TEXT: ISSUE 373  |  March 2009
  A Dungeons & Dragons® Roleplaying Game Supplement
  
  Features
  Contents
  24
  35
  45
   5 
  art oF the Kill
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  Assassins lurk around every corner in some games. Now learn how 
  your character can master the art of the silent kill himself.
   24 
  Party Building 101
  By Robert J. Schwalb
  With Player’s Handbook 2 on shelves this month, it’s time to re-
  examine party composition, and see what your group really needs.
   35 
  Codex oF Betrayal: 
   
   
  the ButCher oF nessus
  By Ari Marmell
  This article details the archdevil Alloces, creator of some of the 
  Nine Hells most hideous—and useful—monstrous creations.
   45 
  Bestiary: Monsters oF alloCes
  By Ari Marmell
  The companion to this issue’s Codex of Betrayal features new 
  monsters created by the archdevil Alloces to supplement the armies 
  of the Nine Hells.
  TM
  
   53 
  eCology oF the sharn
  By Brian R. James
  This classic monster of the Realms gets new treatment 
  as a monster for any D&D campaign, as well as 
  updates on the activities of sharn in the Forgotten 
  Realms.
  ColuMns
  53
  on the Cover
  Illustration by Jason A. Engle
     4 
  editorial
    62 
  design & develoPMent: raCes
  By James Wyatt
  D&D’s newest race from Player’s Handbook 2, is unveiled 
  and discussed in detail.
    66 
  design & develoPMent: 
     
  PriMal Power
  By Mike Mearls and James Wyatt
  Mike, James and other members of RPG R&D discuss the 
  primal power source.
    70 
  ConFessions oF a Full-tiMe wizard
  By Shelly Mazzanoble
  Shelly continues her quest to become D&D’s first player 
  representative
    75 
  d&d aluMni
  By Bart Carroll and Steve Winter
  A look back at D&D through past editions.
    78 
  rPga rePort
  By Chris Tulach
  The Living FR campaign is in full swing. Learn more 
  about how to get involved!
    81 
  aMPersand
  By Bill Slavicsek
  Bill previews another upcoming release, and discusses 
  more of the changes in store for D&D in 2009.
  Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the coast, all other Wizards of the coast product names, and their 
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  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 
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  com/dnd
  
  For her latest Confessions of a Full-Time Wizard 
  column, Shelly Mazzanoble interviewed several mem-
  bers of R&D. Her takeaway, in part, was a realization 
  of just how long folks in R&D have been playing Dun-
  geons & Dragons. In many cases, it’s been decades. 
  I share that longevity, extending back to 2nd grade. 
  For me, few things are as satisfying s flipping through 
  the pages of a 1st Edition Monster Manual. Of course, 
  nostalgia reigns supreme. This is the edition I started 
  playing, so the illustrations have always resonated 
  with me, long after the mechanics themselves are a 
  distant memory.
   
  A few years back, a few of us started a 0-edition 
  campaign to break out the original pamphlet rule-
  books and see how the game first played… with no 
  small measure of difficulty and confusion, I recall. 
  Despite setbacks, a few (including Steve Winter) have 
  continued the campaign. I participated in a recent 1st 
  Edition campaign, run by folks who share fond memo-
  ries of those immortal black-and-white rulebooks. But 
  while it’s always fun to get together with friends and 
  roll some dice, playing earlier editions of the game 
  also brought back memories of their rules issues.
  Of course, I now also play and DM 4th Edition cam-
  paigns. In one recent session, we faced a creature 
  going back to the game’s earliest days. Let’s see if you 
  can guess what it is from its description through the 
  editions:
  These yellowish-gray monsters appear to be a mass of foul 
  corruption.
  They are altogether evil and far more intelligent than most 
  people would judge by their appearance.
  They are hideous creatures that lurk in the deep caverns of the 
  world.
  These cigar-shaped monsters can stand upright in order to 
  resemble a pillar or stalagmite or flatten themselves at full 
  length upon the floor so as to look like nothing more than a 
  hump.
  How long did it take you to guess that these descrip-
  tions were referencing a roper?
   
  Back in 1st Edition, here’s how the mechanics of 
  the roper played out:
  The roper has six strands of strong, sticky rope-like excretion 
  which it can shoot from 2”-5”. A hit causes weakness (50% 
  from strength in 1-3 melee rounds), and the roper then draws 
  its prey into its toothy maw where it is quickly devoured. The 
  chance for breaking a strand is the same for opening a door, 
  but every round the roper will drag the victim 10’ closer. They 
  are unaffected by lightning, take half damage at most from 
  cold, but are very susceptible to fire (-4 on saving throw).
  Good lord. Strength damage occurring over time? 
  Then it drags its prey? And you can break a strand, but 
  it still drags you closer? The roper is certainly a classic 
  monster, but mechanically… what exactly is happening 
  here, and when?
  In 3rd Edition, the roper’s strands were codified as 
  follows:
  Weakness (Ex): A roper’s strands can sap an opponent’s 
  strength. Anyone grabbed by a strand must succeed on a DC 
  E D I T O R I A L
  TM
   
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  Contributing Authors 
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  ari Marmell, Shelly Mazzanoble,  
   
   
  robert J. Schwalb, Matthew  
   
   
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  373
  Dr agon
  March 2009
  March of the 
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  5
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  O
  By Robert J. Schwalb 
  illustrations by Jason A. Engle, John Tyler Christopher 
  Oblivious to the fact he was dead, the noble sucked grapes 
  from the stem and rested his feet on the back of a slave. 
  His killer, Rook, stood unseen in shadows cast by an 
  overhanging balcony. The bolt that would soon nest in the 
  noble’s neck sat in the hand crossbow held in Rook’s firm 
  grip, its black shaft green with venom.
   
  Rook didn’t move, and his target remained blissfully un-
  aware that in a moment Rook would quench his life’s flame 
  with all the concern of a lamplighter snuffing a streetlight 
  at dawn. The noble laughed at a jest. The painted courte-
  sans tittered. Rook’s finger kissed the trigger.
   
  The crossbow made only the faintest sound as it re-
  leased the bolt. A dark streak, a surprised grunt, a clatter-
  ing goblet, a sharp intake of breath, and screams. It was 
  over. Rook vanished into a black pall, slipping through 
  his drow-born supernatural gloom to make good in his 
  escape. Another offering to the Raven Queen—another 
  wretch silenced and sped to whatever lay beyond.
   
  Free from the noble’s manor, Rook slipped between 
  two row houses. The streets came alive with shouts and 
  the whistle blows of the watch. Rook ran down a crooked 
  avenue. He remembered his companions, good and noble 
  souls all, awaited him at the Salty Mug. Their employer 
  was to meet with them at dawn to discuss their next 
  expedition. It wouldn’t do for his comrades to know about 
  his nocturnal adventures. They wouldn’t understand the 
  price exacted by his cold mistress and the penance he 
  must still pay for betraying her so long ago.
  Art of    
   the Kill
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the coast LLc. all rights reserved.
  
  Secret LanguageS
  If you’re a DM, Thieves’ cant, Druidic, Drow Sign 
  Language, and other secret languages might exist in 
  your game world. Some organizations develop such 
  secret languages to facilitate the safe exchange of 
  information, whether it serves to warn, to pass along 
  a potential job, or to reveal an important detail about 
  a place, person, or threat. The lexicon varies with the 
  organization. Some secret languages are full-fledged 
  tongues, while others are coded with double-talk, 
  jargon, or a jumbling of other languages.
   
  Secret languages sometimes use secret signs for 
  written and visual communication. Most signs are 
  innocuous, easily overlooked, and capable of blending 
  into their environment. a traveler versed in Beggar’s 
  cant might leave an arrangement of stones in front 
  of a farmstead’s fence to describe the farmer, either 
  warning off other travelers or to name the farmer a 
  friend, with a guarantee of a warm meal and bed to 
  those in need.
   
  If you use secret languages, player characters can 
  gain them only from a background benefit or from the 
  Linguist feat or any other feat that grants fluency in a 
  language. The characters might also learn such a lan-
  guage as a form of reward in an ongoing campaign.
  6
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  art of the Kill
  For four editions of the Dungeons & Dragons® game, 
  assassins lurked in one form or another, sometimes 
  as heroes of sinister means or as heartless murderers, 
  slaying for fortune. They have also been presented 
  as dread villains and relentless antagonists who wait 
  for the moment to strike and write the final chapter 
  in the heroes’ lives. Killing is part of an adventuring 
  career for most, but others shape this necessary skill 
  into art and even into destiny.
   
  This article offers a look into the bloody trade, and 
  it presents new techniques for those who desire to 
  employ tactics that could one day place them among 
  the world’s most infamous killers. With the new rules 
  and background material presented here, just about 
  any character can develop talents to become deadlier.
   
  The D&D® game has plenty of such killers already. 
  The shadow assassin (Player’s Handbook® page 128), 
  cloaked sniper (Martial Power™ page 88), death 
  dealer (Martial Power page 90), and zealous assassin 
  (Player’s Handbook 2 page 47) paragon paths combine 
  with the Perfect Assassin epic destiny (Martial Power 
  page 156) to offer ways to theme your character as 
  a lethal slayer. This article doesn’t undermine exist-
  ing and future options. Instead it takes expert killing 
  out of the rogue’s domain and brings it into the 
  wider realm of PC options by offering new avenues 
  to develop deadly and subtle talents to dispatch 
  enemies.
  KiLLing for a Living
  Death is a grim trade for those not above using 
  treachery and subterfuge to eliminate their prey. 
  A dubious art to be sure, murder is efficacious in 
  silencing the enemy, and thus it finds its masters in 
  assassins, thieves, enforcers, and, of course, adventur-
  ers. Those who study the art are among the greatest 
  killers in the world, second only to the shadowy true 
  assassins.
   
  For all its sinister overtones, the art of murder is 
  more than a method for quick kills. The noble mur-
  deress with poison hidden in her ring might dabble 
  in its forms as could the callous street thug armed 
  with a club and terrible temper. Aristocratic spies, 
  religious zealots, dark wizards, hooded execution-
  ers, and others can all find use in these murderous 
  methods. Many who practice this art are soulless vil-
  lains who kill guilty and innocent alike provided the 
  pay is high enough. But killers can enter the trade for 
  many reasons—to gain justice denied them, for self-
  preservation, or to hone talents to fight back against 
  other dangers. Establishing the reasons for your trade 
  can help shape how your character functions in the 
  world and in your group, provide justifications for 
  your alignment choices, and gives you objectives and 
  quests as the campaign unfolds.
  Murderous Backgrounds
  The easiest way to build your character’s history and 
  lay the groundwork for motivations and behavior in 
  the game is to select an appropriate background. The 
  Player’s Handbook 2, Forgotten Realms® Player’s Guide, 
  and several Dragon® articles offer a wide range of 
  background options, many of which are suitable for 
  characters who study the slayer’s art. The following 
  backgrounds—a mix of occupations and events—help 
  justify your place in just about any adventuring group.
   
  When choosing your background, you can add one 
  of the associated skills to your list of class skills, gain 
  a +2 bonus to checks involving one of the associated 
  skills, or gain fluency in the suggested language.
  Bounty Hunter
  You hunted down fugitives from justice, tracking 
  them down and bringing them in for the rewards 
  on their heads. What drew you to this trade? Did it 
  matter to you if the fugitive was guilty or innocent? 
  Did anyone ever escape your clutches? Who was your 
  most notorious captive?
   
  Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
   
  Suggested Language: Any one other than Abyssal or 
  Supernal.
  Executioner
  You were the hand of justice—an executioner charged 
  with dispatching the guilty. Did you enjoy this work 
  or did it sicken you? What were your preferred meth-
  ods? Pulling a lever, swinging an axe, or another way? 
  Did you execute any famous personages?
   
  Associated Skills: Bluff, Intimidate
  
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  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  art of the Kill
  Foe Killer
  You fought and killed your people’s enemies. What 
  sorts of creatures do you define as enemies of your 
  people? Do you target members of a humanoid race, 
  such as goblins? Or do you hunt monstrous threats 
  such as aberrant horrors or undead? How does your 
  long experience fighting these creatures shape your 
  personality? How do you react when you encounter 
  your favored enemy?
   
  Associated Skills: Insight, Perception, or the knowl-
  edge skill that best relates to your enemy
   
  Suggested Language: The language commonly 
  spoken by your enemy.
  Guerrilla
  You fought for an oppressed people, working in the 
  shadows to free them from their oppressors. Were 
  your people conquered? By whom? What sorts of tac-
  you a loner? What sorts of weapons did you use? 
  What brought you out from the wilderness? How do 
  you use your hunting techniques as an adventurer?
   
  Associated Skills: Nature, Perception, Stealth
  Infiltrator
  You infiltrated enemy ranks, working from within to 
  ferret out secrets or disrupt plans. Who did you work 
  for? Did you operate within a noble’s court, for an 
  army, or for a secretive organization? Was it an indi-
  vidual, organization, or nation? What identities did 
  you assume? Were you ever discovered? If so, how did 
  you escape?
   
  Associated Skills: Bluff, Stealth
   
  Suggested Language: Any one other than Abyssal or 
  Supernal.
  tics did you employ? Did you succeed in freeing your 
  people or are they still enslaved?
   
  Associated Skills: Perception, Stealth
  Hired Killer
  You killed people for a living. Were there jobs you 
  wouldn’t take? What led you to this line of work? 
  How did it affect you? What made you change your 
  life? Did you ever kill an innocent? How do you deal 
  with the memories from this time in your life and 
  how do they shape your decisions now? What sorts of 
  techniques did you use? Were you a sniper or did you 
  close on your target?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Stealth
   
  Suggested Language: Secret Language
  Hunter
  You are a skilled hunter. Did you hunt animals or 
  monsters? Did you hunt to support a family or were 
  
  8
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  art of the Kill
  Thief
  You were a thief. Were you a cutpurse, a burglar, 
  a grifter, or something else? Were you driven to 
  thievery by necessity? Were you part of a guild or 
  syndicate, or harassed by one as an independent 
  operator? Are you still a member or still hunted? If so, 
  where is the guild based? If not, why did you leave—or 
  why did the guild let you be? Was the parting ami-
  cable or are there people out there looking to settle a 
  score with you?
   
  Associated Skills: Stealth, Thievery
   
  Suggested Language: Secret Language (see the side-
  bar on page 6)
  Thug
  You were a thug, such as an enforcer, a tough, or a 
  bodyguard. Did you work for anyone? If so, who? 
  What sorts of missions did you undertake? Were you 
  feared in your community? Or did you stand up for 
  those who were too weak to protect themselves? Why 
  did you leave? Did you leave behind any enemies?
   
  Associated Skills: Athletics, Intimidation
   
  Suggested Language: Secret Language (see the side-
  bar on page 6)
  Zealous Slayer
  You had a revelation from the gods, or you think 
  you did, and saw it as your life’s work to destroy the 
  enemies of your faith. Who or what appeared to 
  you? Was it a person or did the idea come to you in a 
  dream? Who do you define as an enemy of your faith? 
  How does your vision fit with other representatives 
  of your faith? Are you a rogue element or an accepted 
  member of a religious organization?
   
  Associated Skills: Endurance, Religion
  KiLLer aLignment
  Under most definitions, a person who kills for money 
  is evil. Should not the practitioners of the slayer’s art 
  be evil? Throughout the game’s long history, assassins 
  have been described as such. In the AD&D® Player’s 
  Handbook and in 2nd Edition’s Scarlet Brotherhood, 
  only evil characters could become assassins. In both 
  versions of 3rd Edition, only evil characters could 
  advance into the assassin prestige class. With such a 
  legacy, it might be tempting to continue as before and 
  restrict the options presented in this article to the 
  rare groups of evil adventurers, but doing so closes the 
  door on interesting and exciting character concepts.
   
  Actual murder for profit can’t be conceived as any-
  thing but evil, though not all who work in the blood 
  trade murder for profit. In fact, the first assassins 
  were militants who specialized in murder as a politi-
  cal tool to defeat figures responsible for persecution 
  or tyranny. Killers chose their targets carefully, relied 
  on blades to ensure a swift and public death, and 
  planned their strikes to avoid unnecessary casualties 
  and protect innocents from harm during the attack. 
  Other similar killers worked for religious purposes, 
  refusing even to spill blood in their work.
   
  From a certain point of view, a killer might save 
  lives, since the murder of a highly placed figure 
  enables political, social, or ideological change with-
  out the necessity of war. A pragmatist might go so far 
  as to say such a murder is a blessing, since the ends 
  justifies the means. Murder is murder, and from the 
  act comes the ethical quandary as to whether a killer, 
  even one who serves a good cause, can be anything 
  but evil.
   
  Within the context of the Dungeons & Dragons 
  game, alignments provide the basic architecture for 
  character morality in the game, or the framework 
  around which a player might construct a character’s 
  ethical views and what a character is willing to do 
  and tolerate. Alignments, though, are not roleplaying 
  Mystic Slayer
  You were a trained killer who focused on eliminating 
  magical or magic-using targets. For whom did you 
  work? How did you train for this occupation? What 
  lessons did you learn from your experiences? How 
  does your past affect your relationship with other 
  player characters who use magic?
   
  Associated Skills: Arcana, Stealth
   
  Suggested Language: Draconic
  Poison Master
  You were a master of poisons. How did you learn 
  this trade? What sorts of enemies did you use poison 
  against? Why are poisons your preferred tools? Did 
  you use these concoctions yourself or did you sell 
  them? If you sold them, what made you stop?
   
  Associated Skills: Nature, Thievery
  Punisher
  You were wronged at a point in the past and you 
  worked for revenge, perhaps turning to a life of pun-
  ishing similar wrongdoers. Who wronged you? Did 
  they harm you directly or hurt someone you loved? 
  Did you achieve the revenge you sought? When you 
  got it, what did you do next? If you’re still working 
  toward revenge, how do you plan to get it?
   
  Associated Skills: Intimidate, Streetwise
  Revolutionary
  You fomented rebellion in your homeland. What sort 
  of government did you fight? What sorts of crimes 
  and injustices did it commit? Were you successful? 
  What happened to the people you helped? Or did you 
  fail? Are the people worse off? What sorts of tactics 
  did you use?
   
  Associated Skills: History, Streetwise
  
  9
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  art of the Kill
  straightjackets. They don’t restrict behavior and don’t 
  dictate action, but rather help define your character’s 
  values.
   
  A good-aligned character values protecting the 
  weak and opposing anyone who would exploit or 
  harm those who cannot protect themselves. Murder 
  might be an acceptable method for combating those 
  forces who would conquer and kill, and it might be 
  a vital tool in fighting tyranny. Certainly, those who 
  slay villains and monsters are often good and are also 
  typical D&D heroes.
   
  The lawful good alignment can also permit slayers, 
  though of a specific kind. These characters embrace 
  order as the ultimate means for combating evil. A 
  slayer who operates in the interest of maintaining 
  order and good by targeting those who would dis-
  mantle justice and subvert or corrupt the good is not 
  at all in odds within the context of what a lawful good 
  character might do.
   
  Unaligned killers also work. Characters who use 
  assassination techniques to attain a greater objective 
  independent of moral concerns might be effective 
  assassins. It is also not a stretch to think assassins are 
  among the Raven Queen’s followers. These killers 
  destroy those who would thwart or avoid death. Such 
  characters can be heroes of a sort, as well, slaying 
  undead who prey on the living and outlive their allot-
  ted time in the world.
   
  Evil and chaotic evil slayers are villains. They kill 
  for money, making no distinction between innocent 
  or guilty and snuffing out the lives of anyone they 
  were hired to kill. Chaotic evil slayers might murder 
  to wreak havoc or to oppose the good by silencing its 
  greatest voices. Such characters might also work to 
  dismantle civilization, striking to topple just govern-
  ments to create unrest, fear, and turmoil.
   
  So even though the techniques a killer uses might 
  be similar, the agendas they serve might be every 
  bit as principled and virtuous as those held by noble 
  paladins and idealist clerics. Where most people have 
  trouble when it comes to the practiced killer is with 
  the tactics such a character uses. Such slayers rarely 
  accept a fight on fair terms. Instead they use every 
  tactic at their disposal to eliminate a foe quickly. 
  Although such tactics do little to endear the assassin 
  to those who prefer direct and “honorable” confronta-
  tion, when results matter more than methods, a slayer 
  can be a welcome addition to even the most virtuous 
  of groups.
  featS
  Although paragon paths in the Player’s Handbook, Play-
  er’s Handbook 2, and Martial Power grant opportunities 
  to become a variety of assassins, through careful feat 
  selection, any character can hone the art of killing. 
  The following feats capture and expand options for 
  such slayers.
  Heroic Tier Feats
  Any feat in the following section is available to a char-
  acter of any level who meets the prerequisites.
  Alchemical Opportunist
   
  Benefit: If you have an alchemical item in hand 
  when an enemy provokes an opportunity attack 
  from you, you can use the alchemical item instead of 
  making a melee basic attack.
  Bloodied Fleetness
   
  Benefit: While bloodied, you gain a +1 bonus to 
  speed.
  Connected
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Streetwise
   
  Benefit: You can roll any Streetwise check twice, 
  taking the highest result.
  Fey Escape
   
  Prerequisite: Eladrin
   
  Benefit: You can use your fey step racial power as 
  an immediate reaction when grabbed, immobilized, 
  or restrained.
  
  10
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  art of the Kill
  Poison Inured
   
  Prerequisite: Con 13
   
  Benefit: You gain a feat bonus equal to your Con-
  stitution modifier to saving throws against poison 
  effects.
  Slow Fall
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Acrobatics
   
  Benefit: When you fall, you reduce the falling 
  damage you take by your Acrobatics check result 
  instead of one-half your check result.
  Paragon Tier Feats
  Any feat in the following section is available to any 
  character of 11th level or higher who meets the 
  prerequisites.
  Eyedark Strike
   
  Prerequisites: 11th level, drow
   
  Benefit: When you deal damage to a target, you 
  can expend your cloud of darkness racial power as a 
  free action to blind the target until the end of your 
  next turn.
  Fey Death
   
  Prerequisites: 11th level, eladrin
   
  Benefit: When you reduce an enemy to 0 hit 
  points, you can use your fey step racial power as an 
  free action.
  Persistent Poison
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level
   
  Benefit: Your targets take a –2 penalty to saving 
  throws made to end your poison effects.
  Prime Punisher
   
  Prerequisites: 11th level, Prime Shot class feature
   
  Benefit: If no other ally is adjacent to an enemy 
  you are adjacent to, for melee attacks against that 
  enemy, you receive any bonuses you gain while using 
  your Prime Shot class feature.
  Unexpected Escape
   
  Prerequisite: 11th level
   
  Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Acrobatics or 
  Athletics checks made to escape a grab and any other 
  effect that allows you to escape. Whenever you suc-
  cessfully escape, you can shift 2 squares.
  true aSSaSSinS
  Those who study the art of murder invariably hear 
  rumors about other killers who some regard as true 
  assassins. No one knows with certainty if these 
  people or creatures exist, so they relegate them to 
  legend and myth. Where the tales agree, they paint 
  these mysterious figures as creatures of the night, 
  having no need for the tricks and tools used by their 
  lesser ilk. Some say they can step through walls, blend 
  into the stuff of shadows, alter their appearance at 
  will, and command the gloaming to do their bidding. 
  If these true assassins exist, they have left behind no 
  witnesses—only questions and chilling fear.
  Feats
  heroic tier Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  alchemical opportunist 
  — 
  use alchemical item with opportunity attack
  Bloodied retreat 
  — 
  +1 speed while bloodied
  Connected 
  trained in streetwise 
  roll streetwise checks twice
  Feywild escape 
  eladrin 
  Fey step when grabbed, immobilized, or restrained
  Poison inured 
  Con 13 
  add Con modifier to saving throws against poison
  slow Fall 
  trained in acrobatics 
  reduce falling damage by acrobatics check result
  Paragon tier Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  eyedark strike 
  11th level, drow 
  expend cloud of darkness to blind damaged enemy
  Fey death 
  11th level, eladrin 
  Kill enemy to teleport 3
  Persistent Poison 
  11th level 
  enemies take –2 saving throws to end your poison effects
  Prime Punisher 
  11th level, Prime shot 
  use Prime shot with melee attacks
  unexpected escape 
  11th level 
  +4 to escape, shift 2 with an escape
  epic tier Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  Critical ambush 
  21st level, rogue 
  deal sneak attack damage with a critical hit
  Poison’s Partner 
  21st level 
  Poison effects grant combat advantage to you
  untraceable 
  21st level, trained in stealth 
  +5 stealth while unseen, immune to scrying rituals
  
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  Epic Tier Feats
  Any feat in the following section is available to any 
  character of 21st level or higher who meets the 
  prerequisites.
  Critical Ambush
   
  Prerequisites: 21st level, rogue, Sneak Attack 
  class feature
   
  Benefit: If you score a critical hit with a weapon 
  that you can Sneak Attack with, you can apply your 
  Sneak Attack damage if you have it available.
  Poison’s Partner
   
  Prerequisite: 21st level
   
  Benefit: An enemy suffering from a poison effect 
  grants combat advantage to you.
  Untraceable
   
  Prerequisites: 21st level, trained in Stealth
   
  Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus to Stealth checks 
  against creatures that cannot see you, such as while 
  you are invisible or in a totally obscured space, or the 
  creature is blind. You don’t receive this bonus against 
  creatures that do not rely on sight to detect enemies. 
  Additionally, Scrying rituals cannot detect you unless 
  you want them to.
  guiLd featS
  Members of business organizations form close bonds 
  that make them work better as a team. It’s no different 
  for those who practice darker forms of business, such 
  as thievery or assassination. Guild feats represent the 
  sort of training that makes a unit of guild members 
  work together with solid and deadly efficiency. These 
  feats are designed to promote teamwork by granting a 
  basic benefit that improves while other allies with the 
  same feat are nearby.
   
  However, just using these feats as expanding 
  bonuses misses the roleplaying opportunity they pres-
  ent. An adventuring party that takes these feats might 
  be part of an organization they have created, or part 
  of a larger guild. They might carry symbols in some 
  form, which identify them as guild members. A secret 
  language might be theirs for communicating simple 
  information on and off the battlefield. When you take 
  these feats, look beyond their mechanical benefits 
  and build your party into a cohesive group.
  Furtive Signals [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Bluff checks. 
  You can communicate simple information silently 
  with any ally who has this feat and has line of sight 
  to your position. You can use Bluff to gain combat 
  advantage or create a diversion to hide for one ally 
  who has this feat and is within 5 squares of you, 
  instead of for yourself. Your allies who have this feat 
  can do the same for you.
  Grasping Magpies [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Thievery 
  checks. Whenever an ally with this feat successfully 
  aids you on your Thievery check, you gain a +4 bonus 
  instead of the normal +2 bonus.
  guild Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  Furtive signals 
  — 
  +2 Bluff, share Bluff results, communicate silently
  grasping Magpie 
  — 
  +2 thievery, +4 with ally’s aid
  roof runners 
  — 
  +1 acrobatics, +4 with ally’s aid, improved check time
  silent shadows 
  — 
  +2 stealth, reroll stealth checks with bonus from allies
  street eyes 
  — 
  +2 streetwise, +4 with ally’s aid, improved check time
  wall Crawlers 
  — 
  +2 athletics, +4 with ally’s aid, improved check time
  
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  Roof Runners [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Acrobatics 
  checks. Whenever an ally with this feat successfully 
  aids you on your Acrobatics check, you gain a +4 
  bonus instead of the normal +2 bonus. An ally with 
  this feat can aid you by taking the same type of action 
  you are taking to use Acrobatics.
  Silent Shadows [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Stealth 
  checks. Whenever you roll a result you dislike on a 
  Stealth check and you are within 5 squares of an ally 
  that also has this feat, you can reroll the Stealth check 
  with a +1 bonus for each such ally, to a maximum of 
  +5. You can then use the best result.
  Street Eyes [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Streetwise 
  checks. Whenever an ally with this feat successfully 
  aids you on your Streetwise check, you gain a +4 
  bonus instead of the normal +2 bonus. An ally can 
  instead aid you to reduce the time it takes you to find 
  information by half.
  Wall Crawlers [Guild]
   
  Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to Athletics 
  checks. Whenever an ally with this feat successfully 
  aids you on your Athletics check, you gain a +4 bonus 
  instead of the normal +2 bonus. An ally with this feat 
  can aid you by taking the same type of action you are 
  taking to use Athletics.
  muLticLaSS featS
  For further emphasis on the art of death, you might 
  invest multiclass feats into intensive fighting styles. 
  Although not a true class, these feats provide you with 
  advanced tactics and capabilities, so they act as mul-
  ticlass feats, and they expand your capabilities with 
  power swap feats that require the initial multiclass 
  feat. Each initial multiclass feat—such as Bravo or 
  Blowgun Training—is considered a class-specific feat, 
  with the named fighting style or weapon acting as the 
  specific class. As with other class-specific multiclass 
  feats, once you take one, you can’t take one for a dif-
  ferent class (or weapon, or style) unless another rule 
  allows you to do so.
  Blowgun Training 
  [Multiclass Blowgun]
   
  Prerequisites: Dex 13
   
  Benefit: You gain proficiency with the blow-
  gun. You can reload a blowgun as a free action, you 
  increase a blowgun’s range to 10/20, and you treat a 
  blowgun as a high critical weapon. If you are a rogue, 
  you can use the blowgun with the Sneak Attack class 
  feature and any rogue ranged attack power that can 
  be used with a crossbow or sling.
  Blowgun Novice
   
  Prerequisites: 4th level, Blowgun Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher 
  encounter attack power you know for the stinging shot 
  attack power.
  stinging shot 
  Feat Power
  The needle lodges in a sensitive area, jolting your prey with 
  pain.
  encounter ✦ weapon
  standard action ranged weapon
  requirement: You must be wielding a blowgun.
  target: One creature
  attack: Dexterity vs. reflex
  hit: 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and the target 
  is dazed until the end of your next turn.
   11th Level: Increase the damage to 3[W].
   21st Level: Increase the damage to 4[W].
  special: If you miss with this attack and you are hidden 
  from your target, you remain hidden.
  Blowgun Expert
   
  Prerequisites: 8th level, Blowgun Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 6th-level or higher util-
  ity power you know for the uncanny aim utility power.
  Weapon maStery featS
  a slayer eschews larger weapons for smaller, con-
  cealable ones that allow a warrior to strike when 
  and where least expected. Weapon mastery feats 
  are multiclass feats based around a single weapon. 
  They reflect a higher degree of training and expertise, 
  allowing trained killers to maximize the benefit of a 
  preferred weapon. Weapon mastery feats require 
  focused training, so they act as multiclass feats as 
  described under Multiclass Feats here.
  previouS Weapon maStery featS
  Weapon Mastery feats have appeared before in “We 
  Who are about to Die . . .” (Dragon 368, page 56) 
  and “Playing Shadar-Kai” (Dragon 372, page 5). Those 
  articles rightly described the initial training feats for 
  weapon mastery as multiclass feats. They failed to 
  make clear that those multiclass feats—Bola Train-
  ing, Net Training, Spiked chain Training, and Whip 
  Training—are class-specific multiclass feats.
  
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  uncanny aim 
  Feat Power
  You breathe precisely, taking in your target and carefully 
  lining up the needle’s trajectory.
  encounter
  Minor action 
  Personal
  requirement: You must be wielding a blowgun.
  effect: Your next attack made with a blowgun and 
  before the end of your next turn gains a +2 bonus to 
  the attack roll and deals +1[W] damage.
  Blowgun Specialist
   
  Prerequisites: 10th level, Blowgun Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 9th-level or higher 
  daily attack power you know for the crippling needle 
  attack power.
  Crippling needle 
  Feat Power
  Your needle lodges in a key pressure point, causing your target 
  to stiffen and momentarily fail to act.
  daily ✦ weapon
  standard action ranged weapon
  requirement: You must be wielding a blowgun.
  target: One creature
  attack: Dexterity vs. ac
  hit: 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, and the target 
  is stunned until the end of your next turn. Aftereffect: 
  The target is dazed (save ends).
   at 15th level, increase to 3[W] damage.
   at 25th level, increase to 5[W] damage.
  Miss: half damage, and the target is dazed (save ends).
  Bravo [Multiclass Bravo]
  You are a grim and relentless killer—a bloodthirsty 
  combatant who pursues your enemies to the bitter end.
   
  Benefit: You gain training in the Intimidate skill.
   
  Once per encounter, as a minor action, you can 
  designate one creature you can see as your prey, gain-
  ing +2 to attack rolls and damage rolls against that 
  creature until the end of your next turn. The creature 
  remains your prey until it drops to 0 hit points, until 
  you end the effect as a free action, or until the end of 
  the encounter—whichever comes first.
  Bravo Novice
   
  Prerequisites: 4th level, Bravo
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher 
  encounter attack power you know for the death’s mes-
  senger attack power.
  death’s Messenger 
  Feat Power
  You prey has an appointment with death, and your strike 
  lets it know that fact.
  encounter ✦ rattling
  standard action
  special: In addition to the keyword above, this power is 
  considered to have the same keywords and range as 
  the at-will power you use with it.
  target: One creature that is your prey
  effect: Use a melee or ranged at-will attack power on 
  the target. If you hit, you deal +1[W] damage, or +1 
  die of damage if it is a nonweapon attack.
   11th Level: The at-will power you use deals +2[W] 
  damage, or +2 dice of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack.
  Multiclass Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  Blowgun training 
  dex 13, any martial class 
  improved proficiency with a blowgun
  Blowgun novice 
  4th level, Blowgun training 
  swap encounter attack power for stinging shot
  Blowgun expert 
  8th level, Blowgun training 
  swap utility power for uncanny aim
  Blowgun specialist 
  10th level, Blowgun training 
  swap daily attack power for crippling needle
  Bravo 
  — 
  training in intimidate, 1/encounter, designate a creature  
   
   
  as prey
  Bravo novice 
  4th level, Bravo 
  swap encounter attack power for death’s messenger
  Bravo expert 
  8th level, Bravo 
  swap utility power for brutal instinct
  Bravo specialist 
  10th level, Bravo 
  swap daily attack power for bravo’s finish
  Cutthroat 
  trained in Bluff 
  training in stealth, create a diversion to hide as a minor  
   
   
  action
  Cutthroat novice 
  4th level, Cutthroat 
  swap encounter power for sudden retaliation
  Cutthroat expert 
  8th level, Cutthroat 
  swap utility power for cutthroat’s scrutiny
  Cutthroat specialist 
  10th level, Cutthroat 
  swap daily attack power for quick kill
  garrote training 
  str 13, dex 13 
  improved proficiency with a garrote
  garrote novice 
  4th level, garrote training 
  swap encounter attack power for choking grab
  garrote expert 
  8th level, garrote training 
  swap utility power for body shield
  garrote specialist 
  10th level, garrote training 
  swap daily attack power for strangler’s hold
  Poisoner 
  trained in dungeoneering or nature 
  training in thievery, ignore some resist poison and  
   
   
  immune poison
  Poisoner novice 
  4th level, Poisoner 
  swap encounter attack power for improvised poison
  Poisoner expert 
  8th level, Poison training 
  swap utility power for potent poison
  Poisoner specialist 
  10th level, Poisoner 
  swap daily attack power for progressive toxin
  
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  Bravo Expert
   
  Prerequisites: 8th level, Bravo
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 6th-level or higher util-
  ity power you know for the brutal instinct utility power.
  Brutal instinct 
  Feat Power
  With your defiant snarl, the advantage your foes had 
  gained evaporates, giving you an opening.
  encounter
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: You are flanked, or your prey gains combat 
  advantage against you
  effect: You do not grant combat advantage to those 
  who triggered this power until the end of your next 
  turn. If your prey is among those who triggered this 
  power, you gain combat advantage against your prey 
  until the end of your next turn.
  Bravo Specialist
   
  Prerequisites: 10th level, Bravo
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 9th-level or higher daily 
  attack power you know for the bravo’s finish power.
  Bravo’s Finish 
  Feat Power
  If your vicious assault doesn’t bring your prey down, it 
  surely shows your prey what the near future holds.
  daily ✦ reliable
  standard action
  special: In addition to the keyword above, this power is 
  considered to have the same keywords and range as 
  the at-will power you use with it.
  target: One creature that is your prey
  effect: Use an at-will attack power on the target. If you 
  hit, you deal +2[W] damage, or +2 dice of damage if 
  it is a nonweapon attack, and the target is dazed (save 
  ends).
   15th Level: The at-will power you use deals +3[W] 
  damage, or +3 dice of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack, and the target is dazed (save ends).
   25th Level: The at-will power you use deals +3[W] 
  damage, or +3 dice of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack, and the target is stunned until the end of your 
  next turn. Aftereffect: The target is dazed (save ends).
  Cutthroat  
  [Multiclass Cutthroat]
  You are a cautious slayer who studies foes and then 
  maneuvers to bring them down.
   
  Prerequisite: Trained in Bluff
   
  Benefit: You gain training in the Stealth skill.
   
  Whenever you make a Bluff check to create a 
  diversion to hide, you can do so as a minor action.
  Cutthroat Novice
   
  Prerequisites: 4th level, Cutthroat
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher 
  encounter attack power you know for the sudden retali-
  ation attack power.
  sudden retaliation 
  Feat Power
  Faster than the eye can follow, you retaliate against those 
  attacking you or your allies.
  encounter ✦ rattling
  immediate interrupt
  special: In addition to the keywords above, this power 
  is considered to have the same keywords and range 
  as the at-will power you use with it.
  trigger: You or an ally is attacked by a creature
  target: The attacking creature
  effect: Use a melee or ranged at-will attack power on 
  the target.
   11th Level: The at-will power you use deals +1[W] 
  damage, or +1 die of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack.
  Cutthroat Expert
   
  Prerequisites: 8th level, Cutthroat
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 6th-level or higher util-
  ity power you know for the cutthroat’s scrutiny utility 
  power.
  Cutthroat’s scrutiny 
  Feat Power
  Studying your opponent, you search for a weakness you 
  can take advantage of.
  encounter
  Minor action 
  ranged sight
  target: One creature you can see
  effect: The target grants combat advantage to you until 
  the end of your next turn. During this time, you score 
  a critical hit against the target on a natural roll of 19 
  or 20.
  Cutthroat Specialist
   
  Prerequisites: 10th level, Cutthroat
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 9th-level or higher 
  daily attack power you know for the quick kill attack 
  power.
  Quick Kill 
  Feat Power
  You slip from the shadows unseen, striking before the en-
  emy knows what happened.
  daily ✦ reliable
  standard action
  special: In addition to the keyword above, this power is 
  considered to have the same keywords and range as 
  the at-will power you use with it.
  target: One creature that cannot sense your current 
  location
  effect: Use a melee or ranged at-will attack power on 
  the target. If you hit, you deal +2[W] damage, or +2 
  dice of damage if it is a nonweapon attack.
   15th Level: The at-will power you use deals +3[W] 
  damage, or +3 dice of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack.
   25th Level: The at-will power you use deals +5[W] 
  damage, or +5 dice of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack.
  
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  Garrote Training 
  [Multiclass Garrote]
   
  Prerequisites: Str 13, Dex 13
   
  Benefit: You gain proficiency with the garrote. 
  When you use a garrote to successfully grab a target, 
  the target takes a –2 penalty to escape the grab. Each 
  turn you successfully maintain a grab with a garrote 
  used with two hands, you have combat advantage 
  against the target you’re grabbing for the purpose of 
  attacking again with the garrote.
   
  If you are a rogue, you can use the garrote with 
  the Sneak Attack class feature and any rogue melee 
  attack power that can be used with a light blade.
  Garrote Novice
   
  Prerequisites: 4th level, Garrote Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher 
  encounter attack power you know for the choking grab 
  attack power.
  Choking grab 
  Feat Power
  You slip your garrote over your enemy’s neck, and draw the 
  cord tight.
  encounter ✦ weapon
  standard action Melee weapon
  requirement: You must be wielding a garrote.
  target: One creature you have combat advantage 
  against
  attack: Strength vs. reflex or Dexterity vs. reflex
  hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target is 
  dazed until the end of your next turn and grabbed.
   11th Level: Increase the damage to 3[W].
   21st Level: Increase the damage to 4[W].
  special: When you choose this power, choose whether 
  you use Strength or Dexterity to make the attack.
  Garrote Expert
   
  Prerequisites: 8th level, Garrote Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 6th-level or higher util-
  ity power you know for the body shield utility power.
  Body shield 
  Feat Power
  Your choking hold with the garrote allows you to manipu-
  late your adversary into harm’s way.
  encounter ✦ weapon
  immediate interrupt 
  Personal
  requirement: You must be wielding a garrote.
  trigger: You are grabbing a creature, and you are the 
  target of a melee or ranged attack made by an enemy 
  other than the creature you are grabbing.
  effect: The creature you are grabbing becomes the at-
  tack’s target.
  Garrote Specialist
   
  Prerequisites: 10th level, Garrote Training
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 9th-level or higher 
  daily attack power you know for the strangler’s hold 
  attack power.
  strangler’s hold 
  Feat Power
  With expert skill, you loop the garrote around your victim 
  and draw tight, closing off air and sending your enemy 
  into unconsciousness.
  daily ✦ reliable, weapon
  standard action Melee weapon
  requirement: You must be wielding a garrote.
  target: One creature you have combat advantage 
  against
  attack: Strength vs. reflex or Dexterity vs. reflex
  hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and the target 
  is dazed (save ends) and grabbed. Each turn you suc-
  cessfully maintain the grab with two hands, you deal 
  the target damage equal to your Strength modifier.
   15th Level: Increase the damage to 3[W].
   25th Level: Increase the damage to 4[W].
   First Failed saving throw: The target is stunned 
  instead of dazed (save ends).
   second Failed saving throw: The target is 
  unconscious instead of stunned (save ends).
  special: When you choose this power, choose whether 
  you use Strength or Dexterity to make the attack.
  Poisoner  
  [Multiclass Poisoner]
   
  Prerequisite: Training in Dungeoneering or 
  Nature
   
  Benefit: You gain training in the Thievery skill.
   
  Your attacks that have a poison effect ignore the 
  first 5 points of poison resistance. This increases to 
  10 points at 11th level, and again to 15 points at 21st 
  level. You treat a creature that is immune to poison as 
  if it had resist poison 20.
  aLchemy and the poiSoner
  a master poisoner, such as the one presented here, 
  should be skilled at making poisons to achieve full 
  mastery over poisons. Nature and Dungeoneering 
  might allow a character to harvest poisons, and even 
  prepare some of them. That’s why one of these skills 
  is required of the would-be poisoner. as DM, how-
  ever, you are within your rights to require a Pc who 
  takes the Poisoner feat to also have the alchemist 
  feat (Adventurer’s Vault™ page 21). This can work to 
  make the “poisoner” character theme even more 
  prominent for the character, since he or she could 
  make some poisons that others can use.
   
  Taking this thinking a step further, you can con-
  trol poisons a little more tightly in your game. To do 
  so, make prepared poisons hard to purchase. Then 
  require the poisoner to find and use alchemical for-
  mulas to create poisons like those in the Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide® (page 51). This way, you can more 
  easily decide what poisons the Pcs have access to.
  
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  Poisoner Novice
   
  Prerequisites: 4th level, Poisoner
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 3rd-level or higher 
  encounter attack power you know for the improvised 
  poison attack power.
  improvised Poison 
  Feat Power
  In your experience with toxins, you always have a little 
  something on hand to make your attack venomous.
  encounter ✦ Poison
  standard action
  special: In addition to the keyword above, this power is 
  considered to have the same keywords and range as 
  the at-will power you use with it.
  target: One creature
  effect: Use a melee or ranged at-will attack power. If 
  you deal typed damage, you can change that damage 
  type to poison. If you hit, you also deal ongoing 5 poi-
  son damage (save ends).
   11th Level: If you hit, you also deal ongoing 10 poison 
  damage (save ends).
  Poisoner Expert
   
  Prerequisites: 8th level, Poisoner
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 6th-level or higher util-
  ity power you know for the potent poison utility power.
  Potent Poison 
  Feat Power
  Your poisons have an insidious effectiveness.
  encounter
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: You miss with an attack that has the poison 
  keyword or a poison effect.
  effect: reroll the attack roll.
  Poisoner Specialist
   
  Prerequisites: 10th level, Poisoner
   
  Benefit: You can swap one 9th-level or higher 
  daily attack power you know for the progressive toxin 
  attack power.
  Progressive toxin 
  Feat Power
  You imbue your attack with a withering poison that dimin-
  ishes your foe more the longer the poison acts.
  daily ✦ Poison
  standard action
  special: In addition to the keyword above, this power is 
  considered to have the same keywords and range as 
  the at-will power you use with it.
  target: One creature
  effect: Use a melee or ranged at-will attack power on 
  the target. If you deal typed damage, you can change 
  that damage type to poison. If you hit, the target 
  takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls and ongoing 10 poi-
  son damage (save ends both).
   First Failed saving throw: The target is blinded 
  instead of taking the –2 penalty (save ends).
   second Failed saving throw: The target is blinded 
  and weakened instead of taking the –2 penalty (save 
  ends both).
   15th Level: Ongoing 15 poison damage (save ends).
   25th Level: The at-will power you use deals +1[W] 
  damage, or +1 die of damage if it is a nonweapon 
  attack, and ongoing 15 poison damage (save ends).
  Miss: half damage, and the target takes a –2 penalty to 
  attack rolls and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends 
  both).
  Technique Feats
  Technique feats offer further ways to master the slay-
  er’s art by granting enhancements to skill checks and 
  at-will exploits for martial characters.
  Black Arrow Style
   
  Prerequisites: Any martial class, trained in 
  Stealth
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Deft Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): If 
  you move into an obscured space or gain cover before 
  making a ranged attack with this exploit, you can 
  make a Stealth check against your target’s passive 
  Perception as a free action to gain combat advantage 
  against your target until the start of your next turn.
   
  Twin Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  While you are hidden, you can use this exploit to 
  make a ranged attack, and if you miss with the first 
  ranged attack, you can choose to cancel the second 
  attack to remain hidden from your target. You can 
  also remain hidden if you are hidden but miss with 
  both ranged attacks this exploit allows.
  Bloodhound Style
   
  Prerequisite: Any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Careful Attack (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  If you hit with the melee version of this exploit against 
  a creature granting combat advantage to you, the 
  target is also slowed until the end of your next turn.
   
  Disheartening Strike (rogue, Martial Power page 73): 
  If you hit with the melee version of this exploit against 
  a creature granting combat advantage to you, you can 
  also slide the target 1 square.
   
  Predator’s Strike (ranger, Martial Power page 43): If 
  you have combat advantage against your target when 
  you use this exploit, your beast companion can shift 1 
  square before the attack.
   
  Tide of Iron (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): If 
  you hit with this exploit, you can slow the target until 
  the end of your next turn instead of pushing it.
  
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  Corellon’s Wrath Style
   
  Prerequisites: Int 13, any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Commander’s Strike (warlord, Player’s Handbook 
  page 145): If the target of this exploit is a demon, 
  drow, orc, or spider, your ally can add half your Intel-
  ligence modifier (round up) to the attack roll.
   
  Crushing Surge (fighter, Martial Power page 7): If you 
  hit a demon, drow, orc, or spider with this exploit, you 
  gain a number of extra temporary hit points equal to 
  your Intelligence modifier.
   
  Riposte Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): If 
  you hit a demon, drow, orc, or spider with this exploit, 
  you can add your Intelligence modifier to the attack 
  roll and damage roll of your riposte.
   
  Twin Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): If 
  you hit a demon, drow, orc, or spider with this exploit, 
  you deal extra damage equal to your Intelligence 
  modifier.
  Cruel Cut Style
   
  Prerequisites: Wis 13, any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Cleave (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): If no 
  other enemies are adjacent to the target when you hit 
  the target with this exploit, the target takes ongoing 
  damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (save ends).
   
  Furious Smash (warlord, Player’s Handbook page 
  145): If your ally hits with the attack this exploit mod-
  ifies, the target takes ongoing damage equal to your 
  Wisdom modifier (save ends).
   
  Predator’s Strike (ranger, Martial Power page 43): If 
  your beast companion hits with this exploit against 
  a creature granting combat advantage to it, instead 
  of adding your Wisdom modifier to the damage roll, 
  you can have the target take ongoing damage equal to 
  your Wisdom modifier (save ends).
   
  Riposte Strike (rogue, Martial Power page 118): If you 
  hit with the riposte this exploit grants, the target takes 
  ongoing damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (save 
  ends).
  Executioner’s Style
   
  Prerequisites: Con 13, any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Careful Attack (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  If your target is immobilized, restrained, stunned, or 
  unconscious when you hit with this exploit, you deal 
  extra damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
   
  Commander’s Strike (warlord, Player’s Handbook 
  page 145): If your target is immobilized, restrained, 
  stunned, or unconscious, your ally can add your Con-
  stitution modifier to the attack roll.
   
  Piercing Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): 
  If your target is immobilized, restrained, stunned, or 
  unconscious when you hit with this exploit, you deal 
  extra damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
   
  Reaping Strike (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): 
  If your target is immobilized, restrained, stunned, or 
  unconscious, and you miss, you deal extra damage 
  equal to your Constitution modifier.
  Ghostwalker Style
   
  Prerequisites: Any martial class, trained in 
  Stealth
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Deft Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): 
  If you didn’t move before the attack, you can shift 1 
  square as a free action after the attack.
   
  Nimble Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  While using this exploit, you can move 2 squares 
  before or after the attack, instead of shifting 1 square.
  technique Feats 
  Prerequisites 
  Benefit
  Black arrow style 
  any martial class, trained stealth 
  augments at-will exploits
  Bloodhound style 
  any martial class 
  augment at-will powers
  Corellon’s wrath style 
  int 13, any martial class 
  augment at-will powers
  Cruel Cut style 
  wis 13, any martial class 
  augments at-will exploits
  executioner’s style 
  Con 13, any martial class 
  augments at-will exploits
  ghostwalker style 
  any martial class, trained in stealth 
  augment at-will powers
  harlequin style 
  Cha 13, any martial class 
  augment at-will exploits
  hunting wolf style 
  any martial class 
  augments at-will exploits
  impending doom style 
  any martial class, trained in intimidate 
  augments at-will exploits
  lolthdark style 
  drow, any martial class 
  augment at-will powers
  Precision ambush style 
  any martial class 
  augments at-will exploits
  serpent Fang style 
  any martial class, trained in thievery 
  augments at-will exploits
  vigilante Justice style 
  any martial class 
  augments at-will exploits
  
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  Harlequin Style
   
  Prerequisites: Cha 13, any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Brash Assault (warlord, Martial Power page 103): 
  Against the target of this exploit, you gain a bonus to 
  defenses equal to your Charisma modifier until the 
  start of your next turn.
   
  Brash Strike (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): 
  Against the target of this exploit, you gain a bonus to 
  defenses equal to your Charisma modifier until the 
  start of your next turn.
   
  Deft Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): You 
  can move 3 squares before this attack, instead of 2. 
  Add your Charisma modifier to your defenses against 
  opportunity attacks provoked by this movement.
   
  Hit and Run (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): If 
  you move after the using this exploit, add your Cha-
  risma modifier to your defenses against opportunity 
  attacks made against you during that movement.
  Hunting Wolf Style
   
  Prerequisite: Any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Crushing Surge (fighter, Martial Power page 7): 
  While charging, you can use this exploit in place of a 
  melee basic attack.
   
  Deft Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): If 
  you chose not to move before the attack while using 
  this exploit, you can move after the attack.
   
  Hit and Run (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  If you move on the same turn after using this exploit, 
  you do not provoke opportunity attacks from any 
  enemy when you leave the first square adjacent to the 
  target.
   
  Wolf Pack Tactics (warlord, Player’s Handbook page 
  145): The ally you allow to shift can be within 2 
  squares of you, instead of adjacent to you or the target.
  “My master congratulates you on your success,” said 
  the valet. he pushed a black purse across the table.
   
  rook left it on the table. The valet’s eyes flicked to 
  rook’s violet eyes, then darted to the table.
   
  “Something is wrong,” said rook.
   
  “Well, ah, yes. My master is pleased with your suc-
  cesses and has enjoyed the business arrangement, 
  but, with some regret, he is no longer in need of your 
  services.” The valet cleared his throat. “apologies.”
   
  rook leaned back in his chair. he didn’t need the 
  work, but it paid well. “I see,” he said.
   
  “Truly, my master has benefited from your unique 
  talents, and it is with great reluctance that he must 
  cease his dealings with you.”
   
  “Is he found out? have we been compromised?” 
  rook asked.
   
  “No, no one knows about us . . . you.”
   
  “Then what is it?” rook leaned forward, his finger 
  tracing the trigger on his hand crossbow underneath 
  the table.
   
  “You must have heard,” said the valet. In response 
  to rook’s blank stare, he added, “The baron’s 
  murder?
   
  rook showed nothing. he knew that, while he and 
  his allies were out of the area, someone had killed the 
  baron. That he knew, and little else.
   
  “Yes, well, you see, the baron’s people captured 
  the hooded Man.”
   
  The hooded Man was, in this trade, perhaps rook’s 
  better. But he was expensive and hard to find.
   
  “They found him at the Salty Mug. Word has it 
  they were ready for a fight, but the hooded Man 
  went without complaint. he even let them shackle 
  him. They took him to the baron’s dungeons where 
  he was to await trial.
   
  “The next morning, servants found the baron 
  dead in his room. his neck had been crushed. The 
  guards scoured the palace, and when they reached 
  the dungeons, they found the hooded Man missing. 
  his cell door was closed and locked, and all his gear, 
  his weapons, armor, and tools, were untouched in the 
  vault where the guards had left them. The only wit-
  ness was the baron’s mistress. She spoke nonsense, 
  saying the darkness came to life, coiled around the 
  baron, and squeezed him to death.”
   
  rook still said nothing.
   
  “The hooded Man was responsible. he had to be. 
  he planned everything all along. My master decided 
  the hooded Man would be his agent in further 
  endeavors. You are good, sir, but not as good as the 
  hooded Man. No one needs two assassins, so . . . well, 
  you understand.”
   
  “I do. Does this mean your master has found the 
  hooded Man?” rook asked.
   
  “I’m not at liberty to say . . .”
   
  “That is a shame. Farewell, friend,” said rook. he 
  pulled the trigger, sending the bolt into the valet’s 
  abdomen. as rook headed for the tavern’s front door, 
  he scooped up the purse and left the gasping man in 
  a spreading pool of blood.
   
  a moment later, the shadows parted near the 
  table. From them stepped another figure, features 
  hidden by a black hood. Without even a glance at the 
  dying valet, the hooded Man followed rook, setting 
  out to claim his next commission.
  rivaLS
  
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  Impending Doom Style
   
  Prerequisites: Any martial class, trained in 
  Intimidate
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Brash Assault (warlord, Player’s Handbook page 145): 
  If your ally gains a basic attack due to this exploit and 
  hits the target, the target takes a –2 penalty to attack 
  rolls until the end of your next turn.
   
  Cleave (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): You 
  mark any target you damage with this exploit.
   
  Riposte Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): If 
  you hit with the riposte this exploit grants, the target 
  takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your 
  next turn.
   
  Twin Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  If you hit with both attacks this exploit grants, one 
  target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of 
  your next turn.
  Lolthdark Style
   
  Prerequisites: Drow, any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Cleave (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): If you 
  hit a target within your cloud of darkness racial power 
  with this exploit, all other enemies within the area of 
  the cloud of darkness also take damage equal to your 
  Strength modifier.
   
  Disheartening Strike (rogue, Martial Power page 73): 
  If you hit a target within your cloud of darkness racial 
  power with this exploit, all other enemies within the 
  area of the cloud of darkness also suffer the effect of the 
  rattling keyword.
   
  Twin Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): If 
  you are within the area of your cloud of darkness racial 
  power, and you move after using this exploit, the cloud 
  of darkness moves with you.
   
  Wolf Pack Tactics (warlord, Player’s Handbook page 
  145): If you use this exploit while you and the target 
  are within the area of your cloud of darkness racial 
  power, the ally you designate is immune to the effect 
  of your cloud of darkness for its duration.
  Precision Ambush Style
   
  Prerequisite: Any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Disheartening Strike (rogue, Martial Power page 73): 
  If you hit with this exploit during a surprise round, 
  the target grants combat advantage to you until the 
  end of your next turn.
   
  Footwork Lure (fighter, Martial Power page 7): While 
  you charge during the surprise round, you can use 
  this exploit in place of a melee basic attack.
   
  Opening Shove (warlord, Martial Power page 103): 
  While you charge during a surprise round, you can 
  use this exploit in place of a melee basic attack.
   
  Twin Strike (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): If 
  you hit with this exploit during a surprise round, you 
  deal extra damage equal to your Strength modifier 
  if you are making melee attacks, or your Dexterity 
  modifier if you are making ranged attacks.
  Serpent Fang Style
   
  Prerequisites: Any martial class, trained in 
  Thievery
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Careful Attack (ranger, Player’s Handbook page 105): 
  If you hit with this exploit, you also gain a +2 bonus to 
  the attack roll for any secondary poison attack.
   
  Deft Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): 
  Rather than moving 2 squares before the attack, you 
  can apply a poison you possess to the weapon as a free 
  action.
   
  Sure Strike (fighter, Player’s Handbook page 77): If 
  you hit with this exploit, you also gain a +2 bonus to 
  the attack roll for any secondary poison attack.
   
  Viper’s Strike (warlord, Player’s Handbook page 145): 
  If the target of your attack suffers from a poison effect 
  and it shifts before the start of your next turn, the 
  target also grants combat advantage to you and your 
  allies until the start of your next turn.
  
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  Vigilante Justice Style
   
  Prerequisite: Any martial class
   
  Benefit: You gain a benefit with any of the follow-
  ing powers you possess.
   
  Brash Strike (fighter, Martial Power page 7): If an 
  adjacent enemy marked by you makes an attack 
  that doesn’t include you as a target, you can use this 
  exploit in place of the melee basic attack that Combat 
  Challenge allows.
   
  Circling Strike (ranger, Martial Power page 43): If an 
  enemy hits you or your beast companion during that 
  enemy’s turn, you deal extra damage equal to your 
  Wisdom modifier if you hit with this exploit during 
  your next turn.
   
  Commander’s Strike (warlord, Player’s Handbook 
  page 145): If, on its last turn, the target hit the ally 
  you choose to benefit from this exploit, that ally has 
  combat advantage against that target for the melee 
  basic attack this exploit allows.
   
  Riposte Strike (rogue, Player’s Handbook page 118): If 
  you hit with this exploit, you can riposte if the target 
  attacks you or any ally adjacent to you before the start 
  of your next turn.
  paragon pathS
  Blightbeast
  “You must die so that others might live.”
   
  Prerequisite: Druid class
  Death and decay are as much part of nature as is 
  birth and life. For the new to awaken in the world, the 
  old must pass away. Although many druids champion 
  life and a healthy wild, a few darkened souls embrace 
  nature’s darker side, immersing themselves in the 
  grim necessity that plays just as an important part in 
  the natural cycle as does birth. Like other druids, they 
  fiercely protect the spirits and the wild from harm, 
  but they use nature’s darkest elements as weapons 
  against their enemies.
   
  In becoming a blightbeast, you identify with these 
  sinister elements and come to embody death. The 
  power you use might manifest in your humanoid 
  appearance. Or you might hide your kinship to death 
  until you assume your beast form, at which point your 
  true nature is revealed.
   
  You might be a coldhearted killer. Instead, you 
  could use your newfound power to make room for 
  new life. You can use your evocations to destroy those 
  who threaten nature’s splendor, or commit yourself 
  to wiping out the enemies of the natural order. Your 
  powers are as useful against unnatural and natural 
  creatures alike.
  Blightbeast Path Features
   
  Blight action (11th level): Whenever you spend 
  an action point to make an attack, all enemies adja-
  cent to you must move 1 square away from you or 
  take ongoing necrotic damage equal to your Constitu-
  tion modifier (save ends).
   
  Blighted Wild Shape (11th level): Whenever 
  you use your wild shape class feature, the animal 
  form you assume has a deathlike aspect—perhaps 
  even appearing undead. While in your beast form, 
  you gain resist 5 necrotic, and your attack evocations 
  that have the beast form keyword deal extra necrotic 
  damage equal to your Constitution modifier. At 21st 
  level, you gain resist 10 necrotic while in your beast 
  form.
   
  Blightborn (16th level): While in beast form, you 
  ignore any resist necrotic your target has. When you 
  hit with a beast form attack evocation, a creature that 
  doesn’t normally have resist necrotic damage gains 
  vulnerable 5 necrotic until the end of your next turn.
  Blightbeast Evocations
  Blighted agony 
  Blightbeast attack 11
  Rot spreads its black tendrils from the wound you deliv-
  ered, doubling your adversary over with pain.
  encounter ✦ Beast Form, implement, necrotic, 
  Primal
  standard action Melee touch
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude
  hit: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, you slide 
  the target 1 square, and the target is dazed until the 
  end of your next turn.
  Maggot Form 
  Blightbeast Utility 12
  You become a mass of maggots, spilling across the ground 
  to reconstitute your form in a place nearby.
  encounter ✦ Beast Form, Primal
  Move action 
  Personal
  effect: Move a number of squares equal to your speed + 
  your constitution modifier. With this movement, you 
  can move through enemy spaces, you ignore difficult 
  terrain, and without squeezing, you can move through 
  spaces a single maggot could move through. You take 
  half damage from any melee attack that hits you dur-
  ing this movement.
  Blight locus 
  Blightbeast attack 20
  corruption spills from the wounds you tear into your 
  foe, staggering it so it can blight its allies.
  daily ✦ Beast Form, implement, necrotic, Primal
  standard action Melee touch
  target: One creature
  attack: Wisdom vs. ac
  hit: 3d8 + Wisdom modifier necrotic damage, ongoing 
  10 necrotic damage (save ends), and you slide the 
  target 2 squares.
  Miss: half damage, and the target slides 1 square.
  effect: Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that 
  starts its turn adjacent to the target takes 5 necrotic 
  damage.
  
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  art of the Kill
  Nightmare Weaver
  “I am the chill in your blood, the raised hairs on your neck, 
  the thudding heartbeat brought on by your worst dreams. I 
  am death, and I come for you.”
   
  Prerequisites: Warlock class, trained in 
  Intimidate
  You use power drawn from your pact to expose your 
  enemies’ doubts and fears, using these terrors as your 
  weapons. You might visit retribution on those who 
  serve evil and destruction, or you might be a ruthless 
  killer, hunting down those who offend you. Regard-
  less, you are a creature of nightmare—a thing of the 
  shadows—and those who earn your ire can know only 
  a terrifying end.
  Nightmare Weaver Path Features
   
  nightmarish action (11th level): Whenever you 
  spend an action point to make an attack, you can slide 
  creatures affected by your Warlock’s Curse 1 square. 
  Those you slide take a –2 penalty to attack rolls until 
  the end of your next turn.
   
  Insidious Curse (11th level): When an enemy 
  under your Warlock’s Curse drops to 0 hit points, you 
  can place a Warlock’s Curse on the enemy nearest to 
  you as an immediate reaction. If the nearest enemy 
  is already affected by your Warlock’s Curse, you can 
  slide it 2 squares, and it takes a –2 penalty to attack 
  rolls until the end of your next turn.
   
  Shaking Displays (16th level): All your warlock 
  encounter attack spells, along with painful delusion 
  below, gain the rattling keyword.
  Nightmare Weaver Spells
  Painful delusion Nightmare Weaver attack 11
  You sink a psychic claw into your opponent’s mind, awak-
  ening its worst fears.
  encounter ✦ arcane, implement, Psychic
  standard action ranged 10
  target: One creature
  attack: charisma vs. Will
  hit: 1d10 + charisma modifier psychic damage, and 
  the target is dazed until the end of your next turn. 
  Each attack that hits the target until the start of your 
  next turn deals 5 extra psychic damage.
  dread 
  Nightmare Weaver Utility 12 
  disappearance
  To those you have cursed, you seem to disappear in a cloud 
  of swirling darkness.
  encounter ✦ arcane, illusion
  Free action 
  Personal
  trigger: You gain concealment from Shadow Walk.
  effect: Until the end of your next turn, you are invisible 
  to any creature affected by your Warlock’s curse.
  nightmare stalker Nightmare Weaver attack 20
  Using the enemy’s worst fears as a weapon, you conjure a 
  shadowy entity to drive your foe mad with terror.
  daily ✦ arcane, Conjuration, illusion, implement, Psychic
  standard action ranged 10
  target: One creature
  effect: You conjure a Medium illusory creature that lasts 
  until the end of your next turn. This creature can affect 
  only the target. It appears in a square adjacent to the 
  target and makes the following melee attack against the 
  target. While adjacent to the creature, the target takes a 
  –2 penalty to attack rolls unless it is immune to fear. The 
  target cannot move through the creature’s space, but 
  others can. If the target misses you or one of your allies, 
  you can use an immediate reaction to have the creature 
  make the following melee attack against the target. If 
  the target drops to 0 hit points, this power ends.
   attack: charisma vs. Will
   hit: 2d8 + charisma modifier psychic damage, and 
  the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
  sustain Minor: The creature persists until the end of 
  your next turn, and you can move it 7 squares.
  
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  art of the Kill
  KiLLer’S arSenaL
  To be an effective killer, you must be prepared for 
  everything. Other than planning, nothing gives better 
  assurances of a successful mission than proper equip-
  ment. The following mundane, alchemical, and magic 
  items represent only a few tools of the bloody trade.
  Weapons
   
  Blowgun: This long tubular weapon is used, by 
  blowing on one end, to launch darts and other agents. 
   
  garrote: This strangling tool is a length of wire 
  or knotted rope with handles at either end. If you’re 
  proficient with the garrote, you can use it to deal the 
  garrote’s weapon damage as part of a grab attack.
  Mundane Equipment
   
  Camouflaged Clothing: This clothing is pat-
  terned so you blend into shadows. While wearing it, 
  you gain a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks to hide.
   
  Crowbar: When a lock is too tricky to circumvent, 
  brute strength can sometimes do the trick. A crowbar 
  grants a +2 item bonus to Athletics checks made to 
  open locked doors or containers.
   
  Disguise Kit: A disguise kit includes everything 
  from cosmetics to prosthetics—all that you might need 
  to conceal your identity. While using a disguise kit, 
  you gain a +2 item bonus to Bluff checks made to pass 
  off your disguises.
   
  Footpads: These felt soles fit over shoes or boots 
  and help dampen the noise you create while walking. 
  The footpads grant you a +1 item bonus to Stealth 
  checks made to move quietly.
   
  glass Cutter: When breaking a window is not an 
  option, you can use a glass cutter to create the open-
  ing you need. Using a glass cutter takes 1 minute and 
  it opens a hole large enough to fit your arm through.
  Alchemical Items
  Some of the best tools in a slayer’s arsenal are alchem-
  ical items. Inexpensive to produce, designed with 
  short-term benefits, and useful for dispatching a mark 
  quickly and efficiently, alchemical items provide just 
  the edge a killer needs to complete his or her mission. 
  In addition to these new alchemical items, you can 
  benefit from those presented in the Adventurer’s Vault 
  and the upcoming EbErron® Player’s Guide.
  Drowsy Dust
  Level: 4
  Category: Poison
  Time: 30 minutes
  Component Cost: See below
  Market Price: 160 gp
  When inhaled, the powder overwhelms a target, caus-
  ing it to become sleepy and careless.
  drowsy dust 
  Level 3+
  You blow the dust from the palm of your hand so it spreads 
  through the air and clouds your opponent’s senses.
  Lvl 4 
  80 gp 
  Lvl 19 8,400 gp
  Lvl 9 
  320 gp 
  Lvl 24 21,000 gp
  Lvl 14 1,600 gp 
  Lvl 29 210,000 gp
  alchemical item
  Power (Consumable ✦ Poison): Standard action. Make 
  an attack: ranged 2/5; +7 vs. Fortitude; the target 
  takes a –2 penalty to defenses and a –5 penalty to 
  Perception checks (save ends both).
   Level 9: +12 vs. Fortitude
   Level 14: +17 vs. Fortitude
   Level 19: +22 vs. Fortitude
   Level 24: +27 vs. Fortitude
   Level 29: +32 vs. Fortitude
  Mundane eQuiPMent
  item 
  Price 
  weight
  ammunition
   
  Blowgun needles (10) 
  1 gp 
  —
  Camouflaged clothing 
  30 gp 
  4 lb.
  Crowbar 
  2 gp 
  4 lb.
  disguise kit 
  30 gp 
  5 lb.
  Footpads 
  5 gp 
  —
  glass cutter 
  25 gp 
  5 lb.
  suPerior Melee weaPon
  Two-Handed
  weapon 
  Prof 
  damage range 
  Price 
  weight 
  group 
  Properties
  Garrote  
  +3 
  1d4 
  — 
  1 gp 
  1 lb. 
  Garrote 
  high crit, small
  suPerior ranged weaPon
  Two-Handed
  weapon 
  Prof 
  damage range 
  Price 
  weight 
  group 
  Properties
  Blowgun 
  +3 
  1d4 
  5/10 
  5 gp 
  2 lb. 
  Blowgun Load minor, small
  
  23
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  art of the Kill
  Eyesting
  Level: 4
  Category: Poison
  Time: 1 hour
  Component Cost: See below
  Market Price: 240 gp
  When blown into an enemy’s face, the fine particles burn 
  the eyes, nose, and skin, effectively blinding the target.
  eyesting 
  Level 3+
  The fine black powder has a bitter smell and burns the 
  skin.
  Lvl 4 
  80 gp 
  Lvl 19 8,400 gp
  Lvl 9 
  320 gp 
  Lvl 24 21,000 gp
  Lvl 14 1,600 gp 
  Lvl 29 210,000 gp
  alchemical item
  Power (Consumable ✦ Poison): Standard action. Make 
  an attack: ranged 2/5; +7 vs. Fortitude; the target 
  is blinded until the end of your next turn. Aftereffect: 
  The target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save 
  ends). creatures that do not rely on sight to detect 
  other creatures are immune to the blinding effect, 
  and instead suffer the aftereffect as the initial effect, 
  with no subsequent aftereffect.
   Level 9: +12 vs. Fortitude
   Level 14: +17 vs. Fortitude
   Level 19: +22 vs. Fortitude
   Level 24: +27 vs. Fortitude
   Level 29: +32 vs. Fortitude
  Flashbang Powder
  Level: 8
  Category: Volatile
  Time: 1 hour
  Component Cost: See below
  Market Price: 500 gp
  When thrown against a hard surface, this paper 
  packet rips open and exposes the reagents to air, 
  causing them to explode and smoke.
  Flashbang Powder 
  level 8+
  The packet explodes with a bright flash and a sharp report, 
  filling the area with smoke and defying multiple senses.
  Lvl 8 
  250 gp 
  Lvl 23 34,000 gp
  Lvl 13 1,300 gp 
  Lvl 28 170,000 gp
  Lvl 18 6,800 gp
  alchemical item
  Power (Consumable • Zone): Standard action. Make 
  an attack: close burst 1; +10 vs. Fortitude; as a 
  free action, you can make a Stealth check against 
  the target with a +4 bonus. If you succeed, you are 
  hidden from that enemy until the end of your turn or 
  until you attack. creatures that do not rely on sight 
  to detect other creatures are immune to this effect. 
  Effect: The burst creates a zone, which contains smoke 
  that lasts until the end of your next turn. The smoke 
  lightly obscures the area.
   Level 13: +15 vs. Fortitude
   Level 18: +20 vs. Fortitude
   Level 23: +25 vs. Fortitude
   Level 28: +30 vs. Fortitude
  About the Author
  Robert J. Schwalb contributed design to such books as the 
  ForgottEn rEalms Player’s Guide, Draconomicon™: Chromatic 
  Dragons, Manual of the Planes, P2: Demon Queen’s Enclave, 
  Martial Power, Player’s Handbook 2, EbErron Campaign Guide, 
  EbErron Player’s Guide, Divine Power, Adventurer’s Vault 2, Draco-
  nomicon 2: Metallic Dragons, Primal Power, as well as numerous 
  articles for D&D Insider. Robert lives in Tennessee.
  
  24
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  A
  A new Player’s Handbook means new opportunities for character 
  creation and new foundations on which Dungeon Masters can 
  build campaigns. Even in groups still striving toward completing 
  their destiny quests, a new Player’s Handbook helps shape the game’s 
  content by providing different avenues through which players can 
  express their character ideas and discover new tactics to overcome 
  the opposition. Within the crisp new pages, you’ll find new classes, 
  new feats, paragon paths, epic destinies, magic items, and much 
  more, all waiting for you to explore.
   
  Much ink has been spent on building characters, from the 
  basic tips covered in the build descriptions to the broad overview 
  described in the opening pages of the Player’s Handbook, but you 
  can find little on the subject of building the adventuring party. The 
  party is the glue binding disparate heroes into an effective fighting 
  unit and coalition bound by common cause and purpose. A group 
  of heroes might descend into the dungeon together, but they have 
  no chance of surviving unless they work as a team. This idea lives 
  in the heart of this article, and it helps novices and veterans alike to 
  look at character creation in a new way and work together to create 
  a dynamic and capable team built on principles of cooperation 
  rather than on individual whims.
  Party 
  Building
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the coast LLc. all rights reserved.
  by Robert J. Schwalb
  Illustrations by Howard Lyon
  
  25
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
   
  The DungEons & Dragons® game encourages party 
  building already. By assigning each class a role, the 
  game gives you have a good idea about how your 
  character is supposed to contribute to the party. Since 
  there are four roles, it’s not a big logical leap to think 
  it’s a good idea to have a representative of each role 
  in the party. You don’t have to do so, though. You can 
  find plenty of ways to compensate for a lack of one role 
  or another. By accounting for each role, making good 
  class and race combinations, and covering holes, you 
  can turn your expertise into an advantage. It might 
  even give you and your fellows the edge you need to 
  claim victory, attain glory, and ascend into legend.
  BaSicS
  The very first thing you do as a player in a game is 
  create your character. The character is your window 
  into the game world, as well as your means of partici-
  pation in the story and in the encounters unfolding 
  over the course of game play. Your character choice 
  is important not only for your enjoyment, but also in 
  how you contribute to the team. In a modest-sized 
  game, character choice is often determined by the 
  party’s need: with holes represented by a missing role, 
  such as a defender or leader.
   
  In a smaller group, you might not have enough 
  players to cover the four roles, which forces the 
  team to emphasize their class’s secondary roles or to 
  broaden their capabilities with multiclass feats. For 
  larger groups, the team’s needs aren’t as clear. In a 
  seven-player group, is an extra leader more important 
  than an extra defender? Or should you invest in extra 
  strikers? What about an extra controller?
   
  Most gaming groups feel their way through the 
  process of team building, letting it develop organically 
  through game play and personal taste, and that’s fine. 
  Five players with three strikers and two defenders can 
  manage well enough, just as could a group consist-
  ing of five leaders. But experienced players know 
  that imbalanced parties can make some encounters 
  extraordinarily easy and others disastrously hard. 
  For some groups, careful party balance might not be 
  necessary. But for groups who like to have the tools 
  to take on just about any encounter, approaching the 
  character creation process with an eye toward party 
  balance might be just what is needed to experience 
  the full power of the 4th Edition game.
  Two Approaches
  There are at least two approaches to party building. 
  One is the bottom-up approach. Here, each player, 
  with minimal consultation, settles on the class and 
  race he or she wants to play and builds the character. 
  A fine approach and one used by many groups, it 
  does, as discussed above, run the risk of imbalance, 
  resulting in absent roles or too many representatives 
  of a specific role. Another is the top-down approach. 
  Before anyone chooses a class or race, or makes 
  any decision about the character, the group comes 
  together to establish the tone and style the group will 
  take. From this perspective, a group might aim for a 
  balanced party by deciding which roles they need to 
  fill and figure out who will fill each one. Of course, 
  a group might decide to jettison any notion of party 
  balance and intentionally build an imbalanced group. 
  This is fine too, especially since the group can always 
  select classes with secondary roles.
  Role Recap
  The Player’s Handbook describes the four roles and 
  their function within the adventuring group, but it’s 
  worth examining them a little closer. A role speci-
  fies what a character of a specific class is supposed 
  to do within a group, or, if you’re a sports enthusiast, 
  it assigns the character a position on the team, not 
  unlike a running back, goalie, or guard. If you leave 
  a position unfilled, the other positions have to work 
  harder. Furthermore, if two characters fill the same 
  position, odds are they’ll step on each other’s toes. 
  Knowing what your role is supposed to do helps you 
  be a more effective contributor to the party.
  Controller
  Druid, Invoker, Wizard
  The controller manages the battlefield. Armed with 
  powers capable of striking several targets at once, 
  the controller can handle crowds with ease. Many 
  controllers can create or modify terrain to restrict 
  movement and control the combat’s flow. Controllers 
  can bestow harmful conditions or “debuffs,” many of 
  which help strikers get past high defenses and hit the 
  targets they hurt the most.
   
  Many Targets, Low Damage: The more targets 
  you can affect with a power, the less damage the power 
  deals. Bursts and blasts are the controller’s weapons, so 
  more often than not you’re dealing less damage than 
  your counterparts. You are best at wiping out minions 
  and finishing off bloodied enemies.
   
  artillery: Most controllers are fragile. They lack 
  the defenses and hit points other characters enjoy, 
  meaning a hit costs a controller more than it might a 
  defender. So, you should select powers that hit your 
  enemies at range to make sure enemies can’t reach you 
  if they survive the attack. In addition, many of your 
  ranged powers control or restrict movement. This gives 
  you the advantage of maintaining good distance from 
  your opponents. Also, you can keep a target pinned 
  down for the striker or defender to finish off.
   
  Terrain Maker: Many controller powers interact 
  with terrain, either changing existing terrain or creat-
  ing terrain to hamper or damage enemies. You can 
  control crowds, direct traffic, and maneuver enemies, 
  funneling them into the teeth of a tough defender or 
  aggressive striker.
  
  26
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  party Building
   
  Toolbox: Your utility powers and access to rituals 
  make you the best at dealing with noncombat chal-
  lenges. You can gather information, create magic 
  items, and even restore fallen comrades.
  Defender
  Fighter, Paladin, Swordmage, Warden
  The defender is the party’s bulwark, the deadly wall 
  containing and destroying anything in reach. Defenders 
  all have some means of keeping their enemies focused 
  on them, at the very least imposing the marked condi-
  tion, but also instilling another nasty effect to punish 
  opponents whose eyes and attacks wander elsewhere. 
  As a defender, you might work with another character, 
  helping the ally get combat advantage to trigger damage 
  spikes like Sneak Attack, or you might hunker down 
  and protect the controllers and ranged strikers in your 
  group, being the first line of defense against any foe.
   
  Black Hole: Your main job as a defender is to lock 
  down the bad guys and keep their attention fixed on 
  you. You achieve this by marking your opponents. All 
  defender classes provide a little something extra so 
  when an enemy ignores you, you can correct its mis-
  take with a heaping spoonful of damage. You might 
  not take the enemy out—strikers are good at snagging 
  kills—but you can always keep the enemy pinned 
  down long enough for someone else to do the job.
   
  Enabler: Your presence enables other allies to do 
  what they do best. You can help set up a rogue’s Sneak 
  Attack, keep a target pinned so a warlock can curse 
  the opponent and fry it with eldritch blast, or contain a 
  group of smaller targets so a controller to erase them 
  from the battlefield.
   
  Wall: With a high Armor Class, great hit points, 
  and plenty of healing surges, you are all about con-
  tainment. You are the insurmountable wall on the 
  battlefield. By blocking movement, marking, and 
  delivering punishing attacks, you make sure few 
  enemies can escape you.
  Leader
  Bard, Cleric, Shaman, Warlord
  Leaders hold the party together. They keep the 
  defenders defending, strikers striking, and controllers 
  controlling. Leaders can often step into other roles, help-
  ing to defend allies against enemy attacks or deliver 
  crippling attacks that allow strikers do their worst.
   
  Booster: When you’re around, your allies are the 
  better for it. Many leader powers provide boosts to attack 
  rolls, defenses, temporary hit points, and a slew of other 
  benefits. Sometimes granting these benefits might mean 
  you forgo making an attack, but when it’s a chance to 
  deal 1d8 + 4 damage or giving the barbarian a chance 
  to dish out 2d6 + 6 extra damage, it’s not a big sacrifice.
   
  Healer: As a leader, one of your main jobs is to 
  keep your allies on their feet throughout the fight. In 
  most cases, you help allies spend healing surges and 
  give them a little extra, too. You might also grant tem-
  porary hit points, regeneration, or the ability to make 
  extra saving throws to remove annoying conditions. 
  This aspect of a leader is what makes the role one of 
  the most essential on the battlefield.
   
  Tactician: Finally, you can also act as the tactical 
  leader by creating opportunities for your allies to get 
  in extra attacks, shift, or cover other allies’ escape.
  Striker
  Avenger, Barbarian, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock
  The striker is all about taking out the enemy. With a 
  damage spike (Sneak Attack, Hunter’s Quarry, and 
  so on), strikers deal more damage than any other role 
  in the game. Most times, this comes from increased 
  damage, but it can also result from greater accuracy.
   
  artillery: Generally, there are two types of strikers: 
  melee and ranged. Rogues and rangers can do both. As 
  artillery, you fling death at range, picking out targets 
  and hitting them hard. Once they drop, you’re ready 
  to take out another foe. If you’re artillery, you need to 
  let the defenders and leaders do their thing, while you 
  hang back and pick off the stragglers.
   
  guerrilla: You might be the other kind of striker—
  the guerrilla. If so, you skirt around the battlefield, 
  slipping in to hit hard and then dance away before 
  your opponent can respond. Some melee strikers 
  might stick around, hammering at their foes until 
  they fall—the avenger, ranger, and barbarian are all 
  good examples. Even so, you probably want to stay 
  with a defender so when you do hit, your target can’t 
  turn around and do you the same favor.
   
  role replacement: Many strikers can also fill 
  other roles as needed. A two-blade ranger or rageblood 
  barbarian can easily step into the defender role, while 
  a scourge warlock is almost as good as a controller. If 
  your group is short a role, odds are it will fall to you to 
  pick up the slack.
  The Fifth Role
  There’s no fifth role, really, but when you have five or 
  more players, some role overlap happens. The “fifth” 
  role is the duplicated role. The role taken by the fifth 
  character helps to determine the party’s tactics, but it 
  also can help to shore up weaknesses, patching holes 
  left by challenged characters and novice players.
   
  Extra Controller: Two controllers means the 
  group can address just about any challenge. Control-
  heavy parties have a tactical edge in combat and are 
  better suited to dealing with larger groups, especially 
  when eight or more minions are involved.
   
  When two controllers work together, they can layer 
  area effects, stack crippling conditions on enemy lead-
  ers, and wipe the battlefield of minions and lesser 
  creatures. Although it’s tempting to go for the overkill 
  gained from two control-focused characters, a better 
  strategy is to use the second controller to cover a 
  secondary role, ideally a striker. The war wizard or 
  wrathful invoker complement the control wizard or 
  guardian druid, and converts some of the stronger area 
  effects to focused damage attacks useful for bringing 
  an enemy down.
  
  27
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  party Building
   
  Extra Defender: Two defenders can stop just 
  about anything from reaching soft PCs in the 
  second rank. Controllers and ranged strikers can 
  attack with impunity as the defenders lock down 
  anything near. Defender-rich parties excel at 
  containment and are devastating against smaller 
  numbered opponents such as elites, solos, and 
  small groups of opponents.
   
  When two defenders focus their attacks against 
  a single opponent, unless one defender takes a nasty 
  hit, their marking mechanisms are redundant since a 
  creature can carry only one mark at a time. Defend-
  ers should spread out to block flanks and catch 
  enemy groups rather than clump together. A second 
  defender might also benefit from developing second-
  ary role responsibilities, either through multiclassing 
  or choosing powers emphasizing a build with strong 
  secondary role rider effects. The protecting paladin, 
  for example, adds a little extra leader to the group and 
  is excellent support for the great weapon fighter.
   
  Extra Leader: Hit points are never gone for long 
  in a two-leader party. The defender finds he or she 
  never runs out of hit points, can shrug off ongoing 
  damage and conditions, and can withstand the worst 
  attacks as support comes from two directions. Lead-
  ers can step up and help defend, since they are often 
  capable warriors in their own right.
   
  Two leaders can keep the PCs going, but if both 
  fill strong supporting roles—an inspiring warlord 
  and devoted cleric for example, the defender might 
  not be enough to block incoming traffic. As with all 
  double roles, use the opportunity a second leader 
  presents to emphasize the common defender aspects 
  one finds in many leader classes. A battle cleric, tac-
  tical warlord, or panther shaman can help protect 
  fragile characters.
   
  Extra Striker: Strikers are popular for good 
  reason—they dish out the damage. Having two 
  strikers in the group is perhaps one of the most 
  common five player arrangements since it allows 
  for one ranged striker and one melee striker. 
  Provided the strikers keep moving, the defender can 
  focus on protecting the controller, while the leader 
  keeps everybody hitting. The only drawback to two 
  strikers is the party has fewer hit points among 
  the members and might have a glass jaw when the 
  defender goes down. But then again, most groups with 
  two strikers can deal enough damage to prevent the 
  enemy from ever coming close enough to cause this 
  sort of trouble.
  Missing Roles
  Ideally, all four roles see equal representation in a 
  party, but sometimes this isn’t the case. Adventuring 
  parties can comprise a wide variety of characters, 
  sometimes to their detriment. Missing one or more 
  roles doesn’t mean the whole enterprise is doomed. 
  It just means everyone has to invest a little more 
  time in careful character design.
  Missing Controller
  A myth among D&D players is that the controller is 
  expendable. Controllers have rituals, toolbox utility 
  powers, and game-changing attack powers capable 
  of shifting momentum from a loss to a victory. Still, 
  controllers can be challenging characters to play 
  and in the wrong hands, what would normally be an 
  asset could very well become a liability.
   
  If no one jumps on the controller role, there are 
  ways to fill the role without having to invest in mul-
  ticlass feats. One way is to make sure the existing 
  classes have strong controller secondary roles (see 
  page $@@)—rather than play a ranger, choose an 
  avenger or sorcerer instead. Alternatively, a player 
  might choose a race with a close or area attack, such 
  as the dragonborn’s dragon breath attack. Finally, one 
  character should always have access to the Ritual 
  Caster feat.
  Missing Defender
  A missing defender is a conspicuous absence. Little 
  stops the enemy from washing over the party, so soft 
  characters—ranged strikers and controllers—are at 
  greater risk. Luckily, groups can invest in leaders 
  to keep everyone above bloodied. Or they can pick 
  up strikers to increase the group’s damage output. 
  Sometimes these advantages aren’t enough, so other 
  character choices become important.
   
  Filling the defender’s role is tricky since few other 
  classes can lock down their enemies. Instead of 
  marking opponents, other characters must threaten 
  foes by dealing considerable damage, or by putting 
  themselves in harm’s way to protect the party. The 
  barbarian deals enough damage and has plenty of hit 
  points to keep an enemy’s attention, while the battle 
  cleric and bravura warlord can make strong melee 
  attacks and use enabling powers. A scourge warlock 
  has the hit points to soak a few extra attacks, while 
  a two-blade ranger can deliver punishing attacks 
  almost equal to those used by the barbarian.
   
  Other characters should invest in feats and 
  powers that provide escape routes, such as free 
  shifts, teleportation, or pushing enemies away. 
  Furthermore, consider high hit point classes or 
  classes with close blast and burst powers to drive 
  off enemies who come too close.
  Missing Leader
  Even though every character can use second wind, 
  going without a leader is risky and puts more pres-
  sure on the rest of the group. Characters might have 
  to resort to potions, sacrifice valuable actions to use 
  second wind, or take extended rests more frequently.
   
  A good mix of secondary leaders can replace an 
  actual leader. A paladin can bolster allies if need 
  be and an invoker can protect overwhelmed allies 
  if the battle turns south. The barbarian and druid 
  can help here, too.
  
  28
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  party Building
   
  Outside of these choices, the party can adjust by 
  embracing the best defense is a good offense mental-
  ity. As long as the party can outstrip their enemies’ 
  ability to deal damage, the party should be able to 
  emerge from a battle intact. To this end, the group 
  should invest in extra melee strikers such as a brutal 
  rogue and a two-blade ranger. Working together, they 
  can dispatch most enemies before they cause trouble.
   
  Of the characters, the defenders are the ones who 
  suffer the most. Without a leader to buttress their 
  defense, they can easily be overwhelmed when lock-
  ing down several enemies at once. Defender players 
  might choose races with boosts to Constitution, such 
  as the dwarf, goliath, minotaur, or warforged, or at the 
  very least, pick up the Durable and Toughness feats.
  Missing Striker
  A rarity to be sure, given the sheer number of striker 
  classes available, missing a striker means that the 
  group has reduced damage output and their flexibil-
  ity to handle different sorts of encounters. Since the 
  striker is not present to spike the group’s damage, 
  the burden of dispatching enemies falls to the 
  defenders and controllers, and sometimes the lead-
  ers. Combats sometimes take longer, but the group 
  is likely more resilient with the added benefit of an 
  extra defender or leader.
   
  The obvious choice to fill this hole is the druid. 
  A druid can function as a controller in humanoid 
  form and a striker in beast form. Aside from the 
  druid, the swordmage is good too, since the class can 
  use its mark to maneuver around the battlefield. A 
  tactical warlord can increase the amount of damage 
  a defender deals, granting extra attacks or boosts 
  to attack rolls. Finally, adding either an invoker or 
  wizard can increase the party’s damage output.
  Multiclassing Solutions
  Multiclassing feats provides a way to diversify charac-
  ter options, allowing characters to dabble in a mixture 
  of powers within the same role, such as a fighter who 
  also dips into the paladin class. It can also help char-
  acters cover absent roles. Multiclassing is tricky, since 
  it requires a heavy feat investment to realize all the 
  benefits, while diminishing the character’s general 
  effectiveness within his or her primary role.
  Complications
  Every multiclass character faces the same challenges. 
  The first is accuracy. Unless your primary class’s 
  powers and your multiclass’s powers use the same 
  ability score for attacks, your multiclass powers are 
  always inferior to your primary class powers. For 
  example, if you are a wizard and you want to fill 
  the striker role too by dabbling in warlock, you can 
  expect a 1- to 3-point drop in accuracy when using 
  your warlock spells.
   
  The solution here is simple: restrict your multi-
  class choices to classes whose attack ability matches 
  that of your primary class—wizard/swordmage, 
  cleric/paladin, fighter/ranger, and so on. Alterna-
  tively, rather than invest a score into the secondary 
  ability needed for your primary class, slip it into 
  the attack ability for your multiclass. This is where 
  non-optimized class-race combinations are often 
  strongest. So, if you were building a wizard/warlock, 
  you might choose the drow race, and place your 
  18 in Intelligence, 14 in Charisma, 11 in Dexter-
  ity, 10s in Constitution and Wisdom, and your 8 
  in Strength. After ability score adjustments, you’d 
  have Str 8, Con 10, Dex 13, Int 18, Wis 10, and Cha 
  16. Your Dexterity can still give you a boost when 
  using Wand of Accuracy, but darkfire also helps you 
  hit high-defense targets with your warlock powers. 
  Furthermore, you’re only 1 point behind in accuracy 
  when using your warlock powers.
   
  There’s also the issue of weapons and imple-
  ments. You have only so many magic items at your 
  disposal, so is it worth sacrificing a high-level neck 
  slot item or armor for an extra implement to use 
  with a handful of powers?
   
  Again, the solution is apparent. Choose a class that 
  uses the same tools, weapons, or implements. When it 
  comes to implements, look for identical implements. 
  You might not get the full benefits of the property 
  when using the implement with your multiclass 
  powers, but the enhancement bonus still applies. 
  
  29
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
  Good combinations include fighter/barbarian, cleric/
  paladin, ranger/warlord, wizard/warlock, avenger/
  cleric, and druid/shaman.
   
  For more details on multiclassing, consult the 
  tables here. The first describes ideal multiclass com-
  binations and accounts for similar attack abilities, 
  matching implements (where possible), and ease 
  of entry based on typical ability score arrays. The 
  second table defines which races are best at picking 
  up multiclass feats for specific classes. Putting the two 
  together, you can identify good combinations for race 
  and class when building a multiclass character.
  Size Matters
  A typical adventuring group features five characters. 
  Smaller groups (three or fewer players) have to go 
  without certain roles, while larger groups (seven or 
  more players) see role overlap. There are no hard and 
  fast rules about what types of roles should be present 
  in a small or large group, but the following tips should 
  help you avoid the pitfalls that might arise.
  Small Groups
  In a small group, you must sacrifice at least one 
  role. A group without a leader means it’s up to the 
  PCs to see to their own healing, while a group with-
  out a controller might find itself overwhelmed by 
  minions and unable to take control over the battle-
  field. Sacrificing any role is tough in a small team, 
  so the way around this problem is to pick classes 
  with strong secondary roles.
   
  The barbarian, for example, is a striker, but it 
  can also fill in as a defender or leader. An invoker 
  is a controller, but the preserving build offers a 
  few leaderlike prayers. See the following table for 
  secondary roles.
  —recommended Multiclass by role—
  Class 
  Controller 
  defender 
  leader 
  striker
  avenger 
  invoker 
  swordmage 
  Cleric 
  —
  Barbarian 
  druid 
  warden 
  warlord 
  —
  Bard 
  wizard 
  Paladin or swordmage 
  — 
  warlock
  Cleric 
  invoker 
  Paladin 
  — 
  avenger
  druid 
  — 
  warden 
  shaman 
  avenger
  Fighter 
  druid 
  — 
  warlord 
  Barbarian
  invoker 
  — 
  swordmage 
  Cleric or shaman 
  avenger or warlock
  Paladin 
  invoker 
  — 
  Cleric or warlord 
  Barbarian
  ranger 
  druid 
  Fighter 
  warlord 
  —
  rogue 
  druid or wizard 
  Fighter 
  warlord 
  —
  shaman 
  druid 
  swordmage 
  — 
  avenger
  sorcerer 
  wizard 
  Paladin 
  Bard 
  —
  swordmage 
  wizard 
  — 
  warlord 
  Barbarian
  warden 
  druid 
  — 
  warlord 
  Barbarian
  warlock 
  wizard 
  Paladin or swordmage 
  Bard 
  —
  warlord 
  wizard 
  Fighter or Paladin 
  — 
  ranger
  wizard 
  — 
  swordmage 
  Bard 
  avenger
  race 
  optimal Multiclass Combinations
  deva 
  avenger, Cleric, druid, invoker, shaman, swordmage, wizard
  dragonborn 
  Bard, Fighter, Paladin, sorcerer, warden, warlock, warlord
  drow 
  Bard, ranger, rogue, warlock, wizard
  dwarf 
  avenger, Cleric, druid, invoker, shaman
  eladrin 
  ranger, rogue, swordmage, wizard
  elf 
  avenger, Cleric, druid, invoker, ranger, rogue, shaman
  genasi 
  Fighter, ranger, swordmage, warden, warlord, wizard
  goliath 
  Barbarian, Fighter, ranger, warden, warlord
  gnoll 
  ranger, rogue
  gnome 
  Bard, swordmage, sorcerer, warlock, wizard
  half-elf 
  Bard, sorcerer, warlock
  half-orc 
  Fighter, ranger, rogue, warden, warlord
  halfling 
  Bard, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock
  human 
  —
  Minotaur 
  Barbarian, Fighter, ranger, warden, warlord
  longtooth shifter 
  avenger, Cleric, druid, Fighter, invoker, ranger, shaman, warden, warlord
  razorclaw shifter 
  avenger, Cleric, druid, invoker, ranger, rogue, shaman
  tiefling 
  Bard, sorcerer, swordmage, warlock, wizard
  warforged  
  Barbarian, Fighter, ranger, warden, warlord
  
  30
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
   
  Example: Short on players, Tom, Bob, and Joe sit 
  down to create their party. Tom wants to play a leader 
  and Bob’s interested in a striker. Joe opts for a defender. 
  Since the group lacks a controller, Bob decides to play 
  a sorcerer. To help Bob’s character, Tom chooses the 
  shaman, which has some striker elements. Finally, Joe 
  chooses a paladin so he can fill in as a leader if need 
  be. So the party consists of Tom’s panther shaman, 
  Bob’s chaos sorcerer, and Joe’s protecting paladin.
  group of six, split the party into two groups of 
  three. For seven players, divide into one group of 
  four and one group of three. For eight players, split 
  it into one group of five and one group of three. 
  Build each group separately, but be sure to cover 
  each role at least once between both groups. Use 
  secondary roles to cover those roles that have less 
  representation within the group.
   
  Example: Everyone shows up to make characters 
  and, to the DM’s dismay, there are seven players. 
  Being veterans, the group sits down to build their 
  party. Splitting into two groups, one of four and the 
  other of three, the larger group fills out the four roles 
  and the smaller group decides on a controller, leader, 
  and defender. Since the whole group is a bit low on 
  strikers, one player chooses the predator druid for his 
  controller, while another player selects the control 
  wizard to make sure the group has at least one strong 
  controller. For defenders, one player opts for the 
  great weapon fighter and the other chooses the earth 
  warden. An inspiring warlord, trickster rogue, and 
  cunning bard round out the rest of the group.
  The Role of Race
  Settling on the group dynamic, what class each 
  player wants to play, the players then generate their 
  characters. A close look at the race and class com-
  binations reveals opportunities and challenges for 
  strong party-building tactics.
   
  Any race can be any class, but even a cursory look 
  at the racial information reveals some classes are 
  better suited for specific races and vice versa. While 
  you could play a gnome fighter, a human fighter would 
  be more effective, and a goliath fighter would be even 
  more effective still. Unless you want the challenge of 
  playing against type and all the disadvantages doing 
  so entails, your race and class combination is the most 
  important decision you will make.
   
  To simplify the process, you can determine how 
  well a race functions with a class by comparing the 
  ability scores the race boosts to those ability scores 
  needed for the class. What a class needs in terms 
  of ability scores falls into two types: A-shaped and 
  V-shaped. An A-shaped class needs one high primary 
  score and at least a good score in one of the two sec-
  ondary scores. Examples of an A-shaped class would 
  be the avenger, barbarian, fighter, and wizard.
   
  A V-shaped class has two primary abilities and 
  usually one secondary ability. When building a char-
  acter, you really need only one or the other ability, but 
  having both gives you the broadest range of powers 
  the class can offer. Examples of V-shaped classes 
  include the cleric, paladin, ranger, and warlock.
   
  Other ability scores are important, but they are not 
  as vital as primary and secondary scores. So, the way 
  a race’s ability score bonuses line up with the class’s 
  primary and secondary ability scores is the clearest 
  indication of a strong combination. Building against 
  type requires the character to invest expensive scores 
  in the primary abilities, thus diminishing the char-
  acter in other areas. Even with a strong race-class 
  combination, you might overly specialize, such as 
  a goliath fighter with a 20 Strength, and thus leave 
  your other abilities to suffer, but typically, the most 
  effective characters have a high primary ability, good 
  secondary ability, and balanced abilities to keep their 
  defenses at workable levels.
   
  To simplify the process of determining which races 
  are appropriate for which classes, you can divide all 
  possible combinations into four categories: Optimal, 
  Advantaged, Standard, and Disadvantaged.
   
  An optimized combination means the race pro-
  vides a boost to the class’s primary and secondary 
  abilities. An advantaged combination indicates the 
  race provides a boost to the class’s primary ability, 
  but not to its secondary ability. A standard combina-
  tion means the race provides a boost to the class’s 
  secondary ability, but not its primary ability. Finally, 
  a disadvantaged combination means the ability score 
  boosts apply to a tertiary score or none of the abilities 
  most important to the class.
  Class 
  role  
  secondary role
  avenger  
  striker  
  Controller
  Barbarian 
  striker  
  defender or leader
  Bard 
  leader 
  Controller
  Cleric 
  leader  
  defender
  druid 
  Controller  
  leader or striker
  Fighter 
  defender  
  striker
  invoker 
  Controller  
  leader or striker
  Paladin 
  defender  
  leader
  ranger 
  striker  
  defender
  rogue 
  striker  
  Controller
  shaman 
  leader  
  defender or striker
  sorcerer 
  striker  
  Controller
  swordmage 
  defender  
  striker
  warden 
  defender  
  Controller or striker
  warlock  
  striker  
  Controller
  wizard 
  Controller  
  striker
  Large Groups
  Large groups can cover each role, but it’s not always 
  clear which roles should apply to the sixth, seventh, 
  or eighth characters. Since encounters swell with 
  party size, the result is usually extra enemies to face 
  on the battlefield. So a group with only one defender 
  is less likely to stop a flood of foes, one controller 
  might not be enough to contain a slew of minions 
  or manage the battlefield, and a striker can’t deal 
  enough damage to keep the enemy in check.
   
  One way to look at building a party for a large 
  group is to split the team into two groups. For a 
  
  31
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
  race  
  Classes
  deva
   
  optimal  
  avenger, invoker, shaman, wizard
   
  advantaged  
  Cleric, druid, swordmage
   
  standard  
  Bard, Fighter, Paladin, ranger, warden, warlock, warlord
   
  disadvantaged  
  Barbarian, rogue, sorcerer
  dragonborn
   
  optimal 
  Barbarian, Paladin, sorcerer, warlord
   
  advantaged 
  Bard, Fighter, ranger, warden, warlock
   
  standard 
  Cleric, rogue, swordmage
   
  disadvantaged 
  avenger, druid, invoker, shaman, wizard
  drow
   
  optimal 
  rogue, sorcerer
   
  advantaged 
  Bard, Paladin, ranger, warlock
   
  standard 
  avenger, Barbarian, Cleric, druid, Fighter, warlord, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  invoker, shaman, swordmage, warden
  dwarf
   
  optimal 
  druid, invoker, shaman
   
  advantaged 
  avenger, Cleric, warlock
   
  standard 
  Barbarian, Bard, Fighter, Paladin, ranger, swordmage, warden, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  rogue, sorcerer, warlord
  eladrin
   
  optimal 
  wizard
   
  advantaged 
  ranger, rogue, swordmage
   
  standard 
  avenger, Bard, druid, Fighter, invoker, shaman, sorcerer, warlock, warlord
   
  disadvantaged 
  Barbarian, Cleric, Paladin, warden (any)
  elf
   
  optimal 
  avenger, druid
   
  advantaged 
  Cleric, invoker, ranger, rogue, shaman
   
  standard 
  Fighter, Paladin, sorcerer, warden, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  Barbarian, Bard, swordmage, warlock, warlord
  genasi
   
  optimal 
  swordmage, warlord
   
  advantaged 
  Barbarian, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, ranger, warden, wizard
   
  standard 
  avenger, Bard, invoker, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, warlock
   
  disadvantaged 
  druid
  goliath
   
  optimal 
  Barbarian, Fighter, warden
   
  advantaged 
  Cleric, Paladin, ranger, warlock, warlord
   
  standard 
  Bard, druid, invoker, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, swordmage
   
  disadvantaged 
  avenger, wizard
   
  The table here identifies the various race and class 
  combinations and their categories for all the cur-
  rent races and classes available in the game. Some 
  race-class combos might actually perform quite well 
  even though they are in advantaged or standard cat-
  egories. Take the classic dwarf fighter. Although his 
  racial boosts to ability scores bump Constitution and 
  Wisdom—secondary and tertiary fighter scores—the 
  Dwarven Weapon Training feat grants access to supe-
  rior axes and hammers and jumps up the damage. 
  Add to this the dwarf’s immovability, and you get a 
  powerful great weapon or battlerager fighter who can 
  hold a line and rip through enemies to great effect. 
  So, use the table as a starting point and a way to help 
  you frame a character concept in a strong and effec-
  tive manner, but remember to look for exceptions.
  Playing Against Type
  Distilling a class choice down to its mechanical advan-
  tages is admittedly soulless. If you’re only looking for 
  optimization, you’re bound to miss some of the most 
  interesting character concepts. While an eladrin cleric 
  might not be as effective as a dwarven cleric, it can be 
  just as much fun to play and roleplay. It’s from these 
  unusual combinations some of the most memorable 
  characters are born, and you should never dismiss an 
  interesting combination just because it’s harder to pull 
  off mechanically.
  Party Themes
  The final consideration for building your adventuring 
  group is to think about its theme. The theme might 
  describe the general character, a common tactic, or 
  some element to unify the group. Picking a theme 
  isn’t necessary, but doing so helps the group respond 
  best in battle and also helps to make good decisions 
  about the party composition.
  
  32
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
  gnoll
   
  optimal 
  —
   
  advantaged 
  ranger, rogue, warlock
   
  standard 
  avenger, Barbarian, Bard, druid, Fighter, invoker, shaman, sorcerer, swordmage,   
   
   
  warden, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  Cleric, Paladin, warlord
  gnome
   
  optimal 
  Bard, warlock
   
  advantaged 
  Paladin, sorcerer, swordmage, wizard
   
  standard 
  avenger, Barbarian, Cleric, invoker, rogue, shaman, warlord
   
  disadvantaged 
  druid, Fighter, ranger, warden
  half-elf
   
  optimal 
  Bard
   
  advantaged 
  Paladin, sorcerer, warlock
   
  standard 
  Barbarian, Cleric, druid, Fighter, invoker, rogue, shaman, swordmage, warden,  
   
   
   
  warlord
   
  disadvantaged 
  avenger, ranger, wizard
  half-orc
   
  optimal 
  Fighter, ranger, rogue
   
  advantaged 
  Barbarian, Cleric, Paladin, warden, warlord
   
  standard 
  avenger, druid, sorcerer, swordmage, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  Bard, invoker, shaman, warlock
  halfling
   
  optimal 
  rogue, sorcerer
   
  advantaged 
  Bard, Paladin, ranger, warlock
   
  standard 
  avenger, Barbarian, Cleric, druid, Fighter, warlord, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  invoker, shaman, swordmage, warden
  human
   
  advantaged 
  any
  Minotaur
   
  optimal 
  Barbarian, Fighter, warden
   
  advantaged 
  Cleric, Paladin, ranger, warlock, warlord
   
  standard 
  Bard, druid, invoker, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, swordmage
   
  disadvantaged 
  avenger, wizard
  longtooth shifter
   
  optimal 
  Cleric, warden
   
  advantaged 
  avenger, Barbarian, druid, Fighter, invoker, Paladin, ranger, shaman, warlord
   
  standard 
  rogue, sorcerer, swordmage, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  Bard, warlock
  Classic
  Controller, Defender, Leader, Striker, Striker
  The classic party is probably the most balanced. 
  With one of each role represented, the group can 
  fill the extra slot with an extra striker. One becomes 
  the melee striker, working with the defender to take 
  down enemies, while the other functions as a ranged 
  striker, picking off enemies from afar.
   
  Sample Party: Cleric, fighter, ranger, rogue, wizard
  Battle Management
  Controller, Controller, Defender, Leader, Striker
  The control party emphasizes battlefield dominance, 
  restricting enemy actions, herding foes into masses, 
  and then wiping them off the map. While the two 
  controllers establish the tone, they need heavy hitters 
  up front to keep the occasional enemy from reach-
  ing them. Aside from the defender, a tough leader or 
  melee striker can add extra insurance.
   
  Sample Party: Bard, druid, swordmage, ranger, wizard
  Tanking
  Controller, Defender, Defender, Leader, Striker
  Placing all the emphasis on containment, a tanking party 
  puts up two heavy defenders in the front ranks with the 
  support of a leader with a strong emphasis on defender 
  as a secondary role. Since the party tends to operate in 
  tighter formations, a controller and ranged striker can 
  work behind the front ranks and pick off skirmishers, 
  lurkers, and artillery without fear of reprisals.
   
  Sample Party: Druid, fighter, warden, warlord, warlock
  
  33
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
  razorclaw shifter
   
  optimal 
  avenger, druid
   
  advantaged 
  Cleric, invoker, ranger, rogue, shaman
   
  standard 
  Fighter, Paladin, sorcerer, warden, wizard
   
  disadvantaged 
  Barbarian, Bard, swordmage, warlock, warlord
  tiefling
   
  optimal 
  Bard, warlock
   
  advantaged 
  Paladin, sorcerer, swordmage, wizard
   
  standard 
  avenger, Barbarian, Cleric, invoker, rogue, shaman, warlord
   
  disadvantaged 
  druid, Fighter, ranger, warden
  warforged
   
  optimal 
  Barbarian, Fighter, warden
   
  advantaged 
  Cleric, Paladin, ranger, warlock, warlord
   
  standard 
  Bard, druid, invoker, rogue, shaman, sorcerer, swordmage
   
  disadvantaged 
  avenger, wizard
  Living Fortress
  Controller, Defender, Leader, Leader, Striker
  A resilient party uses attrition to defeat their 
  enemies. Since they can regain hit points easily or 
  at least accumulate temporary hit points at a rapid 
  rate, they can outstrip the amount of damage their 
  enemies deal and outlast their foe. Doubling up on 
  leaders and supporting them with classes that have 
  leader as their secondary roles gives the party an 
  almost unlimited reserve of resources.
   
  Sample Party: Avenger, cleric, paladin, invoker, warlord
  Raining Death
  Controller, Defender, Striker, Striker, Striker
  A risky composition to be sure, this group invests in 
  two ranged strikers and one controller, leaving it up 
  to a tough defender and a melee striker to keep the 
  enemies at bay. Without the leader, the group has a 
  glass jaw, but with a protecting paladin and preserving 
  invoker, the group can beat the enemy down before 
  they close, giving themselves a fighting chance when 
  the battle switches to melee.
   
  Sample Party: Barbarian, paladin, sorcerer,  
  warlock, wizard
  Shock and Awe
  Defender, Leader, Striker, Striker, Striker
  Rather than hit enemies from afar, a shock-and-awe 
  party engages quickly, smashing through their enemy 
  ranks and delivering staggering amounts of damage. 
  Since the party closes, a controller will likely have a 
  tough time using his bursts and blasts, so it’s best to 
  invest in another striker to keep damage output high.
   
  Sample Party: Barbarian, cleric, fighter, ranger, rogue
  Power Source Themes
  You can also build parties along power source themes, 
  so each member would have classes from the same 
  power source. An arcane party is a bit disadvantaged in 
  defending, but they do have impressive artillery support.
   
  A divine party has hit points in abundance, but 
  their ranged attacks suffer, placing the burden on the 
  invoker’s shoulders to deal with artillery.
   
  Martial parties dispense with the controller and 
  either pick up an extra fighter—a tempest fighter or 
  battlerager fighter are good—or another warlord. 
  The rogue and the ranger are versatile enough to 
  handle melee and ranged combat, giving the group 
  a wide range of tactics.
   
  Finally, a primal party is all about dealing 
  damage. With a predator druid working alongside 
  a rageblood barbarian, there’s little to stop this 
  powerful group. The shaman can increase the 
  party’s numbers with his spirits, either to attack 
  from afar or to boost allies’ attacks.
   
  Sample Arcane Party: Bard, sorcerer, swordmage, 
  warlock, wizard
   
  Sample Divine Party: Avenger, avenger, cleric, 
  invoker, paladin
   
  Sample Martial Party: Fighter, fighter, ranger, 
  rogue, warlord
   
  Sample Primal Party: Barbarian, druid, druid, 
  shaman, warden
  Racial Theme
  Perhaps the most challenging theme is the racial 
  party. In this theme, each party member has the 
  same race. While an interesting experiment, and 
  sometimes successful, certain roles are considerably 
  weaker than they might be in an otherwise mixed 
  party. For example, an all-eladrin party is good in 
  control (wizard), solid in striking (archer rangers 
  and rogues), and can even field a good defender 
  (swordmage), but its leaders are weak by comparison.
   
  When assembling a single-race group, work care-
  fully with the other players and review the advice 
  throughout this article to ensure your group makes 
  up for its weaknesses. A specialized character built 
  against type might surprise you and make for a fun 
  and interesting character. Even if the character is a bit 
  on the weaker side, your group can pitch in with mul-
  ticlass feats or choosing classes with secondary roles 
  to make up for the disadvantaged character. And if 
  you find it’s just not worth taking on a disadvantaged 
  role, you have plenty of ways to fill the gap.
  
  34
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  party Building
  Final Thoughts
  When you pool your resources and place the party’s 
  interests over your personal inclinations, you can 
  create a more effective, streamlined, and deadly 
  team. A party filled with optimized characters works 
  well together and can devise devastating strategies 
  to handle just about any challenge they come across. 
  While an optimized party might be successful, it 
  works only if everyone around the table has the same 
  interest in this approach. If a player really wants to 
  build a character that doesn’t fit within the party 
  model, don’t worry about it. The point of this game is 
  to have fun. Just because you don’t have the perfect 
  balance of characters and roles doesn’t mean you 
  can’t survive combats, navigate skill challenges, and, 
  above all, have a good time. In fact, it’s the narrow vic-
  tories and the close calls you remember most. D
  About the Author
  Robert J. Schwalb contributed design to such 
  books as the ForgottEn rEalms® Player’s Guide, 
  Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons, Manual of the 
  Planes, P2: Demon Queen’s Enclave, Martial Power, 
  Player’s Handbook 2, EbErron® Campaign Guide, 
  EbErron Player’s Guide, Divine Power, Adventurer’s 
  Vault 2, Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons, Primal 
  Power, as well as numerous articles for D&D 
  Insider. Robert lives in Tennessee.
  
  35
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  L
  by Ari Marmell 
  Illustrations by Hector Ortiz
  “Long and long did the angel, whom mortals call Tavla-
  niel, linger in the blood-iron chains and the carven stone 
  walls of the cell into which, upon his capture, he had been 
  unceremoniously thrust. Long did he cry out to rejoin his 
  side as they battled the betrayers across the length and 
  breadth of Heaven, his heart and soul aching to stand at 
  their side. And long did he weep, that heart and that soul 
  broken beyond mortal imagining, as he felt the murder of 
  [He Who Was] shake the firmament, felt the life of a god, 
  his god, slip swiftly, impossibly away from the world it had 
  once so brightly illuminated.
   
  And still did Tavlaniel wait, in darkness broken only 
  by the feeble light of his own inner fires, in silence broken 
  only by the wails and sobs of his mourning, until he was 
  certain that the betrayers and the usurpers must have 
  forgotten him entirely.
   
  Until the day the bronze door to the cell abruptly 
  opened on screaming hinges, to admit the flickering 
  firelight of a Hell that had not been born when the angel 
  was first imprisoned. And in that flame stood the shape 
  of Alloces, of whom Tavlaniel had heard even so long ago. 
  And then did the angel know that, even for an immortal, 
  fate could offer far worse than imprisonment eternal.
   
  —From Chapter 2, verse 17, of “A Chronicle of 
  Unquenchable Flames and Unbreakable Maledic-
  tions,” being the third part of the Codex of Betrayal.
  Codex of 
  Betrayal: 
  alloces, the Butcher 
   of Nessus
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the coast LLc. all rights reserved.
  
  36
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  codex of Betrayal: alloces
  S
  o great is the reputation of devils for scheming 
  and for deceit, it is easy for mortals to forget 
  that Hell is not merely a place of treachery 
  and backstabbing, but of unspeakable torments and 
  of horrors. Through deals with mortals and pacts 
  with gods, through honeyed lies and grasping claws, 
  through crime and cruelty and sacrifice, Asmodeus’s 
  Hell claims a portion of the souls of dying mortals, 
  damned either by their ties to devils, or through 
  the machinations of devils and their servants. To 
  the devils, these souls are all the same—clay to be 
  sculpted . . . even as it screams.
   
  At the heart of Hell’s greatest tortures, his name 
  still whispered in vicious awe by devils who can never 
  hope to match his sheer depravity, stands Alloces. 
  Called the Butcher of Nessus by some, the Prince of 
  Beasts and the Father of Monsters by others, Alloces 
  boasts a fascination with life—with the flesh and the 
  soul—that has driven him since before the embers 
  of rebellion first stirred in Asmodeus’s black heart. 
  Discontent with merely inflicting horrors, Alloces 
  has turned his obsession to creating them. He twists, 
  sculpts, shapes, and breeds creatures to make even 
  other devils cringe. Today he serves as kennel-master 
  to the lords of Hell, a position that renders him valu-
  able to all and beholden to none. And if his ambitions 
  in the hierarchy of Hell are modest, his need for 
  souls, and his lust for inflicting eternal pain on those 
  whom he would shape into immortal nightmares 
  makes him no less of a threat to the innocent folk of 
  the mortal realm.
  hiStory
  A potent but relatively unimportant angel in the 
  ranks of He Who Was, Alloces had a penchant for 
  violence and cruelty from the beginning—one imbued 
  into his very nature, one encouraged even by his 
  divine master, and one that would lead to his infa-
  mous place among the usurping hordes of Asmodeus.
  Before the Uprising
  Alloces, like most early devils, was once an angel—a 
  servant of the divine. The precise form he took is 
  unclear; scholars debate as to whether he was an 
  angel of vengeance, an angel of wrath, or some other 
  sort of entity. Even the Codex of Betrayal is imprecise, 
  for while it refers to Alloces as an angel of wrath, it 
  uses that term for a wide variety of angelic soldiers 
  that modern sages categorize as different sorts.
   
  Whatever his specific nature might have been, 
  Alloces’s general persona is clear enough. He was a 
  punishing warrior of He Who Was. Alloces was an 
  angel directed to inflict great suffering upon mortals 
  who acted against the god’s worshipers, defaced his 
  shrines, or otherwise drew his divine ire.
   
  In this, Alloces was far from unique; vengeance 
  and punishment are the bailiwick of many angels. 
  Powerful entities inflicted suffering and death with a 
  cold efficiency. But here, Alloces proved different. In 
  his immortal heart, a terrible lust began to grow. To 
  Alloces, the crimes of his target ceased to matter, and 
  the line between the guilty and the innocent wavered 
  and faded away. The pain and the suffering were an 
  end unto themselves, not merely a means of discipline.
   
  His punishments and kills grew ever more 
  elaborate, ever crueler, until even other angels grew 
  uneasy with his fondness for agony and began to 
  shun his company. Legends claim that several angels 
  approached him, requesting he rein in his bloody 
  impulses and accusing him of violating the precepts 
  of He Who Was.
   
  Those particular angels are conspicuously absent 
  from the lists of all who participated in the war to 
  come. It might be that Alloces was the first angel to 
  slay another angelic servant of his own god, though 
  such a claim would be hard to prove.
  During the War
  Alloces was not among the angels who initially rose 
  up alongside Asmodeus, for none had approached 
  him to join in the growing conspiracy. Although his 
  sadism and bloodlust were widely infamous, none of 
  the betrayers were certain how deeply his loyalty to 
  He Who Was might run. A number of the treasonous 
  host believed that, though he might take his duties to 
  extremes, Alloces still believed in the righteousness of 
  his cause and his divine lord.
   And indeed, although Alloces no longer felt any 
  particular devotion to He Who Was, neither did he 
  initially feel any call to join the ranks of Asmodeus’s 
  betrayers. During the earliest days of the war, he 
  fought alongside the besieged god, his sword spilling 
  angelic blood across the heavenly clouds.
   That all changed at the end of the infamous Battle 
  of Blood-Dimmed Stars, wherein Alloces and his 
  allies captured one of Asmodeus’s officers alive. The 
  name of this rebel angel goes unrecorded, for he was 
  executed almost immediately upon his capture—
  despite the impassioned arguments of Alloces to keep 
  the traitor alive. In part, Alloces sought to slake his 
  sadistic bloodlust on the captive, of that there can be 
  no doubt, but he also argued that great secrets and 
  strategies could be extracted from the enemy, given 
  the proper “persuasion.” When the other angels 
  refused, admonishing him that such actions were  
  contemptible and inappropriate for servants of He 
  Who Was, Alloces came to two solid conclusions. 
  One, though it might take time, the forces of Asmo-
  deus would assuredly prove victorious, for their foes 
  lacked the stomach to do what was necessary to win. 
  And two, his own particular skills—and proclivities—
  would be far more welcome among the usurpers than 
  they were here.
   
  When Alloces approached Asmodeus with the 
  heads of the angels who had slain his officer, offering 
  to take the fallen one’s place, the soon-to-be King of 
  Hell readily assented.
  
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  Technically, Alloces was made answerable to the 
  archangel Geryon, one of Asmodeus’s most potent gen-
  erals. And indeed, in many military endeavors, Alloces 
  fought alongside other rebel angels, commanded or 
  commanding as the ranks of the others dictated.
   
  But this was not where Alloces’s best use lay, and 
  both he and Geryon knew it. The general quickly 
  assigned Alloces a position as his chief inquisitor, 
  allowing the sadistic angel all the opportunity he 
  could ever desire to wreak unimaginable suffering 
  on captured enemies. The intelligence thus gained, 
  although indeed substantial, was secondary to the 
  damage that tales of his depravities inflicted upon the 
  morale of the angels of He Who Was. Never had they 
  heard of such horrors, let alone believed themselves 
  susceptible to such things. More than one enemy 
  contingent turned and fled upon hearing the merest 
  rumor that Alloces was present and waiting to take all 
  survivors into his tender care. Eventually, Alloces was 
  reassigned to Asmodeus’s own contingent, becoming 
  one of the great devil’s team of chief interrogators.
   
  Even as his efforts drew the attention of military 
  leaders on both sides, Alloces’s own interests and 
  obsessions began to shift, growing more repulsive. 
  In his constant infliction of tortures, Alloces became 
  fascinated with the nature of life and with the mallea-
  bility and resiliency of flesh. He began experimenting 
  on and even vivisecting captive angels, trying to 
  determine the precise moment that life left the body, 
  the limits of endurance, and the ability of the physical 
  form to function with limbs removed, reshaped, or 
  even replaced. As his obsession grew, Alloces became 
  less focused on gathering intelligence and more on 
  the results of his “studies.” By the time the war ended 
  and Asmodeus threw down the broken form of He 
  Who Was, Alloces’s star was on the wane, and his 
  effectiveness was questioned by superiors and subor-
  dinates alike.
  only were such souls viable sources of dark power 
  and possible servants, but people could be tempted 
  into summoning devils to the mortal realm, granting 
  them at least temporary freedom from their cursed 
  imprisonment.
   
  For Alloces, this discovery meant something 
  entirely different. It meant he had an entirely new 
  population on which to experiment, and entirely new 
  metaphysical discoveries to make.
   
  From his fascination with the flesh, Alloces’s 
  obsession grew to incorporate the soul, a concept with 
  which he was previously unfamiliar. Through magic 
  rituals and careful vivisection, he studied the precise 
  relationship between body and soul, as well as the dif-
  ferences between the souls of mortal beings and the 
  spiritual essence of immortals and animalistic beasts. 
  He traded and served with other devils for his share 
  of souls, plus he worked to tempt and corrupt mortals 
  where the opportunities arose—not for the boost in 
  power or position, but to acquire a larger supply of 
  raw materials.
  Monster Cults
  As mortal societies grew ever more aware of the new 
  power in the heavens, diabolic cults arose through-
  out countless communities and cultures. Most were 
  meant to empower their members (or at least its lead-
  ers) by using infernal pacts, and it quickly became 
  obvious that the more powerful devils were—unsur-
  prisingly—developing the strongest, most effective 
  cults. Some lesser devils made do with the dregs and 
  attempted to deceive mortals into thinking them 
  greater than they were, or—like Beleth, the so-called 
  Witch’s Viscount (Dragon 365)—focused on smaller, 
  more primitive sects that had so far remained largely 
  unnoticed by the archdevils. Alloces, however, chose 
  a different route.
   
  Taking advantage of his growing skill at creating 
  horrors, Alloces unleashed a variety of new monsters 
  The Infernal Kingdom
  The curse of vengeance that reshaped the dominion 
  into the Nine Hells of today, and confined the devils 
  to the realm they’d fought so hard to conquer, didn’t 
  initially discomfit Alloces as it did so many others. 
  His ambitions didn’t run to ruling, or to exploring and 
  corrupting other worlds, but to continuing his studies 
  and experiments. The forces of Asmodeus still held 
  several angels captive—prisoners who had remained 
  loyal to He Who Was—and since they served no 
  greater purpose any longer, many were given over 
  into the care of various interrogators. When such pris-
  oners weren’t available, Alloces acquired a number of 
  devils on whom he could “operate” by hiring himself 
  out to competing dukes and princes, promising to 
  acquire information from captive rivals in exchange 
  for ownership of the broken remains. Geryon, 
  Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus made frequent use 
  of his talents, but the interrogator and mad surgeon 
  worked at various points for most of the major devils 
  of Hell. During this time Alloces created some of his 
  earliest and most primitive monsters, through the 
  careful recombination of parts and pieces of various 
  angels, devils, and other astral beasts. On occasion, 
  a powerful devil employed Alloces not as an inter-
  rogator, but as a breeder, to build a specific sort of 
  horror or to shepherd and increase the size of herds 
  of hellish beasts.
   
  Still, despite such powerful connections, Alloces’s 
  narrow range of interests might have kept him from 
  ever achieving further importance among the armies 
  of devils, had it not been for the sudden influx of 
  mortal souls.
  Torment Eternal
  For many devils, and of course for Asmodeus, the 
  realization that mortal souls could be funneled into 
  the Hells after death, by using deceptive pacts and 
  horrific ceremonies, was incredibly enticing. Not 
  
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  ing further monsters at his master’s request. As 
  Geryon’s own influence began to fade, Alloces aban-
  doned him, instead offering his services to all who 
  could pay his asking price in souls, in magic, or in 
  political favors. Today, he keeps herds of nightmares, 
  dragons, golems, and melded souls (see “The Brood 
  of Alloces,” page 46) on behalf of Bel, Fierna, Glasya, 
  Mephistopheles, and Asmodeus, as well as a vast 
  array of lesser devils.
   
  When not dealing with his clients or looking in on 
  his mortal cults, Alloces continues to engage in his 
  only love and his only obsession: the torture and dis-
  figurement of souls into monsters.
  aLLoceS’S goaLS
  Unlike most other devils, Alloces has no interest in 
  power for power’s sake. He cares little for the actions 
  of other devils, save where they impact him directly, 
  and is content ruling over a single (albeit enormous) 
  estate at the edge of Asmodeus’s domain of Nessus.
   
  He doesn’t want to rule; he doesn’t want to domi-
  nate. He wants only to be allowed to continue his 
  “great work,” and to ensure himself an unending 
  supply of raw materials. In some ways, this makes 
  him worse.
   
  Unlike other devils, who split their attentions and 
  their schemes between mortals and other devils, 
  Alloces has the luxury of a narrower focus. Because 
  his interaction with other hellish denizens is limited 
  largely to agreements to create, breed, and house 
  various horrors, he can devote all his efforts to the 
  acquisition of ever greater numbers of souls—and to 
  the creation of ever greater horrors, their component 
  parts screaming in eternal agony even as they work to 
  slaughter new victims.
  The Mortal World
  Alloces is not in a strong position when it comes to 
  acquiring mortal souls. He lacks the power and name 
  recognition of Hell’s greatest archdevils, to whom 
  most diabolic cults are devoted. Similarly, he lacks 
  the broad appeal or temptation of lesser devils such 
  as succubi or the numerous imps of Beleth. Alloces, 
  therefore, concentrates his efforts on specific popula-
  tions, where he feels his mastery over beasts and his 
  ability to shape the bodies and souls of mortals can 
  best serve him. From these cults and cabals he earns 
  many of his souls—the others coming as trade or pay-
  ment from other devils—so Alloces works as tirelessly 
  in the mortal realm as any devil, despite his prefer-
  ence for focusing on his experimental endeavors.
  Plague and Deformity
  Alloces has found that one of his most frequently 
  opened doorways into the mortal realm comes in 
  the aftermath of widespread disease. Plague leaves 
  a trail of broken, twisted bodies behind it—the dying 
  and the deformed who have already passed beyond 
  the bounds of natural healing. Many plague-stricken 
  communities lack any means of magical healing, and 
  even people who can acquire them are often too weak 
  to survive the potential hardships of rituals such as 
  Cure Disease.
   
  But Alloces’s name is associated with all manner of 
  occult rites involving the flesh, and a power capable 
  of twisting limbs into inhuman shapes can surely 
  repair them with equal faculty. By bestowing a sem-
  blance of his powers on his own diabolic and mortal 
  servitors, or even appearing himself when the proper 
  rites are invoked, Alloces restores life and health to 
  the broken wreckage of plague—but never, of course, 
  without cost. More often than not, the souls Alloces 
  gains in exchange for these efforts are not those of 
  the victims themselves, but their loved ones, for what 
  loving parents or devoted spouse wouldn’t at least 
  on the mortal realm and claimed credit for creating 
  others with which he had nothing to do. (To this day, 
  Alloces claims to have created, among others, the 
  nightmare, the chimera, and the manticore; to have 
  bred the first cambions; and even to have infected the 
  first lycanthropes. Few sages, wizards, or religious 
  leaders believe these claims, but nevertheless, his 
  mortal servitors continue to spread such rumors.) He 
  also instructed several mortals in the animation of 
  dead flesh; although the prior claims are considered 
  patently false, Alloces is credited with inspiring the 
  creation of the first flesh golem.
   
  Ultimately, regardless of how much is truth and 
  how much is deception, Alloces became strongly 
  associated in occult circles with a wide variety of the 
  stranger, more horrific beasts of the mortal world. In 
  many primitive cultures, such monsters were (and in 
  some savage regions, still are) feared and even revered 
  as embodying the wrath of the gods. These beliefs 
  evolved into “monster cults,” which are sects of people 
  who worship the monsters themselves, or at least the 
  powers behind them, seeing such beasts as the most 
  potent creatures in the region and thus worthy of rever-
  ence. Many modern mages seek to create monsters of 
  their own—from golems to living hybrids—and many of 
  these depraved “sages” are also tied to such beast cults. 
  In both cases, the power behind such peculiar sects is 
  Alloces, who continues to reveal secrets of reanimating 
  flesh to his followers to keep their loyalties—and even-
  tually acquire their souls.
  The Prince of Beasts
  From a skilled but unreliable interrogator and a 
  fiend of great renown but little influence, Alloces has 
  grown into one of the most feared devils below the 
  ranks of the archdevils and dukes themselves. Alloces 
  has turned his obsession into a tool for all the Hells. 
  For years, he served as a combination kennel-master 
  and huntmaster for Geryon, keeping that archdevil’s 
  menagerie of beasts and horrors, creating and breed-
  
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  consider selling his or her soul, when faced with the 
  thought of children or a lover dying in horrid agony, 
  or spending an entire life in crippled want? Although 
  some instances of plague (or other disasters) lead to 
  only one or two souls, some severely ravaged towns 
  have turned themselves over to Alloces almost in 
  their entirety. Some of these birth new cults, while 
  others utterly end at the current generation, all 
  lives and souls stripped away to feed the Butcher’s 
  unslaked obsessions.
   
  On occasion, servants of Alloces have been known 
  to spread plague deliberately—contaminating water 
  sources, performing rituals, or even collaborating 
  with creatures such as scourge dragons or demonic 
  sects—to create new opportunities for their diabolic 
  master to make his deals.
  Vivisectionists and Wizards
  Although the bulk of Alloces’s mortal worshipers 
  come from the ranks of the simple or the savage—
  either plague-stricken communities as discussed 
  above, or primitive beast cults as discussed below—a 
  significant minority, and indeed some of his most 
  potent and most devoted followers, hail instead from 
  the heights of the urbane and the educated. From 
  the surgeon more concerned with his own skills than 
  the well being of his patients, to the sage who seeks 
  detailed knowledge of the inner workings of all living 
  things, to the wealthy aristocrat who seeks to return 
  her deceased husband to the land of the living no 
  matter what the gods might have to say about it—all 
  have two things in common. One, they feel that their 
  wealth and privilege place them above the ethical 
  concerns of “lesser folk,” and two, they are ripe fruit 
  waiting for Alloces to pluck them down.
   
  Although such individuals are indeed rare, they 
  represent the beating heart of Alloces’s efforts on the 
  mortal plane. It was by using just such deluded fools 
  that he taught humanity the secret of crafting flesh 
  golems and introduced various dark rituals intended 
  to transform a living victim into an animal. Mortals 
  who follow in the footsteps of Alloces’s own obses-
  sions provide access to wealth and authority, and 
  even to the poorer souls of the cities, that the devil 
  would otherwise lack. Where beast cults of Alloces 
  are unsubtle, nearly as wild as demonic sects, these 
  villains hide themselves away in the hierarchy of 
  local governments or high society, drawing more and 
  more of the bored aristocracy into their sadistic and 
  depraved endeavors.
  Beast Cults
  The most numerous of Alloces’s worshipers are 
  members, or descendants, of so-called beast cults. As 
  mentioned previously, these sects worship the various 
  monsters of the wilderness as emissaries of the gods, 
  or the embodiments of divine wrath. Alloces, with his 
  own association with various monsters, has corrupted 
  such beliefs into worship of himself.
   
  These beliefs appear primarily in more primitive 
  regions, so many of Alloces’s worshipers are tribal, 
  and they hail from races such as shifters, lizardfolk, 
  and goliaths. That said, some modern towns house 
  such cults as well, either because of the return of old 
  superstitions—perhaps during an upsurge in lycan-
  thropy, for instance—or because the townsfolk are 
  descendants of more primitive beast cults who have 
  maintained their beliefs even as the world around 
  them grew and changed.
   
  Members of urban beast cults keep themselves 
  secret, performing rites, sacrifices, and experiments 
  covertly, while going about their daily lives in the 
  guise of normal folk. In primitive, savage regions, 
  
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  however, these cults are overt and vicious, performing 
  open blood ceremonies, raiding nearby tribes, and 
  acting more like worshipers of demons than like the 
  followers of a diabolic power.
  The Hierarchy of the  
  Nine Hells
  Alloces doesn’t hold a typical position in Hell’s hier-
  archy. On a personal level, and in terms of the favors 
  and influence he can call upon, he’s roughly the 
  equivalent to a lesser duke or more powerful baron—
  nowhere near the strength of the true archdevils, but 
  a force to be reckoned with.
   
  But Alloces doesn’t govern a great city or a mas-
  sive principality within Hell’s nine domains. He 
  oversees a single grand estate—thousands of acres 
  in size, yes, but still negligible compared to the 
  domains of other ranking devils—at the edge of 
  Nessus. Here, fences of black iron and hellfire keep 
  rampaging herds of monsters in line; here, in his 
  great stone manor, Alloces maintains a dozen labora-
  tories, and well over a hundred stables.
   
  Alloces’s interaction with other devils, except for 
  those over whom he rules on his estate, comes in 
  the form of arrangements to breed, house, train, and 
  produce monsters for use as mounts, hunting hounds, 
  weapons of war, and beasts of burden. In this relation-
  ship Alloces maintains his one sacrosanct rule; he 
  never sabotages, delays, or otherwise interferes with 
  one devil’s beasts at the behest of another, no matter 
  how great the payment offered. Although Alloces’s 
  claims of creating such monsters are likely untrue, 
  there is no doubt that he has bred new, more potent 
  versions of nightmares, chimeras (with the heads of 
  battle dragons; see Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons, 
  page 189), and hellstinger scorpions. He maintains 
  herds of Nessian hounds and melded souls (see “The 
  Brood of Alloces,” pages 46 and 50), and holds auc-
  tions to provide his newest creations to whichever 
  devil offers the most raw souls in payment. Entering 
  Alloces’s estate is like walking into an enormous 
  ranch—one on which the animals all want very much 
  to kill you, and on which being caught trespassing 
  might result in your soul being added to the herd.
   
  On occasion, a devil still comes to Alloces for his 
  expertise in torture and interrogation, but this is a 
  rare event indeed. Most devils have their own meth-
  ods of questioning, after all, and how many of them 
  want a potential rival like Alloces to know what infor-
  mation they seek?
  even occult dabbling, he and his friends began experi-
  menting on the poor and homeless off the street. 
  combining his proclivities with his occult knowledge, 
  it can be no wonder that Illisar swiftly communed 
  with servants of the hideous alloces, who in turn 
  directed Illisar to his other local, diminishing cult.
   
  With access to Illisar’s money, estate, and political 
  connections, the cult experienced a sudden resur-
  gence. Today, the beast cult—the majority of the 
  sect—spends its time engaged in prayers to alloces 
  and rites that venerate the strength and viciousness 
  of various monsters of the wild. The bulk of their 
  practices are, though depraved, essentially harmless—
  except on those rare occasions wherein they kidnap 
  someone off the streets for sacrifice, to propitiate the 
  world’s monsters and alloces, so that the beasts of 
  the region might remain appeased.
   
  Those victims, however, might wish that they’d 
  merely been sacrificed. For they, in turn, are handed 
  over to the carnate cabal—a name that properly 
  refers only to Illisar’s circle, not the cult entire—for 
  experiments as depraved as any mortal mind can 
  concoct. From golems to cross-species transplants, 
  Illisar and his allies do all in their power to follow in 
  the footsteps of alloces. and from his place in hell, 
  the devil looks upon them and smiles, for he knows 
  that each soul guilty of such horrors will be subject 
  to his own experiments in turn. . .
  Based within the town of Ensmere, the so-called car-
  nate cabal is a secret within a secret—a dual-layered 
  cult of alloces in which not even the bulk of the mem-
  bership understand the true nature, the depth, or the 
  depravity of their sect.
   
  The cult was born in a nearby village founded by 
  pioneers descended from a beast-worshiping tribe. 
  For years, their depravities were blatant and open, but 
  when Ensmere sprang up nearby, the cultists hid their 
  practices, lest the larger community turn on them. 
  When Ensmere annexed the village, during an expan-
  sion brought about by the prosperity of the Empire 
  of Nerath, the cult went even farther underground. It 
  shrank dramatically, so much so that it was in danger 
  of dying out entirely.
   
  Until, that is, the appearance of Lord Illisar hal-
  lifrey, last heir of the hallifrey line and sole master of 
  their property, the monolithic asterfield Estate.
   
  In his public persona, Illisar is a typical aristocratic 
  fop, simpering and sycophantic to his betters, coldly 
  disdainful to everyone else, and concerned only with 
  gossip and fashion and those elements of the market-
  place that might impact his own wealth and status.
   
  But privately, Illisar leads a cabal of the rich, the 
  educated, and the utterly unscrupulous. he holds 
  an intense fascination with vivisection and with 
  determining the connections between the soul and 
  the flesh. Bored with traditional entertainments and 
  SampLe cuLt: the carnate caBaL
  
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  aLLoceS, the Butcher 
  of neSSuS
  Prince of Beasts, father of monsters, mad surgeon of 
  the Nine Hells, Alloces would prefer to send his own 
  creations and servants into battle than to engage in it 
  himself. Should the need arise, however, Alloces is a 
  brutal combatant in his own right—but even then, he 
  never enters battle without allies at his side.
  Description
  Although he stands among the more human-looking 
  devils, Alloces is clearly something else, something 
  wrong, upon casual inspection—yet it often requires 
  a longer, closer look before any observer can pick up 
  on exactly why. The Butcher of Nessus stands taller 
  and thinner than the average human—just enough to 
  stand out from a crowd. His hairless skin is hideously 
  pale with just the faintest tint of life, like the flesh of 
  a shaved cat left too long in the dark. The cast of his 
  features have a touch of the predatory, as though the 
  face of a great feline was pressing against the inside 
  of his own, and his clenching, grasping fingers are 
  abnormally long.
   
  Whether he does so in deliberate mockery of 
  human religion or dons the garb in which he feels 
  most comfortable, Alloces wears a priest’s cassock 
  of jet black leather and heavy cloth that is so tight 
  around the chest and shoulders that it looks as though 
  it should tear asunder. The whispers of the cassock’s 
  skirt as he walks sound like the hissing of an angry 
  beast.
   
  Although it would be relatively easy for Alloces to 
  pass himself off as a mortal, with magic or even mun-
  dane disguise, he rarely if ever does so. In his mad 
  obsession, there is no “lesser being” for which Alloces 
  would ever wish to be mistaken.
  Alloces Tactics
  Alloces has one particular tactic to which he defaults 
  ahead of all others: overwhelm the foe with the 
  weight of numbers. No matter how many allies he 
  already has with him, he takes his first action to 
  summon more by using infernal summons, unless he’s 
  fighting in an area where greater numbers are more 
  hindrance than help. He remains at range, putting 
  multiple layers of allies between himself and the foe. 
  He uses flesh twister as soon as he can catch at least 
  two or three foes with it. When dominating a foe, he 
  prefers to spend his efforts on moving them into a 
  poor tactical position, rather than having them waste 
  actions making basic attacks against their allies.
   
  Alloces has no compunctions whatsoever about 
  fleeing if his life depends on it, or on sacrificing his 
  allies to make sure he can do so successfully.
  initiative +22 
  senses Perception +19; darkvision
  infernal goad aura 10; allies within the aura can choose to 
  take 10 damage to reroll a saving throw that just failed. 
  Each failed saving throw can be rerolled in this manner 
  only once.
  terrible Presence (Psychic) aura 3; enemies that start their 
  turns within the aura or enter the aura take 15 psychic 
  damage.
  hP 518; Bloodied 259
  aC 42; Fortitude 40, reflex 42, will 39
  immune polymorph; resist 30 fire, 20 poison
  saving throws +2
  speed 7, climb 7, teleport 5
  action Points 1
  m soulwood staff (standard; at-will) ✦ weapon
   
  +33 vs. ac; 3d12 + 6 damage, and the target is pushed 4 
  squares and slowed until the end of alloces’s next turn.
  r soul-rending Bolt (standard; at-will) ✦ Charm, Psychic
   
  ranged 20; +32 vs. Will; 3d8 + 10 psychic damage, and 
  the target makes an immediate basic attack against an ally 
  within 6 squares of it as a free action.
  infernal summons (standard; encounter)
   
  alloces summons a group of allies. Summoned allies roll 
  initiative to determine when they act in the initiative 
  order and gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls as long as alloces 
  is alive. They remain until they are killed, dismissed 
  by alloces (free action), or the encounter ends. Pcs do 
  not earn experience points for killing these summoned 
  creatures. alloces chooses to summon one of the following 
  groups of allies:
   
  ✦ 1 seraphic golem (level 22 elite) and 2 infernal hounds 
  (level 16), or
   
  ✦ 2 war devils (level 22) and 2 shrieking steeds (level 16), or
   
  ✦ 1 war devil (level 22), 5 legion devil legionnaires (level 
  21), and 2 infernal hounds (level 16)
  R horrid transformation (minor; recharges when first 
  bloodied) ✦ Charm, Polymorph
   
  ranged 12; +32 vs. Fortitude; the target is dominated 
  by alloces (save ends). alloces can have only one target 
  dominated at a time.
  R infernal inspiration (minor 1/turn; at-will)
   
  ranged 12; an ally can shift 1 square and make a basic 
  attack against a target within range.
  A Flesh-twister (standard; recharge 5 6 ) ✦ Polymorph
   
  area burst 2 within 20; +32 vs. Fortitude; the targets are 
  weakened, slowed, and take ongoing 10 damage (save 
  ends all).
   
  Aftereffect: Target is slowed and takes ongoing 5 damage 
  (save ends both).
  alignment Evil 
  languages common, Supernal; alloces 
  can communicate telepathically with any creature he 
  created, within line of sight or within 20 squares without 
  line of sight
  skills Bluff +27, heal +24, Insight +24, Intimidate +27
  str 22 (+20) 
  dex 27 (+22) 
  wis 21 (+19)
  Con 27 (+22) 
  int 30 (+24) 
  Cha 27 (+22)
  Alloces 
  Level 28 Elite Controller (Leader)
  Medium immortal humanoid (devil) 
  XP 26,000
  
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  Alloces Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Religion check.
   
  DC 19: The devil Alloces, called the Butcher 
  of Nessus and the Prince of Beasts, is something of 
  an animal breeder and kennel master to the Lords 
  of Hell. In his estate in Nessus, he conducts horrid 
  experiments on captured mortal souls, transforming 
  them into foul beasts that suffer eternally even as they 
  slaughter others.
   
  DC 28: Although not as powerful in combat as 
  other unique devils, Alloces possesses brutal powers 
  of transmutation and deformation with which he can 
  devastate his foes. Worse, Alloces is rarely without 
  allies, and even if cornered alone he can summon 
  allies instantly to his side.
   
  DC 33: With this result, the PC knows all the 
  basics as presented in the History section (although 
  the DM is encouraged to omit a few specific details if 
  they seem like the sort of thing that wouldn’t become 
  known to even expert mortal students of the occult).
  Encounter Groups
  As mentioned above, Alloces never fights alone. The 
  encounter groups given here do not include any addi-
  tional reinforcements the Butcher of Nessus might 
  summon by using infernal summons.
  Level 28 Encounter (XP 72,350)
  The PCs have invaded Alloces’s estate, perhaps 
  hoping to catch the devil unawares. They haven’t.
  ✦ Alloces (level 28 elite controller)
  ✦ 1 advanced war devil (level 26 brute)
  ✦ 1 advanced vile host (level 22 solo soldier)
  ✦ 2 seraphic golems (level 22 elite soldier)
  Level 28 Encounter (XP 70,550)
  Alloces is traveling across the plains of Nessus,  
  on his way to meet with a potential client for his  
  horrific services.
  ✦ Alloces (level 28 elite controller)
  ✦ Machalos (level 24 soldier)
  ✦ 2 shrieking steeds (level 16 skirmishers)
  ✦ 7 advanced infernal hounds (level 23 soldiers)
  enemieS, aLLieS, and 
  minionS
  Alloces counts scores of devils, major and minor, as 
  clients for his repulsive services and thus as potential 
  contacts. Most, however, have no strong attachments 
  to the Prince of Beasts, seeing him as a peculiar if 
  frightening recluse who, except for his occasional  
  dabbling in the mortal world and thus in the flow of 
  souls to Hell, can be safely ignored when his services 
  aren’t required. Alloces has stronger ties with a few 
  devils, however; these are discussed below.
  Asmodeus
  The King of Hell was the first to make use of Alloces’s 
  talents during the war of rebellion, and though 
  those talents have shifted somewhat in direction 
  and in scope during the ages since, Asmodeus still 
  recognizes the lesser devil’s usefulness. Alloces 
  keeps entire herds of fiendish mounts and Nessian 
  hounds on Asmodeus’s behalf—the largest such herds 
  and packs of any on his sprawling estate. Although 
  Asmodeus doesn’t consider Alloces one of his more 
  important vassals, and Alloces knows well that his 
  usefulness to the King of Hell is limited, Alloces still 
  considers Asmodeus a potential ally and, as long as 
  he doesn’t abuse the privilege, is in a position to call 
  upon the fiendish god for the occasional boon.
  The Dukes of Hell
  Although the Butcher of Nessus began his service 
  under Geryon, Alloces severed ties with that devil 
  shortly after shifting focus from interrogation to  
  vivisection and the creation of foul life. And a good 
  thing it was, since he might otherwise have been 
  caught in Geryon’s fall and banishment from Hell at 
  the hands of Asmodeus.
   Despite this fact, Geryon’s successor, ice-bound 
  Levistus, harbors a deep mistrust for Alloces, and is 
  one of only two archdevils to never to make use of 
  his services. The other is the sluglike Baalzebul, who 
  seems quite capable of spawning his preferred sorts of 
  monsters on his own, and is far too paranoid to truck 
  with any devil so closely favored by Asmodeus.
   
  On the other side of the equation, Alloces is 
  considered a close ally—or at least employee—of 
  the martial Bel, who frequently makes use of the 
  Butcher’s breeding programs to add new mounts and 
  living weapons to his ever-growing army. Similarly, 
  Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus and relatively new to 
  her position of rulership over the domain of Malbolge, 
  appreciates the benefits of having a devil she knows 
  can be trusted watching over and breeding the herds 
  of horrors that serve alongside her loyal soldiers.
   
  In addition to these, Alloces also keeps herds or 
  packs for Fierna and Mephistopheles (the latter of 
  whom, through his mastery of hellfire, aided Alloces 
  in the creation of the hellfire hounds [see “The Brood 
  of Alloces,” page 50]), but these interactions are, 
  although relatively free of malice, purely business 
  where the devils are concerned. Although they are 
  clearly no enemies of Alloces, neither can he reliably 
  count them as allies.
  Lesser Devils
  Alloces doesn’t limit his interactions to the arch-
  devils alone, of course. A number of pit fiends and 
  war devils boast hideous mounts or hunting hounds 
  
  43
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  codex of Betrayal: alloces
  created in the Butcher’s laboratories. He deals on a 
  frequent basis with a devil named Stalos, a repulsive 
  creature with whom he trades for the souls, and his 
  interactions with Glasya have caused him to cross 
  paths with Beleth. Glasya’s spymaster has little to  
  do with or say to Alloces, but has on occasion dis-
  cussed techniques of interrogation with the Butcher 
  of Nessus.
   
  Alloces boasts a few personal servants and lieuten-
  ants, though most of his minions take other forms. 
  These include the following:
  	
  •	Kromastes	(an	elite	ice	devil,	advanced	to	24th	
  level), the head of Alloces’s household security.
  	
  •	Machalos,	a	former	servitor	of	Geryon	now	
  housed in a body of Alloces’s creation (see below).
  The Brood of Alloces
  The bulk of Alloces’s allies and servants are creatures 
  and constructs of his own creation. These include, 
  but are by no means limited to, the monsters detailed 
  in the accompanying article “The Brood of Alloces” 
  (page 45).
  machaLoS, the 
  Sutured fiend
  Machalos might not be the most powerful of 
  Alloces’s servants, but he’s absolutely the fiercest. Per-
  haps more peculiarly, he’s also the most loyal—and yet 
  might one day become the Butcher of Nessus’s worst 
  nightmare.
  Description
  Machalos is a patchwork creature—a diabolic essence 
  in an artificial form. His general shape is that of the 
  pit fiend he used to be, but with parts, patches, and 
  limbs from a variety of creatures—including at least 
  one type of angel and one of the larger varieties of 
  troll. Although the edges of his “patches” are clearly 
  stitched, like a cheap repair on a coat, the various 
  limbs have been sculpted together like wax, as if the 
  flesh was shaped as easily as soft clay.
   Machalos’s gestures are erratic, as though his body 
  isn’t quite willing to obey his commands, yet he moves 
  more than smoothly enough when combat erupts. 
  Machalos carries a war devil’s trident rather than the 
  traditional mace of the pit fiend; its tip is constantly 
  wreathed in flame and smells of burning blood.
  Machalos Tactics
  Machalos is a more vicious combatant even than 
  true pit fiends. He lunges into battle, making imme-
  diate use of wild frenzy to deal substantial damage. 
  He normally waits a round or two before using his 
  back-breaker attack, and he uses inner renewal the first 
  round after he’s bloodied. Machalos prefers to fight 
  to the death, but he retreats from combat if Alloces 
  orders him to do so.
  Machalos Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Religion check.
   
  DC 24: Machalos is a devilish construct—the 
  essence of a pit fiend placed inside a piecemeal body. 
  He is a loyal servant of the devil Alloces, who is also 
  called the Butcher of Nessus.
   
  DC 29: Machalos was once a pit fiend in the 
  service of Geryon, Lord of Stygia, and it was during 
  Alloces’s service to that same archdevil that the 
  two first met. When Geryon was thrown down by 
  Asmodeus and replaced by Levistus, the new lord’s 
  operatives attacked and slew most of Geryon’s gener-
  als, lest they plot against the newcomers. Machalos 
  escaped the attack, but he was hideously injured 
  
  44
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  codex of Betrayal: alloces
  and clearly dying. Alloces—more because he saw an 
  opportunity than out of any affection for his former 
  companion—saved Machalos’s life by placing him in a 
  newly constructed, patchwork body. Machalos is hid-
  eously resentful of his loss of power, for his new body 
  is markedly weaker than that of a true pit fiend, but 
  he remains grateful to Alloces for saving his life.
  Encounter Groups
  When not accompanying Alloces, Machalos fights in 
  the company of his master’s various creations.
  Level 23 Encounter (XP 26,900)
  ✦ Machalos (level 24 soldier)
  ✦ 1 shrieking steed (level 16 skirmisher)
  ✦ 1 war devil (level 22 brute)
  ✦ 3 advanced infernal hounds (level 23 soldiers)
  About the Author
  ari Marmell has been shirking homework in favor of playing 
  the D&D® game since he was nine years old. Thankfully, he 
  now works in the industry, since shirking work for gaming 
  tends to wreak havoc with the bills. He has written for quite a 
  few of the industry’s major companies, including White Wolf 
  and, of course, Wizards of the Coast.
  Machalos 
  Level 24 Soldier
  Large immortal animate (devil) 
  XP 6,050
  initiative +18 
  senses Perception +19; darkvision
  hP 228; Bloodied 114
  aC 40; Fortitude 38, reflex 36, will 35
  immune disease, sleep; resist 20 fire, 20 poison
  speed 8, fly 8 (clumsy)
  m hellish trident (standard; at-will) ✦ Fire, weapon
   
  reach 2; +31 vs. ac; 2d6 + 4 damage, and ongoing 10 fire 
  damage and the target deals 5 fire damage to all adjacent 
  creatures at the start of its turn (save ends both).
  m tail swipe (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 2; +29 vs. reflex; 2d6 + 4 damage, and if the target 
  attempts to move or shift away from Machalos before the 
  end of Machalos’s next turn, Machalos can make a hellish 
  trident attack against the target as an immediate interrupt.
  M Back-Breaker (standard; encounter)
   
  reach 2; targets an enemy of Large size or smaller; +29 
  vs. reflex; 4d8 + 8 damage and the target is pushed 
  8 squares. If the target ends this forced movement in 
  a square adjacent to another enemy, Machalos can 
  immediately use the discard refuse power.
  M wild Frenzy (standard; recharge 6) ✦ weapon
   
  Machalos makes a hellish trident and tail swipe attack.
  R discard refuse (no action; usable only when back-breaker 
  hits a target; encounter)
   
  ranged 8; targets a creature adjacent to the target of the 
  back-breaker power; +31 vs. ac; 4d8 + 4 damage and the 
  target is knocked prone.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  skills athletics +25, Intimidate +20
  str 26 (+20) 
  dex 19 (+16) 
  wis 25 (+19)
  Con 28 (+21) 
  int 25 (+19) 
  Cha 16 (+15)
  douBtS and  
  uncertaintieS
  Machalos’s loyalty to alloces has begun, ever so 
  slightly, to fray around the edges. The so-called 
  Sutured Fiend is beginning to wonder, based on 
  seeing some of his master’s other creations, if alloces 
  couldn’t place him in a more potent body. he specu-
  lates if the loss of power he has endured by losing his 
  original form couldn’t be rectified.
   
  So far, all Machalos has are vague suspicions—sus-
  picions that he knows might be inspired by nothing 
  more than a desire to regain his past might. Should 
  he ever discover that alloces could grant him a more 
  potent form and has chosen not to do so, however, 
  his gratitude toward the devil who saved his life could 
  easily shift to a burning, vengeance-driven hatred.
  
  45
  October 2008  |  Dr agon 368 
  TM & © 2008 Wizards of the coast, LLc. all rights reserved.
  illustrations by Ryan Barger and Chris Seaman
  the Brood of alloces
  by Ari Marmell
  KNOWN VARIABLY as the Prince of Beasts and 
  the Butcher of Nessus, the devil Alloces is Hell’s own 
  mad surgeon. Though his influence in the infernal 
  hierarchy comes from his services as stable-master 
  to Asmodeus and other archdevils, keeping and 
  breeding their herds, his obsession, his love, and his 
  greatest claim to infamy comes in his efforts to create 
  new monsters. He is a depraved sculptor: the flesh 
  and the souls of living beings are his clay, and his 
  “works of art” suffer eternal torment even as their 
  new, monstrous urges set them to inflicting their own 
  pain on others. Although artificially assembled, most 
  of Alloces’s creations harbor a true spark of life.
  
  Bestiary: the Brood of alloces
  46
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
   
  The following monsters are among the most 
  infamous of Alloces’s creations, but they represent 
  only a small fraction of his “children.” 
  the Butcher’S 
  ServitorS
  When pitting your PCs against the minions, creations, 
  and allies of Alloces, you needn’t limit yourself solely 
  to the creatures presented in this article. A few simple 
  cosmetic tweaks to otherwise mundane opponents can 
  help portray the devil’s twisted mind and even more 
  twisted creations.
   
  For instance, suppose you want to pit the PCs 
  against a wide variety of humanoid creatures that 
  boast bestial features, since they’ve all been melded 
  together from human souls and predatory spirits. You 
  can, of course, create brand new monsters to meet 
  that need, but if you’re lacking time, consider pulling 
  humanoids of the appropriate level out of the Monster 
  Manual—humans, orcs, eladrin, what have you—and 
  then altering their appearance and the nature of their 
  attacks. Starting with an orc brute, simply describe it 
  as having a wolflike head and running on all fours, 
  and change its axe attack to a bite attack. The result is a 
  creature that is mechanically direct from the book, but 
  clearly represents the fruits of Alloces’s vile labors.
  Creeping Teeth
  Even the leftover pieces of Alloces’s experiments do 
  not go to waste. Using teeth, bone shards, and other 
  hard bits from the bodies of his subjects, the devil has 
  created a lurking predator capable of wrapping itself 
  around its prey and shredding it like a living maw.
  Creeping Teeth 
  Level 9 Lurker
  Large immortal beast (blind, living construct, ooze) 
  XP 800
  initiative +13 
  senses Perception +7; blindsight 10,  
   
   
   
  tremorsense 15
  hP 77; Bloodied 38
  aC 23; Fortitude 21, reflex 23, will 21
  immune gaze; resist 5 melee and ranged attacks
  speed 6; see also consume
  m toothy slam (standard; at-will)
   
  +14 vs. ac; 1d8 + 3 damage, and ongoing 5 damage  
  (save ends).
  M Consume (standard; at-will)
   
  The creeping teeth attacks one Medium or smaller target; 
  +12 vs. reflex (automatically hits creatures that the creeping 
  teeth has combat advantage against). On a hit, the target is 
  grabbed and pulled into the creeping teeth’s space; the target 
  is dazed and takes ongoing 10 damage until it escapes the 
  grab. a creature that escapes the grab shifts to a square of its 
  choosing adjacent to the creeping teeth. The creeping teeth 
  can move normally while creatures are engulfed within it.
  M Parting shot (immediate reaction; when a creature escapes 
  the creeping teeth’s grab; at-will)
   
  The creeping teeth makes a toothy slam attack against the 
  creature that just escaped its grab.
  Creeping skitter (standard; at-will)
   
  The creeping teeth shifts 3 squares and designates a 
  single target within 6 squares; that target grants the 
  creeping teeth combat advantage until the end of the 
  creeping teeth’s next turn.
  rain of teeth (move; recharge ⚅)
   
  The creeping teeth shifts 6 squares, ignoring difficult terrain.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  skills Stealth +14
  str 13 (+5) 
  dex 21 (+9) 
  wis 17 (+7)
  Con 17 (+7) 
  int 1 (–1)  
  Cha 1 (–1)
  Creeping Teeth Tactics
  The creeping teeth waits in hiding, attacking as prey 
  passes by it. It uses consume immediately, unless circum-
  stances prevent it, and it attempts to consume multiple 
  targets. It might release its prey to obtain a better tactical 
  position, and it uses rain of teeth to pass through some foes 
  to go after more vulnerable targets. It might appear to flee 
  while it attempts to hide and regain combat advantage, 
  but it lacks any sense of self-preservation and fights to the 
  death once it has chosen to attack.
  Creeping Teeth Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Religion check.
   
  DC 14: Creeping teeth are a creation of Alloces, 
  the devil called the Butcher of Nessus. It consists not 
  only of teeth, but bones and similar body parts.
   
  Creeping teeth aren’t technically oozes, but 
  because they hang together and move in the same 
  fashion as a viscous fluid, and since they share all 
  the standard traits of an ooze, they qualify as oozes 
  for all intents and purposes.
  Encounter Groups
  Creeping teeth aren’t intelligent enough to deliber-
  ately ally with other creatures, but they are sometimes 
  specifically placed alongside other creatures that they 
  aren’t likely to see as prey.
  Level 8 Encounter (XP 1,850)
  ✦ 2 cambion hellswords (level 8 brute)
  ✦ 1 creeping teeth (level 9 elite lurker)
  ✦ 1 flameskull (level 8 artillery) 
  meLded SouLS
  Perhaps the most infamous and horrifying of Alloces’s 
  creations, “melded souls” are just that: nightmares 
  assembled of the souls—and in some cases, body 
  parts—of multiple mortals. The individual personas 
  remain alive and intact enough to understand what has 
  become of them—so they shriek and gibber in constant 
  torment—but the creature as a whole is driven by a 
  vicious, bestial mind that remains uninfluenced by its 
  component parts.
  
  Bestiary: the Brood of alloces
  47
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  Carpet of Flesh
  A foul accumulation of layers of flesh, hunks of 
  muscle, and imprisoned souls, the carpet of flesh 
  is almost as much a sentient trap as it is a monster. 
  Those unfortunate enough to stumble upon them—
  sometimes literally—can look forward to a hideous 
  death as they are torn apart by randomly formed 
  limbs of partially animate flesh.
  Carpet of Flesh 
  Level 15 Elite Controller
  Gargantuan immortal beast (living construct, ooze) XP 2,400
  initiative +10 
  senses Perception +12; blindsight 20,  
   
   
   
  tremorsense 20
  Caustic humors (acid) aura 0 (see viscous nature); any creature 
  that starts its turn in the carpet’s space takes 10 acid damage.
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 4; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 302; Bloodied 151
  aC 29; Fortitude 29, reflex 23, will 27
  immune fear; resist half damage from ranged and area attacks
  saving throws +2
  speed 2
  action Points 1
  m reaching arms (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 3; +20 vs. ac; 2d8 + 6 damage, and the target is 
  pulled 3 squares and grabbed until escape. If the target 
  is within the carpet of flesh’s space, it slides 3 squares 
  (instead of being pulled). 
  m Crush (minor; at-will)
   
  a single grabbed target only; +19 vs. Fortitude; 2d8 + 6 
  damage, and the carpet sustains the grab.
  M grasping arms (standard; at-will)
   
  The carpet of flesh makes two reaching arm attacks.
  M reeling grab (minor; at-will)
   
  The carpet of flesh slides one adjacent, grabbed target into 
  the nearest square within the carpet’s space.
  Chameleon
   
  a carpet of flesh can remain hidden with the Stealth skill 
  even without cover or concealment.
  Mobile grappler
   
  The carpet of flesh can move at full speed even when 
  grabbing one or more foes without breaking the grab.
  viscous nature
   
  Other creatures can move through the carpet of flesh’s 
  space, treating the squares it occupies as difficult terrain.  
  a carpet of flesh threatens all squares it occupies.
  alignment Evil 
  languages — 
  skills Stealth +15
  str 20 (+12) 
  dex 17 (+10) 
  wis 20 (+12)
  Con 23 (+13) 
  int 3 (+3) 
  Cha 3 (+3)
  Damned Choir
  A writhing, wailing mass of humanoid souls, bound 
  together in space and given substance, damned choirs 
  seek nothing more than the comfort of the living bodies 
  they have lost and can never regain. How much of their 
  attacks on mortal beings are driven by that urge, and 
  how much by rage and madness, is unclear, but their 
  burning need to slaughter all who cross their path is 
  unmistakable.
  Damned Choir 
  Level 11 Soldier
  Large immortal humanoid (living construct, swarm) XP 600
  initiative +12 
  senses Perception +5; darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 4; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  swarm attack aura 1; the damned choir makes a basic attack 
  as a free action against each enemy that starts its turn 
  within the aura.
  hP 114; Bloodied 57
  aC 27; Fortitude 22, reflex 25, will 22
  immune fear; resist half damage from melee and ranged 
  attacks; vulnerable 10 against close and area attacks
  speed fly 8 (hover)
  m damned touch (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic
   
  +16 vs. Fortitude; 1d6 + 5 psychic damage, and if the 
  target deals damage to any creature other than the 
  damned choir before the start of the damned choir’s next 
  turn, the target takes 5 psychic damage and ongoing 5 
  psychic damage (save ends).
  C screams of the damned (standard; encounter) ✦ Psychic
   
  close burst 3; +16 vs. Fortitude; 3d8 + 5 psychic damage.
  C shriek of the damned (minor; recharge ⚅) • Fear
   
  close burst 5; +16 vs. Will; the target is immobilized 
  (save ends).
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  str 14 (+7) 
  dex 21 (+10) 
  wis 11 (+5)
  Con 18 (+9) 
  int 7 (+3) 
  Cha 18 (+9)
  Damned Choir Tactics
  These horrid creatures prefer to move in close, using 
  shriek of the damned to keep other foes immobile while 
  focusing their melee and aura attacks on a chosen target. 
  They save screams of the damned for when multiple foes 
  converge upon them. Damned choirs know nothing of 
  retreat or fear, and they fight to the end.
  Carpet of Flesh Tactics
  Although not a lurker per se, a carpet of flesh 
  lies in wait for targets. It prefers to place itself 
  in environments where foes cannot hang back 
  and lob attacks at it from a distance. It coats the 
  floors—and, if space allows, even the walls—of the 
  area in which it waits, attacking all creatures that 
  draw near or attempt to pass through its space. It 
  attempts to drag foes into its space if they aren’t in 
  it already, and it keeps them grappled, crushing 
  the life from them.
  Vile Host
  Another of Alloces’s “patchwork” creations, the 
  vile host appears as nothing so much as an enor-
  mous golem made of tattered soul-stuff. Warped 
  and twisted together like so much melted wax, 
  a handful of individual spirits shriek and wail, 
  while their faces appear at random across the 
  host’s vaguely humanoid shape even as it lumbers 
  forward to attack.
  "Melded souls" are just  
  that: nightmares assembled  
  of the souls — and in some  
  cases, body parts — of  
  multiple mortals.
  
  Bestiary: the Brood of alloces
  48
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  Vile Host (conjoined form) 
  Level 17 Solo Soldier
  huge immortal humanoid (living construct) 
  XP 8,000
  initiative +14 
  senses Perception +13; darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 4; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 660; Bloodied a vile host in its conjoined form is never 
  considered bloodied; see bloodied dissolution
  aC 33; Fortitude 30, reflex 26, will 29
  immune fear
  saving throws +5
  speed 8
  action Points 2
  m slam (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 3; +24 vs. ac; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the target cannot 
  shift until the end of the vile host’s next turn.
  r soul-shaking stare (minor 1/turn; at will) ✦ Fear
   
  ranged 12; +22 vs. Will; the target is dazed until the end of 
  the vile host’s next turn.
  M slam Frenzy (standard; at-will)
   
  The vile host (conjoined form) makes three slam attacks.
  M devastating slam (standard; recharge ⚄ ⚅)
   
  reach 3; +24 vs. ac; 4d10 + 7 damage, and the target is 
  pushed 6 squares and knocked prone.
  M Keep Back (immediate reaction, when an enemy moves 
  adjacent to the vile host; at-will)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the target is pushed  
  2 squares.
  M sweeping slam (standard; at-will)
   
  close burst 3; +24 vs. ac; 1d8 + 7 damage.
  Bloodied dissolution
   
  When a vile host in conjoined form is reduced to 330 hit points 
  or fewer, the vile host (conjoined form) is removed from play 
  and is replaced by 5 other monsters: a vile host spirit shaker 
  component, two vile host spirit shredder components, and two 
  vile host spirit smasher components. The components appear in 
  any unoccupied square anywhere in vile host’s original space, or 
  within 4 squares of those spaces. The vile host components act 
  on the same initiative count as the vile host (component form).
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  str 24 (+15) 
  dex 19 (+12) 
  wis 21 (+13)
  Con 21 (+13) 
  int 7 (+6) 
  Cha 9 (+7)
  Vile Host Shaker Component Level 17 Controller
  Medium immortal humanoid (living construct) 
  XP —
  initiative — 
  senses Perception +13; darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 2; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 82; vile host components are always considered bloodied
  aC 31; Fortitude 30, reflex 28, will 29
  immune fear
  speed 6
  m slam (standard; at-will)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 1d10 + 7 damage.
  r soul-shaking stare (standard; at will) ✦ Fear
   
  ranged 12; +22 vs. Will; 1d8 + 7 damage, and the target is 
  dazed until the end of the vile host shaker’s next turn.
  C earth-shaking slam (standard; at-will)
   
  close blast 4; +22 vs. reflex; 1d10 + 7 damage, and the 
  target is knocked prone.
  C rend earth (standard; encounter)
   
  close blast 4; +22 vs. reflex; 3d10 + 7 damage, and the area 
  of the blast becomes difficult terrain.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  str 24 (+15) 
  dex 19 (+12) 
  wis 21 (+13)
  Con 21 (+13) 
  int 7 (+6) 
  Cha 9 (+7)
  Vile Host Churner Component  Level 17 Skirmisher
  Medium immortal humanoid (living construct) 
  XP —
  initiative — 
  senses Perception +13; darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 2; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 82; vile host components are always considered bloodied
  aC 31; Fortitude 30, reflex 28, will 29
  immune fear
  speed 8
  m slam (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 3; +24 vs. ac; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the vile host 
  churner component shifts 2 squares.
  M Keep Back (immediate reaction, when an enemy moves adjacent 
  to the vile host churner component; recharge ⚄ ⚅)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the target is pushed 2 squares.
  M swirling strike (standard; encounter)
   
  The vile host churner component can shift up to 4 squares 
  before making its attack. +24 vs. ac; 4d8 + 7 damage. The 
  vile host churner can shift up to 4 squares after the attack 
  is resolved.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  str 24 (+15) 
  dex 19 (+12) 
  wis 21 (+13)
  Con 21 (+13) 
  int 7 (+6) 
  Cha 9 (+7)
  
  Bestiary: the Brood of alloces
  49
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  Vile Host Smasher Component 
  Level 17 Soldier
  Medium immortal humanoid (living construct) 
  XP —
  initiative — 
  senses Perception +13; darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 2; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 82; vile host components are always considered bloodied
  aC 33; Fortitude 30, reflex 28, will 29
  immune fear
  speed 6
  m slam (standard; at-will)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 2d8 + 7 damage, and the target cannot shift until 
  the end of the vile host smasher component’s next turn.
  M devastating slam (standard; encounter)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 4d10 + 7 damage, and the target is pushed 3 
  squares, ignoring intervening terrain and falling prone.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  str 24 (+15) 
  dex 19 (+12) 
  wis 21 (+13)
  Con 21 (+13) 
  int 7 (+6) 
  Cha 9 (+7)
  Vile Host Tactics
  In its conjoined form, the vile host lumbers into melee, 
  often initiating battle with its sweeping slam to impede 
  as many foes as possible. It might follow up, either by 
  using an action point or in the following round, with 
  a devastating slam against the toughest-looking target it 
  can reach. From that point onward it remains in close 
  melee, alternating between sweeping slam and whatever 
  abilities might recharge as it pummels its foes into jelly.
   
  Once it has been bloodied and split into its com-
  ponent souls, the host’s tactics change accordingly. 
  The smasher components continue to fight just as the 
  conjoined form did, staying in the thick of melee. The 
  shredders appear to the sides, where possible, and 
  attempt to remain on the periphery of combat, shifting 
  in and out of range. The shaker component appears as 
  far from the foe as circumstances allow and attempts to 
  remain there, supporting its allies from a distance with 
  soul-shaking stare, or with earth-shaking slam if that power 
  has recharged and the shaker is close enough to use it.
  Shrieking Steed
  Horrific war-mounts made up of humanoid souls, 
  shrieking steeds are Alloces’s most coveted creation, at 
  least among his fellow devils. Four pairs of humanoid 
  legs allow the creature to scuttle forward in any direc-
  tion, while the torsos and arms warp backward to join 
  into a deformed body on which the rider sits. Between 
  each set of legs hangs an upside-down screaming face, 
  which allows the steed to see in all directions at once.
  Shrieking Steed 
  Level 16 Skirmisher
  huge immortal beast (living construct, mount) 
  XP 1,400
  initiative +20 
  senses Perception +23; all-around  
   
   
  vision, darkvision
  soul-Chilling Presence (Fear) aura 2; living creatures within 
  the aura take a –4 penalty to Will.
  hP 160; Bloodied 80
  aC 30; Fortitude 29, reflex 28, will 28
  immune fear
  speed 10
  m Kick (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 3; +21 vs. ac; 2d6 + 8 damage.
  C horrid wail (standard; recharge ⚅) ✦ Psychic, thunder
   
  close burst 3; +26 vs. Fortitude; 4d8 + 8 psychic and 
  thunder damage, and the target is dazed until the end of the 
  steed’s next turn. The steed’s rider is immune.
  hellish gate (minor; when mounted by a friendly rider of 16th 
  level or higher; encounter) ✦ Mount, teleportation
   
  The steed and its rider teleport 5 squares.
  tandem Mount (when mounted by a friendly rider of 16th level 
  or higher; at-will) ✦ Mount
   
  When the steed’s rider spends an action point to gain an 
  extra action, the steed can also take an extra move action.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Understands common  
   
   
  and Supernal
  skills acrobatics +23, athletics +24, Endurance +23,  
  Perception +23
  str 27 (+16) 
  dex 24 (+15) 
  wis 24 (+15)
  Con 24 (+15) 
  int 5 (+5) 
  Cha 17 (+11)
  Shrieking Steed Tactics
  For the most part, a shrieking steed behaves in 
  combat as directed. It normally holds off on using its 
  horrid wail until already in the midst of foes, rather 
  than initiating combat with it.
  Melded Soul Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Religion check.
   
  DC 18: Melded souls are the most infamous 
  creations of Alloces, the Butcher of Nessus. Each is 
  a monster formed, literally, of damned souls given 
  substance. Each individual soul suffers in eternal 
  torment, but it has no ability to communicate or 
  control the amalgam of which it is a part.
   
  Because they are constructed of the tormented 
  damned, melded souls generate a sense of horror—of 
  sheer “wrongness—that weighs heavily on the souls of 
  living beings who draw too near.
   
  DC 23: The damned choir is a mass of screaming 
  souls that seek the comfort and warmth of the living 
  bodies they’ve lost. Their shrieks can cause substantial 
  harm, but they prefer close attacks as they tear the life 
  from their prey.
   
  Carpets of flesh are perhaps the most grotesque 
  of the melded souls, since they consist of coatings of 
  flesh, muscle, and soul-stuff. They reach out to tear 
  the life from all who would pass over them.
   
  Peculiarly, the magic bonds that hold the vile host 
  together seem designed to shatter after the beast 
  takes a certain amount of damage, allowing a single 
  massive creature to literally dissolve into a handful of 
  smaller—but no less brutal—opponents.
   
  DC 25: Shrieking steeds are coveted by other 
  devils. They can use short-range teleportation, traverse 
  walls and ceilings, and are almost impossible to sneak 
  up on or flank.
  Encounter Groups
  Melded souls normally fight alongside, or are placed 
  by, other devils or evil beings who have acquired 
  them from Alloces’s “stock.”
  Level 11 Encounter (XP 3,100)
  ✦ 1 chain devil (level 11 skirmisher)
  ✦ 2 damned choirs (level 11 soldier)
  ✦ 1 succubus (level 9 controller)
  ✦ 6 legion devil hellguards (level 11 minion)
  
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  Level 21 Encounter (XP 17,250)
  ✦ 1 shrieking steed (level 23 skirmisher)
  ✦ 1 vile host (level 17 solo soldier)
  ✦ 1 war devil (level 22 brute) 
  neSSian houndS
  Bred to serve as hunters and harriers, guards and 
  weapons, these are the dogs of war of the Nine Hells. 
  Intended to run prey to ground and then remain in 
  combat until that prey is torn apart, the hounds are 
  versatile combatants as the battle progresses.
   
  Three of the most common Nessian hound varieties 
  are presented here.
  Soulstuff Hound 
  Level 8 Soldier
  Medium immortal magical beast (living construct) 
  XP 350
  initiative +9 
  senses Perception +12; darkvision;  
  see also blood scent
  hP 89; Bloodied 44; many of the hound’s powers and features 
  change when bloodied (see below)
  aC 22 (24 when bloodied); Fortitude 21, reflex 20, will 20; 
  see also cloak of illumination
  immune fear; resist insubstantial (when not bloodied)
  speed 8, phasing (when not bloodied)
  m Bite (standard; at-will)
   
  +15 vs. ac (+16 when bloodied); 1d8 + 2 damage, plus the 
  target is slowed and takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends both)
  Blood scent
   
  a Nessian hound takes no penalties to attack rolls from 
  concealment against bloodied targets.
  Cloak of illumination
   
  The hound’s peculiar flesh seems to blend and ripple in the 
  light. The hound is considered to have concealment in any 
  area of bright illumination.
  Protective discorporation
   
  a Nessian hound ceases to be insubstantial and loses its 
  phasing ability when it is bloodied.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  skills athletics +14, Perception +12 (+17 when tracking), 
  Stealth +12
  str 20 (+9) 
  dex 17 (+7) 
  wis 17 (+7)
  Con 17 (+7) 
  int 6 (+2) 
  Cha 13 (+5)
  Hellfire Hound 
  Level 12 Soldier
  Medium immortal magical beast (living construct) 
  XP 700
  initiative +12 
  senses Perception +15; darkvision; see 
  also blood scent
  Fiery wreath (Fire) aura 3; creatures that start their turns in 
  the aura gain vulnerable 5 fire until the end of their next 
  turns; devils and other Nessian hounds are immune.
  hP 123; Bloodied 61
  aC 26 (28 when bloodied); Fortitude 25, reflex 24, will 24
  immune fear; resist insubstantial (when not bloodied), 10 fire
  speed 8, phasing (when not bloodied)
  m Burning Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Fire
   
  +19 vs. ac (+20 when bloodied); 1d8 + 6 damage, plus the 
  target takes ongoing 5 fire damage and the target takes a –4 
  penalty to opportunity attacks (save ends both).
  C Burning Blood (immediate reaction, when struck by a melee 
  attack while bloodied; recharge ⚄ ⚅) ✦ Fire
   
  +17 vs. reflex; 1d8 + 6 fire damage.
  C roar of Flame (standard; encounter) ✦ Fire
   
  close blast 4; +17 vs. reflex (+18 when bloodied); 3d8 + 
  6 fire damage and the hellfire hound gains a +4 bonus on 
  opportunity attacks against the target (save ends).
  Blood scent
   
  a Nessian hound takes no penalties to attack rolls from 
  concealment against bloodied targets.
  Protective discorporation
   
  a Nessian hound ceases to be insubstantial and loses its 
  phasing ability when it is bloodied.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  skills athletics +17, Perception +15 (+20 when tracking), 
  Stealth +15
  str 22 (+12) 
  dex 19 (+10) 
  wis 19 (+10)
  Con 19 (+10) 
  int 6 (+4) 
  Cha 13 (+7)
  Infernal Hound 
  Level 16 Soldier
  Large immortal magical beast (living construct) 
  XP 1,400
  initiative +15 
  senses Perception +18; darkvision;  
  see also blood scent
  Fiery wreath (Fire) aura 3; creatures that start their turns in 
  the aura gain vulnerable 5 fire until the end of their next 
  turns; devils and other Nessian hounds are immune.
  hP 157; Bloodied 78
  aC 29 (31 when bloodied); Fortitude 29, reflex 28, will 28
  immune fear; resist insubstantial (when not bloodied),  
  10 fire, 10 necrotic
  speed 10, phasing (when not bloodied)
  m hellish Bite (standard; at-will) ✦ Fire, necrotic
   
  reach 2; +23 vs. ac (+24 when bloodied); 1d10 + 7 fire and 
  necrotic damage, plus the target takes ongoing 5 fire and 
  necrotic damage and the infernal hound gains 10 temporary 
  hit points whenever the target makes an attack that does 
  not include the infernal hound as a target (save ends both)
  C horrid Bay (minor, usable only when not bloodied; 
  encounter) ✦ Fear
   
  close burst 3; targets enemies only; +19 vs. Will; target is 
  marked by the infernal hound (save ends).
  C deathly howl (standard, only when bloodied; encounter) 
   ✦ Fire, necrotic
   
  close blast 4; +19 vs. Fortitude; the target is immobilized 
  and takes a –2 penalty to all saves (save ends both). First 
  Failed Saving Throw: The target takes ongoing 10 fire and 
  necrotic damage and takes a –2 penalty to all saves (save 
  ends both). Second Failed Saving Throw: The target takes 
  ongoing 15 fire and necrotic damage and the target deals 
  5 fire and necrotic damage to all adjacent creatures at the 
  start of its turn (save ends both).
  Blood scent
   
  a Nessian hound takes no penalties to attack rolls from 
  concealment against bloodied targets.
  Protective discorporation
   
  a Nessian hound ceases to be insubstantial and loses its 
  phasing ability when it is bloodied.
  alignment Evil 
  languages Supernal
  skills athletics +20, Intimidate +15, Perception +18 (+23 when 
  tracking), Stealth +18
  str 24 (+15) 
  dex 21 (+13) 
  wis 21 (+13)
  Con 21 (+13) 
  int 6 (+6) 
  Cha 15 (+10)
  The name “hound” refers more 
  to how the beasts are used than 
  to their physical form. 
  
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  an amalgamation of mortal souls, the spirits of preda-
  tory animals, and the stuff of Hell itself. Infernal hounds 
  combine both the “soul-matter” and the hellfire of their 
  weaker brethren.
   
  The name “hound” refers more to how the beasts 
  are used than to their physical form. While some do 
  indeed appear as hounds, others resemble different 
  predatory beasts, and a few are even humanoid. Their 
  appearance in this regard seems to have little impact 
  on their personalities or abilities.
   
  Because they come in such a variety of sizes and 
  forms, adventurers and sages of the past have often mis-
  taken individuals or packs of Nessian hounds for unique 
  types of creatures. Soulstuff hounds with a feline form, 
  for instance, were once thought of as a specific type 
  of devil called a hellcat, and packs of canine infernal 
  hounds running through the dark night spawned tales 
  of beasts called yeth hounds.
   
  DC 20: Bred to run their prey to ground, Nessian 
  hounds change their tactics once they’ve been injured 
  enough to suggest that the battle is well and truly joined. 
  From swift harriers, they become stalwart terrors, often 
  focusing all their efforts on a single target.
  Encounter Groups
  Nessian hounds always hunt in packs—either of other 
  hounds or of other allied creatures. They willingly 
  ally themselves with almost any evil creature, so long 
  as they have the opportunity to hunt, though they 
  prefer working alongside devils.
  Level 9 Encounter (XP 2,000)
  ✦ 2 hell hounds (level 7 brute)
  ✦ 1 oni night haunter (level 8 elite controller)
  ✦ 2 soulstuff hounds (level 8 soldier)
  Seraphic goLem
  Among Alloces’s earliest creations, these golems are 
  constructed from the meat and astral substances of dead 
  angels. As mindless and brutal as any golem, they’re even 
  more horrible, for they suggest that nothing ultimately 
  escapes the fate of all flesh.
  Nessian Hound Tactics
  All Nessian hounds can track prey across great dis-
  tances, and they have been known to run their prey into 
  exhaustion for the sheer fun of it before attacking. In 
  battle, the hounds stay in motion by using their phasing 
  ability to pass through one foe to attack another. Once 
  bloodied, they shift tactics to focus on a single foe, stick-
  ing with it rather than darting around the battle.
   
  Hellfire and infernal hounds prefer to use their 
  area attacks early, and they move in to unleash the 
  attack and then peel away once more. If it can catch 
  at least two or three targets in it the blast, the infer-
  nal hound uses its deathly howl as soon as possible 
  after being bloodied.
  Nessian Hound Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Religion check.
   
  DC 15: Nessian hounds are trackers and beasts of 
  war that are bred for use by the devils of the Nine Hells 
  by Alloces, the Butcher of Nessus. They are formed by 
  
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  52
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  Seraphic Golem 
  Level 22 Elite Brute
  Large immortal animate (construct) 
  XP 8,300
  initiative +16 
  senses Perception +14; darkvision
  hP 514; Bloodied 257
  aC 34; Fortitude 35, reflex 32, will 30
  immune disease, fear, poison, sleep; resist 15 cold, 15 radiant
  saving throws +2
  speed 6, fly 9 (clumsy); can’t shift
  action Points 1
  m slam (standard; at-will) ✦ radiant
   
  reach 2; +25 vs. ac (+27 while bloodied); 2d6 + 8 damage 
  plus 2d8 radiant damage.
  m wing slap (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 2; +25 vs. ac (+27 while bloodied); 2d6 + 8 damage 
  plus 2d8 radiant damage, and the seraphic golem slides the 
  target 2 squares.
  M seraphic assault (standard; at-will) ✦ radiant
   
  The golem makes a slam attack and a wing slap attack. 
  If the golem hits the same creature with both attacks, 
  the target is knocked prone
  M stomp (minor; recharge ⚄ ⚅)
   
  adjacent prone targets only; +25 vs. ac (+27 while 
  bloodied); 3d10 + 8 damage.
  C vengeful Burst (immediate reaction, when damaged by  
  an attack; at-will) ✦ radiant
   
  close blast 2; +23 vs. Fortitude; 2d10 + 8 radiant damage and 
  the target is blinded until the end of the golem’s next turn.
  M radiant rampage (standard; recharge when first 
  bloodied) ✦ radiant
   
  The seraphic becomes insubstantial until the end of its turn 
  and moves up to 12 squares, taking no penalties to movement 
  for squeezing and can move through enemy spaces. When it 
  enters any creature’s space, the golem makes a slam attack 
  against that creature; on a hit, all of the slam attack’s damage is 
  considered radiant damage. The golem must end its movement 
  in an unoccupied space and can make only one slam attack 
  against any target while using this ability.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  str 25 (+18) 
  dex 20 (+16) 
  wis 17 (+14)
  Con 27 (+19) 
  int 3 (+7) 
  Cha 3 (+7)
  Seraphic Golem Tactics
  The seraphic golem initiates combat with its radiant ram-
  page, preferring to end its move within reach of at least 
  one target, against which it can then turn its seraphic 
  assault and possibly stomp attacks. In many instances, it 
  uses its action point in this first round, which allows it to 
  truly lay into a target. It continues to use radiant rampage 
  when the power recharges, but often returns to focus its 
  physical attacks on its starting target.
  Seraphic Golem Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Arcana or Religion check. In addition to the 
  information presented here, the same Arcana check 
  (but not Religion) can reveal the standard golem infor-
  mation as presented in the Monster Manual (page 142).
   
  DC 24: Seraphic golems are among Alloces’s ear-
  liest creations, from just after the end of Asmodeus’s 
  war of rebellion. They are manufactured from the 
  bodies of dead angels, and they retain some aspect 
  of angelic power. Unlike his later creations, which 
  include a spark of life, seraphic golems are true 
  constructs—animate but not living.
   
  Like his other creations, Alloces sells or trades 
  seraphic golems to other devils, and occasionally non-
  diabolic evil creatures.
  Encounter Groups
  Like other golems, seraphic golems serve the being 
  their creator commands them to serve, and, as a 
  result, they can be found in the presence of a variety 
  of evil overlords. D
  Level 22 Encounter (XP 22,050)
  ✦ 1 advanced cambion hellfire magus (level 22 artillery)
  ✦ 2 ice devils (level 20 soldier)
  ✦ 1 seraphic golem (level 22 elite brute)
  ✦ 5 legion devil legionnaires (level 21 minion)
  About the Author
  ari Marmell has been shirking homework in favor of playing 
  the D&D® game since he was nine years old. Thankfully, he 
  now works in the industry, since shirking work for gaming 
  tends to wreak havoc with the bills. He has written for quite a 
  few of the industry’s major companies, including White Wolf 
  and, of course, Wizards of the Coast.
  
  53
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  Lyrna could suppress her tears no longer. She wasn’t the only 
  one overcome by the senseless devastation around her. Others in 
  the procession openly wept at the blighted sore their homeland 
  had become. Where once stood rolling hills wreathed in verdant 
  foliage now stood barren moorland—twisted and inimical to life. 
  Behind her, the walls of Myth Akherynnar faded away into the 
  cloying mists. She, the last scion of House Fathomlin, understood 
  her duty well, yet the young elf knew in her heart it would be the 
  last time she would set eyes upon the shining capital.
   
  Whispering a prayer to the fey spirits, Lyrna tightened the 
  grip on her staff and quickened her pace. With the blessing of 
  the spirits, the elves would reach the Tosofome Caldera by dawn 
  of the third day. There they would initiate the high magic ritual 
  that would drive the Killing Storm back from whence it came—to 
  the boughs of Aryvandaar.
   
  The hiss of acid rain driven hard against her protective 
  wards drew Lyrna back to the present. Looking around, she was 
  momentarily shocked to discover she was no longer among the 
  procession. Eyes widening, she saw that she was standing among 
  the shattered ruins of Faer’tel’miir, ninety miles to the north. Yet 
  how could this be?
   
  Shock turned to mute horror as an oily abomination from out 
  of her nightmares materialized from the wall before her, three 
  eel-like heads turning to regard her despite their lack of eyes.
   
  “Miyeritar is lost,” intoned three distinct voices. “But through 
  us your civilization can endure.”
   
  Lyrna found her voice at last, issuing a full-throated scream 
  as oily black goo seeped up from the ground to engulf her.
  Ecology of the Sharn
  by Brian R. James
  illustrations by Eva Widermann
  
  54
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  ecology of the Sharn
  Legend and Lore
  Sharns are an enigma little understood by sages and 
  rightfully feared by adventurers. Born of the last rem-
  nants of a dead world, these timeless beings embody 
  raw eldritch might. They might rise to rule the mortal 
  world, if they cared and could put their minds to it, 
  but their agenda seems more sophisticated than tem-
  poral wealth or power. Their motives are alien and 
  ever shifting. Some dare claim the sharns are insane. 
  Sharns assert that what others call insanity is actually 
  enlightenment.
  Origin of the Sharns
  Most aberrant creatures seem to lack coherent expla-
  nation, and the sharns are no exception. Long has 
  their origin been shrouded in mystery, for the sharns 
  never speak of it to nonsharns and no divination 
  illuminates the truth. Some scholars cite the aber-
  rant physiology and strange magic of the sharns as 
  evidence of their link to the Far Realm. Yet the truth 
  of their creation is more bizarre and complex than a 
  mere link to the Outside.
   
  Here the true origin of the sharns is revealed. Such 
  truth is perilous lore indeed. Many have lost their 
  sanity in an attempt to comprehend matters anath-
  ema to the mortal psyche.
  The Shattering
  Somewhere at the dawn of the cosmos, the elder god 
  Tharizdun stretched forth his hand to clutch a shard 
  of utter evil. This simple act exposed creation to the 
  perverse remains of another universe that evil had 
  destroyed. The power-hungry god was doomed to an 
  eternity of madness, his mind shattered and scattered 
  into other realities.
   
  In one reality—the “true” universe known to 
  mortals today—Tharizdun carried the crystalline 
  fragment into the heart of the primordial vastness 
  and planted it there, giving birth to the Abyss. This 
  act awakened the elder primordials to the burgeon-
  ing power of the gods, and soon war raged across all 
  creation. Tharizdun was ultimately imprisoned for 
  his effrontery, and the gods gained the upper hand 
  against the primordials. Since that time, the universe 
  has enjoyed at least the seeming of an uneasy peace.
  The End of all Things
  How different might the world be today if the primor-
  dials had won the Dawn War instead of the gods? In 
  such a world, would Tharizdun have avoided impris-
  onment to carry out his mad scheme to unmake the 
  universe? Such a universe does exist. On the surface, 
  it seems little different from our own, but peer a little 
  more closely, and it quickly becomes apparent that 
  something has gone horribly wrong.
   
  All that was remains as a devastated world drift-
  ing within a decaying corpse of a universe. Skeletons 
  of buildings, cities, and whole civilizations dot this 
  world of dust and twilight. Jagged bolts of lightning 
  illuminate the gray vault of the sky, born from ink-
  black clouds that circle the decaying world like 
  stalking predators. Above the world hangs a feeble, 
  collapsing sun, ringed by a halo of utter darkness.
   
  Here Tharizdun’s will is manifest in a world whose 
  fate is dust and death. Between the booming thunder, 
  the roar of unquenchable fire, and the violent crack-
  ing of the brittle earth, ethereal whispers echo from 
  the void. These haunting wails emanate from the 
  sharns, the last beings to bear witness to the end of all 
  things in their version of creation.
  Birthed of Doom
  The sharns alone stand sentinel over this world of 
  bones and ruins. Having achieved his ends, Thariz-
  dun abandoned this universe eons ago. So mighty 
  had the mad god become that he shed his divinity in 
  a grand apotheosis, becoming something beyond a 
  god—something perverse and outside the known.
   
  The sharns remained as the sentient remnant of all 
  Tharizdun had destroyed and abandoned—a collec-
  tive of merged consciousnesses. For a time, forsaken 
  and alone on a dying world, this chaotic amalgam 
  watched and waited. It’s unclear whether curiosity 
  or boredom drove it to act, but soon the roiling amor-
  phous form of pitch-black “sharnstuff” began to move 
  across the brittle landscape. Something within drove 
  it to explore and catalog the dying world.
   
  To speed its study, the sharnstuff formed manifes-
  tations in the likeness of the tripartite Juna, extinct 
  eel-like beings whose ruined metropolises dotted 
  the otherwise lifeless world. Knowing their time to 
  be short, these sharns gorged themselves on all the 
  knowledge they could consume. Within a few short 
  years, the sharns had acquired thousands of magic 
  implements unearthed around the globe. With the 
  eldritch artifacts and the latent divine energy infused 
  in their skin, the sharns attempted a ritual to escape 
  evoLution of the SharnS
  The sharns are the original creation of Ed Greenwood, 
  and they appear briefly in the acclaimed aD&D® 2nd 
  Edition adventure boxed set Ruins of Undermountain 
  in 1991. Subsequent supplements, including Neth-
  eril: Empire of Magic, paint the sharns as adversaries 
  of the malevolent phaerimm; the sharns’ primary 
  motivation was to prevent the abuse of magic and 
  preserve the lore of doomed civilizations. In 2006, 
  the sharns were central to the plot of the novel Black-
  staff by Steven E. Schend, yet the true genesis of this 
  enigmatic creature remained elusive. Now, in 2009, 
  we bring the sharns into the core D&D® universe to 
  share the spotlight with aboleths, illithids, and other 
  memorable aberrant creatures.
  
  55
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  ecology of the Sharn
  their doomed universe. They succeeded and arrived 
  deep in the Underdark of the known mortal world.
   
  As the sharns moved into the known world, trans-
  muted rock sent a blizzard of black sand billowing 
  forth from a tear in reality. From within that nimbus 
  of purple light, out poured pools of ebony goo contain-
  ing, here and there, bizarre creatures that were black 
  with three eyeless heads and odd tri-clawed arms. 
  Eldritch reactions created towering crystals, lumi-
  nous and mysterious.
  Elder Elemental Eye
  From his place of imprisonment, Tharizdun sensed 
  the arrival of the sharns. He instantly knew these 
  beings were of him and yet were not of him, and the 
  paradox was delicious. With this fortuitous omen, the 
  Chained God began a to call to the sharns. If they 
  ever listen, who knows what could befall the world?
  World of the Sharn
  The world of the sharns, and the universe that 
  encloses it, exists beyond the known cosmology. 
  This universe once held its own Astral Sea, Elemen-
  tal Chaos, Feywild, and Shadowfell. After eons of 
  unchallenged dominion by an alternate Tharizdun, 
  only the mortal world remains, itself a shadowy hulk 
  of its former self.
  The only known method for traveling between the 
  world of Sharn and the known world is through 
  planar breaches, which occur within the Sharnlands 
  in the Godless Deeps of the Underdark. Sharns 
  create, guard, and maintain such breaches jealously.
   
  Through similarly great feats of magic, the sharns 
  have halted the total dissolution of their home 
  world. The arcane expenditure necessary to forestall 
  oblivion is immense and ongoing. Sharn arcanists 
  perform the rituals daily. For this reason, most sharns 
  encountered in the Sharn world are younger sharns. 
  These scouts acquire magic items and assimilate the 
  knowledge of the indigenous population to sustain the 
  preservation of their world.
  Sharn Lore
  A character knows the following information with a 
  successful Dungeoneering check.
   
  DC 20: The sharns live in the yawning depths 
  of the Underdark in a region known as the Godless 
  Deeps. There in the Sharnlands, the sharns live in 
  great pools of black, amorphous goo. Immense cav-
  erns filled with intricate crystalline formations are 
  common in this region, resembling the interior of a 
  massive geode.
   
  DC 25: Most elder sharns have retired to a state 
  of eternal contemplation, leaving younger sharns 
  to gather intelligence and defend the Sharnlands. 
  These younger sharns take interest in the activities of 
  mortals.
   
  DC 30: Sharns are ancient aberrant creatures 
  hailing from an alternate reality outside the known 
  universe. Despite what most believe, sharns are not 
  from the Far Realm.
   
  DC 35: The sharns take their name from the 
  dying world of their birth. Their signature tripartite 
  form is an imperfect imitation of the Juna, an extinct 
  species from the world of Sharn.
  phySioLogy
  Inquire about the sharns, and any sage on the world 
  of Toril describes a bizarre creature with three 
  eel-like heads and peculiar tri-claw arms. Yet this 
  description does not represent the true form of this 
  inscrutable being.
  Skin of the Ancient Ones
  In their natural state, sharns exist as amorphous pools 
  of oily black ooze. This semifluid “sharnstuff” is slimy 
  and cold to the touch. Through a minor act of con-
  scious thought, a sharn can alter its composition and 
  viscosity to adopt a physical form. The resultant form 
  has no fine definition and maintains its signature oily 
  black appearance.
   
  Lacking a pulmonary system, sharns have no need 
  to breathe. If submerged, they can remain underwa-
  ter indefinitely. In fact, the sharns have no internal 
  organs to speak of whatsoever. Flesh, nerves, and 
  blood are alien to their aberrant composition.
   
  Unable to reproduce naturally, sharns require hosts 
  to join with symbiotes. Such assimilated creatures shed 
  their individuality to join with the greater sharn com-
  munity. Once an individual merges with the sharns, 
  the process is irreversible except under extremely rare 
  and specific conditions. Typically, the host is a willing 
  participant, but sharns do not shy from forcibly assimi-
  lating an enemy if the threat is dire.
   
  Effectively immortal in their natural state, sharns 
  have been known to while away the years without 
  ever stirring from their dark pools.
  Manifestations
  When a sharn manifests a corporeal form, it typically 
  adopts its signature shape—massive tapered forms of 
  amorphous flesh, jet-black and glistening as if coated 
  with viscous slime and surrounded by a nimbus of 
  WorLd of Sharn traitS
  type: Mirror world on an alternate mortal world.
  size and shape: Spherical world; bounded.
  gravity: Normal, with regions of elemental buoyancy 
  where the world has begun to break apart into the 
  void.
  Mutability: Normal.
  
  56
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  ecology of the Sharn
   
  A sharn’s heads and arms connect to a single trunk 
  ending in a thick tail. Its streamlined torso can glide 
  as effortlessly through water as it does air. Despite its 
  fearsome teeth and claws, a sharn prefers to remain at 
  range and attack through hex portals.
   
  The manifestations most likely to be encountered 
  in the world are known as blackclaws. Other variet-
  ies exist including the phaseblades, hexshadows, and 
  the exceedingly powerful and rare shiftshades. As 
  the caretakers of the rituals maintaining their dying 
  world, shiftshades are masters of arcane might. These 
  sharns appear much the same as blackclaws, though 
  their constant state of temporal flux makes them 
  appear as if they are phasing in and out of reality 
  (which isn’t far from the truth).
  cuLture
  To outside observers, the sharns have a bizarre and 
  alien culture. Sharn society is organized into subter-
  ranean communities called “pools,” with no concept 
  of social classes and no hierarchy to speak of at all. 
  They do not concern themselves with faith or piety, 
  nor do they covet wealth or power.
   
  Their society is a bedlam of philosophical argu-
  ment and social intrigue. Power struggles, based 
  on ideological conflicts, are constant. This inward-
  looking focus does not prevent sharns from becoming 
  embroiled in the affairs of other species, even across 
  the planes. Exactly what their agenda might be in 
  such cases is rarely obvious and rarely unified.
   
  The sharns all have the same broader world-view 
  and share a physical appearance, but they can take 
  different paths to achieve common aims.
   
  When a sharn is slain, however, the individual 
  consciousnesses, at least three of which each being 
  possesses, are lost forever.
  Psychology
  Despite their homogenous appearance and telepathic 
  abilities, sharns do not operate as a hive mind. Sharns 
  share a group consciousness that is as fragmented 
  as any intelligence can be. Unable to operate with a 
  single-minded purpose, the goals of the sharn appear 
  ever changing and often contradictory.
   
  Though they possess a paradoxical nature, sharns 
  can work together in harmony for short periods of 
  time, whereupon they strive for the same goal while 
  anticipating and complementing each other’s actions.
   
  Spawned from a shared community, sharn mani-
  festations are independent agents that can act upon 
  their own desires and carry out their own agen-
  das. Each manifestation has at least three entities, 
  granting the sharns supernatural alacrity for decision-
  making. The more advanced a manifestation, the 
  purple light. Their enormous bodies are studded with 
  many tiny eyes that appear and disappear at random.
   
  A sharn has three eyeless, eel-like heads, with 
  large gaping maws filled with sharp, serrated teeth. 
  The heads are capable of vocalizing, but sharns prefer 
  their limited telepathic capabilities for communicat-
  ing among themselves and seldom have a desire to 
  speak with mortals. Some manner of arcane olfactory 
  system grants the sharn a superior sense of smell.
   
  Aside from its three heads, its peculiar limbs are 
  another signature feature. These snakelike, flexible 
  trunks end in an “elbow” where three humanlike 
  forearms split apart from each other. Each arm ends 
  in a humanlike hand topped with razor-sharp claws. 
  Claws sprout and disappear along each of these 
  bizarre appendages.
  
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  ecology of the Sharn
  more personalities it has. Multiple manifestations can 
  act in concert, sharing a peculiar form of short-range 
  telepathy among them.
   
  A sharn fears little, but it is conscious of its own 
  mortality. If a shiftshade is threatened with imminent 
  death, it takes all avenues available to it to shift out of 
  danger and return to its home pool. Each sharn rep-
  resents the final legacy of a dead civilization, and the 
  loss of even one sharn is a loss for the entire world.
   
  Sharns have speak the language of madness, an 
  inheritance of their origin. They can also speak any 
  tongue known to their society when the need arises. 
  When communicating with others, sharns commonly 
  adopt complex multisyllabic names with little regard 
  for the other’s ability to pronounce it.
   
  Their uniquely peculiar minds prevent attempts at 
  mental contact unless the sharn wishes it. Those who 
  have made such contact speak of a vast, turbulent 
  ocean of consciousness upon which float tiny islands 
  of individuality.
  Magic
  As beings from an alternate reality, sharns command 
  strange magic unknown in the world today. The 
  eldest sharns also employ unique items of power from 
  their dying world—lesser artifacts brimming with 
  alien power.
  Earth Nodes
  All sharns have a heightened ability to detect and 
  activate earth nodes (see ForgottEn rEalms® Cam-
  paign Guide page 52 for details), but shiftshades take 
  this mastery to a whole other level. Knowing exactly 
  where these nodes are gives the sharns the appear-
  ance of having at-will teleportation powers. Their 
  propensity for appearing and disappearing wherever 
  and whenever they like makes sharns difficult foes to 
  defeat.
  Hex Portals
  With fine manipulation of eldritch energy, sharns can 
  create fissures in reality known as hex portals. Each 
  portal is a small hexagonal window of light 3 feet in 
  diameter that coalesces out of a swirl of purple motes. 
  A sharn can maintain up to three of them at once, 
  breaching nearly any ward or magical barrier. Oppo-
  nents cannot attack a sharn through a hex portal.
  Orb of Entropy
  In addition to earth nodes and hex portals, powerful 
  sharns have created this item for use by allies and 
  minions, detailed below.
  orb of entropy 
  Level 28
  The utter ruin manifest in Tharizdun’s will swirls inside 
  this globe of purest black. When activated, the orb is 
  shrouded in a nimbus of purple light.
  Lvl 28 +6 
  2,125,000 gp
  implement (orb)
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Critical: +1d8 psychic damage per plus
  Power (daily ✦ Psychic, zone): Free action. When you 
  use a power that creates a zone, you can activate this 
  power to make it so that any enemy that starts its 
  turn within the zone is dazed (save ends). The body 
  of any creature killed within the zone is immediately 
  destroyed.
  
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  ecology of the Sharn
  Sharn of the 
  forgotten reaLmS
  “Hundreds of sharns sloughed off their shimmering black 
  skins, and many Faertelmin stepped from the darkness 
  to reclaim their lives as elves, humans, dwarves, centaurs, 
  and others. Know there are yet sharn in the Realms. They 
  choose to remain as Rhymanthiin’s defenders as well as 
  defenders against corrupt magic across the Realms.”
  Origin
  If the dark elves of Rhymanthiin are to be believed, 
  the first sharns of Faerûn were in fact an inadvertent 
  byproduct of the Dark Disaster—great killing storms 
  sent against Miyeritar during the Third Crown War. 
  As cloying mists and ichor-choked rains scoured the 
  Great Sapphire Wood, three high mages led the last 
  defenders of Miyeritar into the heart of the eldritch 
  maelstrom to counter the dark ritual.
   
  Indicative of their desperation, the high mages 
  invoked the rare and perilous Ritual of Myriad, 
  whispered to be legend even in the days before the 
  Sundering. With unbridled magic pounding against 
  defensive wards, the mages joined mind and body to 
  birth the first fhaorn’quessir—a giant-sized, tripartite 
  being of immense power—to walk Toril in millennia.
   
  Yet even as the fhaorn’quessir moved to counter 
  the eldritch bonds of the Killing Storms, something 
  entirely unforeseen occurred. The eldritch bonds 
  restricting the transformative magic to the high 
  mages of the First Circle unraveled. Unfettered, 
  lashing tendrils of wild magic quickly enveloped 
  the Second and Third Circles as well. With nary a 
  moment to scream, all ninety souls, the Last Defend-
  ers of Miyeritar, were themselves subsumed into the 
  newborn entity.
   
  With no arcane practitioners left to maintain the 
  ritual, the fhaorn’quessir began to dissolve under the 
  onslaught of the killing storms. Through fissures in 
  the limestone bedrock, oily black rivulets converged 
  and flowed, forming deep black pools of amorphous 
  goo in the lightless caverns of the Underdark. There 
  the formless fhaorn’quessir waited, its merged con-
  sciousnesses pondering the mystery of its existence as 
  the centuries passed it by.
  Custodians of the Weave
  After slumbering for millennia, a discordant reso-
  nance in the Weave awakened the sharns and set 
  them to their calling as custodians of the Weave. The 
  Dark Disaster had burned an instinctive abhorrence 
  to the abuse of magic into the sharn psyche. Magical 
  devastation unleashed in Calimshan during the Shat-
  tering had cemented their resolve.
   
  After that time, the sharns sent scouts throughout 
  Faerûn to observe from the shadows, and when neces-
  sary, to strike out against those who would wield the 
  Art for mass destruction. When the sharns couldn’t 
  prevent such atrocities, they sought to preserve 
  dying cultures by permitting select individuals of the 
  doomed civilization to join their collective.
   
  The sharns’ enmity against the phaerimm is well 
  documented, driven by the latter’s employment of life 
  drain magic and the resultant desertification of the 
  Anauroch.
  Plaguechanged Sharns
  The Spellplague changed most sharns, magical beings 
  that they are. Their skin, once silver and black, now 
  runs in metallic shades of blue. The typical nimbus 
  of purple light now manifests as cerulean plaguefire 
  dancing across their spellscarred bodies. The deep 
  ebony sharn pools now bubble and writhe with cobalt 
  radiance, agitated by wild magical currents flowing 
  within them.
   
  Worshiped as Spellplague avatars by a cult of 
  spellscarred zealots, the Order of Blue Fire, these 
  plague-maddened sharns are on a mad quest. Despite 
  the plague’s nature, the sharns view its chaotic ten-
  drils as the last remaining strands of the true Weave, 
  which is something they are desperate to preserve. 
  As such, the sharn seek to nurture and spread active 
  pockets of Spellplague.
   
  To achieve this end, the sharns guide the Order of 
  Blue Fire—a strained relationship at best. The simple 
  truth of the matter is that the sharns don’t play well 
  with others. They prefer to follow their own shifting 
  agendas at their own chaotic pace.
  Sharn aLignment
  In an upcoming Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide 
  update, the sharn (page 266) will receive a revi-
  sion in alignment to unaligned. This alters the 
  plaguechanged sharns to the alignment they were 
  always intended to have. Plaguechanged sharns 
  are enigmatic and erratic, and they seek to spread 
  the Spellplague, but they are no more evil than 
  the Spellplague itself.
   
  One might wonder why the sharn was ever 
  published as chaotic evil. The answer to that 
  weirdness lies in the early design for Fourth Edi-
  tion, when we had a chaotic alignment that meant 
  “chaotic but not evil.” I gave the plaguechanged 
  sharns that alignment, because it made sense with 
  their behavior. When the alignment system solidi-
  fied, the sharn was then inadvertently switched to 
  chaotic evil against the original design intent. The 
  update and this sidebar correct that mistake.
  —chris Sims
  
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  ecology of the Sharn
  Habitat
  Sharn pools are typically underground in the Sharn-
  lands and other regions of active Spellplague. A few of 
  their kind, the eldest of the sharns alive today, remain 
  as guardians living under the protective mythal of the 
  Hidden City of Hope.
   
  rhymanthiin: The Hidden City of Hope stands as 
  a testament to the fulfillment of Oacenth’s Vow and 
  Dragmar’s Promise—a land where all goodly races 
  of Faerûn can live and work together with common 
  cause and unity. Nearly the size of Waterdeep, the 
  streets and outer walls of Rhymanthiin are orderly, 
  with clean lines and heavy block constructions. The 
  great boulevards and defensive walls of the city have 
  the black-as-pitch hue of the sharns, from which any 
  of the three-mawed defenders can emerge. Rhyman-
  thiin remains firmly anchored to the Feywild and 
  invisible to most outsiders. Those who have not been 
  welcomed into the city observe only miles of untamed 
  wilderness where the city should stand.
   
  Perhaps surprising to some, Rhymanthiin hosts 
  the largest number of redeemed dark elves in all 
  Faerûn, joining with their fey fellows to relearn the 
  ancient traditions of their people. Sharns of Rhyman-
  thiin stand apart from their kin in wider Faerûn. 
  Untouched by the ravages of the Spellplague, they are 
  one with the city, their bodies composing the streets 
  and walls of the Hidden City of Hope.
   
  The Sharnlands: In the Underdark, about 16 
  miles below the Gray Vale spreading southeast under 
  the High Moor, lie the bizarre deeps known as the 
  Sharnlands. These sprawling caverns, home to a great 
  number of magical ley lines and earth nodes, run for 
  miles through the deepest part of the Northdark.
   
  Undermountain: In the depths of the Sargauth, 
  below Halaster’s Halls, lives a mysterious creature 
  known as the Drowned Queen, an abolethlike being 
  thought to have unusual magical abilities akin to 
  those of the sharns. It is whispered that the Drowned 
  Queen was responsible for the death of a Manshoon 
  clone who sought to rule the Underhalls in the years 
  following the Mad Mage’s demise.
   
  Plaguewrought Land: From the independent 
  city of Ormpetarr, the Order of Blue Fire organizes 
  Scar Pilgrimages into the Plaguewrought Land. Here, 
  where the Spellplague is most active in all Faerûn, 
  dozens of sharns dwell.
   
  Halruaa: Much of the lore of Halruaa lives on 
  within the few souls assimilated by the sharns before, 
  during, and after that nation’s destruction. Sharns are 
  actively exploring the ruined capital of Halarahh in 
  search of the Zalathorm’s Clockwork Sceptre.
  Sharn variantS
  “Ye hearken, the three-souled-one shall lead them and the 
  blasted heath shall impart wonders”
  Sharn Blackclaw Powers
  Sharn blackclaws are statistically identical to the 
  sharn presented in the ForgottEn rEalms Campaign 
  Guide (page 266), but they can command one or more 
  alternative powers. You can choose any of the follow-
  ing replacement powers for the sharn presented in 
  the ForgottEn rEalms Campaign Guide.
  Plaguefire Maw
  Substitute this power for the leaping plaguefire power.
  M Plaguefire Maw (standard; recharge 5 6) ✦ Fire
   
  reach 2; three attacks, each against a different target 
  within reach; +18 vs. ac; 1d8 + 3 damage and ongoing 5 
  fire damage (save ends). First Failed Saving Throw: Ongoing 
  5 fire damage and the target takes a –2 penalty to Will 
  (save ends both). Second Failed Saving Throw: Ongoing 5 
  fire damage and the target takes a –2 penalty to Will (save 
  ends both) and target contracts level 11 halruaan con-
  sumption (see FRCG page 136).
  Spellfire Aegis
  Substitute this power for the second wind power.
  C Column of spellfire (free, when first bloodied; encounter) ✦ 
  Fire, Force
   
  close burst 2; +17 vs. reflex; 3d10 + 5 fire and force 
  damage. The sharn gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until 
  the start of its next turn. The sharn transforms into a 
  30-foot-high column of fire.
  Bolt Barrage
  Substitute this power for the independent action power.
  Bolt Barrage ✦ Force (see text)
   
  The sharn makes two ranged basic attacks against the 
  same target. If both attacks hit, the target and all enemies 
  adjacent to the target are knocked prone.
  Hex Step
  Substitute this power for the threatening reach power.
  hex step (move; when adjacent to a hex portal; at-will) ✦ 
  teleportation
   
  The sharn teleports to any unoccupied square adjacent to a 
  hex portal it created.
  Psychic Displacement
  Substitute this power for the threatening reach power.
  Psychic displacement (immediate interrupt, when the sharn 
  is targeted by a melee or ranged attack; recharge @6) ✦ 
  teleportation
   
  The sharn teleports 5 squares.
  Swarming Hex Portals
  Substitute this power for the threatening reach power.
  swarming Hex Portals
   
  The sharn gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against targets 
  that are adjacent to at least 2 hex portals.
  
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  ecology of the Sharn
  Sharn Symbiote
  Sharn symbiotes are horrifying serpents of black ooze 
  that spend their days within the gooey confines of 
  inky, black pools unless provoked. Symbiotes are the 
  only method of procreation for a sharn colony, though 
  the sharns are usually meticulous when selecting 
  those deemed worthy to merge with their collective 
  consciousness.
  Graft: Sharn Symbiote
  A sharn symbiote envelops the host from head to foot 
  in an oily-black second skin, which shifts and writhes 
  when agitated. A graft is a template that introduces 
  new mechanics onto an existing creature. They func-
  tion like templates, but do not alter the creature’s 
  level, nor do they make it elite, but they do make the 
  creature slightly more complicated and a little more 
  powerful.
   
  Prerequisite: 10th level
  sharn symbiote 
  graft
  senses darkvision
  languages telepathy 15
  immune petrification, polymorph
  C Psychic slam (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic
   close blast 5; level + 2 vs. Will; the target is 
  immobilized until the end of the creature’s next turn.
  Sharn Symbiote Tactics
  Sharn symbiotes immobilize prey that stray too close 
  with psychic slam. If other sharns are not nearby to 
  deal with the intruder, the symbiote uses seize host 
  to compel the enemy to withdraw from sharn lands. 
  Only as a last resort does a symbiote assimilate its 
  host, which risks introducing unfavorable qualities 
  into the collective.
  SymBiote
  Symbiotes invade or join with a host creature’s body, 
  granting the host certain benefits in exchange for 
  great protection. In some cases, however, the sym-
  biote is little better than a parasite leaching off a host 
  body until the symbiote can locate another.
   
  When a symbiotic link is established, the sym-
  biote joins with the base creature. In game terms, 
  a symbiotic link is a graft, which is a minitemplate 
  that you add to an NPc or monster (Open Grave 
  page 216). Not only does a symbiote introduce an 
  interesting story and visual element to an NPc, 
  but it also grants the NPc an extra attack.
  Sharn Symbiote 
  Level 15 Lurker
  Large aberrant magical beast (blind, ooze) 
  XP 1,200
  initiative +17 
  senses Perception +6; blindsight 10,  
   
   
  tremorsense 10
  hP 119; Bloodied 59
  aC 29; Fortitude 27, reflex 27, will 28
  immune gaze, petrification, polymorph
  speed 6
  m slam (standard; at-will)
   
  +20 vs. ac; 2d10 + 4 damage.
  M seize host (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic
   
  +18 (+20 against immobilized creatures) vs. reflex; ongoing 
  10 psychic damage (save ends) and the target is grabbed.
  M assimilate (standard; at-will)
   
  Targets a creature the sharn symbiote has grabbed; +18 vs. 
  Will; the target is dominated (save ends).
  M Psychic Feast (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic
   
  Targets the creature the sharn symbiote has grabbed; +18 
  vs. Will; 3d8 + 9 psychic damage, and the sharn symbiote 
  regains 10 hit points.
  C Psychic slam (standard; at-will)
   
  close blast 5; +18 vs. Will; the target is immobilized until 
  the end of the sharn symbiote’s next turn.
  host Before symbiote (immediate interrupt, when targeted by 
  a melee or ranged attack; at-will)
   
  requires a grabbed creature; the attack that triggered 
  this interrupt targets a creature the sharn symbiote has 
  grabbed instead.
  symbiotic link
   
  If a creature the sharn symbiote has grabbed is reduced to 
  0 hit points by either the psychic feast power or the ongo-
  ing damage from seize host, the creature gains the sharn 
  symbiote graft, regains 10 hit points, and is dominated by 
  the sharn symbiote (a condition that can be ended only by 
  the remove affliction ritual).
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages —
  skills arcana +17, Insight +11, religion +17
  str 21 (+12) 
  dex 23 (+13) 
  wis 8 (+6)
  Con 23 (+13) 
  int 21 (+12) 
  Cha 24 (+14)
  Sharn Phaseblade
  Sharn phaseblades are lurking horrors that deliver 
  precision strikes with their signature black blades; 
  each blade trails wisps of shadow in its deadly wake.
  Sharn Phaseblade Tactics
  A sharn phaseblade uses phase distortion to keep away 
  from its enemies and boost its next round’s worth of 
  attacks while delivering melee attacks through strate-
  gically positioned hex portals.
  
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  ecology of the Sharn
  Sharn Hexshadow
  Sharn hexshadows are masterful tacticians that can 
  divide their forms to confuse prey and better posi-
  tion themselves for delivering deadly killing strikes 
  enhanced by orbs of eldritch might.
  Sharn Hexshadow Tactics
  Sharn hexshadows employ shadow hex to confuse 
  while unleashing crackling lightning balls and indepen-
  dent actions against their enemies.
  About the Author
  Brian r. James is a freelance game designer working exclu-
  sively for Wizards of the Coast. His credits include Open 
  Grave™, The Grand History of the Realms™, ForgottEn rEalms® 
  Campaign Guide, and the forthcoming Underdark™ supple-
  ment. You can follow Brian’s random thoughts online at 
  http://www.twitter.com/brianrjames.
  Sharn Phaseblade 
  Level 16 Solo Lurker
  Large aberrant magical beast 
  XP 7,000
  initiative +18 
  senses Perception +12; darkvision
  hP 586; Bloodied 293
  regeneration 10
  aC 30; Fortitude 28, reflex 28, will 29
  immune petrification, polymorph
  saving throws +5 (+8 against fear effects, and against conditions 
  that hinder movement); see also independent consciousness
  speed 4, fly 8 (hover); see also phase distortion
  action Points 2
  m Bite (standard; at-will)
   
  reach 2; +19 vs. ac; 2d8 + 5 damage.
  m Phaseblade (standard; at-will) ✦ Psychic, weapon
   
  reach 2; +19 vs. ac; 2d6 + 5 psychic damage, and ongoing 
  5 psychic damage (save ends).
  R hex Portal (minor; sustain minor [see text]; at-will) ✦ 
  Conjuration
   
  ranged 5; the sharn creates a hexagonal window of light 
  that it can attack through as if it were in that portal’s 
  space. as a minor action, it can move one portal 4 squares. 
  Portals don’t block line of sight, line of effect, or enemy 
  movement. a sharn can maintain up to three such portals 
  at a time with a single minor action; it can close as many as 
  it wishes with a free action.
  independent action (standard; at-will)
   
  The sharn makes two melee basic attacks. If a phaseblade and 
  a bite hit the same target, that target is also dazed (save ends).
  Phase distortion (standard; at-will) ✦ teleportation
   
  The sharn Phaseblade teleports 10 squares and gains 
  insubstantial and phasing until the start of its next turn. 
  additionally, on its next turn the sharn Phaseblade gains a 
  +3 bonus to attack rolls.
  double actions
   
  a sharn rolls initiative twice, gets two turns during a 
  round, and has a full set of actions (standard, move, minor) 
  on each turn. Each set of actions corresponds to a differ-
  ent consciousness. The sharn’s ability to take immediate 
  actions refreshes on each of its turns.
  independent Consciousness
   
  a sharn automatically saves against the dazed and stunned 
  conditions, and against charm effects that a save can end.
  alignment Unaligned languages common, Deep Speech
  skills arcana +18, Insight +12, religion +18
  str 21 (+13) 
  dex 23 (+14) 
  wis 8 (+7)
  Con 23 (+14) 
  int 21 (+13) 
  Cha 24 (+15)
  equipment 3 kukris
  initiative +17 
  senses Perception +13; special senses
  hP 682; Bloodied 341
  regeneration 10
  aC 35; Fortitude 31, reflex 31, will 34
  immune petrification, polymorph
  saving throws +5 (+8 against fear effects, and against condi-
  tions that hinder movement)
  speed 4, fly 8 (hover)
  action Points 2
  m Bite (minor 1/turn; at-will)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 2d4 + 6 damage.
  m Claw (standard; at-will)
   
  +24 vs. ac; 3d6 + 6 damage, and the sharn shifts 2 squares 
  after the attack.
  R lightning Ball (standard; at-will) ✦ lightning
   
  ranged 5; two attacks, each against different targets; +22 
  vs. reflex; 2d10 + 6 lightning damage.
  R hex Portal (minor; sustain minor [see text]; at-will) ✦ 
  Conjuration
   
  ranged 5; the sharn creates a hexagonal window of 
  light that it can attack through as if it were in that por-
  tal’s space. as a minor action, it can move one portal 4 
  squares. Portals don’t block line of sight, line of effect, or 
  enemy movement. a sharn can sustain up to three such 
  portals at a time with a single minor action; it can close as 
  many as it wishes with a free action.
  hex step (move; when adjacent to a hex portal; at-will) ✦ 
  teleportation
   
  The sharn teleports to any unoccupied square adjacent to a 
  hex portal it created.
  independent action (standard; at-will)
   
  The sharn makes two melee basic attacks. If a bite and 
  claw hit the same target, that target is also dazed (save 
  ends).
  shadow hex (minor; not usable when bloodied; encounter) ✦ 
  Conjuration, illusion
   
  The sharn creates a shadowy illusion of itself, which 
  occupies a space exactly as though it were the sharn hex-
  shadow. The sharn and its illusion are considered to both 
  be the same creature, sharing the same hit point pool and 
  the same abilities, and each one takes one of the sharn’s 
  turns each round. When a sharn is bloodied, its illusion 
  vanishes immediately.
  double actions
   
  a sharn rolls initiative twice, gets two turns during a 
  round, and has a full set of actions (standard, move, 
  minor) on each turn. Each set of actions corresponds to a 
  different consciousness. The sharn’s ability to take imme-
  diate actions refreshes on each of its turns.
  independent Consciousness
   
  a sharn automatically saves against the dazed and stunned 
  conditions, and against charm effects that a save can end.
  alignment Unaligned 
  languages common, Deep  
   
   
   
  Speech
  skills arcana +18, Insight +12, religion +18
  str 21 (+14) 
  dex 23 (+15) 
  wis 8 (+8)
  Con 23 (+15) 
  int 21 (+14) 
  Cha 24 (+16)
  Sharn Hexshadow 
  Level 19 Solo Skirmisher
  Large aberrant magical beast 
  XP 12,000
  
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  The Deva
  By JaMes wyatt
  illustration by William 0’ Connor
  In last month’s column, I gave you an inside look 
  into the back-and-forth within the R&D depart-
  ment—among designers, developers, editors, and 
  managers—that led to the final form of the gnome 
  and the half-orc in Player’s Handbook 2®. This time 
  around, I’m going to do the same thing for the 
  deva—a “new” race that appears in PH2 this month, 
  but which is the spiritual descendant, as it were, of a 
  different race: the aasimar.
   
  Ah, the aasimar. Depending on how you pro-
  nounce it, they come off sounding either a bit 
  mule-headed or totally full of awesome. I never really 
  had a problem with the name—until a caption in Races 
  of Faerûn™ doubled the S instead of the A. Even with 
  that typo, though, I’ve always been fond of the race, in 
  the same way that I’ve always enjoyed the concept of 
  paladins and other holy characters. I don’t mind an 
  occasional walk on the dark side, but in general I like 
  to play heroes who stand firmly on the side of right 
  and truth and justice. The aasimar race lets me play 
  a character who belongs there because of his nature, 
  not just because of the moral choices he’s made.
   
  So that’s been the guiding principle in my mind 
  through the two years of conversations I’m going to 
  sketch out in this column.
  Scramjet (May to 
  September 2006)
  In the Scramjet phase of 4th Edition design (which 
  was a team devoted to exploring and codifying the 
  story of the D&D world), we found ourselves in a 
  difficult position. For some good reasons, we had 
  slowly but surely removed from the game any living 
  embodiments of goodness in the cosmos. Aside 
  from a handful of good gods, we had no cosmic 
  champions of good. Angels became the servants of 
  all the gods, not just the good ones. Archons, guar-
  dinals, and eladrin—the good-guy celestial races 
  of 2nd and 3rd Editions—vanished with the Upper 
  Planes they inhabited or got transformed into very 
  different concepts. That left us without a clear story 
  for the aasimar, who in the past had been the mirror 
  image of the tiefling. Tieflings were descended from 
  humans and devils, so it was easy to understand how 
  they had a streak of supernatural evil in their heri-
  tage. With no celestial ancestors, what would make 
  the aasimar inclined toward good?
   
  The first idea we tossed around and wrote up was 
  that aasimar were angels who disobeyed their divine 
  masters by choosing to do what was good and right 
  instead of what the gods commanded. That would 
  make them angelic in origin, but firmly committed 
  to good. Unfortunately, this concept relied pretty 
  heavily on a notion that paladins might not use the 
  divine power source—a notion that didn’t survive 
  long. We wanted aasimars to make great paladins, 
  and that meant they had to be willing to subject 
  themselves to divine authority.
   
  So our next (and final) concept was that aasi-
  mar used to be angels of various deities, but they 
  became mortal. Some aasimar grew fascinated with 
  the natural world and begged their deities to allow 
  them to join it; others were cast out of the Astral 
  for offenses against their deities. Still others are on 
  the mortal world for another reason—though many 
  do not know what that reason is. Some were sent 
  to live mortal lives as a chance to prove themselves 
  and earn a promotion through the angelic ranks.
   
  Aasimar, we decided, lived among humans 
  but reincarnated. They looked just like attractive 
  humans, but with golden eyes (and we had the idea 
  
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  that the name aasimar was an Elven word that 
  referred to those golden eyes), and over the course 
  of their career we imagined that they might gain angelic 
  wings, golden skin, or other distinguishing features.
   
  Some aasimar, we said, have random flashbacks 
  of their previous lives and their existence as angels. 
  This is a huge story element for players and DMs to 
  play with, but there might also be mechanics that 
  allow an aasimar character to benefit from vestigial 
  knowledge or skills. 
   
  It amuses me now to look back on this and real-
  ize how close to full circle we came. But it was a 
  circuitous path!
  Monster Manual Design 
  (October 2006 to April 2007)
  The Scramjet description of aasimar didn’t catch hold 
  right away. I know that for me, it lacked the key thing 
  that made aasimar worth playing—that they have 
  goodness running through their veins. Bill Slavicsek 
  made it clear that he wanted a race that was the oppo-
  site of tieflings. Furthermore, he said, “When we get 
  around to it, this race should get a visual makeover as 
  we did with the tieflings so that they have a look and 
  feel all their own. We will also continue to debate this 
  name and whether or not to change it.”
   
  By this point it was clear that this race would 
  not end up in the first Player’s Handbook. So the 
  pressure was off, a little bit—except that as I led 
  the Monster Manual® design team, I figured they 
  should appear in that book. So I continued trying 
  to hammer away at an origin story that would make 
  them inherently inclined toward goodness. Since 
  there were no celestials for them to be descended 
  from, I landed on the idea of using celestial as the 
  name of the race, and crafted this story for them:
   
  On the great astral mountain called Celestia, three 
  gods of good alignment reside together (with their 
  not-so-good colleague, Kord). Bahamut is sometimes 
  called the ruler of this realm, but in truth the four dei-
  ties rule as equals over a domain of peace and justice. 
  Pelor resides in a shining palace at its peak, Kord wan-
  ders its lowest slopes, and Moradin mines and smelts in 
  the forge-furnaces at the mountain’s heart. This heav-
  enly domain is also the home of the celestials.
   
  In an age long past and nearly forgotten, a great 
  human kingdom shone in the darkness of the world 
  as a perfect example of a just society. The rulers of 
  this empire were among the holiest of mortals, as 
  devoted to the principles of good as they were to the 
  worship of Pelor and Bahamut. Knights of Bahamut 
  rode through the land to maintain justice and order, 
  and their priests offered daily sacrifices in grand 
  temples dedicated to the four celestial gods. 
   
  So greatly did this kingdom please the gods of 
  Celestia that they would not allow it to fall. When a 
  great horde gathered at its border and began to sweep 
  over its lands, Bahamut elevated the kingdom’s capital 
  city of Empyrea to the slopes of Celestia. The citizens 
  of that shining city thus survived the destruction 
  of their kingdom, and their descendants gradually 
  changed their essential nature as the astral energies 
  of Celestia infused their bodies and souls. They are 
  now the race of celestials: humans whose essential 
  nature is infused with holiness.
  Wizards Presents:  
  Races and Classes
  In an essay he wrote for the first 4th Edition 
  preview book, Rob Heinsoo summed up another 
  challenge we faced in turning the aasimar into a 
  compelling race: the “Ave Maria problem.”
  Celestials
  If you’re a long-time D&D fan, odds are that you’ve 
  already noticed that the tieflings’ promotion to first-rank 
  player character race has left another race behind. The 
  race that was the tieflings’ light-side counterpart, a race 
  of golden humans descended from angels—the aasimar.
   
  Even now I struggle to type that word without 
  spelling it like buttocks.
   
  I’m one of the designers who argued that we should 
  stop using the word “aasimar.” In the aasimar’s place, 
  you’ll meet a race of celestials who have plunged 
  through the same transforming fires as the tieflings.
   
  I won’t lie: Making Good-associated creatures as 
  exciting as their Evil-curious counterparts is a chal-
  lenge. I call the challenge the “Ave Maria” problem, 
  a reference to Walt Disney’s original Fantasia, a 
  wonderful animated film that ended with musical 
  meditations on Evil and Good. Evil got Night on Bald 
  Mountain, accompanied by an evil-storm orches-
  trated by a whip-wielding demon. Good followed 
  up with barely animated candle-bearing keepers 
  of the faith proceeding across the screen singing 
  Ave Maria. It’s a sweet piece of music, and it cer-
  tainly speaks to the possibilities of Good, but the 
  animation just didn’t hold a candle to lightning 
  storms on Bald Mountain.
   
  So now you know our mission: Celestials who sizzle 
  bright enough to hold their own against Bald Mountain 
  lightning storms. We’re working on it!
  The Story Team  
  Comes Full Circle
  Well, the celestial didn’t end up in the Monster Manu-
  al—not least, I think, because we didn’t have enough 
  time to really hash out their story (not to mention 
  their look) while working to get the first three core 
  books finished. But when design work for PH2 started 
  up in earnest, what was at the time called the story 
  team—me (as Lead Story Designer), Rich Baker, Bruce 
  Cordell, Chris Sims, and Matt Sernett—put our heads 
  together on the issue of the celestial/aasimar.
  
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  The rest of the team was not sold on the celestial 
  name. I think Chris Sims was the one who proposed 
  “deva.” I know I had some hesitation—partly because 
  of its roots in Indian language and religion, and partly 
  because it’s easily mispronounced to sound like either 
  an opera singer or someone who acts like one. (Say it 
  with me now, “DAY-vah.” Much better.) But when we 
  came up with a story that not only echoed the Scramjet 
  tale of angels but also linked this race to the rakshasas, 
  I think we all knew we’d struck gold.
   
  The key difference from the original Scramjet 
  story was that devas were once angels who were 
  dedicated to the gods of good—Bahamut, Pelor, and 
  Moradin. They’re not a generic “here’s what hap-
  pens when angels decide to become mortal” race, 
  they’re a specific instance of a group of good angels 
  entering the world. As long as they remain devoted 
  to goodness, their lives in the world can go just fine. 
  But a corrupted deva is a terrible thing—when a 
  deva falls too far, he or she is reborn as a rakshasa.
   
  We made sure to get a note in the Monster Manual 
  before it went to the printers suggesting a greater mys-
  tery to the reincarnative cycle of the rakshasa than we 
  were really saying, leaving the door open for the deva 
  in PH2. And we finally had what I wanted all along: a 
  race as deeply infused with goodness as the tiefling is 
  steeped in evil. Like the tiefling, their alignment isn’t 
  hard-coded, but a lot of the interest in playing a deva 
  character is in dealing with those impulses that pull 
  you against your deepest nature.
  The Look
  Finding a look for the deva was much harder than set-
  tling on their story. Scramjet, as we’ve seen, proposed 
  that they looked just like the humans among whom 
  they were born, except with golden eyes. Bill wanted 
  us to do a significant reconcepting of their appear-
  ance, though, just like we did with the tiefling, and 
  that ended up taking place in several stages.
   
  In February 2007, Bruce Cordell was working on an 
  art order for a miniatures set and thought he was going 
  to put a celestial in it. Bruce, Matt Sernett, and I talked 
  for a while about what they should look like and came 
  up with a few goals and suggestions that I ran past Bill:
   
  The first goal is to create a distinctive appearance 
  that will be communicated clearly in miniatures, so 
  when you have a celestial miniature it doesn’t just look 
  like a human paladin. The second goal is to communi-
  cate their essentially good nature.
   
  ✦ Maybe they have feathery wings. Aside from 
  halos, that’s about the only feature that resonates as 
  viscerally as diabolic horns, tails, and hooves for the 
  tieflings. They could have small wings or large but 
  nonfunctional wings, and either way they could get 
  the ability to fly by 10th level.
   
  ✦ Maybe they have metallic golden skin. That 
  might be hard to convey in miniatures, but could 
  look cool in art.
   
  ✦ Maybe they have translucent golden-colored 
  bodies. These could make really cool miniatures, similar 
  to the elemental archons, translucent yellow plastic with 
  armor painted over. Maybe they also use weapons made 
  of crystal substances, or we paint the weapons too.
  Those ideas didn’t get very far, and a celestial mini 
  didn’t make it into that set. Chris Sims made a good 
  point about metallic skin:
   
  “From a visual design standpoint, I still think 
  it’s a bad idea to make them have gold or any sort 
  of metallic skin, although silvery would be margin-
  ally acceptable. Human beings find a metallic look 
  inhuman in a bad way. Think about Raistlin with 
  his gold skin. Not attractive. These beings should be 
  very, very attractive—as attractive as rakshasas are 
  beastly. We do need to differentiate them physically 
  from elves and eladrins, so I recommend a pale and 
  shimmering (in a supermodel/internal light sort of 
  way) look with metallic hair and eyes, rather than 
  metallic skin. The skin could have an inhuman 
  cast, such as blue or tan with a sheen. I also rec-
  ommend that they be taller and bulkier than even 
  humans, and almost always perfect physical speci-
  mens except when corrupted.”
  In July, 2008, it was time to come up with an answer 
  so the deva in PH2 could move forward. Rob Hein-
  soo, art director Jon Schindehette, and I sat down 
  and hashed out what we wanted. At Jon’s request, I 
  put together a document that would serve as guid-
  ance for the concept artist he had lined up, so I 
  summed up everything I knew about the deva story 
  and made up a lot of stuff. This document follows the 
  format of similar concept art orders we’ve done for 
  Magic: The gathering® creatures, and it seems to 
  have done the trick.
   
  In order to pull it together, I spent hours going 
  through images on the web, in Spectrum (an annual 
  collection of the best in fantasy art), and past D&D 
  books. I realized just how difficult a task Chris 
  Sims had set out for us. I outlined the problem 
  under “Rough Description” below. 
   
  This document was what got us to the look you’ll 
  see when Player’s Handbook 2 releases—a long way 
  from the aasimar of old, but ready to take its place as 
  a champion of good in your D&D game!
  Deva Concept
  Devas are a race imbued with the essence of good-
  ness. If the tiefling is a race that gets to flirt with the 
  dark side, the deva is its conceptual opposite—it man-
  ages to be simultaneously goody-goody and badass. 
  
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  This is the race for the player who wants to be the 
  good guy without any shame, who wants to resist 
  temptation and take the moral high ground—seize it 
  with a greatsword, if need be. I would describe devas 
  as “angelic,” except that it’s no longer true (in D&D) 
  that angels embody the forces of good. 
  Rough Description
  Devas need to be humanoid and probably very 
  human-looking. They should be beautiful—as beau-
  tiful as we can make them while retaining some 
  features that make them look not exactly human. 
  This is the key challenge to defining the look of this 
  race: There are only so many ways you can alter the 
  human form and keep it attractive, and most or all 
  of those ways have been done before.
   
  We don’t want to take them in a fey or elfin direc-
  tion, which would make them step on our elves, 
  eladrin, and other fey races.
   
  We should consider wings. They could be small, 
  nonfunctional versions of metallic angel wings. Or 
  they could be wing-shaped fans of light that extend 
  behind them (though that would require that these 
  minis always use transparent plastic). But without 
  wings, it’s hard to look like an angel. 
   
  We can play with skin color and texture, and other 
  elements of coloration. Colors that take them far from 
  the human norm would be good—blue, yellow, metal-
  lic gold or bronze, translucent gemstone skin, and so 
  on. I would prefer not to make them shining white.
  Environment
  Devas don’t have a society of their own. They live 
  among other races, primarily humans. Their own 
  homes are simple and elegant.
  Cultural Details
  Devas are reincarnated when they die, and appear in 
  their new bodies as adults. They live among other races, 
  but preserve elements of their own ancient culture—
  even if they never meet another deva in the course of a 
  lifetime. This culture is expressed primarily in dress, 
  religion, and eating habits. 
   
  Devas strive for perfection—they believe that part 
  of the purpose of their reincarnation is to achieve per-
  fection in every aspect of life. 
  Religion Details
  Devas were once angels or angel-like immortals who 
  decided to live in the world rather than live directly in 
  the presence of the gods. They still worship the good 
  gods—Bahamut, Moradin, and Pelor—but they don’t 
  put a lot of stock in temples and priests. They worship 
  the gods at meals in their homes, setting an empty 
  place for the absent gods. 
  Character Classes
  Though they don’t see priests as important, deva 
  adventurers are commonly clerics, paladins, and 
  other classes that use the divine power source. 
  They’re all about a personal, immediate connection 
  to the deity, and the divine power source is a clear 
  reflection of that kind of connection.
   
  Devas that don’t use the divine power source are 
  most often defenders or leaders, protecting or inspir-
  ing their adventuring companions.
  Favored Weapons
  Swords, spears and other polearms, maces. Metal 
  parts should be shiny and might be golden, bronze, 
  or very silver. Avoid dark gunmetal.
  Favored Materials
  Shiny metal, polished wood, alabaster, marble. 
  High-gloss, polished look.
  Clothing Details
  I’d like to see clothing ideas that borrow from 
  Japan and India. Fine silk, flowing clothes, shiny 
  metal armor. Simple, elegant jewelry with polished 
  metal and bright gems.
   
  Let’s explore headdresses, crowns, ornaments that 
  suggest halos or the energy-hair of angels. 
  Socialization Details
  Devas are refined and polite, and they follow the 
  highest moral standards, but they are not afraid 
  of violence. They believe that the pursuit of good 
  is an eternal war with the forces of evil, which are 
  embodied in demons, rakshasas, devils, and evil 
  gods with their angels. 
  Magic and Martial Arts
  Devas use divine magic almost by nature, but they’re 
  equally competent with arcane and psionic arts. 
  Some devas are dedicated warriors in gleaming 
  armor with shining swords. D
  about the authors
  James Wyatt is the D&D® Design Manager for Wizards of 
  the Coast Roleplaying R&D. He was one of the lead design-
  ers for 4th Edition D&D and the primary author of the 4th 
  Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide®. He was one of the designers 
  of the EbErron® Campaign Setting and is the author of several 
  Eberron novels.
  
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  The Primal Power Source
  By JaMes wyatt, MiKe Mearls,  
  and roB heinsoo
  illustration by Steve Ellis
  James: Once again I delve back into old files 
  on my computer, grateful that I never throw 
  anything away (and that my hard drive is large 
  enough to support that habit). It’s interesting 
  for me to realize the extent to which many of 
  the foundational concepts of Player’s Handbook 2 
  were designed at the same time as those in the 
  first PH. Here are some of the first words about 
  the primal power source that were set down and 
  intended to stick, from December 2006:
  Primal powers draw strength from the natural 
  world. Many of the powers have a strong con-
  nection to something in nature, such as a totem 
  animal or a natural source of power (such as a 
  deep forest, a volcano, or a storm). Classes using 
  this power source include barbarians, druids, 
  and beastmasters.
  We knew early on that we didn’t want druids to 
  be just “the clerics of nature gods,” the way they 
  were in 2nd Edition. Because clerics and paladins 
  can serve any god, druids had to be something 
  else. To define that “something else,” we went back 
  to some old sources. This month’s D&D Alumni 
  column talks a bit about the history of the druid 
  class in the game, and its incarnation in the 1st 
  Edition AD&D Player’s Handbook gave us some 
  hints of inspiration:
  Druids can be visualized as medieval cousins of 
  what the ancient Celtic sect of Druids would have 
  become had it survived the Roman conquest. They 
  hold trees (particularly oak and ash), the sun, and 
  the moon as deities. Mistletoe is the holy symbol 
  of druids, and it gives power to their spells. They 
  have an obligation to protect trees and wild 
  plants, crops, and to a lesser extent, their human 
  followers and animals. Thus, druids will never 
  destroy woodlands or crops no matter what the 
  circumstances. Even though a woods, for example, 
  were evilly hostile, druids would not destroy 
  it, although nothing would prevent them from 
  changing the nature of the place if the desire and 
  wherewithal existed. In similar fashion, they avoid 
  slaying wild animals or even domestic ones except 
  as necessary for self-preservation and sustenance.
  This sets up the idea of druids as priests of a reli-
  gion that’s fundamentally different from the faith 
  of clerics, the worship of the pantheon of gods. 
  They don’t worship Pelor the sun god — they hold 
  the sun itself as a deity. That’s a subtle difference, 
  but it proved to be a fruitful one for us.
   
  Mike: Often when we work on something like 
  the divide between primal and divine power, the 
  answer is already in the game’s roots. We just 
  have to look for them!
  
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  The village of Hommlet, from both the epony-
  mous adventure module and the later Temple of 
  Elemental Evil supermodules, gave us a great start-
  ing point. Hommlet features both a newly built 
  church to St. Cuthbert and a grove of trees tended 
  by Jaroo the druid. Jaroo and many of the villagers 
  follow the old faith, while St. Cuthbert’s followers 
  are newcomers to the area.
   
  We liked the idea of two faiths that, in some 
  ways, compete with each other. On one hand you 
  have worship of the gods, on the other you have the 
  beliefs and practices of the druids and the primal 
  power source. The line between temple and grove, 
  the way of the gods and the way of the spirits, was an 
  interesting one to explore.
   
  Understanding that not every great power had 
  to flow from the gods was an important step. It led 
  us to the idea that primal magic arose among the 
  people of the world first, while the gods and primor-
  dials were busy battling for control of the cosmos. If 
  the gods were a force for the astral and the primor-
  dials a power of the Elemental Chaos, the primal 
  spirits filled a similar role for the world.
   
  Once we had that framework built, it was easy 
  to see where the primal classes, the barbarian and 
  druid to start with, fit in.
  James: Associating the barbarian with the druid 
  gave us the foundation of the primal power source. 
  Mike talked a bit about that in the Wizards Presents: 
  Races and Classes book published in 2007:
   
  Rage is the heart of every barbarian, and that’s 
  still true in 4E. With the increased customization 
  in the game, barbarians now have several varieties 
  of rage to choose from. We’ve also tied barbarians 
  and druids closer together, creating a relationship 
  between them similar to the link between paladins 
  and clerics. If a paladin is the sword of the faith, the 
  barbarian is nature’s fury given physical form.
   
  We wanted the barbarian to be more than a 
  fighter who rages, and to that end we firmly pushed 
  weapon tricks and mastery into the fighter’s realm. 
  Barbarians still heft axes and mauls with the best 
  of them, but they now have access to feral, totemic 
  abilities that make them unique.
  rob: Early on, we had the idea that one of the dis-
  tinguishing characteristics of the primal classes 
  was that they involved some form of transformation, 
  alterations of self that were more nature-based or 
  possibly cyclical than the polymorph effects used by 
  3E wizards. The druid obviously points that direc-
  tion. We wanted the druid to be the first class that 
  played in two different forms, using one group of 
  powers in beastform and another group of powers 
  while walking on two legs.
   
  Barbarian rages push the transformation theme. 
  They’re the biggest powers a barbarian has, so they 
  are daily powers. And they push the barbarian into 
  a different magical and emotional state, an altered 
  self that is tougher or faster or stronger, surrounded 
  by primal spirits or embodying the rage of a primal 
  beast or force of nature.
   
  The transformation angle guided me when 
  I was figuring out what we wanted from the 
  warden, the entirely new primal defender. When 
  the warden uses her guardian form powers, she 
  transforms into a hybrid creature, a form that 
  mixes her normal form with a beast or ancestor or 
  nature spirit. It’s supposed to look intimidating, 
  to help the warden function as a better defender 
  and offer powers the warden doesn’t have in their 
  normal form, including a new attack.
   
  Then we created the shaman … and stepped 
  away from the transformation theme! Shamans 
  function so differently from every other class that 
  adding a transformation element to what was 
  already a full class concept didn’t make sense. 
  Plenty of shaman powers have minor transforma-
  tive aspects, but there’s no single transformative 
  theme in the shaman, except for the very subtle 
  way in which shaman at-will and encounter powers 
  change the effect the shaman’s spirit companion 
  has on creatures adjacent to it. That’s a subtle 
  dynamic that creates a round-by-round shift in the 
  shaman’s spirit companion’s effect on the game, but 
  it doesn’t compare with the true transformations 
  common in the other primal classes.
  James: Part of defining the primal power source 
  was defining what it’s opposed to. The 1st Edi-
  tion PH talked about druids protecting plants, 
  crops, people, and animals, and refraining from 
  doing harm to those things. It went on to suggest 
  that druids were the enemies of those who harm 
  those things. In my experience, that led to players 
  feeling like druids had to oppose the people who 
  Early on, we had the idea that one of the distinguishing 
  characteristics of the primal classes was that they involved some form 
  of transformation, alterations of self that were more nature-based or 
  possibly cyclical than the polymorph effects used by 3E wizards.
  
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  clear away the forest to build cities or stalk hunters 
  through the forest, turning them into a pseudome-
  dieval extremist sect of Greenpeace.
   
  The 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook steered 
  away from that:
   
  Druids recognize that all creatures (including 
  humans) need food, shelter, and protection from 
  harm. Hunting, farming, and cutting lumber for 
  homes are logical and necessary parts of the natural 
  cycle. However, druids do not tolerate unnecessary 
  destruction or exploitation of nature for profit.
   
  I think it was Rob who went off on a tirade at 
  my cube about the anachronism of turning primal 
  characters into modern-day environmentalists. In 
  a world with no Industrial Revolution, he argued, 
  civilization on any normal scale isn’t a threat to 
  the natural world that druids should be concerned 
  about. The forces that druids should be opposed to 
  aren’t the priests and paladins of Erathis coloniz-
  ing the wilds and cutting down trees to build their 
  cities. Rather, they’re the forces that literally seek 
  to destroy the world.
   
  In D&D, those forces are many. They’re the 
  demons of the Abyss. They’re the warped and 
  twisted aberrant monstrosities of the Far Realm, 
  whose very existence corrupts the natural world 
  and threatens to undo the laws of nature. They’re 
  the undead who violate the natural cycle of life and 
  death. Those are the enemies of primal characters 
  — and that led us to a clearer understanding of who 
  those characters are.
  rob: James said I could put the rant he’s talking 
  about into my own words, but hearing how you 
  sound to other people is more fun than re-rant-
  ing. But now that James introduced the topic, I’ll 
  go a bit deeper.
   
  One of the core assumptions of the 4e world is 
  that there are a few scattered regions of civilization 
  (points of light) surrounded by dangerous darkness. 
  The primal people tinker with those definitions 
  a bit. The areas that the primal people think of as 
  points of light look like darkness to more civilized 
  people who need walls to keep them safe. The basic 
  dynamic of scattered areas of relative safety sur-
  rounded by unknown areas Where Monsters Dwell 
  remains the same. There’s no guarantee that primal 
  people who move into a new area will survive, but 
  one of the consequences of the points-of-light world 
  is that there is no guarantee that any settled area 
  will survive for long.
   
  The Primal Power sourcebook will have more 
  detail on the connections between primal tribes and 
  the civilized folk they move around or among. For 
  that matter, Primal Power will talk a bit about primal 
  tribes, about the various ways they interact with the 
  spirits, and the fact that some tribes include mem-
  bers of many different races.
   
  As James mentioned, the common element 
  between the primal classes and the primal people 
  is that they’re opposed to the creatures and forces 
  that would destroy the world. An idea that Mike 
  had while working on PH2 really helped bring 
  this idea together. Mike realized that at some 
  point, the gods had been part of the problem that 
  the primal spirits moved to correct.
  Mike: Yeah, the idea of druids as simply praying to 
  different gods always seemed a little lame. Riffing 
  off the inspiration provided by Hommlet, I liked the 
  idea of the gods and primal spirits butting heads.
   
  The way I saw it, you had the primordials and the 
  gods bashing each other over the head. Meanwhile, 
  the world is stuck in the middle. If the primal spirits 
  arose from that world and are part of it, they proba-
  bly don’t particularly like either side of that conflict. 
  When you come down to it, both sides of the battle 
  felt that the winner would rule the universe. The 
  primal spirits begged to differ.
   
  In our conception of the primal spirits, they are 
  true forces of nature, answerable to no one, neither 
  truly good nor truly evil, but rather concerned with 
  maintaining the natural order of things. If those 
  pesky gods and meddling primordials would just 
  leave everything alone, nature would take care of 
  itself. The march of seasons, the cycle of life and 
  death, all of those are necessary components to 
  ensure that the mechanisms of nature function 
  smoothly. Death ensures that the press of living 
  things never overwhelms the world. The seasons 
  march to keep life in check and to ensure that no 
  one type of life overruns the world.
   
  If the gods have their own, highly focused agen-
  das (as embodied by their spheres of influence), 
  the primal spirits are all aspects of the totality of 
  the natural world. Leave them be, and they’ll leave 
  you be. Mess with them, and they’re liable to take 
  a bite out of your hide.
   
  While the war between the gods and primordi-
  als raged, the primal spirits stepped in when the 
  war threatened to overrun or destroy the world. In 
  essence, the gods and primordials were politely, 
  Leave them be, and they’ll leave you be. Mess with them, and 
  they’re liable to take a bite out of your hide.
  
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  then firmly, and finally violently asked to take their 
  battle elsewhere. When the gods won, the spirits 
  acknowledged that they would play a role in the 
  world, but they’re still ready to unleash their wrath 
  if any planar power goes too far in exerting its 
  influence over the world.
   
  That’s in part why you don’t see epic tier threats 
  romping around the world. They keep to the planes, 
  because a god, primordial, or other epic creature 
  that starts crushing swaths of the world is liable to 
  be eaten by the World Serpent. The primal spirits 
  are content to let them mess around in the planes, 
  but if they venture into the world, they had better 
  keep quiet, stay out of trouble, and leave when asked.
  rob: As we’ll show in Primal Power, the ordinary 
  situation in the world doesn’t put the pantheon of 
  the gods and the way of the primal spirits into con-
  flict. Their conflict occurred in mythological time 
  and created the current order of the world, some-
  thing that most of the gods and the spirits are fine 
  with. Of course, the Far Realm and the Abyss are not 
  satisfied with the order of things, and the pantheon 
  of the gods and the spirits of the primal way are 
  usually more or less in agreement about how those 
  threats should be destroyed. Primal Power will have 
  more to say about how the pantheon of the gods and 
  the spirits of the primal way relate with each other.
  James: Building on all this foundation, here’s 
  what I wrote for the introduction to Player’s Hand-
  book 2, explaining the myth of the primal spirits 
  and their role in the world:
  According to legend, when the gods made war 
  against the primordials at the dawn of time, the 
  battles raged across the cosmos for uncounted 
  centuries. The gods slowly gained an upper hand, 
  successfully imprisoning or banishing many of 
  the primordials. However, this war threatened 
  the very existence of the world, as the primor-
  dials who brought it forth from the Elemental 
  Chaos clashed with the gods who sought to fix 
  the form of the world in permanence. In the last 
  days of the war, a new force made itself known in 
  the cosmos: the spiritual expression of the world 
  itself. These primal spirits declared an end to the 
  war, asserting that the world would no longer be 
  a battleground for the two opposing forces. The 
  gods and primordials were banished to their home 
  planes, and the primal spirits of the world decreed 
  a balance: The world would remain a place where 
  matter and spirit mingled freely, where life and 
  death proceeded in an orderly cycle, where the 
  seasons changed in their unending wheel without 
  interference. The gods and primordials could still 
  influence the world, but they could not rule it.
  These primal spirits are beyond number, rang-
  ing from spirits too weak to have proper names to 
  the mightiest incarnations of nature’s power: the 
  Primal Beast, the Fate Weaver, the Great Bear, 
  the World Serpent, and others. They are spirits 
  of winds and weather, of predators and prey, of 
  plains and forests, of mountains and swamps. As 
  the people of the world have come to know these 
  primal spirits and live in harmony with them, some 
  mortal spirits have joined their number after death, 
  just as some mortal souls pass to the dominions of 
  their gods. These great ancestors are among the 
  most potent of the primal spirits.
  About the Authors
  James Wyatt is the D&D Design Manager for Wizards of 
  the Coast Roleplaying R&D. He was one of the lead design-
  ers for 4th Edition D&D and the primary author of the 4th 
  Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide. He was one of the design-
  ers of the Eberron Campaign Setting and is the author of 
  several Eberron novels. 
  Rob Heinsoo led the design of the 4th Edition D&D Role-
  playing Game. His 4th Edition design credits include Martial 
  Power and the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. His other 
  game designs include Three-Dragon Ante and Inn-Fighting.
  Mike Mearls is the Lead Designer for the Dungeons & Drag-
  ons roleplaying game. His recent credits include H1: Keep 
  on the Shadowfell and Player’s Handbook II.
  
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  Hail to the Player-
  in-Chief: Part 2
  By shelly MazzanoBle
  illustrations by William O’Conner
  “What’s that smell?”Peter asked 
  from the other side of the cubicle. “It’s like . . .” he 
  sniffed loudly “Thai food.”
   
  There was no response and there was certainly 
  no Thai food. At least not on my new desk in R&D.
   
  Peter popped his head over the wall “It’s 
  coming from you!” he shouted. “Why are you 
  down here eating lemongrass chicken at 9:30 in 
  the morning?” he asked.
   
  “It’s Ginger Soufflé,” I told him. “It’s my moisturizer.”
   
  “Do you always smell like that?” Stephen 
  Radney-MacFarland asked. “Because if so, please 
  limit your visits down here until after 12:00. You’re 
  making me hungry.”
   
  Limit my visits? Stephen must not have checked 
  his email yet. Or maybe Bill wanted to make a 
  special announcement. I’m glad I dressed up today 
  and wore the expensive moisturizer.
   
  “Yes,” I said, “I probably will smell like this on 
  most days. It’s my favorite scent. But I’m not exactly 
  visiting, you know. I work here.”
   
  “What’s this?” Stephen asked, poking at the tin-
  foil dome I left on my would-be desk.
   
  “Chocolate bunt cake” I said. “Kind of a desk-
  warming treat, I guess.” I didn’t mention that it’s 
  them who should be warming my desk and not me. 
  No reason to start off on the wrong foot here.
  My first morning as the newly appointed Player-
  in-Chief was not nearly as productive as I had 
  hoped. Mostly because my former boss kept call-
  ing me back to my old desk and making me attend 
  meetings and answer the emails of my old self. 
  I cut her some slack, knowing this change hap-
  pened rather quickly. I agreed to help her out but 
  only for a couple of days.
   
  “Help me out?” she asked.
   
  “I know. Gracious, isn’t it?” I confirmed. “I wish 
  I could do more but The People have been without 
  a voice for too long. Got to go!”
   
  “Hey!” she shouted after me. “Where are you 
  going with my plants?”
   
  And with that I headed back to R&D, determined 
  not to let my first day be a total wash. Change was in 
  the air! And it smelled like Ginger Soufflé.
  My new team in R&D spends a lot of time talk-
  ing to each other. I guess this is part of their jobs. 
  They volley random stats back and forth, theorize, 
  hypothesize, and reminisce. I find Peter and Chris 
  Perkins sitting at the round table positioned for 
  these kinds of conversations. I join them.
   
  “Whose stuff is that on the empty desk?”  
  Chris asked.
  
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  “Mine,” I answered, slicing off two hunks of cake 
  and sliding paper plates in each of their directions.
   
  “She thinks she works here now,” Peter said. 
  “In R&D.”
   
  I sensed some intimidation coming from Peter, 
  which was understandable. He’s young. He’ll learn. 
  And if not, I’ll take him out in kickboxing class.
   
  “Speaking of working,” I said. “Let’s get started. 
  I need to go over some proposed rules changes 
  with you. On behalf of the players, of course.”
   
  “Of course,” Chris said.
   
  Collectively, Chris and Peter have been playing 
  D&D longer than I’ve been alive—30 years and 15 
  years respectively.
   
  “Nope!” I will say. “It ties her armor class. Phew! 
  Dodged that bullet!”
   
  He then goes on to tell me that I’m taking 12 
  points of damage, which I grudgingly deduct on 
  my character sheet. If Tabitha ends up dying, I 
  will contest it.
   
  “The number on your character sheet is the 
  number needed to hit you,” Peter said.
   
  Well, duh, Peter. Even I know that.
   
  “So it doesn’t tie,” Chris elaborated. “It hits.”
   
  “Well, it shouldn’t hit. 18 and above should hit 
  Tabitha. 17 should miss.”
   
  “That would make your Armor Class 18,” 
  Peter said.
   
  “If the ability to reroll is so important to you, 
  then play an elf,” Peter suggested.
   
  “Astrid was an elf, and she couldn’t do that,” I 
  said. “Do you have any idea how many times she 
  let her party down by rolling a 1?”
   
  “Who’s Astrid?” Peter asked.
   
  “She works in HR,” Chris said, laughing.
   
  Oh no he didn’t! “No, she doesn’t!” I cor-
  rected. “She is a retired adventurer but one of 
  the finest in her time.”
   
  “Rolling all those 1s?” Peter asked. “Doesn’t 
  sound like it.”
   
  If only I had a magic missile in my pocket . . .
   
  “Look, if you’re so concerned about stepping 
  on the toes of elves, why not just give them a 
  different unique ability, like good memory or 
  well groomed, and give the ability to re-roll to 
  the rest of us?”
   
  Peter made a buzzing sound as if I picked the 
  wrong door on The Price is Right.
   
  “Or how about our elven friends can use their 
  special ability on another party member?”
   
  Peter and Chris look at each other with raised 
  eyebrows. “That’s not terrible,” Chris said. “I 
  mean, comparably.”
   
  Peter nodded in agreement. “It could be a 
  racial feat for elves.”
   
  “Great,” I said. “You can post an update on the 
  website, say, tomorrow?”
   
  “Maybe not that soon,” Chris said. “We 
  should probably do a little more research first.”
   
  Details.
   
  “Fine. Let’s move on to the Soap Opera Effect.”
   
  “Do we have to?” Peter asked.
   
  I sliced off another hunk of cake and slid it 
  toward Peter.
   
  I always thought there were remarkable simi-
  larities between game developers and soap opera 
  I had a lot of changes to make before lunch, so I moved on.  
  I’d come back to this later.
   
  “And how long have you been playing?” Peter 
  asked me.
   
  “Four years,” I answered. “But I think that’s an 
  advantage. I have a fresh perspective. I’m almost a 
  clean slate. The Player-in-Chief needs to represent 
  everyone. Even the fresh-faced newbies.”
   
  “Good cake,” Chris said. “You’re hired.”
   
  That’s stating the obvious,s but I thanked him 
  anyway. “So why don’t I tell you some of my devel-
  opment ideas?”
   
  “Oh boy,” Chris said.
   
  “Can’t wait,” Peter said.
   
  Apathy is a transparent mask for insecurity. I felt 
  for them. I did.
   
  “Let’s start with die-ties,” I said. “Just like in 
  kickball, where the tie goest to the runner, in D&D, 
  the tie should go to the player.”
   
  I cited the example that comes up almost 
  every time we play where New DM asks if 17 hits 
  Tabitha’s Armor Class.
   
  “Right,” I said. Jeez, as smart as these guys are sup-
  posed to be, they seemed to have a hard time grasping 
  simple math concepts. “That’s what I’m saying.”
   
  “So if your Armor Class was 18, then 18 would 
  hit you,” Chris said.
   
  “18 would be a tie!” I said. They must be so 
  intimidated they couldn’t think straight. “19 
  would hit.”
   
  “No,” Peter said. “Next question.”
   
  I had a lot of changes to make before lunch, so I 
  moved on. I’d come back to this later.
   
  “Everyone should have the chance to reroll. 
  Especially when you miss on your daily.”
   
  “Some races have that ability,” Peter said.
   
  “It’s what makes them special,” Chris said, 
  reminding me that he used to be a teacher.
   
  “Well bully for the special races,” I said. 
  “Maybe some benefits are better than others and 
  therefore not fair at all. Ever think of that?” No, I 
  bet they hadn’t.
  
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  writers. Both rely on villains and heroes, lush back-
  grounds and backstories, and several characters 
  coming together to tell one story.
   
  “You should employ more soap opera tactics in 
  regular game play, such as if you have a particu-
  larly bad encounter where, say, your character dies, 
  you can use the new encounter power I just had the 
  strangest dream and—”
   
  “Pretend it never happened,” Peter interrupted. 
  He must have already been working on this.
   
  “Exactly! You’ll be good as new.”
   
  “Everyone in the party has to pretend it was a 
  dream?” Chris asked.
   
  “If they want to, I guess.”
   
  “So we are to assume that while your friends 
  were fighting for their lives, you were conked out in 
  a corner snoozing?” Peter asked.
   
  “Not necessarily.”
   
  “And what about experience points?” Chris 
  wanted to know. “You didn’t fight, but they have to 
  share them with you?”
   
  “No, I mean, maybe —”
   
  “Freeloader!” Peter accused. “You just want to 
  kick back and reap the benefits of everyone else’s 
  hard work?”
   
  “You’re like a professor with tenure,” said Chris.
   
  “I’m not a freeloader! My character has never slept 
  through an encounter! It was just a … suggestion.”
   
  But even without their unfounded accusations, 
  I can see why it’s not a very good one. It’s like 
  when a contestant wins immunity on Top Chef. 
  All of their teammates know they’re either going 
  to slack off in the elimination challenge or go 
  totally off the rails and take the opportunity to 
  try out an eel curry custard.
   
  “How about power naps?” I asked. “Everyone 
  knows you only need 20 minutes to feel  
  fully recharged.”
   
  “Then you’d have one encounter after encoun-
  ter,” Chris explained.
   
  Of course, Peter agreed. “Yeah, when would you 
  have time to prepare a magic item, or eat dinner, or 
  flirt with a barmaid at the tavern?”
   
  I’m not much for flirting with waitresse’s 
  but maybe they have a point. Or maybe I’m just 
  exhausted from being verbally tag-teamed by these 
  two rules snobs. “I can see you do put some thought 
  into the rules.”
   
  “How kind of you to notice,” Peter said.
   
  “Oh darn,” Chris said, getting up from the table. 
  “It’s time for my root canal. Got to go!”
   
  “I’ll set up a meeting for tomorrow,” I told him. 
  “We still have to talk about the hairstyle generator 
  for the Character Builder.”
   
  “Thanks for the cake,” Peter said. “See you  
  in kickboxing.”
   
  “Sounds great!” he said—much more enthusiasti-
  cally than Peter and Chris, I might add.
   
  “How about putting more emphasis on shopping. 
  You have no idea what kind of skill goes into being 
  a good consumer. Especially if you’re trying to 
  outfit a new adventurer on a paltry starting salary.”
   
  “Interesting,” Mike said. “So what kinds of 
  skills and mechanics should be associated with 
  being a good shopper?”
   
  “Just like real life: Diplomacy, Perception, 
  Will, Fortitude . . . . Do you know how many per-
  fectly good items I say no to on a daily basis? That 
  is not easy.”
   
  “I imagine,” Mike said.
   
  “And accessorizing,” I continued. “Who 
  knows how long your encounter is going to take. 
  You can’t trudge through a dungeon with a gar-
  ment bag over your shoulder. But just a few key 
  You can’t trudge through a dungeon with a garment bag over 
  your shoulder.
  There’s no shortage of rules-makers within my 
  sight. And to think they sit at their desks like 
  everyone else, diet sodas to their left, mouse pads 
  emblazoned with pictures of their kids on the right. 
  I have often wondered what Mike Mearls is star-
  ing at on his computer screen, because every time 
  I walk by, he appears to be smiling. It’s not until 
  three minutes into our conversation that I begin to 
  suspect, he’s just a nice guy who smiles a lot. But that 
  can’t be! Mike Mearls is responsible for some major 
  oversights, and he will not get away with it!
   
  “As you know, I’m the newly elected Player-in-
  Chief,” I began. “I have some issues to bring to 
  your attention.
  accessories could convert your daytime adventur-
  ing gear to evening wear.”
   
  “I had no idea,” Mike said. “How would you 
  incentivize the players to pay more attention to 
  their accessories?”
   
  “Well, looking good would probably boost 
  their Charisma.”
   
  “Of course!”
   
  “And maybe if they weren’t so quick just to rush 
  into the first store and pick up the first adventurer’s 
  kit they see, they might find a much better deal a 
  few stores down.”
   
  “Men aren’t very patient when it comes to shop-
  ping,” he agreed. “How would you encourage them 
  to slow down and check out all the options?”
  
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  “Gift with purchase!” I said. “I won’t buy my eye 
  cream unless I’m getting a free lipstick with it.”
   
  “Or what if they knew they were get-
  ting judged on their wardrobe like on Project 
  Runway?” Mike said.
   
  “Yes!” I shouted. Mike totally got it. “Wait. 
  Project Runway?”
   
  “My wife . . .” he answered.
   
  I could dish on Project Runway for hours, but I 
  still have that bone to pick.
   
  “I have a serious question for you,” I warned. 
  “How come Astrid isn’t on the cover of Player’s 
  Handbook 2? Is there a more famous sorceress?”
   
  Mike nodded. “Yes! We made Charisma very, 
  very important, which is, of course, a testament to 
  Astrid’s personality.”
   
  I was so proud I might have burst. Does it help 
  or hurt your credibility if you burst out crying at a 
  co-workers desk? I left before we found out.
  Stephen Radney-MacFarland has given himself the 
  title of “the nicest guy in R&D,” which is a pretty 
  bold statement, considering his cohorts. I had yet 
  to see any evidence to back it up. I mean, my desk 
  wasn’t cleaned off, and he hadn’t even welcomed 
  me to the team. In fact, he asked me six times what 
  I was doing loitering by his desk.
   
  “I’m mad that you’re still calling it ‘magic’ when 
  clearly it’s not. It should be called missile.”
   
  “So we should find and eliminate the word 
  ‘magic’ whenever referencing magic missile? That 
  seems like an awful lot of work.”
   
  “If it’s easier, put an asterisk next to it and 
  write a footnote that states, ‘this spell is no 
  longer magical’.”
   
  “Great. I’ll bring that up at the next errata meet-
  ing,” he said. Then under his breath, he muttered 
  something that sounded an awful lot like, and then 
  we’ll make fun of you.
   
  “Here’s a big one,” I continued. “Say every 
  morning I prepare three meals for the day. I have 
  oatmeal, a veggie burger, and a can of black beans.”
   
  “Sounds disgusting.”
   
  “It’s delicious. So I eat my oatmeal in the morn-
  ing, and in the afternoon I get hungry again. 
  Shouldn’t I be able to eat my veggie burger? And 
  then later, I should eat my beans.”
   
  “You seem to spend an awful lot of time convert-
  ing your thoughts into analogies.”
   
  “What I mean is, if I know three daily spells, 
  why can’t I cast them all once a day?”
   
  “Sounds like the real problem is that you’re a 
  bad eater.”
   
  “I’m a great eater. Tabitha is smart enough to 
  know three daily spells. She should be able to 
  use them.”
   
  “What level are you?” he asked.
   
  “Four.”
   
  “Get smarter,” he said. “You can cast two a day 
  at level 5.”
   
  This was news to me, as every time I brought 
  this issue up with New DM, he said something like, 
  “Tough noogies.”
   
  “Why I didn’t know this?”
   
  “Because you’re a bad eater.”
  I’d like to incorporate a rule that anytime a player is caught texting, 
  talking, surfing, or updating Facebook via iPhone, the DM has the 
  option to drop a chandelier on their head as an interrupt action.
   
  “Astrid?” he asked.
   
  “She’s the new girl in HR,” Peter said, as he 
  walked by with a menu for take-out Thai.
   
  “No she’s not. She’s my sorceress.”
   
  “Oh, right. Astrid. Um . . . that’s a good question,” 
  he said thoughtfully. “Actually, James picked the 
  artwork. Take it up with him.” He pointed to James 
  Wyatt, who happened to be walking by.
   
  “I did no such thing,” James said. “Blame Rob.” 
  That was totally unfair, because Rob wasn’t even at 
  his desk to defend himself.
   
  No one was fessing up. We stared at each other 
  like someone had cast a Silence ritual.
   
  Finally Mike spoke. “Clearly it was an oversight. 
  We’re very sorry.”
   
  “I’m sure you incorporated elements of her when 
  designing the new sorcerers, right?” I asked.
   
  If he really was the nicest guy in R&D, then cer-
  tainly he’d be amenable to changing up some of the 
  rules. For The People, of course.
   
  “You know how Snuffleupagus always called 
  Big Bird ‘Bird’ because he didn’t think Big Bird 
  was so big?” I asked.
   
  “No.”
   
  No? Wow. I figured that out when I was 7.
   
  “Well, magic missile used to be Astrid’s favorite 
  spell, because she could basically stand behind a 
  column filing her nails, throw a couple of missiles 
  over her shoulder, and clean house.”
   
  “Who’s Astrid?”
   
  “Gah! What’s wrong with you guys? Whatever. 
  What’s up with having to roll to see if magic  
  missile hits?”
   
  “You’re mad we took the nail filing ability out 
  of magic missile?”
  
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  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  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
  Fortunately, I’ve stalked James Wyatt before, so 
  I know he likes a pick-me-up around 11:00 A.M. 
  And guess what? So do I!
   
  Regardless of what Stephen may think, James is 
  widely known as the nicest guy anywhere, and I’m 
  pretty sure that includes R&D. That doesn’t make 
  me any less nervous about talking to him about my 
  issues with Dungeon Masters. He’s also allergic to 
  wheat, so I can’t sway him with brownies or bunt 
  cake. We’d have to do this the old-fashioned way.
   
  “Look, James, I love iPhones as much as the next 
  person, but they have the potential to ruin a game. 
  I’d like to incorporate a rule that anytime a player 
  is caught texting, talking, surfing, or updating Face-
  book via iPhone, the DM has the option to drop a 
  chandelier on their head as an interrupt action.”
   
  “Sure. How about if a player starts his or her 
  turn on the Web, the DM can punish him?”
   
  Check it out! I was already getting results for 
  The People. “So we can expect this to appear  
  in DMG 2?”
   
  “Probably not,” James said. “If the DM needs a 
  rule like this, he or she should feel free to add it, 
  but we won’t make it official.”
   
  Not official? This goes against my rules-abiding 
  sensibilities. Is James really saying DMs have the 
  freedom to make up rules?
   
  “How will they know they can add it as a rule 
  if you don’t make a rule that says adding it as a 
  rule is now a rule?”
   
  “The rules are meant to be guidelines,” he 
  said, taking a sip of hazelnut latte. “It’s not 
  against the law to tailor them.”
   
  Guidelines? Tailoring? All that work that went 
  into writing the rules and James doesn’t care 
  if people follow them? This confirms what I’ve 
  always suspected.
   
  “New DM is lying to us,” I said. “I also want to add 
  a rule that allows players to call their DM’s bluff.”
   
  “Not lying,” James said. “Tailoring.”
   
  Now I know how Jack Bauer must feel when he 
  finds out someone on the inside is really working 
  with the terrorists.
   
  James elaborated on his point. “D&D is sup-
  posed to be a shared experience between players 
  and the DM. We can’t possibly make all the rules 
  fun for everyone all the time. So we give DMs the 
  ability to customize their own campaigns so that 
  each group can have fun. It’s called ‘Rule Zero’.”
   
  “Fun! Ha!”
   
  “Aren’t you having fun?” he asked.
   
  “Of course,” I said. “At least I am when New DM 
  isn’t using his classified, made-up R&D secrets as 
  weapons of mass destruction.”
   
  “Then he must be doing something right.”
   
  I shook my fist in the air, presumably in the 
  direction of DMs everywhere. Curses! I had 
  failed The People! When James found out how 
  careless people were with his hard-crafted 
  rules, he was supposed to be my ally. Yet all this 
  time, he was hoping that the rules are malleable 
  enough to allow people to have fun? What kind 
  of madness was this?
   
  I was so exhausted and confused after my con-
  versation with James that I accidentally returned to 
  my old desk in Brand.
   
  “She’s back,” Marty announced. “Scott, you 
  owe me 10 dollars.”
   
  “Thanks for nothing,” Scott said. “I thought 
  you’d last until lunch at least.”
   
  I couldn’t help being disappointed. I spent a 
  lot of time coming up with my list of changes, but 
  it looked as though R&D spends considerable 
  amounts of time coming up with theirs.
   
  “Imagine that,” Scott said when I told him of my 
  findings. “They’re not just all good looks and charm.”
   
  “Yeah,” Marty added, “they’re down there trying 
  to make the game fun. Meanwhile, you’re trying to 
  turn it into recess at a maximum security prison.”
   
  Maybe they were right. There’s a combined 184 
  years of D&D experience just from the R&D team 
  members I talked to. That’s actual game play. It 
  pains me to say this, but maybe The People don’t 
  need a lobbyist or liaison. Maybe R&D is The 
  People. Perhaps my R&D skills were better suited 
  to finding some healthy, wheat-free dessert options.
   
  “Well, I’m glad you’re back,” Marty said. “It 
  didn’t smell the same without you here.”
   
  “Anyone feel like getting Thai food for lunch?” I 
  asked. “I’m suddenly craving it.”
  About the Author
  While she no longer works in R&D, Shelly Mazzanoble still 
  enjoys making up rules and having R&D tell her why they 
  won’t work. She does not, however, smell like lemongrass 
  chicken, and never has.
  
  T
  D & D  A L U M N I
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  This month sees the release of Player’s Handbook 2, 
  which features the return of some favorite classes to 
  the game, including the druid and the bard. In this 
  month’s D&D Alumni, we take a brief look back at 
  these two classes—following their evolution through 
  the editions and their subtle shared connections.
   
  Most players anticipated the eventual return 
  of these classes to the game, but why? How have 
  the druid and bard retained their popularity? The 
  answer, at least in part, can be the fantasy standard 
  each class represents—priest of nature and traveling 
  minstrel have been longstanding roles of the fan-
  tasy genre and retain a unique niche in the game. 
  And while it might not seem likely at first, the 
  druid and bard share more in the game than some 
  might realize; for starters, their sense of fraternity, 
  both in terms of organization and in certain stereo-
  types of modern college fraternities. Druids were 
  initiates for most of their career, not becoming a 
  named “druid” until 12th level, and thereafter they 
  suffered the initiation of combat to advance. Bards, 
  meanwhile, belonged to a college whose apparently 
  snooty upperclassmen refused to associate with 
  anyone of a lesser college.
   
  Add to that the fact that bards had to play as 
  druids for a time—or at least, as we shall see, con-
  tinue their study under druidic tutelage.
  the druid
  First let’s take a look back at the druid through the 
  various editions.
   
  1st Edition: Druids can be visualized as medieval 
  cousins of what the ancient Celts sect of Druids would 
  have become had it survived the Roman conquest.
   
  2nd Edition: Central to their thinking was the belief 
  that the earth was the mother and source of all life. They 
  revered many natural things—the sun, moon, and certain 
  trees—as deities. The druid is a priest of nature and guard-
  ian of the wilderness, be it forest, plains, or jungle.
   
  3rd Edition: The fury of the storm, the gentle strength 
  of the morning sun, the cunning of the fox, the power of the 
  bear—all these and more are at the druid’s command. The 
  druid, however, claims no mastery over nature. That claim, 
  she says, is the empty boast of a city dweller. The druid 
  gains her power not by ruling nature, but by being one with 
  it. To trespassers in a druid’s sacred grove, and to those who 
  feel her wrath, the distinction is overly fine.
   
  4th Edition: Secretive and enigmatic, druids call 
  the wilderness their home. They can run with a wolf 
  pack, speak with the most ancient trees, and watch thun-
  derstorms from atop the clouds themselves. They regard 
  challenges as tests, both of their fitness and of their con-
  nection with the wild places of the world. And though 
  many druids project an outward calm, they have the cun-
  ning of the beast and the fury of the storm.
  Druids began their inception as a subset of clerics 
  (in 1st Edition), then later of priests (in 2nd Edition, 
  alongside clerics). Worshipers and guardians of 
  nature, the druids have always supported this role 
  by the traits they possess, even these come at the cost 
  of their overall utility to an adventuring party.
   
  In 1st Edition, druids were required to be True 
  Neutral in alignment (nature might be cruel or kind 
  but apparently played no favorites). That led to con-
  D&D Alumni
  by Bart Carroll and Steve Winter
  TM & © 2009 Wizards of the coast LLc. all rights reserved.
  
  D & D  A L U M N I
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  siderable confusion, with many players and DMs 
  assuming that druids wouldn’t take an active hand 
  in the affairs of the world. Their brand of neutrality, 
  however, had to be seen in the context of the game’s 
  struggle between real forces of evil and good, law 
  and chaos. In that war, druids held an active devo-
  tion to not preferring one side over the other, but that 
  didn’t mean they avoided taking sides. Their inter-
  est was in maintaining the balance. When events 
  tipped in favor of good, for example, druids might 
  temporarily take the side of evil. If chaos was gain-
  ing the upper hand, they would throw their strength 
  behind law. Their aim in all situations was to prevent 
  one side from becoming dominant and overthrow-
  ing the other. They used mistletoe for their holy 
  symbol (which must have caused no end of confu-
  sion around the holidays), and could not wear or use 
  metal armor or shields, since it spoiled their magical 
  powers (whereas magic-users could not wear such 
  armor since martial training was foreign to them). 
  They could use some metal weapons, their set lim-
  ited to the club, dagger, dart, hammer, scimitar, 
  sling, spear, and staff. 2nd Edition added the sickle 
  to what was still a rather odd, even arbitrary selec-
  tion. In addition, druids boasted their own secret 
  language (just as thieves had their cant, both of 
  which could be learned by studious assassins) with 
  which they “could discuss at length and in detail 
  the state of the crops, weather, animal husbandry 
  and foresting; but warfare, politics, adventuring, 
  and like matter would be impossible to detail with 
  the language.”
   
  These druids also could identify plants, animals, 
  and fresh water; pass through undergrowth without 
  leaving a trace; were immune to the magical charm 
  of woodland creatures; and gained a new woodland 
  language at each level, which was chosen from 
  among centaur, dryad, elvish, faun, gnome, green 
  dragon, hill giant, lizardman, manticore, nixie, 
  pixie, sprite, and treantish—again, a fairly odd and 
  arbitrary selection, but which allowed someone in 
  the party to converse with these beings back when 
  virtually every creature spoke its own language. 
  Yet while these abilities connected with the druid’s 
  theme, they had limited use when the party left the 
  woods and entered an actual dungeon.
   
  Of course, the druid was also known for two 
  other traits: the ability to change form three 
  times each day into a reptile, bird, or mammal; 
  and the limited number of upper-level druids, 
  who could be supplanted only through magical 
  or hand-to-hand combat. In 2nd Edition, this 
  mysterious druidic organization was further 
  detailed. The original limit of nine Druids (at 
  12th level) and three Archdruids (13th level) was 
  expanded to apply only in a given geographical 
  region, not the entire world. To gain one of these 
  positions, a druid could wage combat until death, 
  unconsciousness, or even to first blow. However, 
  only one Grand Druid (take that, Highlander) 
  could exist at a time, yet oddly enough, the cur-
  rent Grand Druid eschewed combat and simply 
  selected his replacement—for a position cheerlessly 
  described as “demanding, thankless, and gener-
  ally unexciting for anyone except a politician.” 
  Thus, Grand Druids stepped down to take up 
  adventuring once again, which is how they gained 
  the greater abilities earlier presented in the 1st 
  Edition Unearthed Arcana, including immunity to 
  natural poisons, vigorous health and longevity, 
  and the power to enter and survive within the 
  Elemental Planes.
   
  By 3rd Edition, druids were a separate class. They 
  were no longer bound to a true neutral alignment or 
  forced into combat to gain limited upper-level posi-
  tions. Their bonus languages were collected into the 
  more encompassing Sylvan, and their shapechang-
  ing (then called wild shape) could eventually include 
  plant and even elemental forms. However, druids 
  could still not wear metal armor, and their weapon 
  proficiencies reflected their original set: club, 
  dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, sickle, sling, and 
  spear. Plus, they retained the debatably useful abili-
  ties of woodland stride and trackless step.
   
  For 4th Edition, R&D’s Mike Mearls took the 
  lead on the druid’s design. As he states, the Player’s 
  Handbook 2 team “really wanted the druid to feel 
  like shapechanging was a core part of the class. 
  Druids are nifty because they are spellcasters on 
  one hand, but they can also transform into vicious 
  beasts and wade into melee. Striking the balance 
  between those extremes, while also fitting the 
  druid into the controller role, was a big challenge.”
  the Bard
  First let’s take a look back at the druid through the 
  various editions.
  1st Edition: Since this class subsumes the functions 
  of two other classes, fighters and thieves, and taps them 
  off with magical abilities, it is often not allowed by 
  Dungeon Masters.
   
  2nd Edition: The bard is an optional class that can 
  be used if your DM allows. He makes his way in life by 
  his charm, talent, and wit. A good bard should be glib of 
  tongue, light of heart, and fleet of foot (when all else fails).
   
  3rd Edition: Some say that music has a special 
  magic, and the bard proves that saying true. Wandering 
  across the land, gathering lore, telling stories, working 
  magic with his music, and living on the gratitude of his 
  audience—such is the life of a bard. When chance or 
  opportunity draws them into a conflict, bards serve as dip-
  lomats, negotiators, messengers, scouts, and spies.
  
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  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
   
  4th Edition: Bards are artists first and foremost, 
  and they practice magic just as they practice song, 
  drama, or poetry. They have a clear sense of how people 
  perceive reality, so they master charm magic and some 
  illusions. Sagas of great heroes are part of a bard’s reper-
  toire, and most bards follow the example of many fables 
  and become skilled in a variety of fields. A bard’s artistic 
  ability, knowledge of lore, and arcane might are widely 
  respected, particularly among the world’s rulers.
  Some months back, we ventured into the appendi-
  ces of the 1st Edition Player’s Handbook to explore 
  the Known Planes of Existence. Within these 
  strange realms (the appendices, not the planes) 
  could also be found one of the game’s more unorth-
  odox classes: the bard.
   
  Like druids, bards have always held firm to their 
  original class concept—that of a skald or performer 
  with magical abilities tied to their music. Examples 
  given have included Alan-a-Dale, Will Scarlet, 
  Amergin, and Homer, while Dragon 327’s Class 
  Acts expanded on these selections to mention fur-
  ther bards from history, including the most famous 
  of all, William Shakespeare. The one character 
  that was never explicitly stated but who might be 
  the best model for a 1st Edition bard is Beowulf -- a 
  roving hero of vast experience and might who splits 
  his time between performing acts of epic prowess, 
  battling ferocious beasts, and then bragging and 
  singing his own praises to anyone who’ll listen. 
  Oddly enough (and in yet another connection with 
  druids, albeit a tenuous one), 2nd Edition likened 
  bards “only to certain groups of Celtic poets who 
  sang the history of their tribes.”
   
  The 1st Edition bard, unlike other multi- or 
  dual-classes, required a very specific and difficult 
  course of study. They played as fighters for at least 
  5 and no more than 7 levels (or credits of study, in 
  a way). Then they played as thieves, likewise for at 
  least 5 and no more than 8 levels. Finally, they con-
  tinued as druids, insofar as they were considered 
  under druidic tutelage while playing as bards, and 
  they gained access to druidic spells. Other bardic 
  abilities better fleshed out their concept; as they 
  rose in level, they gained new languages, increased 
  in proficiency with Legend Lore and Item 
  Knowledge, and—with their singing and playing—
  perfected their chance to charm opponents, negate 
  harpies, and even soothe shriekers (though to do 
  so, a 1st Edition bard “must always have a stringed 
  instrument”—sorry, drummers).
   
  In 2nd Edition, the bard’s career path was revised 
  to instead make the bard a subset of rogues (along 
  with thieves). This both emphasized their roguish 
  nature and compensated for the loss of the assassin 
  as a thief subclass. They were still considered an 
  optional class and described as jacks-of-all-trades. 
  This bard continued to influence enemies, allies, 
  and neutral parties alike through music but also pos-
  sessed certain thief abilities and cast a small number 
  of wizard (instead of druidic) spells. 2nd Edition 
  bards were no longer bound to stringed instruments, 
  however, but were considered “proficient singers, 
  chanters or vocalists and can play a musical instru-
  ment of the player’s choice (preferably one that is 
  portable).” By 3rd Edition, bards were a core, not 
  optional, class with their traits and abilities intact, 
  including bardic music and knowledge, counter-
  songs, suggestion, and inspiration.
   
  As Mike states for the 4th Edition bard, the con-
  cept of a trickster loomed large. “It isn’t that a bard 
  is a jack-of-all-trades. It’s more that he always has a 
  trick up his sleeve. It was important to reflect that in 
  his powers and in how you can build your bard.”
   
  As an example of the trickster, Mike can still 
  recall his own 2nd Edition bard: “I remember 
  scaling a wall to jump down upon an ogre when it 
  entered a room. I played a warrior-minstrel, based 
  loosely on the character Fflewddur Fflam from 
  the Chronicles of Prydain. Like Fflewddur, he had 
  a penchant for stretching the truth, though I can’t 
  remember if his shortsighted bravery (jumping 
  on an ogre’s back is a good way to start a fight but 
  maybe not a good place to stay) was all me. I remem-
  ber getting in trouble, a lot, and always trying to find 
  ways to trick and scheme my way out of danger.
   
  “I think that in 4E, the bard might still leap on 
  the ogre’s back, but as a leader he might convince 
  the rest of the party that it’s a good idea.”
  About the Author
  Bart Carroll is loathsome beyond description and has no 
  redeeming features. His body resembles that of a huge, bloated 
  buffalo and gives off an offensive odor. The author’s neck is 
  long and thin, and perched atop it is a big head uglier than that 
  of a warthog. His legs are thick and stumpy, much like a hippo-
  potamus. The author’s tail is strong and snakey, however, and 
  moves with amazing swiftness to strike enemies.
  Steve Winter is a writer, game designer, and web producer 
  living in the Seattle area. He’s been involved with publishing 
  D&D® in one form or another since 1981. Tiny people and mon-
  sters made of plastic and lead are among his favorite obsessions.
  
  78
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  R P G A  R E P O R T
  T
  Three Game Days 
  for the “Twos”
  By Chris tulaCh
  This month, the first of three Worldwide D&D ® 
  Game Days launches to celebrate the release of 
  Player’s Handbook ® 2. If you’ve been to the past 
  Game Days, you’re probably wondering what’s 
  changed and what you can expect this year. If 
  you’ve never been to a Game Day before, it’s a 
  worldwide community event hosted at a gamer-
  friendly location near you (like a retail store, a 
  gaming convention, or possibly a library) on the 
  event date. Whether you’re a 5-year veteran to the 
  event or someone interested in giving it a try for the 
  first time, read on!
  ceLeBrating  
  the “tWoS”
  On D&D’s 30th anniversary year in 2004, we began 
  Worldwide D&D Game Day as a celebration of the 
  Dungeons & Dragons ® game, designed to get folks 
  out into the community and meet up with other D&D 
  players to celebrate the game we all know and love. 
  It was a great success, and we kept it going annually 
  thereafter. At Game Day, players show up and par-
  ticipate in a ready-to-run adventure that comes with 
  pre-generated characters—the players need only bring 
  a desire to slay monsters and accomplish heroic deeds 
  (and a set of dice, if they don’t want to share). Last 
  year, we decided to add a “launch party” element to 
  Worldwide D&D Game Day, holding it on the week-
  end of the release of the 4th Edition core rulebooks. 
  We had record numbers of people come out to give 
  the new game a try (a first for many of them). A Game 
  Day on a major rulebook’s release weekend was a nat-
  ural fit for the event, and organizers asked us to hold 
  these events more often. This year, we deliver on that 
  request, as we’ll have Worldwide D&D Game Days 
  illustrations by Eric L. Williams
  
  79
  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  R P G A  R E P O R T
  for each of the “Twos”: Player’s Handbook 2, Monster 
  Manual ® 2, and Dungeon Master’s Guide ® 2. As this 
  article is released, the first of the three Game Days—
  for Player’s Handbook 2—is in a matter of days. 
  pLayer’S handBooK 2 
  game day: march 21
  The first of the three Game Days arrives on release 
  weekend for Player’s Handbook 2. For this event, 
  we’re focusing specifically on the characters. We have 
  four characters that use options from the new book (a 
  gnome bard, a warforged warden, a tiefling invoker, 
  and a drow avenger), and one character (a dragon-
  born paladin) that gives you an exclusive sneak peek 
  at some new options from Divine Power ™ (due out this 
  July). The characters also scrape the edges of paragon 
  tier, embarking on an 11th-level, 3-hour adventure 
  called One Dark Night in Weeping Briar. Not only is 
  it a chance to try out a new character option, but if 
  you haven’t tried paragon-tier play, this is a great way 
  to jump in with the short adventure! Also included 
  as a bonus activity for this Game Day: A trivia sheet 
  designed to test your knowledge of the 4th Edition 
  products that have been released since the launch of 
  the new game last summer.
  monSter manuaL 2 
  game day: may 23
  Take a month to catch your breath, and then come 
  on back to join us for the release of Monster Manual 
  2 in May! While the format remains the same as the 
  previous Game Day, this time the monsters are the 
  stars, showing off some of the bad guys your D&D 
  party can expect to face from Monster Manual 2. One 
  iconic D&D monster makes his return to the game 
  through the 5th-level adventure Journey Through the 
  Silver Caves. Be one of the first to beat down some 
  new baddies when you come to play in this event!
  dungeon maSter’S 
  guide 2 game day: 
  SeptemBer 19
  Spend your summer trying out the 4th Edition 
  Eberron ® campaign setting or hit up one of the big 
  conventions (like Origins, Gen Con Indy, or PAX), 
  and then get ready for the final Game Day in the tril-
  ogy. This time, we’re trying something really different 
  to celebrate Dungeon Master’s Guide 2. We’re going to 
  let you contribute to the adventure! The Game Day kit 
  for the DMG 2 event contains material to let groups 
  design their own encounters and swap DMs to play 
  each other’s adventures. This is the perfect opportu-
  nity to take a stab at designing your first encounter, as 
  we provide a step-by-step guide for your group to use 
  the resources provided to challenge other players at 
  the event. We’re really excited about this new format, 
  and this summer, we’ll have more details on how this 
  event will be a Game Day to remember.
  finding your game
  If you’re looking to participate in any or all of this year’s 
  Worldwide D&D Game Day events, we’ve now made it 
  even easier to find a location close by! Simply go to the 
  D&D Home Page at www.wizards.com/dnd and you’ll 
  see a box called “Store & Event Locator” on the left-hand 
  navigation bar. Enter your city, postal code, or country, 
  and you’ll be taken to the locator where you can view all 
  the closest Game Day locations. Right now, the locator 
  will display Player’s Handbook 2 event locations, but soon 
  after the event is over, the Monster Manual 2 locations 
  will be available. Give it a try—you never know what new 
  venue you might discover by using the locator!
   
  Meet some new friends, kill monsters and 
  take their stuff, and have fun at Player’s Handbook 2 
  Game Day! 
  New Living Forgotten 
  Realms Adventures 
  Releasing This Month
  Check out the latest adventure offerings from  
  the RPGA!
  March 4, 2009
  CORM1-3 Head Above Water
  The Valwater family has fallen on hard times but 
  believes that a secret near their family’s decaying 
  estates may redeem their good name. Can the PCs 
  uncover the truth that will restore the family’s honor? 
  A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in 
  Cormyr for characters levels 7–10.
  
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  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  R P G A  R E P O R T
  SPEC1-2 Zhent’s Ancient Shadows (Convention 
  Only until July 2, 2009)
  Rumors of an ancient artifact, sacred to Shar, have 
  proven all too true. The church of Amaunator has 
  assembled an expedition to return to Zhentil Keep, 
  enter the dangerous twilight-shrouded southern 
  ruins, and destroy the artifact before it can return 
  to its dark mistress. Will you join the followers of 
  the Light on their quest to purge the Shadow? A 
  two-round continuous-play Living Forgotten 
  Realms Special adventure set in Zhentil Keep for 
  characters levels 7–10.
  March 11, 2009
  LURU1-3 Shades of Blue Fire
  A century ago, the Spellplague changed the very face 
  of Faerûn. Now, whispered rumors emerging from 
  the wilderness around Sundabar tell of a hitherto 
  unknown and yet active plagueland surrounding 
  the forsaken and long abandoned village of Dorn’s 
  Ford. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in 
  Luruar for characters levels 7–10.
  March 18, 2009
  TYMA1-3 Tools of the Trade
  You are asked to investigate “the theft” of caravan 
  goods in the village of Ruinspoke. Aside from the 
  monetary value of the stolen items, the reputation 
  and prestige of House Jalt are at stake. Sometimes 
  an accident is just an accident, and sometimes it’s 
  a clue to something far more sinister. Adventur-
  ing isn’t the only dangerous profession. A Living 
  Forgotten Realms adventure set in Tymanther 
  for characters levels 7–10.
  March 25, 2009
  BALD1-3 Tome of the Traitor
  When a Scribe of Candlekeep betrays his brethren 
  to pursue his own goals, terrible knowledge escapes 
  the walls of the Edificant Library. Who will take 
  the responsibility of wielding this power? A Living 
  Forgotten Realms adventure set in Baldur’s Gate 
  for characters levels 7–10.
  CORE1-8 Taken
  The Night Knives have been punished for the kid-
  napping of many children in the city of Saerloon 
  and with it the authorities say the crime has been 
  solved and the abductions stopped. But is it ever 
  that simple? What if some say that there are still 
  children missing that need rescuing from a dark fate 
  indeed? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure 
  set in Sembia for characters levels 7–10. Sequel to 
  CORE1-5 Touched by Darkness. 
  See you next month! D
  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 rPga Content Designer, responsible for the devel-
  opment and deployment of Dungeons & Dragons 
  organized play programs.
  
  A M P E R S A N D
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  In addition to the usual tidbits 
  and secrets from the halls of 
  R&D to our loyal D&D Insid-
  ers, I’m going to show off a 
  couple of monsters from Monster 
  Manual 2 and their new miniature 
  counterparts, as well as give you a sneak 
  peek at the upcoming Player’s Handbook 
  Heroes minis and power cards and Adven-
  turer’s Vault 2. But first, let me wander 
  through R&D and see what’s going on …
  r&d updateS
  Let’s start in my office, since it’s closest to where 
  I’m sitting. I just signed off on the first galleys for 
  Monster Manual 2. It’s full of cool monsters for every 
  level of the game, and I can’t wait to see some of 
  these creatures in play. (Well, OK, I’ve already used 
  a bunch of these in my games, but I can’t wait for you 
  to try them out.) I’m also in the midst of finishing up 
  Revenge of the Giants, a wickedly nasty Paragon-tier 
  super adventure coming out this summer. And then, 
  there’re these proposed release schedules for 2010, 
  2011, and 2012. Oh wait, I can’t talk about any of 
  those projects yet. But soon, soon.
   
  Now I’m wandering through the Designers’ area. 
  Mike Mearls is cackling with glee as he gets ready 
  to turn over Player’s Handbook 3 to Development. 
  James Wyatt and Rich Baker are getting ready to 
  launch into next year’s campaign setting, which I 
  know is going to surprise and delight many of you 
  out there. I’ll start dropping hints about the setting 
  over the next few columns, and we’ll see how many 
  of you can figure out what’s coming. Hmm. Nobody 
  else is in yet. Oh well. We’ll catch up with the rest of 
  Design next time.
   
  The Development pit is bustling as they get ready 
  to pass a couple of projects on to Editing. The books 
  coming out of the pit this week include Primal Power 
  (our October release) and a new location-based 
  product for early 2010. They’re clearing the decks to 
  receive Player’s Handbook 3 so they can begin to put it 
  through its paces.
   
  Editing is also a busy place, as is always the case. 
  A couple of projects currently getting the red-pen 
  treatment include Dungeon Master’s Guide 2, Eberron 
  Player’s Guide, and Adventurer’s Vault 2.
   
  We also got our copies of Dungeon Delve last week, 
  and everyone in the department has been goobing 
  out over the contents. Mike Mearls came into my 
  office, copy in hand, to find out if I understood what 
  we had given to the public. “There’s more than 120 
  hours of play in this book,” Mike said. “That’s amaz-
  ing! And it covers every level! We should let people 
  know how much play they can get out of this thing.” 
  Thanks, Mike. You just did.
  d&d game day
  D&D Game Day is coming later this month. It’s a cel-
  ebration of D&D, focusing on the release of Player’s 
  Handbook 2 and the primal power source. Find a 
  location near you that’s participating, and go get in 
  a game. It’s going to be a great event. Check here for 
  more information.
  Ampersand
  by Bill Slavicsek
  James Wyatt and Rich Baker are getting ready to launch 
  into next year’s campaign setting, which I know is going to 
  surprise and delight many of you out there.
  
  A M P E R S A N D
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  March 2009  |  Dr agon 373
  pLayer’S handBooK 
  heroeS
  The Series 1 set of Player’s Handbook Heroes debuts 
  later this month. Each of the six packs in the series 
  features three visible, highly decorated miniatures 
  suitable for use as player characters or NPCs. Each 
  pack is devoted to characters of a particular power 
  source, and each pack includes three new power 
  cards associated with the classes that use the power 
  source. For example, the goliath barbarian shown 
  below (a new race and class from Player’s Handbook 
  2) comes with a new at-will power. I’m reproducing 
  the new power card here so you can get a sense of 
  what you get with each pack.
  monSter manuaL 2
  More monsters! Who doesn’t love that? Even 
  players get excited when their characters are chal-
  lenged by monsters they’ve never faced before. In 
  May, Monster Manual 2 hits the shelves, along with 
  the Monster Manual: Dangerous Delves miniatures 
  set. With this sneak peek, I’m going to kill two 
  kobolds with one magic missile by showing off the 
  mini and the stats that are available in both prod-
  ucts. See how this stuff works together?
   
  MM2 sees the return of two classic D&D mon-
  sters: the frost giant and the rust monster! The frost 
  giant and its kin also feature prominently in this 
  summer’s Revenge of the Giants super adventure, so 
  stock up on these guys. And who doesn’t want to 
  throw a handful of rust monsters at a party of adven-
  turers? I know that I do. In fact, I may just run that 
  encounter at my next game session. (Hey Adran, my 
  rust monster’s eyeing your magic weapon! You might 
  want to carry a backup into the next adventure.)
  adventurer’S vauLt 2
  Just as with monsters, new equipment is some-
  thing that every player character loves to find or 
  buy. (In fact, we might be exploring this area more 
  as the Voice of the Player delves into shopping as 
  a skill and feat choice. Or not.) Here’s a new set 
  of items from the upcoming Adventurer’s Vault 2, 
  scheduled to be released in August.
  ammunition
  The effectiveness of a ranged weapon depends on 
  aim, but don’t discount its payload.
   
  Enchanted arrows, bolts, and sling bullets can be 
  activated and fired from ranged weapons to achieve 
  exceptional results. You must load magic ammuni-
  tion before you can activate and fire it (spending 
  whatever action is necessary to do so), and it’s used 
  up when fired. When used with powers that target 
  multiple enemies, magic ammunition affects only the 
  first attack roll or target after it’s loaded. In certain 
  circumstances (such as when loading is a free action), 
  the ranged attacker can load more magic ammunition 
  during a multi-target attack if desired.
   
  Ammunition applies an enhancement bonus to 
  an attack roll and damage roll when used. If the 
  projectile weapon is magical, use the ammuni-
  tion’s enhancement bonus in place of the weapon’s 
  
  A M P E R S A N D
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  enhancement bonus. The weapon’s critical bonus and 
  the properties from both the weapon and the ammu-
  nition still apply. Using magic ammunition doesn’t 
  prevent you from activating a magic weapon’s powers.
   
  You can fire magic ammunition without activat-
  ing it, using your weapon’s enhancement bonus and 
  receiving no benefit from the ammunition’s magic. 
  The ammunition is still expended.
   
  Ammunition names favor certain ammunition 
  types, but unless the item description states other-
  wise, the ammunition can be an arrow, crossbow bolt, 
  or sling bullet.
  arrow of revelation 
  level 9+ 
  Ioun’s eye marks this bright yellow arrow.
  Lvl 9 +2 160 gp 
  Lvl 24 +5 21,000 gp
  Lvl 14 +3 800 gp 
  Lvl 29 +6 105,000 gp
  Lvl 19 +4 4,200 gp
  ammunition
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Property: When you hit an enemy using this 
  ammunition, that enemy doesn’t benefit from 
  invisibility until the end of your next turn. 
  dual arrow 
  level 10+ 
  This forked arrow divides and then conquers.
  Lvl 10 +2 200 gp 
  Lvl 25 +5 25,000 gp
  Lvl 15 +3 1,000 gp 
  Lvl 30 +6 125,000 gp
  Lvl 20 +4 5,000 gp
  ammunition
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Property: When you attack an enemy using this 
  ammunition, you can roll twice and use either result. 
  Firestorm arrow 
  level 3+ 
  The charred wood of this arrow seems to shimmer with heat.
  Lvl 3 +1 30 gp Lvl  
  18 +4 3,400 gp
  Lvl 8 +2 125 gp 
  Lvl 23 +5 17,000 gp
  Lvl 13 +3 650 gp 
  Lvl 28 +6 85,000 gp
  ammunition
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Property: When you hit an enemy using this 
  ammunition, that enemy and each creature adjacent 
  to it take 1d6 extra fire damage per plus. 
  spider Bolt 
  level 3+ 
  This web-strewn quarrel envelops the enemy when it hits.
  Lvl 3 +1 30 gp 
  Lvl 18 +4 3,400 gp
  Lvl 8 +2 125 gp 
  Lvl 23 +5 17,000 gp
  Lvl 13 +3 650 gp 
  Lvl 28 +6 85,000 gp
  ammunition
  enhancement: attack rolls and damage rolls
  Property: When you hit an enemy using this 
  ammunition, that enemy and each creature adjacent 
  to it is slowed until the end of your next turn. 
  In Case You Don’t Know Him
  Bill Slavicsek’s gaming life was forever changed when he 
  discovered Dungeons & Dragons in 1976. He became a 
  gaming professional in 1986 when he was hired by West End 
  Games as an editor. He quickly added developer, designer, 
  and creative manager to his resume, and his work helped 
  shape the Paranoia, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and Torg roleplay-
  ing games. He even found some time during that period to do 
  freelance work for D&D 1st Edition. In 1993, Bill joined the 
  staff of TSR, Inc. as a designer/editor. He worked on a bunch 
  of 2nd Edition material, including products for Core D&D, 
  Dark Sun, Ravenloft, and Planescape. In 1997, he was part of 
  the TSR crowd that moved to Seattle to join Wizards of the 
  Coast, and in that year he was promoted to R&D Director for 
  D&D. In that position, Bill oversaw the creation of both the 
  3rd Edition and 4th Edition of the D&D roleplaying game. 
  He was one of the driving forces behind the D&D Insider 
  project, and he continues to oversee and lead the creative 
  strategy and effort for Dungeons & Dragons.
  Bill’s enormous list of credits includes Alternity, d20 Modern, 
  d20 Star Wars, Pokemon Jr., Eberron Campaign Setting, the D&D 
  For Dummies books, and his monthly Ampersand (&) column 
  for Dragon Magazine.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 4th Edition/Dragon/Dragon_373.pdf