or extensive experience.
Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric informa-
tion in the field of study.
Nature Knowledge
Make a Nature check to recall a relevant piece of lore about the natural world—
terrain, climate, weather, plants, or seasons—or to recognize a nature-related clue
(see “Knowledge Checks,” page 282).
Examples of Nature knowledge include determining cardinal direc-
tions or finding a path (easy DC), recognizing a dangerous plant or another
natural hazard (moderate DC), or predicting a coming change in the weather
(moderate DC).
Monster Knowledge
Natural
Make a Nature check to identify a creature that has the natural origin (see
“Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 283).
296 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Forage
Make a Nature check to locate and gather food and water in the wilderness.
This check takes 1 hour of effort.
Success: You fi nd enough food and water for 24 hours.
Failure: You fi nd no food or water. You must wait 24 hours to try again in the
same area.
Calm Animal
Make a Nature check to calm a natural beast (hard DC of the beast’s level). For
instance, you might use this check to get a wild horse to let you ride it. This is a
standard action. You can’t try to calm a creature you are fighting.
Success: The beast is calmed.
Train Animal
Make a Nature check to teach a natural beast a simple trick (come, fetch, heel,
stay, and so forth). This use of the skill is usually part of a skill challenge, which
might take much longer than an encounter to complete.
Perception
Wisdom
The Perception skill encompasses perceiving things, most often by sight or sound.
Make a Perception check to notice a clue, detect a secret door, find a trap, follow
tracks, listen for sounds behind a closed door, or locate a hidden object.
In most situations, the DM uses passive Perception to determine if a creature notices
things. A creature that has fallen asleep naturally (as opposed to being knocked uncon-
scious by a power or other effect) is unconscious, but not totally deprived of awareness;
it can use its passive Perception to hear things, but with a –5 penalty.
Perceive Something
Make a Perception check to perceive something, such as a hidden door, a con-
cealed object, a group of creatures talking, or a monster’s tracks.
This is usually a minor action. No action is required when the DM is using
your passive Perception. Carefully searching an area (your space and squares
adjacent to it) requires 1 minute or more.
Success: You perceive something. If you are carefully searching an area, you
fi nd something, assuming there’s something to fi nd.
Religion
Intelligence
The Religion skill encompasses knowledge about gods, sacred writings, religious
ceremonies, holy symbols, and theology. This knowledge extends to information
about the undead and about the Astral Sea, including the creatures of that plane.
Training in this skill represents academic study, either formalized or as a
hobby. Adventurers who have training in the skill are likely to know esoteric
information in the field of study.
Religion Knowledge
Make a Religion check to recall a piece of relevant religious lore or to recognize a
religion-related clue (see “Knowledge Checks,” page 282).
Monster Knowledge
Immortal and Undead
Make a Religion check to identify a creature that has the immortal origin or the
undead keyword (see “Monster Knowledge Checks,” page 283).
298 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Stealth
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
Characters use the Stealth skill to conceal themselves from enemies, slink
past guards, slip away without being noticed, and sneak up on others without
being detected.
The check is usually at the end of a move action, but it can be at the end of any
of your character’s actions that involve him or her moving.
Make an opposed check against the passive Perception of each target crea-
ture present. If you move more than 2 squares during the action, you take a –5
penalty to the Stealth check. If you run, the penalty is –10.
You can make a Stealth check against a target only if you have superior cover
or total concealment against that target or if you are outside the target’s line of
sight. Outside combat, the DM might allow you to make a Stealth check against a
distracted target, even if you don’t have superior cover or total concealment and
aren’t outside the target’s line of sight. The target might be focused on something
in a different direction, allowing you to sneak around it.
Success: You become hidden from the target. Being hidden means being
silent and invisible.
Remaining Hidden: You remain hidden as long as you meet these
requirements.
Keep out of Sight: If you no longer have any cover or concealment from a target,
you don’t remain hidden from the target. You don’t need superior cover, total
concealment, or to stay outside line of sight, but you at least need partial cover or
partial concealment from a target to remain hidden. A hidden creature can’t use
another creature as cover to remain hidden.
Keep Quiet: If you speak louder than a whisper or otherwise draw attention to
yourself with a noise, you don’t remain hidden from any creature that can hear you.
Keep Still: If you move more than 2 squares during an action, you must make
a Stealth check to remain hidden, with a –5 penalty, or a –10 penalty if you run.
If any creature’s passive Perception beats your check result, you don’t remain
hidden from that creature.
Don’t Attack: If you make an attack, you don’t remain hidden.
Not Remaining Hidden: If you take an action that causes you not to remain
hidden, you retain the benefits of being hidden, such as combat advantage, until
the action is resolved. You can’t become hidden again as part of that same action.
Also, if an enemy tries to enter your space, you don’t remain hidden from
that enemy.
Thievery
Dexterity (Armor Check Penalty)
The Thievery skill encompasses various abilities that require nerves of steel and a
steady hand: disabling traps, opening locks, picking pockets, and sleight of hand.
The DM might decide that some uses of this skill are so specialized that
an adventurer is required to have training in Thievery to have a chance of
succeeding.
Disable Trap
Make a Thievery check to prevent a known trap from triggering. Some traps
cannot be disabled using Thievery.
This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be adjacent to part
of the trap to try to disable it.
300 CH A P T ER 6 | Skills
Success: You disable the trap. Some traps, however, require multiple checks
to be disabled.
Failure by 4 or Less: Nothing happens, unless the trap’s description says
otherwise.
Failure by 5 or More: You trigger the trap.
Open Lock
Make a Thievery check to pick a lock. This is a standard action. Unless otherwise
noted, you must be adjacent to a lock to pick it.
Success: You pick the lock. A complicated lock might require multiple checks
before it can be opened.
Pick Pocket
Make a Thievery check to lift a small object (such as a purse or a key) from a
target creature without that creature being aware of the theft (hard DC of the
target’s level). This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be
adjacent to the target, and the target must not be holding the object.
Success: You lift a small object from the target without the target noticing.
Failure by 4 or Less: You fail to lift an object, but the target doesn’t notice.
Failure by 5 or More: You fail to lift an object, and the target notices
the attempt.
Sleight of Hand
Make a Thievery check to perform an act of legerdemain, such as palming an
unattended object small enough to fit in your hand (a coin or a ring, for instance).
This is a standard action. Unless otherwise noted, you must be adjacent to
the object.
This is an opposed check against the passive Perception of each creature
present.
Success: You pull off the sleight of hand.
Failure: You perform the sleight of hand but are obvious, unconvincing,
or both.
FEATS
A feat is a talent, a knack, or a natural aptitude. It embodies the training, the
experience, and the abilities you have acquired beyond what your class provides.
A feat can represent the days you spent learning to handle a sword, your natural
toughness and tenacity, or your unshakable faith in the gods.
You can think of feats as a flourish you add to your character, an additional
layer of customization that makes him or her unique.
✦ Choosing Feats: The basics for picking feats, including how prerequisites
work and feat summaries separated by category.
✦ Adventurer Feats: Complete descriptions of each feat, presented alpha-
betically from Aggressive Advantage to Weapon Focus.
Prerequisites
Some feats have “Prerequisite” entries, which specify any precondition an adven-
turer must meet to take those feats. If your adventurer does not meet a feat’s
prerequisite, you cannot select that feat.
Some feats have minimum ability scores as prerequisites. These feats repre-
sent specialized abilities that are too difficult for the average person to master.
Your adventurer’s ability score must be equal to or higher than the requisite
B E N WO OT T E N
Feat Categories
The feats in this chapter are organized into different categories based on themes.
The categories have no effect on a feat’s rules or mechanics. Instead, the catego-
ries represent an easy way to approach feat selection. When choosing a feat, you
can start by looking at the categories that appeal to you.
Armor Training In most cases, the armor proficiencies your class pro-
vides are enough to cover your needs. However, learning to use better armor—or
figuring out how to better wear your armor—can provide a useful edge in combat.
Divine Devotion The gods are an important part of your life. You could
be a priest or a cleric, or you might be a member of the uninitiated who makes
offerings at temples before venturing into the wilds. Maybe you were raised
among religious parents, or your homeland is a theocracy. Regardless of the
reason, you have a close bond with a particular deity, and that bond is repre-
sented in your abilities.
304 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
The feats in this category reflect your commitment to the principles of the
gods, but they don’t require that you worship a single deity. You might worship
many deities, so your feats reflect your respect for many different ideals.
Enduring Stamina You shrug off powerful attacks and can push on
when others would fail. The feats in this category let you resist certain types of
damage, bounce back faster from injuries, or survive more battles between rests.
Implement Training For those who wield magic rather than steel, an
implement provides a conduit for deadly power. The feats in this category allow
you to improve your prowess with implements. As you master their use, you learn
to draw upon their unique traits.
Primal Soul You respect the mighty primal spirits, the guardians of the
world that drove out both the gods and the primordials. Without the primal
spirits, the world long ago would have become a scarred battlefield for powers
from other planes.
People of the wilderness devote themselves to the primal spirits. They seek to
live in harmony with the wild, living alongside plants and animals rather than
casting themselves as masters. You look to druids and shamans for religious guid-
ance, rather than the clerics of the civilized world.
Quick Reaction When a troll lumbers around the corner, you are the
first to respond. You have learned to take advantage of the subtle openings
offered by enemies slower than you. The feats in this category let you act quicker
in combat or grant benefits to you at the start of a battle.
306 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Steadfast Willpower You know that mental prowess is just as impor-
tant for an adventurer as stamina and strength. The feats in this category
represent focus, discipline, and an indomitable mind. They show that even a
scholar can be as resolute and unflinching as a heavily armored warrior.
Underdark Lore You have spent at least part of your life in the gloom of
the Underdark. You might be a drow who escaped to the surface, a dwarf from a
stronghold far beneath the mountains, or even a slave escaped from your derro or
aboleth masters. In any case, you have learned to fight and survive in darkness.
Vigilant Reflexes You have an intuitive sense of the ebb and flow of the
battlefield, letting you predict when to duck out of the way. The feats in this cat-
egory give you superior reactions and improved awareness, often bolstering your
AC or Reflex.
W I L L I A M O ’CO N N O R
308 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Wilderness Lore The feats in this category represent time spent wan-
dering the wilderness between the civilized towns and outposts. They focus on
combat tactics common to wilderness skirmishers, such as hit and run assaults,
ambushes, and attacks that focus on a lone, isolated foe. In the dense forests of
the wilds, a successful warrior uses the terrain as a shield against his foes.
A DVENTURER FEATS
This section presents the feats in alphabetical order. Each feat might have the fol-
lowing entries.
Name and Description: The feat’s name followed by a general overview of its
effects and background. Some feats, such as armor proficiency feats, lack a
description.
Prerequisite: Any preconditions an adventurer must fulfill before taking
the feat.
Benefit: What the feat does for you.
Special: Any additional information or exceptions that apply to the feat.
Alertness The hair on the back of your neck might stand up, or perhaps
your keenly honed senses detect an otherwise imperceptible change in your envi-
ronment. Whatever the case, you’re always ready for trouble.
Benefit: You cannot be surprised.
Also, you gain a +2 feat bonus to Perception checks.
Armor Finesse You are trained so extensively in the use of armor that it
has become like a second skin to you. Its weight and bulk no longer inhibit some
of your actions.
Benefit: You ignore the check penalty for wearing armor.
Battlewise You keep calm and react with care in the face of an enemy’s
attack. Although you might not move quickly, your focus gives you readiness to
fight while others still fumble for their weapons.
Benefit: You can substitute your Wisdom modifier for your Dexterity modi-
fier when making initiative checks.
310 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Blindfighting Warrior You have learned to fight without relying on
your sight. Your sharp hearing and ability to guess at a foe’s location are the
product of training and experience rather than of the supernatural ability to see
in the dark, though most people cannot tell the difference.
Benefit: Your melee attacks take no penalties due to partial concealment or
total concealment.
Bow Expertise Your steady accuracy allows you to fire arrows with great
precision. With training, you’ve learned to hone in on lone foes to deal out crip-
pling strikes.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with
a bow. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll of any weapon
attack you make with a bow against a single creature that is not adjacent to
any other creature. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at 11th level and
+3 at 21st level.
Cold Adaptation Frozen climes are home to you, whether you hail from
the endless tundra or the high, snow-capped mountains. Extreme cold does little
harm to you.
Benefit: You gain resist 5 cold. The resistance increases to 10 at 11th level
and 15 at 21st level.
Combat Medic You know that on the battlefield, every second counts.
When your companions are badly injured, you tend to their wounds with speed
and confidence.
Prerequisite: Training in Heal
Benefit: You can administer first aid to stabilize a dying creature as a minor
action, instead of a standard action.
Also, you gain a +2 feat bonus to Heal checks.
Cunning Stalker The predators of the wild pick off stragglers and lone
travelers, since such quarry cannot hope to defend itself from an attack that
could come from any direction. You have learned from such predators and
adapted your tactics to match them.
Benefit: You gain combat advantage against enemies that have no creatures
adjacent to them other than you.
Disciple of Death The Raven Queen watches over the gates of death
and works to ensure that all creatures meet their fates. Your faith that she
watches over you provides the determination to survive even the worst perils.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 13
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to death saving throws.
312 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Disciple of Justice Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, watches over the
weak and defenseless, guarding them against danger. You embrace his example
and give of yourself so that others might live.
Prerequisite: Charisma 13
Benefit: When you use your second wind, you can choose one ally adjacent to
you to regain the hit points granted by it. If you do so, you don’t regain the
hit points.
Disciple of Light Pelor, the Sun Lord, teaches his followers to carry the
sun’s purifying light to the darkest corners of the world. When hope and light
fade, Pelor’s indomitable radiance still burns within your heart, inspiring others.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 13
Benefit: Whenever you spend a healing surge while bloodied, each ally
within 5 squares of you gains 3 temporary hit points. These temporary hit
points increase to 5 at 11th level and 8 at 21st level.
Disciple of Lore As god of knowledge and skill, Ioun expects her fol-
lowers to achieve perfection through study and practice. Your mental acuity and
relentless training allow you to excel in areas you have studied.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to skills in which you have training.
Distant Advantage When your allies flank an enemy, you know how
best to aim your attack to take advantage of its distraction.
Benefit: You gain combat advantage for ranged or area attacks against any
enemy flanked by your allies.
Durable Your natural tenacity and durability allows you to outlast your
enemies and overcome obstacles. Over the course of a day, you can take more
punishment than other adventurers.
Benefit: Your number of healing surges increases by two.
314 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Heat Adaptation You grew up in a hot environment, such as the Desert
of Desolation, or have worked in the searing depths of a dwarven forge. In either
case, you are adapted to extreme heat.
Benefit: You gain resist 5 fire. This resistance increases to 10 at 11th level
and 15 at 21st level.
Heavy Armor Agility Your strength and toughness allow you to easily
shoulder the burden of heavy armor. Even in plate, you move as fast as an unar-
mored warrior.
Prerequisite: Strength 15 or Constitution 15
Benefit: You ignore the speed penalty for wearing heavy armor.
Improved Defenses You hone your body and mind to guard against a
variety of attacks.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. This bonus
increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Iron Will Your mind is as tough and resilient as iron. You effortlessly resist
powerful attacks aimed at breaking your will or penetrating your psyche.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
Jack of All Trades You have picked up a little bit of everything in your
travels. You might not be an expert in many disciplines and practices, but you are
at least competent in each of them.
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to untrained skill checks.
Light Blade Expertise What a light blade lacks in weight and power,
it makes up in accuracy. In your hands, this advantage becomes even deadlier
when your foe’s defenses are down.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with a
light blade. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage rolls of weapon
attacks that you make with a light blade against a creature granting combat
advantage to you. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at 11th level and +3
at 21st level.
316 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Master at Arms Some warriors seek to master one or two weapons.
You instead learned techniques to wield a variety of arms.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to the attack rolls of weapon attacks.
The bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Also, you can use a minor action to sheathe a weapon and then draw
a weapon.
Resilient Focus You are so focused on victory that magic, curses, and
poisons cannot slow you down. When you face threats, you grit your teeth and
push through them with sheer determination.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to saving throws.
Rod Expertise A rod is a useful conduit for arcane energy. It is also useful
when defending yourself against your foes. The magic you draw from within a
rod, along with your training and expertise, allows you to use it to parry attacks.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls that you make
with a rod. When you hold a rod, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC and
Reflex. The bonus to attack rolls increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at
21st level.
Shield Finesse You use your shield with such speed and grace that it
never interferes with what you’re doing.
Benefit: You ignore the check penalty for wearing a shield.
Skill Training
Benefit: You gain training in one skill, which doesn’t need to be on your class
skills list.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose a different skill.
Spear Expertise Your talent with the spear is deadliest when you are
advancing upon a foe.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to weapon attack rolls that you make with a
spear. When charging, you also gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls of weapon
attacks that you make with a spear. Both of these bonuses increase to +2 at
11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Speed Loader Your quick hands and experience with the weapon allow
you to reload a crossbow in the blink of an eye.
Benefit: As a free action, you can reload a crossbow you’re wielding that has
the load minor weapon property.
318 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Stoneroot’s Endurance Despite the ravages of gods, primordials, and
even the implacable hand of time itself, Stoneroot survives. You take comfort
in the spirit of the mountains and draw on its power to endure even the most
vicious attacks.
Benefit: Whenever you are subjected to a critical hit, roll a d20. On a 10 or
higher, the attack is a normal hit, not a critical hit.
Superior Reflexes Your speed and agility give you the upper hand at
the start of combat as well as an advantage against certain attacks.
Prerequisite: Dexterity 15 or Intelligence 15
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Reflex. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
You also gain combat advantage against all enemies during your first
turn in an encounter.
Superior Will You can shrug off attacks that try to seize your mind or
leave you senseless.
Prerequisite: Wisdom 15 or Charisma 15
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Will. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th
level and +4 at 21st level.
In addition, if you are dazed or stunned, you can make a saving throw at
the start of your turn to end that effect, even if the effect doesn’t normally
end on a save.
Tenacious Resolve Your stamina and mental focus allow you to shake
off persistent injuries and effects.
Prerequisite: Training in Endurance
Benefit: You gain a +5 feat bonus to saving throws against ongoing damage.
320 CH A P T ER 7 | Feat s
Wand Expertise The wand is the most precise implement. You have
learned to use it to deliver perfectly aimed attacks in spite of any cover your
foes have.
Benefit: You gain a +1 feat bonus to implement attack rolls that you make
with a wand. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
Also, you ignore partial cover and superior cover on implement attacks
you make with a wand.
Wasteland Wanderer You have traveled far and wide through the
untamed lands. You have learned that a keen ear, an eye for subtle signs of
nature, and quick reactions are the difference between a clean escape and death
at the teeth and claws of a wild beast.
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Nature, Perception, and initiative checks.
Weapon Focus Through training and careful practice, you have learned
to deal more deadly attacks with your chosen weapon.
Benefit: Choose a weapon group, such as spear or heavy blade. You gain a
+1 feat bonus to the damage rolls of weapon attacks that you make with a
weapon from that group. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at
21st level.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you select this feat,
choose another weapon group.
The trolls regretted the day they ran into the drow Belgos
Exchange Value
Monetary Unit cp sp gp pp ad
Copper piece (cp) 1 1/10 1/100 1/10,000 1/1,000,000
Silver piece (sp) 10 1 1/10 1/1,000 1/100,000
Gold piece (gp) 100 10 1 1/100 1/10,000
Platinum piece (pp) 10,000 1,000 100 1 1/100
Astral diamond (ad) 1,000,000 100,000 10,000 100 1
Armor Types
Armor is grouped into categories. These categories can help you decide what
armor is best for you.
Your class tells you what kinds of armor you have proficiency with. You can
take feats to learn the proper use of other kinds of armor. If you wear armor you
don’t have proficiency with, it makes you clumsy and uncoordinated: You take a
–2 penalty to attack rolls and to Reflex.
Putting on a suit of armor always takes at least 5 minutes, which means that
it’s an activity you can undertake only outside combat (likely while you’re taking
a short rest).
While wearing a suit of armor, you gain an armor bonus to Armor Class,
determined by the type of armor.
Armor is defined as either light or heavy.
Light armor is easy to move in if you have proficiency with it. Cloth armor,
leather armor, and hide armor are light armor. While you’re wearing light
armor, you add either your Intelligence modifier or your Dexterity modifier to
your Armor Class, whichever is higher.
Heavy armor is more restrictive, so your natural agility matters less. When you
wear heavy armor, you don’t add an ability score modifier to your AC. In addi-
tion, a typical suit of heavy armor imposes a penalty to your speed, as noted in
the armor’s entry. Chainmail, scale armor, and plate armor are heavy armor.
Cloth Armor Jackets, mantles, woven robes, and padded vests don’t, by
themselves, provide any significant protection. However, you can imbue them
with protective magic. Cloth armor doesn’t slow you down or hinder your move-
ment at all. All characters have proficiency with cloth armor.
Chainmail Metal rings woven together into a shirt, leggings, and a hood
make up a suit of chainmail. Chainmail grants good protection, but it’s cumber-
some, so it reduces your mobility and agility.
1 3
8
5
4
2
6
1. Cloth armor; 2. Leather armor; 3. Hide armor; 4. Chainmail; 5. Scale armor; 6. Plate armor; 7. Light shield; 8. Heavy shield
DAV I D G R I F F I T H
Shield Types
A shield grants a shield bonus that you add to your AC and Reflex while you’re
using the shield. However, if you don’t have proficiency with a shield, you don’t
gain its shield bonus.
To use a shield, you must strap it to your forearm. Doing so is a standard
action, unless otherwise noted. Removing the shield is also a standard action.
While using a shield, you gain a shield bonus to AC and Reflex, determined
by the type of shield.
Light Shield While you’re using a light shield, you can use your shield
hand to hold another item, to climb, and the like, but you can’t make attacks with
that hand or with anything in it.
Heavy Shield While you’re using a heavy shield, you can’t use your shield
hand for any other task, since you must use that hand to handle the shield.
WEAPONS
When you confront villains and monsters in their lairs, you often end up in situ-
ations that can be resolved only with arms and magic. If you don’t have magical
powers, you had better have a weapon or two. In fact, you might want a weapon
to back up or even augment the powers you wield.
CHOOSING WEAPONS
If you belong to a class whose powers don’t include weapon keywords, just pick
weapons that you have proficiency with and that you’d like to use. You want to
have an option for melee combat as well as ranged combat, even if you’re not
as effective at one or the other. Be sure to choose at least one of each kind of
weapon. When that flying monster makes its getaway, you don’t want to be left
standing around with nothing to do but hurl insults at it.
Weapon Categories
Weapons fall into several categories. The two described in this book are simple
weapons and military weapons.
Simple weapons are basic weapons, requiring no more skill than being able to
lift one and hit with the business end.
Military weapons are designed for skilled users. Balance and precision are
important factors when using military weapons, and someone without the
proper training can’t use them effectively.
Weapon Groups
Weapon groups are families of weapons that share certain properties. They’re
wielded similarly and are equally suited to certain kinds of attacks. In game
terms, some powers and feats work only when you’re attacking with a weapon in
a specific group.
If a weapon falls into more than one group, you can use it with powers that
require a weapon from any of its groups.
Axe: Axes have bladed, heavy heads and deal vicious cuts. An axe’s weight makes
it fine for delivering crushing blows.
Bow: A bow is a shaft of strong, supple material with a string stretched between
its two ends. It’s a projectile weapon that you use to fire arrows.
Crossbow: Essentially a small metal bow mounted on a stock and equipped
with a mechanical trigger, a crossbow is a point-and-shoot projectile weapon.
Crossbows are popular because they require little training to master, yet the
heavy pull of the metal bow gives them substantial power.
Hammer: A hammer has a blunt, heavy head with one or more flat striking sur-
faces attached to a haft.
Heavy Blade: Blades are balanced edged weapons. Heavy blades share some of
the precision of light blades and some of the mass of axes. Heavy blades are
used primarily for slashing cuts rather than stabs and thrusts.
Light Blade: Light blades reward accuracy as much as force. Pinpoint attacks,
lunges, and agile defenses are the strong points of these weapons.
WEAPONS 329
Mace: Much like hammers, maces are blunt weapons that have a heavier head
than handle, but they’re more balanced than hammers. They’re useful for
delivering crushing blows.
Polearm: Polearms are reach weapons mounted at the end of long hafts. All
polearms have a second weapon group, such as axe or spear.
Sling: Slings are leather straps used to hurl stones or metal pellets. They are pro-
jectile weapons.
Spear: Consisting of a stabbing head on the end of a long shaft, a spear is great
for lunging attacks.
Staff: In its most basic form, a staff is a long piece of wood or some other sub-
stance, roughly the same diameter along its whole length.
STRENGTH OR DEXTERITY?
As a rule, the attack you’re making determines the ability you use with the attack.
When you use a power, the power tells you whether you’re making a Strength
attack, a Dexterity attack, or an attack based on a different ability. When you make
a basic attack, though, the ability you use depends on the weapon you’re wielding.
A basic attack with a melee weapon is always a Strength attack. A basic attack
with a ranged weapon is usually a Dexterity attack, unless the weapon you’re
using has the heavy thrown property (see “Weapon Properties”).
Weapon Properties
Weapon properties define additional characteristics shared by weapons that
might be in different groups.
Heavy Thrown (HT): You hurl a thrown weapon from your hand, rather than
using it to launch a projectile. A ranged basic attack with a heavy thrown
weapon uses your Strength instead of your Dexterity for the attack rolls and
damage rolls, unless otherwise noted.
High Crit (HC): A high crit weapon deals more damage when you score a
critical hit with it. On a critical hit, the weapon deals 1[W] extra damage
at 1st–10th levels, 2[W] extra damage at 11th–20th levels, and 3[W] extra
damage at 21st–30th levels. This extra damage is in addition to any critical
damage the weapon supplies if it is a magic weapon.
Light Thrown (LT): You hurl a thrown weapon from your hand, rather than
using it to launch a projectile. A ranged basic attack with a light thrown
weapon uses your Dexterity, unless otherwise noted.
Load (L): Ranged weapons that launch projectiles, including bows, crossbows,
and slings, take some time to load. Any weapon that has the load property
requires two hands to load, even if you can use only one hand to attack with it.
(The sling, for example, is a one-handed weapon, but you need a free hand to
load it.)
When a weapon shows “load free” (Lf ) on the Ranged Weapons table, that
means you draw and load ammunition as a free action, effectively part of the
action used to attack with the weapon.
The crossbow is “load minor” (Lm), which means it requires a minor action
to load a bolt into the weapon. If a power allows you to hit multiple targets, the
additional load time for multiple projectiles is included in the action used by
the power.
WEAPONS 331
6
8
5 10
12
7
9
4
2 11
1. Quarterstaff ; 2. Javelin; 3. Greatclub; 4. Hand crossbow; 5. Dagger; 6. Scythe; 7. Crossbow; 8. Club; 9. Sling; 10. Mace;
11. Sickle; 12. Spear
Off-Hand (O): An off-hand weapon is light enough that you can hold it and
attack effectively with it while holding a weapon in your main hand. You can’t
attack with both weapons in the same turn, unless you have a power that lets
you do so, but you can attack with either weapon.
Reach (R): With a reach weapon, you can attack enemies that are 2 squares
away from you as well as adjacent enemies. You can still make opportunity
attacks only against adjacent enemies. Likewise, you can flank only an adja-
cent enemy.
Small (S): This property describes a two-handed or a versatile weapon that a
Small character can use in the same way a Medium character can. A halfling
can use a shortbow, for example, even though halflings can’t normally use
two-handed weapons (see “Weapons and Size,” below).
Versatile (V): Versatile weapons are one-handed, but you can use them two-
handed. If you do, you gain a +1 bonus to the weapon’s damage rolls.
A Small character such as a halfling must use a versatile weapon two-
handed and doesn’t gain the bonus to damage rolls.
WAY N E E N G L A N D ( 2)
11
9
5
3 7
1 13
13
4
12
10
8
2
1. Greatsword; 2. Handaxe; 3. Longsword; 4. Shortbow; 5. Short sword; 6. Maul; 7. Greataxe; 8. Longbow; 9. Warhammer;
10. Battleaxe; 11. Throwing hammer; 12. Scimitar; 13. Rapier
WEAPONS 333
MILITARY MELEE WEAPONS
One-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Battleaxe +2 1d10 — 15 gp 6 lb. V Axe
Handaxe +2 1d6 5/10 5 gp 3 lb. O,HT Axe
Longsword +3 1d8 — 15 gp 4 lb. V Heavy blade
Rapier +3 1d8 — 25 gp 2 lb. — Light blade
Scimitar +2 1d8 — 10 gp 4 lb. HC Heavy blade
Short sword +3 1d6 — 10 gp 2 lb. O Light blade
Throwing hammer +2 1d6 5/10 5 gp 2 lb. O,HT Hammer
Warhammer +2 1d10 — 15 gp 5 lb. V Hammer
Two-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Greataxe +2 1d12 — 30 gp 12 lb. HC Axe
Greatsword +3 1d10 — 30 gp 8 lb. — Heavy blade
Longspear +2 1d10 — 10 gp 9 lb. R Polearm,
spear
Maul +2 2d6 — 30 gp 12 lb. — Hammer
Ranged Weapons
SIMPLE RANGED WEAPONS
One-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Hand crossbow +2 1d6 10/20 25 gp 2 lb. Lf Crossbow
Sling +2 1d6 10/20 1 gp 0 lb. L, free Sling
Two-Handed
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Prop. Group
Crossbow +2 1d8 15/30 25 gp 4 lb. Lm Crossbow
Selling Equipment
You cannot sell mundane armor, weapons, or adventuring gear unless your
Dungeon Master allows, in which case you receive one-fifth of an item’s market
price. Art objects or fine goods that have a specific value, such as a gold dagger
worth 100 gp, bring their full price.
IMPLEMENTS
Some creatures use implements to channel the magical energy that fuels their
powers. Members of certain classes, such as wizards, rely so heavily on imple-
ments that their members rarely use weapons, unleashing attacks through
implements instead.
An implement is different from a weapon in many ways. It doesn’t typically
have a damage die, a range, or properties. In fact, nonmagical implements are
little more than symbols of their users’ magic; for instance, a wizard can cast
any of his or her spells without needing an implement at all. See “Magic Imple-
ments,” page 348, for how magic implements work.
Proficiency
Unlike weapons, an implement doesn’t grant a proficiency bonus. Instead, an adven-
turer must have proficiency with an implement to use it at all. In the hands of a
nonproficient user, an implement—magical or nonmagical—is effectively a bauble.
Using an Implement
Implements are used with powers that have the implement keyword. A creature
must be holding an implement to use it, unless otherwise noted.
An implement cannot be used to make a weapon attack. Some types of imple-
ments, such as staffs, expressly break this rule.
IMPLEMENTS 335
A DVENTURING GEAR
From meals to torches, adventuring gear is essential to your party’s success.
You’re assumed to start with basic clothing, and before your first adventure, you
should equip yourself with weapons, armor, and other gear. See the table on the
following page.
Adventurer’s Kit: This kit includes all the items grouped beneath its entry on
the table: a backpack, a bedroll, flint and steel, a belt pouch, two sunrods, ten
days’ worth of trail rations, 50 feet of hempen rope, and a waterskin.
Ammunition: Arrows come in a quiver that holds thirty, crossbow bolts come in
a case that holds twenty, and sling bullets come in a pouch that holds twenty.
Ammunition is used up when you fire it from a projectile weapon.
Climber’s Kit: This kit includes all the items grouped beneath its entry: a grap-
pling hook, a small hammer, and ten pitons. When you use a climber’s kit, you
gain a +2 bonus to Athletics checks for climbing.
Everburning Torch: This torch never stops burning. It casts bright light to a
radius of 5 squares but sheds no heat, so you can stow it in a bag or a pouch.
You can’t set fire to anything with it.
M AGIC ITEMS
As you gain levels, the mundane equipment you purchased as a starting charac-
ter becomes less important and is overshadowed by the magic items you acquire
on your adventures. Magic armor that can cloak you in shadow, magic weapons
that burst into flame, magic rings that turn you invisible—these items enhance
and supplement the powers you gain from your class and enhance your attacks
and defenses.
Magic items have levels, just as characters, powers, and monsters do. An item’s
level is a general measure of its power and translates to the average level of char-
acter using that item. In practice, your character will end up with some items
that are three or four levels above you and others that are several levels below.
There’s no restriction on using or acquiring items based on their level. If your
10th-level character finds a 20th-level magic sword, you can use it to full effect.
As you adventure, you’ll come across magic items as part of the treasure you
acquire. Magic items range in power from common items with limited abilities to
rare and wondrous items with an array of unusual characteristics.
You can sometimes buy magic items just as you can mundane equipment. It’s
rare to find a shop or a bazaar that routinely sells magic items, except perhaps
the lowest-level items. Some fantastic places, such as Sigil, the legendary City of
Doors, have such markets, but those are the exception rather than the rule. Your
Dungeon Master might say that you can track down a seller for the item you want
to buy or that you might have to do some searching, but in general you can buy
any item you can afford.
Other rules concerning magic items and their use can be found in the DUN-
GEONS & DRAGONS Rules Compendium.
Level A magic item’s level is a general measure of its power and translates to
the average level of characters using that item. An item’s level doesn’t limit who
can acquire or use the item, though it’s unusual for an adventurer to find magic
items more than a few levels above his or her own level.
Flavor Text The next entry gives a description of the item, sometimes
explaining what it does in plain language, other times offering flavorful informa-
tion about its appearance, origin, effect, or place in the world. This material isn’t
rules text; when you need to know the exact effect, look at the rules text below.
Category and Value The next line or lines indicate the magic item’s
various levels and enhancement bonuses (if applicable) and the gold piece value
for each version of the item. For weapons, the line beneath this information lists
which weapon groups can be enchanted with that set of qualities, and for armor,
it notes the same for the five types of armor (plus clothing). For implements, it
shows the specific kind of implement. For clothing items, the entry appears as
“Item Slot” followed by the appropriate slot.
The magic item’s gold piece value is either a single number (for an item with a
fixed level) or a list of values.
Example: The value of a defensive weapon (as well as its enhancement bonus)
depends on its level. The 2nd-level version is a +1 weapon and costs 520 gp, and
the 27th-level version is a +6 weapon and costs 1,625,000 gp. It’s found as any
kind of weapon.
Critical For magic weapons and implements, this entry describes what
happens when you score a critical hit using that item. Just as with an enhance-
ment bonus, this effect only applies for attacks that are delivered through the
weapon or the implement. (A warlock’s hellfire blast can’t benefit from the critical
hit effect noted for the magic dagger she carries, for example.)
All magic weapons and implements deal one or more extra dice of damage
on a critical hit. The number of extra dice is equal to the item’s enhancement
bonus, and the die rolled depends on the particular weapon or implement. (The
normal critical die is a d6.) Unless noted otherwise, the damage type of this extra
damage is the same as the normal damage type for the weapon. An attack that
does not normally deal damage still does not deal damage on a critical hit.
In addition to extra damage, some magic weapons or implements produce other
effects on a critical hit. This information is noted in the weapon’s description. An
attack that does not deal damage still does not deal damage on a critical hit.
Example: A +4 defensive weapon deals 4d6 extra damage on a critical hit.
Property Some magic items have a special property that is constantly active
(or active under certain conditions). A property doesn’t normally require any
action to use, although some properties allow you to turn them off (or on again).
Example: While wielding a defensive weapon, you increase your defenses when-
ever you take the total defense or second wind action.
Power Some uncommon and most rare magic items have a special power. This
entry, when present in an item description, includes the action required to use the
power and the effect of the power. In some cases, it might also specify the circum-
stances in which the power can be used (for instance, only if you’re bloodied). In
general, magic item powers follow the same rules as other powers (see Chapter 3).
Like other powers, magic item powers often have keywords, which indicate the
powers’ damage or effect types. When using a magic item as part of a racial power
or a class power, all the keywords of the item’s power and the other power apply.
Like other powers, magic item powers are sometimes at-will powers, some-
times encounter powers, and sometimes daily powers. Magic item powers have
two other categories as well: healing surge powers and consumable powers. The
power’s category appears in parentheses following “Power” in the entry.
Special If any special rules or restrictions on the item’s use exist, you’ll find
them in this section of the magic item’s entry.
Armor Magic armor adds an enhancement bonus to AC. If you don’t have
proficiency with the armor type, you take –2 penalty to attack rolls and to your
Reflex but still gain the enhancement bonus of the magic armor. Magic armor
has the same check speed, and weight as its base type.
Magic appears at higher levels, and grants higher armor bonuses than its
mundane counterpart. Magic armor always has an enhancement bonus, and
the price of the armor material is incorporated into the overall cost of the magic
armor. For example, a level 22 set of +5 veteran’s plate adds a total bonus of 17 to
the wearer’s Armor Class (12 for the armor bonus and 5 for the enhancement
bonus), and costs 325,000 gp.
The category determines what kind of armors can be enchanted with that par-
ticular set of qualities. “Any” includes all armors: cloth, leather, hide, chainmail,
scale, and plate.
Magic armors appear in many varieties and using construction techniques
unique to specific cultures and locations. For example, magic cloth armor might
be made of feyweave woven by the eladrin or starweave fashioned after patterns
created in the divine dominions of the Astral Sea. Feyleather armor is cured by
an elven method, while starleather armor is infused with the raw spiritual matter
of the Astral Sea. Darkhide armor is a superior tiefling armor cured in fire
and infused with shadow, and elderhide armor involves scouring the material
with elemental forces. Forgemail armor is made with superior metallurgy and
a chain-making technique perfected by the dwarves; spiritmail armor draws on
techniques developed in the divine dominions. Wyrmscale is made using ancient
techniques the dragonborn invented to mimic the strength of overlapping dragon
Implements
If you have proficiency with an implement, you add its enhancement bonus to
the attack rolls and damage rolls of attacks made with the implement, and you
can use its properties and powers. The bonus does not apply to any ongoing
damage dealt by those powers.
Unless noted otherwise, you can’t make melee attacks with an implement.
Rods If you belong to a class that can use a rod as an implement, you can
apply its enhancement bonus to the attack and damage rolls of your powers from
that class that have the implement keyword, and you can use a rod’s properties
and powers. Members of other classes gain no benefit from wielding a rod. As
with most other implements, you can’t make melee attacks with a rod.
352 GLOSSA RY
GLOSSARY
This glossary briefly defines many of the terms in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
game that are not discussed elsewhere in this book. Consult the index for terms
that don’t appear here, and see the Rules Compendium for the complete rules.
adjacent squares: Two squares are adjacent if a side or a corner of one touches
a side or a corner of the other. Two creatures or objects are adjacent if one of
them is in a square adjacent to a square occupied or filled by the other, or if
they are in the same square.
adventurer: The character controlled by a player other than the Dungeon Master.
An adventurer is sometimes called a player character. See also character.
area of effect: An area of a specific size where a particular effect takes place. An
area of effect usually has one of three types: blast, burst, or wall. Area powers
and close powers almost always involve an area of effect.
armor class (AC) [defense]: Armor class measures how hard it is to land a
significant blow on a creature with an attack using a weapon or a magical
effect that works like a weapon. Some creatures have a high AC because
they are extremely quick or intelligent and able to dodge well, while other
creatures have a high AC because they wear heavy armor that is difficult to
penetrate.
Astral Sea: A plane. The Astral Sea floats above the world and is home to the gods’
dominions, the Nine Hells, and githyanki pirates.
attack: An attack roll and its effects, including any damage rolls. The word “attack”
is sometimes used as shorthand for “attack power.” Some attack powers
include multiple attacks, and some powers, such as magic missile, are desig-
nated as attacks yet lack attack rolls (using such a power counts as making an
attack if the power has a target).
automatic hit: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 20 on the d20,
the attack automatically hits, regardless of modifiers. The attacker also prob-
ably scored a critical hit.
automatic miss: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 1 on the d20,
the attack automatically misses, regardless of modifiers.
battle grid: The network of 1-inch squares that represents an encounter area.
blinded [condition]: While a creature is blinded, it can’t see, which means
its targets have total concealment against it, and it takes a –10 penalty to
Perception checks. It also grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
blindsight: A creature that has blindsight can clearly see creatures or objects
within a specified radius and within line of effect, even if they are invisible or
in obscured squares. The creature otherwise relies on its other senses.
blocking terrain: An obstacle such as a large tree, a pillar, or a floor-to-ceiling
wall blocks a square entirely by completely filling it. Creatures can’t normally
GLOSSARY 353
enter a square of blocking terrain, and when blocking terrain fills a square, a
creature can’t move diagonally across the corner of that square.
bonus: A number added to a die roll. If a bonus has a type (such as a power or a
feat bonus), the bonus is not cumulative with bonuses of the same type; only
the highest bonus applies. Bonuses that have no type are called untyped
bonuses. Such bonuses are cumulative. However, untyped bonuses from the
same named game element (such as a power or a feat) are not cumulative; only
the highest applies.
character: Another term for a creature. The term is usually used to refer to a
person who is not monstrous: either an adventurer or a DM-controlled person
(sometimes called a nonplayer character, or NPC).
charge [action]: A charge is a special kind of attack. As a standard action, a crea-
ture chooses a target and then moves up to its speed. Each square of movement
must bring the creature closer to the target, and the creature must end the
move at least 2 squares away from its starting position. At the end of the move,
the creature either makes a melee basic attack against the target or uses bull
rush against it. The creature gains a +1 bonus to the attack roll. The creature
can’t take any further actions this turn, except free actions.
climb speed: A creature that has a climb speed moves on vertical surfaces at that
speed without having to make Athletics checks to climb. While climbing, the
creature ignores difficult terrain, and climbing doesn’t cause it to grant combat
advantage.
combat advantage: One of the most common attack modifiers is combat advan-
tage, which represents a situation in which a creature can’t give full attention
to defense. The creature is flanked by multiple enemies, stunned, surprised, or
otherwise caught off guard. A creature gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against
a target granting combat advantage to it.
concealment: Many types of terrain offer places to hide or obstructions that
combatants can duck behind to avoid attacks. Concealment means objects or
effects that don’t physically impede an attack but instead hide a creature from
view. Concealment comes into play when a target is invisible or in an obscured
square. See also partial concealment and total concealment.
conditions: Conditions are states imposed on creatures by various effects,
including powers, traps, and the environment. A condition is usually tem-
porary, imposing a penalty, a vulnerability, a hindrance, or a combination
of effects. Some conditions include other conditions within their effects. For
example, an unconscious creature is also helpless and prone.
The conditions defined in this glossary include blinded, dazed, deafened,
dominated, dying, helpless, immobilized, marked, petrified, prone, removed
from play, restrained, slowed, stunned, surprised, unconscious, and weakened.
coup de grace [action]: A coup de grace is a special kind of attack. As a standard
action, the creature uses one of its attack powers against an adjacent target
that is helpless. If the attack hits, it automatically scores a critical hit against
354 GLOSSA RY
the target. If the critical hit deals damage greater than or equal to the target’s
bloodied value, the target dies.
cover: Many types of terrain offer places to hide or obstructions that combatants
can duck behind to avoid attacks. Cover means solid obstructions that can
physically deflect or stop objects. See the Rules Compendium for how to deter-
mine cover. See also partial cover and superior cover.
crawl [action]: A prone creature uses a move action to move up to half its speed.
creature: A being in the game world. Both adventurers and monsters are crea-
tures. See also adventurer and monster.
critical hit: When an attacker makes an attack roll and rolls a 20 on the d20, the
attack not only automatically hits, but is a critical hit (also called a crit) if the
result of the attack roll, after all modifiers are applied, is high enough to hit the
target’s defense. A critical hit deals maximum damage. If an attack normally
deals no damage, it still deals no damage on a crit. If a character scores a criti-
cal hit with a magic weapon or implement, or with a high crit weapon, the
item causes the attack to deal a specific amount of extra damage (or to impose
some special effect). If that extra damage involves a die roll, the extra damage
is not automatically maximized.
damage roll: A roll of a die or dice to determine damage dealt by a power or some
other effect. Modifiers to a damage roll apply to the entire roll, not to each die
rolled.
damage type: A specific type of damage: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic,
poison, psychic, radiant, or thunder. Each damage type has a keyword asso-
ciated with it. If a power has such a keyword, the power deals that type of
damage (the exception is poison, the keyword for which refers to damage, a
nondamaging effect, or both).
darkvision: A creature that has darkvision can see normally regardless of light.
The creature therefore ignores concealment that is a result of dim light or
darkness.
dazed [condition]: While a creature is dazed, it doesn’t get its normal comple-
ment of actions on its turn; it can take either a standard, a move, or a minor
action. The creature can still take free actions, but it can’t take immediate or
opportunity actions. It also grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
deafened [condition]: While a creature is deafened, it can’t hear, and it takes a
–10 penalty to Perception checks.
diagonal movement: Moving diagonally works the same as other movement, except
that a creature can’t cross the corner of a wall or another obstacle that fills the
corner between the square the creature is in and the square it wants to enter. A
creature can move diagonally past creatures, since they don’t fill their squares.
difficult terrain: Rubble, undergrowth, shallow bogs, steep stairs, and other
impediments are difficult terrain, which hampers movement. Each square of
difficult terrain costs 1 extra square of movement to enter. Because difficult
GLOSSARY 355
terrain costs that extra square of movement to enter, a creature can’t normally
shift into it.
distance: When determining how far away one square is from another, start
counting from any square adjacent to one of the squares (even one that is diag-
onally adjacent but around a corner), then count around blocking terrain and
end up in the other square. Make sure to use the shortest path.
dominated [condition]: While a creature is dominated, it can’t take actions vol-
untarily. Instead, the dominator chooses a single action for the creature to take
on the creature’s turn: a standard, a move, a minor, or a free action. The only
powers and other game features that the dominator can make the creature
use are ones that can be used at will, such as at-will powers. The creature also
grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
double move: A creature can move twice on its turn if it takes another move
action instead of a standard action. During a double move, first add the speeds
of two identical move actions together. The creature moves using the com-
bined speed.
dying [condition]: A dying creature is unconscious and must make death saving
throws. This condition ends immediately on the creature when it regains hit
points.
effect: The result of a game element’s use. The damage and conditions caused
by an attack power are the power’s effects, for instance. Some powers have
“Effect” entries, which contain some but not necessarily all of the powers’
effects. In an attack power, the effects of such an entry are not contingent on a
hit or a miss.
Elemental Chaos: A plane. The Elemental Chaos churns below the world and is
populated by elementals and home to the Abyss, the abode of demons.
ending a move: A creature must have enough movement to enter its destination
space. A creature can’t partly enter a square: If it doesn’t have enough move-
ment or runs out on the way, its move ends in the last square it could get to.
enter a square: Move to a square on the battle grid by any means, whether will-
ingly or unwillingly.
escape [action]: A creature can attempt to escape when it is grabbed or subject
to other immobilizing effects. As a move action, the creature makes either an
Acrobatics check or an Athletics check against a set DC. If the check succeeds,
the immobilizing effect ends on the creature, which can then shift 1 square.
extra damage: Many powers and other effects grant the ability to deal extra
damage. Extra damage is always in addition to other damage and is of the
same type or types as that damage, unless otherwise noted. An effect that
deals no damage cannot deal extra damage.
facing: A creature that is taking part in an encounter is assumed to be in constant
motion, looking here and turning there. Because of this assumption, no one
ever has to keep track of which direction a creature is facing.
356 GLOSSA RY
falling: When a creature falls at least 10 feet, it takes 1d10 damage for each 10
feet it falls, to a maximum of 50d10. The creature falls prone when it lands,
unless it took no damage from the fall. If a creature has training in Acrobatics,
it can make a check to reduce the damage of a fall.
Far Realm: A plane that lies outside the normal realms of existence, the source of
aberrant monsters.
Feywild: A plane. The Feywild is an enchanted reflection of the world. Coursing
with arcane magic, it is home to eladrin and other fey creatures.
filling a square: When something fills a square, that thing functions as blocking
terrain. Unless otherwise noted, a creature or an object such as a chair does
not fill squares in its space.
flanking: To flank an enemy, a creature and an ally must be adjacent to the enemy
and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space. Creatures have combat
advantage against any enemies that they’re flanking.
fly speed: A creature that has a fly speed can fly a number of squares up to that
speed as a move action. If the creature is stunned or knocked prone while
flying, it falls. See also hover.
flying: To fly, a creature takes the walk, run, or charge action but uses its fly speed
in place of its walking speed. A creature that has a fly speed can also shift and
take other move actions, as appropriate, while flying. While flying, a crea-
ture can move straight up, straight down, or diagonally up or down. There is
no additional cost for moving up or down. If a creature falls prone while it is
flying, it falls.
forced movement: Movement that a creature is compelled to do, specifically a
pull, a push, or a slide. A creature can be moved in other ways, such as through
teleportation, but only pulls, pushes, and slides are technically forced move-
ment. A creature must have line of effect to any square that it pulls, pushes, or
slides a target into. Forced movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks or
other opportunity actions and isn’t hindered by difficult terrain.
Fortitude [defense]: Fortitude measures the inherent toughness, mass, and resil-
ience of a creature. It is often the defense against attacks that include effects
such as disease, poison, and forced movement.
grabbed [condition]: While a creature is grabbed, it is immobilized. Maintaining
this condition on the creature occupies whatever appendage, object, or effect
the grabber used to initiate the grab. This condition ends immediately on the
creature if the grabber is subjected to an effect that prevents it from taking
actions, or if the creature ends up outside the range of the grabbing power or
effect.
half damage: When a power or another effect deals half damage, apply all modi-
fiers to the damage, including resistances and vulnerabilities, and then divide
the damage in half (round down).
GLOSSARY 357
heavily obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has total concealment
when it is in a heavily obscured square, although it has only partial conceal-
ment against an enemy adjacent to it. Examples: Heavy fog, smoke, or foliage.
Contrast with lightly obscured and totally obscured.
helpless [condition]: While a creature is helpless, it grants combat advantage.
hidden: When a creature is hidden from an enemy, the creature is silent and
invisible to that enemy. A creature normally uses the Stealth skill to become
hidden. See also invisible.
hindering terrain: Pits, electrifying runes, lava, extremely deep water, and other
harmful environmental phenomena are hindering terrain, which punishes
creatures that are in it or try to enter it. A creature can make a saving throw
to avoid being forced into hindering terrain, whether it is pulled, pushed, slid,
teleported, or otherwise moved against its will.
hover: If a creature can hover, it can remain in the air if it is stunned. See also fly
speed.
immobilized [condition]: When a creature is immobilized, it can’t move, unless
it teleports or is pulled, pushed, or slid.
immunity: If a creature has immunity to a damage type, it doesn’t take that type
of damage. If a creature is immune to charm, fear, illusion, or poison, it is unaf-
fected by the nondamaging effects of a power that has that keyword.
initiative: Before the first round of combat, each creature rolls initiative to deter-
mine the order of turns within a round. Then the participants take turns,
round after round in the initiative order from highest to lowest, until one side
or the other flees or is defeated and the encounter ends. See page 39 for how
to calculate your initiative modifier.
insubstantial: When a creature is insubstantial, it takes half damage from any
damage source, including ongoing damage. See also half damage.
invisibility: The most common way to become invisible is to use the Stealth skill
to become hidden. An invisible creature can’t be seen by normal forms of
vision. It has total concealment against any enemy that can’t see it, and gains
combat advantage against any enemy that can’t see it (but it still has to be able
to see the enemy). It doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from enemies that
can’t see it.
knowledge check: A skill check used to remember a useful bit of information in
a particular field of knowledge. Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Nature, and
Religion are the skills most commonly used to make knowledge checks.
leave a square: Move out of a square on the battle grid by any means, whether
willingly or unwillingly.
lightly obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has partial concealment
when it is in a lightly obscured square. Examples: Dim light, foliage, fog, smoke,
and heavy rain or falling snow. Contrast with heavily obscured and totally
obscured.
358 GLOSSA RY
line of effect: A clear line from one point in space to another point in an encoun-
ter that doesn’t pass through or touch blocking terrain. Unless noted other-
wise, there must be line of effect between the origin square of an effect and its
intended target for that target to be affected.
line of sight: A clear line from one point in space to another point in an encounter
that doesn’t pass through or touch an object or an effect—such as a stone wall, a
thick curtain, or a cloud of fog—that blocks the vision of the viewer.
low-light vision: A creature that has low-light vision can see in dim light without
penalty.
marked [condition]: When a creature marks a target, the target takes a –2 penalty
to attack rolls for any attack that doesn’t include the marking creature as a
target. A creature can be subjected to only one mark at a time, and a new mark
supersedes an old one. A mark ends immediately when its creator dies or falls
unconscious.
milestone: A character reaches a milestone each time he or she completes two
encounters without taking an extended rest. Each character who reaches a
milestone gains 1 action point.
modifier: A bonus or a penalty applied to a die roll. See bonus and penalty.
monster: A creature controlled by the Dungeon Master. The term is usually
used to refer to creatures that are hostile to the adventurers (often including
DM-controlled characters). See also adventurer, character, and creature.
move: Any instance of movement, whether it is done willingly or unwillingly.
Whenever a creature, an object, or an effect leaves a square to enter another, it
is moving. Shifting, teleporting, and being pushed are all examples of moves.
nearest creature or square: To determine the nearest creature or square, count
distance normally. When two or more creatures or squares are equally close,
the creature’s player can pick either one as the nearest.
occupied squares: A creature occupies all the squares of its space. A creature can
enter an ally’s space, but it can end its move in an ally’s space only if the ally is
prone. A creature can’t enter an enemy’s space unless that enemy is helpless or
two size categories larger or smaller than it. A creature can end its move in an
enemy’s space only if the enemy is helpless.
once per round: Some effects can occur only once per round. When a creature
uses such an effect, the creature can’t use the effect again until the start of its
next turn.
once per turn: Some effects can occur only once per turn. When a creature uses
such an effect, the creature can use the effect on each turn, not only during its
turn.
ongoing damage: Damage that occurs on consecutive turns. When a creature is
subjected to ongoing damage, it does not take the damage right away. Instead,
the creature takes the specified damage at the start of each of its turns until
the ongoing damage ends. Unless noted otherwise, an instance of ongoing
GLOSSARY 359
damage lasts on a creature until the creature makes a successful saving throw
against it. See “Saving Throws,” page 25.
origin square: The square where an effect originates. Every power has an origin
square. A power’s attack or utility type determines the origin square’s location.
partial concealment: A target in a lightly obscured square or in a heavily
obscured square but adjacent to an attacker has partial concealment against
that attacker, causing the attacker to take a –2 penalty to melee and ranged
attack rolls against the target.
partial cover: An attacker takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against a target that
has partial cover. When a creature makes a ranged attack against an enemy
target and other enemies are in the way, the target has partial cover.
penalty: A number subtracted from a die roll. Unlike bonuses, penalties don’t
have types. Penalties add together, unless they’re from the same named game
element (such as a power or a trait).
petrified [condition]: While a creature is petrified, it is unconscious. In addition,
it has resist 20 to all damage and doesn’t age.
phasing: While phasing, a creature ignores difficult terrain, and it can enter
squares containing enemies, blocking terrain, or other obstacles. The creature
follows the normal rules for where it must end its movement (normally an
unoccupied space).
planes: Other planes of existence exist around or outside the world. They are
home to creatures beyond the mortal realm.
position: The location of a creature, an object, or an effect on the battle grid.
prone [condition]: When a creature is prone, it is lying down. If the creature is
climbing or flying when it is knocked prone, it falls instead. A prone creature
takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls, and the only way it can move is by crawl-
ing, teleporting, or being pulled, pushed, or slid. In addition, it grants combat
advantage to enemies making melee attacks against it, but it gains a +2 bonus
to all defenses against ranged attacks from enemies that aren’t adjacent to it. A
creature can end this condition on itself by standing up. A creature can drop
prone as a minor action.
pull (forced movement): Pulling a target means that each square of the forced
movement must bring the target closer to the creature or effect that is
pulling it.
push (forced movement): Pushing a target means that each square of the forced
movement must move the target farther away from the creature or effect that
is pushing it.
range: The maximum distance that an effect can reach. Range is often expressed
as a number of squares.
reach: A creature’s size affects its reach, which is measured in squares. A crea-
ture’s reach can influence several things in the game, such as how far away the
360 GLOSSA RY
creature can touch or grab something as well as the range of some of its melee
powers. A typical adventurer’s reach is 1 square.
Reflex [defense]: Reflex measures a creature’s ability to predict attacks or to
deflect or dodge an attack. It’s often useful against areas of effect such as
dragon breath or a fireball spell.
regeneration: Regeneration is a special form of healing that restores a fixed
number of hit points every round without drawing on healing surges. A
creature regains the hit points at the start of its turn, but only if it has at least 1
hit point.
removed from play [condition]: Some effects can temporarily remove a creature
from play. While a creature is removed from play, its turns start and end as
normal, but it can’t take actions. In addition, it has neither line of sight nor line
of effect to anything, and nothing has line of sight or line of effect to it.
resistance: Resistance means a creature takes less damage from a specific
damage type. “Resist 5 fire,” for example, means that any time the creature
takes fire damage, that damage is reduced by 5. (An attack can’t do less than
0 damage.)
restrained [condition]: While a creature is restrained, it can’t move, unless it tele-
ports. It can’t even be pulled, pushed, or slid. It also takes a –2 penalty to attack
rolls, and it grants combat advantage.
round: A round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. In a round, every
combatant takes a turn. See also turn and once per round.
run [action]: A creature uses a move action to move its speed plus up to 2 addi-
tional squares. As soon as a creature begins running, it grants combat advan-
tage and takes a –5 penalty to attack rolls until the start of its next turn.
save: A successful saving throw. A save ends an effect that includes one of the fol-
lowing notations: “save ends,” “save ends both,” or “save ends all.”
Shadowfell: A plane. The Shadowfell is a dark echo of the world. It is the first des-
tination of souls after death and inhabited by undead.
shift [action]: A creature uses a move action to move 1 square (certain powers
allow a creature to shift more than 1 square). Shifting doesn’t trigger opportu-
nity actions such as opportunity attacks.
size: One of six categories—Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan—
that determines the extent of a creature’s space. Depending on his or her race,
an adventurer’s size is usually either Small or Medium.
slide (forced movement): Sliding a target can move it in any direction.
Sometimes a creature can swap places with a target. Doing so is a special kind
of slide; the creature slides the target into its space and then shifts so that its
space includes at least 1 square that the target just left.
slowed [condition]: When a creature is slowed, its speed becomes 2 if it was
higher than that. This speed applies to all of the creature’s movement modes
GLOSSARY 361
(walking, flying, and so on), but it does not apply to forced movement against
it, teleportation, or any other movement that doesn’t use the creature’s speed.
The creature also cannot benefit from bonuses to speed, although it can take
actions, such as the run action, that allow it to move farther than its speed.
solid obstacle: See blocking terrain.
space: A creature’s space is the area—measured in squares—that the creature
occupies on the battle grid. This area represents the cubic space that the crea-
ture needs to take part in an encounter, allowing it to turn around, attack, fall
prone, and so on.
speed: Each creature has a speed that is measured in squares. This speed repre-
sents how far a creature can move using the walk action. The most common
way that a creature moves is by taking a move action, such as the walk or the
run action, that is based on its speed. See page 39 for how to determine your
character’s speed.
square: A 1-inch square on the battle grid, which is equivalent to a 5-foot square in
the game world. The square is the main unit of measurement in the game.
stand up [action]: A prone creature uses a move action to stand up, which ends
the prone condition on it.
stunned [condition]: While a creature is stunned, it can’t take actions. It also
grants combat advantage and can’t flank. The creature falls if it is flying,
unless it can hover.
superior cover: An attacker takes a –5 penalty to attack rolls against a target that
has superior cover.
surprise round: Some combat encounters begin with a surprise round. All crea-
tures that aren’t surprised can take one action in initiative order during that
round. A creature can also take free actions, but it cannot spend an action
point. Surprised creatures can’t act at all during the surprise round.
surprised [condition]: While a creature is surprised, it can’t take actions. It also
grants combat advantage and can’t flank.
swim speed: A creature that has a swim speed moves through water at that speed
without having to make Athletics checks to swim.
telepathy: A creature that has telepathy can communicate mentally with any
creature that has a language, even if they don’t share the language. The other
creature must be within line of effect and within a specified range. Telepathy
allows for two-way communication.
teleportation: A teleportation power transports creatures or objects instantly from
one location to another.
threatening reach: A creature that has threatening reach can make an
opportunity attack against any enemy within its reach that provokes
an opportunity attack.
362 GLOSSA RY
total concealment: A target that an attacker can’t see at all—because the
attacker is invisible or the target is in a totally obscured square or in a heavily
obscured square and not adjacent to the attacker—has total concealment,
causing the attacker to take a –5 penalty to melee and ranged attack rolls
against the target.
total defense [action]: As a standard action, a creature can focus its attention on
defense to gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its next turn.
totally obscured: A measure of visibility. A creature has total concealment when
it is in a totally obscured square. Example: Total darkness. Contrast with
heavily obscured and lightly obscured.
tremorsense: A creature that has tremorsense can clearly see creatures or objects
within a specified radius, even if they are invisible, obscured, or outside line
of effect, but both they and the creature must be in contact with the ground or
the same substance, such as water or a web. The creature otherwise relies on
its other senses.
turn: On a creature’s turn, it takes actions: a standard action, a move action, a
minor action, and any number of free actions, in any order it wishes. See also
once per turn.
unconscious [condition]: While a creature is unconscious, it is helpless, it can’t
take actions, and it takes a –5 penalty to all defenses. It also can’t flank and is
unaware of its surroundings. When a creature is subjected to this condition, it
falls prone, if possible. See also helpless and prone.
unoccupied square: A square that is neither occupied by a creature nor filled by
an object.
vulnerability: Vulnerability to a damage type means the creature takes extra
damage from that damage type. “Vulnerable 5 fire” means that any time the
creature takes fire damage, it takes 5 extra fire damage.
walk [action]: A creature uses a move action to move up to its speed.
weakened [condition]: While a creature is weakened, its attacks deal half
damage. However, two kinds of damage that it deals are not affected: ongoing
damage and damage that isn’t generated by an attack roll. See also half
damage.
Will [defense]: Will is a creature’s defense against effects that disorient, confuse,
or overpower the mind. It measures self-discipline, strength of will, and
devotion.
willing movement: Movement of any sort that a creature does of its own free will.
Any other sort of movement, such as forced movement, is unwilling.
GLOSSARY 363
Index cloth armor 325
coins and currency 324
food, drink, and lodging 337
forage (Nature) 297
ability check modifier 41 combat encounters 15 Fortitude 40
ability checks 20 combat sequence 20 free action 21
ability modifiers (table) 36 conjuration (effect type) 73 gain combat advantage (Bluff) 291
ability scores 36 Constitution 37 gaining levels 55
ability scores, determining 38 controller (role) 34 gems and jewelry 324
Acrobatics skill 284 copper piece 324 gold piece 324
action points 22 create a diversion to hide (Bluff) gods, the 48
action types 62 291 grab 27
actions during a turn 21 creature (as a target) 68 group checks 281
adventuring gear (table) 336 critical (of a magic item) 343 half damage 63
aftereffect (of a power) 64 crossbow (weapon group) 329 half-elf 252
aid another 280 daily powers 60 half-orc 258
alignment 43 damage 24 hammer (weapon group) 329
ally (as a target) 68 damage roll modifiers 41 hands slot items 350
ammunition (of a magic weapon) damage rolls 24 hard DC 279
347 damage types (keywords) 71 head slot items 350
appearance (of a character) 46 death 28 Heal skill 293
Arcana skill 285 death saving throw 29 healing (effect type) 74
arcane (power source) 70 defender (role) 34 healing the dying 29
area of effect 67 defenses 40 healing surges 28, 40
area power 66 deities, the (table) 49 heavy armor 325
armor 325, 344 Destined Scion 237 heavy blade (weapon group) 329
armor and shields (table) 327 detect magic (Arcana) 286 heavy load 338
armor check penalty 328 determining ability scores 38 heavy shield 327
Armor Class 40 Dexterity 37 heavy thrown (weapon property)
arms slot items 349 dice 14 331
art objects 335 Difficulty Class 278 heroic tier 12
astral diamonds 324 Difficulty Class by level (table) 279 hexblade 201
at-will powers 59 Diplomacy skill 291 hide armor 326
Athletics skill 287 disable trap (Thievery) 300 high crit (weapon property) 332
attack and utility types (of powers) divine (power source) 70 high jump (table) 289
65 dragonborn 240 History skill 294
attack powers 59 drow 246 hit points 27, 40
attack roll modifiers 40 druid 82 hop down (Acrobatics) 285
attack roll modifiers (table) 24 Dungeoneering skill 292 human 264
attack rolls 19, 23 durations 25 hunter 149
aura (effect type) 72 dying 28 identifying magic items 339
axe (weapon group) 329 easy DC 279 illusion (effect type) 74
balance (Acrobatics) 284 effect types (keywords) 72 immediate actions 22
background (of a character) 47 effects (of a power) 61 immediate interrupt 22
basic attack 25 encounter powers 60 immediate reaction 22
blast 67 encounters 15 implement (keyword) 71
bloodied value 28 end of a turn 21 implements 335, 348
Bluff skill 290 Endurance skill 293 infernal pact 230
bonuses 42 enemy (as a target) 68 initiative 39
bow (weapon group) 329 enhancement bonuses 342 initiative modifier 39
bull rush 26 epic destiny 81 Insight skill 295
burst 67 epic tier 13 Intelligence 37
calm animal (Nature) 297 escape (Acrobatics) 285 Intimidate skill 295
carrying, lifting, and dragging 338 escape (Athletics) 288 item slots 341
cavalier 117 experience points 55 jump (Athletics) 288
chainmail 326 exploration 15 key ability (of a skill) 277
Charisma 38 extended rest 29 keywords 62, 69
charm (effect type) 73 failed saving throw 64 knowledge checks 282
checks 19 fear (effect type) 74 knowledge skills 282
choosing armor 327 feat categories 304 languages 47
choosing feats 303 feats 303 leader (role) 34
choosing targets 67 feats, replacing 56 leather armor 325
choosing weapons 328 feet slot items 350 level (of a magic item) 339
class (of an adventurer) 33 fey pact 225 level (of a power) 62, 65
class features 79 find a hidden creature (Perception) level modifier 55
climb (Athletics) 287 298 light armor 325
close power 66 first aid (Heal) 294 light blade (weapon group) 329
364 INDE X
light shield 327 primary target 63 target (of a power) 63
light thrown (weapon property) property (of a magic item) 343 targeting objects 68
332 proficiency (with implements) 335 teleportation (effect type) 76
line of effect 68 proficiency (with weapons) 330 temporary hit points 28
line of sight 69 race (of an adventurer) 35 temporary modifiers 41
load (weapon property) 332 range (of a power) 68 Thievery skill 300
long jump (table) 289 range (of a weapon) 330 thrown weapons, magic 347
long range 65 ranged basic attack 26 tiefling 270
mace (weapon group) 330 ranged power 65 train animal (Nature) 297
magic armor (tables) 345 ranged weapons 329 trained skills, replacing 57
magic implements 348 ranged weapons (table) 334 treat disease (Heal) 294
magic item values (table) 340 ranger 148 trigger (of a power) 62
magic items 338 rarity (of a magic item) 339 triggered actions 22
magic weapons 347 reach (weapon property) 332 turn 21
making checks 19 reduce falling damage (Acrobatics) two-handed weapons 329
martial (power source) 70 285 type (of a power) 59
maximum drag load 338 Reflex 40 usage types (of powers) 59
melee basic attack 26 Religion skill 298 utility powers 59
melee power 65 remaining hidden 299 versatile (weapon property) 332
melee weapons 329 requirement (of a power) 62 virtue of sacrifice 140
melee weapons (table) 333–334 retraining 56 virtue of valor 143
military weapons 328 rod (implement group) 335 waist slot items 351
minor action 21 rods 348 wall 67
moderate DC 279 role (of an adventurer) 34 wand (implement group) 335
monster knowledge checks 283 saving throws 25 wands 349
monster origins and keywords scale armor 326 warlock 200
(table) 283 schools of magic 71 weapon damage dice 24, 330
mounts and transport 337 scout 175 weapon (keyword) 71
move action 21 second wind 28 weapon groups 329
movement 23 secondary attacks 63 weapon properties 331
Nature skill 296 secondary powers 64 weapons 328, 347
neck slot items 351 seeing and targeting 69 Will 40
noncombat encounters 15 selling equipment 335 Wisdom 37
normal load 338 sentinel 83 zone (effect type) 77
off-hand (weapon property) 332 shields 327
one-handed weapons 329 short rest 29
open lock (Thievery) 301 silver piece 324
opportunity actions 22 silvered weapons 335
opportunity attack 27 simple weapons 328
opposed checks 280 skill challenges 281
paladin 117 skill check modifier 42
paragon path 81 skill checks 19
paragon tier 13 skill training 277
passive checks 280 sleight of hand (Thievery) 301
penalties 42 sling (weapon group) 330
perceive something (Perception) small (weapon property) 332
297 spear (weapon group) 330
Perception skill 297 speed 39
personal power 66 staff (weapon group) 330
personality (of a character) 46 stance (effect type) 75
pick pocket (Thievery) 301 standard action 21
plate armor 326 start of a turn 21
platinum piece 324 starting gear 323
poison (effect type) 74 Stealth skill 299
polearm (weapon group) 330 Streetwise skill 300
polymorph (effect type) 74 Strength 36
potions 352 striker (role) 35
power (of a magic item) 343 summoning (effect type) 75
power formats 61 surprise round 20
power sources 69 sustain 64
power types 59 swim (Athletics) 290
powers, replacing 56 swimming for an hour or more
prerequisite (of a feat) 303 (Endurance) 293
prerequisite (of a power) 62 taking 10 280
primal (power source) 70 taking your turn 16
INDEX 365
COMBAT STATISTICS
CHARACTER NAME
Thievery ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK When you attack, roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. Compare
the result to the monster’s defense to see if you hit. If you do hit,
roll damage.
Intelligence MODIFIER CHECK
Intelligence describes how well you learn and reason. Hit Points Bloodied
Arcana ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK Your hit points measure the damage you can take before falling
unconscious. Your bloodied value is half of your hit points
History ❏ Trained MISC. CHECK (rounded down).
Permission is granted to photocopy this character sheet for home game use only. TM & ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
CHARACTER SKETCH
POWERS AND FEATS
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Use this space to draw a picture of your character, your
_______________________________________ character’s symbol, or some other identifying mark.
CHARACTER NOTES
EQUIPMENT AND MAGIC ITEMS
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________ Use this space however you like: to record what happens on
your adventures, track quests, describe your background
_______________________________________ and goals, note the names of the other characters in your
party, or draw a picture of your character.
_______________________________________
EXPERIENCE POINTS (XP)
WEALTH
Permission is granted to photocopy this character sheet for home game use only. TM & ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
EXPERIENCE THE
ULTIMATE HEROIC ADVENTURE
In a world of deadly monsters and forbidding dungeons, mighty heroes come forth in
search of adventure and glory. Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms™ presents some of the
most popular DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Fantasy Roleplaying Game character options, from
stalwart paladins to unscrupulous warlocks. Create your hero, plunge into the grim
depths of ancient catacombs, battle monsters, and emerge triumphant with a king’s
ransom in gold and jewels. Within these pages, a world of adventure awaits you!
This essential DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rulebook contains details on the druid, paladin,
ranger, and warlock classes, along with rules for dragonborn, drow, half-elf, half-orc,
human, and tiefling characters. In addition, it provides an array of feats, weapons,
armor, and adventuring gear, as well as a basic summary of the rules of play.
For Players and Dungeon Masters For Dungeon Masters For Players
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Dungeon Master’s Kit™ Heroes of the Fallen Lands ™
Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set
Monster Vault ™
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Dungeon Tiles Master Set: The Dungeon
Roleplaying Game Dice Set
Dungeon Tiles Master Set: The City
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Rules Compendium ™ Dungeon Tiles Master Set:
The Wilderness
ISBN: 978-0-7869-5619-7
EAN