(ENG) D&D 4a Ed. - Players Handbook 2 - Primal, Arcane, and Divine Heroes - Flip eBook Pages 1-50 (2024)

EAN Sug. Retail: U.S. $34.95 CAN $39.95 Printed in the U.S.A. 218987200 ISBN: 978-0-7869-5016-4 To use this book, you need the following 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons® core products: Player’s Handbook® Dungeon Master’s Guide® Monster Manual® ROLEPLAYING GAME CORE RULES Jeremy Crawford • Mike Mearls • James Wyatt From the bright towns and darkened wilderness they come: mighty heroes intent on exploring dungeons, slaying monsters, and battling evil. This companion to the Player’s Handbook® core rulebook introduces the primal power source, which draws on the spirits that preserve and sustain the world. Player’s Handbook 2 includes four classes tied to the primal power source: the barbarian, the druid, the shaman, and the warden. It also presents four new arcane and divine classes: the avenger, the bard, the invoker, and the sorcerer. This essential book for D&D® players contains other exciting options, including new races, powers, feats, paragon paths (including racial paragon paths), epic destinies, magic items (including totems), rituals, and a background section designed to help you develop your character’s history and personality. Primal, Arcane, and Divine Heroes Primal Might Ancient Power Heroes of and Player’s Handbook® 2 Player’s Handbook® 2 98.234.242.73

Player’s Handbook® 2 ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT Jeremy Crawford • Mike Mearls • James Wyatt PH2_Ch00_Intro.indd 1 12/17/08 1:42:46 PM 98.234.242.73

620-21898720-001 EN 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Printing: March 2009 ISBN: 978-0-7869-5016-4 Design Logan Bonner, Jesse Decker, Mike Mearls, Robert J. Schwalb, Stephen Schubert, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Peter Schaefer Development Richard Baker, Andy Collins, Jeremy Crawford, Mike Donais, Andrew Finch, David Noonan, Matthew Sernett Writing James Wyatt Mechanical Concepts Rob Heinsoo Editing Jeremy Crawford (lead), Michele Carter, Greg Bilsland Managing Editing Kim Mohan, Torah Cottrill Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing Bill Slavicsek D&D Creative Manager Christopher Perkins D&D Design Manager James Wyatt D&D Development and Editing Manager Andy Collins Art Director Jon Schindehette Graphic Designer Soe Murayama Cover Illustration Daniel Scott Interior Illustrations Steve Argyle, Eric Belisle, Michael Bierek, Devon Caddy-Lee, Mitch Cotie, Thomas Denmark, Eric Deschamps, Brian Despain, Vincent Dutrait, Steve Ellis, Wayne England, Howard Lyon, Mike May, Raven Mimura, William O’Connor, Hector Ortiz, Wayne Reynolds, Chris Seaman, John Stanko, Matias Tapia, Franz Vohwinkel, Eva Widermann, James Zhang D&D Brand Team Liz Schuh, Scott Rouse, Kierin Chase, Sara Girard, Martin Durham Publishing Production Specialist Angelika Lokotz Prepress Manager Jefferson Dunlap Imaging Technician Carmen Cheung Production Manager Cynda Callaway Game rules based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the later editions by David “Zeb” Cook (2nd Edition); Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison (3rd Edition); and Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (4th Edition). U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Wizards of the Coast LLC P.O. Box 707 Renton WA 98057-0707 +1-800-324-6496 EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS Hasbro UK Ltd Caswell Way Newport, Gwent NP9 0YH GREAT BRITAIN Please keep this address for your records WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM Industrialaan 1 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden Belgium +32.070.233.277 CREDITS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, FORGOTTEN REALMS, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, D&D Insider, Dungeon Tiles, Adventurer’s Vault, Martial Power, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WIZARDS.COM/DND VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WIZARDS.COM/DND PH2_Ch00_Intro.indd 2 12/17/08 1:42:47 PM 98.234.242.73

contents INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Primal Power Source . . . . . . . . . 5 1: CHARACTER 1: CHARACTER RACES . . . . . . . . 6 Deva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Gnome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Being Small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Goliath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Half-Orc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Shifter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Racial Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Adroit Explorer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ancestral Incarnate . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Bloodfury Savage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fey Beguiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Firstborn of Moradin . . . . . . . . . . 22 Halfl ing Scoundrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Moonstalker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Scion of Arkhosia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Shiere Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Stoneblessed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Turathi Highborn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Twilight Guardian . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 2: CHARACTER 2: CHARACTER CLASSES CLASSES . . . . . 30 Avenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Avengers and Deities . . . . . . . . . . 33 Avenger Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Hammer of Judgment . . . . . . . . 44 Oathsworn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Unveiled Visage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Zealous Assassin . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Barbarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Barbarian Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Bear Warrior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Fearbringer Thane . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Frenzied Berserker . . . . . . . . . . 64 Wildrunner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Bard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Bard Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Student of the Seven . . . . . . . . 78 Summer Rhymer . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Voice of Thunder . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 War Chanter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Druid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Druid Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Blood Moon Stalker . . . . . . . . . 96 Guardian of the Living Gate . . 97 Keeper of the Hidden Flame . . 98 Sky Hunter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Invoker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Invokers and Deities . . . . . . . . . . 101 Invoker Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Angelic Aspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Blightspeaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Flame of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Hammer of Vengeance . . . . . . 117 Shaman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Custom Spirit Companions . . . . 119 Shaman Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Disciple of the World Serpent . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Ghost Panther . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Great Bear Shaman . . . . . . . . . 134 Spirit Tempest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Sorcerer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Sorcerer Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Arcane Wellspring . . . . . . . . . . 148 Demonskin Adept . . . . . . . . . . 149 Dragonsoul Heir . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Wild Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Warden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Guardian Form Powers . . . . . . 153 Warden Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Paragon Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Bloodwrath Guardian . . . . . . . 166 Horned Champion . . . . . . . . . . 167 Storm Sentinel . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Verdant Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Epic Destinies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Fatesinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Glorious Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Harbinger of Doom . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Lorekeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Primal Avatar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Revered One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 3: CHARACTER OPTIONS CHARACTER OPTIONS . . . . . 176 Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Birth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Racial Backgrounds. . . . . . . . . . . 180 Other Benefi ts in Play . . . . . . . . 182 Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Heroic Tier Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Paragon Tier Feats . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Epic Tier Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Multiclass Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Adventuring Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Staff s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Totems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Wondrous Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Rituals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Variant Ritual Books . . . . . . . . . . 211 Ritual Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Aff ect Normal Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Animal Friendship . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Aria of Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Bloom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Call Wilderness Guide . . . . . . . . 213 Chorus of Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Control Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Create Campsite . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Fool’s Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Glib Limerick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Ironwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Lullaby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Pyrotechnics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Reverse Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Snare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Song of Restfulness . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Song of Sustenance . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Speak with Nature . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Traveler’s Chant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Tree Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Tree Stride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Tune of Merriment . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Wyvern Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 APPENDIX: RULE UPDATES APPENDIX: RULE UPDATES . . .218 Reading a Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 The Power Format . . . . . . . . . . . 218 The Power Description . . . . . . . 218 The Marked Condition . . . . . . . . 218 Movement Eff ects . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Keywords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Extra Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 New Stealth Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Stealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Targeting What You Can’t See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 GLOSSARY GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 PH2_Ch00_Intro.indd 3 12/17/08 1:42:47 PM 98.234.242.73

0 4 INTRODUCTION Introduction Introduction Get ready for the next level! Player’s Handbook 2 is the most significant expansion yet to the 4th Edition DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. The Player’s Handbook® presents eight races and eight classes. This book introduces five more races and eight more classes, including a mix of all-new material and some old favorites, along with a wealth of new options for any character. Chapter 1 presents five additional races. The gnome and the shifter make the journey from the Monster Manual® to this book. The goliath (introduced in 2004’s Races of Stone) and the half-orc return to the D&D® game in updated form. Devas are a new race of reincarnated immortal spirits striving for the perfection of their souls. This chapter also includes racial paragon paths for the races in this book as well as ones in the Player’s Handbook. Chapter 2 is the heart of the book, with eight new classes. Longtime D&D players will recognize some of these classes from past editions, but you’ve never seen them presented like this before. The arcane classes expand to include the bard and the sorcerer. The invoker and the avenger join the roster of divine classes. The primal power source makes its debut with classes of all four roles: the barbarian, the druid, the shaman, and the warden. The chapter ends with six new epic destinies. Chapter 3 introduces the concept of backgrounds, a new game element you can use to customize your character and help expand his or her personality and history. If you’re using the FORGOTTEN REALMS Player’s Guide, you’re familiar with the idea of choosing a home region for your character and gaining a benefit from that origin. The backgrounds in this chapter offer you dozens of ideas for expanding your character’s story, and a choice of related benefits. This chapter also includes new feats, equipment, and magic items, including armor, weapons, and implements designed for use with the new classes in this book. The chapter ends with a group of new rituals. At the end of the book is an important appendix of rule updates. It contains an updated explanation of how to read a power description, including new rules that apply to many of the powers in this book—in particular, rules about keywords such as beast form, spirit, and summoning. The appendix also contains the new version of the Stealth skill as well as updates to rules related to that skill in the Player’s Handbook. The D&D game is constantly evolving. Player’s Handbook 2 is the second book in a series that will continue adding new options for your characters for years to come. But the game changes in smaller ways as well, and the best way to keep up with those changes is to visit the Wizards of the Coast website. YOUR PART IN THE STORY One of the Dungeon Master’s jobs is to be a narrator— to describe what’s going on in the world of the game as you explore it along with your fellow adventurers. When your party enters a room, the DM tells you what it looks like and what’s in it. However, narration isn’t exclusively the DM’s job: You describe your own character’s actions, and even during an intense combat encounter, you have a chance to take part in telling the story of the game. The flavor text included in every power description is a starting point you can use when narrating your part in the action. When your barbarian attacks, you can just say, “Krusk uses howling strike. I get a 24.” Or using the flavor text as a cue, you can say, “With a blood-freezing scream, I throw myself into the fray! Does a 24 hit?” A power’s flavor text is only a starting point. You can modify that flavor however you like, as long as you don’t change the power’s game effects. Maybe you would rather think of the barbarian power macetail’s rage as channeling the World Serpent, a primal spirit that appears in some shaman powers. You might say, “The earth shakes beneath my feet as the World Serpent stirs, knocking my foe to the ground!” Choosing a background for your character can also be a great opportunity to take part in shaping the story of the game. After you’ve looked at the “Backgrounds” section of Chapter 3, talk with your DM about the background elements you want for your character. The D&D game is all about telling an adventure story. If you take a more active part in telling your character’s part of the story, everyone has more fun. PH2_Ch00_Intro.indd 4 12/17/08 1:42:47 PM 98.234.242.73

5 INTRODUCTION THE PRIMAL POWER SOURCE Four of the classes introduced in this book—the barbarian, the druid, the shaman, and the warden— use the primal power source. Some primal powers are more overtly magical than others, but they all draw on the spirits of nature that pervade the world and, to some extent, the echo plane known as the Feywild. 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 the upper hand, successfully imprisoning or banishing many of the primordials. However, this war threatened the very existence of the world, as the primordials 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 conflict, asserting that the world would no longer be a battleground for the two opposing forces. The gods and the 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 the primordials could still influence the world, but they could not rule it. These primal spirits are beyond number, ranging 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. Characters who use the primal power source stand firmly rooted in the world, between the divine power of the Astral Sea and the primordial churning of the Elemental Chaos. They have some affinity with the native inhabitants of the Feywild, who share their love and respect for the natural world. They are staunch enemies of aberrant creatures whose very existence is a blight on the natural world, as well as of demons that seek to destroy it, undead that violate life’s natural cycle, and (to a lesser extent) those who seek to despoil the wilderness in the name of progress and civilization. That doesn’t mean that a primal character must be a sworn enemy of the gods, or of a character such as a paladin of Erathis who seeks to settle and civilize the world. There might be some conflict and disagreement between such characters, but they also have many common foes. A primal character’s greatest concern is with creatures and forces that threaten the stability of the world and the balanced cycles of nature. In a broad view, the cities and civilizations of humans and other races are just as much a part of nature as are primeval forests and mountains, and just as worthy of protection. Many primal characters do hold the gods in great respect. Without the gods’ intervention, the primordials would have left the world in an ever-changing state not much different from the Elemental Chaos, hostile to natural life. In general, even evil gods would rather rule the world than destroy it. For that reason, characters who wield primal power sometimes worship gods as well. As god of the wilderness, Melora is sometimes seen as an ally of the primal spirits. Kord is occasionally called the lord of the storm spirits, and both Corellon and Sehanine have ties to the Feywild that make them friendly with nature spirits. Primal powers are called evocations, because primal characters evoke primal spirits to make attacks and effects in the world. Some characters channel primal spirits through their bodies in order to transform themselves and thereby make their physical attacks more formidable. Barbarians invite primal spirits to take residence in their bodies, entering a trancelike rage in which a spirit’s ferocity overwhelms the barbarian’s own reason. Wardens draw on the primal spirits of earth, trees, and beasts to transform their bodies, giving them strength to stand against their enemies. Druids call on the Primal Beast to transform their bodies into animal forms, taking on different aspects of the Primal Beast’s nature. Other characters evoke primal spirits to create external effects. Shamans use spirit companions as their primary link to the spirit world. A spirit companion might attack an enemy, or a shaman might conjure another spirit to create an effect—and afterward, the spirit’s power lingers in the shaman’s spirit companion. Druids, too, can evoke primal spirits to create terrain effects, buffet foes with thunder and wind, or create bursts of fire. THE PRIMAL POWER SOURCE THE PRIMAL POWER SOURCE PH2_Ch00_Intro.indd 5 12/17/08 1:42:48 PM 98.234.242.73

1 6 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ARGYLE CHAPTER 1 Character Races Character Races The eight races described in the Player’s Handbook are the most common heroic races in the world of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, but they are by no means the only ones. This chapter introduces five new races, from the humble gnome to the exalted deva. Two of these races—the gnome and the shifter— appear in the Monster Manual, but here they’re fleshed out and presented with an eye toward their use as player characters. (The information in this book supersedes what’s in the Monster Manual.) The other races—the deva, the goliath, and the half-orc— are new additions to the game and the world. This chapter also includes racial paragon paths for the races in this book as well as ones in the Player’s Handbook. The races in this chapter follow the same format as the ones in the Player’s Handbook. When you create a character, you can choose one of these races instead of one of those. Devas are noble, virtuous beings who strive to perfect themselves through an apparently endless sequence of reincarnations. Once immortal spirits who served the gods of good, devas are now bound in flesh, the better to wage war against the forces of evil in the world and beyond. Gnomes are small and stealthy fey who value a quick mind and the ability to escape notice. Gnomes are drawn to illusion and trickery. They explore the world with a sense of curiosity and wonder. Goliaths dwell high in mountainous regions, traveling with the migrations of elk and other game. They view life as a grand competition and call on primal power to enhance their considerable physical strength and endurance. Half-orcs combine the best qualities of humans and orcs and are strong, fierce, decisive, and resourceful. They savor the simple pleasures of life, from feasting and revelry to the thrill of battle. Shifters carry a touch of lycanthropic blood in their veins. In the heat of battle, they tap into the power of the beast within, unleashing the savagery that lurks beneath their surface. They are predators by nature, defining the world in terms of hunter and prey. PH2_Ch01.indd 6 12/17/08 1:55:07 PM 98.234.242.73

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8 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ARGYLE Immortal spirits who embody virtue, born and reborn to mortal life in the world RACIAL TRAITS RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 6´ 1˝–6´ 6˝ Average Weight: 175–280 lb. Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom Size: Medium Speed: 6 squares Vision: Normal Languages: Common, choice of two others Skill Bonuses: +2 History, +2 Religion Astral Majesty: You have a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by bloodied creatures. Astral Resistance: You have resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage equal to 5 + one-half your level. Immortal Origin: Your spirit is native to the Astral Sea, so you are considered an immortal creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin. Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes: You have the memory of a thousand lifetimes power. Memory of a Deva Racial Power Thousand Lifetimes Thousand Lifetimes The dreamlike memories of your previous lives lend insight to aid you. Encounter No Action Personal Trigger: You make an attack roll, a saving throw, a skill check, or an ability check and dislike the result Effect: You add 1d6 to the triggering roll. Deep in the recesses of memory, devas recall what they once were: immortal servitors of the gods of good, spirits who chose to bind themselves to the world in mortal flesh. For millennia, their souls have been reborn to wage an endless war against the forces of darkness. Most devas are fiercely committed to the cause of good, because they fear what they might become if they turn to evil: A deva whose soul becomes corrupted risks being reborn as a rakshasa. Play a deva if you want . . . ✦ to have dimly remembered connections to a thousand heroic lifetimes. ✦ to embrace the cause of good and strive for perfection in all you do. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the avenger, cleric, invoker, and wizard classes. DEVA PH2_Ch01.indd 8 12/17/08 1:55:11 PM 98.234.242.73

9 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races DEVA Physical Qualities In appearance, devas are very similar to humans, but with an unearthly beauty and an uncanny stillness about them. They are almost as tall as dragonborn, but much more slender. Devas’ coloration distinguishes them most strongly from humans. All devas have patterns of light and dark colors on their skin. The light portions are chalk white or pale gray, and the dark areas range from blue or purple to dark gray or black. In any individual deva, either light or dark can be dominant, with the opposite shade appearing in simple, elegant patterns on the face, chest, and shoulders. A deva’s hair is typically the same color as these skin patterns. When sitting or standing at rest, devas remain almost perfectly still, except for the occasional blink of the eyes. They don’t fidget or twitch, and their eyes move only when they are actively examining something. Devas do not have children. When a deva dies, his or her spirit is reincarnated in a new, adult body that appears in some sacred place, such as a mountain peak, a riverbank, or a desert oasis. The new deva retains enough memory of past lives to speak and understand multiple languages and offer the proper prayers and sacrifices to the gods of good. Playing a Deva Devas are refined and polite. 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, embodied in rakshasas, demons, devils, and the evil gods and their servant angels. Devas wage that war in their hearts as well, constantly vigilant lest evil take root and corrupt their souls, transforming them into the creatures they most despise. Because they remember, at least dimly, a life in the Astral Sea spent in close company with the gods, most devas are devout worshipers of the gods of good, especially Bahamut but also Moradin and Pelor. Devas seek to achieve a personal connection with the gods rather than approach them through temples and priests. They worship at meals in their homes, setting an empty place for the absent gods, and strive through meditation and prayer to become more like the gods they serve. Deva adventurers are commonly avengers, clerics, and invokers, who savor the experience of divine power flowing through them without any intermediary. Devas do not have cities or societies of their own, and their numbers are so small that a deva can spend entire lifetimes without ever meeting another of his or her kind. They live among other races and, at least to some extent, adopt their ways. However, all devas remember elements of the life they had before their incarnation in flesh and the beginning of their cycle of rebirth, and they share some common cultural elements of dress, religion, and habits. Devas favor flowing clothes of fine silks, polished metal armor with winglike shoulder ornaments, and headdresses or helmets that suggest crowns or halos. In other ways, they prefer to live simply, without extravagance. Deva Characteristics: Dedicated, devout, elegant, enlightened, introspective, mystical, refined, righteous, spiritual, thoughtful Male Names: Adiah, Ansis, Ayab, Bavak, Beriah, Eben, Elyas, Galad, Gamal, Hiyal, Iannes, Kerem, Mahar, Marach, Mathas, Natan, Nehem, Oris, Raham, Ronen, Samel, Sered, Tavar, Vered, Zachar Female Names: Abea, Adara, Asha, Chana, Danel, Darah, Davi, Elka, Eranah, Hania, Hava, Idria, Isa, Jael, Kana, Kayah, Lihi, Mahel, Marek, Noma, Navah, Paziah, Ravah, Riya, Sada, Shara, Tirah Deva Adventurers Three sample deva adventurers are described below. Galad is a deva wizard who believes that the goal of his existence is to attain perfect knowledge of the universe. He believes that his arcane power is a manifestation of all he has learned throughout all his past lives, and that in this life or perhaps the next he will achieve perfect mastery and become a demigod, freed from the cycle of reincarnation. Eranah is an invoker who wields the power of Bahamut. Just as Bahamut warred with Tiamat when the world was young, Eranah believes that her calling in this incarnation is to fight against the evil dragons and dragonspawn that pollute the world. Words of power resound in her mind like an echo of the Platinum Dragon’s voice when she invokes his wrath upon her enemies. Raham is a shaman who has embraced his life in the world, abandoning all thought of his previous astral existence. The primal spirits of the world are his patrons and allies, not the gods he left behind. He sees his endless rebirth as a part of the cycle of nature and has no desire to escape it. PH2_Ch01.indd 9 12/17/08 1:55:12 PM 98.234.242.73

10 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ARGYLE GNOME Slight, sly tricksters of the Feywild who excel at avoiding notice RACIAL TRAITS RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 3´ 4˝–3´ 8˝ Average Weight: 50–75 lb. Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma Size: Small (see the sidebar) Speed: 5 squares Vision: Low-light Languages: Common, Elven Skill Bonuses: +2 Arcana, +2 Stealth Fey Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Feywild, so you are considered a fey creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin. Master Trickster: Once per encounter, you can use the wizard cantrip ghost sound (Player’s Handbook, page 158) as a minor action. Reactive Stealth: If you have any cover or concealment when you make an initiative check, you can make a Stealth check. Trickster’s Cunning: You have a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against illusions. Fade Away: You have the fade away power. Fade Away Gnome Racial Power You turn invisible in response to harm. Encounter ✦ Illusion Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: You take damage Effect: You are invisible until you attack or until the end of your next turn. In the Feywild, the best way for a small creature to survive is to be overlooked. While suffering in servitude to the fomorian tyrants of the Feydark, gnomes learned to hide, to mislead, and to deflect—and by these means, to survive. The same talents sustain them still, allowing them to prosper in a world filled with creatures much larger and far more dangerous than they are. Play a gnome if you want . . . ✦ to be curious, funny, and tricky. ✦ to rely more on stealth and deception than on brute strength and intimidation. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the bard, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard classes. PH2_Ch01.indd 10 12/17/08 1:55:13 PM 98.234.242.73

11 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races GNOME Physical Qualities Gnomes are smaller even than halflings, rarely exceeding 4 feet in height. Apart from their size, they resemble elves or eladrin, with pointed ears and chiseled facial features such as high cheekbones and sharp jaws. They have a more wild look than eladrin do, though, particularly in the hair that sprouts from their heads in random directions. Some male gnomes sprout tufts of hair from their chins, but they otherwise lack body hair. Gnome skin tone ranges from a ruddy tan through woody brown to rocky gray. Their hair can be virtually any color, from stark white to blond and various shades of brown to autumnal orange or green. Their eyes are glittering black orbs. Gnomes are as long-lived as eladrin, living over 300 years, but they show more of the effects of age. A gnome over the age of 100 has gray or white hair and skin that shows the wrinkled and weathered lines of a century of laughter, but even the oldest gnome retains the strength and agility of youth. Playing a Gnome In quiet forests of the Feywild and remote woodlands in the world, gnomes live out of sight and mostly beneath the notice of larger races. Gnomes dwell in homes dug among the roots of trees, easily overlooked and cleverly concealed by camouflage and illusion. They are fond of the burrowing mammals that share their habitat, such as badgers, foxes, and rabbits, and have a sense of kinship with these small animals that share their forests. Unobtrusiveness is a virtue among gnomes. They grow up on games of stealth and silence, in which the winner is the last to be discovered. An adult gnome who draws attention in a crowd is considered dangerously rude. Gnome folk heroes are not mighty warriors, but tricksters who slip out of captivity, play great pranks without being detected, or sneak past magical guardians. They deflect both aggression and attention with humor, and they guard their thoughts with friendly laughter. Gnomes also value a quick mind and the ability to come up with a clever solution to any problem. They appreciate witty conversation, especially rapidfire repartee. They are inventive and resourceful, although they have little interest in or aptitude for the kind of technology found in human cities. They have an innate talent for magic and a love of illusion, music, poetry, and story. Eager to see what the world has to offer and willing to be awed by its wonders, gnomes greet the world with open curiosity. Gnomes who are drawn to adventure are most often driven by curiosity and wanderlust above any desire for wealth or glory. Gnomes were once enslaved by the fomorian rulers of the Feydark, the subterranean caverns of the Feywild. They regard their former masters with more fear than hatred, and they feel some degree of sympathy for the fey that still toil under fomorian lashes—particularly the spriggans, which some say are corrupted gnomes. Gnomes are not fond of goblins or kobolds, but in typical gnome fashion, they avoid creatures they dislike rather than crusading against them. They are fond of eladrin and other friendly fey, and gnomes who travel the world have good relations with elves and halflings. Gnome Characteristics: Affable, clever, crafty, curious, funny, guarded, inconspicuous, inventive, secretive, sly, tricky Male Names: Alston, Alvyn, Brocc, Eldon, Frug, Kellen, Ku, Nim, Orryn, Pock, Sindri, Warryn, Wrenn Female Names: Breena, Carlin, Donella, Ella, Lilli, Lorilla, Nissa, Nyx, Oda, Orla, Roswyn, Tana, Zanna Gnome Adventurers Two sample gnome adventurers are described below. Kellen is a gnome bard with a grim sense of humor and a ready blade. He was thrust unwillingly into an adventuring career when cyclopses raided his village and took him captive. He labored as a slave to a fomorian king for a decade before finally making his escape and fleeing the Feywild entirely. Though he longs to return one day to free the members of his family he was forced to leave behind, fear of what awaits him in the Feywild keeps him in the world. Orla has lived in the world her entire life. She was born in a forest among elves, but an encounter in the forest one evening changed her life. She found herself face to face with a fey spirit of such power that she was unable to move or speak and could only acquiesce to its unspoken demands. Her life belongs to that spirit now, she knows. She wields its power as a fey pact warlock, but she feels its desires and pursues its goals without fully understanding where they might lead her. BEING SMALL Small characters follow most of the same rules as Medium ones, with the following exceptions. ✦ You can’t use two-handed weapons, such as greatswords and halberds. ✦ When you use a versatile weapon, such as a longsword, you must use it two-handed, but you don’t deal additional damage for doing so. PH2_Ch01.indd 11 12/17/08 1:55:14 PM 98.234.242.73

12 STEVE ARGYLE CHAPTER 1 | Character Races GOLIATH GOLIATH Tribal nomads of the mountains, strong as the rock and proud as the peak RACIAL TRAITS RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 7´ 2˝–7´ 8˝ Average Weight: 280–340 lb. Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution Size: Medium Speed: 6 squares Vision: Normal Languages: Common, either Dwarven or Giant Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Nature Mountain’s Tenacity: You have a +1 racial bonus to Will. Powerful Athlete: When you make an Athletics check to jump or climb, roll twice and use either result. Stone’s Endurance: You have the stone’s endurance power. Stone’s Endurance Goliath Racial Power Your foes’ attacks bounce off your stony hide. Encounter Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain resist 5 to all damage until the end of your next turn. Level 11: Resist 10 to all damage. Level 21: Resist 15 to all damage. Goliaths are mountain-dwelling nomads who see life as a grand competition. Their scattered bands have never been major players in the politics of the lowland world, but they have wandered the mountain ranges of the world since the primordials first shaped the peaks and valleys. Tall and massive, goliaths revere the primal power of nature and use it to enhance their own strength. Play a goliath if you want . . . ✦ to be tougher and stronger than nearly anyone else. ✦ to master the rugged mountain slopes. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian, fighter, and warden classes. PH2_Ch01.indd 12 12/17/08 1:55:14 PM 98.234.242.73

13 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races GOLIATH Physical Qualities Goliaths tower over even dragonborn, standing between 7 and 8 feet tall. Their skin is gray or brown, mottled with darker patches that they believe hint at some aspect of each goliath’s fate or destiny. Their skin is speckled with lithoderms, coin-sized growths of bone that appear like pebbles studding their arms, shoulders, torso, and head. A bony ridge juts over their gleaming blue or green eyes. Male goliaths are bald, and females have dark hair they typically grow long and wear in braids. Goliaths have life spans comparable to those of humans. Playing a Goliath Goliaths are driven by a fierce love of competition. Anything that can be conceived as a challenge invites goliaths to keep score, tracking their progress against both their comrades and themselves. A goliath fighter might remark on how many times he has drawn first blood in battle within a particular dungeon compared to the party’s rogue, and he’s certainly mentally tracking his own performance against his last adventure. This competitiveness takes the form of good-natured rivalry among goliaths. As a race they have no patience for cheaters, gloaters, or sore losers, but goliaths can be very hard on themselves when they fail to measure up to their own past accomplishments. Daring that borders on foolhardiness is also a common trait among goliaths. They have no fear of heights, climbing sheer mountain cliffs and leaping great chasms with ease. Their nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering instills in them an inquisitive interest in whatever lies over the next ridge or at the head of a canyon. To a wandering hunter’s mind, that curiosity can lead to better hunting grounds or a good water source that would otherwise go undiscovered. Goliaths respect and revere the natural world, and goliath adventurers commonly draw on the primal power source. Druids and shamans are more common among them than clerics, and goliath priests—called skywatchers—invoke the spirits of nature and their ancestors far more often than they call on the distant gods of the Astral Sea. Some goliath tribes also honor Kord, Melora, and Avandra, particularly those tribes that have frequent contact with other races. Tribes that regularly trade with dwarves sometimes offer sacrifices to Moradin as well. Goliath Characteristics: Competitive, daring, driven, inquisitive, powerful, reliable, restless, trusting Male Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gauthak, Ilikan, Kavaki, Keothi, Lo-Kag, Maveith, Meavoi, Thotham, Vimak Female Names: Gae-Al, Kuori, Manneo, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Uthal, Vaunea Goliath Adventurers Three sample goliath adventurers are described below. Kavaki was injured in an avalanche as a young man and exiled from his tribe because he was unable to walk with them when they moved to a new hunting ground. His tribe lamented his loss, celebrated his accomplishments, and then left him for dead. However, a ram spirit sheltered him through blizzards and storms until his injury healed, and he now evokes the power of that ram spirit to fuel his barbarian rage. Still cut off from his tribe, Kavaki has found a new family—a group of adventurers—and is determined never again to be in a position where he cannot carry his own weight. Nalla was a tent-mother for her tribe, caring for infants and toddlers while their parents performed their own tasks on the tribe’s behalf. When her own child died in an orc raid, however, Nalla felt that she could no longer bear to care for children, and she soon exiled herself. As a fighter, she has fallen in with a band of adventurers she now guards with her life, almost as if they were the children of her tribe. Lo-Kag was a trader for his tribe, interacting regularly with a nearby dwarf clan. As a warden, he was interested in the traditions of the dwarven defenders—determined fighters and paladins sworn to the defense of their clanhold—and learned much from a mentor trained in their ways. On his last trip to the dwarf clanhold, however, he found it deserted. Corpses lay strewn around the citadel, but he saw no sign of violence or looting. Instead of returning to his tribe, Lo-Kag set out into the world to investigate the mystery of the dwarves’ demise. PH2_Ch01.indd 13 12/17/08 1:55:16 PM 98.234.242.73

14 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ARGYLE HALF-ORC HALF-ORC Fierce warriors who combine human resolve with orc savagery RACIAL TRAITS RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 5´ 9˝–6´ 4˝ Average Weight: 155–225 lb. Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity Size: Medium Speed: 6 squares Vision: Low-light Languages: Common, Giant Skill Bonuses: +2 Endurance, +2 Intimidate Half-Orc Resilience: The first time you are bloodied during an encounter, you gain 5 temporary hit points. The temporary hit points increase to 10 at 11th level and to 15 at 21st level. Swift Charge: You gain a +2 bonus to speed when charging. Furious Assault: You have the furious assault power. Furious Assault Half-Orc Racial Power Your monstrous wrath burns inside you, giving strength to your attack. Encounter Free Action Personal Trigger: You hit an enemy Effect: The attack deals 1[W] extra damage if it’s a weapon attack or 1d8 extra damage if it isn’t. An obscure legend claims that when Corellon put out Gruumsh’s eye in a primeval battle, part of the savage god’s essence fell to earth, where it transformed a race of humans into fierce half-orcs. Another story suggests that an ancient hobgoblin empire created half-orcs to lead orc tribes on the empire’s behalf. Yet another legend claims that a tribe of brutal human barbarians chose to breed with orcs to strengthen their bloodline. Some say that Kord created half-orcs, copying the best elements from the human and orc races to make a strong and fierce people after his own heart. If you ask a half-orc about his origin, you might hear one of these stories. You might also get a punch in the face for asking such a rude question. Play a half-orc if you want . . . ✦ to be big, strong, and fast. ✦ to harness anger into resilience and combat power. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the barbarian, fighter, ranger, and rogue classes. PH2_Ch01.indd 14 12/17/08 1:55:16 PM 98.234.242.73

15 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races HALF-ORC Physical Qualities Half-orcs favor their human lineage in appearance, but are distinguished by skin that tends to various shades of gray, broad jaws, and prominent lower canine teeth—though these are still a far cry from the jutting tusks of orcs. On average, they are taller and stronger than humans as well. Their hair is usually black, though it grays quickly with age. Most half-orcs who live among humans favor human styles of clothing and hairstyle, but a few adopt orc traditions, tying small bones or beads into long braids or bunches of hair. Half-orcs don’t live quite as long as humans do. They mature quickly, reaching adulthood at about 16 years, and rarely live past the age of 60. Playing a Half-Orc Half-orcs combine the best qualities of humans and orcs, though some would argue that the good qualities of orcs are few and hard to find. From their orc blood, half-orcs inherit great physical strength and toughness. They are fierce warriors, fleet of foot as they charge into battle. Their human blood makes half-orcs decisive and bold, resourceful and self-reliant. They are adaptable and able to make their way in almost any circ*mstance. Although half-orcs often live on the fringes of society in human towns and cities, they still find ways to prosper in a world to which they don’t fully belong. For all their good qualities, many half-orcs exhibit characteristics that polite society finds uncouth or undesirable. Half-orcs have little patience for complicated rules of etiquette or procedure and find little value in hiding their true opinions in order to spare someone’s feelings. They enjoy the simple pleasures of food and drink, boasting, singing, wrestling, drumming, and dancing, and they don’t find much satisfaction in more refined or sophisticated arts. They’re prone to act without much deliberation, preferring to overcome obstacles as they arise rather than consider every possible outcome and make contingency plans. These qualities lead some members of other races to consider them rude or crass, but others find their brashness refreshing. Half-orcs generally live among either human or orc cultures—some in bustling human towns or cities, others among remote human or orc tribes. Most half-orcs have two half-orc parents, but sometimes half-orcs marry and have half-orc children with humans or orcs. Orcs show grudging respect to half-orcs for their considerable strength and for their cunning intelligence, which sometimes allows halforcs to rise to leadership positions in orc tribes. Although possessed of many strengths, half-orcs frequently encounter prejudice in human communities. Thus, most half-orcs gravitate to careers involving physical labor or violence. For some, the life of an adventurer is either a natural extension of that trend or a way to throw off the weight of prejudice. The adventuring life also means finding a place in a group of allies and equals—a simple pleasure that is all too hard for many half-orcs to find in the world. Half-Orc Characteristics: Brash, ferocious, hedonistic, impulsive, short-tempered, tough, uninhibited Male Names: Brug, Dorn, Druuk, Gnarsh, Grumbar, Hogar, Karash, Korgul, Krusk, Lubash, Mord, Ohr, Rendar, Sark, Scrag, Tanglar, Tarak, Thar, Ugarth, Yurk Female Names: Augh, Bree, Ekk, Gaaki, Grai, Grigri, Gynk, Huru, Lagazi, Murook, Nogu, Ootah, Puyet, Tawar, Tomph, Ubada, Vanchu Half-Orc Adventurers Three sample half-orc adventurers are described below. Tarak, a half-orc rogue, is at home in the city. He grew up in the rough-and-tumble wharf quarter and ran with street gangs and rough sailors. Everything changed when a sailor dropped dead at his feet, leaving a mysterious box in Tarak’s possession. The box brought chaos into his life until he fled the city and fell in with some adventurers on the road. Tarak doesn’t know what’s in the box—its strange lock has defeated every attempt to open it, and its hard metal sides resist breaking. But goblins and doppelgangers have proven themselves willing to kill to get the box for themselves, piquing Tarak’s interest. Murook is a warden, born and raised among an orc tribe. She was a staunch defender of her tribe for years, but her ties to the primal spirits of wood and stone slowly coaxed her away from the worship of Gruumsh and led her to question the brutality the orcs performed in his name. She made her way to human lands and has struggled to fit in, trying to leave behind the barbarian ways of her tribe and adopt at least a veneer of civilization, but she is still far more comfortable among the trees and mountains than confined in a city or village. Dorn is a half-orc ranger who prefers not to talk about his birth and his family. He spent most of his life in a hut at the outskirts of a farming village, hunting and trapping in the surrounding forest, keeping to himself and asking only to be left alone. His life turned upside down on his thirtieth birthday, when a group of adventurers stopped in the village looking for directions to an ancient ruin. The villagers steered the adventurers to Dorn, who agreed to guide them through the forest. He never returned home, because that first adventure led him into many more. PH2_Ch01.indd 15 12/17/08 1:55:18 PM 98.234.242.73

16 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ARGYLE SHIFTER SHIFTER Ferocious heirs of the wild, the perfect fusion of civilized race and wild beast RACIAL TRAITS RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 5´ 7˝–6´ 0˝ Average Weight: 130–180 lb. Size: Medium Speed: 6 squares Vision: Low-light Languages: Common, choice of one other LONGTOOTH SHIFTERS LONGTOOTH SHIFTERS Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +2 Wisdom Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance Longtooth Shifting: You have the longtooth shifting power. RAZORCLAW SHIFTERS RAZORCLAW SHIFTERS Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom Skill Bonuses: +2 Acrobatics, +2 Stealth Razorclaw Shifting: You have the razorclaw shifting power. Longtooth Shifting Shifter Racial Power You unleash the beast within and take on a savage countenance. Encounter ✦ Healing Minor Action Personal Requirement: You must be bloodied. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls. In addition, while you are bloodied, you gain regeneration 2. Level 11: Regeneration 4. Level 21: Regeneration 6. Razorclaw Shifting Razorclaw Shifting Shifter Racial Power You unleash the beast within and take on a savage countenance. Encounter Minor Action Personal Requirement: You must be bloodied. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, your speed increases by 2, and you gain a +1 bonus to AC and Reflex. Shifters are fierce hunters strongly influenced by their animal nature. Though they can’t fully change shape as their lycanthrope ancestors can, shifters do become more bestial during the heat of battle, calling on the primal power of the beast within. Play a shifter if you want . . . ✦ to tap into bestial strength or speed in battle. ✦ to be a character in tune with your primal savage nature. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the druid, fighter, ranger, and warden classes. PH2_Ch01.indd 16 12/17/08 1:55:18 PM 98.234.242.73

17 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races SHIFTER Physical Qualities In broad strokes, shifters resemble humans with animalistic features. Their bodies are lithe and strong, and they often move in a crouched posture, springing and leaping along the ground. Their faces have a bestial cast, with wide, flat noses, large eyes and heavy eyebrows, pointed ears, and long sideburns. The hair of their heads is thick and worn long. Shifter skin and hair are usually some shade of brown. Longtooth shifters claim werewolves as ancestors and have a vaguely canine cast to their features that becomes much more pronounced when they use their longtooth shifting power. Razorclaw shifters are descended from weretigers and are more catlike, particularly when using razorclaw shifting. Shifters live about as long as humans. Playing a Shifter Shifters are strongly influenced by their animal natures. They think and act like predators, conceiving of most activities in terms of hunting and prey. Longtooth shifters are drawn to a pack of companions, whether that’s a family group or an adventuring party. They work well as part of a team in combat, coordinating their attacks with their allies and coming to the aid of beleaguered friends. They’re drawn to the leader and defender roles, and they make excellent clerics, fighters, paladins, and wardens. Razorclaw shifters are more independent, self-reliant, and adaptable. They’re no less devoted to their adventuring companions, but they trust their allies to take care of themselves, and they strive to carry their own weight in the group. They’re more inclined to be strikers or controllers, and they favor classes such as avenger, druid, ranger, and rogue. Historically, most shifters dwelled in nomadic bands in plains and forests far removed from cities and towns. Since the fall of Nerath, however, the increasing dangers of the wilds have driven many shifters into closer proximity to human and elf communities. Some shifters have adapted smoothly to this change, carving niches for themselves as trappers, hunters, fishers, trackers, guides, or military scouts. Others have a much harder time fitting in. Shifters who feel alienated from the plains and forests they love sometimes take up the adventuring life as a way of escaping the confines of city walls and returning to nature. Some shifters, though, turn to a life of crime, preying on the residents of their new homes like the hunters they are. Shifter Characteristics: Active, alert, fierce, freespirited, intuitive, perceptive, predatory, self-reliant, unrestrained, wild Male Names: Ash, Brook, Claw, Cliff, Flint, Frost, River, Rock, Storm, Thorn, Tor Female Names: Aurora, Autumn, Dawn, Hazel, Iris, Lily, Rain, Rose, Summer Shifter Adventurers Three sample shifter adventurers are described below. Ash is a proud longtooth cleric devoted to Melora. His clan moved from the open plains into a nearby city shortly after the fall of Nerath, and most of them have adjusted smoothly to an urbanized life. Even during his childhood, though, Ash felt a calling to the wild places of the world, and he ventured far from the city on his wanderings. As a personal rite of passage when he turned 18, he traveled ten days from the city into the wilds and stayed there for ten more days, spending his time hunting, gathering food, and praying to the god of the wilderness. He had planned to return after those ten days but decided that Melora had a different plan in mind. He avoids cities and towns now unless he has no choice, spending his time wandering the wilds, exploring ancient ruins, and fighting the monsters that make the wilderness unsafe. Summer is a razorclaw druid whose tribe still wanders a pristine forest far from any human cities. She was her tribe’s moonspeaker, a religious leader who traveled among the different clans of her tribe. In the summer of one year, she went to visit the northernmost clan and never found them. She traveled farther and farther afield until she found a hobgoblin city. While sneaking into the city, she discovered that the surviving members of the clan were now slaves of the hobgoblins. She plans to return to that city one day to free her people, but in the meantime she is very interested in the power she has gained through adventuring. Storm is a razorclaw avenger dedicated to the Raven Queen. He knows no tribe except the remote monastery where he was raised and trained. For many years, he never knew another shifter, and he believed himself to be a human who was specially blessed for the work of the Raven Queen—endowed with speed, stealth, and strength to make him more perfect in her service. On reaching adulthood, he left the monastery and ventured into the world on his first major undertaking for his order. There he discovered others of his race and has begun to question fundamental assumptions of his identity. Disillusioned about his god’s work, he has taken up with a group of adventurers while he sorts out his place in a world that is much different from anything he previously imagined. PH2_Ch01.indd 17 12/17/08 1:55:20 PM 98.234.242.73

18 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races RACIAL PARAGON PATHS RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Most paragon paths are specific to particular classes. This section presents racial paragon paths, which are specific to races included in this book and in the Player’s Handbook. The only prerequisite for any of these paths is that you be a character of the appropriate race. Only a dwarf can be a firstborn of Moradin, for example, and you must be a half-orc to take the bloodfury savage path. A racial paragon path is an exemplar of a race’s defining characteristics. A scion of Arkhosia is not just any dragonborn hero: He or she is one of the finest examples of certain qualities that set dragonborn apart from other races. Exemplars of the half-elf race do not pursue a paragon path; instead, they take the Versatile Master feat in Chapter 3. Choosing a Racial Paragon Path: When you reach 11th level, you can choose a racial paragon path instead of another paragon path (see Player’s Handbook, page 53). You gain the features and the powers of the path at the levels specified in the racial paragon path’s description. Implements: If your racial paragon path includes powers that have the implement keyword, you can use your class’s implements, as well as implements you can use because of a feat, with those powers. When you wield a magic version of such an implement, you can add its enhancement bonus to the attack rolls and the damage rolls of your racial paragon path powers that have the implement keyword. Without an implement, you can still use these powers. Adroit Explorer “Turn back? Now? But we don’t know what’s on the next floor!” Prerequisite: Human The unknown has an inexplicable hold on you. Your greatest ambition is to discover, to unearth, to explore. You are the perfect expression of the human tendency to comb the world in search of knowledge and power, infused with an almost superhuman determination. This determination is central to your nature—a drive that propels you to work harder, fight longer, and strive for more than you should be able to attain through your own merits. You are not satisfied until you have achieved complete victory in your endeavors, and you develop powers to help you achieve your goals. Your will only grows stronger when your back is against the wall, and you fight all the harder, making sure you win the day. Whether you are motivated by a thirst for knowledge of the world’s most ancient civilizations, a hunger for long-lost secrets of arcane power, a drive to conquer and settle the world in the name of Erathis, or a lust for gold and glory, you’re willing to face great danger to achieve your goals. Thanks to your singleminded dedication, you usually manage to escape from danger in one piece, even if you survive only by the skin of your teeth. Adroit Explorer Path Features Ambitious Effort (11th level): Choose an encounter attack power of 7th level or lower from your class. You gain that power. If you choose an encounter attack power that you already know, you now have two uses of that power per encounter. At 21st level, you can replace this power with an encounter attack power of 13th level or lower from your class. Bloody Determination (11th level): The first time you are bloodied during an encounter, you gain a +5 power bonus to your next attack roll before the end of your next turn against the enemy that bloodied you. Heroic Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain resist 10 to all damage until the end of your next turn. The resistance increases to 20 at 21st level. Champion of Humanity (16th level): After each extended rest, you have 2 action points instead of 1. Adroit Explorer Powers Destined for Greatness Adroit Explorer Utility 12 Despair is never an option. Encounter ✦ Healing No Action Personal Trigger: You fail a saving throw and you are not dying Effect: You reroll the saving throw with a +4 power bonus. In addition, you can spend a healing surge. Bloodied Greatness Adroit Explorer Attack 20 Your enemies’ attacks push you over a threshold, and you tap into a fresh reserve of strength. You unleash one of your mightiest attacks, fueled by your pain. Daily Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: An enemy bloodies you Effect: You use one of your encounter attack powers against the triggering enemy. That power can already be expended, and if it is not, using it through this power doesn’t expend it. PH2_Ch01.indd 18 12/17/08 1:55:20 PM 98.234.242.73

19 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races HOWARD LYON RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Ancestral Incarnate “It looks as if you spent a lifetime learning that technique. I humbly counter—with a technique that took a dozen lifetimes to master.” Prerequisite: Deva All devas have at least a tenuous connection to their past lives, and they see themselves as spiritual descendants of their previous incarnations. For you, the connection to your past lives is more tangible. As an ancestral incarnate, you can call forth your own spirit as it existed years or centuries ago to advise you, protect you, and confound your enemies. Those who have the temerity to face you in battle learn that they aren’t fighting just the present-day incarnation of you, but also every incarnation of you that has ever been. Ancestral Incarnate Path Features Resurgent Action (11th): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can regain the use of an encounter attack power that you have already used during this encounter. The power’s level must be no higher than your level – 4, and you must use the power when taking the extra action. Serene Countenance (11th): You gain a +2 bonus to saving throws to end effects that make you dazed or stunned. Past-Life Acolytes (16th): When you perform any ritual, you can make three ghostly incarnations of your past lives step out of your body to help you. Each incarnation either grants you a +2 bonus to the ritual’s skill check or contributes a healing surge to help pay the ritual’s healing surge cost, if any. The number of incarnations increases to four at 20th level, five at 25th level, and six at 30th level. Ancestral Incarnate Powers Past-Life Guardian Ancestral Incarnate Attack 11 A translucent deva spirit steps out of your body and interposes itself between you and an enemy. Encounter ✦ Conjuration, Implement Standard Action Ranged 5 Effect: You conjure a spectral guardian that occupies 1 square within range. The guardian lasts until the end of your next turn. The guardian makes the following attack when it appears, and it can repeat the attack as an opportunity attack. Target: One creature adjacent to the guardian Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 3d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. Past-Life Servant Ancestral Incarnate Utility 12 A spirit resembling one of your past incarnations steps out of your body, bows briefly, and moves as you direct. Daily ✦ Conjuration Minor Action Ranged 20 Effect: You conjure a spectral servant in an unoccupied square within range. The servant can perform one of these tasks when it appears: ✦ Move 6 squares. ✦ Pick up an unattended object adjacent to it that weighs up to 20 pounds. ✦ Manipulate an unattended object adjacent to it. Sustain Minor: The servant persists, and it can perform another task from the list above. You can spend multiple minor actions in a round to have the servant perform multiple tasks. Past-Life Vanguard Ancestral Incarnate Attack 20 Spirit after sword-wielding spirit leaps out of your body Each stabs a nearby enemy; then they all leap back inside you, invigorating you as they return. Daily ✦ Healing, Implement Standard Action Close burst 5 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 4d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. Effect: You regain 5 hit points for each target. PH2_Ch01.indd 19 12/17/08 1:55:20 PM 98.234.242.73

20 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races JOHN STANKO Bloodfury Savage “I’ll tear out your heart and make it my feast!” Prerequisite: Half-orc In the veins of your people flows the mingled blood of orcs and humans, a perfect union of ferocity and adaptability. In general, half-orcs manifest the best traits of humans and orcs. In your heart, though, orc drums beat a call to war, stirring a savage craving for violence. You brim with fury you can barely contain, and in the thick of combat it overflows into a raging torrent. Only battle can feed the hunger in your soul, for you were born to the bloodfury. For your entire life, you have felt the stirrings of war within you, the conflict between the human and orc halves that define your divided nature. From the battle raging inside, you derive great power, great strength, and above all, a great capacity for destruction. In combat, you lose yourself to the storm, unleashing your bloodfury in a frothing display of violence that inspires fear in all who fight you. Bloodfury Savage Path Features Eager Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain a bonus to speed equal to your Dexterity modifier until the end of your next turn. Fearsome Disposition (11th level): When you make an Intimidate check, you can roll twice and use either result. Savage Resilience (16th level): When you use your Half-Orc Resilience racial trait, you also gain resist 10 to all damage until the end of your next turn. Bloodfury Savage Powers Unbound Assault Bloodfury Savage Attack 11 You tear across the battlefield, eager to feed fresh kills to your weapon. Encounter ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Effect: Before the attack, you shift 3 squares. Target: One creature Attack: Strength or Dexterity vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage, and you gain a +4 bonus to damage rolls against the target until the end of your next turn. Special: When you gain this power, choose Strength or Dexterity as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. Frothing Madness Frothing Madness Bloodfury Savage Utility 12 Something erupts inside you, turning you into a relentless force of destruction. Daily ✦ Stance Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the stance ends, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls and a +5 bonus to saving throws. Murderous Rage Bloodfury Savage Attack 20 You swear that your foe will not survive this battle, as you focus your steadily growing fury on it. Daily ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Strength or Dexterity vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls against the target. Whenever you hit the target with a melee attack, this bonus increases by 1. Special: When you gain this power, choose Strength or Dexterity as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 20 12/17/08 1:55:21 PM 98.234.242.73

21 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races RAVEN MIMURA RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Fey Beguiler “Now you see me—but not for long!” Prerequisite: Gnome The gnome race has learned to survive in a dangerous world by remaining unnoticed, staying out of sight and wielding magic to become invisible. As a fey beguiler, you take that a step farther, using magic to cloud and confuse your enemies’ minds while you perfect your own talents for stealth and secrecy. As you progress along the path of the fey beguiler, you learn an array of methods to move around unseen while bedeviling your foes. You can turn invisible, blast your foe with a globe of fey light and dash away unseen, or dumbfound an opponent, leaving it vulnerable to your allies’ attacks. To supplement the powers of your path and your class, you also learn skills and utility powers typically available to rogues and wizards, either magical or mundane tricks to enhance your stealth, movement, or other capabilities. The key to your success is to escape notice, and you have an arsenal of techniques to do just that. You can be sly and sneaky, moving quietly and skulking through the shadows. Subtlety is a valuable tool, and secrecy can save your life. But sometimes a forthright attack on an enemy’s mind is just the right tool for the job. Fey Beguiler Path Features Skill Learning (11th level): You gain training in a skill from the rogue or wizard class skills list. Disappearing Trick (11th level): You can spend an action point to become invisible until the end of your next turn or until you attack, instead of taking an extra action. Clever Versatility (12th level): You gain a utility power of 10th level or lower from the rogue or wizard class. Sneaky Gnome (16th level): You roll twice whenever you make a Stealth check and use either result. Fey Beguiler Powers Bedazzling Orb Fey Beguiler Attack 11 As you disappear from view, an orb of bright fey light streaks toward your opponent, then erupts in a dazzling flash that leaves that foe dazed. Encounter ✦ Illusion, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Ranged 10 Effect: Before the attack, you become invisible until the end of your turn. Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence or Charisma vs. Reflex Hit: 2d8 + Intelligence or Charisma modifier radiant damage, and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn. Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. Beguiling Bolt Fey Beguiler Attack 20 Your mental assault leaves your foe bewildered and vulnerable to attack, as you draw on fey power to regain your ability to vanish. Daily ✦ Implement, Psychic Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence or Charisma vs. Will Hit: 4d10 + Intelligence or Charisma modifier psychic damage, and the target grants combat advantage (save ends). Miss: Half damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the end of its next turn. Effect: You regain the use of your fade away racial power if you have already used it during this encounter. Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 21 12/17/08 1:55:22 PM 98.234.242.73

22 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races WAYNE REYNOLDS Firstborn of Moradin “My strength is the eternal endurance of the mountains. I will not break.” Prerequisite: Dwarf At the dawn of creation, dwarven myths say, Moradin made the race of dwarves. His firstborn had bones cut from bedrock, souls wrought from iron, and hearts carved of gleaming diamonds. These firstborn were the models after which all other dwarves were patterned. Although the firstborn of Moradin’s making vanished in servitude to the giants, their fighting techniques and mystical traditions have not been lost. A new era of dwarven heroism has arrived, and the legacy of the firstborn continues. Those few who most skillfully follow the paths of the ancient firstborn are slowly transformed into the image of Moradin’s firstborn. As one of the present-day firstborn of Moradin, you forge a deep connection with the earth, tapping into the power that courses through the bedrock beneath your feet. You draw on the strength of the mountains to resist injury, expand your senses through rock and stone, and root yourself in the bones of the earth. You are the stuff new legends are made of. Firstborn of Moradin Path Features Stonebones (11th level): Whenever you take a critical hit, roll a d20. If you roll 10 or higher, the critical hit turns into a normal hit. Strength of the Earth (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can also spend a healing surge. Dwarven Resurgence (16th level): When you use your second wind, you make a saving throw against each effect on you that a save can end. Firstborn of Moradin Powers Receive the Charge Firstborn of Moradin Attack 11 You ready yourself for an approaching enemy, deftly maneuvering to a better position and striking before your foe strikes you. Encounter ✦ Weapon Immediate Reaction Melee weapon Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to you Effect: Before the attack, you shift 1 square. Target: The triggering enemy Attack: Strength vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage. Earthsense Firstborn of Moradin Utility 12 Your connection with the earth allows you to sense even the faintest tremors in stone, letting you see what others cannot. Daily ✦ Stance Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the stance ends, you gain tremorsense 10. Mountain Stance Firstborn of Moradin Attack 20 Strike Strike You call on the weight of the mountains to crash down on your foes and to ground yourself against your enemies’ attacks. Daily ✦ Stance, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Strength vs. Fortitude Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier damage, and you knock the target prone. If the target stands up before the end of your next turn, you can make a melee basic attack against it as an immediate interrupt if you are adjacent to it. Miss: Half damage. Effect: You assume the mountain stance. Until the stance ends, you gain a +2 bonus to AC, and you can ignore being pulled, pushed, slid, or knocked prone. PH2_Ch01.indd 22 12/17/08 1:55:23 PM 98.234.242.73

23 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races STEVE ELLIS RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Halfling Scoundrel “The bigger they are, the easier they topple.” Prerequisite: Halfling The greatest heroes of halfling legend are those who defeat giants, dragons, or other oversized threats to their homes and communities, using their wits, their agility, and a hefty dose of audacity. These heroes aren’t necessarily armored warriors wielding legendary swords, and they don’t have lands or noble titles. They are ordinary folk who rise to the challenge of the times, proving that size and strength aren’t needed to come out on top. You’re one of these heroes. Like most halflings, you have found that the best way to get by in a world full of much larger creatures is to stay out of their way. Doing that might mean keeping out of their sight or staying on their good side. It might also mean keeping out of their reach, or dodging their attacks. Stealth and trickery might not be weapons and armor by themselves, but they are a useful supplement to the finest steel. Coupled with your natural daring and determination, these strengths are enough to bring you victory against any foe, no matter how large. Compared to the legendary heroes of other races, you might come across as a scamp or a scoundrel. But the fact that you’re crafty, resourceful, and sometimes sneaky doesn’t make you any less of a hero. Avandra has blessed you with courage beyond question, ingenuity sufficient for any challenge, and the stealth you need to survive. Halfling Scoundrel Path Features Fearless Scoundrel (11th level): Whenever you are affected by a fear effect that a save can end, you can make a saving throw against the effect at the start of your turn. If you don’t save, you can make another saving throw against the effect at the end of your turn. Resourceful Action (11th level): You can spend an action point to gain a +5 bonus to an attack roll, a saving throw, or a skill check you have just rolled, instead of taking an extra action. Crafty Combatant (16th level): When you use your second chance racial power and the enemy’s attack misses after the reroll, that enemy grants combat advantage to you until the end of your next turn. Halfling Scoundrel Powers Sly Offensive Halfling Scoundrel Attack 11 Your weapon ends up exactly where the enemy didn’t expect, leaving that foe off balance. Encounter ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Dexterity or Charisma vs. Reflex Hit: 2[W] + Dexterity or Charisma modifier damage, and the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls against you until the end of its next turn. If the target misses with any attack during its next turn, you can shift a number of squares equal to your Dexterity or Charisma modifier as an opportunity action. Special: When you gain this power, choose Dexterity or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. You use the same ability to determine the number of squares you shift. Problem Solver Halfling Scoundrel Utility 12 You find solutions to the thornie*st problems. Encounter Immediate Interrupt Ranged 10 Trigger: An ally within 10 squares of you fails a check with a skill in which you’re trained Target: The triggering ally Effect: The target can reroll the skill check with a +2 power bonus. Halfling’s Taunt Halfling Scoundrel Attack 20 You enrage your foe with a chuckle and a taunt. That foe’s fury swells as its attacks miss you and you whack it in response. Daily ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Dexterity or Charisma vs. AC Hit: 5[W] + Dexterity or Charisma modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, if the target attacks, it must include you as a target if none of your allies are nearer to it than you are. You gain a +2 bonus to all defenses against the target’s attacks. If the target misses you with an attack, you can make a basic attack against it as an opportunity action. Special: When you gain this power, choose Dexterity or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 23 12/17/08 1:55:24 PM 98.234.242.73

24 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races DEVON CADDY-LEE Moonstalker “I can see my destiny in the face of the moon, and I call to it in greeting.” Prerequisite: Shifter Shifters harbor a bestial nature inside themselves. When a shifter is under duress, this nature reveals itself in his or her features and prowess. This innate savagery is the gift of shifters’ lycanthrope ancestors, the quality passed down through the generations that gives the shifter race its identity. Most shifters can call on their legacy when needed, but you enjoy a closer kinship to your lycanthrope forebears. You take the name moonstalker for the strong lycanthropic heritage you have awakened in your spirit. You have always had an animalistic side, manifested in your physical features and sometimes through your behavior, but at some point you learned that you were different, and that the gift from your ancestors was greater than you could have believed. You are still able to shift your form, physically expressing shifter traits, but you can take that power a step farther and use your bestial nature to fully transform into a wolf or a tiger. This ability accompanies a host of other changes, and your tactics and behavior leave behind civilized methods for those of an untamed predator. Moonstalker Path Features Hunter Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, you can shift a number of squares equal to your Wisdom modifier as a free action before or after the attack. Go for the Throat (11th level): When you hit a prone target with a melee attack, the attack deals 1d6 extra damage. The extra damage increases to 2d6 at 21st level. Pack Tactics (16th level): While you are adjacent to a prone enemy, you and your allies add your Wisdom modifier to damage rolls against that enemy. Moonstalker Powers Call to the Moon Call to the Moon Moonstalker Attack 11 A bloodcurdling howl escapes from your throat, announcing that the hunt has begun. Encounter ✦ Fear, Psychic Minor Action Close burst 5 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Wisdom + 4 vs. Will Level 21: Wisdom + 6 vs. Will Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and the target grants combat advantage until the end of your next turn. Unleash the Silent Predator Moonstalker Utility 12 Your body contorts as you transform into the creature lurking inside you. Daily ✦ Polymorph Minor Action Personal Effect: You assume the form of a gray wolf or a tiger of your size until the end of the encounter, until you fall unconscious, or until you drop to 0 hit points or fewer. In this form, you add your Wisdom modifier to your speed. In addition, whenever you walk as a move action, you can shift 1 square as a free action before doing so. Circle the Prey Moonstalker Attack 20 You stalk around your enemy, searching for an opening to make a killing blow. Daily ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Strength or Dexterity vs. Reflex Hit: 3[W] + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage, and ongoing 10 damage (save ends). In addition, you knock the target prone. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Before or after the attack, you shift a number of squares equal to your Wisdom modifier. After the attack, the target grants combat advantage to you until the end of your next turn. Special: When you gain this power, choose Strength or Dexterity as the ability you use when making attack rolls and damage rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 24 12/17/08 1:55:25 PM 98.234.242.73

25 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races RACIAL PARAGON PATHS MATIAS TAPIA Scion of Arkhosia “By the blood of Io, you will fall!” Prerequisite: Dragonborn Scions of Arkhosia are the descendants of the noble dragonborn heroes of the fallen empire of Arkhosia. In the years since that empire fell, its heirs have scattered across the world, their lineage and heritage confused or lost in the darkness of the present age. Most dragonborn spend their lives unaware of what sort of potential lies within them, but a few manage to awaken and master their hidden reserves of power. You are one of these scions, and you have begun the long and arduous process of unlocking the power of your noble blood. Your ancestry places you closer to your dragon kin than other dragonborn are. As a result, you gain a greater mastery over your dragon breath, able to alter its substance at will. The clearest sign of your noble heritage, though, is the draconic wings that begin to form on your back as soon as you adopt this paragon path. They take some time to grow strong and large enough to sustain short bursts of flight, but they mark you unmistakably as what you are: a hero of your people reborn. Scion of Arkhosia Path Features Versatile Breath (11th level): Whenever you attack with your dragon breath racial power, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. The attack’s damage is also that type. Draconic Outburst (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, each enemy adjacent to you takes damage equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier when you resolve the attack. This damage is the same type you initially chose for your dragon breath racial power. Blood of Io (16th level): You gain overland flight with a speed of 12. Scion of Arkhosia Powers Dragon’s Wrath Dragon’s Wrath Scion of Arkhosia Attack 11 You exhale draconic energy that detonates at a distance. Encounter ✦ Varies Standard Action Area burst 2 within 10 squares Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity + 4 vs. Reflex Level 21: Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity + 6 vs. Reflex Hit: 3d6 + Constitution modifier damage. Special: This power uses the same ability as your dragon breath racial power, and it uses the same damage type you initially chose for that power. Dragon Wings Scion of Arkhosia Utility 12 Fully formed dragon wings protrude from your back, giving you the ability to fly. At-Will Move Action Personal Effect: You fly a number of squares equal to your speed. You must land at the end of this movement. Clinging Breath Scion of Arkhosia Attack 20 Your breath weapon clings to creatures before you, eating them alive. Daily ✦ Varies Standard Action Close blast 3 Target: Each creature in blast Attack: Strength, Constitution, or Dexterity + 6 vs. Reflex Hit: 3d6 + Constitution modifier damage, and ongoing 10 damage (save ends). Miss: Half damage, and ongoing 5 damage (save ends). Special: This power uses the same ability as your dragon breath racial power, and it uses the same damage type you initially chose for that power. PH2_Ch01.indd 25 12/17/08 1:55:25 PM 98.234.242.73

26 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races BRIAN DESPAIN Shiere Knight “By the court of the Summer Queen, you shall pay for your transgressions!” Prerequisite: Eladrin Most noble eladrin, including bralani and ghaeles such as those described in the Monster Manual, are prominent figures in their houses, lords and ladies who have positions of authority over the lesser members of their houses. A few eladrin heroes, however, champion the cause of their race as a whole, rather than of any particular house. Though they are often anointed by house nobles, these shiere knights are free agents, beholden to no particular house and dedicated to protecting the eladrin from fomorians, spriggans, and other hostile denizens of the Feywild. Becoming a shiere knight involves more than attaining a title. As a champion of your race, you become a living embodiment of the power of the Feywild. Your appearance is marked by a sign of the fey power within you: a faint glow that outlines your frame and burns in your eyes, an eldritch wind that constantly stirs the air around you, or some other manifestation of your otherworldly nature. You can channel this power to beguile your foes or drive them off in fear. Shiere Knight Path Features Blessed of the Fey (11th level): Whenever you are affected by a charm effect that a save can end, you can make a saving throw against the effect at the start of your turn. If you don’t save, you can make another saving throw against the effect at the end of your turn. Fey Leap Action (11th level): You can spend an action point to teleport 10 squares, instead of taking an extra action. Cloaked in Magic (16th level): Whenever you teleport, you gain a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of your next turn. Shiere Knight Powers Ensorcelled Mind Ensorcelled Mind Shiere Knight Attack 11 You fill your foe’s mind with haunting images of the Feywild’s wonder and beauty, with the result that the enemy cannot bear to see you harmed. Encounter ✦ Charm Standard Action Ranged 5 Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 4 vs. Will Level 21: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 6 vs. Will Hit: Until the end of your next turn, the target can’t attack you. In addition, when any creature within the target’s reach hits or misses you, the target makes a melee basic attack against that creature as a free action, with a +2 bonus to the attack roll. Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. Fey Escape Shiere Knight Utility 12 As your foe draws near, a swirling storm of leaves spins around you and whisks you to safety. Daily ✦ Teleportation Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to you Effect: You teleport 5 squares. Imperious Presence Shiere Knight Attack 20 Filled with the power of the Feywild, you drive your enemies away in fear, sapping them of their strength. Daily ✦ Fear Standard Action Close burst 2 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 6 vs. Will Hit: The target is weakened (save ends). The target then moves away from you at its speed as a free action. Miss: The target is weakened until the end of your next turn, and you push the target 3 squares. Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 26 12/17/08 1:55:26 PM 98.234.242.73

27 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races MICHAEL BIEREK RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Stoneblessed “There are secrets in the peaks, mysteries I have unraveled and embraced.” Prerequisite: Goliath There can be no understating the kinship that goliaths share with their mountain homes. Like the mountains, goliaths stand tall despite the hardship of life amid the wind, snow, and ice of the highest crags. Most goliaths are proud merely to draw strength from their upbringing amid the towering peaks, but a rare few come to embody the spirit of the mountains. You are such a hero, a stoneblessed goliath who has an uncommon connection to stone and earth. Rock beneath your feet emboldens you, and the elements nourish you, until you become the personification of your homeland’s peaks. As a stoneblessed, you draw power from the stone itself, allowing you to transcend the bounds of your mortal form and achieve astonishing acts of strength. Your attacks strike with the weight of the mountain behind them. When you reach the pinnacle of this path, you can transform yourself into an entity of stone, crushing those who stand against you. When you take the first step on this path, your features and form begin a slow transformation, revealing the depth of your mountain connection. Your skin gains the texture of sandstone, thickening to protect you from harm. Your eyes lose their moisture until they eventually shine like diamonds, reflecting light in a rainbow. The lithoderms that stud your shoulders and elbows transform into crystalline growths. Among goliaths, these features mark you as a true champion, a chosen hero of your kind. Stoneblessed Path Features Stonehide Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain a +2 bonus to AC until the end of your next turn. Unusual Reach (11th level): Your melee reach increases by 1. Mountain Crush (16th level): Whenever you score a critical hit with a two-handed weapon, the attack deals extra damage equal to twice your Constitution modifier. Stoneblessed Powers Mountain Sweep Stoneblessed Attack 11 You sweep your weapon in a terrible arc, slicing through your foes as if they were wheat before the scythe. Encounter ✦ Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One or two creatures Attack: Strength vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Strength modifier + Constitution modifier damage. Summit Advantage Stoneblessed Utility 12 Focusing your awareness, you ready yourself to lash out at any enemy in reach that gives you an opening. Encounter Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you have threatening reach. Avalanche Assault Stoneblessed Attack 20 With the power of an avalanche, you rain blows on your enemy. The strength of the mountains lingers in your limbs while you remain in this stance. Daily ✦ Stance, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Strength vs. Fortitude Hit: 4[W] + Strength modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: You assume the stance of the avalanche. Until the stance ends, you can move through an enemy’s space if that enemy is your size or smaller, and you gain a bonus to the damage rolls of your at-will attacks equal to your Constitution modifier. PH2_Ch01.indd 27 12/17/08 1:55:26 PM 98.234.242.73

28 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races Turathi Highborn “The error of my ancestors was in dealing with evil powers they couldn’t control.” Prerequisite: Tiefling The sins of Bael Turath lie exposed in the sinister appearance of its tiefling descendants. Each pair of horns, every sinewy tail, and every set of glowing red eyes reminds the world of the perils of dealing with devils and the evils that result from such fell bargains. Many tieflings rise above the darkness clouding their souls, but a few find it far harder to divorce themselves from their sinister heritage, largely because of their familial connections to those first tieflings who forged pacts with Asmodeus and other archdevils of the Nine Hells. As a Turathi highborn, you bear a heavier burden than your kin, for it was your ancestors who damned the tiefling race. For better or worse, you retain a stronger connection to the Nine Hells than most of your race. You loose bursts of hellfire on your enemies when enraged, and infernal power undergirds your other talents. Drawing on the lore of Bael Turath’s ancient nobility, you can unhinge the minds of your foes or make them your slaves—even as you engulf them in hellfire. Turathi Highborn Path Features Turathi Frenzy (11th level): You gain a bonus to damage rolls against bloodied enemies equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. Hellfire Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, that attack deals 2d6 extra fire damage on a hit. Kneel before the Turathi (16th level): When you hit with an attack benefiting from your infernal wrath racial power, you also knock the target prone. Turathi Highborn Powers Bolts of Bedevilment Turathi Highborn Attack 11 Twin bolts of black fire leap from your hands to swirl about your enemy, tricking the foe into attacking one of its allies. Encounter ✦ Charm, Fire Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence + 4 vs. Will Level 21: Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence + 6 vs. Will Hit: The target makes a basic attack against a creature of your choice as a free action. The target gains a +2 power bonus to the attack roll, and on a hit, its attack deals 2d6 extra fire damage. Special: When you gain this power, choose Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. Infernal Nova Turathi Highborn Utility 12 You are wreathed in red and black flames that erupt to sear your foes when you are hit in melee. Daily ✦ Fire, Stance Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the stance ends, whenever you take damage from a melee attack, each enemy adjacent to you takes 5 fire damage. Thrall of Turath Thrall of Turath Turathi Highborn Attack 20 You wrap your foe’s mind with hellfire, burning the enemy even as it follows your commands. Daily ✦ Charm, Fire Standard Action Melee 1 Target: One creature Attack: Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence + 6 vs. Will Hit: 2d6 + Constitution modifier fire damage, and the target is dominated and takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends both). Miss: Half damage, and the target makes a basic attack against a creature of your choice as a free action. Special: When you gain this power, choose Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 28 12/17/08 1:55:27 PM 98.234.242.73

29 CHAPTER 1 | Character Races JAMES ZHANG RACIAL PARAGON PATHS Twilight Guardian “Despoiler! Feel nature’s wrath!” Prerequisite: Elf Among the elves, a rare few embrace the splendor of the natural world and draw power from its bountiful life in ways that others cannot begin to understand. Such elves champion nature in all its forms, placing the needs of the wilderness above their own. These heroes are called twilight guardians, for they preserve the wilderness from the encroaching darkness, safeguarding the natural world from destruction at the hands of the incautious and the malevolent alike. Though it might seem that the twilight guardian chooses to champion the cause of nature, most twilight guardians would say that the world chose them. The world responds, they believe, to an uncommon reverence for nature, an awareness of the true power of life, and an understanding of the need for a harmonious balance to ensure the world’s survival. These qualities arise most commonly among the elves, and thus the path of the twilight guardian is unique to that race. As a twilight guardian, you evolve into a physical conduit of natural power, channeling the life force of the earth itself to better combat your enemies. The power flowing though you sharpens your senses and attunes you to your surroundings. Protecting the wilderness is your paramount concern. You are not required to safeguard a particular region, but instead to protect nature wherever you go in your travels. As long as you remain a stalwart protector, the natural world will aid you in your crusade, lending you its strength to ensure your triumph over those who would contaminate the land. Twilight Guardian Path Features Elfsight (11th level): You ignore the –2 penalty for attacking an enemy that has concealment. Also, your racial bonus to Perception checks increases to +4, and the racial bonus to Perception checks that you grant through your Group Awareness racial trait increases to +2. Accurate Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, you can make two attack rolls for that attack and use either result. Twilight Walk (16th level): You ignore difficult terrain. Twilight Guardian Powers Bonds of Life Twilight Guardian Attack 11 Tendrils erupt from your target’s body, entwining it and holding it fast. Encounter Standard Action Ranged 5 Target: One creature Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 4 vs. Reflex Level 21: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 6 vs. Reflex Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is restrained until the end of your next turn. Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. Twilight Stealth Twilight Guardian Utility 12 With a thought, you vanish into your surroundings. Daily ✦ Illusion Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you are invisible to any creature against which you have any cover or concealment. Nature’s Rage Twilight Guardian Attack 20 The world reflects your outrage, coming to life with sudden and entangling ferocity. Daily ✦ Zone Standard Action Close blast 3 Target: Each enemy in blast Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma + 6 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is restrained (save ends). Effect: The blast creates a zone of writhing plants that lasts until the end of the encounter. Any enemy that enters the zone is restrained (save ends). Special: When you gain this power, choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the ability you use when making attack rolls with this power. PH2_Ch01.indd 29 12/17/08 1:55:27 PM 98.234.242.73

2 30 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Character Classes Character Classes WILLIAM O’CONNOR Your character’s class is the most important factor in determining what your character can do. Your class determines what armor and weapons you start off knowing how to use, what skills you can learn, how many hit points you have, and— most important—the class features and powers you wield. These, in turn, determine what role you’re best suited for in combat encounters as well as in some noncombat encounters. This chapter introduces eight classes to the D&D game, representing three power sources and all four character roles. The bard and the sorcerer take their place alongside other arcane classes. The avenger and the invoker expand the roster of divine classes to all four roles. The primal power source is represented here by one class for each role: barbarian, druid, shaman, and warden. Every class dabbles in functions related to another role. Some classes have one secondary role, whereas others incline toward one of two secondary roles based on an individual character’s choice of class features and powers. The role entries for the classes in this book note each class’s secondary role or roles. Here you’ll find descriptions of the following eight classes, along with four new paragon paths for each one. The chapter concludes with six new epic destinies. Avenger (page 32): A divine striker trained in secret rites to bring divine justice to the gods’ foes. Barbarian (page 48): A striker who rages with primal fury. Bard (page 66): An arcane leader who inspires and empowers with magic song and verse. Druid (page 82): A controller who is a master of primal magic and can take on animal forms. Invoker (page 100): A controller who wields raw divine power, the magic the gods used to fight the primordials. Shaman (page 118): A mystic leader who channels primal power through a spirit companion. Sorcerer (page 136): A striker who is an open floodgate of unshaped arcane might. Warden (page 152): A staunch defender who channels the power of earth and root. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 30 12/17/08 2:00:43 PM 98.234.242.73

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32 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes WILLIAM O’CONNOR “Everything my god needs to say to you can be said with my weapon.” CLASS TRAITS CLASS TRAITS Role: Striker. Your oaths bring divine wrath upon the enemies of your god. With methodical devastation, you eliminate one foe at a time. You lean toward controller as a secondary role. Power Source: Divine. You practice mysteries forgotten or forbidden by most religious orders, yet the power you wield is a gift from your god. Key Abilities: Wisdom, Dexterity, Intelligence Armor Proficiencies: Cloth Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged Implements: Holy symbols Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex, +1 Will Hit Points at 1st Level: 14 + Constitution score Hit Points per Level Gained: 6 Healing Surges per Day: 7 + Constitution modifier Trained Skills: Religion. From the class skills list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Religion (Int), Stealth (Dex), Streetwise (Cha) Class Features: Armor of Faith, Avenger’s Censure, Channel Divinity, oath of enmity In secret temples far from bustling cities and priestly hierarchies, orders of esoteric warriors train their initiates in ancient traditions now forgotten or forbidden by most religious organizations. The champions of these orders are avengers—deadly weapons in the hands of their gods, imbued with divine power through secret rites of initiation. In battle, avengers swear to execute divine vengeance, entering a mental state that gives them unerring focus on a single enemy. As an avenger, you were trained in a monastery, initiated through secret rites, and imbued with the power to smite your god’s foes. You might be a disciple of Ioun, sworn to hunt and exterminate the minions of Vecna until you one day face the Maimed God. You could be an agent of the Raven Queen, bringing death to those who would defy your mistress. Or perhaps you serve Bahamut as an agent of justice, bringing ruin to tyrants and oppressors. The organizations devoted to your god might view you as a heretic or a hero, but you answer only to your god and to the vows you swore upon your initiation as an avenger. Where will those vows lead you? One thing is certain: Doing the will of your god is never easy and never free of peril. AVENGER AVENGER PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 32 12/17/08 2:00:47 PM 98.234.242.73

33 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Avenger Class Features Avengers have the following class features. Armor of Faith The favor of your deity wards you from harm. While you are neither wearing heavy armor nor using a shield, you gain a +3 bonus to AC. Avenger’s Censure As an avenger, you train your mind, body, and soul toward one purpose: destroying the enemies of your faith. To that end, you gain divine aid in pursuing a single target, though the way you eliminate that enemy varies. Do you pin your foe down and keep other enemies away, or do you pursue your foe across the field of battle? Choose one of these options. Your choice provides bonuses to certain avenger powers, as detailed in those powers. Censure of Pursuit: If your oath of enmity target moves away from you willingly, you gain a bonus to damage rolls against the target equal to 2 + your Dexterity modifier until the end of your next turn. The bonus increases to 4 + your Dexterity modifier at 11th level and 6 + your Dexterity modifier at 21st level. Censure of Retribution: When any enemy other than your oath of enmity target hits you, you gain a bonus to damage rolls against your oath of enmity target equal to your Intelligence modifier until the end of your next turn. This bonus is cumulative. Channel Divinity Once per encounter, you can use a Channel Divinity power. You start with two Channel Divinity powers: abjure undead and divine guidance. You can gain additional Channel Divinity powers by taking divinity feats. Oath of Enmity Your god gives you the power to strike down your chosen prey. You gain the oath of enmity power. Avengers and Deities Choice of Deity: Each avenger chooses a single deity from the pantheon and gives his or her exclusive service to that deity (see “Deities,” Player’s Handbook, page 20). Most avengers are trained at secret temples or monasteries where they learn esoteric doctrines and hidden legends that often suggest the superiority of their deity over all others. A ceremony of investiture at your home temple, which culminated in an experience that seemed like a manifestation of your deity, granted you the ability to wield your divine powers. Your investiture complete, you left your temple to travel the world in the service of your deity and your order—or perhaps you fled your order and now seek a way to serve your god beyond the order’s strictures. Whatever relationship you have with your order, nothing can remove the spark of divine power within you. What you do with that power is yours to decide. Choice of Alignment: You must choose an alignment compatible with the deity you serve. Good avengers serve good deities, lawful good avengers serve lawful good deities, and so on. However, if you are unaligned, you can serve any deity, for avengers’ work often leads to a certain level of disillusionment and detachment that prompts them to be unaligned. Implements Like clerics and paladins, avengers use holy symbols to help channel and direct their divine powers. When they make their own holy symbols, the symbols are often different in some detail from the symbols used by other characters, yet avengers can use the same holy symbols used by clerics and paladins. When you wear or hold a magic holy symbol, you can add its enhancement bonus to the attack rolls and the damage rolls of avenger powers and avenger paragon path powers that have the implement keyword. Without a holy symbol, you can still use these powers. Creating an Avenger The three key ability scores for an avenger are Wisdom, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Avengers typically choose feats, skills, and powers to complement the ability score related to their choice of Divine Censure. AVENGER OVERVIEW Characteristics: Swinging a melee weapon in combat, you wield devastating divine power against your foes. You have a secondary assortment of ranged and close implement powers that let you draw your foes closer to you, teleport near them, or scorch them with divine wrath from afar. Religion: An avenger might serve any deity, but an avenger is more likely to worship an unaligned deity than a god of good or lawful good. Avengers of Ioun are among the most common, fighting a war of knowledge against the servants of Vecna. Unaligned avengers often revere the Raven Queen, Erathis, or Sehanine, and evil avengers often serve Asmodeus, Lolth, Tiamat, or Zehir. Races: Elves and razorclaw shifters make excellent pursuing avengers, and devas excel as isolating avengers. Many avengers are human, because most of the hidden monasteries that produce avengers are of human origin. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 33 12/17/08 2:00:48 PM 98.234.242.73

34 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Isolating Avenger After you swear an oath of enmity, you keep your en emy beside you and drive other foes away. Your powers help you isolate one creature at a time and bring it down quickly and let you take vengeance when that creature’s allies get past your defenses. Your attacks use Wisdom, so it should be your best ability score. Choose Intelligence for your secondbest score, reflecting your keen tactical awareness. Select powers that help you sequester your foe from its allies. Suggested Class Feature: Censure of Retribution Suggested Feat: Toughness Suggested Skills: Athletics, Intimidate, Religion, Streetwise Suggested At-Will Powers: bond of retribution, overwhelming strike Suggested Encounter Power: avenging echo Suggested Daily Power: temple of light Pursuing Avenger Once you swear an oath of enmity against an enemy, you pursue that creature wherever it goes. As much as it might try to escape your wrath, your powers let you follow it and punish it for trying to flee. Make Wisdom your highest ability score, and make Dexterity your second-best score to help you nimbly pursue your foe. Select powers that prevent your foe from moving away from you or that let you shift or teleport to the foe’s side. Suggested Class Feature: Censure of Pursuit Suggested Feat: Invigorating Pursuit Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Perception, Religion, Stealth Suggested At-Will Powers: bond of pursuit, radiant vengeance Suggested Encounter Power: angelic alacrity Suggested Daily Power: oath of the final duel Avenger Powers Your avenger powers are called prayers. Many avengers describe the experience of calling on their gods’ powers in combat as a state in which prayers are uttered almost instinctively, as if their gods were controlling their actions. Class Features Each avenger has the power oath of enmity and the Channel Divinity powers abjure undead and divine guidance. Oath of Enmity Avenger Feature You focus your wrath on a single foe, giving your attacks against it extraordinary accuracy. Encounter (Special) ✦ Divine Minor Action Close burst 10 Target: One enemy you can see in burst Effect: When you make a melee attack against the target and the target is the only enemy adjacent to you, you make two attack rolls and use either result. This effect lasts until the end of the encounter or until the target drops to 0 hit points, at which point you regain the use of this power. If another effect lets you roll twice and use the higher result when making an attack roll, this power has no effect on that attack. If an effect forces you to roll twice and use the lower result when making an attack roll, this power has no effect on that attack either. If an effect lets you reroll an attack roll and you rolled twice because of this power, you reroll both dice. Channel Divinity: Avenger Feature Abjure Undead Abjure Undead You send a brilliant ray of radiant power at an undead foe, compelling it to stagger toward you. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Close burst 5 Target: One undead creature in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 3d10 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and you pull the target a number of squares equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. The target is also immobilized until the end of your next turn. Level 5: 4d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Level 11: 5d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Level 15: 6d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Level 21: 7d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Level 25: 8d10 + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage, and you pull the target 1 square. Channel Divinity: Avenger Feature Divine Guidance Divine Guidance You lend your deity’s guidance to an ally’s attack against your foe. Encounter ✦ Divine Immediate Interrupt Close burst 10 Trigger: An ally within 10 squares of you makes an attack roll against your oath of enmity target Target: The triggering ally Effect: The target makes a second attack roll and uses either result. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 34 12/17/08 2:00:48 PM 98.234.242.73

35 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Level 1 At-Will Prayers Bond of Pursuit Avenger Attack 1 With your attack, you utter a promise to follow your enemy if it tries to escape. At-Will ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. If the target doesn’t end its next turn adjacent to you, you can shift a number of squares equal to 1 + your Dexterity modifier as a free action, and you must end that shift closer to the target. Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Bond of Retribution Avenger Attack 1 Whirling divine energy promises swift retribution if one of your foe’s companions attacks you. At-Will ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. The first time an enemy other than the target hits or misses you before the end of your next turn, the target takes radiant damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Overwhelming Strike Avenger Attack 1 As you attack, you maneuver around your foe, forcing it to move with you. At-Will ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. You shift 1 square and slide the target 1 square into the space you occupied. Level 21: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Radiant Vengeance Radiant Vengeance Avenger Attack 1 Calling on the power of your deity, you transfer the pain of your wounds to a foe and regain some resilience. At-Will ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 1d8 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier. Level 21: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. Level 1 Encounter Prayers Angelic Alacrity Angelic Alacrity Avenger Attack 1 You focus divine energy through your body to gain uncanny speed as you make your attack. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Effect: Before the attack, you shift 2 squares. Censure of Pursuit: The number of squares you shift equals 1 + your Dexterity modifier. Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Avenging Echo Avenger Attack 1 Your weapon sweeps in a deadly arc, leaving in its wake swirling radiant energy that keeps your foes at bay. Encounter ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of your next turn, any enemy that ends its turn adjacent to you or that hits or misses you takes 5 radiant damage. Censure of Retribution: The radiant damage equals 5 + your Intelligence modifier. Shared Madness Shared Madness Avenger Attack 1 The wrath of your god sears the mind of one foe and echoes to assault another enemy as well. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Psychic Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and a second creature you can see takes the same damage. Whirlwind Charge Avenger Attack 1 As you charge your foe, divine light surrounds you in a protective nimbus, then erupts at your foe. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Special: When charging, you can use this power in place of a melee basic attack. If you charge, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against opportunity attacks you provoke while moving to the target. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 35 12/17/08 2:00:48 PM 98.234.242.73

36 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Level 1 Daily Prayers Aspect of Might Avenger Attack 1 You strike a crippling blow against your foe, and divine power bolsters you. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +5 power bonus to Athletics checks, a +2 power bonus to speed, and a +2 power bonus to the damage rolls of melee attacks. Oath of the Final Duel Avenger Attack 1 You swear an oath that you will slay the foe before you. As long as you work to fulfill this oath, that foe cannot escape. Daily ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, if the target is more than 3 squares away from you at the start of your turn, you can teleport to a space within 3 squares of it as a minor action. This effect ends if you end your turn more than 3 squares away from the target. Renewing Strike Avenger Attack 1 You draw on your deity’s power to smite your foe with divine lightning and to heal your injuries. Daily ✦ Divine, Healing, Implement, Lightning Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier lightning damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: You can spend a healing surge. Temple of Light Avenger Attack 1 Your weapon strike creates a field of searing energy around an enemy. The energy burns any foe you hit that is within the field. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon, Zone Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. Effect: The attack creates a zone of radiant energy in a burst 2 centered on the target. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter. When the target moves, the zone moves with it, remaining centered on it. Whenever you hit a creature that is within the zone, that attack deals 1d6 extra radiant damage. Level 2 Utility Prayers Blessing of Vengeance Avenger Utility 2 With the death of your foe, your god grants you a boon. Daily ✦ Divine Free Action Personal Trigger: Your oath of enmity target drops to 0 hit points Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to your healing surge value. Distracting Flare Distracting Flare Avenger Utility 2 Divine light surrounds you, providing a distraction while you slip away unseen. Encounter ✦ Divine Move Action Personal Effect: You become invisible and move your speed. You are invisible until the end of the movement. Refocus Enmity Avenger Utility 2 After searching your soul, you realize who your true foe is and swear an oath against it. Encounter ✦ Divine Minor Action Close burst 10 Target: One creature you can see in burst Effect: The target becomes the target of your oath of enmity, replacing the current target. Resonant Escape Avenger Utility 2 A quick prayer as you dodge calls forth divine power, which carries you a short distance away. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: An enemy hits or misses you with a melee attack Effect: You teleport 3 squares. Level 3 Encounter Prayers Deflecting Thunder Avenger Attack 3 A thunderclap batters your foe as your weapon connects, and another thunderclap deflects the next attack against you, turning the attack toward a nearby foe. Encounter ✦ Divine, Thunder, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier thunder damage. Until the end of your next turn, the next melee or ranged attack against you instead targets an enemy adjacent to you other than the attacker. Enmity’s Reach Enmity’s Reach Avenger Attack 3 A crash of thunder behind your foe shoves it closer to your waiting weapon and slows that foe’s escape. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Thunder Standard Action Close burst 5 Target: One creature in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude Hit: 1d10 + Wisdom modifier thunder damage, and you pull the target 2 squares. The target is slowed until the end of your next turn. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 36 12/17/08 2:00:49 PM 98.234.242.73

37 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Halo of Fire Avenger Attack 3 A circle of flame erupts around your foe, harming any other enemy that moves near the creature. Encounter ✦ Divine, Fire, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier fire damage. Until the end of your next turn, any enemy that ends its turn adjacent to the target takes 5 fire damage. Censure of Retribution: The fire damage equals 5 + your Intelligence modifier. Sequestering Strike Avenger Attack 3 Your attack slices into your foe and through the fabric of space, hurtling both you and that foe a short distance away. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you teleport the target 2 squares. You then teleport to a space adjacent to the target. Censure of Pursuit: The number of squares you teleport the target equals 1 + your Dexterity modifier. Level 5 Daily Prayers Bond of Foresight Avenger Attack 5 A bond of fate links you to your enemy, giving you the ability to foresee its every move. Whenever it moves or attacks you, you’re ready. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: When the target hits or misses you or shifts, the target provokes an opportunity attack from you (save ends). Dawn Fire Sigil Dawn Fire Sigil Avenger Attack 5 A glowing mark of divine radiance prevents your foe from hiding from you and increases the accuracy of your attacks. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: The target doesn’t benefit from cover or concealment against your attacks (save ends). The target can still benefit from superior cover or total concealment against your attacks. Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls against the target. Executioner’s Cloak Avenger Attack 5 With a stroke of your weapon, you cause shadows to flow over your foe’s eyes, concealing you as you close in for the kill. Daily ✦ Divine, Illusion, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you are invisible to the target (save ends). Aftereffect: You are invisible to the target until the end of your next turn. Miss: Half damage, and you are invisible to the target until the end of your next turn. Oath of Consuming Light Avenger Attack 5 You place a burning mark of divine radiance on your foe as you swear an oath to destroy this creature. With every wound you inflict on the creature, the burning mark erupts in searing light. Daily ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom radiant damage. Whenever you hit the target with a divine power, the target takes 1d6 extra radiant damage (save ends). Aftereffect: Whenever you hit the target with a divine power, the target takes 1d4 extra radiant damage (save ends). Miss: Half damage. Whenever you hit the target with a divine power, the target takes 1d4 extra radiant damage (save ends). Level 6 Utility Prayers Aspect of Agility Avenger Utility 6 You move with the speed of the west wind, leaving your foes with little chance of striking you. Encounter ✦ Divine Move Action Personal Effect: You shift 5 squares, and you gain a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex until the end of your next turn. Oath of Enduring Wrath Avenger Utility 6 You swear to defeat your enemies, and your god grants you the perseverance to overcome any hindrance. Daily ✦ Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain a +2 power bonus to saving throws until the end of the encounter. Oath of the Relentless Hunter Avenger Utility 6 You touch an enemy and swear an oath to hunt it to the end of the world. With this oath, you can always find your foe. Daily ✦ Divine Minor Action Melee touch Target: One creature Effect: Until you use this power on a different target, you can take a standard action to determine the distance and the direction to the target. The distance and the direction are based on a straight line between you and the target, ignoring any barriers. If the target is on a different plane from you, you know which plane but gain no other information. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 37 12/17/08 2:00:49 PM 98.234.242.73

38 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Wrath of the Divine Avenger Utility 6 Suffering a foe’s lucky attack, you call on your god to visit your pain upon the one you have sworn to kill. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant Immediate Reaction Close burst 10 Trigger: An enemy scores a critical hit against you Target: Your oath of enmity target in burst Effect: The target takes radiant damage equal to the critical hit’s damage. Level 7 Encounter Prayers Avenging Winds Avenger Attack 7 You whisper a prayer, calling a gust of wind that slams your foe and halts its movement if it tries to escape. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of your next turn, if the target moves, you can slide it 2 squares as an immediate reaction. Blade Step Blade Step Avenger Attack 7 As you strike one foe, you teleport next to another. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you teleport 10 squares to a space that must be adjacent to an enemy. Inexorable Pursuit Avenger Attack 7 Shrouded in divine mist, you stride through any obstacle to reach your foe, then smite it with the wrath of your god. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Effect: Before the attack, you gain phasing until the end of your turn, and you shift 3 squares. Censure of Pursuit: The number of squares you shift equals 2 + your Dexterity modifier. Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Splinter the Formation Avenger Attack 7 You strike your foe and, with a wave of astral energy, you sweep away other enemies, isolating your prey. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you teleport each enemy within 2 squares of the target 2 squares. Censure of Retribution: The number of squares you teleport each enemy equals 1 + your Intelligence modifier. Level 9 Daily Prayers Aspect of Speed Avenger Attack 9 You accelerate past your foes, making an attack and then darting away. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Effect: Before and after the attack, you shift 5 squares. Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Enduring Strike Avenger Attack 9 As you strike at your foe, you call on your god to cast away an effect that plagues you. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you make a saving throw with a +5 bonus. Miss: Half damage, and you make a saving throw. Oath of Pursuit Avenger Attack 9 As you attack your foe, you swear an oath of relentless pursuit against it. Although your foe might try to escape, it can never evade you. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, if the target moves on its turn, you can shift 3 squares at the end of the target’s turn as an opportunity action. You must end this movement closer to the target. Temple of Shadow Temple of Shadow Avenger Attack 9 You channel dark energy around your foe, creating a cloud of shadows that helps conceal you from your enemies. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon, Zone Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: The attack creates a zone of swirling shadows in a burst 1 centered on the target. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter. When the target moves, the zone moves with it, remaining centered on it. While you are within the zone, you gain concealment and can make Stealth checks to become hidden. When you leave the zone, you have concealment until the end of your turn. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 38 12/17/08 2:00:49 PM 98.234.242.73

39 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Level 10 Utility Prayers Avenger’s Readiness Avenger’s Readiness Avenger Utility 10 As your opponents prepare to strike, you make a sudden move to spoil their plans. Daily ✦ Divine No Action Personal Trigger: You roll initiative at the beginning of an encounter Effect: You gain a +5 power bonus to the initiative check. You shift 3 squares as a free action when the first creature in the initiative order starts its turn, even if you’re surprised. Channel Endurance Avenger Utility 10 You focus your inner strength and tap into your god’s power to forestall an injury. Encounter ✦ Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain resist 5 to all damage until the end of your next turn. Eye of Justice Avenger Utility 10 Your eyes glow with divine energy, allowing you to spot foes no matter how well they hide. Encounter ✦ Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you can see invisible creatures within 5 squares of you. River of Life Avenger Utility 10 Divine power flows through you, allowing you to shrug off injury after injury. Daily ✦ Divine, Healing Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain regeneration 5 until the end of the encounter. Level 13 Encounter Prayers Cloud of Souls Avenger Attack 13 As you swing your weapon, you speak a prayer for your foe’s innocent victims and summon them to torment your enemies. Encounter ✦ Divine, Psychic, Weapon, Zone Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier psychic damage. The attack creates a zone of shrieking souls in a close burst 1. The zone lasts until the end of your next turn or until you dismiss it as a minor action. Any enemy that enters the zone is dazed until the end of your next turn. Censure of Retribution: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a bonus to attack rolls against the target equal to one-half your Intelligence modifier. Light of the Avenging Sun Avenger Attack 13 As your attack hits home, your become wrapped in blinding light, hindering a foe’s ability to strike you. Encounter ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and the target takes a –4 penalty to attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn. Sequestering Word Avenger Attack 13 A word of divine power thunders from your mouth, smiting your foe and transporting it to a place where you can face it alone. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Teleportation, Thunder Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 2d8 + Wisdom modifier thunder damage, and you teleport the target 5 squares. You then teleport to a space adjacent to the target. Censure of Pursuit: Until the end of your next turn, any enemy that ends its turn adjacent to you takes thunder damage equal to 5 + your Dexterity modifier. Whirling Blades Whirling Blades Avenger Attack 13 When you have your foe alone, it becomes an easy target for your vicious cuts and lunges. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC. You gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll if no enemy is adjacent to the target. Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. The attack deals 5 extra damage if no enemy is adjacent to the target. Level 15 Daily Prayers Aspect of Fury Avenger Attack 15 You channel the anger of your god, creating a cloud of whirling death around you. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that starts its turn adjacent to you or that hits or misses you with a melee attack takes 5 damage. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 39 12/17/08 2:00:49 PM 98.234.242.73

40 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Bond of the Sacred Duel Bond of the Sacred Duel Avenger Attack 15 In your single-minded devotion to destroying your chosen foe, you strike at that foe and form a psychic bond with it that causes it to suffer if its allies attack you. Daily ✦ Divine, Psychic, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier psychic damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter or until you attack anyone other than the target, the target takes 5 psychic damage whenever another enemy hits you. Oath of Divine Lightning Avenger Attack 15 Lightning erupts around your weapon as you attack your foe, then lingers, promising punishment if your enemy remains in one place for too long. Daily ✦ Divine, Lightning, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier lightning damage. The target takes 5 lightning damage at the end of its turn if it doesn’t move at least 1 square during its turn (save ends). Shifting doesn’t count toward this movement. Miss: Half damage, and the target takes 5 lightning damage at the end of its next turn if it doesn’t move at least 1 square during that turn. Shifting doesn’t count toward this movement. Sigil of Carceri Avenger Attack 15 You mark your enemy with the baleful red sigil of Carceri, the prison realm of the gods. Spectral chains surround your foe, holding it in place and shielding your allies from its attacks. Daily ✦ Divine, Force, Implement Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude Hit: 2d10 + Wisdom modifier force damage. The target is immobilized, and its attacks against creatures more than 5 squares away from it automatically miss (save ends both). Miss: Half damage. Until the end of your next turn, the target is immobilized, and its attacks against creatures more than 5 squares away from it automatically miss. Level 16 Utility Prayers Astral Cloak Avenger Utility 16 With a glimmer of silvery mist, you fade from view for a brief time. Encounter ✦ Divine, Illusion Minor Action Personal Effect: You become invisible until the end of your turn. Bulwark of Defiance Avenger Utility 16 You push aside the pain of your foe’s attacks, allowing you to act without hindrance for a moment. Encounter ✦ Divine No Action Personal Trigger: You fail a saving throw other than a death saving throw Effect: Until the end of your next turn, the effect you failed the saving throw against doesn’t affect you, but you make saving throws against it as normal. Vengeful Revenant Avenger Utility 16 Even the grip of death cannot keep you down. With hidden strength, you muster the energy to rise. Daily ✦ Divine, Healing No Action Personal Trigger: You fail a death saving throw Effect: You succeed on the death saving throw and spend a healing surge. You gain a +5 power bonus to all defenses until the end of your next turn. Winds of the Astral Sea Avenger Utility 16 Silvery mist shimmers around you, and you disappear, then reappear a short distance away. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation Move Action Personal Effect: You teleport 4 squares. Level 17 Encounter Prayers Astral Fury Avenger Attack 17 You send your foes tumbling through the Astral Sea, teleporting them a short distance and leaving them disoriented. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Psychic, Teleportation Standard Action Ranged 10 Target: One or two creatures Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 2d6 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and you teleport the target 3 squares. The target is immobilized until the end of your next turn. Ready the Final Blow Ready the Final Blow Avenger Attack 17 Your attack leaves your foe frozen in place, less able to avoid your next assault. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is immobilized until the end of your next turn. You gain a +2 bonus to your next attack roll against the target before the end of your next turn. Censure of Pursuit: The bonus to the attack roll equals 2 + your Dexterity modifier. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 40 12/17/08 2:00:49 PM 98.234.242.73

41 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Spectral Charge Avenger Attack 17 As you move to engage your enemy, part of you leaves the physical world momentarily. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Effect: Before the attack, you become insubstantial until the end of your next turn. Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Special: When charging, you can use this power in place of a melee basic attack. If you charge, you become insubstantial when you begin the charge. Warding Blade Warding Blade Avenger Attack 17 Your weapon cracks with thunder as it slams into your foe, knocking any nearby enemies away. If any other foes draw too close, your thunder-infused weapon is ready to punish them. Encounter ✦ Divine, Thunder, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier thunder damage, and you push any enemy within 2 squares of you, other than the target, 2 squares. Until the end of your next turn, if any enemy other than the target enters a square adjacent to you or hits or misses you from a square within your reach, you can make a melee basic attack against that enemy as an opportunity action. Censure of Retribution: You gain a power bonus to the attack roll of the melee basic attack equal to your Intelligence modifier. Level 19 Daily Prayers Aspect of Awe Avenger Attack 19 Cloaking yourself in a divine glamor, you assault your foe’s mind and compel the creature to approach you. Daily ✦ Charm, Divine, Implement, Psychic Standard Action Close burst 5 Target: One creature in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 4d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and you pull the target 3 squares. At the start of each of your turns, you pull the target 3 squares (save ends). Miss: Half damage, and you pull the target 2 squares. At the start of your next turn, you pull the target 3 squares. Oath of the Inevitable Blade Oath of the Inevitable Blade Avenger Attack 19 You swear that your blade shall taste your foe’s blood, and even if your attack fails to draw blood, you are assured of a later success. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 5[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. You gain a +5 power bonus to your next damage roll against the target before the end of the encounter, unless you attack another creature first. Temple of Respite Avenger Attack 19 Radiant power sears and slows your foe and forms a divine pattern that bolsters your defenses and hinders your enemies’ movement. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon, Zone Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage, and the target is slowed (save ends). Miss: Half damage, and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn. Effect: The attack creates a zone of radiance in a close burst 1. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter. While you are within the zone, you gain a +2 bonus to all defenses. The zone is difficult terrain to enemies. Vengeful Recovery Avenger Attack 19 You visit the pain of your wounds upon your foe as you draw strength and health from your god. Daily ✦ Divine, Healing, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is dazed (save ends). You regain hit points as if you had spent a healing surge. Miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn. You can spend a healing surge. Level 22 Utility Prayers Ghostly Vengeance Avenger Utility 22 You slip between this world and the Astral Sea, allowing you to move through objects and protecting you from attacks. Daily ✦ Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain phasing, and you take half damage from opportunity attacks. Indomitable Resolve Avenger Utility 22 The power of the gods sustains you, allowing you to ignore an injury. Daily ✦ Divine Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You take damage Effect: The damage is reduced to 0. Oath of the Final Strike Avenger Utility 22 Nothing can prevent you from completing the task set before you by the gods, not even death. Daily ✦ Divine Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: An attack reduces you to 0 hit points or fewer and doesn’t kill you Effect: You are dying but don’t fall unconscious. Until the end of your next turn, you don’t take any damage after the triggering attack, and you gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls. At the end of your next turn, you fall unconscious if you are still dying. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 41 12/17/08 2:00:50 PM 98.234.242.73

42 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes Twin Step Avenger Utility 22 You appear next to a foe, launch a devastating assault, and then disappear beyond its reach. Encounter ✦ Divine Move Action Personal Effect: You teleport 8 squares. As the last action of your turn, you can teleport 8 squares as a free action. Level 23 Encounter Prayers Avenger’s Shield Avenger Attack 23 You create a sphere of radiance that burns your foe. The sphere also protects you, flaring brightly if that foe attacks you. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Ranged 20 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 4d6 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. If the target hits or misses you before the end of your next turn, as an immediate reaction you cause the target to be blinded until the end of your next turn. Bond of Justice Avenger Attack 23 You strike your foe in an eruption of searing radiance, creating a bond between your spirits. If that foe moves away from you, you can teleport to its side and attack it. Encounter ✦ Divine, Radiant, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. If the target is not adjacent to you at the start of your next turn, you gain a +4 bonus to attack rolls against it until the end of that turn, and during that turn, you can teleport to a space adjacent to the target as a move action. Censure of Pursuit: When you use this power to teleport adjacent to the target, it takes radiant damage equal to 5 + your Dexterity modifier. Phase Duel Avenger Attack 23 You knock your opponent out of phase with the world and join it in a solitary duel to the death. You both remain visible as hazy outlines in the world, but no other creature can touch either of you. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Until the end of your next turn, you and the target are immobilized. In addition, no other creature has line of sight or line of effect to either of you, and the two of you have line of sight and line of effect only to each other. This effect ends if the immobilized condition ends on either of you before the end of your next turn. Censure of Retribution: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a bonus to all defenses against the target’s attacks equal to your Intelligence modifier. Level 25 Daily Prayers Aspect of Death Avenger Attack 25 You become a bearer of death. As long as you remain near your chosen foe, it suffers a foretaste of death. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude Hit: 6[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target takes 10 damage at the start of its turn if you are within 5 squares of it (save ends). Miss: Half damage, and the target takes 5 damage at the start of its turn if you are within 5 squares of it (save ends). Bond of Destiny Avenger Attack 25 You insert a fragment of your spirit into your enemy’s mind. Until that enemy ejects the fragment, you can transport yourself to the enemy’s side. Daily ✦ Divine, Implement, Psychic, Teleportation Standard Action Ranged 20 Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 6d8 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: The target suffers a bond of destiny (save ends). Until the bond ends, you can teleport to a space adjacent to the target as a minor action. You don’t need line of sight to the destination space. Aftereffect: You can teleport to a space adjacent to the target as a free action once. You don’t need line of sight to the destination space. Executioner’s Justice Avenger Attack 25 Your attack sears your enemy’s mind as much as its body, and sends it spiraling down a painful path toward annihilation. Daily ✦ Divine, Psychic, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and the target is dazed (save ends). First Failed Saving Throw: The target is stunned instead of dazed (save ends). Each Additional Failed Saving Throw: The target takes 20 psychic damage. Miss: Half damage, and the target is dazed (save ends). Sigil of Damnation Avenger Attack 25 A horrid sigil appears on your enemy’s head, marking the creature as damned. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, when you miss the target with an avenger encounter attack power, the attack deals half damage. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 42 12/17/08 2:00:50 PM 98.234.242.73

43 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes AVENGER Level 27 Encounter Prayers Astral Charge Avenger Attack 27 As you charge, energy from the Astral Sea empowers you, making your final attack stun your foe. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 1[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is stunned until the end of your next turn. Special: When charging, you can use this power in place of a melee basic attack. Death Stroke Avenger Attack 27 When your foe’s allies are distracted and distant, you deal a deadly attack. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC. You gain a +4 bonus to the attack roll if no enemy is adjacent to the target. Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. The attack deals 2[W] extra damage if no enemy is adjacent to the target. Inevitable End Avenger Attack 27 Your devastating attack should be enough to exact vengeance for your god. If it is not, and your foe escapes you this time, then you can try the attack again. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Censure of Pursuit: You gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to your Dexterity modifier. Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Effect: If the target is still alive and not adjacent to you at the end of its next turn, you regain the use of this power. You can regain the use of this power in this manner once per encounter. Scatter to the Astral Winds Avenger Attack 27 As you strike your enemy, the winds of an astral tempest sweep over the area, carrying away your other foes. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and you teleport each enemy within 5 squares of you, other than the target, 5 squares. Censure of Retribution: The number of squares you teleport each enemy equals 4 + your Intelligence modifier. Level 29 Daily Prayers Aspect of Terror Avenger Attack 29 You take on a terrifying aspect, assaulting your enemies’ minds and making them loath to attack you. Daily ✦ Divine, Fear, Implement, Psychic Standard Action Close burst 5 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Will Hit: 5d6 + Wisdom modifier psychic damage, and you push the target 3 squares. If the target hits or misses you, it is stunned until the end of its next turn (save ends). Miss: Half damage. If the target hits or misses you before the end of your next turn, the target is stunned until the end of its next turn. Fiery Vengeance Avenger Attack 29 With a fearsome cry, you transfer the pain of your wounds into an outburst of cleansing fire. Daily ✦ Divine, Fire, Healing, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Close burst 3 Target: Each creature in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 7d6 + Wisdom modifier fire and radiant damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: You regain hit points as if you had spent a healing surge. Until the end of the encounter, any enemy that ends its turn adjacent to you takes 10 fire and radiant damage. Final Oath Avenger Attack 29 Delivering a wicked blow, you swear to your god that either you or your foe shall die this day. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 9[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you and the target gain a +5 bonus to attack rolls against each other. Temple of Resolution Avenger Attack 29 As you strike, a prison of radiant blades appears around you and your foe, ensuring that no other enemies interfere with your battle. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon, Zone Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 5[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. Miss: Half damage. Effect: The attack creates a zone of radiant energy in a close burst 2. The zone lasts until the end of the encounter. The target takes 25 radiant damage whenever it leaves the zone. Any enemy other than the target takes 25 radiant damage when entering the zone or ending its turn there. An enemy that enters or leaves the zone as a result of forced movement does not take this damage. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 43 12/17/08 2:00:50 PM 98.234.242.73

44 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes FRANZ VOHWINKEL PARAGON PATHS PARAGON PATHS Hammer of Judgment “The hammer of the smith must sometimes also be the hammer of the warrior.” Prerequisite: Avenger As the blacksmith’s hammer shapes metal according to the smith’s will, so you have been sent to shape the world to your god’s will. A tool and a weapon in your god’s hand, you are called to shape the course of kingdoms and punish those who stand opposed to the ways of your god. Although the smith’s hammer is a tool of building and creation, in time of need it can also be a weapon of destruction. In following this path, you emphasize the control elements of many avenger powers, particularly pulling, pushing, sliding, and teleporting your foes. You gain abilities that let you push your foes even with powers that don’t normally involve forced movement and that increase the distance you move your foes with your powers. Your new attack powers push your targets around or knock them to the ground. True to the name of this path, you are most effective if you are wielding a hammer, such as a maul. Hammer of Judgment Path Features Avalanche Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack and that attack hits, you push each target you hit with that attack a number of squares equal to your Intelligence modifier. Bone Crusher (11th level): Whenever you hit a creature with a daily attack power, that creature takes a –2 penalty to AC until the end of your next turn. Bloodthirsty Hammer (16th level): Whenever you pull, push, slide, or teleport a bloodied creature by using a power, you can move the creature an additional 2 squares. Hammer of Judgment Prayers Thunder Hammer Hammer of Judgment Attack 11 You slam your weapon into the ground, and the earth itself transmits your god’s wrath, bludgeoning your enemies with the force of thunder and either knocking them to the ground or driving them back. Encounter ✦ Divine, Thunder, Weapon Standard Action Close burst 3 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Fortitude Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier thunder damage, and you either knock the target prone or push it 2 squares. Weapon: If you are wielding a hammer, the number of squares you can push the target equals 1 + your Intelligence modifier. Resolve of Steel Hammer of Judgment Utility 12 Like steel forged and tempered by a master smith, you resist the worst of your enemies’ attacks. Encounter ✦ Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain resist 10 to all damage until the end of your next turn. Hammer of the Hammer of Judgment Attack 20 Final Pronouncement Final Pronouncement Your god’s judgment drives your foe back and roots it to the ground. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. You push the target 3 squares, and it is immobilized (save ends). Miss: Half damage. You push the target 3 squares, and it is immobilized until the end of your next turn. Weapon: If you are wielding a hammer, the number of squares you can push the target equals 3 + your Intelligence modifier. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 44 12/17/08 2:00:50 PM 98.234.242.73

45 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes MATIAS TAPIA AVENGER PARAGON PATHS Oathsworn “Your words are nothing but wind. My words endure.” Prerequisite: Avenger, oath of enmity power For certain avenger sects, the swearing of oaths is a central part of their religious observances and their rites of initiation. In the teachings of these sects, an oath sworn by an avenger is akin to the words of creation spoken by the gods to give lasting form to the world; when the avenger’s will and the god’s will are one, an avenger’s oath has the power to make reality conform to the words of the oath. As a member of one of these oathsworn sects, your oath of enmity power carries particular weight. When you swear your god’s judgment against a foe, that creature’s attacks are less likely to harm you. When your foe lies dead, you claim the reward of fulfilling your oath, drawing new vigor for the remaining battle. As you advance along the oathsworn path, you gain powers that are more effective against the target of your oath, weakening it or making it vulnerable to your later attacks. You can even grant the benefit of your oath of enmity to your allies for a short time, ensuring that they help you bring your foe to justice. Oathsworn Path Features Blood Oath (11th level): You gain a +1 bonus to all defenses against attacks made by your oath of enmity target. Sworn Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack, you make two attack rolls against each target of that attack and use either result. Enduring Oath (16th level): When your oath of enmity target drops to 0 hit points, you can spend a healing surge as a free action. Oathsworn Prayers Oath of Weakness Oathsworn Attack 11 As you strike your sworn foe, the power of your oath saps its strength and will. Encounter ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: Your oath of enmity target Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 2[W] + Wisdom modifier damage, and the target is weakened until the end of your next turn. Sworn Crusade Sworn Crusade Oathsworn Utility 12 The holy nimbus representing your oath against an enemy surrounds your allies too, endowing them with deadly accuracy. Daily ✦ Divine Minor Action Close burst 5 Target: Each ally in burst Effect: Until the end of your next turn, each target makes two attack rolls and uses the result he or she prefers when making a melee attack against your oath of enmity target. Oath Bond Oathsworn Attack 20 You bind a foe with your oath, consigning it to your god’s punishment. Daily ✦ Divine, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: Your oath of enmity target Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. Effect: The target gains vulnerable 5 to your attacks (save ends). PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 45 12/17/08 2:00:51 PM 98.234.242.73

46 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes MICHAEL BIEREK Unveiled Visage “Look upon my face and see the face of my god.” Prerequisite: Avenger At the culmination of your rite of initiation years ago, one of the avengers in your secret temple pulled back the hood of a voluminous cloak to reveal a face that was not mortal, but fully divine. You saw the face of your god in that moment, and that sight transformed you. That knowledge of divine presence is what allows you to wield the power you have and what authorizes you to act in your god’s name. Slowly—ever so slowly—you are growing into the image of your god, to the point where your face begins to reveal your deity’s countenance as well. To the initiated in your faith, the face of your god is a wondrous sight, capable of inspiring awe and increased devotion. To the enemies of your god, the face is a thing of fear, of searing and blinding radiance. Your path is about your own physical and spiritual transformation. As you progress along the path of the unveiled visage, you become a more clear mirror of your god’s face and a more faithful expression of the god’s will. You can tap into the vigilance of the divine mind and transform yourself into a divine aspect not unlike an angel, flying on wings to better fight your god’s foes. Unveiled Visage Path Features Unveiled Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain an extra use of one of your Channel Divinity powers during this encounter. Soaring Charge (11th level): When you charge, you can fly your speed as part of the charge. You also gain a +2 bonus to all defenses against opportunity attacks you provoke while moving during the charge. Bloodied Might (16th level): The first time you become bloodied during an encounter, you regain the use of radiant visage if you have already used it during this encounter. Unveiled Visage Prayers Radiant Visage Radiant Visage Unveiled Visage Attack 11 The light of your god’s presence shines from your face, searing your foes. Encounter ✦ Divine, Implement, Radiant Standard Action Close blast 5 Target: Each enemy in blast Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 3d6 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. Divine Vigilance Unveiled Visage Utility 12 With senses heightened by your god’s presence, you dash past your foes and deny them any opening to attack you. Encounter ✦ Divine Move Action Personal Effect: You shift your speed. You don’t grant combat advantage to any enemy until the end of your next turn. Divine Aspect Unveiled Visage Attack 20 You become a more perfect expression of your god’s presence, blistering your enemies with the light of your spirit and sprouting radiant wings to finish the battle. Daily ✦ Divine, Implement, Polymorph, Radiant Standard Action Close burst 1 Target: Each enemy in burst Attack: Wisdom vs. Reflex Hit: 5d6 + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 power bonus to AC. In addition, you gain a fly speed equal to your speed, and you can hover. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 46 12/17/08 2:00:51 PM 98.234.242.73

47 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes EVA WIDERMANN AVENGER PARAGON PATHS Zealous Assassin “It is the will of Sehanine that the servants of Lolth should die as they lived—in silence and in secret.” Prerequisite: Avenger, trained in Stealth Every avenger is trained in the ruthless art of combat and skilled in the art of isolating a foe and dispatching it with a few swift blows. Some avenger sects also emphasize the art of stealth—particularly those dedicated to deities who favor stealth, shadows, and secrecy, including Sehanine, Lolth, Zehir, and Vecna. Among these avengers, the most dangerous follow the path of the zealous assassin. As a follower of this path, you embody devotion and ruthlessness in equal measure, making you a deadly weapon aimed at your deity’s foes. Your skills are focused on the ability to slip in and out of shadows at the edge of combat, dealing blows that quickly dispose of enemies. You pool shadows around yourself or hide in a nimbus of divine light, and you master techniques that take advantage of openings in combat, dealing greater damage when you have combat advantage or against bloodied foes. At the culmination of the path, you can make yourself invisible to your foe, then sear it with blinding radiance that leaves it more susceptible to your attacks. Zealous Assassin Path Features Divine Shroud Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you also gain concealment until the end of your next turn, and you can teleport 3 squares as a free action before or after the extra action. Finishing Technique (11th level): When you hit a bloodied target that is granting combat advantage to you, the attack deals 1d6 extra damage against the target. Zealot’s Veil (16th level): When you charge, you can make a Stealth check opposed by the passive Perception check of the target of your charge attack. (You don’t take a penalty to this check for moving during the charge.) If the check succeeds, you gain combat advantage for the attack. Zealous Assassin Prayers Strike from Empty Air Zealous Assassin Attack 11 You teleport to the perfect position to deliver a deadly strike against your foe. Encounter ✦ Divine, Teleportation, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 3[W] + Wisdom modifier damage. If you have combat advantage against the target, the attack deals 1[W] extra damage. Effect: Before or after the attack, you teleport 2 squares. Avenging Shadow Avenging Shadow Zealous Assassin Utility 12 You call upon your god to blot your image from your foe’s mind. Daily ✦ Divine, Illusion Minor Action Close burst 10 Target: One enemy in burst Effect: You become invisible to the target until the end of your next turn. If the target is your oath of enmity target, you become invisible to it (save ends). Blade of the Zealot Blade of the Zealot Zealous Assassin Attack 20 Your weapon sears your foe with radiant energy and leaves it vulnerable to your attacks. Daily ✦ Divine, Radiant, Weapon Standard Action Melee weapon Target: One creature Attack: Wisdom vs. AC Hit: 4[W] + Wisdom modifier radiant damage. The target takes ongoing 10 radiant damage and grants combat advantage to you (save ends both). Miss: Half damage. The target takes ongoing 5 radiant damage and grants combat advantage to you (save ends both). PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 47 12/17/08 2:00:52 PM 98.234.242.73

48 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes WILLIAM O’CONNOR BARBARIAN BARBARIAN “My strength is the fury of the wild.” CLASS TRAITS CLASS TRAITS Role: Striker. You use powerful two-handed weapons to deal serious damage to your enemies. Your physical power and daunting presence can cause foes to cower before you, and you can temporarily increase your abilities by harnessing great bursts of terrifying rage. Depending on your choice of class features and powers, you lean toward either defender or leader as a secondary role. Power Source: Primal. You are a primal champion, a warrior devoted to the natural world and an embodiment of your tribe’s fierce traditions. Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Charisma Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather, hide Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee Bonus to Defense: +2 Fortitude Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Constitution score Hit Points per Level Gained: 6 Healing Surges per Day: 8 + Constitution modifier Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose three trained skills at 1st level. Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis) Class Features: Barbarian Agility, Feral Might, rage strike, Rampage Barbarians are savage warriors who deal out powerful blows from their mighty weapons. They charge from foe to foe and seldom feel the pain of an enemy’s strike. For barbarians’ foes, the moments of greatest terror come when barbarians call upon primal forces to lend power to their raging spirits. These rages, although temporary, give a barbarian incredible powers, a combination of skill, willpower, and a legacy of ancient tribal rituals. As a barbarian, you have a link to powerful nature spirits and other primal forces bound to the warriors of your tribe by the songs and totems of your legacy. These spirits lend energy to your rages, transforming you into a devastating force on the battlefield. As you become more experienced, these rages transcend mortal limitations, manifesting directly as waves of elemental power or gifting you with supernatural recuperative powers. When the heat of battle is upon you, will you respond with a sudden charge that fells with one mighty swing of your weapon, or with a prolonged rage that leaves destroyed foes in your wake? PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 48 12/17/08 2:00:52 PM 98.234.242.73

49 CHAPTER 2 | Character Classes BARBARIAN Barbarian Class Features Barbarians have the following class features. Barbarian Agility While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC and Reflex. The bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level. Feral Might Barbarians connect with the natural world in a variety of ways. Some barbarians grow so hardened to physical punishment that they find it easier to simply absorb, rather than avoid, attacks. Others are living examples of the power of one’s will to shape one’s fate. Choose one of the following options. The choice you make gives you the benefit described below and also provides bonuses to certain barbarian powers, as detailed in those powers. Rageblood Vigor: You gain the swift charge power. In addition, whenever your attack reduces an enemy to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. The number of temporary hit points equals 5 + your Constitution modifier at 11th level and 10 + your Constitution modifier at 21st level. Thaneborn Triumph: You gain the roar of triumph power. In addition, whenever you bloody an enemy, the next attack by you or an ally against that enemy gains a bonus to the attack roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Rage Strike Barbarian daily attack powers have the rage keyword (page 220). They allow you to unleash powerful bursts of emotion, willpower, and primal energy. Each rage power starts with a mighty attack, and then you enter a rage, which grants an ongoing benefit. At 5th level, you gain the rage strike power, which lets you channel an unused rage power into a devastating attack while you’re raging. Using rage strike is an alternative to using a second rage power in a climactic battle; it gives you the damage output of a daily power without forcing you to enter a different rage. Rampage Once per round, when you score a critical hit with a barbarian attack power, you can immediately make a melee basic attack as a free action. You do not have to attack the same target that you scored a critical hit against. Creating a Barbarian You can choose any barbarian powers you like for your character, though many barbarians favor one of two builds: the rageblood barbarian or the thaneborn barbarian. All barbarians rely on Strength. Barbarians also benefit from a high Constitution or Charisma, depending on which expression of the class they favor. Rageblood Barbarian You can withstand a great deal of physical punishment, especially when you are in the throes of rage. At higher levels, your powers, particularly your rages, visibly manifest the spirits sacred to your tribe. Strength should be your highest ability score, since you use it for your attacks, but make Constitution a close second. Charisma might be your third-best score, especially if you want to use some powers designed for the thaneborn barbarian build. Rageblood barbarians lean toward defender as a secondary role. Suggested Class Feature: Rageblood Vigor Suggested Feat: Weapon Expertise Suggested Skills: Athletics, Endurance, Perception Suggested At-Will Powers: devastating strike, recuperating strike Suggested Encounter Power: avalanche strike Suggested Daily Power: bloodhunt rage BARBARIAN OVERVIEW Characteristics: You combine powerful melee attacks with an excellent ability to absorb damage. You gain tremendous bursts of power through mighty rages. You have unusually high hit points for your role, making you more durable than other strikers. Religion: Most barbarians revere the primal spirits of the natural world rather than calling on the gods of the Astral Sea. Some barbarians don’t see conflict between the gods and the primal spirits and therefore honor deities of nature or warfare in addition to the primal spirits. These barbarians often revere Kord, Melora, Avandra, or the Raven Queen. Evil or chaotic evil barbarians turn to Gruumsh or, more rarely, Bane or Zehir. Races: Goliaths are ideal rageblood barbarians. Dragonborn make excellent thaneborn barbarians. Half-orcs are often barbarians but don’t favor either of the two types. Dwarf and shifter barbarians tend to be rageblood barbarians, while halfling and half-elf barbarians choose the thaneborn path. PH2_Ch02_pt1.indd 49 12/17/08 2:00:54 PM 98.234.242.73