TEXT: A Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game Supplement
  ISSUE 384  |  FEbrUary 2010
  
  Features
  Contents
   5 
  Player’s Handbook 3 debut: tHe battlemind
  Get your first look at this new psionic class a full month before the release of 
  Player’s Handbook 3.
   18 
  bazaar oF tHe bizarre: legendary Figurines
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Figurines of wondrous power for the paragon and epic tiers.
   25 
  Warlock basics
  By Matthew Sernett
  Get the starter basics for building a bad-ass warlock, as well as some new 
  feats for your ‘lock character.
   25 
  to Walk unseen PatHs
  By Ari Marmell
  Learn about those who walk the Unseen Path, rangers who seek to strike 
  the perfect balance between the world and the Feywild.
   33 
  class acts: barbarian
  By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel
  New evocations for two-hander barbarians, emphasizing those that grant 
  reach.
  ®
   41 
  class acts: avenger
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Discover the Godsworn—avengers who devote themselves fully to the 
  destruction of their deity’s enemies.
   43 
  class acts: cleric
  By Matt James
  New prayers and magic items for battle clerics. 
   45 
  class acts: Warlord
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Discover the commando warlord, fast on his feet and ready to seize whatever 
  opportunities arise in battle.
   48 
  Winning races: gnomes
  By Brian Yablon
  Gnomes make poor defenders… or do they? Discover how gnomes protect 
  their communities from their many foes.
   52 
  Winning races: eladrin
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  The winterkin eladrin have potent bonds to the Cold Lands of the feywild. 
  Learn about this new eladrin bloodline here.
  
   56 
  class acts: Warlord
  By Robert. J. Schwalb
  These powers offer the warlord unique powers that enhance his allies’ 
  abilities.
   60 
  cHannel divinity: mielikki
  By Matthew Sernett
  In the Realms, Mielikki is called the Daughter of Silvanus, but learn how her 
  followers pursue her goals in the world.
   64 
   cHannel divinity: avandra
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Avandra shows favor to all adventurers who seize the initiative. Discover new 
  columns
  on tHe cover
  Illustration byTyler Jacobson
  skill powers for Avandra worshipers.
   4   
  editorial
   67 
  design & develoPment
  By Mike Mearls
  Mike goes into detail in this commentary on the 
  battlemind class.
   68 
  design & develoPment
  By Richard Baker & Rodney Thompson
  Rich and Rodney talk about Martial Power 2.
   72 
  conFessions oF a Full-time Wizard
  By Shelly Mazzanoble
  D&D’s “Player-in-Chief” shares more of her 
  wisdom and insight.
   77 
  d&d Play rePort
  By Chris Tulach
  Learn all about the new D&D Encounters program 
  and how you can get involved!
   80 
  amPersand
  By Bill Slavicsek
  Bill discusses more of the changes in store for 
  D&D in 2009.
  Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their 
  respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.a. and other countries.
  This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of america. any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is  
  prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events 
  is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.a. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.
  com/dnd
  
  E D I T o R I A L
  	
  Editor-in-Chief	
  Chris youngs
  	
  Senior	Art	Director	
  Jon Schindehette 
  	
  Web	Specialist	
  Steve Winter
   
  Web	Production	
  bart Carroll
  	
  Contributing	Authors 
  richard baker,
   
   
  Matt James, Shelly Mazzanoble, 
   
   
  Mike Mearls, aeryn “blackdirge” 
   
   
  rudel, robert J. Schwalb,  
   
   
  Matthew Sernett, bill Slavicsek, 
   
   
  rodney Thompson, Chris Tulach, 
   
   
  brian yablon
  	
  Developers 
  Peter Schaefer, Stephen 
   
   
  Schubert, rodney Thompson
   
  Editors 
  Michele Carter, Jeremy Crawford,  
   
   
  Miranda Horner
  	
  Cover	Artist	
  Tyler Jacobson
  	
  Contributing	Artists	
  Tyler Jacobson, Chad King, 
   
   
  William O’Connor,  Cynthia  
   
   
  Sheppard,  Matias Tapia, 
   
   
  Tyler Walpole
  	
  Publishing	Production	Specialists	
  angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries, 
   
   
  Christopher Tardiff
  	
  Web	Development	
  Mark a. Jindra
  	
  D&D	Creative	Manager 
  Christopher Perkins
   
  Executive	Producer,
  	
  D&D	Insider 
  Chris Champagne
  	
  Director	of	RPG	R&D	
  bill Slavicsek
  Special	Thanks
  richard baker, Greg bilsland, Michele Carter, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, andy 
  Collins, bruce r. Cordell, Jeremy Crawford, Peter Lee, Mike Mearls, Kim Mo-
  han, Cal Moore, Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett, rodney 
  Thompson,  James Wyatt
  384
  Dr agon
  Februar y 2010
  I got a pony. . .
  . . . and all it cost me was my pride
  Figurines of wondrous power have a long history in the 
  Dungeons & Dragons® game. They first showed up in 
  the 1st Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide® core rulebook. 
  Since then, many designers have added to the list of 
  ebony fly, golden lions (pair), ivory goats (trio), marble 
  elephant, obsidian steed, onyx dog, and serpentine owl. Later 
  editions added to the list with the likes of the jade sea 
  snake and the opal carp, both available in 4th Edition 
  games near you. And the pearl sea horse.
   
  That’s right, the game now has a figurine of wondrous 
  power that summons a giant aquatic pony. That you can 
  ride. Did I mention it was also pearl? Not mithral. Not 
  titanium. Pearl.
   
  I can imagine a less heroic mount or ally, but it takes 
  some effort. Maybe the purple Peeps figurine? or the 
  mahogany chipmunk?
   
  As I’ve mentioned in this space before, I play in a 
  Wednesday night campaign run by Chris Perkins. The 
  world of Iomandra is composed of a vast sea dotted by 
  islands of various sizes. We spend a lot of our sessions 
  aboard ships. In fact, a recent session saw our captured 
  (read: stolen) ship and another ship assaulted by three 
  submersible turtle ships crewed by githyanki pirates. 
  Cool, right? But my point is that we’re on or near the 
  water a lot. 
   
  You’d think that a figurine that lets you waterski 
  across the water would be a hot commodity. Jade sea 
  snake? Rad. Opal carp? Less rad, but I can get behind it.
   
  Enter the pearl sea horse. Several months back, our 
  group recovered one of these. It was near the beginning 
  of the paragon tier. Keep in mind the aforementioned 
  proximity of water. Not a one of us manly men (ahem) 
  would take the sea pony.  In fact, the item sat in the 
  party holding pen, along with spare healing potions and 
  the funds to raise Divin, our party cleric, for two entire 
  levels. 
   
  And then, one day, I’d had enough. After being sty-
  mied—yet again—by a seemingly impassable 100-foot 
  stretch of water, I was done. “You know what? I’ll take 
  the pony,” I declared. And I did.
   
  I call him Sharkbait.
   
  Since then, I’ve used Sharkbait at least a dozen times. 
  I can’t complain. Each time, someone at the table asks 
  me if I’m enjoying my party dress at my 10th birthday, 
  or something to that effect. But they shut up when 
  Sharkbait leaves them in his wake. 
   
  This month, we’re adding several new figurines of won-
  drous power to the game, specifically for the paragon and 
  epic tiers. Why should heroic characters have all the 
  fun? Steve and Bart originally pitched this idea. They’re 
  big fans of the ebony fly and other flying figurines. You 
  know, the ones that actually increase your character’s 
  cool factor. The new figurines are pretty much all of 
  the kick-ass variety—the coral dragon and mercury wasp 
  just sound cool, don’t they? As for me, I’ve taken to the 
  underdog figurines. As soon as I’m able, I’m saving up 
  for the tourmaline turtle. 
   
  I think I’ll call him Shelldon. 
   
  What’s your favorite figurine of wondrous power? or 
  even your favorite offbeat magic item? Let us know at 
  dndinsider@wizards.com.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  5
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  Battlemind
  illustrations by Tyler Jacobsen
  By Mike Mearls
  “My mind is a far deadlier weapon than some ill-crafted bit of iron.”
  For design insights on the battlemind, check out the companion Design & Development article 
  here.
  As wanderers, mercenaries, and adventurers, battleminds are carefree warriors who seek only to test 
  their skill against the mightiest and most dangerous opponents. Battleminds possess a potent combina-
  tion of psionic and physical skill, allowing them to use their magic to manipulate and deceive their foes 
  even as their fighting skill lets them carve a swath through enemy ranks. Battleminds tend to be bold 
  and sometimes arrogant, an attitude earned through bringing ruin to enemies over the course of many 
  conflicts.
   
  You might not share your fellow battleminds’ arrogance, but you do have access to an array of 
  combat abilities that let you manipulate, baffle, and defeat your enemies. Your mind is as deadly as your 
  weapon, and with the aid of your psionic magic, your body can turn aside attacks as effectively as a suit 
  of plate armor can.
   
  Let those who would stand against your might quiver in terror when you approach, for you are a 
  battlemind, and supremacy in combat is your birthright.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Player's Handbook 3 Debut: Battlemind
  6
  Battlemind Class Features
  Battleminds have the following class features.
  Psionic Augmentation
  Through discipline and careful study, you have 
  mastered a form of psionic magic that offers greater 
  versatility than other characters command. You know 
  a broad array of at-will powers, each of which is a con-
  duit through which you can pour as much or as little 
  psionic energy as you choose. You channel psionic 
  energy into a reservoir of personal power—repre-
  sented in the game as power points—that you can use 
  to augment your at-will attack powers, replacing the 
  encounter attack powers that other characters use.
   
  As a battlemind, you acquire and use powers in a 
  slightly different manner from how most other classes 
  do.
   
  at-Will attack Powers: At 1st level, you choose 
  two at-will attack powers and one daily attack power 
  from your class, but you don’t start with any encoun-
  ter attack powers from your class. You can instead 
  augment your battlemind at-will attack powers using 
  power points. These powers (and certain others, 
  notably the encounter attack power you gain from a 
  battlemind paragon path) have the augmentable key-
  word (see the sidebar).
   
  You gain new battlemind at-will attack powers, 
  instead of new encounter attack powers, as you 
  increase in level. At 3rd level, you choose a new 
  battlemind at-will attack power. At 7th, 13th, 17th, 
  23rd, and 27th level, you can replace one of your 
  augmentable battlemind at-will attack powers with 
  another one of your level or lower. The power you 
  replace must be augmentable.
   
  Power Points: You start with 2 power points. You 
  gain 2 additional power points at 3rd and 7th level, 1 
  additional power point at 13th level, and 2 additional 
  power points at 17th, 21st, 23rd, and 27th level. If 
  you gain power points from another source (such as 
  your paragon path), add them to your power point 
  total. You can use your power points to augment any 
  augmentable power you have, regardless of how you 
  gained the power.
   
  You regain all your power points when you take a 
  short or an extended rest.
  level at-Will attack Powers 
  Power Points
  1 
  choose two 
  gain 2
  3 
  choose one 
  gain 2 (4 total)
  7 
  replace one 
  gain 2 (6 total)
  13 
  replace one 
  gain 1 (7 total)
  17 
  replace one 
  gain 2 (9 total)
  21 
  — 
   
  gain 2 (11 total)
  23 
  replace one 
  gain 2 (13 total)
  27 
  replace one 
  gain 2 (15 total)
  Psionic Defense
  Three powers—battlemind’s demand, blurred step, and 
  mind spike—help you maintain tactical superior-
  ity in combat. You can use these psionic powers 
  to demand your enemies’ attention, follow them if 
  they try to avoid you, and punish them if they attack 
  your allies. This combination of mental compulsion 
  and psionic enhancement of your own capabilities 
  makes you a force to be reckoned with in battle.
  class traits
  role:	Defender.	You	are	tough	and	fast,	while	your	
  mastery	of	psionic	magic	allows	you	to	outwit	your	
  foes.	Depending	on	your	choice	of	class	features	
  and	powers,	you	lean	toward	either	controller	or	
  striker	as	a	secondary	role.
  Power source:	Psionic.	You	are	a	psionic	warrior,	
  a	weapon	master	who	combines	physical	
  might	and	a	cunning	intellect.
  key abilities:	Constitution,	Wisdom,	Charisma
  armor Proficiencies:	Cloth,	leather,	hide,	chain-
  mail,	scale;	light	shield,	heavy	shield
  Weapon Proficiencies:	Simple	melee,	military	
  melee,	simple	ranged
  bonus to defense:	+2	Will
  Hit Points at 1st level:	15	+	Constitution	score
  Hit Points per level gained:	6
  Healing surges per day:	9	+	Constitution	modi-
  fier
  trained skills:	From	the	class	skills	list	below,	
  choose	three	trained	skills	at	1st	level.
  	
  Class Skills:	Arcana	(Int),	Athletics	(Str),	Bluff	
  (Cha),	Diplomacy	(Cha),	Endurance	(Con),	
  Heal	(Wis),	Insight	(Wis),	Intimidate	(Cha)
  class Features:	Psionic	Augmentation,	Psionic	
  Defense,	Psionic	Study
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Player's Handbook 3 Debut: Battlemind
  7
  Psionic Study
  Battleminds learn to fight using their bodies as 
  weapons. Some battleminds alter their own form to 
  fit their needs. other battleminds use their psionic 
  power to predict the best position for launching an 
  attack.
   
  Choose one of these options.
   
  Battle resilience: You gain the battle resilience 
  power, which reflects your ability to use your psionic 
  power to bend your own body to protect yourself.
   
  Speed of Thought: You gain the speed of thought 
  power, which allows you to be always ready for a 
  fight.
  ThE AUGMENTABLE KEYWoRD
  a power that has the augmentable keyword has 
  optional augmentations, which you can use at the 
  cost of power points. you use these rules when you 
  use an augmentable power.
   
  decide First: you must decide whether and 
  how to augment an augmentable power when 
  you choose to use the power, before you make any 
  attack rolls or apply any of the power’s effects.
   
  Power Point cost: an augmentation specifies 
  its cost in power points. For example, “augment 
  1” means you must spend 1 power point to use an 
  augmentation. you must spend the required power 
  points when you decide to use the augmentation.
   
  one at a time: you can use only one augmenta-
  tion on a power at a time, so you can’t, for example, 
  spend 3 power points to use both a 1-point and a 
  2-point augmentation on a single power.
   
  replace base effects: When you augment a 
  power, changes to the power are noted in the 
  augmentation. If an augmentation includes a spe-
  cific power entry, like “Hit” or “Effect,” that entry 
  replaces the entry in the base power that has the 
  same name. an augmented version of a power is 
  otherwise identical to the base power.
   
  unaugmented: When you use an aug-
  mentable power without augmenting it, the 
  power is referred to as unaugmented for that 
  use (some effects apply only when a power 
  is unaugmented). a power that doesn’t have 
  the augmentable keyword is never considered 
  unaugmented.
   
  at-Will attack Powers: When a power or 
  some other effect lets you use an at-will attack 
  power, you can choose to use one of your aug-
  mentable at-will attack powers, but you must use 
  it unaugmented.
   
  When a racial trait grants you an at-will 
  attack power of your choice and you choose an 
  augmentable at-will attack power, the power 
  loses both the augmentable keyword and its 
  augmentations.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Player's Handbook 3 Debut: Battlemind
  8
  Creating a Battlemind
  Battleminds rely on Constitution, Charisma, and 
  Wisdom for their powers. You can choose any 
  powers you like, but many battleminds choose 
  powers that complement their choice of combat 
  style.
  Quick Battlemind
  You use your psionic power to make yourself faster, 
  increasing your speed and agility in combat. Make 
  Constitution your highest ability score, followed 
  by Charisma to reflect your ability to project your 
  psionic power into the world. Wisdom should be 
  your third-best ability. For daily powers, consider 
  those that grant new opportunity actions to you, 
  ensuring that your foes can’t outmaneuver you.
   
  Suggested Class Feature: Speed of Thought
   
  Suggested Feat: Improved Speed of Thought
   
  Suggested Skills: Arcana, Athletics, Insight
   
  Suggested at-Will Powers: demon dance, whirl-
  ing defense
   
  Suggested Daily Power: steel unity strike
  Battlemind Powers
  Your powers are called disciplines; they combine 
  your fighting ability with your mastery of psionic 
  magic. You can plant images in a foe’s mind and 
  use psionic power to lend unmatched speed and 
  strength to your weapon blows.
  Class Features
  Each battlemind has the powers battlemind’s demand, 
  blurred step, and mind spike.
  Battlemind Overview
  characteristics: your heavy armor allows you to 
  take on your enemies’ attacks without fear, and 
  your melee attacks that are augmented by psionic 
  magic let you control your enemies like puppets 
  and set them up for defeat. you excel at control-
  ling the battle line and forcing enemies to fight you 
  while your allies wreak havoc.
   
  religion: battleminds who live up to this class’s 
  renowned arrogance rarely pray to the gods, and 
  stories abound of battleminds whose ill luck could 
  be placed at the feet of their impiety. Those bat-
  tleminds who do follow the gods typically revere 
  Kord for his martial skill and strength, bahamut for 
  his practice of justice, or Ioun for being the origina-
  tor of psionic magic.
   
  races: Dwarves and wilden make excellent 
  resilient battleminds, putting their Constitution 
  and Wisdom to great use in shaping their bodies 
  to meet the needs of combat. Half-elves are ideal 
  quick battleminds, channeling their natural Cha-
  risma into psionic alacrity. Goliaths’ sheer physical 
  power makes them well suited for this class, and 
  many gnome and tiefling warriors are drawn to the 
  guile and trickery of some battlemind powers.
  battlemind’s demand 
  battlemind Feature
  You draw your foe’s concentration, taunting the foe to strike at you.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic
  minor action 
  close burst 3
  target: One creature in burst
  effect: you mark the target until you use this power again or 
  until the end of the encounter.
  augment 1
   
  target: One or two creatures in burst
  blurred step 
  battlemind Feature
  You bend reality with the power of your mind, flashing across the 
  space between you and your enemy.
  at-Will F Psionic
  opportunity action 
  Personal
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you shifts
  effect: you shift 1 square.
  mind spike 
  battlemind Feature
  You force your enemy to feel the pain that it inflicts on your friend.
  at-Will F Force, Psionic, Psychic
  immediate reaction 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you deals damage to 
  your ally with an attack that doesn’t include you as a target 
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect: The target takes force and psychic damage equal to 
  the damage that its attack dealt to your ally.
  The Psionic Study option that you choose determines 
  whether you have battle resilience (available in Player's 
  Handbook 3) or speed of thought.
  speed of thought 
  battlemind Feature
  You move in the blink of an eye, reaching your foes before they can 
  draw their weapons.
  encounter F Psionic
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: you roll initiative
  effect: you move a number of squares equal to 3 + your 
  Charisma modifier.
  special: you can use this power even if you’re surprised.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Player's Handbook 3 Debut: Battlemind
  9
  Level 1 At-Will Disciplines
  demon dance 
  battlemind attack 1
  As you slash your enemy, you implant the image of howling de-
  mons into its mind, distracting the foe from making attacks.
  at-Will F augmentable, Fear, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  target takes a –5 penalty to opportunity attack rolls until 
  the end of your next turn.
  augment 1
  Hit: as above, and the target loses threatening reach 
  until the end of your next turn.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  target can’t make opportunity attacks until the end of 
  your next turn.
  twisted eye 
  battlemind attack 1
  You flood the mind of your foe with psionic energy,  
  befuddling its vision and distorting its perception of  
  nearby threats. By increasing the flood to a torrent, you  
  can blind the foe completely.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, the target takes a penalty to attack rolls 
  equal to the number of your allies adjacent to it.
  augment 1
  special: When making an opportunity attack, you can 
  use this power in place of a melee basic attack.
  augment 2
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target is 
  blinded until the end of your next turn.
  Whirling defense 
  battlemind attack 1
  Seeking to defend your friends, you attack your foe to get it to 
  focus on you. By channeling more power into your attack, you 
  can distract more opponents.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  augment 1
  effect: Whenever you use your mind spike before the end of 
  your next turn, the target of that power takes extra damage 
  equal to your Charisma modifier.
  augment 2
   close burst 1
   target: Each enemy you can see in burst
  Level 1 Daily Disciplines
  allies to enemies 
  battlemind attack 1
  Your attack rattles your foe with a vision of its allies betray-
  ing it. The foe lashes out at a companion before realizing its 
  mistake.
  daily F charm, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  target makes a melee basic attack as a free action against a 
  creature of your choice.
  miss: Half damage.
  steel unity strike 
  battlemind attack 1
  You become one with your weapon as you unleash a devastat-
  ing attack against your foe, leaving yourself in position to 
  strike again if your enemies flee.
  daily F Psionic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you assume the steel unity stance. Until the stance 
  ends, you can make the following secondary attack.
   opportunity action 
  melee 1
   
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves without 
  shifting on its turn
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
   
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  Level 2 Utility Disciplines
  Feather step 
  battlemind Utility 2
  With a focused thought, you lift your body slightly off the 
  ground on a current of psionic energy, allowing you to move 
  over water or broken ground with ease.
  at-Will F Psionic
  move action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of this turn, you ignore difficult terrain 
  and can both move across liquid and stand on it as if it  
  were solid ground. In addition, you move 3 squares.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Player's Handbook 3 Debut: Battlemind
  10
  telepathic challenge 
  battlemind Utility 2
  You loom large in your foes’ minds, forcing the enemies to turn 
  their attention toward you.
  encounter F Psionic
  minor action 
  close burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  effect: you mark each target until the end of your next turn.
  Level 3 At-Will Disciplines
  spectral legion 
  battlemind attack 3
  You trick your enemy into perceiving a legion of foes press-
  ing in upon it. By expending more power, you can make the 
  phantoms seem more real, causing the enemy to freeze in 
  indecision.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, the target grants combat advantage to 
  your allies while they are adjacent to it.
  augment 1
  Hit: as above, and the target takes a penalty to the attack rolls 
  of melee attacks and close attacks until the end of your 
  next turn. The penalty equals your Charisma modifier.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, the target is immobilized, and it grants 
  combat advantage to your allies while they are adjacent 
  to it.
  visions of terror 
  battlemind attack 3
  With a sweeping attack, you trick your foe’s mind into seeing 
  you as a monstrous figure whose blow sends the enemy stum-
  bling back. You can expend more power to cause other foes to 
  stagger back.
  at-Will F augmentable, Fear, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you push the 
  target 2 squares.
  augment 1
  Hit: as above, but you push the target a number of squares 
  equal to your Charisma modifier. In addition, until the end 
  of your next turn, if you or any of your allies pulls, pushes, 
  or slides the target, the forced movement increases by 1 
  square.
  augment 2
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you push the 
  target a number of squares equal to your Charisma modi-
  fier. after the push, you slide each enemy adjacent to the 
  target 1 square.
  Level 5 Daily Disciplines
  beckoning strike 
  battlemind attack 5
  As you strike your enemy, you unleash a surge of psionic ener-
  gy that warps the minds of the foes you challenge, compelling 
  them to approach you.
  daily F Psionic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you assume the beckoning stance. Until the stance 
  ends, you can make the following secondary attack.
   
  opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves 
  without shifting on its turn
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. at the end of the 
  secondary target’s turn, you can use a free action to pull the 
  secondary target a number of squares equal to its speed.
  nightmare vortex 
  battlemind attack 5
  You generate a vortex of nightmares around yourself that 
  engulfs the minds of your enemies, forcing your foes to move 
  away from imagined attacks.
  daily F Fear, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 1
  target: Each enemy you can see in burst
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you slide the 
  target 1 square.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever an enemy 
  starts its turn within 3 squares of you, you can slide the 
  target 1 square as a free action.
  
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  Level 6 Utility Disciplines
  stag’s leap 
  battlemind Utility 6
  You spring into the air, fueling your leap with your psionic 
  magic.
  at-Will F Psionic
  move action 
  Personal
  effect: you make an athletics check to jump with a +5 
  bonus. you are considered to have a running start.
  Winged Weapon 
  battlemind Utility 6
  You channel psionic energy into your weapon, adjusting the 
  rules of nature so that the weapon will slide through the air as 
  if on wings when you hurl it.
  encounter F Psionic
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Choose a weapon you are holding. The next melee 
  attack you make with that weapon before the end of your 
  next turn becomes a ranged attack with a range of 10. The 
  weapon returns to your hand after you make that attack.
  Level 7 At-Will Disciplines
  lightning rush 
  battlemind attack 7
  Like a lightning strike, you rush across the battlefield and 
  launch a counterattack to help a friend. If you choose, you can 
  draw the enemy’s attack to yourself.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  immediate interrupt 
  melee 1
  trigger: an enemy within 5 squares of you targets an ally with 
  an attack
  effect: before the attack, you move your speed to a square 
  adjacent to the triggering enemy.
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  effect: you don’t get your normal standard action on your next 
  turn.
  augment 1
  Hit: as above, and the target takes a penalty to the triggering 
  attack roll equal to your Charisma modifier.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you become 
  the target of the triggering attack.
  effect: you get your normal standard action on your next turn.
  Psionic speed 
  battlemind attack 7
  You move in a blur, making a series of quick attacks that force your 
  opponents to regard you as a threat.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One, two, or three creatures
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] damage, and you mark the target until the end of 
  your next turn.
  augment 1
  effect: after both the first and second attacks, you shift 1 
  square to a square adjacent to the next target.
  augment 2
   Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  effect: you mark the target until the end of your next turn.
  Level 9 Daily Disciplines
  inexorable death strike battlemind attack 9
  You project a vision of your enemy’s death into the foe’s mind. 
  daily F Psionic, Psychic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. Will
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and ongoing 5 
  psychic damage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and ongoing 5 psychic damage (save ends).
  effect: you assume the inexorable death stance. Until the 
  stance ends, you can make the following secondary attack.
   
  opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves 
  without shifting on its turn
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] damage, and the secondary target fails its first saving 
  throw at the end of this turn.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  
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  intellect Hammer 
  battlemind attack 9
  You hammer your foe’s intellect, draining power from it.
  daily F Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target 
  is dazed until the end of your next turn. In addition, you 
  regain 2 power points.
  miss: Half damage. In addition, you regain 1 power point.
  Level 10 Utility Disciplines
  guardian’s speed 
  battlemind Utility 10
  As your ally reels from an attack, you act with the speed of thought 
  to shield your friend from further assault.
  at-Will F Psionic
  immediate reaction 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent ally takes damage
  target: The triggering ally
  effect: you slide the target 1 square.
  shadow ally 
  battlemind Utility 10
  Your form shimmers as you send a wave of psionic energy 
  washing over your foes. In their minds, you fade away as your 
  duplicate appears and threatens them.
  daily F conjuration, illusion, Psionic
  minor action 
  ranged 5
  effect: you conjure an illusory duplicate of yourself in an unoc-
  cupied square within range. The duplicate lasts until the 
  end of the encounter. you gain a +4 power bonus to all 
  defenses against any attack that doesn’t include both you 
  and the duplicate. as part of a move action, you can move 
  the duplicate 5 squares.
   
   The duplicate can be targeted by melee attacks and 
  ranged attacks, although it lacks hit points. The duplicate 
  disappears if a melee or a ranged attack deals any 
  damage to it.
  Level 13 At-Will Disciplines
  brutal barrage 
  battlemind attack 13
  You lash out with your weapon, slamming your foe again and 
  again until you drive it into the ground.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC. Make the attack three times.
  Hit: Constitution modifier damage.
  effect: If you hit the target two or more times, it falls prone.
  augment 1
   attack: Constitution vs. aC. Make the attack four times.
  augment 4
   
  attack: Constitution vs. aC. Make the attack four times.
   
  Hit: Constitution modifier + Charisma modifier damage.
  luring steel 
  battlemind attack 13
  Your strike delivers a pulse of psionic energy into your enemy, 
  compelling it to attack you or suffer. By increasing the pulse’s 
  strength, you can affect more enemies.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. as a free action, 
  you can use your battlemind’s demand power against the 
  target. 
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, whenever an enemy 
  hits any ally who is adjacent to you with a melee attack, 
  that enemy takes psychic damage equal to your Charisma 
  modifier.
  augment 1
  effect: as above, but the enemy takes the damage when it 
  hits or misses.
  augment 4
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you pull each 
  enemy within 2 squares of you 1 square. as a free action, 
  you can use your battlemind’s demand power against each 
  enemy adjacent to you.
  Level 15 Daily Disciplines
  intellect sunder 
  battlemind attack 15
  Your attack devastates your foe’s mind, forcing the enemy to revert 
  to its base instincts and focus its anger on you.
  daily F Fear, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. Will
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Whenever the 
  target attacks, it can use only basic attacks and must in-
  clude you as a target (save ends both).
  miss: Half damage. Until the end of your next turn, whenever 
  the target attacks, it can use only basic attacks and must 
  include you as a target.
  Paralyzing Fear strike 
  battlemind attack 15
  You wave your weapon in an intricate pattern, channeling 
  psionic energy into it as you strike. Your foe is paralyzed with 
  fear as it perceives a hellish scene of torment engulfing it.
  daily F Fear, Psionic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One creature
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. Will
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the primary 
  target is immobilized (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the primary target is immobilized until 
  the end of your next turn.
  effect: you assume the paralyzing fear stance. Until the stance 
  ends, you can make the following secondary attack.
   opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves without 
  shifting
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the secondary 
  target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  
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  Level 16 Utility Disciplines
  shield of the iron mind battlemind Utility 16
  You create a shield of psionic power that fortifies your allies.
  daily F Psionic, zone
  minor action 
  close burst 5
  effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of the 
  encounter. When you move, the zone moves with you, 
  remaining centered on you. you and your allies gain a +4 
  power bonus to Will and saving throws while within the 
  zone.
  sudden rush 
  battlemind Utility 16
  With a burst of psionic energy, you appear next to an enemy you 
  have called out.
  encounter F Psionic, teleportation
  move action 
  Personal
  effect: you teleport to a square adjacent to a creature 
  marked by you.
  Level 17 At-Will Disciplines
  battle vortex 
  battlemind attack 17
  Your attack creates a vortex that sends waves of psychic energy 
  crashing over your enemies. By increasing the vortex’s inten-
  sity, you can move or lock down your foes.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, when any enemy starts its turn within 
  2 squares of you but ends its turn more than 2 squares 
  away from you, that enemy takes psychic damage equal 
  to your Constitution modifier.
  augment 1
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, while the target is within 2 squares of you, 
  it takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against your allies who 
  are more than 2 squares away from you.
  augment 4 (teleportation)
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage. Until the end of 
  your next turn, when any enemy starts its turn within 
  2 squares of you but ends its turn more than 2 squares 
  away from you, you can teleport that enemy 3 squares 
  as a free action, and it is immobilized until the end of its 
  next turn.
  step of the Pursuer 
  battlemind attack 17
  Your attack hammers your foe, allowing you to bind it with a 
  psionic link that keeps your enemy close.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. If the target 
  moves away from you on its next turn, you can use a free 
  action to shift 3 squares to a square closer to the target 
  after its move.
  augment 1
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage. you are immune 
  to the slowed and immobilized conditions until the end of 
  your next turn.
  augment 4 (teleportation)
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage. If the target moves 
  away from you on its next turn, you can use a free action to 
  teleport to a square adjacent to the target after its move.
  Level 19 Daily Disciplines
  relentless strike 
  battlemind attack 19
  You assume perfect positioning and strike with precision to 
  leave a lasting wound. While in this stance, you can deliver a 
  staggering blow to any enemy that tries to move away from you.
  daily F Psionic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 1
  Primary target: Each enemy in burst
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and ongoing 5 
  damage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you assume the perfect storm stance. Until the stance 
  ends, you can make the following secondary attack.
   
  opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves 
  without shifting
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the secondary 
  target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
   
  Level 21: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  
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  vengeful mind 
  battlemind attack 19
  You shunt aside your wrath at seeing your friends attacked, focus-
  ing your rage to lend exacting precision to your attacks.
  daily F Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 4[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, when the target at-
  tacks any ally of yours, you gain a +2 power bonus to 
  attack rolls against the target until the end of your next 
  turn. If you already have the bonus when the target at-
  tacks an ally, the bonus increases by 1.
  Level 22 Utility Disciplines
  tactical supremacy 
  battlemind Utility 22
  You’re an avatar of battle, taking advantage of the slightest 
  flaws in your enemies’ defenses to gain supremacy over them.
  daily ✦ Psionic
  minor action  
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, enemies grant combat 
  advantage to you.
  indomitable maneuver battlemind Utility 22
  Assessing your enemies’ weaknesses, you maneuver past your 
  foes, positioning yourself to your best advantage.
  encounter ✦ Psionic
  move action 
  Personal
  Effect: you shift 12 squares and can move through enemies’ 
  spaces during the shift.
  Level 23 At-Will Disciplines
  armor of blades 
  battlemind attack 23
  As your foe attacks your ally, you intervene to protect your friend.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  immediate interrupt 
  melee 1
  trigger: an enemy adjacent to you targets one of your allies 
  with a melee attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target 
  attacks you instead of the ally.
  effect: you don’t get your normal standard action on your next 
  turn.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target 
  takes a penalty to its attack roll equal to your Charisma 
  modifier.
  augment 6
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you slide the 
  target 3 squares and shift 3 squares to a square adjacent to 
  it. The target then attacks you instead of the ally.
  effect: you get your normal standard action on your next turn.
  spring assault 
  battlemind attack 23
  You leap toward your foe and unleash a fury of blows that over-
  whelm its defenses.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC. If you weren’t adjacent to the 
  target at the start of this turn, the target grants combat 
  advantage to you for this attack.
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you shift 3 
  squares. If you use this power unaugmented on your next 
  turn, you can shift 3 squares as a free action either before 
  or after the attack.
  augment 6
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you are invis-
  ible to the target until the end of your next turn.
  Level 25 Daily Disciplines
  deadly Haste strike 
  battlemind attack 25
  You weave through the battlefield, darting to a new foe after each 
  strike with such speed that your enemies think they face an army.
  daily F Psionic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One, two, three, or four creatures
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: before each attack but the first, you shift your speed. 
  after making all the attacks, you assume the deadly haste 
  stance. Until the stance ends, you can make the following 
  secondary attack.
   
  opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves 
  without shifting
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage. you shift half your 
  speed and make a melee basic attack against a different 
  enemy.
  Psychic Hammer 
  battlemind attack 25
  Your attack leaves your enemy unable to think clearly. With a 
  subtle mental push, you can direct the enemy’s actions.
  daily F charm, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. Will
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  target is dominated (save ends). Until this domination 
  ends, you can use a free action at the start of each of the 
  target’s turns to slide the target a number of squares 
  equal to its speed.
  miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
  
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  Level 27 At-Will Disciplines
  brilliant recovery 
  battlemind attack 27
  After missing your foe with an attack, you shift your grip on your 
  weapon and make a quick follow-up strike.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  minor action 
  melee weapon
  target: an enemy you missed with an attack during this turn
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  augment 2
   
  attack: Constitution vs. reflex
   
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  augment 6
   Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: you regain the power points you spent to augment this 
  power.
  cage of cowardice 
  battlemind attack 27
  Your attack undermines your foe’s confidence in attacking anyone 
  but you. Using more psionic energy, you can stun the foe.
  at-Will F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  special: When making an opportunity attack, you can use this 
  power in place of a melee basic attack.
  augment 6
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target is 
  stunned until the end of your next turn.
  Level 29 Daily Disciplines
  mind-sundering burst 
  battlemind attack 29
  You unleash a burst of psychic energy as you spin and slash with 
  your weapon, sending your foes reeling.
  daily F Psionic, Psychic, stance, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 3
  Primary target: Each creature in burst
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. Will
  Hit: 4[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  primary target is dazed and immobilized (save ends both).
  miss: Half damage, and the primary target is dazed until the 
  end of your next turn.
  effect: you assume the mind-sundering stance. Until the 
  stance ends, you can make the following secondary 
  attack.
   
  opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves 
  without shifting
   
  secondary target: The triggering enemy
   
  secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage. you slide the 
  secondary target 3 squares to a square adjacent to you, and 
  it is immobilized (save ends).
  nova strike 
  battlemind attack 29
  You erupt into a blur of motion and launch a devastating 
  attack.
  daily F Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. reflex
  Hit: 7[W] + Constitution modifier damage. If you have no 
  power points remaining, the damage increases by 2[W].
  miss: Half damage.
  ParagOn Paths
  Steel Ego
  “This contest can end only in your defeat.”
   
  Prerequisite: Battlemind, mind spike power
  Confidence is why you always win. Even when you 
  are faced with a setback, your resolve never wavers, 
  and you’re certain you will overcome adversity no 
  matter how severe. Some people mistake your confi-
  dence for arrogance or foolishness, but you prove the 
  truth of your words time and again, showing your 
  detractors your might.
   
  You back up your confidence with your psionic 
  mastery, wrapping your soul, body, and mind in a 
  barrier of willpower to deflect any attack you face, 
  whether it strikes your body or mind. With this 
  unwavering resolve, you can dismiss a foe’s strikes, 
  standing undaunted before its best efforts to hurt 
  you. And with this security, you project your person-
  ality onto those you fight, flooding their minds with 
  the imminence of their defeat.
  Steel Ego Path Features
   
  Demanding action (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action, you 
  can use your mind spike power as a free action until 
  the end of your next turn.
   
  Mind Smash (11th level): Whenever you deal 
  damage with your mind spike power, each enemy 
  adjacent to the target takes psychic damage equal to 
  your Charisma modifier.
   
  Paragon Power Points (11th level): You gain 2 
  additional power points.
  
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  Psionic Cascade (16th level): Whenever you 
  score a critical hit, you regain 1 power point.
  Steel Ego Disciplines
  stinging rebuke 
  Steel Ego attack 11
  Your enemy realizes its mistake in attacking when you react to its 
  aggression with a swift strike.
  encounter F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  immediate reaction 
  melee 1
  trigger: an enemy adjacent to you attacks you or your ally 
  with a melee or a close attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, the range of your mind 
  spike power increases to 10, but it remains a melee power. 
  In addition, you can use your mind spike power as a free 
  action once before the start of your next turn.
  augment 2
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn.
  Forceful contempt 
  Steel Ego Utility 12
  Through mental force, you will your flesh to become as hard as 
  steel to foil an attack against you.
  encounter F Psionic
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  trigger: you are hit by an attack that targets a defense other 
  than Fortitude
  effect: The attack instead targets your Fortitude, and you 
  gain a +2 power bonus to Fortitude until the end of your 
  next turn.
  Fear and loathing 
  Steel Ego attack 20
  As you attack your foe, you bring the full force of your personality 
  against it. The psychic assault rips through your foe’s nerves.
  daily F Fear, Psionic, Psychic, Weapon 
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 4[W] + Constitution modifier psychic damage, and the 
  target provokes opportunity attacks whenever it makes 
  melee attacks (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target provokes opportunity 
  attacks whenever it makes melee attacks before the end of 
  your next turn.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, you can use a free 
  action to slide the target 1 square whenever it is hit by an 
  opportunity attack.
  Zephyr Blade
  “Can you stop the wind? Can you grasp it in your hands? 
  If not, you stand no chance of stopping me.”
   
  Prerequisite: Battlemind
  Without formal training, you learned your tech-
  niques in a haphazard fashion, unlocking your 
  potential with each contest, awakening new tech-
  niques as you blended psionic power with your 
  weapon strikes. At some point during your battles, 
  you began to hear a faint wailing—subtle, quiet, but 
  definitely present. Now when you fight, the breeze 
  whips up into a storm, lending new strength to your 
  attacks.
   
  What you hear are psionic winds swirling around 
  you. Your crude methods cause psionic power to 
  bleed from you. Instead of dissipating, it swirls, 
  blowing around you, unseen and unnoticed by any 
  but you and the enemies who stand against you. 
  When you reclaim this power, your body undergoes 
  a strange transformation, becoming disjoined from 
  reality for a moment or two before you snap back 
  into place.
   
  The more you work with this loosed psionic 
  power, the more ephemeral you become. You can stir 
  up the power to rip through your enemies’ minds, or 
  you can draw it into yourself to vanish and reappear 
  where least expected. 
  Zephyr Blade Path Features
   
  Beguiling advantage (11th level): Your melee 
  attacks against dazed, slowed, or stunned enemies 
  deal extra damage to them equal to your Charisma 
  modifier.
  
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  Paragon Power Points (11th level): You gain 2 
  additional power points.
   
  Zephyr action (11th level): When you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you are 
  insubstantial and phasing until the start of your next 
  turn.
   
  Speed of the Wind (16th level): You gain a +2 
  bonus to speed. In addition, the move granted by 
  your speed of thought power doesn’t provoke opportu-
  nity attacks.
  Zephyr Blade Disciplines
  knifing Wind 
  Zephyr blade 11
  As you slash your foe, you generate a psionic wind that knifes into 
  your enemy’s mind.
  encounter F augmentable, Psionic, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the target is 
  dazed until the end of your next turn.
  augment 2
  Hit: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the 
  target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  mental zephyr 
  Zephyr blade Utility 12
  You feel the bite from your enemy’s attack and let the winds howl-
  ing within you infuse your flesh and pull you to safety.
  encounter F Psionic
  immediate reaction 
  Personal 
  trigger: an enemy hits you
  effect: you shift 1 square. Until the end of your next turn, you 
  are insubstantial and phasing, and your attacks ignore the 
  insubstantial quality.
  storm dance strike 
  Zephyr blade attack 20
  You become the screaming gale, encircling and buffeting  
  your foes.
  daily F Psionic, stance, teleportation, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  Primary target: One or two creatures
  Primary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  effect: If you attack two creatures with this power, you teleport 
  5 squares between the first and the second attack. you 
  assume the storm dance stance. Until the stance ends, you 
  can make the following secondary attack.
   opportunity action 
  melee 1
  trigger: an adjacent enemy marked by you moves without 
  shifting
   secondary target: The triggering enemy
   secondary attack: Constitution vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Constitution modifier damage, and the second-
  ary target is slowed until the end of your next turn. In 
  addition, you teleport 5 squares and then teleport the 
  secondary target to a square adjacent to you.
    Level 21: 2[W] + Constitution modifier damage.
  Feats
  Improved Speed of Thought
   
  Prerequisite: Battlemind, speed of thought power
   
  Benefit: When you use your speed of thought, you 
  can move 2 additional squares.
  Pursuing Step
   
  Prerequisite: Battlemind, blurred step power
   
  Benefit: When you use blurred step, if you end the 
  shift adjacent to the triggering enemy, that enemy 
  grants combat advantage to you until the end of your 
  next turn.
  Demand’s Reach
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, battlemind, battlemind’s 
  demand power
   
  Benefit: The burst of your battlemind’s demand 
  increases to 5.
  Linebreaker
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, battlemind, speed of 
  thought power
   
  Benefit: When you use your speed of thought, you 
  can enter an enemy’s space. Doing so ends the move-
  ment. You must then slide the enemy 1 square.
  Vengeance Spike
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, battlemind, mind spike 
  power
   
  Benefit: When you damage a target with your 
  mind spike, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against 
  that target until the end of your next turn.
  About the Author
  Mike Mearls is the Lead Designer for the Dungeons & 
  Dragons® roleplaying game. his recent credits include 
  Player’s Handbook® 3, Hammerfast™, and Primal Power™.
  
  18
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  A Dungeons & Dragons® classic, the figurines of 
  wondrous power made their return to the game in the 
  Adventurer’s Vault™ accessory. From the loyal onyx dog 
  to the fearsome golden lion, adventurers had at their 
  disposal constant companions they could call forth 
  from their diminutive statue forms to aid them in 
  battle. The nine items provide an ample selection for 
  heroic adventurers, but what about paragon or epic 
  tier adventurers?
   
  The figurines presented in the Adventurer’s Vault 
  are the most common devices found in the D&D® 
  world, but they are by no means the only ones. Tales 
  abound of figurines that harbor greater magic that 
  when called forth transforms the animal statuettes 
  into dangerous servants whose power is beyond imag-
  ining. The following figurines expand on the options 
  available, extending their use further into the game 
  for characters beyond the heroic tier.
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustrations by Matias Tapia
  Bazaar of the Bizarre
  Legendary Figurines
  Tales abound of figurines  
  that harbor greater magic that 
  when called forth transforms 
  the animal statuettes into 
  dangerous servants whose 
  power is beyond imagining.
  
  19
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  Amber Monkeys
  The three monkeys in this figurine are carved from a 
  single piece of amber, all stacked up in a column. The 
  top monkey has its hands over its eyes, the middle 
  monkey has its hands over its ears, and the bottom 
  monkey has its hands over its mouth. Each monkey 
  wears a leering expression that would be amusing if it 
  wasn’t so sinister.
   
  A mad wizard driven into exile in the Feywild 
  carved the first amber monkeys in his jungle strong-
  hold. Known for his wild simian slaves, he used them 
  to wreak havoc on the enemies haunting his domain. 
  Legend holds he bound the spirits of his most loyal 
  servants into the figurine so that he could call upon 
  them whenever he needed.
  amber monkeys 
  level 13
  Three amber monkeys stacked atop one another turn into 
  screeching allies who await your command.
  Wondrous item 17,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure three screeching monkeys (see below for 
  statistics). as a free action, you can spend a healing surge 
  when activating this item to give each creature temporary 
  hit points equal to one-third your healing surge value.
  Power (at-Will): Standard action. The figurine regains the use 
  of its monkey’s curse power.
  3 Amber Monkeys
  Small natural animate
  initiative as conjurer  
   senses Perception +9; 
  low-light vision
  HP 27; bloodied 13; see also shared life
  ac 24; Fortitude 22, reflex 24, Will 21
  speed 5
  M bite (standard; at-will)
   
  +16 vs. aC; 1d6 + 2 damage.
  M monkey’s curse (standard; encounter)
   
  +13 vs. reflex; the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls 
  and loses line of sight to any creature not adjacent to it 
  until the end of your next turn.
  C monkey’s Howl (minor; at-will)
   
  Close burst 1; all creatures in the burst become deafened 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Hopping monkeys (move; at-will) F teleportation
   
  The amber monkey teleports 5 squares.
  shared actions
   
  The amber monkeys share one complement of actions 
  (standard, move, and minor). When the conjurer issues a 
  command, the command applies to all monkeys. So if the 
  conjurer ordered the monkeys to make a bite attack, each 
  monkey makes the attack. Likewise, if a conjurer ordered a 
  monkey to use hopping monkeys, all the monkeys teleport.
  shared life
   
  The amber monkeys share one pool of hit points. When 
  the amber monkeys drop to 18 hit points, remove one from 
  play. remove another from play at 9 hit points, and the 
  last monkey disappears when they drop to 0 hit points.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 15 (+8) 
  dex 22 (+12) 
  Wis 16 (+9)
  con 20 (+11) 
  int 2 (+2) 
  cha 6 (+4)
  When you activate a figurine, the conjured crea-
  ture appears in a square or squares adjacent to 
  you, provided the space is large enough to contain 
  the creature without squeezing it. The creature 
  obeys only you, responding to commands spoken 
  in any language. The creature remains for 8 hours 
  or until you use a minor action to dismiss it. The 
  conjured creature acts on the same initiative count 
  as you. Every action it takes costs you a minor 
  action (which you use to issue commands), and a 
  conjured creature cannot exceed its normal allot-
  ment of actions (a standard, a move, and a minor 
  action) during its turn. If you spend no minor 
  actions on your turn to command the creature, 
  it remains where it is without taking any actions 
  on its turn.
   
  a conjured creature has hit points, defenses, and 
  attacks as indicated in its statistics block. It has 
  no healing surges and cannot be healed, though it 
  can still benefit from temporary hit points. When 
  reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, the conjured  
  creature disappears, and it cannot be conjured 
  again until after you take an extended rest.
   
  Conjured creatures lack basic attacks and there-
  fore cannot make opportunity attacks.
   
  mount: If the conjured creature has the mount 
  keyword, you can ride the creature and are con-
  sidered to have the Mounted Combat feat while 
  mounted on it. While mounted, you can command 
  the creature using a free action, though the mount 
  is still limited to its normal allotment of actions. 
  you can choose to be mounted on the creature 
  when it appears.
  Figurines oF Wondrous PoWer
  lvl 
  name 
  Price (gp)
  13 
  amber monkeys 
  17,000
  14 
  emerald Frog 
  21,000
  16 
  mercury Wasp 
  45,000
  17 
  serpentine owl 
  65,000
  19 
  bronze griffon 
  105,000
  21 
  electrum serpent 
  225,000
  23 
  tourmaline turtle 
  425,000
  25 
  coral dragon 
  625,000
  Using FigUrines
  
  20
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  Bronze Griffon
  The fearsome griffon statuette rears back on its hind 
  legs so that it can claw the air, and its beak is open as 
  if screaming. When dormant, the statuette tends to 
  snag clothing and pierce skin with casual handling, 
  and after a few scars and ruined cloaks, possessors 
  learn to handle these items with care.
   
  The alchemist Boreanis crafted nine bronze grif-
  fons for nine eladrin lords as gifts for the esteemed 
  heroes of the war between Corellon and Lolth. When 
  the lords passed from life to death and from history 
  to legend, the figurines scattered across the planes to 
  owners less worthy than those to first use them. Many 
  eladrin nobles have more than a passing interest in 
  these items and would pay a fine reward for their 
  recovery.
  bronze griffon 
  level 19
  With one command, the tiny bronze statuette vanishes and is 
  replaced by a fearsome bronze griffon.
  Wondrous item 105,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a ferocious griffon (see below for 
  statistics). as a free action, you can spend a healing surge 
  when activating this item to give the creature temporary hit 
  points equal to your healing surge value.
  Bronze Griffon
  Large natural animate (mount)
  initiative as conjurer  
  senses Perception +18
  HP 24; bloodied 12; see also blood frenzy
  ac 30; Fortitude 30, reflex 29, Will 28
  speed 6, fly 10
  M claws (standard; at-will)
   
  +22 vs. aC; 2d8 + 7 damage.
  M aggressive charger (while mounted by a friendly rider of 
  19th level or higher) F mount
   
  When charging, the bronze griffon makes a claws attack in 
  addition to its rider’s charge attack.
  blood Frenzy (while it or its rider is bloodied)
   
  The bronze griffon gains a +2 bonus to its speed, its fly 
  speed, and its attack rolls.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 24 (+16) 
  dex 23 (+15) 
  Wis 19 (+13)
  con 22 (+15) 
  int 2 (+5) 
  cha 6 (+7)
  Coral Dragon
  Some believe the fragile coral dragons were the first 
  figurines created and that they house the spirits of 
  those noble dragons who aided Bahamut and Tiamat 
  in overcoming the King of Terror. others claim the 
  coral dragons are not figurines at all, but are instead 
  memories of forgotten dragon gods from another 
  world. Regardless of their origins, seers and diviners 
  prize these relics for the wisdom they contain, while 
  cruder champions see great power in the violence of 
  which the figurines are capable.
   
  Coral dragons are unusual in that they possess 
  cunning and wisdom that persists when inert. The 
  dragon’s personality varies from figurine to figurine, 
  but many possess great arrogance and expect their 
  possessors to show them respect. A few champion 
  specific causes, urging their possessors to advance 
  good (or evil) in the world.
  reskinning FigUrines
  To a degree, the form a figurine takes is chosen 
  for flavor. an ebony fly, for example, could just 
  as well be an alabaster swan without having 
  to change the statistics block in any way. 
  When looking at the figurines, you might find 
  one doesn’t match your character’s theme, 
  appearance, or interests, but the mechanics do 
  something you think can make the game more 
  fun for you. Change the figurine’s appearance to 
  become another creature, but only as long as the 
  new creature could have the same capabilities. 
  an onyx dog could become an onyx panther, but 
  an ebony fly couldn’t become an ebony yak, since 
  most yaks don’t fly.
  
  21
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  coral dragon 
  level 25
  An unusually large figurine, nearly a foot long, this delicate 
  multicolored statuette is old.
  Wondrous item 625,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a multicolored dragon that has long 
  whiskers drooping from its snout and a lithe body that coils 
  and uncoils with agitation (see below for statistics). as a 
  free action, you can spend a healing surge when activating 
  this item to give the creature temporary hit points equal to 
  your healing surge value.
  Power (daily): Standard action. you perform the Loremaster’s 
  bargain ritual without expending components (Player’s 
  Handbook, page 308). The ritual functions as described 
  except you make a History check in place of the religion 
  check, and determine your bonus to checks made during 
  the skill challenge based on your History check result.
  Power (at-Will): Standard action. The coral dragon regains the 
  use of its breath weapon power.
  Coral Dragon
  Small natural animate (aquatic)
  initiative as conjurer  
   senses Perception +20; 
  truesight 5
  HP 30; bloodied 15
  ac 37; Fortitude 36, reflex 33, Will 35
  speed 6, fly 10, swim 6
  M bite (standard; at-will)
   
  +28 vs. aC; 2d6 + 9 damage.
  M raking claws (standard; at-will)
   
  The dragon flies 10 squares. at any two points during this 
  move it makes the following attack: +28 vs. aC; 1d10 + 9 
  damage.
  C breath Weapon (standard; encounter)
   
  Close blast 5; +26 vs. Fortitude; the dragon pushes the 
  target 5 squares.
  ancient Wisdom (minor 1/round; encounter)
   
  The dragon grants a +10 power bonus to the conjurer’s 
  knowledge check or monster knowledge check made 
  before the end of the conjurer’s next turn.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages Common, Draconic
  str 28 (+21) 
  dex 23 (+18) 
  Wis 26 (+20)
  con 23 (+18) 
  int 18 (+16) 
  cha 21 (+17)
  Electrum Serpent
  The delicate electrum serpent frequently dangles 
  from a thin chain so that it can be worn about the 
  neck, but a few include pins to serve as pendants as 
  well. Additionally, others might be standard 2-inch 
  tall statuettes.
   
  The electrum serpent is a strange figurine in that it 
  seems to contain two creatures in one. one command 
  summons forth a fearsome snake that streaks across 
  the battlefield and sinks foot-long fangs into its foes. 
  A second command summons a transparent serpent 
  with milk-white scales that slithers and coils around 
  its master or ally to bestow new life and vigor. Neither 
  serpent ever appears at the same time, though some 
  legends claim the serpents would turn upon each 
  other if they both did appear at once.
  electrum serpent 
  level 21
  The silvery statuette features tiny jade slivers as its eyes, a color 
  it retains when you conjure the creature housed within it.
  Wondrous item 225,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure either a metallic serpent or a translucent 
  serpent (see below for statistics). as a free action, you can 
  spend a healing surge when activating this item to give the 
  creature temporary hit points equal to your healing surge 
  value.
  Power (at-Will): Standard action. The metallic electrum 
  serpent regains the use of its constricting serpent power.
  Power (encounter): Standard action. The transparent electrum 
  serpent regains the use of its soothing serpent power.
  Electrum Serpent
  Large natural animate (reptile)
  initiative as conjurer  
   senses Perception +19; 
  low-light vision
  HP 26; bloodied 13
  ac 33; Fortitude 31, reflex 32, Will 29
  resist insubstantial (translucent serpent only)
  speed 6, climb 6, swim 6
  M bite (standard; at-will) F acid, Poison
   
  +22 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 + 7 damage, and the target takes 
  ongoing 5 acid and poison damage (save ends).
  M constricting serpent (standard; metallic serpent only; 
  encounter) F acid
   
  +22 vs. reflex; the target is grabbed (escape ends). Each 
  time the target starts its turn grabbed by the electrum 
  serpent, it takes 10 acid damage.
  M soothing serpent (standard; translucent serpent only; 
  encounter) F Healing
   
  Targets one ally; the electrum serpent enters the target’s 
  space and coils around the target creature, where it 
  remains until commanded to move. as a minor action, 
  while the serpent is so coiled, the conjurer can issue a 
  command to allow the ally to spend a healing surge or 
  make a saving throw.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 24 (+17) 
  dex 22 (+16) 
  Wis 18 (+14)
  con 21 (+15) 
  int 2 (+6) 
  cha 6 (+8)
  Emerald Frog
  Portraits depicting Khyaran the Profound all share 
  one odd feature. In every painting, the artist included 
  an inch-long emerald frog. Many at first believed the 
  inclusion of the frog to be an affectation of the artist—
  Khyaran relied on the great talent of Ruobald Kent, 
  whose talent with the brush exceeded all his contem-
  poraries. Later, most rejected the theory because the 
  frog never appeared in any of Kent’s other works. The 
  frog then remained a mystery until an adventuring 
  group located the Profound’s tomb and recovered the 
  frog, learning of its unusual magical properties.
   
  Since the emerald frog’s rediscovery, many artificers 
  and alchemists have sought to reproduce its curious 
  
  22
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  magic to create new figurines modeled after the first. 
  These copies are worthwhile, but none of them come 
  close to matching the original’s power. Some say the 
  frog, despite its modest size, could swallow a dragon 
  whole, though the methods by which it achieved this 
  are thus far beyond any artisan’s understanding.
  emerald Frog 
  level 14
  The delicate emerald statuette of a tiny frog contains a smaller 
  speck of darkness inside it.
  Wondrous item 21,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure an innocuous emerald frog (see below 
  for statistics). as a free action, you can spend a healing 
  surge when activating this item to give the creature 
  temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value.
  Emerald Frog
  Tiny natural animate
  initiative as conjurer  
  senses Perception +10
  HP 19; bloodied 9
  ac 25; Fortitude 25, reflex 23, Will 22
  speed 4
  M grasping tongue (standard; at-will)
   
  +14 vs. reflex; the target is immobilized until the end of 
  the frog’s next turn.
  distant origin
   
  The conjurer can use the square the emerald frog occupies 
  as the origin square for his or her nonweapon ranged and 
  close attack powers, and the frog is not affected by such 
  powers when it is used as the origin square.
  Frog Hop (move; at-will)
   
  The frog jumps 6 squares.
  shared Perspective
   
  The conjurer can see through the emerald frog’s eyes. 
  While the emerald frog has line of sight to the conjurer, 
  enemies cannot gain combat advantage against the 
  conjurer by flanking the conjurer.
  Hopping escape (immediate reaction, when the frog is missed 
  by a melee attack; at will)
   
  The emerald frog shifts 2 squares.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 1 (+2)  
  dex 24 (+14) 
  Wis 16 (+10)
  con 21 (+12) 
  int 2 (+3) 
  cha 6 (+5)
  Mercury Wasp
  Shifting dunes, obsidian islands, and nomadic tief-
  ling bands are all that remain of the once mighty 
  empire obliterated by devastating magic long ago. 
  Called the Sea of Dust, few dare travel the track-
  less wastes because terrors beyond counting exist 
  here, and the area’s landscape is as dangerous as the 
  fiercest monster. For all the dangers it poses, adven-
  turers still mount expeditions into the wastes in 
  hopes of recovering the fabulous treasures believed 
  to be housed in lost ruins and decimated cities. Few 
  adventurers recover items, but the rare magic discov-
  ered is enough to draw new explorers from all over 
  the world.
   
  The mercury wasps were uncovered from the fabled 
  Forgotten City. Mages deemed the items to be figu-
  rines of wondrous power since they shared the same 
  properties as other items, but they had one distinc-
  tive quality. Rather than conjure a single creature, 
  the figurine summoned a swarm of thumb-size black 
  wasps that seethed and hummed with unexpected 
  fury. Many believe these wasps speak to the character 
  of the lost peoples destroyed long ago.
  mercury Wasp 
  level 16
  This curious glass figurine contains quicksilver.
  Wondrous item 45,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a swarm of stinging wasps (see below for 
  statistics). as a free action, you can spend a healing surge 
  when activating this item to give the creature temporary hit 
  points equal to your healing surge value.
  Power (at-Will): Standard action. The mercury wasp swarm 
  regains the use of its angry swarm power.
  Mercury Wasp Swarm
  Medium natural animate (swarm)
  initiative as conjurer  
   senses Perception +11; 
  tremorsense 5
  cloud of stingers (Poison) aura 1; any creature other than the 
  conjurer that starts its turn within the aura takes 5 poison 
  damage.
  HP 21; bloodied 10
  ac 27; Fortitude 25, reflex 26, Will 24
  resist half damage from melee and ranged attacks; 
  vulnerable 5 against close and area attacks
  speed 1, fly 4 (hover, altitude limit 2)
  M stinging swarm (standard; at-will) F Poison
   
  +17 vs. Fortitude; 2d10 poison damage.
  C angry swarm (standard; encounter) F Poison
   
  Close burst 1; + 17 vs. Fortitude; 2d10 poison damage, and 
  the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends).
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 10 (+8) 
  dex 23 (+14) 
  Wis 17 (+11)
  con 21 (+13) 
  int 1 (+3) 
  cha 1 (+3)
  
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  Serpentine Owl
  Many believe that explorers fashioned these owls to 
  serve as companions and scouts for the first elves who 
  traveled the world. The explorers used them to scout 
  for suitable sites in which the elves could establish 
  new communities beyond their native plane. Adven-
  turers have recovered many serpentine owls and other 
  figurines from these ruins, suggesting the complete 
  collection owes its existence to these earliest mages 
  and mystics.
  serpentine owl 
  level 17
  This serpentine statuette can serve as a messenger, guide, or 
  guardian, depending on the command you give it.
  Wondrous item 65,000 gp
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a giant owl with green and brown 
  feathers (see below for statistics). as a free action, you can 
  spend a healing surge when activating this item to give the 
  creature temporary hit points equal to your healing surge 
  value.
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a Tiny owl that behaves as if you had 
  performed the animal Messenger ritual (Player’s Handbook, 
  page 300) or the animal Friendship ritual (Player’s 
  Handbook 2, page 212) chosen at the time when you use 
  this power. you do not expend components for these 
  rituals. When you next take an extended rest or when the 
  effect of either ritual ends, the serpentine owl returns to 
  you in its normal statuette form.
  Power (at-Will): Standard action. The serpentine owl regains 
  the use of its swooping claws power.
  Serpentine Owl
  Medium natural animate
  initiative as conjurer  
   senses Perception +20; 
  darkvision
  HP 22; bloodied 11
  ac 28; Fortitude 26, reflex 27, Will 28
  speed 4, fly 8
  M claws (standard; at-will)
   
  +20 vs. aC; 2d6 + 5 damage.
  M swooping claws (standard; encounter)
   
  The serpentine owl flies 8 squares and makes a claws 
  attack at any one point during its movement. The owl does 
  not provoke opportunity attacks from the target of this 
  attack when moving. If the serpentine owl hits a Medium or 
  smaller target with this attack, the target falls prone.
  combat advantage
   
  The owl’s claws attack deals 1d6 extra damage against any 
  target granting combat advantage to it.
  owl’s boon
   
  The conjurer gains darkvision as long as it remains within 5 
  squares of the serpentine owl.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages telepathy 10
  skills Stealth +19
  str 21 (+13) 
  dex 23 (+14) 
  Wis 24 (+15)
  con 16 (+11) 
  int 4 (+5) 
  cha 10 (+8)
  Tourmaline Turtle
  Among the most powerful figurines is the coveted 
  tourmaline turtle. The figurine is not so much prized 
  for its considerable power in battle, but for the utility 
  it offers to its conjurer. The turtle, when called forth 
  from the small carving, is enormous, with a mighty 
  structure on its back offering shelter and comfort to 
  those permitted entry. Furthermore, the device also 
  functions as a vehicle, allowing passengers to cross 
  the planes with but a single command.
  tourmaline turtle 
  level 23
  On your command, the carving swells in size to become a 
  mighty turtle that can carry you wherever you wish to travel.
  Wondrous item 425,000 gp
  Property: While conjured, the tourmaline turtle is considered 
  a navigation focus for the Plane Shift ritual (Manual of 
  the Planes™, page 150). When traveling to other planes 
  using that ritual, the tourmaline turtle must move from 
  one large body of water (or other liquid) to another. after 
  transporting, the tourmaline turtle disappears and it cannot 
  be conjured again until after the conjurer takes an extended 
  rest.
  Power (daily F conjuration): Standard action. Use this 
  figurine to conjure a massive turtle capable of carrying you 
  and your allies on its back (see below for statistics). There 
  must be a body of water adjacent to you in which the turtle 
  can appear; otherwise you cannot use this power. as a free 
  action, you can spend a healing surge when activating this 
  item to give the creature temporary hit points equal to your 
  healing surge value.
  
  24
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  Bazaar of the Bizarre: Legendary Figurines
  Tourmaline Turtle 
  Gargantuan natural animate (aquatic, mount)
  initiative as conjurer  
  senses Perception +17
  airy Water aura 5; allies within the aura can breathe normally 
  and speak normally while underwater.
  HP 28; bloodied 14
  ac 34; Fortitude 35, reflex 30, Will 32
  speed 1, swim 4
  M bite (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 2; +26 vs. aC; 2d8 + 9 damage.
  multiple riders
   
  The tourmaline turtle can carry up to twelve Medium or 
  Small characters weighing no more than 14,400 pounds. 
  If more than 14,400 pounds are placed on it, the turtle 
  disappears and cannot be conjured again until after the 
  conjurer takes an extended rest.
  tourmaline shell F mount
   
  Creatures riding the tourmaline turtle are protected from 
  environmental effects.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 28 (+20) 
  dex 21 (+16) 
  Wis 23 (+17)
  con 26 (+19) 
  int 2 (+7) 
  cha 6 (+9)
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose more recent work can be found in the Player’s Hand-
  book 3®, Martial Power 2™, and Draconomicon™ 2: Metallic 
  Dragons. Robert would like to thank Teeuwynn Woodruff 
  and Tim Beach for the inspiration and ideas drawn from their 
  Bazaar of the Bizarre article in Dragon® #196.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  25
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Matthew Sernett 
  Illustrations by William O'Connor and Tyler Walpole
  Warlock
  “The ignorant believe that we bargain for power. 
  Some even think we sell our souls for it.  
  They say we serve mysterious masters.  
  The truth—the truth that they fear—is that when 
  you master yourself, you have no masters.” 
  —Dav Regis,  
  instructor at the Vermillion Academy
  Basics
  
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  Warlock Basics
  26
  Power flows from many sources. For those who study 
  dusty tomes or seek out wrinkled sages, knowledge 
  is power. For those willing to beg upon bended knee, 
  power is a reward. Warlocks walk a straighter path: 
  Power comes from those who possess it, and if you 
  want that power, take it from them.
   
  Warlocks receive their arcane abilities through a 
  bargain or ritual. A link with supernatural forces gives 
  each warlock the ability to siphon the power of distant 
  beings. Whether these entities know how the warlock 
  uses their might or if they are somehow weakened or 
  harmed by it matters little. A deal is a deal.
  the Basics
  “A warlock’s magic is not for the weak of will or weak of 
  heart. You must have the courage of the thief to take the 
  power and the fortitude of the warrior to keep it. Lack 
  either, and you might have to keep the promises you make.”
   
  —Raigen Zul, tiefling hexer
  A warlock occupies the striker role, so one typi-
  cally works best when the character is causing a 
  lot of damage from range and staying out of melee. 
  however, much of the warlock’s increased-damage 
  potential stems from judicious use of Warlock’s 
  Curse. This ability relies upon the warlock target-
  ing the nearest enemy. It works out fine in the fight 
  against the solo monster, but when facing multiple 
  foes, it can be very useful to have powers and magic 
  items that provide for mobility so that you can posi-
  tion yourself to attack the foe you want instead of 
  whatever foe happens to advance upon your position.
   
  A warlock can also help the party by providing 
  some elements of control that typically affect a single 
  target. Look for powers that slow, daze, immobilize, 
  restrain, or stun since these can help you limit the 
  movement of enemies and keep them the nearest 
  target or allowing your allies to maneuver and gain 
  tactical advantage.
  Eldritch Blast
  Unlike most other classes, a warlock is assigned 
  one at-will power at first level, and the other is 
  determined by the warlock’s Eldritch Pact. Fortu-
  nately, the assigned power is eldritch blast. This 
  ranged power delivers high damage, has a decent 
  range, and acts as a basic attack. You can choose 
  at character creation whether to use Charisma or 
  Constitution with the power, but that choice should 
  depend on which Eldritch Pact you’ve chosen since 
  the powers associated with each pact often favor 
  one ability or the other.
  Eldritch Pact
  Warlocks take their powers from otherworldly enti-
  ties through a pact that binds the entities’ power to 
  them. Your choice of pact reveals something impor-
  tant about who your character is, but it also affects 
  your character-building choices.
  Fey Pact
  “Few think of the power of those in the Feywild, but just as 
  its mountains rise higher and forests fold darker, so too are 
  its kings greater and their magic more wondrous.”
   
  —Riddle Warryn,  
  gnome footman to the Prince of Frost
  Your highest ability score should be Charisma, but 
  many of your best power options also benefit from 
  a high Intelligence. Avoid a high Constitution and 
  powers that use Constitution as their basis. The 
  Misty Step pact boon you gain from this pact allows 
  you to teleport, and if you use it to travel 3 squares 
  you’ll also be benefiting from concealment due to 
  Shadow Walk.
   
  Feats: Improved Misty Step (Player’s Handbook)
  Infernal Pact
  “I’ve made my promises to the infernal powers, and they’ve 
  taken all they can from me. Now it’s my turn to use them. 
  Hell hath no fury I fear.”
   
  —Sancha, tiefling lost soul
  Your highest ability score should be Constitution fol-
  lowed closely by Intelligence. Avoid powers that rely 
  on Charisma. Since many infernal pact powers deal 
  fire damage, look for ways to change the damage type 
  of a power or add a damage type. Arcane Admixture 
  from Arcane Power is an obvious choice at paragon 
  level.
   
  Feats: Improved Dark one’s Blessing (Player’s 
  Handbook)
  
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  Warlock Basics
  27
  Star Pact
  “Have you seen the stars tonight? Did you see them dancing? 
  Can you hear the dreams they whisper when you sleep?”
   
  —Rillia, half-elf student of Caiphon
  The special benefits you gain from the star pact 
  often rely upon Intelligence, but the ability score you 
  use to attack might be Constitution or Charisma. 
  Instead of trying to keep three ability scores high, 
  you might want to pick one path or another based 
  upon if you prefer the Constitution- or Charisma-
  based powers.
   
  Your Fate of the Void pact boon gets really good 
  when multiple foes you curse die in the same round. 
  Keep this in mind when fighting minions. You can 
  curse minions that other characters kill so that your 
  attacks against the main enemy are more likely to hit.
   
  Feats: Improved Fate of the Void (Player’s Handbook)
  Dark Pact
  “We keep our darkest secrets close to our hearts. So too is it 
  with the world. The shadows you find in the Underdark are 
  deeper than all others and hide the greatest mysteries.”
   
  —Tezzym Veladorn, drow darkwalker
  The Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide provides the 
  option of the Dark Pact, a pact with beings that dwell 
  in the shadows of the Underdark. Charisma and 
  Intelligence should be your highest ability scores. The 
  Darkspiral Aura pact boon you gain from this pact is 
  complicated but potent. Curse and kill a lot of min-
  ions to rack up a high Darkspiral Aura total, but don’t 
  wait too long before using the ability. Even a short rest 
  wipes out the total, so fire away!
   
  Feats: Demonweb Spiral, Improved Darkspiral 
  Aura (both from the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide)
  How did you come by your mysterious powers? Did 
  you embark upon this path in full knowledge of its 
  dangers, was your pact something of joke that sud-
  denly became serious, or were you forced to swear 
  to the pact for some reason? below are some ideas 
  for how a warlock might have discovered each type 
  of pact. Pick one for your history or allow one to 
  inspire your own idea.
  Fey Pact
  F  as a child you were kidnapped by fey, brought 
  to the Feywild, and replaced by a changeling. 
  you stole some of the power of the fey when 
  you escaped.
  F  you engaged in an ill-fated romance with a 
  member of the Court of Stars. your pact is a 
  memento.
  F  a sibling was stolen away by fey, and your pact 
  secured your sibling’s return.
  infernal Pact
  F  you made a deal with a devil—simple as that.
  F  you interrupted the ritual of a devil cult and 
  had the powers of the ritual transmitted to you 
  rather than the intended target.
  F  you were born with a connection to the Hells, 
  and it has caused you woe since you were born.
  star Pact
  F  you did not seek this power. The stars called 
  out to you and bid you take it. They speak with  
  you still.
  F  you were born under a strange star and bear 
  birthmarks of important constellations.
  F  In dreams you can hardly remember, you spoke 
  to unfathomable beings of great power and 
  made promises you have now forgotten.
  dark Pact
  F  you were enslaved by drow and made a pact 
  with dark beings to escape your captors.
  F  you were trained by a drow outcast and became 
  an outcast yourself for associating with the  
  dark elf.
  F  your father was an adventurer driven mad by the 
  horrors of the Underdark, but from his ramblings 
  you learned something of the ways of magic.
  vestige Pact
  F  your people respect the ancient ways and vener-
  ate the vestiges.
  F  you are a descendant of King Elidyr and might 
  have ruled an empire had Nerath not fallen to 
  the gnolls. Now the king speaks to you in the 
  hopes you will return Nerath to glory.
  F  It was an accident. you read aloud from a 
  strange old book you stole and suddenly spirits 
  were with you.
  YOUr eldritch Pact
  
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  Warlock Basics
  28
  Vestige Pact
  “I call upon you Khaeleth. Give to me that which you 
  granted to the kings of old, and I shall make your name live 
  in the memory of the world again.”
   
  —Argonek, human warlock
  Arcane Power offers the Vestige Pact, a pact made with 
  forgotten spirits of the world. Constitution should 
  be your highest score, with Intelligence being high 
  as well. You gain different benefits from the pact 
  depending on which vestige aids you at the moment. 
  This looks complex but in practice it’s simple. Many 
  powers grant you an extra benefit regardless of the 
  vestige you choose, and, when you use a daily power, 
  you can choose to change the Pact Boon from which 
  you benefit. Remember to take a look at the Pact 
  Boon in such daily powers and decide if the switch 
  makes sense during the combat.
   
  Feats: Vestige Adept, Vestige Mastery, Vestige 
  Versatility (all from Arcane Power)
  Prime Shot
  Your +1 to hit from Prime Shot applies only to ranged 
  attacks, so don’t worry about it when making a close, 
  area, or melee attack. Using this ability often puts you 
  at risk, so you need to be careful if you seek its bene-
  fit. If you’re the nearest person to your foe and using a 
  ranged attack, it’s a good bet that your enemy is going 
  to be in melee with you soon.
   
  Feats: Dragon Magazine Annual 2009 offers the 
  useful Called Shot feat for paragon-level characters. 
  This provides a +5 damage bonus whenever you hit a 
  target of Prime Shot!
  Shadow Walk
  Shadow Walk is a nifty ability that grants you a little 
  extra defense thanks to concealment. You don’t gain 
  total concealment from the power so you can’t hide 
  in it, but the –2 penalty to attack rolls against you 
  means it’s something you should keep in mind each 
  turn. You don’t have to move—especially if you’re not 
  in danger of being attacked—but you might find that 
  moving after you attack allows you to curse another 
  foe, and as long as you’ve already moved, you might as 
  well gain the benefit.
   
  Feats: Arcane Power provides the useful Empow-
  ering Shadows feat, which provides a +1 bonus to 
  damage rolls when you benefit from concealment due 
  to Shadow Walk. Although not overwhelming, the 
  bonus to damage rolls has no type and can stack with 
  bonuses to damage rolls you gain from other sources. 
  At epic level, Ephemeral Stride from Arcane Power 
  allows you to move through enemy squares without 
  provoking opportunity attacks while benefiting from 
  Shadow Walk. This could be a useful ability, but 
  hopefully you’re teleporting around the battlefield by 
  that level. If you need it, you’ll know.
  Warlock’s Curse
  Warlock’s Curse is the meat and potatoes of your 
  striker damage output. Unfortunately, to put a curse 
  on a foe, that enemy needs to be the nearest one 
  to you. once it’s on, the curse works for the rest of 
  the encounter regardless of where the enemy goes, 
  but it can be tough do your part when the enemy is 
  screened by a bunch of minions or other dangers 
  stand between you and the best target of your attacks.
   
  Look for ways to teleport and otherwise move 
  swiftly around the battlefield so that you can curse 
  
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  Warlock Basics
  29
  whomever you want. If you don’t have access to that 
  kind of mobility, consider moving around the battle-
  field so that you can curse multiple foes but maintain 
  attacks against a single enemy. You might attack your 
  chosen foe, move so that another foe is nearest and 
  curse it, and then move back to attack your chosen 
  enemy on the following round. This way you’re gain-
  ing the benefit of Warlock’s Curse and Shadow Walk, 
  and when that chosen foe falls, you receive the ben-
  efit of your pact boon and your new target is already 
  cursed.
   
  Feats: Arcane Power presents several good options. 
  If you’re a human warlock, consider Reckless Curse 
  at heroic level. Its bonus to attack rolls stacks with 
  Prime Shot, and hopefully your target is more likely 
  to attack the defender than you. At paragon tier, 
  Twofold Curse presents the best option, allowing 
  you to curse the two nearest enemies with a minor 
  action—an ability that can save you a lot of tactical 
  maneuvering on the battlefield. At epic level, you can 
  take Warding Curse, which provides a +2 bonus to 
  all defenses when a creature you cursed attacks you. 
  Also, consider the feats in this article.
  warlOck BUilds
  You can differentiate your warlock with your choice 
  of pact and powers, and they should determine your 
  highest ability score as described above. Each pact 
  thus ends up being a build of its own to some degree, 
  but warlocks largely function in the same way: You 
  want to stay at range and control which enemy is 
  nearest to you.
   
  A number of warlock powers have a close range of 
  a few squares, but those should be occasional choices 
  to deal with foes who move too close. Building your 
  character to stand within 2 squares of melee and use 
  close powers means that you’ll likely fail to benefit 
  both from Prime Shot and Shadow Walk. You’ll end 
  up devoting a lot of character resources, such as feats 
  and magic items, to make your tactical choice feasible 
  rather than powerful.
  Power Selection
  Choose powers that provide you with an extra benefit 
  due to your Eldritch Pact. There might be some levels 
  where a better option exists for your character, but 
  for the most part, the pact benefit on a spell provides 
  a straight power boost over other powers of the same 
  level.
   
  Although the Player’s Handbook lists the pact asso-
  ciated with a spell, it does not limit who can take that 
  spell by Eldritch Pact; later sources don’t bother list-
  ing the pact for that reason.
  race and Pact
  Races that provide bonuses to Charisma, Constitu-
  tion, or Intelligence work best, and the ability scores 
  that benefit from a racial bonus determine which 
  Eldritch Pact will utilize the ability scores the most. 
  The table below outlines which choices are best 
  for each player character race, taking into account 
  both ability score bonuses and other racial abilities. 
  Races without relevant bonuses to abilities and no 
  beneficial racial traits are denoted with “None.” 
  Some others bear special mention due to their 
  unique suitability.
   
  Changeling: Changelings gain a +2 to Charisma 
  and can choose to gain a +2 to Intelligence. This 
  makes them well-suited to the dark, fey, and star 
  pacts. Given their racial bonus to Bluff checks, being 
  trained in Bluff and taking the beguiling tongue power 
  from Player’s Handbook makes for a fun choice.
   
  githyanki: Githyanki make excellent warlocks, 
  but the Lich Queen has outlawed all such ties to other 
  powers unless by her express permission. Warlocks 
  with star pacts are the most closely watched. The lich 
  queen suspects a Far Realm connection in star pacts, 
  but she uses such warlocks against aberrant beings 
  such as mind flayers for the time being.
   
  gnome: Gnomes readily become warlocks, and 
  many adopt the fey pact. Thanks to Shadow Walk and 
  the Reactive Stealth racial ability, you could conceiv-
  ably start many combats with concealment and be 
  hidden until at least the end of your first turn. Unfor-
  tunately, warlocks can’t choose training in Stealth 
  as a starting skill. Consider the Shadow Initiate feat 
  from Dragon #379; it gives you training in Stealth and 
  access to the assassin’s shroud power.
  
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  Warlock Basics
  30
   
  Half-Elf: A half-elf can be a strong warlock using 
  any pact, but the at-will power you take from another 
  class might influence your choice. Given that the war-
  lock is one of the only classes that uses Constitution 
  for attack rolls with at-will powers, you might want to 
  make Charisma your highest ability score and choose 
  the dark, fey, or star pact. Then you should look at the 
  bard and sorcerer for your extra at-will power since 
  those classes use Charisma to attack.
   
  Hobgoblin: Like the half-elf, a hobgoblin war-
  lock can work well as a warlock with any pact. The 
  infernal pact is most common among the militaristic 
  goblinoids as they take inspiration from the legendary 
  discipline of the legions of hell. You might consider 
  taking the star pact and attempting to keep two abil-
  ity scores equally high. This would allow you to use 
  all the star pact powers with equal ability.
   
  Tiefling: Tieflings make excellent warlocks but 
  an odd dissonance exists between their racial abilities 
  and the pact that makes the most sense for a tiefling 
  character: Tieflings gain a bonus to Charisma and 
  Intelligence, but the powers that benefit from the 
  infernal pact use Constitution. If you play a tiefling 
  with an infernal pact, take the hellfire Blood feat and 
  consider the feats in the upcoming Player’s Handbook 
  Races: Tieflings for more advantageous feats.
  race 
  Pacts
  bladeling 
  none
  bugbear 
  none
  bullywug 
  infernal, star, vestige
  changeling 
  dark, Fey, star
  deva 
  any
  doppelganger 
  dark, Fey, star
  dragonborn 
  dark, Fey, star
  drow 
  dark, Fey, star
  duergar 
  infernal, star, vestige
  dwarf 
  infernal, star, vestige
  eladrin 
  any
  elf 
  none
  genasi 
  any
  githyanki 
  infernal, star, vestige
  githzerai 
  none
  gnoll 
  infernal, star, vestige
  gnome 
  dark, Fey, star
  goblin 
  dark, Fey, star
  goliath 
  infernal, star, vestige
  Half-elf 
  any
  Half-orc 
  none
  Halfling 
  dark, Fey, star
  Hobgoblin 
  infernal, star, vestige
  Human 
  any
  kalashtar 
  dark, Fey, star
  kenku 
  dark, Fey, star
  kobold 
  infernal, star, vestige
  minotaur 
  infernal, star, vestige
  orc 
  infernal, star, vestige
  revenant 
  infernal, star, vestige
  shadar-kai 
  any
  longtooth shifter 
  none
  razorclaw shifter 
  none
  tiefling 
  dark, Fey, star
  Warforged 
  infernal, star, vestige
  Wilden 
  infernal, star, vestige
  herOic tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Bloodied Boon
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Eldritch Pact class fea-
  ture, Warlock’s Curse class feature
   
  Benefit: You can choose to gain your pact boon 
  when an enemy you curse is first bloodied. If you do 
  so, you remove your curse from that enemy.
  Brutal Curse
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: When you roll your Warlock’s Curse 
  damage, reroll any die that displays a 1 until you have 
  a result of 2 or higher.
  Curse of Displacement
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: When you score a critical hit against the 
  target of your Warlock’s Curse, you teleport the target 
  3 squares as a free action.
  Cursed Shot
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Prime Shot class feature, 
  Warlock’s Curse class feature
   
  Benefit: When determining who is nearest for 
  the purposes of the Prime Shot class feature, you 
  ignore all allies adjacent to you, as well as allies who 
  are helpless, stunned, dominated, unconscious, or 
  petrified.
  
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  Warlock Basics
  31
  Exultant Shadow Step
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefits: When you score a critical hit against 
  the target of your Warlock’s Curse, you can teleport 4 
  squares as a free action.
  Killing Curse
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: The extra damage dice from your War-
  lock’s Curse class feature increase from d6s to d8s.
  Primed Curse
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Prime Shot class feature, 
  Warlock’s Curse class feature
   
  Benefit: The bonus to attack rolls granted by 
  Prime Shot increases to +2 if the target is also cursed 
  by you.
  Prolonged Curse
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: When you hit a target with a warlock 
  attack that deals ongoing damage, increase the 
  ongoing damage by 1 point per Warlock’s Curse die 
  you roll.
  Warlock’s Sight
   
  Prerequisite: Warlock, Warlock’s Curse class 
  feature
   
  Benefit: You don’t take the normal –2 penalty to 
  attack rolls if your target has cover or concealment as 
  long as your target is cursed by you.
  ParagOn tier Feats
  Feats in this section are available to any characters of 
  11th level and above who meet the prerequisites.
  Curse of the Blind Stars
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, Warlock’s 
  Curse class feature
   
  Benefit: When you hit a cursed foe with an 
  encounter or daily warlock attack that causes radi-
  ant damage, you can forgo dealing Warlock’s Curse 
  damage to instead cause the target to become blinded 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Fey Revel Glamor
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, Warlock’s 
  Curse class feature, fey pact
   
  Benefit: Whenever you deal Warlock’s Curse 
  damage to a target and do so with a warlock daily 
  attack power, the target is slowed (save ends). If the 
  power already subjects the target to a slowing effect 
  that a save can end, the target is instead immobilized 
  (save ends).
  Hell’s Chosen
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, multiclass 
  divine class, infernal pact, eldritch blast
   
  Benefit: Whenever you would deal Warlock’s 
  Curse damage against an enemy, you can choose to 
  treat that damage as fire damage. In addition, you can 
  have your eldritch blast deal fire damage.
  Hellfire Hex
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, Warlock’s 
  Curse class feature, infernal pact
   
  Benefit: Whenever you deal Warlock’s Curse 
  damage to a target with a warlock daily attack power, 
  the target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). If 
  the power already deals ongoing fire damage, instead 
  increase that ongoing damage by 5.
  Protective Hex
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, Warlock’s 
  Curse class feature
   
  Benefit: When you hit an enemy you have cursed 
  with an attack, that enemy takes a –2 penalty to close 
  and melee attacks against your allies until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Sibling to the Stars
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, multiclass 
  divine class, star pact, eldritch blast
   
  Benefit: Whenever you would deal Warlock’s 
  Curse damage against an enemy, you can choose to 
  treat that damage as radiant damage. In addition, you 
  can have your eldritch blast deal radiant damage.
  Veil of Waking Dreams
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, warlock, Warlock’s 
  Curse class feature, star pact
   
  Benefit: Whenever you deal Warlock’s Curse 
  damage to a target and do so with a warlock daily 
  attack power, the target is dazed (save ends). If the 
  power already subjects the target to a dazing effect 
  that a save can end, the target is instead dazed and 
  takes ongoing 5 psychic damage (save ends both).
  
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  Warlock Basics
  32
  ePic tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  21st level who meets the prerequisites.
  Critical Curse
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, warlock, Warlock’s Curse 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: If you score a critical hit with a warlock 
  power, you can apply your Warlock’s Curse damage 
  if you have it available, even if the target is not cursed 
  by you.
  Contagious Curse
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, warlock, Warlock’s Curse 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: When an enemy cursed by you drops to 
  0 hit points, you can curse all enemies adjacent to the 
  target as a free action.
  Cursed Spells
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, warlock, Warlock’s Curse 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: You add your Intelligence modifier to the 
  extra damage dealt by your Warlock’s Curse.
  Inevitable Doom
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, warlock, Warlock’s Curse 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: If you miss a cursed enemy with an attack 
  and deal no damage to it, you gain a +1d6 bonus to 
  your next damage roll against it made before the end 
  of the encounter. Each time you miss the target with 
  the attack, increase the damage bonus by 1d6.
  Mind-Numbing Curse
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level, warlock, Warlock’s Curse 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: When you hit a cursed foe with an 
  encounter or daily warlock attack that causes psy-
  chic damage, you can forgo dealing Warlock’s Curse 
  damage to instead cause the target to become dazed 
  until the end of your next turn.
  About the Author
  Matthew Sernett is a writer and game designer for Wizards of 
  the Coast who splits his time between Dungeons & Dragons® 
  and Magic: The gathering®. Recent credits include Player’s 
  Handbook® Races: Tieflings, The Plane Above™: Secrets of the Astral 
  Sea, and Magic the Gathering: Zendikar™. When he’s not making 
  monsters or building worlds, he’s watching bad fantasy movies 
  you don’t realize exist and shouldn’t bother to learn about.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  33
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Ari Marmell 
  Illustration by Tyler Jacobson
  To Walk on 
  Unseen Paths
  The depths of the darkened woods, the rock faces of 
  the jagged hills, and the foul reaches of the stagnant 
  swamps are all as frightening, as mysterious, and 
  as foreign to the average commoner as if they truly 
  were alien worlds. And, in some instances, they 
  are. Warnings to remain clear of toadstool rings, to 
  shun strange lights in the forest, and to avoid killing 
  certain sorts of birds in flight are more than rural 
  superstition. In some regions, at least, they represent 
  dangers as real as the weather or the predators of the 
  wild, because here the influence of the Feywild seeps 
  into the natural world. Where the trees grow thickest 
  and the waters run deep, the realm of the fey casts its 
  shadows into the realm of mortals, because nature 
  becomes a doorway between them.
   
  And those who were born nearby—those who walk 
  these unseen paths and those who learn the ways of 
  the natural world beneath the Feywild’s influence—
  are subtly different from others of their ilk.
  
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  To Walk on Unseen Paths
  34
  the Unseen Path
  In many parts of the world, the overlap between the 
  middle realm and the Feywild is blatantly obvious. 
  Terrain and scenery change abruptly, fey creatures 
  are common, magic looks peculiar, and one can easily 
  and clearly step from one reality to another. But not all 
  places where the walls are weak between the mortal 
  and fey worlds are nearly so obvious; perhaps even 
  most of them are not. Twisting backwoods trails wind 
  through the mists between planes, subjecting travelers 
  to the influence of both worlds. Arches of branches 
  and standing stones mark hidden doorways, and 
  groves exist more fully in the mortal world, or more 
  fully in the Feywild, based on season or time of day.
   
  Sages call this sort of phenomenon “planar bleed.” 
  But among those who hunt and trap and adventure 
  within such regions, they are often known as the 
  Unseen Path.
   
  Rangers who walk the Unseen Path are a peculiar 
  sort. They’re not magic-users any more than other 
  rangers are such, but something of the fey is about 
  them, and they have a bond with the natural world 
  that other rangers do not share. They frequently 
  appear to see or hear what others do not, and they 
  gaze at the world through faintly alien eyes. A few 
  such rangers hail from the Feywild, but most are 
  humans or other natural world humanoids who were 
  born, or who learned the ways of the wild, within one 
  of these fey-touched realms. Their exploits border 
  on the supernatural, touching the very edges of fey 
  magic without ever crossing over.
   
  Those who walk the Unseen Path do not form an 
  organization or an order in any formal sense. Rather, 
  the environment has affected these individuals in the 
  same way, and they share similar beliefs and attitudes 
  toward nature, the Feywild, and the horrors of the 
  world. They often recognize one another on sight, and 
  when they band together, they do so more by instinct 
  than by intent. They follow similar philosophies and 
  they respect the same forebears—but never officially 
  and never by design. They gather due to intuition and 
  mutual interest, much like the predators with whom 
  they share their woods, their valleys, and their fields.
   
  goals: The Unseen Path seeks harmony between 
  the Feywild and the natural world. They work to pro-
  tect those people who live near these areas of planar 
  bleed from the dangers of the other plane—be it the 
  Feywild encroaching on the world, or vice-versa—
  and to protect the wilds of both worlds from outside 
  threats, such as aberrants, demons, and twisted fey. 
  They are not innately opposed to the growth of civi-
  lization or reasonable exploitation of nature, but they 
  do attempt to guide civilized peoples into adapting to 
  the natural environment, rather than razing it.
   
  Walkers of the Unseen Path often possess addi-
  tional, instinctive goals that they do not entirely 
  understand. They might hunt certain types of crea-
  tures, violently protect a particular region, or feel the 
  need to either help or hinder travelers based on how 
  well the travelers follow local tradition and supersti-
  tion. In other words, they behave very much like a 
  region’s fey, albeit filtered through the perceptions 
  and the ethics of their own race, culture, and desires.
   
  Size: It’s difficult to say how big the Unseen 
  Path might be, because it consists of dozens—if not 
  hundreds—of smaller groups. Each group is bound 
  together by an instinctive philosophy and frequently 
  remains unaware that any other groups just like them 
  exist. Any area of planar bleed with the Feywild, 
  should it linger long enough, results in a few locals 
  following the Unseen Path. So while any given gath-
  ering of the Unseen Path is small—anywhere from a 
  lone individual to roughly a dozen—if all the various 
  “pockets” of the Unseen Path were to gather in one 
  location, there might well be hundreds of Walkers.
   
  alignment: The bulk of Walkers on the Unseen 
  Path are unaligned, though good-aligned members 
  make up a significant minority. Walkers of other 
  alignments do exist, but they are of a wilder, more 
  unpredictable sort. These latter Walkers are less 
  prone to aid and protect others, and they favor stak-
  ing out a territory of planar bleed to prevent anyone 
  else from entering.
   
  Philosophy: “Where the wilds of the world meet 
  the borders of the Feywild, there and only there is 
  nature most pure. Neither world is entirely whole 
  unto itself.”
   
  Leadership: The Unseen Path has no true lead-
  ers, since it’s not an organization in any formal sense. 
  however, several Walkers have come before—men 
  and women whose actions and equilibrium with the 
  natural world make them worthy of respect and emu-
  lation. Perhaps two of the most renowned are Arkevia 
  Greenleaf (female human druid/ranger hybrid), said 
  to be descended from one of the greatest adventurers 
  of recorded history; and oreph Calhad (male half-elf 
  ranger), who was born human until he reached such 
  unity with the Feywild—while still maintaining his 
  humanity—that he literally took on a partial fey aspect.
   
  Membership requirements: The Unseen Path 
  has no formal requirements, and nobody “joins” 
  it. Sometimes, rangers and other wilderness-based 
  characters who hail from, or dwell within, these areas 
  of Feywild influence develop a certain set of beliefs 
  and attitudes, making them “members” by defini-
  tion. It shows in their eyes and their demeanor, and 
  others who share those beliefs can recognize another 
  
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  To Walk on Unseen Paths
  35
  “Walker” with a simple Insight check (DC equal to 
  the observed Walker’s Bluff if he or she is trying to 
  hide an affinity for some reason; otherwise, equal to 
  the low standard DC for a skill check of a level equal 
  to the observed Walker).
   
  Enemies: Most of the Unseen Path’s enemies are 
  obvious: any creatures or organizations that threaten 
  the inhabitants of these fey-touched areas and other 
  regions of the wild. For some Walkers, this extends 
  to otherworldly creatures that threaten the mortal 
  realm in general, such as aberrants or demons. But 
  for the non-evil, less territorial Walkers, enemies also 
  include fey who indiscriminately slaughter or torment 
  mortals, and mortals who exploit these areas beyond 
  their capacity to support sustainable life.
   
  rivals: Many primal organizations (druidic 
  circles, shamanic tribes, and the like) are allies of, or 
  at least sympathetic to, the Unseen Path, but a great 
  many others think ill of these rangers. Although 
  these organizations share a reverence for nature, the 
  Unseen Path believes both the mortal realm and the 
  Feywild contribute to nature’s purity, while the others 
  worship (or at least revere) primal spirits specific 
  to the natural world alone. These groups rarely act 
  actively hostile to the Unseen Path, though they also 
  do not aid them in their endeavors unless they share 
  an immediate mutual threat.
  Unseen Path Lore  
  (History or Nature DC 14)
  on occasion, some rangers (and, in rare cases, other 
  wilderness-focused characters) who were born or 
  who operate in areas of subtle Feywild influence are 
  affected by those phenomena in strange ways. They 
  take on subtle fey traits—of behavior, if not physical-
  ity—and develop shared beliefs about the sanctity 
  of the natural world, believing that nature’s purest 
  form exists where the Feywild and the world merge. 
  Most see themselves as defenders of nature and all 
  who try to dwell in harmony with it, so they seek to 
  protect people from unnatural monsters and even 
  the dangers of the wild. A few become as capricious, 
  territorial, and even murderous as the worst of the fey 
  themselves.
  raised in  
  the Unseen Path
  although some rangers come to the Unseen 
  Path when their adventuring career has already 
  begun, others develop their abilities by sensing 
  the faint touch of the Feywild in their mind, 
  body, and soul before they seek adventure. Some 
  choose never to adventure, as well. Perhaps you 
  were born in a town very near a hidden doorway, 
  or grew up under the watchful eye of fey who 
  dwelt in the woods behind your family’s ram-
  shackle hut. you might even have been stolen 
  from your crib as an infant and taken to the Fey-
  wild. In this case, you must have been retrieved 
  swiftly—those who spend too long in the Feywild 
  develop beliefs and attitudes other than the 
  Unseen Path—but still, an element of the experi-
  ence stayed with you even to adulthood.
   
  you can choose to make this experience one 
  of your character’s backgrounds (see Player’s 
  Handbook 2). While most characters with this 
  background are rangers who are followers of the 
  Unseen Path, you don’t have to be. you could be 
  anyone who experienced a childhood somehow 
  influenced by the Path.
   
  Associated Skills: arcana, Nature
   
  Associated Language: Elven
  
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  To Walk on Unseen Paths
  36
   
  These rangers call the fey-touched wilds the 
  Unseen Path, and they dub themselves Walkers of the 
  Unseen Path. They are not part of a formal organiza-
  tion, in any sense of the word. Rather, those following 
  the Unseen Path have a collection of beliefs and 
  attitudes that they share with those who have similar 
  pasts. They have enough contact with each other to 
  pass along certain traditions and historical tales, and 
  members can identify one another. For the most part, 
  however, the Unseen Path is a philosophy more than 
  an order.
  Unseen Path Feats
  The following feats can provide rangers with some 
  options that can assist in playing a Walker of the 
  Unseen Path.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Bestial Mobility
   
  Prerequisite: Beast Mastery class feature
   
  Benefit: When you and your beast companion 
  are adjacent to each other, you can either increase or 
  reduce the distance of any push, pull, or slide effect 
  on either you or your companion (but not both at 
  once) by 2 squares. If your beast companion is adja-
  cent to you, you can stand as a minor action.
  Beast Rider
   
  Prerequisite: Beast Mastery class feature
   
  Benefit: If your beast companion is your size or 
  larger, and at least Medium size, you can ride it as a 
  mount. (This is an exception to the rule that mounts 
  must be no smaller than Large.) You can mount or 
  dismount your beast companion as a move action.
  Fey Senses
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Nature
   
  Benefit: Due to your exposure (or your ancestor’s 
  exposure) to the magic of the Feywild, you gain a 
  +2 feat bonus to Perception and a +2 racial bonus to 
  saving throws against charm effects.
  Fey-Minded
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Nature
   
  Benefit: You can use Nature in place of Arcana for 
  fey-related monster knowledge checks. In addition, 
  you can now speak and write Elven. (If you already 
  know Elven, you can choose Giant or Goblin instead.)
  New Ranger Powers
  These techniques, developed by followers of the 
  Unseen Path, reflect those rangers’ association with 
  the Feywild and their great sensitivity to the natural 
  world around them. Although these are still mar-
  tial exploits—they do not truly draw on arcane or 
  primal magic—some include effects that are almost 
  supernatural in manifestation. Many focus on either 
  deceptive combat or on taking advantage of nature’s 
  ebb and flow to enhance an attack’s accuracy, as the 
  fey so often do.
  Level 6 Utility Exploit
  Harrying Hunter stance 
  ranger Utility 6
  Through careful positioning and an instinctive connection, you 
  and your companion mercilessly harry the foe.
  daily ✦ beast, martial
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, you and your beast com-
  panion gain combat advantage against any foe to whom 
  you are both adjacent. If you and your companion are also 
  flanking the target, you deal 2 extra damage on Hunter’s 
  Quarry damage rolls against it.
  Level 7 Encounter Exploit
  deceptive steel 
  ranger attack 7
  An off-hand attack your foe never saw coming causes disorien-
  tation as well as pain.
  encounter ✦ martial, Weapon
  immediate reaction 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding two melee weapons.
  trigger: you make an opportunity attack against an enemy
  target: The triggering enemy
  attack: Strength vs. aC (off-hand weapon)
  Hit: 2[W] (off-hand) + Strength modifier damage. Until the end 
  of your next turn, you also gain combat advantage and con-
  cealment against the target.
  
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  To Walk on Unseen Paths
  37
  Level 9 Daily Exploit
  murderous aim 
  ranger attack 9
  A moment’s careful study reveals to you a vast array of weak 
  points to attack.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon
  target: One creature designated as your quarry
  attack: Dexterity vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, when you deal Hunter’s 
  Quarry damage to this target, you can reroll any Hunter’s 
  Quarry damage die result of 1 or 2 until it shows a value of 
  3 or higher.
  Level 15 Daily Exploit
  Questing blades 
  ranger attack 15
  A vicious series of probes and strikes allows you to strike at 
  your opponent’s greatest vulnerabilities.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding two melee weapons.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. the lowest of the target’s aC, reflex, or 
  Fortitude
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is subject 
  to your questing blades (save ends). While the target is 
  subject to your questing blades, each time you attack the 
  target with a power that normally targets aC, you instead 
  attack the lowest of the target’s aC, reflex, or Fortitude.
  miss: Half damage, and until the end of your next turn, each 
  time you attack the target with a power that normally 
  targets aC, you instead attack the lowest of the target’s aC, 
  reflex, or Fortitude.
  Level 17 Encounter Exploit
  swooping raptor 
  ranger attack 17
  Deaths falls from above in the form of both arrow and talon.
  encounter ✦ beast, martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  ranged weapon (beast 1)
  target: One creature
  Primary attack: Dexterity vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  effect: Make a secondary attack against the target that is a 
  melee beast 1.
   
  secondary attack: beast’s attack bonus vs. aC
    Hit: 1[b] + beast’s Strength modifier damage.
   
  special: If your beast companion is a bear, a raptor, or a 
  wolf, the beast can charge in place of the secondary attack.
  Level 22 Utility Exploit
  Fleet Hunter’s stance 
  ranger Utility 22
  You feel the flow of the earth beneath your feet, and it drives 
  you onward and through your astonished foes.
  daily ✦ martial, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the stance ends, whenever you use a ranger power 
  that allows you to make multiple melee attacks, you can 
  shift 1 square after each such successful attack.
  Level 25 Daily Exploit
  vengeful Fangs stance 
  ranger attack 25
  Your companion crouches, muscles tensed, ready to strike at 
  all that threatens you.
  daily ✦ beast, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the stance ends, your beast companion can score a 
  critical hit on a roll of 18–20, and it gains a power bonus to 
  damage rolls equal to your Strength modifier or Dexterity 
  modifier. as an opportunity action when an enemy hits you 
  with an attack, you can command your beast companion to 
  make a melee basic attack or a charge attack against that 
  enemy. The beast does not provoke opportunity attacks if 
  it charges during this action. your beast companion gains 
  combat advantage on this attack if the target is also your 
  quarry.
  About the Author
  ari Marmell was born in New York, moved to houston when 
  he was a year old, moved to Austin when he was 27, but has 
  spent most of his life living in other worlds through a combi-
  nation of writing and roleplaying games. he has been writing 
  more or less constantly for the last dozen years, though he has 
  only been paid for it the past five. he is the author of multiple 
  roleplaying game supplements including work on Dungeons 
  & Dragons®. Ari lives in Austin with his wife George and two 
  cats.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  38
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Aeryn "Blackdirge" Rudel 
  Illustration by Tyler Walpole
  Class Acts:
  The Ruthless Reach 
  Barbarian
  Barbarians favor two-handed weapons because these 
  weapons allow their wielders to use more leverage, 
  a concept that translates into heavier, more damag-
  ing blows. one type of barbarian, the ruthless reach 
  barbarian, has mastered the use of two-handed reach 
  weapons, which apply leverage with each strike like 
  no other type of weapons. The long haft of a glaive, 
  halberd, or longspear allows a ruthless reach barbar-
  ian to generate immense power when targeting foes at 
  his or her weapon’s maximum reach—in other words, 
  2 squares away. The barbarian evocations presented 
  here take this into account, and a ruthless reach bar-
  barian is doubly dangerous when he or she has a little 
  room to work. 
   
  Although still a striker through and through, a 
  ruthless reach barbarian can act as controller in a 
  secondary role by attacking small groups of foes or 
  moving enemies around the battlefield. he or she 
  can even serve as a defender in a pinch, using reach 
  to keep enemies at bay or cutting weaker foes down 
  before they can enter melee range.
  Level 1 At-Will Evocation
  savage reach 
  barbarian attack 1
  Your great strength and the reach of your weapon allow you to 
  smash enemies aside with each blow.
  at-Will F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC.
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you slide the 
  target 1 square. If you are raging, you can slide the target  
  2 squares.
    Level 21: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  Level 1 Encounter 
  Evocation
  room for carnage 
  barbarian attack 1
  You drive your foes backward with the haft of your weapon, 
  giving you enough room to deliver a mighty blow.
  encounter F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  effect: you push each enemy adjacent to you 1 square.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage
  
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  Class Acts: The Ruthless Reach Barbarian
  39
  Level 3 Encounter 
  Evocation
  longstrike charge 
  barbarian attack 3
  You surge toward your target, your momentum and the length 
  of your weapon adding devastating speed and power to your 
  attack.
  encounter F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  special: When charging, you can use this power in place of a 
  melee basic attack. When you do so, you gain a bonus to 
  the damage roll equal to the number of squares you moved 
  during the charge.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  Level 5 Daily Evocation
  longstrike slayer rage 
  barbarian attack 5
  Your weapon smashes into your targets like a steel hurricane 
  as your fury enhances its leverage and power with each strike.
  daily F Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 2
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  target: Each enemy you can see and is not adjacent to you in 
  burst
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier + Constitution modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you enter the rage of the longstrike slayer. Until 
  the rage ends, you gain a power bonus equal to your  
  Constitution modifier to melee and close weapon damage 
  rolls against targets that are 2 or more squares away from 
  you.
  Level 7 Encounter 
  Evocation
  devastating leverage 
  barbarian attack 7
  You swing your weapon in a wide arc, using the terrible power 
  generated by its length to smash your enemy to the ground.
  encounter F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you slide the target 
  1 square and knock the target prone.
  Level 13 Encounter 
  Evocation
  shattering reach 
  barbarian attack 13
  The long haft of your weapon allows you to strike with enough 
  force to shatter armor and shields like brittle glass.
  encounter F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target takes 
  a penalty to aC equal to your Constitution modifier until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 15 Daily Evocation
  slashing tornado rage 
  barbarian attack 15
  The howling winds of the tornado enhance your whirling 
  strike. As the fury of the tornado fills you, your fury reaches 
  out to strike at any who oppose you.
  daily F Primal, rage, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 2
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  target: Each enemy you can see in burst
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, and ongoing 5 damage 
  (save ends).
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you enter the rage of the slashing tornado. Until the 
  rage ends, at the start of each of your turns, deal damage 
  equal to your Constitution modifier to each enemy within 
  2 squares of you.
  Level 16 Utility Evocation
  rampant reach 
  barbarian Utility 16
  No one can escape the reach of your rage.
  encounter F Primal
  Free action 
  Personal
  requirement: you must be wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon.
  trigger: you score a critical hit with a barbarian attack power
  effect: you have threatening reach with the weapon used in 
  the triggering attack until the end of your next turn. you 
  also gain a bonus to damage rolls with opportunity attacks 
  equal to 3 + your Constitution modifier until the end of 
  your next turn.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: The Ruthless Reach Barbarian
  40
  Level 23 Encounter 
  Evocation
  mammoth leverage 
  barbarian attack 23
  Focusing all of your strength and the terrible power generated 
  by your weapon into one monumental blow, you smash your 
  enemy clear across the battlefield.
  encounter F Primal, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  requirement: you must be using a two-handed reach weapon.
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC.
  Hit: 4[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you slide the target 
  2 squares and knock it prone.
  BarBarian Feats
  The following feats are designed to help a ruthless 
  reach barbarian make the most of his or her two-
  handed reach weapon.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Brutal Reach
   
  Prerequisite: Barbarian
   
  Benefit: When you are raging and wielding a two-
  handed reach weapon, you can reroll any weapon 
  damage die that displays a 1 when making melee 
  attacks.
  Raging Reach
   
  Prerequisite: Barbarian, rage strike
   
  Benefit: When wielding a two-handed reach 
  weapon, you deal extra damage equal to your Consti-
  tution modifier with rage strike against targets that are 
  2 or more squares away from you.
  Ruthless Rampage
   
  Prerequisite: Barbarian, Rampage class feature
   
  Benefit: When you make a free melee basic 
  attack with a two-handed reach weapon as a result of 
  Rampage, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll if 
  the target is 2 or more squares away from you.
  About the Author
  aeryn “Blackdirge” rudel is a staff writer and editor for 
  Goodman Games, a freelance writer and RPG designer, and 
  the editor-in-chief of the 4E magazine Level Up. he has been a 
  professional game designer since 2005, and his recent author 
  credits include Blackdirge’s Dungeon Denizens, Critter Cache: 
  Daemons, and Hero’s Handbook: Tiefling. Aeryn currently lives 
  in Modesto, California with his wife Melissa, a nongamer 
  whose tolerance for her husband’s geekery borders on the 
  supernatural.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  41
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  mOnastic [BackgrOUnd]
  The monastery defined your early life. you might 
  have trained in a secluded temple, hidden high 
  in the mountains as Moradin’s and Kord’s often 
  are. Or perhaps your home was tucked away in a 
  city, concealed by powerful wards so it blends in, 
  unseen, such as Erathis’s monasteries sometimes 
  are. How did you come to this monastery? What 
  was life like for you? In what ways did you excel 
  in your training? In what ways did you fall short?
   
  Avandra Associated Skills: Dungeoneering, 
  Nature
   
  Bahamut Associated Skills: Insight, Intimidate
   
  Corellon Associated Skills: arcana, Insight
   
  Erathis Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Streetwise
   
  Ioun Associated Skills: History, Insight
   
  Kord Associated Skills: athletics, Endurance
   
  Melora Associated Skills: Nature, Perception
   
  Moradin Associated Skills: Endurance, History
   
  Pelor Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Heal
   
  The Raven Queen Associated Skills: Intimidate, 
  religion
   
  Sehanine Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Cynthia Sheppard
  Class Acts:  
    Avenger
  Avengers share the same gods as other divine ser-
  vants, but their methods vary. For the avenger, only 
  war matters. Conflict rules the avenger’s thoughts. 
  Their purpose and training dictates that they meet 
  their god’s enemies with overwhelming violence. 
  They seek only to shatter those foes that would tear 
  down the god’s works and threaten its dominion. 
  other divine characters might use other stratagems 
  to deal with their foes, but where they can sometimes 
  be scalpels, the avenger is always the hammer.
   
  Given the avengers’ destructive bent, they find 
  themselves at odds with others in the same faith, 
  and, without a doubt, they cross paths and swords 
  with rivals. Some faiths have even gone so far as to 
  name avengers heretics, extremists, and deviants who 
  twist a god’s message to serve bloodthirsty agendas. 
  For this reason, avengers learn their techniques in 
  secluded monasteries. In these sacred halls, they 
  undergo punishing training until they prove them-
  selves worthy to undertake the holy mission assigned 
  to them. Attrition is high and often fatal, so only the 
  most fervent followers ever complete their training to 
  become avengers in truth.
  vengeFUl traditiOns
  
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  Class Acts: Avenger
  42
  gOdswOrn nemesis
  “Liberation is my sword, freedom my shield. Tyrants shall 
  tremble, oppressors will quake, because no chains can with-
  stand my fury and no law can deny my wrath.”
  The avenger lives to destroy his or her gods’ enemies 
  and represents the divine interests in the world by the 
  weapons each wields. While the training’s principles 
  are never far from the avenger’s thoughts, the degree 
  to which an avenger pursues them varies from indi-
  vidual to individual. Some avengers see their training 
  and doctrines as tools they can use to overcome the 
  challenges they face, while others find they cannot 
  see beyond the strictures and find their lives defined 
  by the war the wage. These zealots are the godsworn 
  nemeses, and they represent some of the most fero-
  cious and single-minded warriors known in the world 
  and beyond.
  Godsworn Alacrity
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical 
  hit, you gain a +2 feat bonus to speed until the end of 
  your next turn as a godsworn boon. You can benefit 
  from only one godsworn boon as a result of any given 
  critical hit.
  Godsworn Assault
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Erathis
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  one ally you can see gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls 
  until the end of your next turn as a godsworn boon. 
  You can benefit from only one godsworn boon as a 
  result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Avalanche
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Kord
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical 
  hit, you can also push the target a number of squares 
  equal to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier as a 
  godsworn boon. You can benefit from only one god-
  sworn boon as a result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Bulwark
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Moradin
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  you gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the end of 
  your next turn as a godsworn boon. You can benefit 
  from only one godsworn boon as a result of any given 
  critical hit.
  Godsworn Defender
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Bahamut
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  one ally you can see gains a +2 bonus to all defenses 
  until the end of your next turn as a godsworn boon. 
  You can benefit from only one godsworn boon as a 
  result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Fatalist
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship the Raven 
  Queen
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  your target takes extra necrotic or cold damage equal 
  to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier as a god-
  sworn boon. You can benefit from only one godsworn 
  boon as a result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Mentalist
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Ioun
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  the critical hit deals extra psychic damage equal to 
  your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier as a godsworn 
  boon. You can benefit from only one godsworn boon 
  as a result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Mystic
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Sehanine
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  you gain concealment until the end of your next turn 
  as a godsworn boon. You can benefit from only one 
  godsworn boon as a result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Radiant
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Pelor
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical 
  hit, your target takes extra radiant damage equal to 
  your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier as a godsworn 
  boon. You can benefit from only one godsworn boon 
  as a result of any given critical hit.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Avenger
  43
  Godsworn Sidestep
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Corellon
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  you can teleport 5 squares to any unoccupied square 
  adjacent to your oath of enmity target as a godsworn 
  boon. You can benefit from only one godsworn boon 
  as a result of any given critical hit.
  Godsworn Tidedancer
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Melora
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Religion 
  checks. In addition, whenever you score a critical hit, 
  you can shift a number of squares equal to your Dex-
  terity or Intelligence modifier as a godsworn boon. 
  You can benefit from only one godsworn boon as a 
  result of any given critical hit.
  Avenger Powers
  Avengers who become godsworn nemeses are granted 
  the opportunity to focus the divine wrath of their spe-
  cific deities.
  Encounter Attack Powers
  alacritous assault 
  avenger attack 3
  The fury of your god’s presence sweeps through your allies as 
  well, causing them to gain better battlefield position.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn alacrity
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: Each ally adjacent to you can shift 1 square as a free 
  action.
  chill of Winter’s bite 
  avenger attack 3
  Even as your foe falters momentarily from the power of your 
  attack, an ally receives the blessing of your deity on his or her 
  next attack.
  encounter F divine, implement, necrotic, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Fatalist
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant or necrotic damage.
  effect: One ally you can see deals extra necrotic damage equal 
  to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier on his or her next 
  melee attack against the target before the end of your next 
  turn.
  enlightened strike 
  avenger attack 3
  The power of your deity damages foe, and then flows into an 
  ally, who then uses it to make surer attacks.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn assault
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see gains a +1 power bonus to attack 
  rolls until the start of your next turn.
  lunar strike 
  avenger attack 3
  The grace of your deity provides your foe with blessed pain 
  while giving an ally a chance to disappear from sight.
  encounter F divine, illusion, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mystic
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see becomes invisible until the start of 
  your next turn or until he or she hits or misses.
  mind-rending assault 
  avenger attack 3
  The pain of your attack is not contained within your chosen 
  foe; it resonates within an ally’s foe with each strike your ally 
  makes.
  encounter F divine, implement, Psychic, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mentalist
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier psychic or radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see deals extra psychic damage equal 
  to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier on his or her next 
  melee attack against the target before the end of your next 
  turn.
  gOdswOrn  
  encOUnter POwers  
  at higher levels
  If you’re not so keen on taking one of these 
  encounter powers at 3rd level, they’re all easily 
  upgraded to the paragon or epic tiers. 
   
  For the paragon tier, add 1d10 to the heroic-tier 
  power’s damage (for a total of 3d10 + Wisdom 
  modifier). This makes it a level 13 power.
   
  For the epic tier, add 2d10 to the heroic-tier 
  power’s damage (for a total of 4d10 + Wisdom 
  modifier). This makes it a level 23 power.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Avenger
  44
  seal of scales 
  avenger attack 3
  Your god’s full fury not only smites your foe but also grants an 
  ally additional protection.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Defender
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see gains a +2 power bonus to all 
  defenses until the start of your next turn.
  strike of the Forgehammer avenger attack 3
  As your foe takes damage from your attack, your deity’s power 
  flows through an ally and bolsters him or her against deleteri-
  ous effects.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn bulwark
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally can make a saving throw with a +2 power 
  bonus.
  strike from the mountaintop avenger attack 3
  The fury of your deity finds an outlet in both your attack and 
  that of an ally’s, making both enemies feel as if Kord pounded 
  them into the ground.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn avalanche
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see gains a +2 power bonus to damage 
  rolls until the start of your next turn.
  strike of Perfect beauty 
  avenger attack 3
  As you attack your foe, divine energy flows from you to an ally, 
  enabling him or her to also bring divine retribution upon an 
  enemy.
  encounter F divine, Force, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Sidestep
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant or force damage.
  effect: One ally you can see deals extra force damage equal 
  to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier on his or her 
  next melee attack against the target before the end of 
  your next turn.
  sun of the Heavens strike 
  avenger attack 3
  Even as divine power flows from your attack into your foe, your 
  ally receives a measure of it for an attack of his or her own.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn radiant
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: One ally you can see deals extra radiant damage equal 
  to your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier on his or her next 
  melee attack against the target before the end of your next 
  turn.
  tidal shift 
  avenger attack 3
  Not only does your deity’s power fall upon your foe as you at-
  tack it, but it also moves an ally into a position to engage your 
  chosen enemy.
  encounter F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Tidedancer
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage.
  effect: you slide one ally you can see 5 squares to a square 
  adjacent to the target.
  Utility Powers
  breath of creation 
  avenger Utility 6
  Moradin breathes new life into you to help your injuries heal 
  and make good on the oath you swore.
  daily F divine, Healing
  minor action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn bulwark
  effect: you regain hit points equal to your healing surge value.
  Freedom step 
  avenger Utility 6
  You blur into motion, moving faster than the eye can follow.
  encounter F divine
  move action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn alacrity
  effect: If you are slowed, immobilized, or restrained, the condi-
  tion ends. you shift a number of squares equal to your speed.
  implacable mountain 
  avenger Utility 6 
  Your faith in the Battle Lord gives you the strength you need to 
  shrug off your enemy’s attacks.
  encounter F divine
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn avalanche
  trigger: you are dazed, stunned, or weakened by an attack
  effect: Make a saving throw. If the saving throw succeeds, you 
  end the triggering effect.
  light of civilization 
  avenger Utility 6
  A common enemy can restore a community’s bonds, and your 
  successful attack helps an ally to share your purpose
  encounter F divine, radiant
  Free action 
  close burst 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn assault
  trigger: you hit your oath of enmity target with a melee attack
  target: One ally in burst
  effect: The target gains a +2 power bonus to its next attack roll 
  against the target before the end of your next turn. If that 
  attack hits, it deals an extra 5 radiant damage.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Avenger
  45
  Pelor’s shining light 
  avenger Utility 6
  None can hide from Pelor’s shining light.
  daily F divine, zone
  minor action 
  close blast 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn radiant
  effect: The blast creates a zone of bright light that lasts until 
  the end of the encounter. Creatures do not benefit from 
  concealment or total concealment while within the zone.
  Platinum Pride 
  avenger Utility 6
  When a treacherous foe would strike you, the Platinum Dragon’s 
  shielding wing is there to protect you from harm.
  daily F divine, stance
  standard action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Defender
  effect: Until the stance ends, you gain a +2 power bonus to all 
  defenses against attacks from enemies that aren’t your oath 
  of enmity targets.
  Prescient knowledge 
  avenger Utility 6
  You perceive danger before it materializes and react accordingly.
  encounter F divine
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mentalist
  trigger: an enemy that is not your oath of enmity target hits 
  you with an attack
  effect: you gain a +4 power bonus to all defenses against the 
  triggering attack.
  shroud of Winter 
  avenger Utility 6
  Your aspect changes to assume a skeletal appearance cloaked 
  in shadow.
  encounter F divine
  minor action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Fatalist
  effect: you gain concealment and become insubstantial until 
  the end of your next turn.
  symmetric Harmony 
  avenger Utility 6
  Your perfect strike invites Corellon’s blessing upon you.
  encounter F divine, teleportation
  Free action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Sidestep
  trigger: you make a melee attack against your oath of enmity 
  target and roll the same number on each die of the attack roll
  effect: If the attack hits and deals damage, it deals 5 extra force 
  or radiant damage. If the attack misses, you can teleport to 
  any unoccupied square adjacent to the target.
  veil of the moon 
  avenger Utility 6
  The air shimmers as if the sun set upon your shoulders. In a 
  flash, you are gone.
  encounter F divine, illusion
  minor action 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mystic
  effect: you become invisible until the end of your next turn or 
  until you hit or miss.
  Wrath of the sea 
  avenger Utility 6
  Your pain awakens nature’s fury within you, giving you the 
  spirit to see the battle through to its conclusion.
  daily F divine, stance
  immediate reaction 
  Personal
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Tidedancer
  trigger: you are bloodied by an attack
  effect: Until the stance ends, your avenger encounter and daily 
  attack powers deal extra damage equal to your Wisdom 
  modifier.
  Daily Attack Powers
  avandra’s Footsteps 
  avenger attack 9
  Filled with righteous indignation, your attack damages your 
  foe and lends swiftness to your movement.
  daily F divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn alacrity
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: you gain a +3 power bonus to speed until the end of 
  the encounter.
  bahamut’s Wing 
  avenger attack 9
  The power of your god wounds your enemy and bolsters your 
  allies’ defenses.
  daily F divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Defender
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, each ally that can see you gains a +1 power bonus 
  to all defenses until the start of your next turn.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Avenger
  46
  corellon’s evasion 
  avenger attack 9
  Corellon graces you with the ability to move around the field of 
  combat quickly after you hit your foe.
  daily F divine, implement, teleportation
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Sidestep
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, you can teleport 3 squares.
  erathis’s coordination 
  avenger attack 9
  The divine power of your deity damages your foe and makes it 
  easier for others to strike your chosen enemy.
  daily F divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn assault
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, one ally you can see gains a +2 power bonus to 
  attack rolls against your target until the start of your next 
  turn.
  ioun’s irrefutable logic 
  avenger attack 9
  The power of Ioun resonates within the mind of your foe, caus-
  ing it to quiver with pain.
  daily F divine, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mentalist
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your avenger encounter 
  attack powers deal 3 extra psychic damage against your 
  oath of enmity target. Increase the extra damage to 6 at 
  19th level, and 9 at 29th level.
  kord’s storm 
  avenger attack 9
  The thunderous might of Kord flows through you and into 
  your foe with each successful attack you make.
  daily F divine, implement, lightning, thunder
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn avalanche
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your avenger encounter 
  attack powers deal 3 extra lightning and thunder damage 
  against your oath of enmity target. Increase the extra dam-
  age to 6 at 19th level, and 9 at 29th level.
  melora’s inexorable tide 
  avenger attack 9
  The power of Melora accompanies your attack, causing a 
  nearby enemy pain.
  daily F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Tidedancer
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, one other enemy adjacent to you takes radiant dam-
  age equal to your Wisdom modifier.
  moradin’s stalwart shield 
  avenger attack 9
  The strength of Moradin not only wounds your foe but also 
  provides you with inner resources to protect you from damage.
  daily F divine, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn bulwark
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, you gain resistance to damage equal to your Wis-
  dom modifier until the start of your next turn.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Avenger
  47
  Pelor’s divine Fire 
  avenger attack 9
  The light of Pelor fills you and wounds your enemy.
  daily F divine, implement, radiant
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn radiant
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your avenger encounter 
  attack powers deal 3 extra radiant damage against your 
  oath of enmity target. Increase the extra damage to 6 at 
  19th level, and 9 at 29th level.
  the raven Queen’s decay 
  avenger attack 9
  Your deity’s power finds a place within the body of your foe, 
  causing it bone-deep pain.
  daily F divine, implement, necrotic
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Fatalist
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, your avenger encounter 
  attack powers deal 3 extra necrotic damage against your 
  oath of enmity target. Increase the extra damage to 6 at 
  19th level, and 9 at 29th level.
  sehanine’s misdirection 
  avenger attack 9
  Sehanine provides you with the power to dance in and out of 
  sight of your foe when you wound it.
  daily F divine, illusion, implement
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  Prerequisite: Godsworn Mystic
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d12 + Wisdom modifier damage, and you pull the target 
  4 squares to a square adjacent to you.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, whenever you hit your 
  oath of enmity target with an avenger encounter attack 
  power, you become invisible until the start of your next 
  turn. D
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose more recent work can be found in Martial Power™ 
  2, Draconomicon™ 2, and Primal Power™. Robert lives in 
  Tennessee.
  gOdswOrn dailY POwers 
  at higher levels
  If you’re not so keen on taking one of these daily 
  powers at 9th level, they’re all easily upgraded 
  to the paragon or epic tiers. 
   
  For the paragon tier, add 2d12 to the heroic-tier 
  power’s damage (for a total of 4d12 + Wisdom 
  modifier). This makes it a level 19 power.
   
  For the epic tier, add 3d12 to the heroic-tier 
  power’s damage (for a total of 5d12 + Wisdom 
  modifier). This makes it a level 29 power.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  48
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Matt James F Illustration by Cynthia Sheppard
  Class Acts: Cleric
  The lord of battle, Kord, is a stalwart and brave 
  warrior-god who seeks victory even in the clutches of 
  defeat. his loyal followers train for countless hours 
  to be the best on any terrain and against any enemy; 
  they must be prepared to sacrifice all in the name of 
  competition and victory.
   
  A smaller gathering of his followers is more zealous 
  than the rest and takes great pride in bringing defeat to 
  even the most skilled of opposition. This group, called 
  the Covenant of War, is both feared and respected, and 
  it often finds victory at the quivering surrender of their 
  foes before the battle has even begun. They train at all 
  hours of the day, utilizing every last drop of sunlight 
  to perfect their deadly maneuvers and to seek divine 
  guidance from their patron. Less concerned with the 
  traditional teachings of divine magic, these battle 
  priests utilize the power of their deity to deliver devas-
  tating attacks on their unfortunate foes.
   
  The organization consists of a military-type hierar-
  chy that emphasizes merit and accomplishment over 
  hard talk and empty promises. It includes members of 
  other classes as well, such as paladins, avengers, fight-
  ers, bards, and rogues. only one rule exists within 
  this organization: Come with all you have or do not 
  come at all. They do not accept anything less, and they 
  uphold standards of strength and ability at all costs.
   
  Clerics who wish to learn more of the battlelord’s 
  Covenant of War are encouraged to seek out sacred 
  temples located throughout the known world. Within 
  each one resides a secret gladiatorial testing ground 
  where only the strong survive. Failure in these gladi-
  atorial contests means permanent expulsion from the 
  Covenant’s place of worship and denial at any attempt 
  for readmission.
  Battle-priests of war 
  require twice the training, 
  determination, and grit of 
  any conventional soldier.
  Level 1 Daily Prayer
  inflict light Wounds 
  Cleric attack 1
  Calling upon the wrath of your deity, you wrack your enemy 
  with pain.
  daily F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is weak-
  ened (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target is weakened until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Level 2 Utility Prayer
  sacrificial aegis 
  Cleric Utility 2
  The power of your faith siphons life out of you and bolsters 
  your ally with divine protection.
  daily F divine
  minor action 
   
  melee touch
  target: One ally
  effect: you take damage equal to your surge value. This dam-
  age cannot be reduced by any means. The target gains tem-
  porary hit points equal to twice that value.
  Level 5 Daily Prayer
  augment of War 
  Cleric attack 5
  Your deity answers your call and assaults your foe with divine 
  energy.
  daily F divine
  minor action 
   
  melee touch
  target: One ally’s weapon
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, all attacks made with 
  this weapon deal extra damage equal to your Strength 
  modifier. When the weapon hits an enemy, that enemy 
  grants combat advantage until the start of the wielder’s 
  next turn.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Cleric
  49
  Level 9 Daily Prayer
  divine surge 
  Cleric attack 9
  Calling upon the strength of your deity, you send waves of 
  divine power through your foe, distracting it momentarily.
  daily F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 1
  target: Each enemy in burst you can see
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target grants 
  combat advantage (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and target grants combat advantage until 
  the end of your next turn.
  Level 10 Utility Prayer
  transcendent advisor 
  Cleric Utility 10
  A servant of your deity appears before you.
  daily F conjuration, divine
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  effect: you conjure an advisor from your deity that appears in 
  an unoccupied square within range. The advisor occupies 
  1 square and lasts until the end of your next turn. allies 
  within 5 squares of the counsel can roll twice on all knowl-
  edge checks and keep either result.
  sustain minor: The effect persists.
  Level 13 Encounter Prayer
  invocation of War 
  Cleric attack 13
  The wounds you create embolden your allies to achieve 
  greatness.
  encounter F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier, and the next attack that hits the 
  target before the end of your next turn deals extra damage 
  equal to your Strength modifier, or Strength + Wisdom 
  modifier if you are wielding a two-handed weapon.
  Level 16 Utility Prayer
  eternal barrier 
  Cleric Utility 16
  Your divine presence removes obstacles in your way.
  at-Will F conjuration, divine, zone
  standard action 
  close burst 2
  effect: The burst creates a zone centered on you that lasts until 
  the end of your next turn. While within the zone, you and 
  each ally ignore difficult terrain.
  sustain minor: The zone persists.
  Level 19 Daily Prayer
  greater augment of War 
  Cleric attack 19
  The power of your deity flows through an ally’s weapon and 
  creates lethargy within any foe the weapon strikes.
  daily F divine
  minor action 
   
  melee touch
  target: One ally’s weapon
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, all attacks made with 
  this weapon deal extra damage equal to 5 + your Strength 
  modifier. When the weapon hits an enemy, that enemy is 
  slowed and grants combat advantage to you until the start 
  of the wielder’s next turn.
  Level 25 Daily Prayer
  divine reaping 
  Cleric attack 25
  The power of your deity works its way through each foe you 
  strike, causing it to slacken and falter.
  daily F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 1
  target: Each enemy you can see in burst
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is weak-
  ened (save ends).
  miss: Half damage, and the target is weakened until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Level 27 Encounter Prayer
  brutal grace 
  Cleric attack 27
  As you strike with your weapon, your deity sends forth a decree 
  that resonates across the battlefield and aids your allies.
  encounter F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 4[W] + Strength modifier damage, and each ally within 5 
  squares of you can make a saving throw against one effect 
  that a save can end.
  New Magic Weapon
  blood maul 
  Level 7+
  This maul’s dark red stains never seem to wash off.
  Lvl 7 
  +2 
  2,600 gp 
  Lvl 22 +5 
  325,000 gp
  Lvl 12 
  +3 
  13,000 gp 
  Lvl 27 +6 
  1,625,000 gp
  Lvl 17 
  +4 
  65,000 gp
  Weapon: Mace, hammer
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  critical: +1d6 per plus, or +1d10 per plus against bloodied 
  enemies
  Power (daily): Free action. Trigger: you bloody an enemy with 
  an attack that is not a critical hit with this weapon. Effect: 
  you deal extra damage to the target equal to your bonus 
  critical damage with this weapon. D
  About the Author
  Matt James is a disabled combat veteran, having earned 
  a Bronze Star and Purple heart from his recent service in 
  the United States Army. When not freelance writing for 
  Dungeons & Dragons®, he works on developing his website 
  (http://www.loremaster.org). Follow Matt online at www.
  twitter.com/matt_james_fr.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  50
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Chad King
  Class Acts:  
    Warlord
  Keys to the Battlefield
  “Look friend, we ain’t got no fancy spells and there ain’t no 
  gods lookin’ out fer the likes of you and me. We got these 
  weapons, but we got something more too. We got each 
  other. You get my back and I swear on my father’s beard 
  I’ll get yours.”
  —Borst, dwarf warlord
  Martial characters might engage the enemy in wildly 
  different ways. Some rely on shadows to skulk about 
  and plant their daggers where least expected, and 
  others fling themselves headlong into the enemies’ 
  teeth. however, what unites them all is an uncommon 
  understanding of battlefield tactics. Such characters 
  don’t have grimoires dripping with complex arcane 
  formulas or a god’s hand resting on their shoulder, 
  but what they do have is grit, discipline, and cold, 
  hard steel.
   
  No one knows this better than the warlord. 
  Trained in a variety of fighting techniques tested on 
  countless battlefields through history’s long march, 
  warlords draw from their vast experience to find 
  unexpected solutions to the thorniest problems. 
  This said, warlords approach battlefield tactics from 
  several different angles. one might hang back to 
  pepper the enemy with arrows, while another leaps 
  to the front, guiding allies’ attacks through inspir-
  ing advice, tactical acumen, or sheer bravado. These 
  approaches affect how a warlord leads and they 
  shed light on the methods that warlord might use to 
  defeat the enemy.
   
  Although individual interests vary a great deal 
  (often reflected in the warlord’s build and power 
  selection), even the most reckless warlord knows 
  when to check his or her impulse and gauge the 
  battlefield and the happenings unfolding there. Such 
  a warlord ought to adjust his or her tactics to plug 
  holes and respond to the changing tide, all to ensure 
  his or her companions can see the battle to its conclu-
  sion. A clever warlord, however, anticipates how a 
  battle develops and uses his or her allies to meet these 
  changing conditions.
  New Warlord Powers
  The following warlord powers speak to the war-
  lord’s dynamic approach to combat, reflecting an 
  awareness about his or her allies’ capabilities, their 
  strengths, and their weaknesses. These powers are 
  intended for warlords from any build to expand 
  their arsenal to better meet the battlefield’s myriad 
  dangers.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Warlord
  51
  Level 1 Encounter Exploit
  tactician’s invitation 
  Warlord attack 1
  Your strike leaves the opponent swaying so that a feather’s 
  touch can cause it to move from its position.
  encounter F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee or ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage. The next time an ally 
  hits the target before the end of your next turn, that ally 
  can slide the target 2 squares, shift 2 squares, or deal 4 
  extra damage to the target.
  Level 1 Daily Exploit
  destructive surprise 
  Warlord attack 1
  You motivate an ally to strike true at just the right moment.
  daily F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 10
  target: One ally in burst
  effect: The target can make the following attack.
   
  Free action  
  melee or ranged weapon
   
  effect: The ally shifts 2 squares.
   
  target: One creature
   
  attack: Strength or Dexterity modifier vs. reflex
    Hit: 3[W] + Strength or Dexterity modifier.
   
  miss: Half damage.
  Level 2 Utility Exploit
  martial cascade 
  Warlord Utility 2
  Your daring attack inspires an ally to follow your lead.
  encounter F martial
  Free action 
  close burst 10
  trigger: an enemy is hit by your attack
  target: Each ally in burst who can see you
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, any target who spends 
  an action point to make an attack against the triggering 
  enemy gains a +2 power bonus to the attack roll.
  Level 3 Encounter Exploits
  interrupting strike 
  Warlord attack 3
  Your weapon strikes the foe and, if it seeks to attack another, 
  your waiting ally can attempt an attack of his or her own first.
  encounter F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you mark the 
  target until the end of your next turn. If the target makes 
  an attack before the end of your next turn that does not 
  include you as a target, one ally adjacent to the target can 
  make a basic attack against it as an immediate interrupt. 
  If the ally's attack hits, the target takes a –2 penalty to the 
  attack roll.
  martial doom 
  Warlord attack 3
  Your attack connects to expose an opening that any ally with 
  will or daring can seize.
  encounter F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee or ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target grants 
  combat advantage to your allies until the end of your next 
  turn.
  effect: any ally that hits the target with an attack gained from 
  spending an action point before the end of your next turn 
  deals 5 extra damage to the target.
  Level 5 Daily Exploit
  surging assault 
  Warlord attack 5
  Your powerful strike gives an ally the means to recover from 
  his or her injuries and rejoin the battle.
  daily F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Each ally adjacent to you or the target can use his or her 
  second wind as a free action.
  Level 6 Utility Exploits
  back to back 
  Warlord Utility 6
  You take heart from the ally guarding your back.
  daily F martial, stance
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: you assume the back to back stance. Until the stance 
  ends, while you are adjacent to an ally, you and the ally 
  gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls.
  martial vigor 
  Warlord Utility 6
  When your attack connects, you experience a burst of confi-
  dence your allies can share if they follow your lead.
  encounter F Healing, martial
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: you hit an enemy with a martial melee or ranged 
  attack
  effect: you can spend a healing surge. Until the start of your 
  next turn, any ally that hits the same target with an attack 
  gained from spending an action point can also spend a 
  healing surge.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: Warlord
  52
  Level 7 Encounter Exploits
  martial excitation 
  Warlord attack 7
  Your attack’s success fills your allies with the urge to push 
  further and fight harder.
  encounter F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee or ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you can shift a 
  number of squares equal to one-half your speed.
  effect: Until the start of your next turn, whenever an ally that 
  can see you spends an action point, he or she can shift up 
  to one-half his or her speed as a free action before or after 
  the extra action.
  tactician’s Favor 
  Warlord attack 7
  Your blow causes an ally’s follow-up strike to cement his or her 
  tactical advantage.
  encounter F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee or ranged weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage. The next time an ally 
  hits the target before the end of your next turn, he or she 
  gains one of the following benefits until the end of his or 
  her next turn: +2 power bonus to all defenses, a +1 power 
  bonus to attack rolls, or a +3 power bonus to damage rolls.
  Level 9 Daily Exploit
  coordinated assault 
  Warlord attack 9
  By coordinating your efforts, your allies deliver two devastat-
  ing attacks.
  daily F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 10
  target: One or two allies in burst
  effect: The target can make the following attack. Each target 
  must attack a different creature.
   
  Free action  
  melee or ranged weapon
   
  effect: The target ally can shift 3 squares.
   
  target: One creature
   
  attack: Strength or Dexterity modifier vs. aC
    Hit: 2[W] + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage, and the 
  target falls prone.
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game 
  designer whose more recent work is in Martial Power™ 2, 
  Draconomicon™ 2, and Primal Power. Robert lives in Tennessee.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  53
  Class Acts: 
  The Commando Warlord
  M
  any warlords favor a direct approach in battle, fighting from the van-
  guard as they lead the charge to smash through enemy ranks. Although 
  warlords might approach these aggressive methods from various direc-
  tions—with some favoring skirmishing and others preferring reckless bravado—their 
  results are often the same. The commando warlord, however, outwits and outma-
  neuvers his or her enemies by laying traps and springing ambushes to catch foes 
  unaware.
    A commando warlord is an irregular soldier, being fast on his or her feet and 
  relying on guile and cunning to defeat the enemy. A commando warlord finds much 
  success on the front lines, but not through direct attacks, but rather by shouting com-
  mands to allies to seize openings he or she creates. A commando warlord is a team-
  player and benefits most from working with defenders and strikers.
  By Robert J. Schwalb ✦ Illustration by Chad King
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: The Commando Warlord
  54
  Level 1 Encounter Exploit
  overwhelming Force trap 
  Warlord attack 1
  You keep the order to spring the trap ready, allowing your 
  allies to spring into action on a moment’s notice.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate interrupt 
  close burst 3
  trigger: an ally in the burst makes a melee basic attack
  target: The triggering ally
  effect: The target uses one of his or her melee at-will attack 
  powers instead of making a melee basic attack. If the at-
  tack hits, the subject of the target’s attack is also dazed 
  until the end of the target’s next turn.
  Level 1 Daily Exploit
  orchestrated offensive 
  Warlord attack 1
  Your strike is the only signal your allies need to put your care-
  ful plan into motion.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  effect: Choose two different allies within 5 squares of you that 
  can see and hear you. Each ally can make a charge attack, 
  make a basic attack, or shift his or her speed as a free 
  action. allies that choose to charge or make basic attacks 
  cannot attack the same creature or the target of this attack.
  Level 2 Utility Exploit
  cunning adjustment 
  Warlord Utility 2
  Your strike creates an opening your ally seizes to his or her 
  advantage.
  encounter ✦ martial
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: you hit an enemy with a melee attack.
  target: One ally adjacent to you
  effect: The target shifts 3 squares as a free action and gains 
  combat advantage against the triggering enemy until the 
  end of your next turn. 
  Level 3 Encounter Exploit
  set the trap 
  Warlord attack 3
  You grab the enemy’s attention with an aggressive strike to 
  give your allies a chance to set up their own attacks.
  encounter ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  effect: One ally you can see can shift half his or her speed as a 
  free action to a square where it has cover or concealment 
  and make a Stealth check to become hidden. before the 
  end of your next turn, that ally gains a +3 power bonus to 
  his or her next damage roll made against an enemy from 
  which he or she is hidden. 
  Level 5 Daily Exploit
  directed combat 
  Warlord attack 5
  Your strike creates the opening an ally needs to slip away, 
  while another ally rushes in to keep the foe pinned down.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  effect: One ally adjacent to the target shifts his or her speed as 
  a free action. Then, choose a different ally within 5 squares 
  of you that can see and hear you. That ally makes a charge 
  attack against the target. 
  Level 6 Utility Exploit
  get down! 
  Warlord Utility 6
  Your barked order draws attention to you long enough for a 
  covered or concealed ally to hide.
  encounter ✦ martial
  minor action 
   
  close burst 5
  target: One ally in the burst
  effect: The target can shift half his or her speed as a free action 
  to a square where he or she has cover or concealment and 
  make a Stealth check with a +5 power bonus to become 
  hidden. 
  Level 7 Encounter Exploit
  Friendly Fire 
  Warlord attack 7
  Such is your presence that you panic an enemy into acciden-
  tally hitting one of its allies.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 10
  trigger: an enemy misses you or an ally you can see with a 
  melee or ranged attack.
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect: The target repeats the attack as a free action against a 
  creature you choose within 2 squares of the target of its 
  original attack. The new target must still be legal for the 
  attack.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: The Commando Warlord
  55
  Level 9 Daily Exploit
  shift the Field 
  Warlord attack 9
  Swinging your weapon calls your allies to strike. If the plan 
  works, you all adjust your positions to respond the battlefield’s 
  new developments.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Choose two allies within 5 squares of you that can both 
  see and hear you. Each ally makes a basic attack as a free 
  action against different creatures that are not the targets of 
  this attack. 
  Level 10 Utility Exploit
  Judicious action 
  Warlord Utility 10
  An ally’s efforts are renewed against those you oppose. 
  daily ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 5
  trigger: an ally in the burst misses all targets with an attack 
  when using an action gained by spending an action point
  target: The triggering ally
  effect: The target gains 1 action point. Spending this action 
  point does not count against the limits on action point ex-
  penditures for this encounter. If the target does not spend 
  the action point before the end of the encounter, it is lost.
  Level 13 Encounter Exploit
  blade burst trap 
  Warlord attack 13
  Your careful preparations unleash a devastating trap, but you 
  are experienced enough to let them go should your situation 
  change.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 5
  trigger: an enemy in the burst hits you or an ally with an 
  attack.
  target: One ally adjacent to triggering enemy
  effect: The target makes a melee basic attack as a free action 
  against each enemy adjacent to him or her. If the attack 
  hits, the enemy is also dazed until the end of the target’s 
  next turn. 
  Level 15 Daily Exploit
  call to action 
  Warlord attack 15
  A shouted command calls your allies to act, helping them to 
  find new reserves or driving them to strike your enemies down.
  daily ✦ Healing, martial
  standard action 
  close burst 10
  target: One, two, or three targets that can hear you in burst
  effect: Each target can choose to spend a healing surge, make 
  a basic attack, or make a charge attack as a free action. 
  Each ally that makes an attack as a result of this effect must 
  choose a different target and deals 1d10 extra damage on 
  a hit.
  Level 16 Utility Exploit
  Pincer Formation 
  Warlord Utility 16
  Reading your enemy’s intent, you increase the pressure so it 
  cannot escape your grasp.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 5
  trigger: an enemy adjacent to you moves or shifts
  target: you and one ally in the burst adjacent to the 
  triggering enemy
  effect: The target shifts his or her speed and must end this shift 
  in a square adjacent to the triggering enemy.
  Level 17 Encounter Exploit
  vanishing Forces 
  Warlord attack 17
  An aggressive attack draws attention away from your allies so 
  they can move into position while remaining unseen.
  encounter ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is 
  marked by you until the end of your next turn.
  effect: Each ally within 5 squares of you that you can see shifts 
  his or her speed as a free action to a square with cover or 
  concealment and makes a Stealth check to become hidden. 
  before the end of your next turn, each of those allies gains 
  a +5 power bonus to its next damage roll made against an 
  enemy from which it is hidden.
  Level 19 Daily Exploit
  War dance 
  Warlord attack 19
  One attack from you sees each ally moving into planned posi-
  tions and striking with speed and force.
  daily F martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Each ally that can see and hear you within 5 squares of 
  you can shift his or her speed as a free action. Each of these 
  allies gains 10 temporary hit points the first time he or she 
  hits with an attack made before the end of your next turn. 
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Class Acts: The Commando Warlord
  56
  Level 22 Utility Exploit
  sound the retreat 
  Warlord Utility 22
  When your doom casts its shadow upon you, you sound the 
  retreat, compelling your allies to quit the battlefield.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 10
  trigger: you are bloodied by an attack
  target: you and each ally in burst
  effect: The target shifts a number of squares as a free action 
  equal to his or her speed. 
  Level 23 Encounter Exploit
  critical misfire 
  Warlord attack 23
  When your enemies are victims of friendly fire, they experi-
  ence a critical failure in their battle plan.
  encounter ✦ martial
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 10
  trigger: an enemy misses you or an ally you can see with a 
  melee or ranged attack
  target: The triggering enemy
  effect: The target repeats the attack as a free action against a 
  creature you choose within 2 squares of the original target 
  of the triggering attack and deals 2d10 extra damage on a 
  hit. The new target must still be legal for the attack. 
  Level 25 Daily Exploit
  Warlord’s Fury 
  Warlord attack 25
  You hurl the enemies back onto your allies’ waiting weapons.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  close burst 1
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage and you slide the target 
  5 squares. The target takes 1[W] extra damage for each of 
  your allies adjacent to it at the end of the slide.
  miss: 3[W] + Strength modifier damage and you slide the 
  target 2 squares.
  Level 27 Encounter Exploit
  a Plan comes together 
  Warlord attack 27
  You read the enemy’s intent and spring your trap. Your allies 
  bring the unsuspecting foe down.
  encounter ✦ martial
  Free action 
  close burst 10
  trigger: an enemy in burst starts its turn
  Primary target: One ally adjacent to the triggering enemy
  secondary target: One ally in the burst
  effect: The primary target makes a melee basic attack as a free 
  action against the triggering enemy; on a hit, the target is 
  dazed. Then, the secondary target makes a charge attack 
  as a free action against the triggering enemy; on a hit, the 
  target falls prone.
  Level 29 Daily Exploit
  victory by design 
  Warlord attack 29
  Leading with an attack announces the start of your cunning 
  stratagem.
  daily ✦ martial, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Strength vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage.
  effect: Choose up to four allies within 10 squares of you that 
  can see and hear you. Each ally can either make a charge 
  attack, make a basic attack, or shift up to his or her speed 
  as a free action. The allies that choose to charge or make 
  basic attacks deal 1d10 extra damage on a hit and cannot 
  attack the same target or the target of this attack. 
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose more recent work can be found in the Player’s 
   Handbook® 3, Martial Power™ 2, and Draconomicon™ 2: 
  Metallic Dragons.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  57
  By Brian Yablon 
  Illustration by Tyler Walpole
  Winning Races:
  Gnomes
  n
  ormally viewed as quiet and shy, gnomes live in 
  communities nestled within the deep forests of the 
  Feywild and the world, and they strive to be overlooked 
  by danger as a matter of survival. However, although gnomes 
  have the often well-deserved reputation of wanting to avoid conflict, 
  they are by no means pacifists. Gnomes know that confrontation is 
  inevitable no matter how well a community hides itself—and sometimes, 
  taking the fight to an enemy first is the best defense possible.
   
  Whether in the world—where goblins, kobolds, and other foul creatures threaten 
  their warrens—or in the Feywild—where eldritch beasts, carnivorous plants, and 
  malicious fey threaten them—gnomes have always required ways of combating and 
  dealing with their deadly and often more numerous enemies. As a result, they have 
  developed many specialized fighting techniques that take advantage of their talents 
  for illusion, stealth, the fey magic coursing in their veins, and even their diminutive 
  size, and they turn these techniques against their foes to devastating effect.
   
  Included in this article are two new paragon paths for gnome defenders: one each 
  for the paladin and swordmage. The gnome nightcloak is a stealthy paladin who is 
  as at home striking from the shadows as fighting evil in the light of day. The 
  phantasm guard merges the gnomes’ natural affinity for illusions with their 
  swordmage training to produce a unique arcane tradition.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Winning Races: Gnomes 
  58
  BackgrOUnds
  The following backgrounds are suitable for any 
  gnome character.
  Brawny Gnome
  You’ve always been stronger than your fellow gnomes, 
  and because of that you didn’t fit in fully with the 
  other youths. As your friends studied the magical arts 
  and illusions, you were more content to hunt, do physi-
  cal labor, or drill with the militia. Do you prefer being 
  straightforward and forceful over crafty and quiet? 
  Maybe you seek to prove yourself to members of the 
  larger races, challenging them to arm wrestling and 
  other feats of strength or endurance. or you might be 
  content to let opponents underestimate you, then sur-
  prise them later with unexpected bursts of power.
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Endurance
  Urban Gnome
  You grew up in a large town or city that had large 
  buildings and many people. You’re at home in the 
  bustle of town life, and dodging through crowds is 
  second nature. Perhaps you dress in bright and flashy 
  clothing to stand out among the throngs (and to avoid 
  falling underfoot). or do you cultivate a quieter exis-
  tence, where you stay out of sight and out of mind so 
  that you can be left to your own devices in the packed 
  streets? Did you ever long for the hidden forest home 
  you never knew, nestled deep among the roots of 
  massive trees? or do you feel somehow guilty for not 
  being terribly interested in the traditional home of fey 
  creatures? Do gnomes from the forests find you an 
  oddity when they meet you?
   
  Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Streetwise
  gnOme nightclOak
  “Striking down evil from the darkness, and returning 
  silently before the light of dawn.”
  Prerequisite: Gnome, paladin, trained in Stealth
  Blending divine magic with your race’s gifts for 
  stealth and cunning, you follow the path of the night-
  cloak. You bend the shadows that can hide villainy 
  to your own purposes. You seek to protect yourself 
  and your allies from threats, and you seek out evil 
  where it hides under cover of darkness—eliminating 
  it silently, before it can erupt forth to threaten the 
  world of light.
   
  An armored defender of your faith, you none-
  theless have learned to become a silent predator, 
  shrouded by protective shadowstuff and able to slip 
  in and strike where foes are least prepared. You can 
  step through the boundary between light and dark 
  to cover distance quickly, or briefly disappear from 
  view to find a new position or to make a surprise 
  attack.
   
  originally created by adherents of Sehanine 
  for missions requiring some degree of subtlety, the 
  nightcloak tradition has since spread to gnomes of 
  all faiths. Indeed, with the gnome value for secrecy 
  and preservation of outward peace, some would 
  say a group of warriors such as the nightcloaks was 
  inevitability. Many nightcloaks defend hidden gnome 
  communities from danger, venturing out to sabotage 
  or eliminate growing threats without leaving a trace 
  of their presence. Still others travel the world, alone 
  or in like-minded bands of heroes, quietly protecting 
  the interests of gnomes and other goodly races by 
  rooting up the seeds of evil in the darkness that shel-
  ters it.
   
  Some might question your covert methods, 
  demanding justice be carried out in full view of all; 
  even considering stealth to be tantamount to cow-
  ardice. But you know it’s best to fight darkness with 
  darkness so that you can preserve the overall peace 
  of the innocents. And besides—nobody will ever see 
  you.
   
  By day you might cultivate an image of the friendly 
  gnome knight in shining armor, but when darkness 
  falls, you assume a sterner demeanor, silently and 
  ruthlessly hunting down corruption and villainy 
  before sunrise, when you return to your gregarious 
  ways with none the wiser.
  Gnome Nightcloak Path Features
   
  Veil of Darkness (11th level): You can use your 
  Charisma modifier instead of your Dexterity modi-
  fier when making Stealth checks. In addition, when 
  you use your fade away racial power, you or one ally 
  adjacent to you gains resistance to all damage equal 
  to your Charisma modifier until the end of your next 
  turn.
   
  Leaping Shadow action (11th level): When you 
  spend an action point to take an extra action, you can 
  teleport your speed before or after the action.
   
  From the Shadows (16th level): once per round 
  when you hit a target marked by you that is also 
  granting combat advantage to you, you may deal 2d6 
  extra damage to that target.
  
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  Winning Races: Gnomes 
  59
  Gnome Nightcloak Prayers
  shadowstride  
  Gnome Nightcloak attack 11
   rebuke 
  As your foe sets up to attack a nearby ally, you appear next to 
  it and drive it back.
  encounter F divine, teleportation, Weapon
  immediate reaction 
  melee weapon
  trigger: a creature you can see hits or misses an ally
  effect: you teleport a number of squares equal to your speed 
  and make the following melee attack.
  target: The triggering creature
  attack: Charisma vs. aC
  Hit: 2[W] + Charisma modifier damage, and you push the tar-
  get 1 square. The target is subject to your divine sanction 
  until the end of your next turn.
  cover of night 
  Gnome Nightcloak Utility 12
  Darkness swirls around your ally, who then seems to vanish 
  like a wisp of smoke.
  encounter F divine, illusion
  minor action 
   
  close burst 5
  target: you or one ally in burst
  effect: The target becomes invisible until the start of its next 
  turn or until it attacks.
  tumultuous 
  Gnome Nightcloak
   shadowflow 
  attack 20
  Shadow flows around your blade then surges over your foe 
  after your attack.
  daily F divine, Weapon
  standard action 
  melee weapon
  target: One creature
  attack: Charisma vs. aC
  Hit: 4[W] + Charisma modifier damage.
  miss: Half damage.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, the target takes a –2 
  penalty to all attacks and cannot benefit from concealment.
  Phantasm gUard
  “You think you’ve faced your worst nightmare? Sorry, that’s 
  coming up next.”
  Prerequisite: Gnome, swordmage
  Gnomes are known for their prowess with illusions, 
  but many outsiders believe such magic is employed 
  merely for hiding and deception. To the gnomes, 
  though, illusions are much more. They serve as a 
  great equalizer, which they use to attack as well as 
  protect. They can assault the minds of foes directly 
  using well-crafted figments and phantasmal percep-
  tions, which are effective regardless of the physical 
  attributes of those involved.
   
  Your race’s natural talent for illusions combines 
  with carefully honed swordmage techniques, creating 
  the path of the phantasm guard. Using your magic, 
  you assail the minds of your foes, and punish those 
  who seek to harm your companions by revealing to 
  them glimpses of their worst nightmares and disguis-
  ing the true nature of threats.
   
  Phantasm guards are often outwardly charming 
  and compassionate gnomes, expressing a keen under-
  standing of and sympathy for their fellow beings. 
  As one, you act as a trustworthy confidant who is 
  concerned with the plights of others. Frequently 
  interested with exploring the meaning of “truth,” 
  you might engage in philosophical discussions with 
  others to pass the time. however, the purpose of such 
  kindness is just as often more cynical: the goal being 
  to gain and exploit knowledge of potential adversar-
  ies so that you can better and more completely defeat 
  your adversaries’ minds if and when the time comes.
  Phantasm Guard Path Features
   
  Shadowed aegis (Level 11): Your allies that have 
  concealment from enemies marked by you instead 
  have total concealment..
   
  Illusory action (11th level): When you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you regain the 
  use of your fade away power.
   
  Insidious Mind (16th level): When you hit with 
  an attack with the psychic keyword, you gain a +2 
  bonus to Will until the end of your next turn.
  Wave of dread 
  Phantasm Guard attack 11
  With a wave of your sword, a cloud of ghostly hands and wail-
  ing heads swarms out over your enemies, chilling them to the 
  bone.
  encounter F arcane, Fear, illusion, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  close blast 3
  target: Each enemy in blast
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: 2d6 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and the tar-
  get is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  nightmare 
  Phantasm Guard Utility 12
   landscape
  The world darkens and warps. Bushes and trees seem to cling 
  at your enemies, and the earth melts and rises up to engulf 
  their feet.
  daily F arcane, illusion, zone
  standard action 
  close burst 3
  effect: The burst creates a zone of illusory nightmare terrain 
  that lasts until the end of the encounter. Enemies treat 
  squares within the zone as difficult terrain, and allies within 
  the zone gain concealment.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Winning Races: Gnomes 
  60
  illusory Host 
  Phantasm Guard attack 20
  A horde of ghostly figures appears around you to act at your 
  command, menacing your enemies with a field of blades and 
  claws.
  daily F arcane, implement, illusion, Psychic, zone
  standard action 
  close burst 2
  target: Each enemy in burst
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
  Hit: 3d8 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and you mark 
  the target until the end of your next turn.
  effect: The burst creates a zone of ghostly warriors that lasts 
  until the end of the encounter. Enemies within the zone 
  grant combat advantage, and you can make the following 
  at-will attack:
   
  opportunity action
   
  trigger: an enemy in the zone shifts or makes an attack 
   that does not include you as a target.
   
  target: The triggering enemy
   
  attack: Intelligence vs. Will
    Hit: 1d10 + Intelligence modifier psychic damage, and you
   mark the target until the end of its next turn.
  herOic tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Armored Warrenguard
   
  Prerequisite: Gnome
   
  Benefit: You ignore the speed penalty normally 
  incurred by chainmail and scale armor. In addition, 
  you gain a +1 bonus to AC against attacks from Large 
  or larger enemies.
  Distracting Challenge
   
  Prerequisite: Gnome, paladin, Divine Challenge 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: When a target takes damage from your 
  Divine Challenge, it grants combat advantage until 
  the start of its next turn.
  Enshrouding Touch
   
  Prerequisite: Gnome, paladin, lay on hands or vir-
  tue’s touch power
   
  Benefit: Each ally targeted by your lay on hands or 
  virtue’s touch power gains concealment until the end 
  of his or her next turn.
  About the Author
  Brian Yablon is a fan of all the things in D&D that come in 
  small packages but pack a big punch, but especially the fierce 
  gnomes. This is his first contribution to Dragon.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  61
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Tyler Walpole
  Winning Races:
  Winterkin Eladrin
  O
  ne might mistake the lands ruled by an archfey as being 
  a nation, much like a mortal king might claim dominion 
  over a region in the middle world. Similarities exist, but the 
  archfey’s authority is both more and less. Archfey have little interest in 
  interfering with their subjects’ lives, and thus do not place expectations 
  on their subjects or concoct complex laws. They leave the fey people 
  to abide by the ancient customs that have always informed life in this 
  unruly plane. The archfey’s presence permeates the landscape and 
  its inhabitants, altering them to reflect its nature. Anyone who lives 
  under an archfey’s influence for long tends to acquire certain traits 
  and characteristics that set them apart from fey inhabiting other 
  realms in the Feywild.
    Among those touched by the archfey and their realms are the winterkin. 
  Cousins to the eladrin found throughout the Summer Lands and on its 
  borders, they retreated to the Winter Lands following the Kinstrife Wars that 
  led to the Sundering. In living apart from other eladrin, the winterkin were 
  changed by their proximity to the Winter Fey, awakening new abilities and new 
  powers from the archfey who rule these lands. Differences aside, the winterkin 
  remain eladrin and share many of the same attitudes and beliefs upheld in the 
  shining cities to the south.
  
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  Winning Races: Winterkin Eladrin 
  62
  Physical Qualities
  The winterkin share many traits with other eladrin, 
  but centuries spent living alongside the winter fey 
  have left an indelible mark. Winterkin have lighter 
  skin tones, ranging from pale blue to stark white. hair 
  coloring is equally light, with silver being the domi-
  nant color. Albinism is common to the winterkin, and 
  eye color ranges from blood red to ice blue. Winterkin 
  have almost gaunt frames. Still, they are a beautiful 
  people, possessed of uncommon grace and elegance.
  Playing a 
  Winterkin Eladrin
  The winterkin have strong bonds with the Feywild 
  and rarely emerge from their sparkling realms to ven-
  ture to other lands let alone the natural world. Living 
  in shining citadels raised along the Cold Lands’ 
  wintry borders, the winterkin watch the distant north 
  for trouble and protect their territories from attack by 
  their ancient enemies, the fomorians. These fortresses 
  are more than strongholds; they are cities, replete 
  with glittering towers and delicate bridges, and suf-
  fused with the Feywild’s wild magic. only rarely do 
  these bastions drift between worlds, and during these 
  uncommon events the winterkin find their way into 
  the mortal world.
   
  Cultural and geographical distance separates the 
  winterkin from their eladrin cousins. Where the 
  eladrin are content to wile away their days reflect-
  ing on the past and future in the comforts afforded 
  by their splendid cities, the winterkin struggle to 
  survive. They must contend with the punishing 
  storms blowing down from the frozen wastes, coax 
  their crops from rocky soil, and preserve what few 
  resources they have for the next generation to follow. 
  Winterkin are a serious people, grounded firmly in 
  the present and without the fanciful flights that grip 
  other fey peoples.
   
  Winterkin are not above raiding and they fre-
  quently mount forays into the Feydark to strike at 
  fomorian strongholds or venture into the warmer 
  lands to plunder the softer lands for their bounty. 
  Their warlike nature might arise from necessity, but 
  the winterkin count few friends in the Feywild.
   
  Like all eladrin, the winterkin see Corellon as 
  their maker, but many feel the Lord of Magic has 
  abandoned them, leaving them to fend for themselves 
  in the unforgiving wilderness. As a result, other gods 
  have come to prominence among the winterkin. 
  Melora is popular among the warriors, but even 
  her influence cannot compare to the presence and 
  respect the Raven Queen enjoys.
  Winterkin Eladrin Characteristics: Alien, cold, 
  intense, melancholic, menacing, reflective
  Winterkin Backgrounds
  A winterkin eladrin has access to the following back-
  ground elements.
   
  Bringers of Spring: The Pale Prince, the Lord 
  of the Longest Night, is chief among those enemies 
  arrayed against the winterkin. An exploitative power, 
  consumed by evil, this archfey tests the winterkin 
  by sending agents forth to infiltrate the border for-
  tresses and turn the winterkin toward his purpose. 
  To combat the Pale Prince’s growing threat, many 
  warriors join a loose coalition named the Bringers 
  of Spring, and they make it their life’s work to strike 
  against the archfey’s forces, root out their infiltra-
  tors, and oppose the archfey at all fronts. You were 
  a Bringer of Spring and fought against the archfey’s 
  forces. how did this service end? Were you a lone 
  survivor or did you break from the society for another 
  reason? how do you see these warriors now?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, history
   
  White riders: The Winter Lands are short 
  on resources and those living in them must range 
  beyond their borders to gather the supplies they need 
  to survive. Called the white riders for their gleam-
  ing armor and the winter wolves they ride, the riders 
  have a ferocity that fey peoples across the lands fear. 
  You were a raider and innocent blood stains your 
  hands. Why were you chosen to become a white 
  rider? Whom did you raid? What experiences haunt 
  you? If none, why did you leave the white riders?
   
  Associated Skills: Intimidate, Nature
   
  Wintertouched: The Pale Prince looms large in 
  the Winter Lands, and while not the true sovereign 
  of the Winter Court, his power grows. Many fear he 
  will claim the entire court and all the winter fey as 
  his own. Those who come into his service are called 
  the wintertouched, because they are his thralls. For 
  a time, you served the Lord of the Longest Night, but 
  you somehow threw off his bonds. What drew you 
  into his service? What missions did you undertake? 
  Why did you quit? Did a single event lead to this deci-
  sion? If so, what was it?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Stealth
  
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  Winning Races: Winterkin Eladrin 
  63
  Bralani Wintersoul
  “I am the winter storm, the screaming blizzard, and the 
  blinding snow.”
   
  Prerequisite: Eladrin
  Nobility to the eladrin people is more than status—it 
  is an investiture of power granted by the archfey in 
  exchange for binding oaths and devotion. The eladrin 
  refer to their nobles by many titles, and one traveling 
  in their circles is bound to encounter coure, novier, 
  firre, and others. Each title reflects a particular pact 
  and the magical power gained as a result. The bralani 
  are eladrin nobles who bind themselves to those arch-
  fey associated with nature, the seasons, and storms. 
  The power they wield allows them to harness ele-
  ments and make them their own.
   
  You are a noble eladrin, having earned your 
  greater standing through a pact made with the 
  Winter Court. While the Winter Court expects you 
  to serve it, the archfey rarely call in their debts. Thus 
  you are free to pursue your own agenda as long as 
  it is not at odds with your patron. You can harness 
  winter’s power, weaving its wild magical energy into 
  devastating attacks. Your connection to winter trig-
  gers other changes. Your skin becomes cold to the 
  touch, your features assume a blue hue, and the air 
  around you holds winter’s chill.
  Bralani Wintersoul Path Features
   
  Winter’s Touch (11th level): When a cold attack 
  hits you, your melee and ranged attacks deal extra 
  cold damage equal to your Dexterity modifier or your 
  Intelligence modifier until the end of your next turn.
   
  Wintersoul Flurry action (11th level): When 
  you spend an action point to make an attack, you 
  create a zone of flurrying snow in a close burst 5 that 
  lasts until the end of your next turn. Squares in the 
  zone are difficult terrain and lightly obscured for 
  enemies.
   
  Icy Presence (16th level): Any enemy that starts 
  its turn in a square adjacent to you is slowed until the 
  end of its turn.
  Bralani Wintersoul Powers
  Winter’s kiss 
  bralani Wintersoul 11
  Snow flies and solidifies around your opponent, binding it in a 
  frigid embrace.
  encounter F cold
  standard action 
  ranged 5
  target: One creature
  attack: your highest ability modifier + 6 vs. Fortitude
   
  Level 21: your highest ability modifier + 9 vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 1d10 + your highest ability modifier cold damage, and the 
  target is immobilized until the end of your next turn.
  aftereffect: The target takes 5 cold damage and is slowed until 
  the end of your next turn.
  snowfall 
  bralani Wintersoul 12
  The enemy’s attack causes you to fly apart in a cloud of swirl-
  ing snow.
  encounter F zone
  immediate reaction 
  close burst 2
  trigger: you are damaged by an attack
  effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of 
  your next turn. Squares in the zone are lightly obscured. 
  While you are in the zone, you have concealment and 
  insubstantial.
  blizzard blast  
  bralani Wintersoul 20
  Snow and ice explodes from your fingertips to scatter your foes 
  and bind them with ice.
  daily F cold, teleportation
  standard action 
  close blast 5
  target: Each creature in blast
  attack: your highest ability modifier + 9 vs. Fortitude
  Hit: 3d6 + your highest ability modifier cold damage, and the 
  target is blinded and immobilized (save ends both).
  miss: Half damage, and until the end of your turn the target 
  takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and is slowed.
  effect: you teleport to any square within the blast.
  
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  Winning Races: Winterkin Eladrin 
  64
  Feats
  The following feats introduce the Winterkin heri-
  tage feat as well as provide you with options for your 
  winterkin character.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Chilling Presence
   
  Prerequisite: Winterkin heritage
   
  Benefit: When you use winter’s shroud, you can 
  deal 5 cold damage to the triggering enemy instead of 
  teleporting. Increase the damage to 10 at 11th level 
  and 15 at 21st level.
  Ice Walk
   
  Prerequisite: Winterkin heritage
   
  Benefit: You ignore difficult terrain that is ice or 
  snow.
  Swirling Snow
   
  Prerequisite: Winterkin heritage
   
  Benefit: Whenever you use winter’s shroud, until 
  the start of your next turn your square and squares 
  adjacent to you are lightly obscured.
  Winterkin Heritage 
  [Eladrin Bloodline]
   
  Prerequisite: Eladrin
   
  Benefit: You gain the winter’s shroud power. In 
  addition, you gain resist cold equal to 5 + one-half 
  your level.
  Winter’s shroud 
  Winterkin racial Power
  When the enemy’s attack falls, snow swirls around you to 
  whisk you to safety.
  encounter F teleportation
  immediate reaction 
  Personal
  trigger: an enemy damages you with an attack
  effect: you teleport 3 squares and gain concealment until the 
  start of your next turn.
  Winter’s Reach
   
  Prerequisite: Winterkin heritage
   
  Benefit: When you use winter’s shroud, increase 
  the distance you teleport by a number of squares 
  equal to your Dexterity modifier or your Intelligence 
  modifier.
  Paragon Tier Feat
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  11th level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Winter’s Heart
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, Winterkin heritage
   
  Benefit: While you are not bloodied, any enemy 
  that hits you with a melee attack is slowed until the 
  end of its turn.
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose more recent work can be found in Martial Power™ 
  2, Draconomicon™: Metallic Dragons, and Primal Power™. 
  Robert lives in Tennessee.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  65
  By Matthew Sernett 
  Illustration by Chad King
  Channel Divinity: Mielikki
  “I rarely pray. I prefer to speak to my goddess through my daily actions, and 
  through my honest emotions. I need not gloss over what has occurred with 
  pretty words, twisting them to show myself most favorably. If Mielikki is with 
  me, then she knows the truth, knows how I act and how I feel.”
    
  —Drizzt Do’Urden, in Starless Night
  The Forest Queen has long dwelt in quiet glades and the peaceful hearts of those who walk 
  the wilderness. her voice is heard in the whisper of the wind-blown canopy, and her touch is 
  felt by all who look upon a unicorn with wonder. Mielikki is goddess of forests, but she is also 
  a protector of those who enter them. She gives her love to those at home in the wild world or 
  those who seek solace away from civilization.
   
  Mielikki’s worshipers rarely gather in great numbers, and she is often prayed to alongside 
  Silvanus and Chauntea. She has no temple as such, and the exact nature of worship to her varies 
  by individual. hunters give her homage in the hopes of success and then take only what they 
  need from the forest. Travelers through the wild ask her protection and then take care to leave 
  little sign of their passage. her most devout followers are rangers, wardens, and others who seek 
  to live in complete harmony with the wild—not as beasts themselves but as careful stewards and 
  friends to animals.
   
  Mielikki has been called the Daughter of Silvanus, since her outlook is thought of as the 
  combination of Silvanus’s focus on the natural world and the love of Sune, goddess of beauty 
  and affection. Yet however apt the description might be, this notion is merely a romantic fancy. 
  Mielikki works independently of the greater god Silvanus, but her calm presence in the Deep 
  Wilds often serves to temper his wrath at those who despoil the world.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Channel Divinity: Mielikki
  66
  BackgrOUnds
  Mielikki touches the heart of all who feel wonder in 
  wilderness, but her favored domain is the woodlands 
  of the world. If your character worships Mielikki, 
  where did he or she gain an appreciation for the 
  natural world? one easy way to make this decision 
  is to base it upon a forest in the region from which 
  your character comes. Below are brief background 
  suggestions for the major forests of the regions and a 
  pointer for where to find more information about the 
  woodland.
   
  aglarond: See page 76 of the FOrgOtten realms® 
  Player’s Guide for information about the Yuirwood 
  and check out page 77 for the Yuirwood Ranger 
  background.
   
  amn: See page 80 of the FOrgOtten realms Player’s 
  Guide for information about the Snakewood. Perhaps 
  you delved into the Snakewood in search of the 
  absent green dragon’s lair and discovered instead 
  a faith in Mielikki after she protected you from the 
  dangers of the snake-filled forest.
   
  Baldur’s gate: See page 82 of the FOrgOtten 
  realms Player’s Guide for information about the Cloak 
  Wood and Werewoods. You might be from a family 
  of loggers of the Cloak Wood and be the one who 
  ended the threat to them with Mielikki’s aid. The 
  Werewoods could be a great background location for 
  a shifter character.
   
  Cormyr: See page 88 of the FOrgOtten realms 
  Player’s Guide for information about the King’s Forest. 
  Perhaps you were a poacher or a hero of the people—
  like Robin hood, who opposed a corrupt official.
   
  Dalelands: See pages 90 and 91 of the FOrgOtten 
  realms Player’s Guide for information about the 
  Cormanthor. Perhaps you’re an ally to the elves or 
  citizen of Myth Drannor and found Mielikki a more 
  appealing deity than Corellon. Alternatively, perhaps 
  you are a lone drow survivor of the purges of the 
  wood. See Myth Drannor for more information.
   
  Dragon Coast: See pages 92 of the FOrgOtten 
  realms Player’s Guide for information about the 
  Gulthandor Forest. This forest hosts many fey and 
  half-elves, and most are initially welcoming of 
  strangers. Perhaps you were a pirate who thought to 
  take advantage of the forest’s hospitality but learned 
  instead to love the place.
   
  gray Vale: See page 100 of the FOrgOtten realms 
  Player’s Guide for information about the high Forest 
  and page 101 for information about the Southwood. 
  Check out page 101 for the Savage Youth and 
  Woodland hunter backgrounds.
   
  great Dale: See page 102 of the FOrgOtten realms 
  Player’s Guide for information about the Dunwood and 
  Forest of Lethyr. Check out the Adventurers section 
  on page 103 for three great backgrounds.
   
  Impiltur: See page 106 of the FOrgOtten realms 
  Player’s Guide for information about the Gray Forest. 
  Perhaps you ventured into the forest and became 
  possessed by an eladrin ghost. Now your only solace is 
  the beauty of the wilderness. Spend too long in civilized 
  lands and the ghost’s personality begins to take over.
   
  Lurar: See page 108 of the FOrgOtten realms 
  Player’s Guide for information about the Glimmerwood. 
  This is a great location for shifter, half-orc, or barbarian 
  characters to have learned about Mielikki. If you’re not 
  native to the wood, perhaps you ventured in following 
  rumors of Everlund’s lost elder (see page 109).
   
  Myth Drannor: See pages 114 and 115 of 
  the FOrgOtten realms Player’s Guide for general 
  information about the Forest of Cormanthor. Both the 
  “Adventurers” and “Character Motivations” sections 
  offer great background ideas for a follower of Mielikki.
   
  Vilhon Wilds: See page 126 of the FOrgOtten 
  realms Player’s Guide for information about 
  Chondalwood. Read the “Adventurers” and 
  “Character Motivations” sections to see great 
  background ideas for a follower of Mielikki.
   
  another Forest: Plenty of named and unnamed 
  forests throughout the world do not have much, if 
  anything, written about them. If you want to have 
  discovered Mielikki in one of these woodlands, work 
  with your DM to devise details about the place.
  PlaYing a devOtee  
  OF mielikki
  as a devotee of Mielikki, you live to protect the 
  natural world from destruction. yet Mielikki is 
  not unaligned like Silvanus. Mielikki hopes you 
  act not only for the good of the natural world, 
  but the world as a whole.
   
  Ignorance fells more forests than evil, so it 
  is your duty to teach as well as defend. you 
  try to live in harmony with the natural world, 
  and it’s your calling to help others to learn to 
  do the same.
   
  Just remember that although you’re playing 
  a hero of nature, your friends might not be. It’s 
  not your job as a servant of Mielikki to impose 
  her values upon others. your character is sup-
  posed to lead by example and help others to see 
  the value of living in harmony with the world. 
  remember also that your character might be 
  flawed or pragmatic. Sometimes you’ll make the 
  wrong decisions for the right reasons.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Channel Divinity: Mielikki
  67
  Feats
  Below you’ll find feats useful—but not necessarily 
  unique—to Mielikki’s faithful.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Shadow of the Wild
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Nature and Stealth
   
  Benefit: If you are hidden outdoors and you make 
  an attack, you can make a Stealth check with a –5 
  penalty to remain hidden.
  Wilderness Wariness
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Nature and Stealth
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Perception 
  checks.
   
  In addition, if you are outdoors and have any cover 
  or concealment when you make an initiative check, 
  you can make a Stealth check to become hidden.
  Paragon Tier Feat
  Any feat in this section is available to a character of 
  11th level or higher who meets the prerequisites.
  Forest Walk
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level, trained in Nature
   
  Benefit: You ignore difficult terrain in encounter 
  areas where the difficult terrain is the result of trees, 
  underbrush, plants, or natural growth. This feat does 
  not allow you to ignore challenging or hindering 
  terrain.
  ParagOn Path: 
  FavOred OF mielikki
  “I know Mielikki is with me because I sense her. I feel her 
  touch as the wind. I hear her voice in the whisper of leaves. 
  I see her beauty in the scene around us. Her presence is as 
  real as yours. She embraces us with every reverent step we 
  take in the wilderness.”
   
  Prerequisite: Good or lawful good, must worship 
  Mielikki
  You’ve felt a love for the wilderness for your entire 
  life. Its grand vistas impress you, and even its 
  smallest wonders give you reason for delight. When 
  you learned of Mielikki, it was like reuniting with 
  a longtime friend. You’ve striven at length in her 
  service, and your efforts have not gone unrewarded.
   
  Mielikki smiles upon those who pursue peace with 
  the natural world and share that view with others. 
  Thus you strive to spread understanding of nature’s 
  laws even as you battle to uphold them. It is not 
  enough to protect the world from those who live in 
  it. Instead, those who live in the world 
  must be taught to protect it. of 
  course, a student does not learn 
  from a teacher with infinite 
  patience; those too stubborn or 
  stupid to learn the error of their 
  ways do not deserve nature’s 
  many gifts.
  Favored 
  of Mielikki 
  Path Features
   Mielikki’s generosity (11th 
  level): When you spend an action 
  point, instead of gaining an extra action, you can 
  grant an ally you can see an extra action (minor, 
  move, or standard) that the ally can take as a free 
  action. You can then spend a healing surge.
   
  Mielikki’s Sight (11th level): Your attacks do not 
  take penalties for cover or concealment when your 
  target is outdoors.
   
  Mielikki’s Judgment (16th level): Your attacks 
  against beasts, plants, and aberrant creatures score 
  critical hits on rolls of 19–20. In addition, when you 
  score a critical hit on a target that is outdoors, the 
  target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  the real mielikki
  Like many deities created for D&D® over the 
  years, Mielikki has roots in reality. In the 
  Kalevala, the Finnish national epic, the char-
  acter of Lemminkäinen prays to Mielikki for 
  aid in hunting, and Ilmarinen’s wife prays 
  to Mielikki to keep her cattle safe as they 
  wander the forest. Mielikki also plays a role 
  in the creation of the bear. Mielikki is thus 
  viewed as a woodland goddess.
   
  Ed Greenwood used the real Mielikki 
  as his inspiration for her first published men-
  tion as a D&D deity in his article “Down to Earth 
  Divinity” from Dragon #54. r. a. Salvatore then 
  elevated Mielikki’s importance to the Forgotten 
  realms setting by making her the favored deity of 
  Drizzt Do’Urden thanks to the blind ranger Montolio 
  Debrouchee, and later as the goddess of Pikel boul-
  dershoulder, the dwarf druid in the r. a. Salvatore’s 
  Cleric Quintet series of novels.
   
  If you’re interested in reading the Kalevala, you 
  can check it out for free at www.sacred-texts.com/
  neu/kveng, or you can get a free Kindle download 
  of the text from amazon.com.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Channel Divinity: Mielikki
  68
  Favored of Mielikki Powers
  Protective vines 
  Favored of Mielikki 11
  Mielikki causes a growth of plants to constrict your foes and 
  protect your friends.
  encounter F charm
  standard action 
  close blast 5
  target: Each enemy in blast
  attack: your highest ability score modifier + 6 vs. reflex
   
  Level 21: your highest ability score modifier + 9 vs. reflex
  Hit: 2d6 + your highest ability score modifier damage. The 
  target is slowed and cannot make opportunity attacks until 
  the end of your next turn.
     Level 21: 3d6 + your highest ability score modifier 
   damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your 
  next turn.
  treestride 
  Favored of Mielikki Utility 12
  Your faith in Mielikki opens pathways that only creatures as 
  close to nature as dryads can see.
  daily F teleportation
  minor action 
  Personal
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, you can use a minor 
  action to teleport up to 20 squares if you begin and end the 
  teleport adjacent to a plant or plant creature of Large size 
  or larger.
  call of the Forest 
  Favored of Mielikki attack 20
  You draw on your connection to primal nature to cause con-
  stricting verdant growth to ensnare your enemies.
  daily F zone
  standard action 
  area burst 3 within 10
  target: Each creature in burst
  attack: your highest ability score modifier + 9 vs. Will
  Hit: 3d8 + highest ability modifier damage and the target is 
  restrained (save ends).
  effect: The burst creates a zone of verdant growth. The verdant 
  growth is difficult terrain and heavily obscured. Each 
  enemy that ends its turn in the zone takes 10 damage or 
  falls prone (enemy’s choice). Each beast ally and plant ally 
  within the zone gains a +2 power bonus to attack rolls until 
  the end of the encounter. 
  Other character 
  elements
  A number of extant character options suit a follower 
  of Mielikki well. Below are just a few. 
  Feats
  camouflage 
  Martial Power™
  defender of the Wild 
  Player’s Handbook® 2
  Fleetness of mielikki 
  Forgotten realms Player’s Guide
  grasp of the Wild 
  Divine Power™
  initiate of the old Faith 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Power of the Wilderness 
  Divine Power
  Warrior of the Wild 
  Player’s Handbook
  Paragon Paths
  avenger: serene initiate 
  Divine Power
  barbarian: bear Warrior 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  barbarian: Wildrunner 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  cleric: compassionate Healer 
  Divine Power
  cleric: messenger of Peace 
  Divine Power
  elf: twilight guardian 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  elf, ranger: sylvan archer 
  Martial Power
  Paladin: Faithful shield 
  Divine Power
  Paladin: Hospitaler 
  Player’s Handbook
  ranger: Feral spirit 
  Martial Power
  ranger: Horizon Walker 
  Martial Power
  ranger: High Forest scout Forgotten realms Player’s Guide
  ranger: Pack runner 
  Martial Power
  ranger: Pathfinder 
  Player’s Handbook
  ranger: Wildcat stalker 
  Martial Power
  seeker: crimson Hunter 
  Player’s Handbook 3
  seeker: seven Fates archer 
  Player’s Handbook 3
  shaman: ghost Panther 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  shaman: great bear shaman 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Warden: bloodwrath guardian 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Warlord: Pack master 
  Dragon® Magazine #364
  Warden: Horned champion 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Warden: verdant lord 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  epic destinies
  avatar of Freedom 
  Divine Power
  avatar of Hope 
  Divine Power
  avatar of life 
  Divine Power
  chosen 
  Forgotten realms Player’s Guide
  divine class: saint 
  Divine Power
  Harper of legend 
  Dragon Magazine #367
  Primal class: glorious spirit 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Primal class: Primal avatar 
  Player’s Handbook 2
  Fighter: eternal defender 
  Martial Power
  ranger: beastlord 
  Martial Power
  About the Author
  Matt Sernett started with Wizards of the Coast in 2000 
  as an assistant editor for both the Dragon® and Dungeon® 
  magazines. Matt followed the magazines when they 
  transferred to Paizo Publishing, eventually becoming Editor-
  in-Chief of Dragon. In 2004 Matt returned to Wizards of 
  the Coast as a designer for D&D®, changing title in 2007 
  when he became a creative designer for digital games at the 
  company. Today Matt splits his time between design for D&D 
  and doing world-building and writing flavor text for Magic: 
  The gathering.®
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  69
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  Illustration by Chad King
  Channel Divinity: 
  Avandra's Fortunes
  Ancient compacts forged long ago might prevent the 
  gods from taking a direct hand in mortal affairs, but 
  one does not have to look hard to find the gods’ influ-
  ence in the natural world. Each deity has concerns 
  and interests in the world, and people can know the 
  gods better through these interests. Most mortals, 
  however, lack the wisdom and will to benefit from 
  them, to receive the divine insights, or to recognize 
  the presence of the gods in the rich and diverse world 
  around them.
   
  however, if there’s one god all adventurers can rec-
  ognize, it’s Avandra, because her interests are bound 
  tightly to adventure’s spirit. Avandra is the patron 
  of freedom, exploration, travel, and above all, luck. 
  She is the bringer of change, the indomitable spirit, 
  and serendipity incarnate. She is a hero’s constant 
  companion and an oppressor’s bitterest enemy. She is 
  freedom in divine flesh, beholden to no law but her 
  own. And to those looking for hope and liberty in a 
  world of darkness and upheaval, they need only look 
  to the road ahead, because she is there, beckoning all 
  to throw off oppression’s chains and live life as it was 
  intended.
   
  Mortals come to Avandra for many reasons, but 
  most adventurers court her because she is Lady Luck. 
  one prays to her for prosperity and good fortune, and 
  they seek her blessing when they need help in find-
  ing a positive outcome in the direst circumstances. 
  Given the adventurer’s life of unequaled mayhem, 
  Avandra proves a useful, if sometimes fickle, patron, 
  and through her adventurers can find victory where 
  others would find defeat, treasure where others might 
  find death, and glory where countless others have 
  found only obscurity.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Channel Divinity: Avandra
  70
  new Feats
  The following feats help Avandra’s devotees make 
  luck their strong ally. Any character that meets the 
  prerequisites can take these feats.
  Accursed Challenge
   
  Prerequisite: Paladin, must worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: Whenever a creature marked by you 
  makes an attack that does not include you as its 
  target, that target takes a –2 penalty to saving throws 
  until the start of its next turn.
  Avandra’s Boon
   
  Prerequisite: Any divine class, must worship 
  Avandra
   
  Benefit: Whenever you roll a natural 1 on an 
  attack roll or saving throw, you gain a +2 bonus to 
  your next attack roll or saving throw made before the 
  end of your next turn.
  Avandra’s Covenant
   
  Prerequisite: Invoker, Divine Covenant class fea-
  ture, must worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: When you use a divine encounter or 
  daily attack power on your turn, you can allow an 
  ally within 10 squares of you to make a saving throw 
  instead of using your covenant manifestation.
  Bountiful Fortune
   
  Prerequisite: Cleric, divine fortune power, must 
  worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: When you use divine fortune, you and 
  each ally adjacent to you gain temporary hit points 
  equal to your Charisma modifier.
  Confounding Luck
   
  Prerequisite: halfling, second chance power, must 
  worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: When you use your second chance racial 
  power and the triggering enemy’s attack misses, that 
  enemy takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the end 
  of your next turn.
  Guileful Shift
   
  Prerequisite: halfling, avenger, must worship 
  Avandra
   
  Benefit: When your oath of enmity target misses 
  you with an attack, you can shift 1 square to a square 
  closer to or adjacent to the target as a free action.
  Halfling’s Strength
   
  Prerequisite: halfling, paladin, divine strength 
  power, must worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: Increase the bonus you gain from divine 
  strength to Strength modifier + 4.
  Lucky Retribution
   
  Prerequisite: halfling, invoker, must worship 
  Avandra
   
  Benefit: Whenever an enemy misses you with an 
  attack, you gain combat advantage with your invoker 
  attack powers against that enemy until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Vengeance’s Reward
   
  Prerequisite: Avenger, must worship Avandra
   
  Benefit: When you drop your oath of enmity target 
  to 0 hit points, you and each ally adjacent to the target 
  gain a +2 bonus to saving throws until the end of your 
  next turn.
  avandra and halFlings
  The connection between avandra and the hal-
  fling race is as old as the halflings themselves. 
  Legend holds avandra favored these people, 
  finding much to like in their good natures and 
  friendly dispositions. However, she feared for 
  them, rightly sensing that cruel tyrants would 
  conquer the small and personable folk. rather 
  than see their bright spirits dimmed by oppres-
  sion, avandra gifted the halflings with good 
  fortune to give them an edge they needed to 
  survive. For this reason, many halflings name 
  avandra as their patron deity, and those who 
  go on to become divine champions frequently 
  choose her over other gods.
  
  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  Channel Divinity: Avandra
  71
  Fortune Blessed
  “The odds are stacked in my favor.”
   
  Prerequisite: Any divine class, must worship 
  Avandra
  Serendipity favors you. You have long proved a con-
  stant and loyal servant to Avandra by making her 
  interests your own in your ongoing struggle against 
  tyranny and in your willingness to explore the world 
  and sample all it has to offer. Your virtuous soul and 
  good works have won you the goddess’s favor, and 
  although you know you were ever in her good graces, 
  you realize you have only touched upon what is pos-
  sible in her service.
   
  Becoming fortune blessed makes luck your ser-
  vant, yours to shape and manipulate as you desire. 
  The goddess permits this mastery as long as you 
  advance her aims in the world and remain pure of 
  heart and purpose. You have a knack for husband-
  ing your good fortune and turning setbacks to your 
  advantage. The greater your power becomes, the 
  more the impossible becomes possible until one day 
  you find there is nothing you can’t achieve with luck 
  on your side.
  Fortune Blessed Path Features
   
  avandra’s Luck (11th level): Whenever you roll 
  a natural 1 or 20 on an attack roll or saving throw 
  during an encounter, you gain 1 luck token. Luck 
  tokens remain until you spend them or until you take 
  an extended rest, at which point you remove all unex-
  pended luck tokens.
   
  Whenever you make an attack roll, saving throw, 
  ability check, or skill check on your turn, you can 
  expend one luck token after seeing the result. Roll 
  a d6. on a result of 1–3, you gain a +1 bonus to the 
  triggering roll. on a 4 or 5, you gain a +2 bonus to the 
  triggering roll. on a 6, you can reroll the triggering 
  roll and use the result you like. You have no limit to 
  the number of luck tokens you can spend during an 
  encounter, but you can spend only one token per turn.
   
  Fortune Blessed Implements (11th level): You 
  can use any implements you would ordinarily use 
  for divine powers with fortune blessed implement 
  prayers.
   
  Lucky action (11th level): Whenever you spend 
  an action point to take an extra action, you can make 
  a saving throw. If the saving throw succeeds, you also 
  gain one luck token.
   
  Swift Luck (16th level): The first time in each 
  encounter that you roll a natural 18, 19, or 20 on 
  an attack roll or saving throw, you can take an extra 
  move action on your next turn.
  Fortune Blessed Prayers
  misfortune’s curse 
  Fortune blessed attack 11
  You steal a bit of luck from your enemy to leave the foe fum-
  bling and stumbling through the fight.
  encounter F divine
  immediate reaction 
  melee touch
  trigger: an enemy adjacent to you misses you with a melee 
  attack
  target: One creature
  effect: The triggering enemy repeats the attack against a legal 
  target of your choice or itself, with a +2 bonus to the at-
  tack roll. If the attack hits and deals damage, it deals extra 
  damage equal to your highest ability modifier. In addition, 
  if have 0 luck tokens when you use this power, you gain 1 
  luck token.
  lucky break 
  Fortune blessed Utility 12
  Unexpected fortune turns a certain injury or even death into 
  a close call.
  daily F divine
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  trigger: you take damage
  effect: reduce the triggering damage by your healing surge 
  value. you can spend 1 luck token to add 1d20 to this 
  amount. If this reduces the damage to 0, you also shift 1 
  square.
  avandra’s curse 
  Fortune blessed attack 20
  You call to Avandra and ask the goddess to lift her gaze from 
  your enemy. For a time, nothing goes right for your chosen foe.
  daily F divine, implement, Psychic
  standard action 
  ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: Highest ability vs. Will
  Hit: 2d8 + highest ability modifier psychic damage.
  effect: The target is dazed, slowed, takes a –2 penalty to at-
  tack rolls, and takes psychic damage equal to your highest 
  ability modifier the first time it misses with an attack on 
  its turn (save ends all). Whenever the target succeeds on a 
  saving throw to end the effect, you can spend 1 luck token 
  as an immediate interrupt to force the target to reroll the 
  saving throw and use the second result.
  About the Author
  robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer 
  whose most recent work can be found in the Player’s 
  Handbook 3, Martial Power 2, and Draconomicon 2: Metallic 
  Dragons.
  
  D E S I G N  &  D E V E L o P M E N T
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  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  Debut Commentary:  
  The Battlemind
  By Mike Mearls
   
  Unfortunately, that concept didn’t hold up well 
  with psionic magic as its power source. The link to 
  the Feywild felt tenuous at best, forced at worst. Some 
  of the concepts of that class survive, but its flavor and 
  concept were rolled back to a more typical, psionic 
  warrior. Speaking of which, the psychic warrior name 
  was one that seemed a little too generic. Battlemind 
  ties into a good chunk of the class’s flavor. It felt like a 
  better fit that served the specifics of the class.
   
  Speed of thought is a great example of a power born 
  in the ironjack phase. It was originally intended as 
  a power that reflected the ironjack’s battle lust, con-
  fidence, and speed. It serves a similar role for the 
  battlemind, though it is more driven by the power of 
  psionic magic than anything else. As a mechanic, it 
  was inspired by multiple instances in my campaigns 
  where the fighter or warden was stuck at the back 
  of the party at the start of a fight. With a few bad 
  initiative results, the monsters were upon the group 
  before the defender could move into position. Speed 
  of thought doesn’t completely solve the problem, but it 
  does give the battlemind a lot more flexibility. I also 
  liked the cerebral aspect of a warrior who always 
  knows where to position himself at the start of a fight.
   
  The battlemind’s demand power drew a bit from 
  both the swordmage and the warden. It allows a bat-
  tlemind to mark a target for a longer period of time, 
  primarily to make the augment option a more com-
  pelling choice. It also prevents the battlemind from 
  suffering too badly when dazed or otherwise short on 
  actions.
   
  Mind spike is an attempt to subtly encourage a 
  battlemind to seek out bigger, more-melee oriented 
  enemies. The feedback loop it creates levies a harsher 
  penalty against high damage enemies, while also 
  guaranteeing the destruction of a marked minion. It 
  lacks the predictable output of the paladin’s marking 
  ability, and it is less effective against creatures that 
  rely on conditions and effects other than damage.
   
  The battlemind’s encounter and daily powers run 
  along a few, key themes. If you’re familiar with psionics 
  in previous D&D editions, they should look familiar.
   
  Finally, battleminds are good at using psionic 
  magic to transform their bodies. A battlemind can 
  turn his flesh into metal or gain the strength and 
  reach of a giant. however, you’ll have to wait until 
  the release of Player’s Handbook 3 to see those powers. 
  This preview focuses on the battlemind’s powers 
  that have more of a telepathic, mind control bent to 
  them. They allow a battlemind to twist his enemy’s 
  senses, place phantoms in its mind, and otherwise 
  lure it into bad decisions or positions through psionic 
  manipulation.
   
  So, that’s the battlemind in brief. have fun with it!
  of all the classes in Player’s Handbook 3, the battle-
  mind walked the longest road from concept to final 
  execution. We knew we wanted a psionic defender, 
  but I’ve never been happy with building a class solely 
  on the intersection of a power source and a role. 
  While those two things are useful descriptors, they 
  aren’t the exciting part of D&D. Nobody dreams of 
  being the “martial defender” who defeats the ram-
  paging dragon. Players want to be fighters, wizards, 
  clerics, and rogues. They want to be part of a living, 
  breathing fantasy world.
   
  With that in mind, I had to come up with a con-
  cept for the battlemind that would make the class 
  distinct. Even though little of that flavor would shine 
  through in the class’s presentation, it was important 
  to come up with a context for each mechanical aspect 
  of the class.
   
  The original direction, one that didn’t survive the 
  design and development process, cast the battlemind 
  as a warrior of the Feywild. The class’s original name 
  was the ironjack. I liked the idea of a trickster war-
  rior, a champion that used cunning, strength, and 
  deception in equal measure. To give you a sense of 
  the concept I had in mind, check out the cover of 
  horslip’s “Dearg Doom”  by the metal band Slough 
  Feg. I really like the story that song tells, and the char-
  acter it creates felt like a perfect fit for a battlemind.
  
  D E S I G N  &  D E V E L o P M E N T
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  Februar y 2010  |  Dr agon 384
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  Design & Development:  
  Martial Power 2
  By Rodney Thompson & Richard Baker
  interesting without abandoning or invalidating pre-
  vious options?
   
  Sometimes, design space was suggested by older 
  material in the game. For example, the brawling 
  fighter has its roots in 2nd Edition’s Complete Fighter’s 
  Handbook and the combat styles described there. In 
  comparing 4th Edition to previous editions, I noticed 
  that three of the four styles described in that old 
  sourcebook appeared in 4th Edition fighter builds, 
  but the one-handed style hadn’t yet. That got me to 
  thinking about why someone would choose to leave 
  that second hand free, which bumped into some 
  other musings I’d had about ways to give defenders 
  more “sticky” powers. The shadowy rogue build was 
  conceived as a way to represent a rogue that moved 
  and felt a little more like the thief of earlier editions, 
  a character who relied on stealth as his primary 
  method for generating combat advantage and spent 
  more time skulking about setting up his attacks, 
  instead of rushing in to flank at the first opportunity. 
   
  Design space also grew from play patterns or 
  story opportunities suggested by existing 4th Edition 
  material. For example, early in the outlining pro-
  cess, Michele Carter (one of our editors, who plays a 
  rogue in a regular game) lamented the fact that the 
  4th Edition character building rules made it pretty 
  suboptimal to play a smart rogue. Since rogues rely 
  on Dexterity and Dexterity covers the Dex-Int ability 
  pair for determining your defenses, you’re better off 
  spending your ability scores elsewhere. By creating a 
  high-Intelligence rogue option, we’d not only make 
  Michele happy, but we would also help out all the 
  other players who might have noticed this same prob-
  lem. And this would also shake up the mix of races 
  who make good rogue characters.  
   
  We saw another potential opportunity for some-
  thing new with the warlord. Unlike the other martial 
  classes, the warlord didn’t have a long history in 
  the D&D game—its most distant ancestor was the 
  marshal from 3rd Edition’s Miniatures Handbook. 
  Early in the 4th Edition design process, I wrote a 
  class description for the warlord that attempted to 
  hammer out some breadth of concept for the class. 
  I threw out terms like “barbarian warchief,” “elven 
  firstblade,” or “halfling marchwarden.” When I 
  brainstormed ideas for the Martial Power 2 warlord, 
  the thing I kept coming back to was the idea of what 
  elven, dwarven, or halfling warlords might be like. 
  None of these races made especially good warlords, 
  simply because of the ability score preferences of 
  the class. But it seemed to me that there was a real 
  opportunity to broaden the class concept in MP 2. As 
  a result, the insightful warlord and the skirmishing 
  warlord were born. 
  Got steel? Martial Power 2 is a brand-new Dungeons & 
  Dragons sourcebook that hits the shelves in March. 
  Richard Baker (lead designer for Martial Power 2) and 
  Rodney Thompson (lead developer for the book) take 
  a few minutes to share their thoughts about building 
  a sourcebook full of new builds, powers, feats, and 
  features for martial heroes.
   
  rodney: The Martial Power 2 sourcebook intro-
  duces a variety of new options for fighters, rogues, 
  rangers, and warlords. Since this book was the second 
  power book for martial characters, we had the oppor-
  tunity to try some new things and experiment with 
  play styles. one of the goals of the book is to find new 
  ways for players to use classes that have been around 
  since the first Player’s Handbook for 4th Edition, to 
  make those classes seem new and fresh for someone 
  that has played them before.
   
  rich: With that in mind, we set out to outline a 
  book that wouldn’t obsolete the Player’s Handbook 
  or Martial Power, but instead reinforce existing 
  options as we broke into some new design space. 
  The first step in outlining Martial Power 2 was to 
  examine the existing options for martial charac-
  ters. What sort of martial hero did you want to play 
  that you couldn’t play now? Was there an obvious 
  build possibility that hasn’t been explored yet? how 
  could we provide players with something new and 
  
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  the wise warlOrd
  rich: Between the various warlord builds from the 
  Player’s Handbook and Martial Power, I felt that we 
  had the idea of intelligent and charismatic melee-
  focused warlords covered pretty well. To create some 
  new space for the warlord, we’d have to find a way to 
  change up the mix. The first thing we decided to try 
  was a warlord that featured Wisdom as a secondary 
  ability.
   
  By making a warlord that rewarded a good 
  Wisdom score, we opened up a new array of races 
  for the warlord class. Before, if you wanted to play 
  a dwarf leader, it was really suboptimal to not be a 
  cleric. That was sort of a shame, since we had scads of 
  flavor and history on the dwarf race suggesting that 
  warlords would fit quite well in their culture. Like-
  wise, elves now had w ay in to the warlord.
   
  of course, simply changing up the secondary abil-
  ity for its own sake wasn’t good enough. We needed 
  to come up with a story hook on what exactly wise 
  warlords did that was different from intelligent or 
  charismatic warlords. Why would one power refer 
  to Intelligence, and a different power to Wisdom? 
  What exactly is the wise warlord doing if he’s not out-
  maneuvering his enemies or inspiring his allies? The 
  answer we came up with was the idea of an intuitive 
  “gut reaction” warlord, one who was good at read-
  ing enemy intentions and anticipating trouble. With 
  that in mind, we designed a number of immediate-
  action powers for the insightful warlord to reflect his 
  uncanny ability to guess correctly and react quickly.     
   
  rodney: But just making one of the new war-
  lord builds, the insightful warlord, Wisdom friendly 
  introduced several challenges. During development 
  we decided to embrace that idea for the skirmishing 
  warlord (the second warlord build in the book), as 
  well. The introduction of a new secondary statistic 
  drastically narrows the pool of powers that a player 
  can draw upon when creating a character. having 
  both warlord builds in this book that use Wisdom 
  certainly provides more choice for the new breed of 
  Wisdom-secondary warlords, but that also means that 
  these powers wouldn’t be as useful to players of other 
  warlord builds. 
   
  At this point, we realized that we could make 
  these powers much more useful to other warlords 
  by having the powers refer to two secondary ability 
  scores. As a result, many of the insightful warlords 
  use Wisdom or Charisma as a secondary statistic, 
  while the skirmishing warlord can use Wisdom or 
  Intelligence. overall, this gives warlord players a lot 
  more flexibility in their choice of powers and second-
  ary ability scores, and it opens up the class to all those 
  new races Rich spoke of. 
  the ranged warlOrd
  rich: The other half of our effort to break out some 
  new space for the warlord involved the skirmishing 
  warlord, as well—a ranged version of a class that was 
  formerly strictly melee. The skirmishing warlord con-
  cept arose from the same observations I’d had about 
  the way different races ought to approach the class; 
  it just seemed natural that an elf  or halfling warlord 
  would prefer to do her work with a bow. 
   
  At first, we started to design the skirmishing 
  warlord as a set of class-feature replacements and 
  exceptions, but Tavis Allison and Eytan Bernstein, 
  the freelance designers who worked on the warlord 
  chapter, came back to me and suggested that what we 
  were looking at here was really a whole new build, 
  and not simply an alternate class feature. of course, 
  they were right, so I revised the outline and turned 
  ‘em loose.
   
  We hit a tough hurdle with the question of the 
  skirmishing warlord’s primary ability. Most ranged 
  attacks are Dexterity-based, so we wrestled with the 
  question of whether we should make the skirmish-
  ing warlord powers Dexterity attacks. of course, that 
  would have made all the other warlord powers in 
  the game pretty unattractive, since they’re Strength-
  based. Ultimately we decided that it was okay to keep 
  the skirmishing warlord powers as Strength attacks. 
  After all, he could easily be a distance warlord by 
  throwing spears or axes, and if he decided to be a 
  Strength-based bow wielder, well, there are plenty of 
  literary examples of very strong bowmen (hercules 
  and odysseus leap to mind).
   
  rodney: The Skirmishing Warlord build rep-
  resents a pretty radical departure from the normal 
  warlord’s modus operandi. Whereas the warlord 
  in the Player’s Handbook is a melee combatant, the 
  skirmishing warlord pulls the character back from 
  the front lines to fight as an archer from the rear 
  ranks. Thus far, new builds have not created such 
  a fundamental shift in the location the character 
  can be found on the battlefield. That said, we have 
  experimented with attacks for some classes (like the 
  warlock, bard, and artificer) that work well either 
  from melee or at range, but the skirmishing war-
  lord is the first time we’ve taken a character class 
  designed solely for melee combat and pulled it back 
  to range. The warlord seemed to be a good choice 
  because it doesn’t necessarily require the character 
  
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  to be in melee to fulfill its role as a leader. (In fact, 
  the leader role is one that, like the striker role, can do 
  its job in melee or at range without much complica-
  tion.) Furthermore, many of the warlords out there 
  use polearms and other reach weapons already, and 
  the line between a melee combatant with reach and a 
  ranged combatant isn’t very large.
   
  When the skirmishing warlord came into develop-
  ment, we knew right away that there were several big 
  hurdles we had to cross before the build would feel 
  viable to players approaching the book. A big problem 
  with introducing a build that is such a big departure 
  mechanically is that there will inevitably be fewer 
  options for players of those characters. Someone 
  approaching the warlord class would find two books 
  full of melee powers (not to mention those found on 
  D&D Insider), whereas this book would be the only 
  source for ranged attack powers. Likewise, a whole 
  new suite of ranged attack powers would be all but 
  useless to most melee warlords.
   
  The former problem we tried to solve with the new 
  combat styles (explained below), but the latter prob-
  lem led us to make sure that some of the new powers 
  could be used both in melee and at range. That way, 
  we could maximize the number of powers useful 
  to the skirmishing warlord while still making them 
  available to melee warlords.
   
  To make the skirmishing warlord work and still 
  feel balanced against other builds, we gave the build 
  the ability to use Strength for ranged basic attacks, 
  but took away proficiency in the light shield and 
  chainmail. No longer thrust into melee, the warlord 
  suddenly becomes the target of fewer attacks, and 
  thus needs the AC boost from those proficiencies less. 
  The ability to use Strength for ranged basic attacks 
  also lets the skirmishing warlord play well with the 
  other warlord builds that grant basic attacks, mean-
  ing that two warlords in the same party can feel very 
  different in the way they play, yet work well as a team.
  cOmBat stYles
  rich: While we could have designed Martial Power 
  2 without introducing any new game elements, we 
  felt that we needed to show off a few things that no 
  one had seen before. one of the major new systems 
  introduced in the book comes in a series of feats 
  collectively called combat styles. Combat styles 
  were intended to boost weapon users’ options when 
  specializing in a particular weapon, so that weapon 
  choice can be an even more iconic part of your char-
  acter. More so than other characters, martial heroes 
  have reasons to care about their exact weapon selec-
  tion, and players of martial heroes want to feel like 
  their choice of weapon is important.
   
  To build a combat style system, we grouped similar 
  weapons together into sets that could share a common 
  technique or thematic approach. To accommodate the 
  possibility of new weapons being added to the game 
  system later, we described these groups by their basic 
  game identities—for example, one-handed versatile 
  blades, or two-handed maces and hammers, or off-hand 
  light blades. In a few cases, we looked for groups that 
  would include weapons that didn’t see a lot of play from 
  the martial classes (the mace or spear, for example) to 
  make some interesting new combinations possible.
   
  The chassis of the combat style system came from 
  the domain feats of Divine Power. We had a couple of 
  reasons for doing this: First, we wanted combat styles 
  to be “domains for martial characters”—an important 
  flavor element that explained why your character 
  preferred a particular weapon and made otherwise 
  similar martial characters feel different from each 
  other. Second, we don’t necessarily want players to 
  have to learn many different ways of doing similar 
  things. Since domain feats are out there already, and 
  folks understand how they work, we wanted to take 
  advantage of that familiarity in the player base.
   
  The second level of combat style “specialization” 
  we designed was a set of once per encounter “critical 
  riders” or 1-round stances that essentially gave you 
  an additional power that related to your chosen style. 
  Real estate (both physical space and conceptual space) 
  is a valuable commodity in sourcebooks. once you’ve 
  spent time describing something like the Tiger Claw 
  style or the Nerathan high Blade style, it’s efficient 
  to provide additional options or depth on that same 
  topic. In other words, twenty-five “deep” styles are 
  generally better than fifty “shallow” ones. With that in 
  mind, we turned over a combat style system that fea-
  tured a beginner’s level—the feats that modified at-will 
  powers—and more advanced levels for characters who 
  wanted to continue their feat investment.
   
  rodney: The original fighting styles turned over 
  to development included a new feat that altered your 
  at-will attacks based on the weapons you used, and 
  then a second feat that gave you a new power. The 
  power was triggered when you hit an enemy with the 
  weapon, but during development we realized that 
  this was not only too complicated a way to express 
  relatively simple effects, but also added a whole new 
  power to your character … and characters already 
  have a lot of powers. 
   
  our initial attempt to resolve the issues with the 
  second-tier combat style feats resulted in us cutting 
  
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  the new powers altogether and then just folding the 
  benefits of those powers into a new feat. Around 
  that time in development, we published a few of the 
  revised combat styles on D&D Insider as playtest 
  content. 
   
  Around the same time, we had a bit of an epiph-
  any as to what role the fighting styles should serve. 
  More than just more feats that let you specialize in 
  particular weapons, the combat styles needed to be 
  something that really stood out, mechanically, and let 
  you do something you couldn’t otherwise do without 
  this feat. Additionally, feats are often either forgotten 
  (because their effects are so minor the player doesn’t 
  remember them) or slow the game down (because 
  they create if/then scenarios where the player has to 
  figure out which of his conditional feats applies to the 
  current situation). Since we wanted to make sure that 
  these combat style feats didn’t introduce more prob-
  lems along those lines, we decided to tie the combat 
  styles not only to specific weapons but also specific 
  powers. When you tie a feat to a particular power, you 
  can write that feat’s effect down on your power card 
  (or your cheat sheet, if you’re like me and don’t use 
  power cards) and then you are always reminded of its 
  effect every time you use that power.
   
  When playtest feedback started coming back in, it 
  confirmed out suspicions. The playtested feats were 
  often either forgettable or slow to use, and not exactly 
  lighting up the message boards with interest. Fight-
  ing styles needed to contribute more significantly to 
  the game, and be tied directly to powers to be easier 
  to use. however, tying a feat to a single power makes 
  the feat far less useful, so we needed to make sure 
  the second-tier feats weren’t too narrow. Thus, the 
  Greater Style Feats were born.
  The Greater Style Feats
  rodney: The first-tier combat style feats already 
  spoke directly to at-will powers, so little needed to be 
  done to make them fit the model we wanted. With 
  two goals for the second-tier feats (tie them to powers, 
  and make them really have an impact on the way you 
  build and play your character), we decided to have 
  these feats do for encounter powers what the first-
  tier feats did for at-wills. When you take one of the 
  second-tier feats, it modifies your encounter powers 
  in some way. Likewise, since we didn’t want the feats 
  to only come into play once per encounter, that meant 
  that each feat needed to cover multiple encounter 
  powers across a span of levels. That way, if you take 
  the powers related to the style, you’re gaining the 
  style benefit each time you use one of those powers so 
  the feat comes into play multiple times. At that point, 
  each of the second-tier feats had to become multiple 
  feats, one for each class that could potentially take the 
  combat style, as the feats would simply run too long if 
  we tried to include one feat covering multiple encoun-
  ter powers from multiple classes.
   
  Another added benefit of this approach was that 
  it allowed us to take powers that otherwise might 
  be less appealing in general and make them better 
  choices by adding on new benefits. The best powers 
  in the game don’t need such help, but powers that are 
  seen as weaker or more corner case may now be more 
  viable options thanks to combat styles. More choice is 
  better, and the greater style feats hopefully make it so 
  that choosing a power at a given level provides more 
  options thanks to the boost given by combat styles. 
   
  Along similar lines, the greater style feats also gave 
  us a chance to address one of the concerns I talked 
  about earlier, that of new builds having fewer power 
  choices than older builds. Many of the greater style 
  feats modify encounter powers in such a way that 
  the power is now more appealing to players of one 
  of the new builds. For example, the Adamant Arrow 
  Commander feat makes a suite of six powers from the 
  Player’s Handbook and Martial Power into powers that 
  can be used at range, opening them up as options for 
  the skirmishing warlord. That way, the combat style 
  opens up a whole array of power choices that didn’t 
  exist before, letting the player customize the charac-
  ter a bit further. 
   
  The last step in the creation of the greater style 
  feats actually came during the editing process. At a 
  certain point, we realized that, due to the number 
  of combat styles versus the number of powers com-
  patible with what we wanted those styles to do, we 
  were introducing a degree of overlap between the 
  powers augmented by the greater style feats. Since 
  overlapping mechanics often lead to unintended 
  consequences (both those that end up being too 
  powerful and those that just don’t make sense from a 
  narrative standpoint), we decided to make the styles 
  mutually exclusive. You can take multiple combat 
  styles, but you can only use one at a time. That also 
  makes the fighting styles feel like distinct disciplines 
  that have their own methods and tenets. With that, 
  the combat styles were ready to go into the book, 
  and I hope that people will really embrace them as 
  a way to open doors to new options for their martial 
  characters.
   
  rich: These changes made these advanced feats 
  much easier to use. Good job, Rodney!
  
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  C o N F E S S I o N S  o F  A  F U L L -T I M E  W I z A R D
  Love is a Battlemat
  by sHelly mazzanoble 
  illustrations by William O’Conner
  Love is in the air, everywhere I look around. You can’t 
  swing a diaper-clad, ageless, winged toddler without 
  smacking into something pink, red, or scantily clad. 
  (And for the record, you should never swing a toddler 
  around. It’s bad for their shoulders.)
   
  one might think Valentine’s Day is reserved for 
  starry-eyed lovers. I say hooey. Valentine’s Day should 
  be celebrated regardless of your romantic status. 
  There’s got to be something to love, right? Red velvet 
  cupcakes? Gossip Girl? Microfiber Snuggies? (Don’t 
  knock it until you’ve been encased in the loving arms 
  of one. Not to mention, that a Snuggie can double as a 
  mean wizard’s robe.) 
   
  Even if you found yourself without a romantic 
  relationship this Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of 
  relationships in your life to celebrate. Like the rela-
  tionship you have with Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  “Why thank you, Shelly. Sometimes words speak louder 
  than actions. Saying “I love you” goes a long way.”
   
  Not to worry, Dungeons & Dragons. We’re here 
  for you.
   
  “I have feelings too, you know!”
   
  I know. have I told you lately that I love you?
   
  “Aww…”
   
  Those who work on Dungeons & Dragons have 
  an interesting bond with their favorite RPG. Not only 
  do they love the game socially, but professionally as 
  well. And that’s not an easy balance. 
   
  In honor of the pinkest month on the calendar, 
  I decided to examine what the game of love really 
  means. Who better to ask than some of the most 
  devoted duos in the office? Besides, I’m a sucker for a 
  good “how they met” story.
  Peter Schaefer, rPg Developer. With Dungeons 
  & Dragons 18 Years.
  As a young boy growing up in the lush green woods of 
  Northern oregon—
   
  “I didn’t grow up in the woods,” Peter wants to 
  clarify. “We had a house, you know.”
   
  Growing up in hood River, the wind surfing 
  capital of the world, a bespectacled, Birkenstock-clad 
  Peter found himself immersed in cerebral hobbies 
  like fantasy and sci-fi novels, computer games, and 
  “playing in the woods.”
   
  “You do have an elfish look about you.”
   
  “Really? I’ve always thought of myself more as a 
  halfling.”
  
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  Perhaps the love of fantasy, gaming, and even 
  tromping around in the wild might lead one to con-
  clude that Peter and Dungeons & Dragons were 
  meant to be.
   
  “When you know, you know . . .”
   
  “Yep. It was love at first read.”
   
   They met through a friend of a friend before Peter 
  was even in double digits.
   
  “My buddy described a game his older brother 
  had and I was intrigued,” Peter said, recounting what 
  was to become a propitious conversation nearly two 
  decades ago. Peter picked up a Dungeons Master’s 
  Guide and “away we went.”
   
  “He was just a kid and yet wise beyond his years.”
   
  Peter fondly remembers Rufus Redaxe, his beloved 
  chaotic neutral dwarf fighter.
   
  “Rufus was on a hereditary quest to make an axe 
  from red steel,” Peter reminisces. “he went on to 
  establish an empire on the basis of being deeply in 
  debt.”
   
  “Rufus! I haven’t thought about him in years. How is the 
  old chum doing, anyway?”
   
  “oh, he’s long since retired. But I’m sure he 
  remembers you fondly as well.”
   
  While Peter spends the most time with Dungeons 
  & Dragons currently, he recalls a time in college 
  when the two parted ways briefly. 
   
  “We grew apart,” Peter explained. “Took different 
  paths.”
   
  “If you love something, set it free . . .”
   
  Peter’s need to sow his wild oats introduced him to 
  other games, such as Mage, Exalted, and Shadowrun.
   
  “Being with other games only brought me closer to 
  Dungeons & Dragons in the end,” Peter explains.
   
  “If it comes back to you, it’s yours . . .”
   
  “Aw, that’s sweet.”
   
  Not everyone understood the bond between Peter 
  and Dungeons & Dragons, but it’s clear they have 
  a lot of history together. In fact, it’s that history that 
  makes this game stand out from his other hobbies.
   
  “We’re very comfortable together.”
   
  “It’s a very relaxed partnership.”
   
  Peter loves DMing as much as he loves rolling up a 
  PC. It’s Dungeons & Dragons’ many layers of depth 
  and storytelling that he finds endlessly fascinating. 
   
  “There’s no other activity that incorporates tell-
  ing a story with playing a game quite so well,” Peter 
  explained when asked what it is that makes the game 
  so special.
   
  “Peter is special too. He’s smart and dedicated and loyal. 
  And he has nice, brown eyes.”
   
  “I’m blushing!”
    
  It’s clear in this case absence does make the heart 
  grow fonder, but what does the future have in store 
  for these two?
   
  “I see an enduring, but open, partnership,” Peter 
  said.
   
  “Me too.… Wait. Open? how open?”
  rodney Thompson, rPg Developer. With 
   Dungeons & Dragons 17 Years.
  Picture this: a sweet southern boy—eight years old 
  with a penchant for reading, baseball, and Nintendo 
  games—hears wild tales of a mysterious game that 
  involves halfling thieves, homemade flaming bullets, 
  and skeletal monsters. 
   
  “A friend from my neighborhood played Dungeons 
  & Dragons with his older cousins and told me all 
  about it,” Rodney said. “Just the idea of that kind of 
  freedom blew my mind.”
   
  “He just had to meet me.”
   
  But it was another three years or so before Rodney 
  and Dungeons & Dragons would finally come face 
  to tabletop. The two hit it off right away, but not every-
  one approved. 
   
  “My parents were skeptical at first. Growing up 
  in the South, there was some trepidation about the 
  game,” explained Rodney.
   
  “I tend to clam up around parents.”
   
  “But once they realized you were good for me, they 
  welcomed you with open arms.”
   
  “Sure. Once they learned I could provide for you,”
   
  “They are very proud of my work.”
   
  Rodney fondly remembers his first time.
   
  “Awkward!”
   
  “First time rolling up a character.”
   
  “Oh.”
   “his name was Saluk—a human holy slayer in an Al-
  Qadim campaign.”
   
  “Al-Qadim? Wow, we haven’t been there in a while.”
   
  Dungeons & Dragons players are a sentimental 
  bunch. Some hold on to the d20 with which they 
  rolled their first crit. Someone else once told me he 
  had all the players he TPKed for the first time sign 
  the DM screen from that fatal session. And Rodney 
  still has the miniature of that first character that one 
  of the other players painted for him. 
   
  “Unsurprisingly, in Chris Perkins’s Wednesday 
  night campaign, my avenger of the Raven Queen, 
  Vargas, was heavily inspired by Saluk.”
   
  “The first one is always the most special. I’m glad Saluk 
  didn’t die a horrific death like the many that came after.”
   
  “Me too.”
   
  Like so many Dungeons & Dragons devotees, 
  Rodney oscillates between player and DM 
  
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  “That’s the beauty of our relationship. No one needs 
  to be stuck in just one role. Sometimes you feel like taking 
  control of things and sometimes you want to sit back and let 
  someone else take the reigns.”
   
  “I’ve had many great times in both roles. As a 
  player, the last great time was in Chris Perkins’s cam-
  paign,” Rodney says.
   
  “Ahh . . . Chris Perkins . . . one of the most thoughtful, 
  loving, and creative Dungeon Masters I’ve ever known.”
   
  “Umm… I’m right here.”
   
  “Right. Sorry.”
   
  Rodney continues, “In a recent session my afore-
  mentioned avenger, Vargas, helped save the capital 
  city of the Empire from destruction by destroying a 
  giant floating fortress that was attacking the city.”
   
  “So brave.”
   
  “As a DM, about a month ago I ran an all-day game 
  where my players laid siege to an enemy fortress, 
  killed a white dragon, and then fought off githyanki 
  warriors to capture a flying ship.”
   
  As much as Rodney cares for Dungeons & Drag-
  ons, he claims to be a “man of many loves” and insists 
  there’s room in his heart for lots of games. he likes 
  board games, “especially cooperative or semi-cooper-
  ative games.”
   
  “In other words, he likes games that resemble me.”
   
  “I have a type, I guess.”
   
  For someone who is basically paid to notice other 
  games, it seems like Dungeons & Dragons will 
  always face some competition. But there’s only one 
  game he plays nearly as often as D&D.
   
  “star Wars Saga Edition.”
   
  “That’s because you’re afraid to commit. I don’t want to 
  pressure you but what’s that expression about buying the 
  cow…?”
   
  Star Wars aside, hearing Rodney talk about what 
  makes Dungeons & Dragons so special makes it 
  hard to imagine him spending time with any other 
  game. 
   
  “I love that when I go to Gen Con, I’m surrounded 
  by people whose lives have been shaped by Dungeons 
  & Dragons,” he says. “The players have their own 
  language, their own inside jokes and common stories, 
  their own shared experiences. It’s a very personal 
  hobby, so people get very invested in it, and it really 
  affects their culture.”
   
  “My friends are very important to me.”
   
  A self-proclaimed “free spirit,” it’s no surprise 
  Rodney finds himself drawn to D&D’s creativity and 
  freedom.
   
  “I love that every time I sit down to play, I’m 
  making something; making a story, making a charac-
  ter, or just making a new memory.”
   
  “We do have some great memories.”
   
  “I like that as a DM I can create my own adven-
  tures, my own monsters, my own magic items, or my 
  own world. I love the sense of ownership that D&D 
  gives you over the game.”
   
  Rodney’s friends love D&D too and that’s 
  important.
   
  “You’re not kidding. It’s very hard to compete with hos-
  tile friends.”
   
  “Twice a week, I sit down with five to eight friends 
  and play a game that is different every week,” he said. 
  “I also love the social aspect of the game.”
   
  “I like your friends too.”
   
  Rodney is running and playing more D&D than 
  ever before and couldn’t be happier. he says he and 
  D&D are in a great place right now.
   
  “Sure, there are always rough patches,” he stated. 
  “But I recently got to work on the upcoming D&D 
  Essentials books as a designer, and I’m proud to be 
  helping shape the future of the game.”
   
  “I feel safe with Rodney.”
   
  Great place or not, most relationships that have 
  spanned over a decade have had to experience their 
  share of growing pains.
   
  “Who hasn’t had a campaign fall apart in the 
  past?” Rodney lamented. “Sometimes you just need to 
  play something else to clear your head.”
   
  “I never needed time to ‘clear my head,’ but that’s just 
  me I guess.”
    
  No question Rodney is clear headed when talking 
  about his future with D&D. 
   
  I’ll certainly never stop playing D&D, barring a 
  major catastrophe, and I’d like to keep doing what I 
  do for a living for a long time to come. But I have to 
  admit, Gamma World has been making eyes at me.”
   
  “I hope you don’t think you’re special! gamma WOrld 
  has been making eyes at everyone!”
  Bart Carroll, Editor-in-Chief, Dungeonsand-
  Dragons.com. With Dungeons & Dragons 27 
  Years 
  how do you keep things fresh after nearly three 
  decades? It’s easy, according to Bart.
   
  “Dungeons & Dragons and I are very healthy,” 
  Bart answers without hesitation in regards to the cur-
  rent state of their relationship. “I play weekly at work, 
  outside of work, and recently started an additional 
  game on odd-weekends, as a means to reconnect with 
  some friends, draw others in, and have one-off ses-
  sions that allow a fair degree of experimentation . . . ”
  
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  “Whoa! Don’t give them the wrong idea! You mean 
  it’s a chance for others to try out characters they normally 
  wouldn’t play and give new DMs some practice. Overall, it’s 
  a chance for us to just kick back and see where life takes us.”
   
  “Right. That’s what I said.”
   
  “Whatever.”
   
  Being an “army brat,” Bart spent much of his 
  childhood trying to fit into one group or another. 
  With every new city came a new group of friends and 
  exposure to new hobbies. This is probably the catalyst 
  for Bart’s love of discovering new games, whether at a 
  hobby store or from a friend’s bookshelf. But there is 
  something about Dungeons & Dragons that stands 
  the test of time.
   
  “We have to work at it, you know. But it’s worth it.”
   
  “Dungeons & Dragons encapsulates all those 
  things I loved as a kid and lets me experience them 
  every time I play.”
   
  “You’re so sentimental. It’s cute.”
   
  After hearing the older kids describe Dungeons & 
  Dragons, Bart went on his first adventure to find out 
  more about this elusive, mysterious game that com-
  bined several of his passions—knights, monsters, and 
  mythology. 
   
  “They had me at dinosaurs.”
    
  “Sure, I gave you dinosaurs. Relationships are all about 
  making concessions.”
   
  “I remember spending my allowance on books and 
  adventures at Toys R Us,” Bart recounts. “And Christ-
  mas of 1983 I saw a red boxed set under my tree. 
  With dice! I could not have been happier.”
   
  The happiness continued through several years 
  and almost as many characters.
   
  “I tend to gravitate toward characters that aren’t 
  afraid to take silly risks for the sake of making some-
  thing happen,” Bart explains. 
   
  “I might be inclined to say it’s less ‘risky’ and more 
  ‘careless.’”
   
  “Maybe. one character came this close to laying 
  his hands on the hand of Eye of Vecna before his own 
  party knocked him unconscious and foolishly had the 
  useful item destroyed.”
   
  “It’s times like that I wonder if you’re really committed 
  you know? Like are you living for the moment with me or 
  wondering what the next great adventurer you’ll roll up will 
  be like.”
    
  “When we’re together, I only have eyes for you.”
   
  “That’s sweet.”
   
  Bart gets a little starry eyed when reminiscing 
  about one of those careless, slapdash, risk-taking 
  characters. 
   
  “I teleported inside a force field and found a 
  chain golem that I tried to commandeer. That didn’t 
  work—the golem activated and tried to kill me—but I 
  escaped and managed to teleport an enemy inside the 
  same force field . . . where the golem then smashed 
  him to pieces!”
   
  “And there was that whole ‘I’m a cleric! Nope! I lied! I’m 
  an assassin!’ fiasco.”
   
  “We’re still talking about that?”
   
  “I’m sorry but when three out of four party members are 
  knocked prone and your assassin is scampering down the 
  hallway looking for a mute old man with a bevy of canar-
  ies, it’s hard to not think about it.”
   
  “They were fine! Marty made his death save and 
  managed to throw a healing word on Kierin. 
   
  “For the record, I did not agree with that decision. Your 
  fellow party-members were right to be upset.”
   
  “Party member,” Bart corrects. “I believe there was 
  just one who got severely bent out of shape.”
   
  “I think she was right. But whatever. Let’s move on.”
   
  “Fine.”
   
  “Fine.”
   
  A lover of all things geek and a wide-array of 
  games (Munchkin, Battlestar Galactica, and Magic: 
  The gathering to name a few), Bart is a giant flirt 
  when it comes to other pastimes, but none have given 
  him butterflies like Dungeons & Dragons does. 
   
  “Still, they try.”
   
  “I dallied with Palladium’s Teenage Mutant Ninja 
  Turtles RPG for a while,” Bart recalls. “I introduced 
  some kids at school to it who had played Dungeons 
  & Dragons when younger. But when they sat around 
  the table, they really just wanted to play Dungeons & 
  Dragons again, not something Dungeons & Drag-
  ons-like. So we switched systems, and started playing 
  regularly again.”
   
  “If I were one to say, ‘I told you so’ I’d say, ‘I told you so.’”
   
  Part of the strength of their relationship can be 
  credited to Dungeons & Dragons’ confidence.
   
  “That’s because Bart is very generous with the compli-
  ments. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t remind me of how 
  appreciated I am.”
   
  “You’re appreciated! Not sure if I said it yet today.”
   
  With Dungeons & Dragons, “Every time is a good 
  time. Maybe because the game still reminds me of 
  how much fun I had playing with different groups at 
  different times in my life,” Bart says.
   
  “Now I’m blushing.”
   
  As for their future? Bart and D&D don’t show any 
  signs of slowing down. In fact, quite the contrary. 
  Bart believes in a sort of paying it forward—at least in 
  terms of sharing his love of D&D with generations to 
  come. 
   
  “I see . . . my currently fictitious kids sitting 
  around the table being prodded, tricked, or otherwise 
  coerced into playing with dad, who’s keen to teach 
  
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  them math, vocabulary, and cooperative lessons in 
  the disguise of a gloriously geeky game.”
   
  “I love kids. Bring it on!”
  Chris Youngs, Editor-in-Chief, D&D Insider. 
  With Dungeons & Dragons 13 Years (on and 
  off).
  Ah, young love. So full of promise. Budding with 
  excitement. Nothing but hope for the future. Until 
  your mother makes you stop seeing each other. That’s 
  what happened shortly after five-year old Chris first 
  met Dungeons & Dragons. Yes, five. he was intro-
  duced by his older brother who, upon learning the 
  game wasn’t a solo experience, was forced to recruit 
  his “malleable little brother.” 
   
  “That’s how I meet a lot of little brothers.”
   
  But their love was left unfulfilled as mom fell 
  victim to the hype surrounding Dungeons & Drag-
  ons’ alleged bad reputation.
   
  “She was told the game had real spells in it,” Chris 
  said. 
   
  “It’s hard to reason with overprotective moms of the 
  80s.”
   
  “And demon summoning information.”
   
  “Umm . . . no. Not my cup of mead.”
   
  Although Chris’s relationship with D&D was 
  called to a halt early on, Chris’s penchant for gaming 
  wasn’t. During their forced separation, he spent time 
  with mom-approved games such as Monopoly, Sorry, 
  and Mille Bornes before entering what he affection-
  ately refers to as his FASA period.
   
  “I dallied with Shadowrun, Earthdawn, and Battle 
  Tech,” he recounted. “I probably designed more Battle 
  Mechs than I ever have Dungeons & Dragons char-
  acters. And that’s saying something”
   
  “That’s because you were in junior high when time was 
  an endless commodity. Try to do that now. ”
   
  But everyone knows destiny wins in the end. It was 
  1998 when Chris and Dungeons & Dragons crossed 
  paths again. Perhaps they were jaded from their false 
  start several years before, but Chris admits the sparks 
  didn’t fly immediately.
   
  “I was weary. Once bitten, twice shy.”
   
  “It took a couple of years to get back into the 
  groove, but then 3rd Edition came along, and it was 
  just like old times.”
   
  “Old times? He was five! But yes, we moved very 
  quickly.”
   
  Since then the good times have kept on rolling. 
  Even his mom has come to terms with Chris’s rela-
  tionship with Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  “She just wants me to be happy,” he said. “And she 
  doesn’t think the game is evil anymore. That was, um, 
  an important step.”
   
  “I had to work at that one. To know me is to love me.”
   
  “Love might be too strong a word.”
   
  “There’s still time.”
   
  So what’s the attraction? Part of it is what many 
  find attractive about a game like Dungeons & Drag-
  ons—the only boundaries are your imagination. “If 
  you can think it, you can make it part of the game,” 
  Chris says.
   
  “I’m not a pushover or anything. I just want people to 
  have fun.”
   
  Dungeons & Dragons has introduced Chris to 
  some of the most beloved characters in his life. 
   
  “My favorite is always whichever character I’m 
  playing at the moment, even if it’s a one-off.”
   
  “You throw you whole heart into every character you roll 
  up. It’s very refreshing.”
   
  “Thank you.”
   
  Currently Chris plays an egotistic sorcerer with a 
  penchant for wild parties and wilder magic. 
   
  “It’s a blast,” he admits.
   
  “No pun intended?”
   
  Make no mistake, Chris is definitely a player, and 
  while he insists you can’t help but at least notice an 
  interesting product shot or be intrigued by a glowing 
  review of a new game, he spends the majority of his 
  free time with Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  “There’s not a single game I currently play as much 
  as Dungeons & Dragons,” Chris proclaimed.
   
  “Oh yeah? What about Rock Band?”
   
  “Except maybe Rock Band.”
   
  “That’s okay. It just makes the time we do spend 
  together all the more special.”
   
  The future looks bright for these two with Chris’s 
  only complaint being he wishes he had more time for 
  Dungeons & Dragons.
   
  “I see many more adventures. Many more mon-
  sters. Many more dungeons. And loads of phat lewtz!”
   
  So there you have it. It’s a good thing I’m not the 
  jealous type because that’s a lot of love.
   
  Unlike other relationships, hearing people profess 
  their devotion for your beloved only serves to ignite 
  the flames.
   
  But I hope you weren’t looking for a monogamous 
  relationship with Dungeons & Dragons. 
   
  “No one loves a player as much as I do.”
  About the Author
  Although her mother warned her about games like this, 
  Shelly Mazzanoble and Dungeons & Dragons have been 
  blissfully enjoying each other’s company for six years.
  
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  D & D  P L A Y  R E P o R T
  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  At our feature convention D&D Experience, we 
  announced a new in-store weekly D&D play experi-
  ence called D&D Encounters, which begins its first 
  season by exploring the iconic dungeon of Under-
  mountain on March 17. I’ll give you the complete 
  details below, but first, I want to give a little wrap-up 
  of D&D Experience.
  Serious Fun in Fort Wayne!
  D&D Experience was a blast this year. hundreds 
  and hundreds of D&D gamers from around the US, 
  Canada, and Europe braved the cold and headed to 
  Fort Wayne, Indiana for a four-day celebration of all 
  things D&D. In a big ballroom in the Grand Wayne 
  D&D Experience and  
  a New Play Experience
  by cHris tulacH
  D&D Play Spotlight
  Convention Center, players got their fill of Living 
  Forgotten Realms, an awesome Dark Sun preview 
  adventure, and bashed monsters in a new version of 
  the Convention Delve.
   
  What really brought the players out in force were 
  the two special gaming events at the show—the Dark 
  Sun preview adventure and the Living Forgotten 
  Realms battle interactive. At the Dark Sun preview 
  called “Death in the Arena,” players got their first 
  look at the 4th Edition world of Athas, playing a 
  variety of diverse characters such as a mul barbarian 
  gladiator and a thri-kreen shaman elemental priest. 
  I won’t spoil the adventure details for you, because 
  we’ll be running it again at PAX East and other local 
  shows in the future!
   
  The Living Forgotten Realms battle interactive 
  was the first of its kind for LFR, and it was a rousing 
  success! Dozens of tables participated in two days’ 
  worth of missions as they attempted to save Elturel 
  from the horrors of the nearby plaguelands. As the 
  spellplague spread to the city, the characters rallied 
  to its defense and only narrowly managed to avoid 
  complete catastrophe! For more information on the 
  battle interactive and to hear players’ stories, head 
  to the Living Forgotten Realms Community Page. 
  Who knows, a convention near you might be run-
  ning it soon!
   
  We also had other special events, including a pair 
  of book signings. The signing with Rich Baker on 
  Saturday had an additional surprise—free copies of 
  Rich’s not-yet-released Avenger, the third and final 
  book in the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy! Suffice to 
  say, he had quite a line of fans.
   
  We also had lots of sneak peeks at the show, giving 
  out first looks at the D&D Essentials line, a deep dive 
  into the design of the updated Dark Sun setting, and 
  lots of information on our upcoming board games 
  The hall swells with tables of dedicated D&D gamers.
  My table gets ready to take on the savage land of Athas!
  
  83
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  D & D  P L A Y  R E P o R T
   
  Earn renown Points for accomplishments. 
  At the conclusion of each session, you earn Renown 
  Points for different types of in-game accomplish-
  ments–defeating encounters, hitting milestones, doing 
  something spectacular during a game session, etc. As 
  you accumulate those points, you earn rewards cards 
  that can be used in-game for your current and future 
  D&D Encounters characters. Some rewards are easy 
  to get and can be obtained after only a few sessions 
  of play; others might take a while to qualify for. The 
  first is the Delver reward, and it’s given to you on 
  the session you’ve earned it. The other two rewards 
  (Explorer and Adventurer) are awarded at the end 
  of the season based on those that qualify for them by 
  earning a certain higher total of points.
   
  DMs get rewards too! In addition to the player 
  rewards in the D&D Encounters kit, there are also 
  special rewards for the DMs, consisting of valuable 
  game aids and other cool specially-made, not-avail-
  able-for-sale items. Each new season will bring a 
  different DM reward in the kit.
   
  Each season takes you to new D&D worlds. 
  Every D&D Encounters season is a self-contained 
  mini-campaign, giving you an ongoing story in a dif-
  ferent D&D setting each time. Each season will last 
  three to four months—short enough that you don’t 
  need to make a long-term campaign commitment but 
  long enough to give you a sense of growth and accom-
  plishment. The seasonal nature of D&D Encounters 
  also means you’ll be able to sample new game content 
  and different worlds a few times every year. The first 
  season of D&D Encounters is set in the Forgotten 
  Realms, where you’ll be uncovering the secrets of 
  Halaster’s Lost Apprentice in one of the most infamous 
  dungeons of all, Undermountain! In season two, 
  and the new Gamma World game. Some lucky folks 
  even got to playtest Gamma World with Rich Baker!
   
  All in all, we had a great show—attendance was 
  way up, and all sorts of little secrets were dropped on 
  players throughout the weekend. If you didn’t make 
  it to the show this year, make sure you make plans to 
  attend next year. In the meantime, you can listen to 
  podcasts of many of the seminars right now!
  D&D Encounters: 
  Undermountain  
  Starts March 17!
  We launch the first-ever weekly Wednesday D&D 
  play experience in just a few short weeks. I’d like to 
  take some space here in the column to tell you more 
  about the program so you can get organized now and 
  be ready to participate on March 17!
   
  Weekly in-store D&D play on Wednesdays. 
  D&D Encounters runs each week in your local 
  Wizards Play Network store. This is the first D&D 
  program that Wizards has designed specifically for 
  weekly play. Because it’s on Wednesday nights, it 
  stays away from busy weekends and coincides nicely 
  with comic book day.
   
  an ongoing mini-campaign. D&D Encounters 
  is set up with an ongoing narrative element, played 
  as a mini-campaign lasting a few months. Each mini-
  campaign is also known as a season of play. After one 
  season finishes, the next one begins the very next 
  week, without interruption. The season is divided into 
  three chapters; each chapter is composed of a few ses-
  sions of play. 
   
  one encounter per week. Fitting D&D Encoun-
  ters into a busy schedule is made much easier with 
  its one-encounter-per-week sessions. You can get the 
  encounter done within 1-2 hours, making it easy to 
  finish at a reasonable hour and keeping the DM’s 
  prep time to a minimum each week.
  Mike Mearls presents the 2010 D&D lineup at the product 
  preview seminar.
  Rich Baker gives away his signature and his new book, 
  Avenger.
  
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  D & D  P L A Y  R E P o R T
  journey to the blasted lands of Athas as you play in a 
  mini-campaign preview of the Dark Sun campaign 
  setting!
   
  get social by following us and sharing. The 
  D&D Encounters play experience goes beyond the 
  store as Wizards uses social networking tools like 
  Twitter and Facebook to communicate messages each 
  week, sometimes offering special in-game benefits or 
  events that affect your current play session. In addi-
  tion, you can share your stories, post photos, and join 
  the discussion right here at the D&D Community 
  Group.
  D&D Encounters: 
  Undermountain
  Halaster’s Lost Apprentice: A lost passageway on the 
  upper level of the most infamous dungeon in Faerûn 
  has recently been uncovered. When a patron hires a 
  band of adventurers to brave the dangers of Under-
  mountain, a search is on to uncover secrets of an 
  apprentice of the dungeon’s lost creator—halaster. 
  Bring a 1st-level character or use a pre-generated 
  character. Characters this season can be exported to 
  the Living Forgotten Realms campaign at the conclu-
  sion of the mini-campaign!
   
  Season Length: 12 sessions (3 chapters of 4 ses-
  sions each)
   
  Season Dates: March 17 – June 2 (Wednesdays)
   
  Make sure your local store signs up for D&D 
  Encounters through the Wizards Play network. 
  Signups begin on February 8th. They’ll want to 
  sign up early, because kit quantities are limited! 
   
  That’s all this month on the D&D Play Spotlight. 
  Join me again next month as we talk about PAX East 
  and share more information on D&D Encounters and 
  Player’s Handbook 3 Game Day!
  About the Author 
  originally thought to have been raised from a humble 
  Midwestern family, Chris Tulach actually fell to Earth in a 
  meteorite-shaped capsule flung from a planet far outside our 
  galaxy. While under the yellow rays of Sol, Chris’s nerdity 
  far surpasses that of any normal human. Using this precious 
  gift only for good, he has become the D&D organized Play 
  Content Developer, responsible for the development and 
  deployment of Dungeons & Dragons organized play pro-
  grams. he is also the co-author of E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls.
  
  A M P E R S A N D
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  TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
  by bill slavicsek
  Coming This Fall . . .
  Hot on the heels of some amazing announcements 
  we made at Dungeons & Dragons Experience, I want to 
  give all of the Insiders the complete scoop on a bunch of 
  new products that we’re really excited about. First, let me 
  give you a tour of our new Dungeons & Dragons Essentials 
  line of products. Then I want to show off our new take 
  on Gamma World and address questions you may have 
  about our new line of board games. Let’s get to it! 
  Dungeons & Dragons 
  Essentials
  While the current format of the Dungeons & Dragons 
  Roleplaying Game is great for those of us who have been 
  playing the game for years (or even decades!), we knew 
  that we needed to take a shot at making the products 
  more accessible to the next generation of gamers. For this 
  reason, we’re introducing the Essentials line of products 
  later this year. 
   
  The Essentials line consists of 10 key products that 
  will always be in stock and will form the core of the 
  Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game experience 
  moving forward. Each product is designed to provide 
  a more streamlined, more directed, and less expensive 
  experience for the user. These products don’t replace 
  the existing Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, or 
  Monster Manual. They represent a separate pathway into 
  the game. 
   It all starts with the  Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy 
  Roleplaying Game, a new version of the original “Red Box” 
  starter game. This is the Essential starting point for new 
  players coming to the brand. It features a player’s book 
  that uses a solitaire pick-a-path process to create a charac-
  ter, a Dungeon Master’s book with basic 4th Edition game 
  rules and a group adventure, a set of dice, a poster map, 
  cardstock tokens for characters and monsters, and power 
  cards. The box takes players from 1st level through 2nd 
  level with a limited selection of options and choices. 
   
  From there, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules 
  Compendium puts all the core rules of the game into a 
  single volume for the first time. The rules are presented 
  in a logical order, organized for easy access during a game 
  session. The 6” x 9” trade paperback is full color and costs 
  $19.95, making it a must-have for players and Dungeon 
  Masters who want to go beyond the basic rules presented 
  in the “Red Box.” Its size helps with portability, and it 
  takes up less room on your game table. 
   Next, the line divides the rest of the products based 
  on the role you’ve taken in the game—player or  Dungeon 
  Master. 
   For players, two 6” x 9” $19.95 trade paperbacks pres-
  ent the essential classes and races, covering all tiers of 
  play, from heroic through epic. Each one includes a selec-
  tion of classes and races that can immediately fill out 
  an adventuring party, as well as character creation and 
  advancement rules, skills, feats, equipment, and the rules 
  of the game as they pertain to players. 
   Heroes of the Fallen Lands covers the classes and races 
  associated most closely with the traditional Dungeons 
  
  A M P E R S A N D
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  & Dragons game. It features two new fighter builds, 
  a new rogue build, a new cleric build, a new wizard 
  build, and a new ranger build. The races in this one 
  include humans, dwarves, eladrin, elves, and half-
  lings. Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms features more 
  options, including a new cleric build, a new rogue 
  build, a new paladin build, a new ranger build, a new 
  druid build, and a new warlock build. The races in 
  this one include dragonborn, drow, half-elves, and 
  tieflings. 
   
  For Dungeon Masters, the boxed Dungeon Master’s 
  Kit expands the DMing material presented in the 
  “Red Box,” as well as two adventures, two poster 
  maps, a DM’s screen, and monster tokens to help a 
  DM take a campaign from 1st to 30th level. 
   
  The Monster Vault boxed set includes a book of 
  essential Dungeons & Dragons monsters, tokens 
  for every monster in the box, an adventure, and a 
  poster map. The adventures that appear in the “Red 
  Box,” the Dungeon Master’s Kit, and the Monster Vault 
  can be run sequentially to create the beginnings of a 
  campaign. 
   
  Three sets of Dungeon Tiles Master Sets round out 
  the essential offerings for the DM. These include The 
  Dungeon, The City, and The Wilderness. Each set comes 
  in a box and contains 10 sheets of dungeon tiles—and 
  the box itself features a grid, allowing it to be used 
  as an elevated play surface. Some of the tiles in these 
  sets are pulled from older, out-of-print Dungeon Tiles 
  sets, but each box contains a number of new tiles 
  as well. These Master Sets are intended to provide 
  Dungeon Masters with a basic set of tiles for building 
  dungeon, city, and wilderness encounters—and boxes 
  in which to store them! Future sets of Dungeon Tiles 
  will expand these Master Sets by providing tiles that 
  are more specific and strongly themed. 
   
  What’s the tenth Essentials product? A set of 
  Dungeons & Dragons dice for anyone who needs 
  an extra set completes the Essentials offerings. These 
  10 products won’t be added to or taken away from. 
  They’re designed to be the starting point and baseline 
  for all Dungeons & Dragons games moving forward. 
   
  here’s a simple list of how these products fit 
  together. 
  For Everyone 
  Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game 
  Starter Set (Red Box)—September 2010 
  Dungeons & Dragons Rules Compendium—
  September 2010 
  Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Dice Set—
  August 2010 
  For Players 
  Heroes of the Fallen Lands—September 2010 
  Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms—November 2010 
  For Dungeon Masters 
  Dungeon Master’s Kit—october 2010 
  Monster Vault—November 2010 
  Dungeon Tiles Master Set: The Dungeon—July 2010 
  Dungeon Tiles Master Set: The City—october 2010 
  Dungeon Tiles Master Set: The Wilderness—December 
  2010 
  Yes, our focus for the end of 2010 is on setting up the 
  Essentials line. But right after that, our new frontlist 
  plan begins to roll out, providing expanded game 
  options and materials for all players. I’ll talk a bit 
  more about how that’s going to work next month. 
  Dungeon Master to the 
  Stars
  I hinted recently that Chris Perkins, the Creative 
  Manager for Dungeons & Dragons and our increas-
  ingly popular Dungeon Master to the stars, had gone 
  on a secret mission to run a game for some VFPs 
  (Very Funny People). Now I can reveal that he ran 
  an incredible game of Dungeons & Dragons for the 
  folks at Robot Chicken. Check out this link to see 
  their excursion into Undermountain.
  Dungeons & Dragons 
  Encounters
  We also debuted our new weekly adventure series 
  for play in Wizards Play Network retail locations 
  at Dungeons & Dragons Experience last week. 
  Starting now, you can visit your local game store 
  every Wednesday to play an exciting new adventure. 
  The first mini-campaign takes place in the Forgotten 
  Realms, specifically in the depths of Undermountain. 
  You’ll find additional information here.
  D&D Gamma World
  We unveiled the new D&D Gamma World prod-
  ucts last week as well. Coming in october, the D&D 
  Gamma World Roleplaying Game provides a com-
  plete experience in a box. Using the Dungeons & 
  Dragons rules as the basis, the game is designed 
  to be most people’s second game, the game they go 
  to when they want to break out of the usual fantasy 
  mold. That said, it’s also designed to appeal to players 
  who enjoy science fiction with a bit of a wacky ele-
  ment. And I do mean wacky! Thanks to streamlined 
  
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  and random 
  character gen-
  eration and a 
  set of Alpha 
  Mutations and 
  omega Tech 
  cards, the 
  game plays 
  fast and loose, 
  with plenty 
  of oppor-
  tunities for surprises, 
  excitement, and humor as your mutant rat swarm 
  discovers an ancient artifact known as a Teddy Bear 
  or your insectoid bear mutant tries to figure out how 
  to use a deadly toast-r-oven against the approaching 
  killer robot horde. The boxed set comes with plenty 
  of cards, but for players and Gamemasters who want 
  to expand their options and add to the wackiness, 
  a random booster set will be available for just that 
  purpose. 
   To dispel some of the rumors that followed the 
  announcement at Dungeons & Dragons Experience, 
  let me state this clearly: D&D Gamma World is a 
  roleplaying game. The cards add a random element 
  that is built into the game play, but it is in no way a 
  collectible trading card game. It uses dice and all of 
  the basic Dungeons & Dragons RPG rules, with the 
  added element of random cards to reflect the random 
  mutations and technological discoveries that have 
  always been a part of the Gamma World mythol-
  ogy. We’re having a blast in our playtests, and I think 
  you’ll enjoy it as well when it debuts in october. 
   The first expansion product, Famine at Far-Go, 
  comes out in December. It includes more mutants 
  and more adventure for those who didn’t get enough 
  of the mutants and madness in the core set. We’ll talk 
  more about D&D Gamma World and other possible 
  genre products in the months ahead. Maybe we’ll 
  even run a poll as to what kinds of genres you’d like 
  us to focus on in the future. 
  Dungeons & Dragons 
  Board Games
  Finally, a few words about our upcoming line of board 
  games. our board games are not replacements for our 
  miniatures line. We have a nice slate of miniatures 
  products coming out this year, including the Lords 
  of Madness huge Set and the Limited Edition orcus 
  Gargantuan figure. our board games are just that: 
  board games! A different play experience using spe-
  cific elements of the Dungeons & Dragons brand. 
  We kicked this off with the release of D&D Heroscape, 
  and we’re following it up with Castle Ravenloft and 
  Dragonfire Mountain. The latter two board games 
  use our new Adventure System Cooperative Play 
  mechanics, which means that the components in the 
  two boxes can be used together 
  to 
  create completely new experiences. 
  Anyway, they’re board games, not 
  roleplaying games or RPG acces-
  sories. They’re meant to stand on 
  their own and provide a lighter, 
  faster experience for when you 
  don’t want to play a full-on 
  RPG session or for Dungeons 
  & Dragons fans who enjoy a 
  more structured experience. 
  And they’re fun!
  Well, that’s it for this month. Until next time, 
  Keep Playing!  
   
   
   
  In Case You Don’t Know Him 
  Bill Slavicsek’s gaming life was forever changed when he 
  discovered Dungeons & Dragons in 1976. he became a 
  gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West End 
  Games as an editor. he quickly added developer, designer, 
  and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped 
  shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplay-
  ing games. he even found some time during that period to 
  do freelance work for Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition. In 
  1993, Bill joined the staff of TSR, Inc. as a designer/editor. 
  he worked on a bunch of 2nd Edition material, including 
  products for Core Dungeons & Dragons, Dark Sun, Ravenloft, 
  and Planescape. In 1997, he was part of the TSR crowd that 
  moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the Coast, and in that 
  year he was promoted to R&D Director for Dungeons & 
  Dragons. In that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both 
  the 3rd Edition and 4th Edition of the Dungeons & Dragons 
  Roleplaying Game. he was one of the driving forces behind 
  the Dungeons & Dragons Insider project, and he contin-
  ues to oversee and lead the creative strategy and effort for 
  Dungeons & Dragons.
   Bill’s enormous list of credits 
  includes Alternity, d20 Modern, 
  d20 Star Wars, Pokemon Jr., Eberron 
  Campaign Setting, the Dungeons & 
  Dragons For Dummies books, and his 
  monthly Ampersand (&) column for 
  Dragon magazine.
  
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