ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT .BUU 4FSOFUU t "SJ .BSNFMM t &SJL 4DPUU EF #JF NEVERWINTER™ CAMPAIGN SETTING
Matt Sernett ) Erik Scott de Bie ) Ari Marmell ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT NEVERWINTER™ CAMPAIGN SETTING
Design Matt Sernett (lead), Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell Development Jeremy Crawford, Stephen Schubert Editing Tanis O’Connor (lead), Dawn J. Geluso, Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Ray Vallese Editorial Assistance Brian Cortijo Managing Editor Kim Mohan D&D R&D Senior Producer Christopher Perkins D&D R&D Group Manager Mike Mearls R&D Director, D&D Games and Novels Bill Slavicsek D&D Senior Creative Director Jon Schindehette Art Director Keven Smith Front Cover Illustration Ralph Horsley Back Cover Illustration Adam Paquette Graphic Designer Emi Tanji Interior Illustrations Dave Allsop, Scott Altman, Steve Argyle, Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai, Sam Burley, Chippy, Alberto Dal Lago, Thomas Denmark, Jesper Ejsing, Steve Ellis, Emrah Elmasli, Wayne England, Mike Franchina, Lars GrantWest, Ralph Horsley, Tyler Jacobson, Mazin Kassis, Howard Lyon, Slawomir Maniak, William O’Connor, Adam Paquette, David Rapoza, Marc Sasso, Mike Schley, Matias Tapia, Franz Vohwinkel, Tyler Walpole, Mark Winters, Sam Wood Cartography Mike Schley Publishing Production Specialist Erin Dorries 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). Setting details based on the original FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign setting created by Ed Greenwood with Jeff Grubb, the updated (3rd Edition) setting designed by Ed Greenwood, Richard Baker, Sean K Reynolds, Skip Williams, and Rob Heinsoo, and the 4th Edition campaign guide by Bruce R. Cordell, Richard Baker, and Philip Athans. CREDITS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, FORGOTTEN REALMS, Neverwinter, 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 characters, and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. 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. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2011 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Visit our website at DungeonsandDragons.com 620-31729000-001-EN ISBN: 978-0-7869-5814-6 First Printing: August 2011 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 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
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..........................4 Nine Hallmarks of a Neverwinter Campaign ...............4 CHAPTER 1 JEWEL OF THE NORTH ................ 6 Neverwinter and the North ............. 8 History of Conflict ....................... 12 Running a Neverwinter Campaign ................................ 14 CHAPTER 2 CHARACTER OPTIONS ............... 16 Character Themes ........................ 18 Neverwinter Noble ...................... 20 Oghma’s Faithful ......................... 22 Harper Agent ............................. 24 Dead Rat Deserter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Iliyanbruen Guardian ................... 28 Uthgardt Barbarian ...................... 30 Pack Outcast .............................. 32 Heir of Delzoun .......................... 34 Renegade Red Wizard .................. 36 Scion of Shadow ......................... 38 Devil’s Pawn .............................. 40 Spellscarred Harbinger ................. 42 Bregan D’aerthe Spy .................... 44 Racial Variants ............................ 46 Dwarves .................................... 46 Elves and Eladrin ......................... 49 Warpriest Domains ...................... 53 Corellon Domain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Oghma Domain .......................... 57 Selûne Domain ........................... 60 Torm Domain ............................. 63 Wizard, Bladesinger ..................... 66 Creating a Bladesinger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Heroic Bladesinger ...................... 69 Paragon Bladesinger .................... 77 Epic Bladesinger ......................... 81 CHAPTER 3 FACTIONS AND FOES ................. 84 New Neverwinter ......................... 86 Goals ........................................ 86 Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Encounters ................................ 88 Abolethic Sovereignty .................. 90 History ...................................... 90 Goals ........................................ 91 Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Encounters ................................ 92 Plaguechanged Monster Theme ..... 95 Prophet of Helm’s Hold ................ 96 Ashmadai .................................... 98 History ...................................... 98 Goals ........................................ 98 Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Encounters .............................. 100 Thayans .................................... 104 Goals ...................................... 104 Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Encounters .............................. 107 Netherese .................................. 110 Goals ...................................... 110 Relationships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Encounters .............................. 113 Other Neverwinter Factions ........ 115 Dead Rats ................................ 115 Sons of Alagondar ..................... 117 Harpers ................................... 119 Many-Arrows Orcs ..................... 120 Bregan D’aerthe ........................ 121 Other Factions in the Wood ........ 123 Gray Wolf Uthgardt ................... 123 Iliyanbruen Fey ......................... 126 Cult of the Dragon ..................... 127 Denizens of Gauntlgrym ............. 128 Dire Corbies ............................. 128 Mind Flayers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Duergar .................................. 131 House Xorlarrin ........................ 133 The Fires Below ........................ 134 CHAPTER 4 GAZETTEER ............................. 136 Neverwinter Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Recent History .......................... 138 Protector’s Enclave .................... 140 Floating Islands ......................... 148 Castle Never ............................ 148 Blacklake District ...................... 153 River District ............................ 156 The Chasm .............................. 159 Underground Neverwinter .......... 163 Helm’s Hold .............................. 165 Wolves on the Prowl .................. 165 Heirs of Azure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Recent History .......................... 166 Heartward ............................... 167 Old Dirty Dwarf ........................ 168 Scar Alley ................................ 168 Helm’s Cathedral ...................... 168 Sanatorium .............................. 169 The Warrens ............................ 170 Beneath Helm’s Hold ................. 172 Neverwinter Wood ..................... 174 The Crags ................................ 175 Iceless Waterways ..................... 175 Bones of Thundertree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Tower of Twilight ...................... 175 Sharandar Ruins ........................ 176 Dread Ring .............................. 179 Xinlenal, Fallen City ................... 184 Vellosk .................................... 187 Conyberry ............................... 189 Mount Hotenow ....................... 190 Gauntlgrym ............................... 192 The Great Cavern ...................... 192 Iron Tabernacle ......................... 194 Duergar Mines .......................... 196 The Fiery Pit ............................ 198 The Great Forge ........................ 199 The Deepest Depths .................. 200 Vault of Horrors ........................ 201 Evernight .................................. 202 Daily Unlife .............................. 202 Crevices of Dusk ....................... 204 The Outsiders’ War ................... 204 Black Mound ............................ 204 Temple of Filth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Demon Pit ............................... 206 The Graveyard .......................... 206 Lamantha’s Mortuary ................. 206 Haunted Pier ............................ 206 Castle Nowhere ........................ 207 Corpse Market .......................... 207 Dark Creeper Enclave ................ 209 Thayan Outpost ........................ 209 Evernight Encounters ................. 209 Beyond Evernight ...................... 210 Burning Woods ......................... 210 Mount Hotenow ....................... 211 Shadowfell Road ....................... 211 Thay Through the Veil ................ 214 A Nation of Death ..................... 214 The Face of Thay ....................... 214 A Red Wizard’s Vengeance .......... 215 Encounters in Thay .................... 215 Surcross .................................. 215 Kolthunral, the Floating Fortress ... 218 Charnel Fields .......................... 220 Echo Village ............................. 222 Veil ........................................ 222
4 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Since that day of cataclysm, a decade ago, when the volcano roared forth and painted a line of devastation from the mountain all the way to the sea, burying Neverwinter in its devastating run, the tone of the region has changed. It is almost as if that one event had sent forth a call for conflict, a clarion call for sinister beings. In a sense, it did just that. The loss of Neverwinter in essence severed the North from the more civilized regions along the Sword Coast, where Waterdeep has now become the vanguard against the wilderness. Traders no longer travel through the region, except by sea, and the lure of Neverwinter’s former treasures has pulled adventurers— often unsavory, often unprincipled—in great numbers to the devastated city. Some are trying to rebuild, desperate to restore the busy port and the order it once imposed upon these inhospitable lands. But they battle as much as they build. They carry a carpenter’s hammer in one hand, a warhammer in the other. Enemies abound: Shadovar, those strange cultists sworn to a devil god, opportunistic highwaymen, goblinkin, giants, and monsters alive and undead. And other things, darker things from deeper holes. In the years since the cataclysm, the northern Sword Coast has grown darker by far. And it pleases me. —Drizzt Do’Urden, from Gauntlgrym by R. A. Salvatore Left a desolate ruin after a supernatural cataclysm, Neverwinter now rises from the ashes to reclaim its title as the Jewel of the North. Yet even as its citizens return and rebuild, hidden forces pursue their own goals and vendettas—any one of which could tear the city apart. Adventurers in this campaign must plunge into the politics, skulduggery, and peril of a city on the brink of destruction—or greatness. NINE HALLMARKS OF A NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN Instead of presenting the details of a setting in stasis, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting assumes that the DM will customize the setting and create new plots. The campaign is designed for the players to become deeply involved and for their choices to drive the story at every turn. What the player characters decide to do—from 1st level until the final moments of the campaign—matters for themselves, for the people of the North, and perhaps for people far beyond. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting accomplishes this in a number of ways. The following nine characteristics encapsulate the means used to make this a fantastic campaign to play as DM or player. 1. Low Level While the vast majority of the campaign material can be used regardless of level, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting focuses on providing challenges the adventurers can face and overcome during the heroic tier. Having the threats they face all be within reach of characters from level 1 to 10 means that the campaign can center on events in the area for all those levels, and it allows the characters to follow many different plots and still meet villains appropriate to their level. 2. Character Themes Players can bring existing characters to Neverwinter, but the Neverwinter Campaign Setting presents a great opportunity to start a new campaign. Newly created characters should make use of the character themes presented in Chapter 2. Designed specifically for this campaign, the character themes embroil the heroes in the plot lines of the setting from 1st level, giving each player background information and motivation to engage in the campaign’s events. 3. Characters Make a Difference The heroes in a Neverwinter campaign can make a difference and change things, for good or ill. This is not a setting where the adventurers are stuck facing flunkies of the villain because their enemy is an epiclevel threat. The legendary villains of the setting are designed to be within the reach of heroic tier play, and the famous heroic nonplayer characters who might otherwise interfere are offstage. Whether they like it or not, the adventurers are on their own, and what they decide to do matters. 4. Frontier Feel The destruction of Neverwinter made the North into more of a wilderness than it has been in centuries. People rebuild the city, but law’s reach is not long and order’s grasp remains weak. Things as simple as the shipments of food to the city can become sources of desperate conflict and dire events. In such a place, individuals such as the player characters can be the linchpin that holds everything together or the factor that forces the wheels to come off the cart. 5. Intrigue Abounds Everyone wants something: the characters, normal folk, secret cults, rebels, mercenaries, invaders, assassins, conquerors, looters, would-be kings. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting presents many organizations and nonplayer characters with a multitude of plans. The heroes can interact with all these groups, discovering secret ploys, allying with some, making enemies of others, and playing them against one
INTRODUCTION 5 INTRODUCTION another or taking them all on. Allies can become enemies and enemies can become friends; it’s up to the players to decide. 6. Myriad Possibilities The setting doesn’t put you in a straitjacket of interwoven plots. It’s designed to encourage improvisation and for the campaign to move in whatever direction the characters push it. To this end, sidebars throughout the book provide ideas for how events might play out. They frequently offer adventure hooks. And they might provide different interpretations of events or alternative goals for factions in the game. In all cases, don’t take the suggestions in these sidebars as facts. Instead, use them as you will. You might find ideas in them perfect for your campaign, or they might provide inspiration for your own ideas. 7. The Story Goes On Many settings describe the world as it is and make it seem like it will always be that way. The important individuals are necessary to the setting and forever out of reach of the player characters. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting turns this situation on its head by presenting a world in flux where things are changing every day. If the characters do nothing, something will still happen. If they go after and kill the big names in the setting, the story doesn’t end—it gets more interesting. 8. Adventure Is Everywhere No matter which direction the characters turn or what clues they follow, another adventure or intrigue lies just around the corner. The characters’ allies and enemies in the setting have agendas that entwine, and events the heroes don’t keep their eye on might suddenly interrupt their lives. Characters in this setting shouldn’t be twiddling their thumbs wondering if an adventure will come their way. Instead the heroes will need to make tough decisions about what quest to accomplish, and while trying to end one adventure, they’ll encounter many others. 9. Neverwinter and Beyond The adventure doesn’t stop at Neverwinter’s crumbling walls. The tangled plots of the campaign might draw the heroes to explore the wilds of the North, to plunge into the gloom of the Shadowfell, to discover the lost dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym, and even travel to far-flung and magic-steeped Thay. How to Use This Book For the Dungeon Master: To run a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game in the Neverwinter setting, you’ll need the Rules Compendium and the Dungeon Master’s Kit, or the Player’s Handbook® and the Dungeon Master’s Guide®. In addition, you’ll find most of the creatures mentioned here in Monster Vault and the Monster Manual® books. Supplements such as Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead™ and Draconomicon™: Chromatic Dragons will enhance your experience, as will the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Guide. Chapter 1 of this book addresses the Dungeon Master and provides specific strategies for running a Neverwinter game. Chapters 3 and 4 provide information about the plots, locations, and creatures of the campaign. For Players: To play in a Neverwinter campaign, you need the Rules Compendium and Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, or the Player’s Handbook. The FORGOTTEN REALMS Player’s Guide should also prove to be a useful resource. Chapter 2 provides details on creating characters suitable to the complex intrigues and twisting plots of the setting. In addition, Chapter 2 offers a new wizard subclass called the bladesinger and racial backgrounds. The racial backgrounds offer options for players who want their characters’ rules to represent the unique subraces of elves, eladrin, and dwarves in the setting. The bladesinger offers a full play experience from level 1 to 30 for a classic swordwielding spellcaster with roots in the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting. NEVERWINTER CONNECTIONS The Neverwinter Campaign Setting takes some inspiration from the Neverwinter Nights computer game series. A new computer game, Neverwinter, explores the setting described in this book. In Neverwinter you can see the city for yourself and interact with characters and plots that will be both familiar and new to you after reading this book. To get even more from your Neverwinter experience, check out Gauntlgrym and Neverwinter, both by R.A. Salvatore, and Brimstone Angels by Erin Evans. All of these novels and others that follow them have Neverwinter and its environs as their setting. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting is set after the events of both the novels mentioned above, and it shares its starting point with the computer game. The plots, major characters, and the events described in this book share much with those in that product, but just as one DM’s Neverwinter campaign will differ from another’s, so too will you see differences between what is presented here and in other sources. Use the novels and the online game as reference and inspiration for your game, or enjoy them as separate experiences.
) 6 Jewel of the North CHAPTER 1 People of Neverwinter! I am here not as a conqueror but as a protector. The soldiers I bring come to bolster the defenses you have struggled to maintain, and to stop the lawlessness that threatens all you’ve already accomplished. Together, we will do more than rebuild. We will make a New Neverwinter! —Dagult Neverember, Lord Protector AMID THE wilderness and savagery of the cold North, Neverwinter once stood as a beacon of civility and warmth. Even after the Spellplague wracked the world, the Jewel of the North lost little of its luster. The city’s destruction thus shocked many when it occurred, despite the portents that warned of coming peril. Vague prophecies and strange events seemed like shadows of the Spellplague, nothing more. Even the earth tremors that began to disturb the area could not shake its citizens’ belief in a bright future. Then Mount Hotenow, deep in Neverwinter Wood, awoke with the power of an angry god. The city could do nothing against such a foe. The earth yawned open and broke apart. Whole districts shuddered and sank while other areas shot up, forming sudden cliffs. The river, running warm throughout winter, exploded into hissing steam and lava as scalding clouds of ash roared through the streets like an advancing army. Thousands lost their lives as Neverwinter died that day. Slowly, life has returned to this ruined landscape. Many hope to rebuild what has been lost, but an equal number see the tragedy as an opportunity to seize all they can. Yet those who scratch out lives in the scarred city fail to see the infection below the scab. Under their noses, beneath their feet, and even within their earshot, dark forces battle one another for control of the city. This chapter provides a primer on the city of Neverwinter and the environs in which a Neverwinter campaign is set. It includes the following sections. ) Neverwinter and the North: A brief discussion of the city and its surrounding lands. ) A History of Struggle: An overview of the history of the North, illustrating how the events of the past continue to shape the present. ) Running a Neverwinter Campaign: Advice to make your campaign exciting and unique. EMRAH ELMASLI
CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 8 NEVERWINTER AND THE NORTH Even in safer times, the North’s reputation as the Savage North was well earned. Now, times are worse and the land more savage by far. Its great cities, once bastions of light and civilization, lie crippled. The small towns that served to shelter travelers stand empty—or have been claimed by murderous tribes and hungry monsters. Roads etched into the earth with thousands of years of use are increasingly obscured by forest, bramble, and marsh. Communities now struggle alone amid the wilderness, fortunate if they see an outsider once in a generation. Neverwinter labors to breathe in the suffocating harshness of this new North, the sea its only lifeline. With few traders braving the increasingly long treks between settlements, the city’s docks now provide the area’s main means of import and precious little export. Gone are the days of plenty, beauty, and luxury. Today, Neverwinter struggles to break free of the forces that brought it low, still weak and surrounded by danger. Neverwinter: The City of Skilled Hands, the Jewel of the North—many were the accolades once heaped upon Neverwinter. Then, almost thirty years ago, the city died. Minor earth tremors that had plagued the region for months were the precursors of the eruption of Mount Hotenow. A portion of that volcano’s peak exploded with such force that lava and superheated ash poured across the city in an avalanche. Half of Neverwinter’s population died in a heartbeat, the city’s buildings razed. A great rift now known as the Chasm rent the surface where the shifting earth had pulled apart. Strange zombies roamed the land in the aftermath, their dead flesh turned to ash by the fires that consumed the city. Yet the people of the North have always been resilient. After the destruction, many who had fled at the first tremors returned. Opportunists and looters arrived. People began to rebuild. Lord Dagult Neverember, the Open Lord of Waterdeep, eventually arrived as well, along with an army of Mintarn mercenaries. Today, the city struggles back to life under the watchful rule of the self-styled Lord Protector. Neverwinter River: The bright water of the Neverwinter River runs warm throughout the year, a feature that helps to keep the city from being frozen in the winter months. When the cataclysm struck, dark ash choked the river for months before it began to flow from Neverwinter Wood through the city once more. Three bridges once spanned the river in Neverwinter— the Sleeping Dragon, the Winged Wyvern, and the Dolphin, each sculpted in the form of its name. Of the three, only the Winged Wyvern remains largely intact. Mintarn mercenaries in the hire of Lord Neverember patrol it day and night, watching traffic to and from the northern portion of the city and guarding against threats from Castle Never. Helm’s Hold: Once a small monastery and adjacent village dedicated to the deity Helm, the cathedral of Helm’s Hold now towers above the town and surrounding lands that bear its name. The death of Helm saw the monastery fall into disuse, but the fortified town became a refuge when the Spellplague hit during the year following Helm’s demise. Lord Neverember now exiles victims of the Spellplague to Helm’s Hold for treatment, and his mercenaries guard the town. Port Llast: This town was a great city in ancient times—the most northerly safe harbor on the Sword Coast whenever Luskan would fall to orcs or other evil forces. However, the rise of a relatively stable Luskan and ports farther north began to diminish its prominence. Then came the Spellplague, and with it the return of Abeir. The appearance of the new continent in the ocean to the west changed the tides around Port Llast, filling the harbor with silt and making Neverwinter an easier port to reach. With the docks of Port Llast failing and trade dying off, most of its citizens have long since abandoned their homes or died at the hands of marauders. Now a ghost town, Port Llast is known as the realm of the evil sea goddess Umberlee and as a home to sea monsters. However, some say that this reputation is simply rumor spread by those who want to keep the secrets of the town to themselves. Neverwinter Wood: For generations, this dark forest has been shunned by most people of the North. That magic exists in Neverwinter Wood cannot be doubted, but its nature—and whether it exists as a force of good or ill—remains unknown. The forest holds many secrets, and even on its fringes, one feels a sense of unease. Humans have never logged in this area, and the orcs of the North have traditionally avoided it during their rampages. Only druids and Uthgardt barbarians dare to pass into the deep forest. The scars left by Mount Hotenow’s eruption have healed with startling speed, and many new forces move within Neverwinter Wood today. The Netherese seek out the treasures of lost empires within its THE WIDER WORLD If this book is your first experience with the world that also encompasses the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting, you’ll come across some names and terms in it that might not be familiar to you. If that’s the case, don’t worry. The Neverwinter Campaign Setting doesn’t require you to know a lot about the world beyond, except for what’s explained in these pages. To expand your knowledge, check out the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Guide or any of the FORGOTTEN REALMS novels from Wizards of the Coast.
NEVERWINTER AND THE NORTH CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 9 shadows, hunted by undead forces spawned in the Dread Ring. Eladrin from the Feywild also stalk the wood, returned to the world after more than a millennium of separation. Thundertree: This small town once stood at the edge of the wood. Its inhabitants made a living by harvesting windfall timber to ship downriver to the Neverwinter and beyond. Now the forest has overgrown Thundertree’s abandoned and decaying buildings. Although the town survived the Spellplague largely intact, the ash zombies that arose after the destruction of Neverwinter overran it. As the dangers of Neverwinter Wood increase, the abandoned town and its unknown horrors are shunned. Mount Hotenow: For untold generations, this volcanic peak quietly fumed in the depths of Neverwinter Wood. Rumored to be the source of the warmth of the Neverwinter River, Mount Hotenow once featured in the bedtime stories of Neverwinter’s citizens as the home of fire giants, red dragons, and other blazing beasts. People looked upon the fantastic peak as a thing of beauty—until its wrath was unleashed against Neverwinter in the cataclysm. Now jutting like a broken tooth from the forest, Mount Hotenow still fumes, the land occasionally quaking with the echoes of its fury. The Crags: This long wrinkle of hills and ridges runs northeast from Neverwinter Wood. Goblins, gnolls, ogres, hill giants, and other creatures have dwelled within this rocky landscape for centuries. So too has the Sky Pony tribe of the Uthgardt barbarians. Rumors have long persisted that an entrance to Gauntlgrym lies somewhere in the Crags. However, the hundreds of ancient and now-dead mines that long ago brought humans to the area make for numerous false leads. Sharandar: Long ago, the elven empire of Illefarn fractured into three kingdoms, one of which was Iliyanbruen. Sharandar was the capital of this kingdom, and when Iliyanbruen eventually met its end, many of Sharandar’s elves traveled to Evermeet. However, a number of others managed to slip between worlds, passing instead to the Feywild where a new Sharandar has thrived for centuries. Now that Faerie once again touches the world, the eladrin of New Sharandar venture forth to see what time has wrought upon the lands of their ancestors. Dread Ring: Hidden deep in Neverwinter Wood, this fortress of undeath was built by the magic of Thay and powered by the deaths of innocents. The devastation heaped upon Neverwinter prevented the Thayans from completing this site, the power from which would have allowed Szass Tam to control the region. Now, the incomplete fortress serves as a base of operations for the wizard Valindra Shadowmantle in her quest to raise dracoliches and her long-term goal to slay enough people to empower the site. Xinlenal: The first of Netheril’s flying cities, Xinlenal was built by the archmage Ioulaum and floated above the ancient empire until its end. When magical chaos consumed Netheril, Xinlenal drifted beyond that land’s borders, never to be seen again—until now. Netherese under the command of Prince Clariburnus Tanthul recently discovered Xinlenal in Neverwinter Wood. Although the city lies in overgrown ruins, Clariburnus believes that he can repair Xinlenal’s mythallars—the enormous crystal globes that powered the most potent magic of ancient Netheril. With its enchantments restored, Xinlenal might take to the air once more, becoming a political symbol for the Princes of Shade and a powerful weapon for dominating the region. Tower of Twilight: This enchanted tower long stood on an island in a small lake east of Neverwinter Wood. Home to a student of the great wizard Khelben Blackstaff, the tower stood invisible by day but would appear as the light failed. During the Spellplague, the tower vanished without a trace, though it now reappears infrequently and unpredictably at twilight. Who lives there now, where the tower disappears to, and why it returns remain a mystery. Conyberry: During the Spellplague, a portion of Abeir imposed itself upon the village of Conyberry. The terrain-altering effect of this transition forced the inhabitants of the village to come together with people dwelling in the regions of Abeir to which they were joined. However, in the intervening decades, the Gray Wolf Uthgardt tribe has sacked the settlement in retribution for this “invasion” of their lands, slaughtering Conyberry’s citizens or forcing them to join the tribe. The village now lies largely vacant, though Gray Wolf tribes use it to store goods and as an occasional shelter. Old Owl Well: Known in ancient texts as Old Owlbear Well and in even older histories as Quesseer, this site marks the location of a Netherese outpost established millennia ago. The Netherese built a means of drawing water from the earth, using the site as a place of trade. For centuries, this water supply on a key trade route served as a source of conflict. Until the chaos of the Spellplague, orcs and humans from Neverwinter and Waterdeep still struggled to control the outpost. Now, it lies forgotten and abandoned. Until trade returns to these lands, the fate of the well and whatever ruins lie hidden in the surrounding hills remain unknown. Morgur’s Mound: Atop this foothill of the Crags, Uthgar—deity and founder of the Uthgardt barbarians—died after saving the North from Gurt, Lord of the Pale Giants. The mound is named for Uthgar’s brother Morgur (called Morgred by some), who is said to be buried there. Once, the bones of a great thunderbeast were spread atop the hill, marking it as the holy shrine of the Uthgardt. Now, the bones are gone and whatever treasures lay buried there have
CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 10 been stolen. Outsiders who are discovered by Uthgardt barbarians near the mound are typically slain on sight. Luskan: An urban cesspool, the once-great City of Sails squats on the coastline like an open sore on the face of the continent of Faerûn. It lies about four days hard travel north of Neverwinter (about three days by sea, due to prevailing currents). Until some hundred years ago, Luskan choked in the grasp of the Arcane Brotherhood and its leader, Arklem Greeth. When a force of pirate-killers from Waterdeep along with Drizzt and his allies precipitated the destruction of the Hosttower of the Arcane, the city was destabilized and never fully recovered. Street gangs and pirates rule Luskan now, making the city a stomping ground for criminals, exiles from other lands, and hideous beasts. Gauntlgrym: This famous subterranean dwarven city has been the stuff of legend for centuries. Aside from the dwarves, most people of the North doubted Gauntlgrym’s existence—until the Summons, as it has come to be known. At that time, ghostly dwarves in ancient dress appeared before certain dwarves throughout the North and beyond, silently pleading for heroes to seek out Gauntlgrym. Some did set out in search of the lost city, though most counted themselves lucky when the ghosts troubled them no more. Many of those who sought Gauntlgrym did so in the Crags, for ancient legends mentioned an entrance there. Others plunged into Neverwinter Wood or scaled the Sword Mountains. Few returned from their quests, and those who survived almost never found any trace of their goal. Some dwarves seek the city still, but for the rest, Gauntlgrym remains a tantalizing legend. The Sword Mountains: The sharp peaks and hilly terrain of the Sword Mountains extend down the coast of the Sea of Swords for nearly two hundred miles. Long home to belligerent dwarf clans, orc tribes, trolls, dragons, and other fearsome creatures, this range is rarely traveled in these dangerous times. Those foolish enough to brave the mountains often do so in search of old mines and the ruins of civilizations past. However, most find only death in the end. Leilon: This sleepy mining town once served as a convenient resting place for travelers on the High Road. Now, the few travelers who still take this route shun Leilon, going miles out of their way to avoid even laying eyes on the town. The High Tower of Thalivar long stood as a landmark here, abandoned by a forgotten mage. For generations, the tower proved a tempting target for plunderers—and, too often, a grave for them as well. The people of Leilon knew that the tower held guardian monsters, and they were content to leave it alone. However, the Spellplague’s twisted magic unleashed the creatures trapped in the tower, which quickly ravaged the helpless village. Now, the tower is a place of terror, its magic freezing in place all creatures whose eyes rest upon it, even for a moment. Mere of Dead Men: This vast salt marsh contains the ruins of the numerous castles, manors, and farms it swallowed as it expanded. It takes its name from the great armies that were drowned here when a powerful lich flooded their battlefield. Whereas once the High Road skirted the swamp, what now remains of that highway plunges through its expanded borders. Those seeking to go south to Waterdeep from points north must often contend with the lizardfolk that claim the territory around the road. Alternative routes wind deeper into the mere or off into the Sword Mountains at the cost of extra days of travel and peril. Waterdeep: Once the greatest and grandest city in the Realms, Waterdeep’s star has dimmed slightly in the last century as the world has progressively darkened. The great port—about a week south of Never winter, or three days by sea—no longer sustains its own navy, relying instead on mercenaries from the island of Mintarn and the city of Baldur’s Gate to the south. The city has long existed as a relatively fair and just center of civilization. Waterdeep is ruled by a council of twenty Masked Lords (nobles hidden behind powerful illusions to obscure their identities) and one Open Lord. The current Open Lord is the boisterous and dangerous Dagult Neverember, the so-called Lord Protector of Neverwinter. Unlike most of the other Open Lords in Waterdeep’s history, Lord Neverember has demonstrated an expansionist and imperialistic bent. In recent years, he has set his sights on Neverwinter as the next territory in his growing empire. ROOM TO GROW Some of the locations discussed in this section are covered in detail in other source material. For instance, you can find more information about Luskan and Waterdeep in the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Guide. Other locations have been given minimal development to enable you to make the Neverwinter setting your own. Use the information presented here to spur your own ideas for adventures in a Neverwinter campaign. Lord Neverember might decide that the health of Neverwinter depends on reestablishing land trade routes, and could ask adventurers to clear out whatever hazards dwell near the Old Owl Well or Leilon. Some group opposed to the Lord Protector might have special information that proves the illegitimacy of Lord Neverember’s rule, but that proof must be delivered by land up the High Road and through the Mere of Dead Men to keep it out of Neverember’s hands. Perhaps the Dead Rats gang has been using Port Llast as a smuggling route and stronghold, braving its dangers and using shallow barges to transfer goods to land from ships at sea.
NEVERWINTER AND THE NORTH CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 11
CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 12 HISTORY OF CONFLICT Long has the North been a dangerous frontier. For centuries, its people carved their settlements out of the wilderness through adversity and toil, eventually turning hard-won homes and villages into kingdoms. Though the dangers of the North have always pressed upon the minds of those who lived there, the mostly peaceful years preceding the Spellplague seemed to bring the promise of permanent civilization to the region. Yet the North has been civilized many times before, and often have those same civilizations eventually fallen. The dates referred to in this section are in the Dalereckoning (DR) calendar used throughout much of the world. The current year is 1479 DR. An Age of Elves (–22900 DR to –1100 DR) The elven settlement of Illefarn first took that name when it claimed the lands of the North over 20,000 years ago. By the time the first Crown Wars began among the elves, Illefarn had become a great nation whose history could fill any library. When the last of the Crown Wars had ended, those elves who fell from Corellon’s grace had been turned into the drow. The empire of Illefarn lasted long enough in one form or another to witness the migration of dwarves from the south and the founding of Delzoun, followed quickly by the rise of ancient Netheril in the west. A few short centuries later, the human ancestors of Uthgar settled the island of Ruathym to the west before founding Illusk on the site of today’s Luskan. During this time, dwarves from Delzoun mined deep beneath the earth, secretly extending their realm under the territories of other nations. The dwarves discovered an ore of peculiar magic and followed its veins. The resulting tunnels and chambers became the mines of Gauntlgrym. The greedy dwarves of Gauntlgrym then encountered a trapped primordial of magma and stone called Maegera the Inferno. In the aftermath of that encounter, Delzoun sealed the deep tunnels and focused its efforts on establishing its empire closer to the surface. Gauntlgrym was lost, but not forgotten. A Time of Dwarves and Humans (–1100 DR to 180 DR) By the time Illefarn divided into three independent realms, including Iliyanbruen (where Neverwinter Wood now stands), Illusk lay in ruins and Delzoun had become a great nation. Illusk would rise and fall many times over the centuries to come—often resurrected by the Netherese and their ancestors, and frequently at war with Iliyanbruen. Although Netheril rose slowly to its greatest status in the previous age, its fall came with surprising speed. The masters of the flying city of Xinlenal tried to flee that destruction and fell in what is now known as Neverwinter Wood. Initial attempts by the folk of Iliyanbruen to explore the fallen city provoked blasts of wild magic from its malfunctioning mythallars, resulting in devastation to the surrounding woodlands. The elves deemed Xinlenal taboo, lest word of its existence draw treasure hunters and more destruction, with mention of its location punishable by death. At the same time, the Netherese enclave of Thultanthar escaped to the Shadowfell, not to return to the world for over a thousand years. With the fall of Netheril, a Netherese hero arose known as the Bey of Runlatha. He helped to lead refugees from Netheril, escaping through subterranean Delzoun by a series of tunnels known as the Lowroad. Those refugees became the ancestors of the Uthgardt when their descendants’ tribes merged with those led by Uthgar. Also during this period, a magic wielder of Illusk known as Maerin discovered the trapped primordial Maegera. Through bribery and negotiation, he convinced the dwarves of Delzoun to build a city around the mines of Gauntlgrym, from which the power of the primordial could be controlled. With the help of the elf wizards of Iliyanbruen, Maerin extended the reach of the treelike Hosttower of the Arcane in Illusk through “roots” that carried the power of the sea to Gauntlgrym, keeping the fiery primordial in slumber. The plan worked, and the dwarves welcomed their human allies into Gauntlgrym to aid them in crafting items of great power. Two centuries later, the invasion known as the Orc Marches plunged the North into chaos. The combined effort of Iliyanbruen and other elven nations halted the tide, but not before both Illusk and Gauntlgrym were lost. Though weakened by battle, Delzoun would survive for two centuries more before the dwarven presence in the North finally collapsed. Humans from the island of Ruathym inhabited areas of the northern Sword Coast during this period, which also saw the first settlement of the area now known as Neverwinter. First called Eigersstor, its population swelled as orcs attacked settlements farther north. However, the settlement would not be known as Neverwinter for another century, as word spread to distant lands of its ice-free winter harbor. Uthgar, a renowned Ruathym warrior, rose to prominence toward the end of this period. He gained great fame for his sacking of Illusk, which by that time had arisen as a great power again. After Uthgar’s heroic death, his followers divided into tribes based upon beast spirits he was said to have mastered. Humans from Illusk retook and settled Gauntlgrym not long after Uthgar’s death. However, the effort
HISTORY OF CONFLICT CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 13 weakened the defenses of Illusk, and it fell to orcs yet again. Those humans who had remained in Gauntlgrym then lost their hold on that realm when mind flayers and their lycanthrope thralls assaulted the city from the Underdark. The Gray Wolf Uthgardt accepted the refugee survivors of these battles, and thus was their blood mingled with that of werewolves. Long a bulwark against orc hordes from the North and other dangers, the elves of Iliyanbruen mustered an army to oust the orcs from Illusk. The effort cost them greatly, however, and though they succeeded, their own kingdom collapsed. Like other elven realms before it, Iliyanbruen dissolved as elves left for Evermeet or fled to the Feywild. The Era of Orcs and Wizards (180 DR to 1302 DR) After the end of Iliyanbruen, predominately human communities began to spread across the north, forging numerous kingdoms. Again and again, orc hordes laid waste to human settlements, only to see conquered lands retaken by humankind and its allies. In response to this ever-present threat, the elves, dwarves, halfling, gnomes and humans of the North allied to form the kingdom of Phalorm. This united front battled the orcs for nearly a hundred years, until the armies of both sides were slaughtered in the magical flood that created the Mere of Dead Men. The elves abandoned the alliance to head for Evermeet shortly thereafter, and Phalorm was no more. The next great union of the North arose roughly three hundred years later at the behest of a group of mages known as the Covenant. The armies of many human nations gathered to vanquish yet another orc horde. However, victory in the great battle that could have ended the threat once and for all was stolen from the human host when the Red Wizards of Thay transported the horde to lands farther south. That event triggered a long feud between the Covenant and Thay that erupted in Neverwinter over a century later. Red Wizards slew Aganazzar of the Covenant in Neverwinter’s School of Wizardry, touching off a titanic wizardwar. For twenty years, the Red Wizards and the mages of the Covenant battled each other throughout the North and Thay. The conflict ended when the leaders of the Covenant left Faerûn and its other members went underground. The loss of the Covenant’s leadership proved deadly when the largest orc horde in history swept down from northern lands to attack settlements as far south as Waterdeep. These orcs conquered Illusk, which humanity did not reclaim until Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and forces from Port Llast retook it almost sixty years later. After driving the orcs beyond the Spine of the World, the victors renamed the fallen city Luskan to disassociate it from its tragic past. The Modern Age (1302 DR to Present) Early in this period, the mage Arklem Greeth came to Luskan, claimed the Hosttower of the Arcane, and formed the Arcane Brotherhood. After assuming control of Luskan, the Brotherhood then unleashed a campaign of magic-fueled conquest and piracy against the North. When the people of the North eventually rose up against the Arcane Brotherhood, the Hosttower of the Arcane fell, and Luskan was left leaderless. The lich Valindra bore witness to these events, for she was Arklem Greeth’s lover. In lost Gauntlgrym, the mind flayers had long experimented with turning derros and duergar into mind flayers under their control. The derros eventually succeeded in ousting the mind flayers and enslaving the duergar in turn, but the events of the Spellplague freed the duergar by giving them a new master. Their god, whom they called Laduguer, was revealed to be Asmodeus, though some suspect that Asmodeus simply assumed that role after Laduguer was imprisoned or slain. Swearing oaths to the devils, the duergar gained the power they needed to overthrow their derro masters. During this time, Neverwinter became a great power in the North, earning its shining reputation. The city went to war with Luskan on numerous occasions, both by land and sea. A magical malady called the wailing death struck its citizens in 1372 DR, the city not recovering for a decade. Then the Spellplague struck. The century that followed saw the rise in power of Netheril and its masters in the returned City of Shade. Netherese loyalists infiltrated the power structure of weakened Neverwinter, but their efforts were sidetracked by the eruption of Mount Hotenow. Unknown to all but a few, the Red Wizards were responsible for the volcano stirring from its slumber, in an attempt to use the deaths caused by the mountain’s eruption to power their Dread Ring. Their plan was foiled, however, and the mountain sleeps again—at least for now. In the last decades, life in the North has gotten worse. Its cities teeter on the brink of dissolution, its roads have not been as perilous in generations, and the wilderness is as wild as ever it was. THE HISTORY IN DETAIL The history of the North is longer and more detailed than can be presented here. However, this section presents some of the details most important to a Neverwinter campaign. For a more comprehensive timeline of events in the North, see The Grand History of the Realms. To explore the more recent events occurring in the North, check out the FORGOTTEN REALMS novels—particularly Brimstone Angels by Erin Evans and the books by R. A. Salvatore.
CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 14 RUNNING A NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN Your Neverwinter campaign experience might be unlike any game you’ve run before. All the same rules apply as in any DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game (whether in the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting or some other world), but this book does things a little differently than you might expect. A Campaign Designed for You The Neverwinter Campaign Setting is not a simple gazetteer of the region with supporting rules options for players. Nor is it merely a resource for the Neverwinter game. Instead, this book provides a deep and compelling campaign experience that will inspire you as a DM and thrill the players in your game. To accomplish this, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting adopts the following precepts. Tight Focus: This book devotes the most attention to Neverwinter and to locations in the surrounding area closely linked to events in the city. Although the book does mention other locations, it does so only when they are intrinsically linked to important factions and events in the setting. Inspiration, not Information: Even within the tight focus of this book, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting avoids presenting detail unless that detail is likely to inspire ideas, adventures, encounters, or roleplaying. Rather than tell you what every shop in Neverwinter sells or how often supplies arrive in the port, this book presents campaign materials designed to draw the heroes into the action. Active Characters: The residents of Neverwinter—whether villains, foils, or potential allies for the characters in your campaign—don’t just wait around for the heroes to run into them. They actively pursue goals in the area whether or not the adventurers are involved, giving each Neverwinter campaign a life of its own. No matter which way the adventurers turn, they should run into people, creatures, and plots that draw them ever deeper into the setting. Character Themes: The character themes presented in Chapter 2 allow a player to connect a newly created character to the Neverwinter setting. A character theme can be thought of as similar to a paragon path for the heroic tier. Although a theme is not as mechanically complex as a paragon path, it provides important elements of character identity and story, telling a player how his or her character relates to the setting. In addition, each theme links a character to plots, locations, and factions in the setting—even if such links might not be immediately obvious to the players. Throughout the book, “Theme Tie-in” sections discuss how certain character themes could interact with the places and people of the setting. Use this information to supplement your own ideas. Open-Ended Campaign: This book does not assume an end state that the characters must attain, or a specific way that they “win” a Neverwinter campaign. The campaign can go in whatever direction you and the players take it, with the heroes’ actions— or inaction—deciding the fate of the region. Starting a New Campaign The Neverwinter Campaign Setting presents an awesome opportunity to start a new campaign. The key to getting off to a great start is to have each player choose a character theme from Chapter 2. Whether the heroes each have a different theme or some share the same themes, starting from 1st level with character themes provides the players with knowledge that can sharpen their roleplaying. In addition, themes provide the adventurers with personal goals and motivations for working together, and tie the characters into events that will engage the players and make it easier for you to devise adventures. KILLABLE VILLAINS Many settings describe their greatest villains as epic threats. Although this might be an adequate representation of these characters’ power, the effect can often be to make players feel as though their efforts to defeat such villains will never bear fruit until they attain epic level themselves. Until then, the heroes remain trapped in conflict with a seemingly limitless supply of underlings. For this reason, the villains presented in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting can be defeated by characters of the heroic tier. Some will make tough opponents at 10th level, but the heroes always have a chance to win. If you see your Neverwinter campaign as continuing into the paragon and epic tiers—or if you prefer that the villains be more true to your vision of them as great powers—feel free to increase the villains’ levels, devise new game statistics for them, or utilize existing high-level statistics that fit the concept. Similarly, some villains don’t have a full statistics block to represent them, instead advising that you use an existing statistics block. When this is the case, feel free to substitute any other statistics more in keeping with your sense of the campaign.
RUNNING A NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN CHAPTER 1 | Jewel of the North 15 Involving Existing Characters If you are already running a FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting can still be of great use to you and your players. Just make sure that the characters in your campaign have multiple reasons to care about events in the Neverwinter region. A secondary character known to the heroes might have a connection to Neverwinter similar to those expressed by this book’s character themes. Perhaps the adventurers ally with or join one of the factions in the area. Characters of a mercenary bent might be hired by Lord Neverember to supplement his Mintarn soldiers, while those with connections to the Harpers could be tasked with aiding Harper agents in the region. Intrigue and Conflict No matter what your style of play or what types of players you have in your campaign, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting provides useful options for you. If your games focus on politics and provide plenty of opportunity for roleplaying, the Neverwinter Campaign Setting features power groups and characters ready made for that style of play. Of course, the various factions of Neverwinter are often in conflict, providing plenty of foes willing to provide a little action to liven up negotiation or espionage. If your adventures tend to be heavy on combat and dungeon crawling, this book offers plenty of opportunities for the adventurers to explore dark sewers, ancient ruins, forgotten wilderness, and dank dungeons in one of the most dangerous corners of Faerûn. You can use the interrelations and interests of the region’s numerous factions to vary the foes the heroes face as they explore. If your players tend to shoot first and ask questions later (or if they forget to ask at all), you can ease them into the politics and moral quandaries of a Neverwinter campaign. Each time they eliminate a threat, the other powers in the region will quickly move to take advantage of the situation. The heroes might end up fighting alongside unknown or unwelcome allies from time to time. As the unintended effects of their actions become apparent, the players will be inevitably drawn into the intrigues of the setting. Getting the Most Out of This Book To get the most out of the Neverwinter Campaign Setting, consider the following tips. Be flexible. The interrelated nature of the campaign means that your players might want to follow up on new plots as they arise. If you plan out the campaign in full detail too far in advance, you run the risk of either wasting a lot of work or having to railroad the heroes into your plans. Instead, sketch out your overall campaign arc but be prepared to improvise. Impress your players by being ready no matter which way they turn. ) Stay ready by having at least a rough idea of what you want to do if the players follow a different course than you expect. ) Be patient with your prepared encounters and ideas, and expect that the players will return to them eventually. If their characters have leveled up by then, just increase the level of the encounters appropriately. ) Remind the players of abandoned options with in-game elements. Chance encounters with other characters, overheard conversations between enemies, calls for aid from allies, pieces of intelligence tied to specific factions, and similar tactics can entice the adventurers back onto the course for which you’re best prepared without the players feeling like they’re being forced. ) If all else fails, stall. A combat encounter or a cliffhanger ending to the session can give you the time you need to think about a new direction the characters have decided to take. Run with it. In any setting with complex intrigue, the players will eventually try to piece together things they don’t understand. They might talk about possible solutions to mysteries, unusual alliances between enemies, or outlandish theories to explain the facts they know. Use some of those ideas, even if they contradict information in this book or your own plans. When the players work hard to figure something out and come to the wrong conclusion, you have the opportunity to reward their hard work by changing the “facts” behind the screen to suit their story. Doing so also gives you the opportunity to take the campaign in new directions that you might not have thought of on your own. Do what feels right, not necessarily what’s written. If the game is going well and you forget some detail of the plots presented in this book or introduce the wrong information in a game session, don’t sweat it. Anything and everything has a place in a Neverwinter campaign, from a tribe of goblins living in Castle Never, to an ancient druidic circle at the heart of Neverwinter Wood, to a section of the city still covered in pools of bubbling lava, to a surprise attack by Luskan pirates intent on seizing the port. Let this book inspire your ideas for adventure. Don’t hold back.
* 16 Character Options CHAPTER 2 So you started this tavern brawl in defense of the honor of a lady. Do you know what this so-called lady does for a living? Anyway, Lord Neverember forbids rowdiness in the city—and the man you laid out is one of my soldiers. So the way I see it, you owe me, hero. We can use someone like you on the Wall. —General Sabine, welcoming her newest “recruit” THE SAVAGE North earned its reputation ages ago, and now holds that title in a firmer grip than it has in centuries. The wilds here grow wilder, the roads are used more often by beasts than by civilized folk, and once-great cities lie in ruins. If the North ever needed heroes, it needs them now. Anyone who decides to trek across the North and settle in Neverwinter can easily claim the title of adventurer. The city is home to numerous champions— bold people who risk their lives on the Wall, defending the inhabited parts of the city against monstrous incursions from the ruins. However, to stand against the most potent threats, the city—and the region as a whole—needs true heroes. Such individuals act not just on their own behalf or to protect their homes and those close to them. Their actions carry the force of fate, and they can inspire greatness or ruin. Do you have what it takes to bear the mantle of a hero? And if you do, what cause calls you to action? Are you a thrill-seeking adventurer, a hero of the people, or a champion for change? This chapter presents opportunities and advice for characters in a Neverwinter campaign. It includes the following sections. ) Character Themes: A discussion of options available to players in a Neverwinter campaign, and guidelines on how to build a character for maximum enjoyment. ) Racial Backgrounds: Alternative powers and racial traits for dwarves, eladrin, and elves to represent the classic subraces of the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting. ) New Domains: Four domains for the warpriest cleric presented in Heroes of the Fallen Lands. ) Bladesinger: A subclass of the wizard that combines spellcasting and melee combat prowess. STEVE ELLIS
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 18 Character Themes Just as race and class create basic definitions regarding your character’s place in the world, theme adds a third component to help refine your story and identity. The themes presented here give you specific information your character knows within the Neverwinter setting, and provide story hooks that you can use to roleplay. When you create a new character for a Neverwinter campaign, you should select one of the character themes presented in this chapter. Each theme has unique features and powers. More important, however, a theme provides story elements and potential goals for your character. Though some character themes are more narrowly focused than others, they all provide plenty of room to let you create your own background and personality. From a strict game mechanics standpoint, your character doesn’t need to have a theme, but without one you might miss out on some of the features that make a Neverwinter campaign special. If you’d like a character who has strong connection to the Neverwinter setting but you want to create a background that’s wholly your own, read over the character themes in this chapter and discuss your ideas for a customized theme with your DM. Choosing a Theme A character can have only one theme, which you choose when you create your character. The theme you select grants the following benefits. Starting Feature: Each theme includes one or more features that you gain when you select the theme during character creation. Additional Features: Most themes offer additional features at levels 5 and 10. You gain an additional feature automatically when you reach the appropriate level—it doesn’t replace any of your class features. Optional Powers: Most of these themes include a number of utility powers that you add to the ones you can choose from when you reach the appropriate level. You can use retraining to replace a class power with an optional theme power or vice versa, exchanging one power for another power of the same type (at-will attack, encounter attack, daily attack, or utility). The new power must be of the same level as the old power or lower. You can also replace an optional theme power with a different optional power of the same theme, as long as the new power is the same type and is of the same level or lower. Background: You can choose to use one of these themes as a background for your character. Each theme’s “Background” sidebar mentions two or more associated skills. If you choose a theme as your background, then you gain a +2 bonus to checks with one of those associated skills, or you add one such skill to your class’s skills list before you choose your trained skills. Themes in Character Creation You can use one of these themes as a character creation tool. You might choose your theme first, then pick a class or a race that reinforces that identity. For example, a character of any class can have the Oghma’s faithful theme, but choosing that theme for a cleric or a paladin shows how deep your connection to your deity runs. You can also use a theme to take your character in a new direction, adopting a story role your class or NEVERWINTER CHARACTER THEMES Class Race Theme Description Prerequisite Prerequisite Neverwinter noble A true heir to Neverwinter — Human Oghma’s faithful Gifted with divine visions — — Harper agent A betrayed Harper trying to win the trust — — of the organization Dead Rat deserter A former thieves’ guild member — Human, half-elf, or halfling Iliyanbruen guardian An eladrin returned from Faerie — Eladrin Uthgardt barbarian A savage warrior seeking revenge — Human Pack outcast Cast out of a pack of werewolves — Human or shifter Heir of Delzoun Blood relative of ancient dwarf kings — Dwarf Renegade Red Wizard A Red Wizard no longer in service to Thay Wizard (mage) — Scion of shadow A noble of Netheril who has abandoned — Human, shadar-kai, or shade that land Devil’s pawn Marked by infernal powers — — Spellscarred harbinger Scarred by the Spellplague — — Bregan D’aerthe spy A drow mercenary — Drow
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 19CHARACTER THEMES race otherwise might not provide. For example, playing an eladrin wizard with the Dead Rat deserter theme creates a connection between your character and that thieves’ guild. Like your choice of race, a character theme can be a significant part of who your character is. In all cases, a character theme should inform the background of your character and the choices you make when you roleplay. Themes in the Party The character themes in this book provide story elements that can be unique to your character. You might know secrets that others do not; you might have a goal you keep hidden from even your closest compatriots. Such facts are meant to inspire fun roleplaying, not to set your character against the others in your party. Every character theme in this book provides good reasons for you to want to work with your allies. Think about how your character’s theme might interact with the themes that the other players chose. Discuss this with them and the DM in the same way that you might talk about what class or role each person is playing in the party. The following ideas might help to create a story of how your characters come to know one another. Similar Circles: Some themes can make characters into natural allies—or at least acquaintances—when the campaign starts. In particular, the pack outcast and the Dead Rat deserter have a common thematic origin. Also, the Neverwinter noble and devil’s pawn themes can both be used for nobles from Waterdeep, and such characters might well have known one another before coming to Neverwinter. Similar Causes: Many character themes provide for similar goals—at least at first. The Harper agent might agree with the Neverwinter noble that there’s a need for new leadership in the city. Though characters with those themes might not know each other ahead of time, they often have a similar worldview. All for One: If more than one player likes the same theme, having multiple characters choose it can be a great deal of fun. Such characters might be old friends, family, or even rivals thrown together against their will or knowledge. The characters might even have worked together as a team before meeting up at the start of the campaign. If you choose this approach, feel free to adjust the details of a theme’s backstory. For example, it likely makes sense for two characters of the scion of shadow theme to come from different families. Changing Character Theme Because the themes in this book were designed with the story elements of a Neverwinter campaign in mind, changing themes is not recommended. In theory, a character could do so, but that transition should make sense in relation to the character’s backstory. For example, a character might switch from a character theme presented in the DARK SUN Campaign Setting to the spellscarred harbinger character theme after being exposed to the lingering effects of the Spellplague. With the DM’s permission, you can retrain your theme choice when you gain a level. If you have any optional powers from your current theme or any feats that require it, you must first retrain those feats or powers to choices that don’t have the theme as a prerequisite. When you do lose a theme, you lose all the features that it granted to you, including any items provided by those features. Making Fun Choices As you roleplay your character’s theme, avoid making choices that you think might annoy other players or make them uncomfortable. For example, your character might be an eladrin Iliyanbruen guardian who, due to your sheltered upbringing in the Feywild, believes the drow to be a wholly evil race. However, if you use that as an excuse to immediately attack your friend’s character, a drow member of Bregan D’aerthe, it’s not likely to make for a good play session. Think about the fact that your eladrin has just come into a wholly new world and therefore might be unsure about the cultural norms. If everyone else seems okay with a drow in their midst, your character is probably confused by what it means. It could be that drow in this world are unlike those in the Feywild, or it could be that the other people in the world are as evil as drow, and thus everyone might be dangerous. Even if your character encountered your friend’s drow character alone in the woods, choosing to watch and follow that drow (who might have allies nearby or be involved in some larger, dark plot) seems a wiser decision than attacking on sight. Then after you and your friend’s character get to know one another, it will make sense that they become allies (if not friends). Regardless of what makes sense for roleplaying, sometimes it should take a back seat to what would be fun for everyone. When you’re confronted with a situation in which you think your character should do something that you know the other characters will not like, think about how those characters’ players might react. Sometimes the mischievous, improper, or stupid thing you think your character should do adds to the fun of everyone at the table. Sometimes such an action only makes you the center of attention at the expense of making the game less fun for everyone else. Make sure you know the difference.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 20 NEVERWINTER NOBLE I have a destiny and a birthright to claim—for the good of the people of the North. Twenty-seven years ago, before you were even born, the city of Neverwinter perished in a great conflagration that slew its people and scattered survivors across the north. Since then, the angry earth has calmed, inviting people to return to the ruins of this once-great settlement. Dagult Neverember—the imperialist Open Lord of Waterdeep—has declared himself a distant relation of the old rulers of Neverwinter, and thus claims to be the rightful heir to their holdings. He has installed himself as Neverwinter’s Lord Protector until the city is rebuilt and order is fully restored—at which point he is expected to name himself king. Given Neverember’s control of Waterdeep and the military and magical power that control grants him, few have expressed any desire to dispute his claim—at least not until a true heir is found. A true heir such as you. You are a last scion of Neverwinter’s former ruling family. Your mother was a noble who fled the city during the cataclysm, wounded during her escape and driven to madness by pain and grief. When she perished shortly after you were born, a noble family of Waterdeep—the Thanns—took you in and raised you as their own. You grew up with heroic stories, poetry, and the best education a young noble could have. With Neverwinter in ruins and your kin all dead, your adoptive parents thought it best to hide from you their knowledge of your tragic past. However, in the aftermath of Lord Neverember’s seizing power in Neverwinter, you have finally been told the truth. At first, you weren’t certain what to do. In one moment, it felt as though you had lost two families— the old and the new. You had never seen Neverwinter, but what you had heard of the city didn’t make it seem like a place worth claiming. If you ignored your birthright, you could continue to live a life of relative ease and luxury in Waterdeep. Eventually, you came to see your problem a different way. Though your new family will always be there for you, whatever remains of your connection to Neverwinter is in imminent danger of being swept away. You have the opportunity to know your lost past— even if only through the relics of that past. And by claiming what belongs to you, you’ll exchange a life of idle nobility for one of responsible royalty. Yet you are not naive enough to believe that the path forward will be easy. Reclaiming the city is not as simple as declaring your identity. Neverember commands an army of warriors and mages, and his influence ties him to hundreds of powerful individuals around the Sword Coast with their own reasons to crush an upstart like a flea. You need proof of your ancestry—something in the ruins of the city that can verify the story that was told to you. If you’re lucky, you might find a symbol of your royal past such as a crown or a scepter to lend credence to your claim. Then you will have to prove yourself a champion—to win the hearts and minds of the people as you convince them that it is you, not Neverember, who deserves to rule a reclaimed and rebuilt Neverwinter. Only then might you restore the city to its past glory and do honor to your blood heritage. You recognize the need to gather allies, both to defend the city against its many foes and to protect yourself against those who want to prevent you from reclaiming your birthright. Whether your fellows know your true heritage or not is up to you. Creating a Neverwinter Noble You have many options for your Neverwinter noble character. A human fighter or paladin fits this theme best. However, if you learned of your heritage only recently, you might have any skill set or outlook. Class Prerequisite: None. The utility powers provided by the character theme work best for a strong melee combatant such as a warlord, a fighter, or a paladin. However, you might have grown up fascinated by the arcane arts, or having learned to steal for thrills or survival. Your adoptive parents were indulgent even if they disapproved of your choices, so you could conceivably be a member of any class. Race Prerequisite: Human. The rulers of Neverwinter have always been human, and you follow in that tradition even if your heritage might be muddled by intermarriage. Mixed blood might make your quest more difficult, but if you’re interested in this possibility, talk to your DM about choices such as half-elf and half-orc. BACKGROUND You are well versed in a particular subject appropriate to a young noble scion. Perhaps you spent a lot of time in social gatherings, or you preferred the solitary pursuit of poring over the volumes in your family’s library. Associated Skills: Diplomacy, History Starting Feature Descended from great rulers who acquired their throne by strength and force of will, you are a natural leader. Your overwhelming optimism can turn the darkest of battles into victory.
NEVERWINTER NOBLE CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 21 ALBERTO DAL LAGO Take Heart, Friend! Neverwinter Noble Utility When all looks dark, you muster a cry of hope to carry your ally through. Encounter ) Martial Minor Action Close burst 5 Target: One ally in the burst Effect: The target gains a +2 power bonus to all defenses until the start of your next turn and 5 temporary hit points. Level 11: 10 temporary hit points. Level 21: 15 temporary hit points. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Even if no one had ever told you about your royal blood, others would think you a natural leader. In battle, you draw the eye of friend and foe alike. When you move to bring an enemy low, your allies who join you in that attack make bold strikes. Benefit: While you flank an enemy, your allies gain a +1 power bonus to attack rolls against that enemy. Level 10 Feature Your destiny shows with your every move, and each word you speak rings with the authority of one born to rule. The people of Neverwinter can’t help but be impressed by your royal mien, and those who question your birthright feel as though they fight against fate. Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Diplomacy checks made to interact with citizens of Neverwinter. You gain a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks made against any who oppose your rule of the city. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power You are schooled in the ways of honor and glorious combat. When you issue a challenge, it has the desired effect of making you the center of attention. Honorable Challenge Neverwinter Noble Utility 2 You issue a resounding challenge, thwarting all foes that attempt to ignore you. Encounter ) Aura, Martial Minor Action Personal Effect: You activate an aura 2 that lasts until the end of your next turn. While in the aura, enemies take a –2 penalty to attack rolls against any creature other than you. Level 6 Utility Power Nobility and sacrifice run through your blood, and you gladly throw yourself in harm’s way to protect a friend. Cover Your Ally Neverwinter Noble Utility 6 You surge forward and take the blow meant for your companion, hurling your ally away from harm. Encounter ) Martial Immediate Interrupt Close burst 3 Trigger: An ally within 3 squares of you is attacked, and you are not included in the attack. Effect: You and your ally each shift up to 3 squares as a free action, swapping positions. You become the target of the triggering attack instead of the ally. Level 10 Utility Power You have grown into a true ruler. When circ*mstance demands it, you can focus your will to become an immovable pillar of defense and strength. Pillar of Lordly Might Neverwinter Noble Utility 10 You stand tall, commanding the attention and deference of all who look upon you. Daily ) Martial Move Action Personal Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses and to saving throws, you gain a +5 power bonus to Diplomacy checks, and you are immobilized. Any enemy that attacks you grants combat advantage until the end of its next turn. Sustain Minor: The effect persists until the end of your next turn.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 22 WAYNE ENGLAND OGHMA’S FAITHFUL With Oghma’s blessing, we will learn the truth. Have faith. The dreams began for you as for so many others. Strange shapes half seen in the darkness. Eerie sounds that upon waking made you think of the sea. A sense of otherness, and of unseen watchers. Such disturbing nightmares afflict the minds of sensitive people throughout the North, yet in your sleep, a light parts the shadows. When the nightmares come, a blue-green flame erupts to burn away the threats. When your eyes adjust, you find yourself in a grand library. As you walk a glittering hall between high bookshelves, the passage extends outward before you like a long road. You wake before you reach the end, no matter how fast you run. But as you open your eyes, a sound echoes in your ears—the flow and gears of a water clock. To you, the meaning could not be clearer. Oghma, god of knowledge and thought, is bidding you to go to Neverwinter and restore his temple, the House of Knowledge. An ancient homily revealed by your dream lies at the heart of your understanding. To swear “by the clocks of Neverwinter” was once a most solemn promise, so sure and perfect were the water clocks made by the artisans of that city. Once, Neverwinter drew experts in art and craft from around the world, standing as a shining example of beauty and art. Now, the city lies in ruins. The temple to Oghma, broken by the destruction that claimed Neverwinter, could become the center of the city’s renaissance. The techniques of lost craft guilds, the work of the region’s finest artisans, secrets of architecture and engineering, as well as songs, scrolls, and items of enchantment—all might be recovered from the temple’s extensive archives. Ancient relics and lore now lost elsewhere in the ruins could be collected in the library for the use of all. The House of Knowledge could become the House of Hope. You set out to Neverwinter to be a part of the city’s restoration. You know you can’t accomplish this task on your own, but Oghma will help you develop friendships with those who can assist you, and will aid you in crafting the alliances necessary to bring Neverwinter to life again. Because of your labors and guidance, the city will become a light in the darkness that threatens to swallow the North. Building an Oghma’s Faithful Any character can be interested in knowledge and show faith to Oghma. When you roleplay your character, keep in mind that Oghma values all knowledge, and that he alone decides what place each idea and invention should have in the world. As a hero faithful to Oghma, you strive to see knowledge of any kind collected and preserved so that others can use it. Class Prerequisite: None. Although anyone can follow Oghma, divine characters are the most appropriate for this theme. If you play a warpriest cleric, you can use the Oghma domain presented later in this chapter. Alternatively, a wizard or some other character drawn to ancient lore might be equally fitting. Race Prerequisite: None. Oghma accepts all seekers of knowledge into his presence. BACKGROUND Worship of Oghma demands a studious interest in learning and an inquisitive spirit. The way these traits manifest in you depends on the field or endeavor in which you concentrated your studies. Associated Skills: History, Religion, Streetwise
OGHMA’S FAITHFUL CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 23 Starting Feature As a follower of Oghma, you take great interest in knowledge of all kinds. Yet if you don’t know the language in which that knowledge is couched, you have little chance of comprehending whatever you find in your search. Fortunately, you can combine the breadth of your experiences with the depth of Oghma’s knowledge to gain a brief period of fluency in any tongue you have come across recently. Understand Language Oghma’s Faithful Utility Oghma’s guidance provides understanding, and the secrets of a language are revealed to you for a short time. Encounter ) Divine Minor Action Personal Effect: Choose a language you have heard or seen within the past 24 hours. Until the end of the encounter, you can read and understand that language. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Oghma informs, inspires, and delights you with revelations both great and small. The presence of the deity in your thoughts lends you an unusual confidence in your endeavors. Sudden Insight Oghma’s Faithful Utility A moment before you would fail, your mind becomes open to a different way to accomplish your goal. Encounter ) Divine No Action Personal Trigger: You make a skill check and dislike the result. Effect: You can reroll the skill check. Use the second roll, even if it’s lower. Level 10 Feature Sometimes finding key facts comes from simply knowing exactly where to look for them. Whether you’re examining the stacks of a library or the debris of some dusty tomb, nothing escapes your careful eye. Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Perception checks made to search. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power Knowledge sometimes must be gained from creatures that want to keep their secrets—and what knowledge is more precious than that which can save one’s life? You have learned to rely on your instincts more than your reflexes. When others would rather kill you than share what they know, you have the preparedness to be ready for them. Learned Response Oghma’s Faithful Utility 2 Your knowledge of others’ likely actions allows you to react swiftly to danger. Daily ) Divine Free Action Personal Trigger: You roll initiative. Effect: Make an Insight check. You can use either result for your initiative check. Level 6 Utility Power Being a devotee of Oghma doesn’t mean you study only dusty old tomes. Knowledge seekers such as you also learn from the physical discipline of warriors. Bad Idea Oghma’s Faithful Utility 6 With a deft twist of your body, you show your foe that you are not an easy target. Encounter ) Divine Immediate Interrupt Melee 1 Trigger: An adjacent creature makes an attack roll against you. Target: The triggering creature Effect: You slide the target up to 2 squares to a square adjacent to you, and the target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn. Level 10 Utility Power Oghma encourages original thinking, including creativity on the battlefield. When such divine inspiration comes to you, you leap into action. Tactical Inspiration Oghma’s Faithful Utility 10 Inspired by your god, you move in a blur around your foe, at the same time guiding your ally into an advantageous position. Encounter ) Divine Move Action Personal Effect: You shift up to 3 squares to a square adjacent to an enemy. Then, an ally within 5 squares of you can shift up to 3 squares as a free action.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 24 HARPER AGENT You fight for your freedom? Well, I fight for the freedom of all. Bards who chronicle the past age sing of the Harpers, a secret society dedicated to advancing the cause of good across Faerûn. In the group’s glory days, its members included figures of legend such as Storm Silverhand, whose beautiful voice matched her ferocity in battle, and Arilyn Moonblade, a half-elf wielder of powerful and ancient elven magic. The Harpers passed from existence in the wake of the Spellplague, but the organization was reborn sixty years ago and is now based out of the city of Everlund, several hundred miles northeast of Neverwinter. Its stated purpose is to stop the encroachment of the expanding empire of Netheril. You grew up hearing tales of the Harpers’ exploits and have long sought to do your part to stem the tide of darkness. You’ve always had a facility for deception and intrigue, coupled with a strong sense of right and wrong. As you grew older, you searched for the best way to put those skills to good use. You journeyed to Everlund to enlist in the group, whereupon you were given a task to complete in order to earn your Harper pin. You were dispatched to Neverwinter, there to contact a local Harper agent named Cymril and lend your services to the Sons of Alagondar. Cymril, in addition to being one of the few Harpers in the city, is the leader of the Sons of Alagondar. This underground resistance movement opposes the imperialistic aims of Dagult Neverember, the Open Lord of Waterdeep, who has established himself as the “Protector” of Neverwinter during its reconstruction. The Harpers believe that Neverember’s intentions are less than noble, and that he seeks to expand his mercantile empire for his own gain at the expense of the people. They are sure that, with his ruthless methods and suspect alliances, Neverember plans to usurp the throne of Neverwinter and build a cutthroat empire on the Sword Coast. On your arrival, you learned the hard way that Neverember’s treachery runs deeper than even the Harpers know. You were included among a band of rebels on a nighttime reconnaissance mission led by Cymril. All of a sudden, your world turned inside out when a squad of Neverember’s mercenaries ambushed your group. You avoided the initial assault by ducking into an alcove—where you watched as Cymril began cutting down your comrades! Clearly, she was working in league with the soldiers. One of Cymril’s lieutenants turned on her and wounded her fatally just before he himself was cut down by the mercenaries. When the mercenaries moved on, they left the bodies of their victims (including Cymril) in the street as a warning to other dissidents. Before you left the area, you had the foresight to pluck Cymril’s Harper pin from her vest, lest it fall into the wrong hands. Was Cymril truly a traitor to Neverwinter’s cause, or was she working as a double agent? You can’t be sure. What you do know is that when both the Sons of Alagondar and the Harpers got wind of what had happened, they immediately suspected that someone in the ambushed group was working for the other side. As the newcomer, you bear the brunt of the suspicion of both groups. The city’s rebel forces have fractured since Cymril’s death into disorganized and ineffective war bands. Discovering which of the few Harper associates in Neverwinter you can trust is important to you. However, if you have to work alone to get the job done, that’s what you’ll do. Your main goal is to ascertain the truth about Cymril, and in the process of doing that, you seek any means you can to thwart Neverember’s true plans for the city. As a rogue agent, you work without official Harper support, and are free to use your own methods and make your own decisions regarding whom to trust. Each new day is an exciting and dangerous game of masks—guessing who speaks the truth, who offers you lies in the hope of securing an advantage, and who is the true enemy in any given situation. You follow a morality of your own—one that seeks the good in any situation, without compromise and without being afraid to take the fight to those who oppose you. Building a Harper Agent The essential attribute of a Harper is a strong moral compass. The best Harpers also have the wit and the sense to successfully play the games of intrigue that occupy a large part of their lives. Class Prerequisite: None. Although many Harper agents employ the stealthy combat skills of the rogue, ranger, or avenger, the group accepts members from a wide range of classes and backgrounds. Many a Harper is a multiclass character with the abilities of a bard, a rogue, a ranger, or a wizard. Race Prerequisite: None. Characters of any race are eligible to join the Harpers. BACKGROUND In one sense or another, lies come more naturally to you than truth, either in the telling or the hearing. You are a difficult person to fool, and your face is nigh impossible to read when someone tries to gauge your intentions. Associated Skills: Bluff, Insight
HARPER AGENT CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 25 TYLER JACOBSON Starting Feature You own a Harper pin. A slightly tarnished brooch, the pin resembles nothing so much as a cheap bauble. However, it is an object of great power and even greater significance. Not only does the pin bestow protection upon you, but while you wear it, you can utter a secret prayers beseeching one of the Harpers’ patron goddesses to shield you from harm or punish your enemies. Tymora bestows luck to let you escape a deleterious misfortune, Mielikki lends her strength to help you endure pain, and Lliira gives of her joyful grace to keep your attack true. Such pins also serve as keys to magically warded Harper caches and safe houses, and allow Harper agents to recognize one another. Benefit: You gain a Harper pin. Harper Pin Level 3 Rare This pin, depicting a crescent moon and a harp, bears the blessing of three goddesses. Wondrous Item 680 gp Prerequisite: You must have the Harper agent theme. Property When you acquire the pin, you gain one blessing of your choice: Lliira’s grace, Mielikki’s endurance, or Tymora’s luck. When you use Harper’s blessing, you can use the chosen blessing. You gain a second blessing to choose from at 5th level and a third blessing at 10th level. Harper’s Blessing ) Encounter Utility Effect: You use one of the blessings that you have gained. ) Lliira’s Grace Trigger: You miss with an attack. Effect (No Action): Roll 1d6 and add the result to the triggering attack roll. ) Mielikki’s Endurance Trigger: You take damage. Effect (Immediate Interrupt): Reduce the damage by 5 + onehalf your level. ) Tymora’s Luck Trigger: You fail a saving throw. Effect (No Action): Reroll the saving throw with a +2 power bonus. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power The gods of the Harpers have blessed your efforts, allowing you to channel their power through your Harper pin to aid you when you need it most. Harper’s Healing Boon Harper Agent Utility 2 Your Harper pin gleams with silver radiance, shielding you from a vicious blow and bolstering your health. Daily ) Divine Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You are hit by an attack. Effect: You take only half damage from the attack. After the attack is resolved, you can make a saving throw. Level 6 Utility Power No one can ever be certain whose side you’re on. With quick words in the heat of combat, you confuse an enemy into thinking you’re an ally. Even afterward, your foe is uncertain where your loyalties lie. Unexpected Ally Harper Agent Utility 6 You trick your opponent into thinking you’re an ally. Daily ) Arcane, Charm Minor Action Close burst 5 Target: One enemy in the burst Effect: The target cannot make opportunity attacks against you, and the target grants combat advantage to you (save ends both). The effect ends if you attack the target. Level 10 Utility Power Standing against overwhelming odds has made you extremely resourceful. You can use your surroundings to your advantage—and your foe’s detriment. Resourceful Dastard Harper Agent Utility 10 You use your environment to frustrate your foes’ attempts to harm you. Daily ) Martial, Stance Minor Action Personal Effect: You enter the resourceful dastard stance. Until the stance ends, you gain a +4 power bonus to all defenses when you have any cover or concealment, and you ignore difficult terrain when shifting.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 26 MARK WINTERS DEAD RAT DESERTER “Me? Betray the gang?” I said. Then the steel came out, and I barely made it away with my skin. The port city of Luskan squats along the northern frontier of the Sword Coast. It is a den of thieves and murderers that attracts criminals like moths to a bright-burning flame. Luskan is controlled by a consortium of gangs, war chiefs, and would-be rulers, few of which last more than a season. The Dead Rats are one of the exceptions. That thieves’ guild has earned the respect and fear of the populace through a campaign of intimidation. Its members are known for their stealth, their ruthlessness, and their treachery. It is rumored—correctly—that the most deadly members of the gang are wererats. Like the creatures from which they derive their power, the Dead Rats can penetrate any safe house, no matter how secure. Initiation into the gang involves a blood ritual with one of these wererats, imbuing members of the guild with a sneaky and twitchy demeanor, particularly on nights of the full moon. Every member of the gang is fiercely loyal to a captain named Toytere—a halfling bard noted for his ability to see the future. Whether he truly possesses such sight or not, “King Toy” has never fallen to any of the attempts made to overthrow him. He has frequently rooted out would-be betrayers before they act, and he punishes anyone who attempts to leave the gang. However, your own split from the Dead Rats was a more complicated affair. It wasn’t that your last job went bad. Not exactly. You made off with less than you expected, but like a good Rat, you gave over the one-quarter share due to King Toy and resolved to enjoy the rest. The next night, when you returned to your safe house, you were taken prisoner by wererat marauders and brought before King Toy. The halfling accused you of planning a mutiny and expected you to understand his need to purge his gang of disloyalty. His bodyguards drew their steel. Much blood was shed that night, but you escaped— barely alive and thanking Tymora for your good fortune. You fled Luskan, nigh penniless and with only the tools of your trade to your name. Your destination was the nearest safe haven you could manage—the comparatively civilized city of Neverwinter, several days’ journey to the south. Exhausted, not knowing whom to trust, you thought at last that you had found somewhere to rest and ply your trade once more. Any good thief could spot the coin to be made or taken in this disorderly city. Perhaps your flight from Luskan was good fortune in disguise—you won’t have the gang’s dubious protection here, but you’ll be free to keep all of your booty. Here you could build up wealth and power, and perhaps eventually return to Luskan to take your revenge on those who had wronged you. Well, that was your plan before you got here, anyway. Building a Dead Rat Deserter The Dead Rat deserter fits best with a native of Luskan, the center of vice and depravity in the North. From a roleplaying perspective, your character is distrustful, cautious, and quick to change sides as the situation warrants. You understand the value of teamwork and are loyal to your friends, but few others trust you without good cause. Class Prerequisite: None. Many members of the Dead Rats are rogues, but that thieves’ guild also makes good use of the muscle of enforcers and thugs, the magical expertise of wizards and sorcerers, and the beneficial powers of clerics and other healers. Race Prerequisite: Human, half-elf, or halfling. These three races are most representative of Luskan, with members of other races unwelcome in the city. The Dead Rats rarely accept members of other races. Starting Feature Early in life, you learned the value of being inconspicuous. When you joined the Dead Rats, they taught
DEAD RAT DESERTER CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 27 you the trick of melting into the largest crowd of all— after all, in Luskan, rats are everywhere. Body of the Rat Dead Rat Deserter Utility You scent danger in the air. Quick as thought, you transform into a more appropriate form for flight or investigation. At-Will (Special) ) Polymorph, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: You change from your humanoid form to the form of a Tiny rat, or vice versa. When you change from rat form to humanoid form, you can shift 1 square. While in rat form, you cannot attack. You retain your game statistics, but gain a climb speed equal to half your normal speed, and a +4 bonus to Stealth checks. Your equipment becomes part of your rat form, and you drop any other items you are holding. You continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear, except shields and item powers. While equipment is part of your rat form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of your rat form is inaccessible. Special: You can use this power only once per round. Additional Features Level 5 Feature You learned the value of misdirection and subtlety in the mean streets of Luskan, and you have excelled at both in your words and actions. Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to Bluff checks and Stealth checks. Level 10 Feature The moon calls to you as never before, and your skin itches each day as if it is eager to be shed. You gain relief only when you become a strange hybrid of person and rat. Benefit: You gain the hybrid bite power. Hybrid Bite Dead Rat Deserter Utility You express the wildness running through you, melding your normal form with your inner rat. At-Will (Special) ) Polymorph, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: You change from your humanoid form to the form of a rat–humanoid hybrid, or vice versa. While in hybrid form, you retain your normal game statistics and size. You also retain your equipment, and can use it normally. In addition, you can use the secondary power at will. Secondary Power (Primal) Standar Action Melee 1 Target: One creature Attack: Strength or Dexterity vs. AC. You gain a +4 bonus to the attack roll. Level 21: The bonus increases to +6. Hit: 1d8 + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage, and ongoing 5 damage (save ends). Level 21: 2d8 + Strength or Dexterity modifier damage. Special: You can use this power only once per round. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power Your bestial nature comes to the fore, frightening your enemies as you strike. Their hesitation gives you the advantage. Savage Hiss Dead Rat Deserter Utility 2 You dip into your inner beast and hiss in challenge as you land a brutal strike, cowing the craven fools around you. Encounter ) Fear, Primal No Action Close burst 5 Trigger: You score a critical hit. Target: Each enemy in the burst Effect: Each target takes a –4 penalty to attack rolls made against you until the end of your next turn. Level 6 Utility Power You have awakened the beast inside you, enhancing your already impressive sneakiness. Dead Rat Stealth Dead Rat Deserter Utility 6 Your inner rat helps you slip past undetected. Daily ) Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 power bonus to Stealth checks and Thievery checks. If you dislike the result of a Stealth check or a Thievery check, you can end this effect as a free action to reroll the check with a +5 bonus. Level 10 Utility Power You have inherited some of King Toy’s prophetic sight. You know exactly where to move in order to hide yourself in preparation for the coming conflict. Intuitive Leap Dead Rat Deserter Utility 10 A brief flicker of prescience forewarns you of danger, and like a rat, you spring into motion before anyone has a chance to react. Daily ) Primal Free Action Personal Trigger: You roll initiative. Effect: You gain a +4 power bonus to the initiative check, and you can stand up or move up to your speed. BACKGROUND The Dead Rats are known in Luskan for their subtlety, their skill at burgling, and their knack for using an impressive show of force to get their way. When you were a member of the guild, you honed one of those attributes to a high degree. Associated Skills: Intimidate, Stealth, Thievery
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 28 ILIYANBRUEN GUARDIAN You cannot escape the past. I won’t let you. Anyone with a passing knowledge of history knows of Iliyanbruen—the great kingdom of the mortal world that was home and sanctuary to the elves after the dissolution of the empire of Illefarn. Like the empire that spawned it, Iliyanbruen also fell in time. Many of its folk left for Evermeet, even as others retreated into the Feywild. With powerful magic, the elves of old transported most of Sharandar, the capital city of Iliyanbruen, to the Feywild. Their plan was for Iliyanbruen to rise once more on the site of the original home of the elven people—but events seldom align with the intentions of those who live them. Although Iliyanbruen rose once more, the Feywild was no empty frontier. The forces that drove the ancient elves to first leave Faerie for the world still held sway in many places. Enemies of these returned folk—particularly the Winter Court and the Twilight Fey—arrayed against them. Treants, dryads, centaurs, firbolgs, satyrs, and other creatures that might once have been allies saw the Iliyanbruen eladrin only as invaders. Generations of battles and legends later, Iliyanbruen endures as a realm, its borders several days’ walk from the ruins of Sharandar. That land has always been your home, and your people have lived there in relative peace for generations. With the coming of the Spellplague, everything changed. Faerie and the world were brought into conjunction once more. Some eladrin grew eager to determine what had become of their worldly home. This was easier said than done, however, for a covey of hags and their dark servants had taken over Sharandar, making travel difficult at best. Although you initially had little real interest in old Iliyanbruen beyond mild historical curiosity, you were quick to join the effort at ousting the evil fey from the region. Several of your friends were injured or slain before your people reclaimed the territory and established an outpost in the ruins. From there, you and your fellows ventured back into the mortal world where the eladrin of Iliyanbruen had not stepped for centuries. You were horrified at what you found. Though you had expected the kingdom’s ancient tree-cities to have fallen into disrepair, you found many of them looted as well. Their structures were ravaged and desecrated, with ancient treasures of statuary, artwork, and holy icons all stolen away. Fierce debate arose among the fey of New Sharandar. Some, enraged by what had occurred, demanded that the eladrin reenter the mortal world in force, wreaking vengeance on any who lingered near the ruins of Iliyanbruen—or even the entirety of what was once Illefarn. Others of calmer mien said that the eladrin should reclaim the greatest ruins of Iliyanbruen, restore them to the glory of old, and take vengeance only on those directly responsible for their debasem*nt. However, for that effort to work, the eladrin must learn who has despoiled their ancient home. You are determined to find out who has ravaged the ruins, which are already weakened by time. In discovering who stole your ancestral treasures—and what creatures deserve your wrath—you intend that justice be meted out appropriately. You are driven not only by anger and vengeance, but also by a sense of urgency. For you know that if you fail, the wrathful among your people will gain the upper hand, spilling the blood of the guilty and the innocent alike. Many eladrin have made the natural world their home as they seek answers—and you are one of them. Some set out in search of allies, hoping that fabled Evermeet or one of the elven kingdoms of old still exists. Others have set their sights on the areas closer to Neverwinter Wood, feeling certain that those responsible for the desecration of your birthright have not gone far. It appears that you were right. Even as you began your investigation of the ruins of Neverwinter, you arrived late for a rendezvous with your fellows to find them slain by powerful magic. Whoever the wrongdoers might be, they outnumber you. You know you need allies in the fight against them, but if news of the slaughter spreads among your people in the Feywild, it could mean war. Even worse, Iliyanbruen might decide to sever ties with the past once and for all. Building an Iliyanbruen Guardian The Iliyanbruen guardian has a specific focus but presents a wide range of possibilities. Though your character’s race is proscribed, your choice of class helps define this theme for your character. Class Prerequisite: None. Any class can benefit from this theme’s features, though characters who make use of extra mobility—such as rangers, rogues, and warlocks—do especially well as Iliyanbruen guardians. Likewise, characters who depend on avoiding damage or being hemmed in—including wizards and sorcerers—make better use of this theme’s benefits than heavily armored defenders. The bladesinger class (page 66) also makes a good choice for this theme. Race Prerequisite: Eladrin. Though other fey races such as elves and gnomes might be suitable for this theme, its features focus on improving the racial abilities of an eladrin character. The optional rules for the moon elf and sun elf racial backgrounds (page 49) fit this theme well.
ILIYANBRUEN GUARDIAN CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 29 MARK WINTERS Starting Feature Your journey to the mortal realm by way of hidden pathways has given you insight into planar magic deeper than that of your kin. Your innate ability to slip the bonds of space serves your allies now. Benefit: When you use fey step, you can take one adjacent ally with you. That ally teleports to a square adjacent to your destination. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Walking among the lands of your ancestors has imbued you with fragments of their knowledge. Your mastery of the wilds increases, as does your instinct for recognizing the relics of the past. Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to History checks and Nature checks. Level 10 Feature As a great eladrin hero, the power of magic courses through you, refreshing your ability to walk between worlds more swiftly. Benefit: You can use fey step as a minor action. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power In your battles against a variety of foes, you’ve learned to fall back and regroup in ways that few can anticipate. Blink Away Iliyanbruen Guardian Utility 2 You retreat through folded space to avoid danger. Encounter ) Arcane, Teleportation Immediate Reaction Personal Trigger: An enemy ends its turn adjacent to you. Effect: You teleport up to 2 squares. Level 6 Utility Power You have adapted and further mastered your tactical teleportation abilities. As few others of your people have done, you’ve learned to use fey step instinctively, vanishing from the path of harm. Evasive Step Iliyanbruen Guardian Utility 6 You feel the world slip away around you, taking your enemy’s attack with it. Daily ) Arcane Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: An enemy hits or misses you with an attack when you’re fey step is unexpended. Effect: You use fey step. Level 10 Utility Power You have become so driven and determined in your purpose that your enemies’ attempts to harm or deter you only strengthen your resolve. Feywild Will Iliyanbruen Guardian Utility 10 Your strength of will overwhelms any effort to impede or dissuade you. Daily ) Arcane Free Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +2 power bonus to Will and a +2 power bonus to saving throws. Each time you succeed on a saving throw before the end of the encounter, you gain temporary hit points equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier. BACKGROUND As a native of the Feywild, you might understand the intricacies of magic as thoroughly as you do the natural order, or the converse might be true of you—because in the Feywild, magic and nature are often one and the same. Associated Skills: Arcana, Nature
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 30 UTHGARDT BARBARIAN What you think of as civilized, I know to be weak. The world is a savage place. It takes savagery to master it. You are an Uthgardt barbarian—a member of one of the savage human tribes that took Uthgar’s name and worshiped him after he fell defending his people from the Pale Giants in ancient days. The deity Tempus took Uthgar into his service then, and now Uthgar fights beside the Lord of Battle in the realms beyond the mortal world. You are part of the Thunder beast tribe, and even as you pay homage to Uthgar and the spirits of your ancestors, you keep the sacred secret of those great reptilian creatures where they hide in the shadowed heart of the High Forest. Recently, your tribe left its High Forest home to travel far west to Neverwinter Wood. As is tradition for all Uthgardt, autumn is the time of Runemeet—a holy period when each tribe travels to its ancestor mound to worship the ancient spirits. Your tribe’s mound is Morgur’s Mound, considered to be the holiest site of your people. There, Uthgar shed his blood in battle against Gurt, Lord of the Pale Giants, and broke the back of Gurt’s armies to save the North from domination. Within that same mound are buried the remains of Uthgar’s mortal brother, the hero Morgur. At Runemeet, youths in an Uthgardt tribe who want to become fully recognized members must engage in a ritual hunt of sworn enemies of their tribe—wolves, in the case of the Thunderbeast barbarians. This was to be your hunt year, and you looked forward to the ceremonies and celebrations at the most holy of the ancestor mounds with great anticipation. However, the ceremony was not to be. Your tribe found Morgur’s Mound desecrated. The skeleton of the thunderbeast that had rested atop it for untold generations had been stolen, and the mound broken open like a gutted animal. The holy bones of Uthgar’s brother and the treasures they had been buried with were taken as well. The immensity of the tragedy and the affront to your tribe—indeed, to all Uthgardt—drove your people mad for a time. Once rage cooled to grief, your chieftain Grandthur announced that the tribe would return to the High Forest. Whoever had defiled your ancestor mound had covered their tracks well, and it would take time to discover the culprits. To spend this time so close to the open wound in their hearts would weaken your people, for without an ancestor mound, they could not perform the traditions that would keep them strong. Grandthur declared that the tribe would travel to Flint Rock, the ancestor mound of the Elk Tribe, to join their fellow Uthgardt there. Then the chieftain turned to you. Although you were not yet ceremonially recognized, you had proven yourself an able hunter and a combatant who could rival the veterans of the tribe in skill and tenacity. To replace the ritual hunt that you had been meant to undertake, Grandthur gave you the task of discovering the defilers. It would be your duty to await the return of the Gray Wolf tribe—the Uthgardt who traditionally roam near Neverwinter Wood but who were currently away to the north at their own ancestor mound, Raven Rock. You will ask them what they know of the ruin brought upon your people and request their help in restoring Morgur’s Mound to its sacred purpose. Grandthur also made it clear that if you discover the Gray Wolves had some hand in the desecration, the quarry of your special ritual hunt will be a wolf of a different kind. Building an Uthgardt Barbarian Characters who have close connections to the wilderness make best use of this theme. Even so, your class is less important than your interest in roleplaying a member of an Uthgardt tribe that has kept to its traditions for over a thousand years. Class Prerequisite: None. The Uthgardt, however, traditionally embrace only the divine and primal forms of magic. Characters who wield other magical power must typically hide their abilities from their tribe (and should have a good backstory reason for having taken up that magic in the first place). The Uthgardt also have a narrow faith, typically worshiping only Uthgar (an exarch of Tempus) and various animal and ancestor spirits. Other faiths are seen as breaking a tribe’s traditions, so if you worship another power, you must have a strong reason for doing so— and should plan on keeping it a secret. Race Prerequisite: Human. Although the Uthgardt are almost exclusively human, a few half-elves and half-orcs are found among the Thunderbeast tribe. Additionally, members of other races are sometimes adopted into a tribe. BACKGROUND The Uthgardt have strong traditions of respecting strength and honoring the natural world. You embody one of these traditions, becoming either a well-honed physical specimen or a master of the world’s lore. Associated Skills: Athletics, Nature
UTHGARDT BARBARIAN CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 31 MARK WINTERS Starting Feature In the depths of the High Forest, you followed in the footsteps of the thunderbeasts. Now you follow them spiritually, drawing on their majesty to imbue your own tread with the weight of their power. Thunder Stomp Uthgardt Barbarian Feature Your foot comes down with the impact of a thunderbeast, shocking nearby enemies into inaction and hesitation. Encounter ) Aura, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: You activate an aura 2 that lasts until the end of your next turn. While in the aura, enemies cannot make opportunity attacks. Additional Features Level 5 Feature A life in the wild requires you to hone your senses for the hunt, and for reading those you track down. Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Perception checks made to find tracks, and a +4 bonus to Insight checks made against beasts and other Uthgardt. Level 10 Feature Your reputation as a fierce Uthgardt hero lends you a presence noted even by strangers. Benefit: You gain a +3 power bonus to Intimidate checks. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power As a warrior of your tribe, you have the ability to call on the spirit of your totem animal, the mighty thunderbeast. With its power, you can accomplish astounding acts of physical strength. Spiritual Guidance Uthgardt Barbarian Utility 2 You feel the spirits of your ancestors around you, and in their barely discernible whispers, you hear the truth. Daily ) Primal Free Action Personal Trigger: You make a History, a Nature, or a Religion check and dislike the result. Effect: You reroll the check with a +5 power bonus. Use the second result, even if it’s lower. Level 6 Utility Power Uthgardt barbarians worship their ancestors, believing that their spirits linger near the living to offer aid and advice. Through a deep connection to your forebears, you can hear their words. Strength of the Beast Uthgardt Barbarian Utility 6 Your heart pumps thunderously in your chest as your body strains. Daily ) Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you gain a +4 power bonus to Athletics checks and Strength ability checks. Level 10 Utility Power With a roar that could come from a thunderbeast, you call the spirits of your ancestors to appear. These silent visions of the departed do their best to keep you and your friends far from death while they open death’s door to your foes. Spirit Swarm Uthgardt Barbarian Utility 10 Flickering phantasms of ghostly warriors swirl through the area, hampering your foes and aiding your allies. Daily ) Primal, Zone Minor Action Close burst 2 Effect: The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of the encounter. Enemies in the zone cannot regain hit points or gain temporary hit points. Whenever you or an ally ends his or her turn in the zone, that character gains 5 temporary hit points.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 32 WAYNE ENGLAND PACK OUTCAST The true predator kills only what it needs. It is not I who have betrayed our ways. For your whole life, you’ve been one with the pack. Not all members of the Gray Wolf tribe manifest the beast within in the same way, but you all share it to one extent or another, feeling it bind you in ways few other people can comprehend. You are warriors among your humanoid kin, predators among the beasts of the woodland. You move as one, you live as one, you hunt as one. Or rather, you did. For uncounted generations, your people have venerated the five spiritual pillars on which Gray Wolf culture is based—tradition, the primal spirits, your god Uthgar, the spirits of your ancestors, and the natural order. It never crossed your mind what might happen if the tribe violated any of those precepts, because such a thing was unthinkable. But in the end, the unthinkable happened. In retrospect, you could see the first hints long before things went truly wrong. The current Gray Wolf leaders are more vicious, more bloodthirsty, than those who came before. The Gray Wolf Uthgardt has always been a violent tribe—you carry the fury of the werewolf, after all. However, where you once killed only for sustenance or in defense of your tribal territories, your folk have become raiders as much as hunters. Gray Wolf hunters began to kill for material gain— even, on dark occasion, for sport. Then that darkness was deepened when the shadowed ones came, claiming to represent ancient Netheril reborn. Through honeyed words and the invocation of ancient and long-forgotten alliances, they enticed your leaders into an insidious pact. The history of your tribe has been passed down through generations as stories told by the fireside, and the tales the Netherese told matched those stories. The Uthgardt did come from the blood of old Netheril. The lycanthropy that makes the Gray Wolf tribe strong originated in descendants of Netheril, when refugees from fallen Gauntlgrym carried the curse into the tribe. Yet these facts alone would not have been enough to form an alliance had not the pack’s leaders hungered for the glory of which the shadowed ones spoke. They said that just as old blood ties could be remembered, so too could the glory of the Uthgardt be revived. Conquest would achieve that glory, and when the Netherese controlled the North, the Gray Wolf tribe would be the masters of everything else. Now, your kin fight, kill, and die in the name of motives and goals not their own. However, though doing so went against everything you’d ever been taught, you are among the few who have refused to take up the darkness of this new path. Your instincts told you it was right to do so, even as the Gray Wolf leaders cast you out. Your tribe called you weak and unworthy, yet you left with your head held high. Indeed, from what you have heard, it’s a good thing you made your stand when you did. Had you waited, your punishment might have been more final than exile. Whispered messages, passed to you by those who feel as you do, suggest that the tribe’s leaders are now willing to slaughter their own—not in proper challenge, but in cold-blooded murder. You have a new purpose now. You must drive the shadows of Netheril from the North, finding a way to purge your tribe of the unsavory influences of that land. Only when you set the tribe on the right path will you win back your place in it. You remain a creature of the pack, however, and you know you cannot realize your purpose alone. You must find new allies—a temporary pack to replace the one you have lost. Building a Pack Outcast Most pack outcasts are wielders of primal power, but you might have access to new traditions picked up in the course of your exile. As long as you maintain your respect for tradition, you can be almost anything.
PACK OUTCAST CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 33 Class Prerequisite: None. As an Uthgardt, you were raised to shun and fear any magic except the divine and primal traditions of your folk. However, after you broke with your people, you might have taken up any path. Race Prerequisite: Human or shifter (see Player’s Handbook 2). A few family lines of the Gray Wolf tribe might have half-elf and half-orc members. BACKGROUND Having been raised in the wild and thus possessing all the instincts of the wolf, you have powers of observation that are second to none. Associated Skills: Nature, Perception Starting Feature Like all members of the Gray Wolves, you are and have always been a shapeshifter. Body of the Wolf Pack Outcast Utility Your flesh flows, your bones twist, and you lift your snout to howl. At-Will (Special) ) Polymorph, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: You change from your humanoid form to the form of a wolf, or vice versa. When you change from wolf form to humanoid form, you can shift 1 square. While in wolf form, you retain your normal game statistics and size, but gain a +1 bonus to speed. Your equipment becomes part of your wolf form. You continue to gain the benefits of the equipment you wear, except shields and item powers. While equipment is part of your wolf form, it cannot be removed, and anything in a container that is part of your wolf form is inaccessible. You gain proficiency with your bite while in wolf form. Treat your bite as a melee weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus, a 1d8 damage die, and the enhancement bonus of your primary weapon. Special: You can use this power only once per round. Additional Features Level 5 Feature You grew up hunting and fighting alongside others and have mastered pack-oriented tactics. You move constantly to keep your foes off balance between you and your companions. Benefit: Enemies adjacent to you grant combat advantage to you and to allies adjacent to those enemies. Level 10 Feature The wildness of your spirit hones your physical form, granting you unmatched strength and presence. Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to Athletics checks and Intimidate checks. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power You know the wolf’s ways because they are your own. When a wolf strikes, it can bring down even the biggest prey—a tactic you’ve perfected. Bite of the Wolf Pack Outcast Utility 2 Your attack catches your enemy unaware and drags the foe down. Encounter ) Primal No Action Special Trigger: Your melee attack hits an enemy that is granting you combat advantage. Effect: That enemy falls prone. Level 6 Utility Power Silver burns where it touches you, but the blood of the wolf within allows you to shrug off most other wounds. Blood of the Wolf Pack Outcast Utility 6 Primal potency flows through your veins, sealing your wounds as soon as you sustain them. Daily ) Healing, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you have regeneration equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier while you are bloodied. If you are damaged with a silvered weapon, your regeneration does not function on your next turn. As a minor action, you can end this effect and spend a healing surge. Level 10 Utility Power You have mastered the ability to truly mesh the humanoid and bestial portions of your soul, taking on a vicious form that combines the strengths of both. Soul of the Wolf Pack Outcast Utility 10 You take on the aspect of the beast within, becoming a hulking creature of nightmare. Daily ) Polymorph, Primal Minor Action Personal Effect: You change into a hybrid form, combining the most fearsome aspects of wolf and humanoid. You retain all your equipment, armor, and weapons, and can use them normally. You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 + your Constitution modifier. You gain proficiency with your bite while in hybrid form. Treat your bite as a melee weapon with a +3 proficiency bonus, a 1d8 damage die, and the enhancement bonus of your primary weapon. You also gain the following benefits while in your hybrid form: ) +2 power bonus to Fortitude, Athletics checks, Intimidate checks, and damage rolls. ) +2 power bonus to speed. You can end the effect and resume your normal form as a free action on your turn.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 34 HEIR OF DELZOUN Yea, the blood of Delzoun flows in me veins! I come a’seeking Gauntlgrym, and I durn’t care how many tried and failed! Well, of course I have me a plan! Buy the next round, and I’ll tell ye all about it. Thousands of years ago, in an age of great empires, the dwarven realm of Delzoun thrived. Said to be the pinnacle of dwarven culture, Delzoun was a place whose citizens were happy and productive, trading in relative peace with their neighbors. When Netheril was laid low by the folly of the mage Karsus, it was not only the Shadovar that suffered. Like so many of the dwarves of the North, your family claims direct descent from Delzoun. However, with so many making that same claim, who knows if any speak the truth? In private, for much of your life, you’ve had your doubts. Then seventeen years ago, during the Summons, the ghosts came. Perhaps only one in a thousand dwarves has made a believable claim to have seen them—but you are one of those chosen few. Clad in the vestments of ancient times, the ghosts spoke with a voice that only you could hear. Pleading in the manner of dwarves in the most desperate need, they begged for help—not for themselves, but for all your kind. They spoke of an “awakening beast” that must not be allowed to rise. And before they vanished, they begged you to come to them—in Gauntlgrym. Gauntlgrym. What dwarf of the North has not dreamed of that place? Most people think it a myth or a ruin cast to rubble ages ago, but dwarves know different. Dwarves feel the truth in their bones. For a time, Gauntlgrym was the capital of Delzoun. The underground city was the grandest settlement in the North—perhaps in all the world. Doors cast of pure mithral opened at a dwarf ’s slightest touch. A forge burned there so mighty that items of enchantment could be made without magic. So great was Gauntlgrym that humans, elves, halflings, and gnomes all begged to live beneath its roof, and were welcome. Yet Gauntlgrym fell long ago—first to orcs, then to humans who claimed it, then to mind flayers, and finally to the mists of history. Rumors have placed it in numerous locations. Some claim to have seen it or have maps to it, but lunatics and scoundrels assert many things. The Summons drew many to search for it, including you. In the end, your search has brought you to the Neverwinter region, where Gauntlgrym might yet lie hidden. Some of your family think you mad. Others burn like the sun with pride, for you have the opportunity to prove their claim of Delzoun blood. Many have sought Gauntlgrym before; others do so now, because you are not the only dwarf to have seen the phantoms or to claim the blood of ages. But if you can succeed, you can elevate yourself and your family name to the heights of dwarven annals and legends. You can restore the remnants of your people’s greatest glory. And, just possibly, you can prevent the rise of an evil as great as that which destroyed Delzoun. The dire warnings of the ghosts whose summons you obey weigh heavily on your heart. You have followed the rumors that bore the greatest ring of truth, but now that you’ve reached Neverwinter, you know that completing your quest will require all the help you can get. THE CANTICLE OF GAUNTLGRYM All dwarves of the North know this poem, said to have been composed in the earliest days of Gauntlgrym. Silver halls and mithral doors Stone walls to seal the cavern Grander sights than e’er before In smithy, mine, and tavern Toil hard in endless night In toast, oh, lift yer flagon! Ye’ll need the drink to keep ye right At the forge that bakes the dragon. Come Delzoun, come one and all! Rush to grab yer kin And tell ’em that their home awaits In grandest Gauntlgrym! Building an Heir of Delzoun You are a true descendant of your people’s ancient bloodline, and the abilities you gain as an heir of Delzoun are an asset to any class and role. Class Prerequisite: None. Characters of any class can take up this path. Race Prerequisite: Dwarf. The heir of Delzoun theme marks you as one descended directly from the purest bloodlines of that ancient dwarven kingdom. The shield dwarf racial background (page 47) is a great fit for this theme.
HEIR OF DELZOUN CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 35 ALBERTO DAL LAGO BACKGROUND Your study of your people’s past glory—a part of daily life in all the dwarven communities that are remnants of Delzoun—has granted you substantial insight into the ways or the places of the dwarves. Associated Skills: Dungeoneering, History Starting Feature As a sign that you do indeed possess the pure blood of your ancestors, one of the hallmark traits of your people is stronger in you. Benefit: You gain resistance to poison equal to 5 + one-half your level. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Your adventurous life in pursuit of Gauntlgrym has made you more hardy than most. Benefit: You gain a healing surge. Level 10 Feature Your connection to Delzoun’s storied past clings to you like a mantle. Other dwarves can’t help but notice your regal bearing. Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks made to interact with dwarves. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power As you travel and learn the ways of the world, you come to understand how to apply your cultural knowledge more broadly. Scholar of Ancient Ways Heir of Delzoun Utility 2 You gain extra insight from your study of your people’s past— and sometimes, it seems, from your ancestors whispering to you directly. Encounter) Martial Free Action Personal Trigger: You would make an Intelligence- or Wisdom-based ability check or skill check. Effect: You make a History check in place of any other Intelligence-based check, or a Dungeoneering check in place of any other Wisdom-based check. Level 6 Utility Power By drawing on your racial resilience, you’ve learned to shake off all manner of effects, both physical and mental. Noble Indomitability Heir of Delzoun Utility 6 The pride and the sheer determination of your ancestry allow you to push ahead when others are forced back. Encounter) Martial Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You are subjected to a pull, push, or slide. Effect: You lose one healing surge, you negate the forced movement, and you can shift up to 3 squares. Level 10 Utility Power You have come into your own as an heir of Delzoun. The final gift of your forebears is the ability to attune your body to fight off afflictions that beset you. Body over Mind Heir of Delzoun Utility 10 The legendary strength of your people burns through your veins, washing your mind and body clear. Encounter ) Martial No Action Personal Trigger: You fail a saving throw. Effect: You lose one healing surge and instead succeed on the saving throw.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 36 MARK WINTERS RENEGADE RED WIZARD You will never understand horror until you’ve inflicted it. I understand it. I pray you never do. Thay is a nation dedicated to magic and death—a land where undead are not only common, they hold great power. The regent Szass Tam and his Council of Zulkirs—liches all—rule this warring, slaving nation with fists of bone and iron. Those who have grown up under this regime find life in Thay entirely normal— fearsome, perhaps, but not at all unnatural. Those who have the proper magical skills and mindset can even carve out their own place within the necromantic order. You were such a wizard—destined for greatness because of your magical potential. To your family’s great honor, you joined the prestigious academies used to train mages for the ever-growing ranks of the Red Wizards of Thay. There, you were taught the fundamentals of magic in all its schools and forms, but your focus was necromancy. At the time, this dedication seemed normal to you. Manipulating the forces of death itself? Animating those who had been living, breathing, laughing people into mindless, shambling slaves? This is the order of things in Thay—and will be the order across the rest of Faerûn if the regent has his way. So might your life have gone, had not your best friend—a partner and companion throughout your years of schooling—failed an assigned experiment. It was nothing disastrous, only a ritual that went ever so slightly awry, but the event sent your instructor into a rage. When that rage was spent, your friend was dead, his life force sundered by necrotic energy. He was also your next project, for his was the body that the class—working together to perform magic none of you could handle alone—was ordered to reanimate. And you complied, for fear of what might happen if you did not. For the first time, the grotesque, decaying face before you was not that of a stranger. For the first time, you knew of and could feel the utter absence of the life and laughter that once had thrived behind those eyes. You finally understood the horror of what you had been trained to do, and in that moment you forswore necromancy—and Thay itself. It wasn’t that hard to flee, for who would ever try to escape the academies—one of the only ways to gain real power in Szass Tam’s Thay? By the time they knew to look for you, you were already gone. You can barely remember the exhausting, starving months of travel, constantly watching over your shoulder. When you came to the Sword Coast, you realized you had literally fled as far as you could go. Only then did it occur to you to stop running and try to determine what the future might hold. In time, you wandered north to Neverwinter, a place where most of the population was struggling to build new lives. A place where you thought you might fit in. However, it didn’t take you long to hear whispered rumors of a darkness in the North—rumors that dashed all hope of leaving your past behind. The Thayans are here, conducting their foul experiments and stealing people away in the night. How many Neverwintans have joined the ranks of Thay’s slaves after death? How often are more living, laughing faces taking on the foul grin of the undead? It never crossed your mind to run again. You don’t know what the Thayans are doing in the North, but you know that their efforts here can be stopped. They can be defeated. You can protect your new home from what you once were.
RENEGADE RED WIZARD CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 37 Building a Renegade Red Wizard Although this theme is focused on the wizard class, it still allows you a number of options. Because the theme grants you new mage features instead of additional schools of specialization, your choice of school is a critical decision. Class Prerequisite: Wizard (mage). Other types of arcane characters technically qualify for the theme, but they would benefit only from the starting feature and the level 10 feature. Race Prerequisite: None. Although humans are far and away the most numerous race in Thay, members of other races can prove themselves worthy of being taken into the arcane schools that train each new generation of Red Wizards. SECONDARY SCHOOL: RED WIZARDRY Unlike the other themes presented in this book, this one does not offer utility powers. Instead, the renegade Red Wizard gains class features that replace what he or she would receive as a normal mage. As usual for a mage, you choose a school for your Apprentice Mage feature. However, Red Wizards have a long history of being specialists in a particular school. Those in Thay now specialize only in necromancy, but you used your training to specialize in another school after swearing off the magic of death. When you would normally have the option of choosing a second school (at 4th level and 8th level), you instead gain other benefits, as described here. BACKGROUND You might have gravitated toward an aspect of your training as a Red Wizard, learning as much as you could about the body or the soul. Or, your life on the run from other Red Wizards could have caused you to develop a talent for deception or disguise. Associated Skills: Bluff, Heal, Religion, Stealth Starting Feature As you approach a mastery of magic that you’ve had to develop while on the run, you’ve learned to interweave a combination of secrecy and precision. Benefit: If you are hidden when you use an arcane attack power and miss every target, you do not automatically become visible (though the targets are entitled to new Perception checks to see if they notice you). Additional Features Level 4 Feature Your early training was in the magic of death, control, and carnage, and though you’ve left those days behind, their influence remains. Benefit: You do not gain the Apprentice Mage feature normally gained by a mage at 4th level. Instead, when one of your arcane attack powers causes an effect that a save can end, the target takes a –2 penalty to its first saving throw against that effect. Level 5 Feature Your extensive focus upon a single school of magic allows you to make its arcane patterns in your mind more fluid. A brief study of your spellbook gives you the opportunity to reset some of those patterns, giving you access to different magic. Benefit: Once per day at the end of a short rest, you can exchange one prepared power for another from your spellbook. The new power you prepare must be from the school you chose for your Apprentice Mage feature at 1st level. Level 8 Feature Although you have chosen to leave necromancy behind, elements of its fearsome presence remain in your magic—and indeed, your personal bearing. In addition, your need to deceive your Thayan masters has developed into a form of second nature. Benefit: You do not gain the Expert Mage feature normally gained by a mage at 8th level. Instead, you gain a +2 bonus to Bluff checks and Intimidate checks. Level 10 Feature Your ongoing struggle against your former compatriots and their undead servants has given you insight into how best to bring them low. When you can catch foes with their defenses down, your attacks land more surely. Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls against any Red Wizard or undead creature that grants combat advantage to you.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 38 SCION OF SHADOW Toril thrives in the light. I’ll have no part in dragging it down into darkness. More than a century has passed since the Year of Wild Magic and the return of Thultanthar, the City of Shade, to the skies of Faerûn. This last bastion of ancient Netheril had survived for over a millennium in the depths of the Shadowfell, where the raw essence of shadow has long intertwined with the souls of the Shadovar. Some have become shades; some are born shadar-kai. Most are still human, but with an element of darkness about them. You were born into the nobility of the Shadovar— not at any great rank, but high enough to ensure yourself a position of power in the restored empire. Like all Shadovar, you were raised to believe in Netherese supremacy—bombarded constantly with the knowledge that dominance was your people’s birthright, that the other peoples of Toril were weak and inferior, and that Netheril would rule once more. You had no reason not to believe in your great destiny. At least, not at first. However, as your education progressed, you were sent out into the world to observe Netherese military actions. Serving the overseers of “reclaimed” communities, you would occasionally skirmish with the border patrols of neighboring nations. For reasons you still do not fully understand, something in the world beyond Shade Enclave spoke to you as your home never had. You stood in the light of the sun, untouched by the lingering darkness of the Shadowfell, and felt its burn not as painful but as cleansing. You observed the “weak and worthless” folk beyond Netheril and perceived a simple joy for life that you could never imagine seeing within the Shadovar. You knew instantly that this was the life you wanted—one far from the machinations, tyranny, and darkness of your home. You had to pull some strings and con your family into pulling others. However, in the end, it wasn’t hard to have yourself assigned to the ongoing Netherese efforts in Neverwinter Wood, hunting for old ruins and ancient magic. Your hope was that this Shadovar endeavor farthest from Netheril would provide you the opportunity to disappear before you were missed. It worked, in part. You were able to slip away between expeditions into the woods and make your way to Neverwinter. So far, you’ve managed to keep your past a secret, seeming to be just one of the many people trying to make a fresh start in a slowly recovering city. Yet something eats at you as you try to start your new life. Your people have not come to the North just to dig up the detritus of old empires. The magic they find here is meant to be put to a purpose. You don’t know what that purpose might be, but before you left Netheril, you heard whispered rumors that spoke of raising an enclave. It’s a crazy idea. The magic to perform such a mighty ritual hasn’t existed since the fall of Netheril over a thousand years ago. Certainly, other enclaves have been launched into the air since the Year of Wild Magic, but these were existing structures. The powerful magic of the mythallars that allows such structures to take to the skies was already extant, only needing repair. Surely nothing like that could be found anywhere near Neverwinter . . . or could it? You came to Neverwinter to flee, but more and more, you wonder if you could ever have run far enough. If you remain here, you know you won’t be able to hide forever. If the Netherese succeed in their plans for the region, a new Shadovar stronghold might arise here—one possibly as mighty as Shade Enclave. If that happens, you would find yourself in the shadow of Netheril once again. Much as you’d like to simply vanish into the darkness, the dark is where your people are most dangerous. And that means your only option is to face them here. Building a Scion of Shadow As a child of Netherese nobility, you would have had access to virtually any path or vocation you chose to follow. Though your racial choices are limited, this theme dovetails nicely with classes that use the shadow power source (such as those presented in Heroes of Shadow). Class Prerequisite: None. The Shadovar respect practitioners of arcane magic or shadow magic more than any others, but all classes are open to you. If you wield divine power, you would have originally worshiped Shar, the god of shadows. However, you have most likely taken up a new deity since then. Race Prerequisite: Human, shadar-kai, or shade. Some of the royal family of Shade Enclave are born as shades thanks to the influence of the Shadowfell. However, this racial choice should be available to characters only with the DM’s approval. BACKGROUND As one of the Shadovar, you are most at home in the darkness, and you might know more of its ways—in either a mundane or a magical sense—than most. Or perhaps living among those who might consider you an enemy has given you a talent for hiding the truth. Associated Skills: Arcana, Bluff, Stealth
SCION OF SHADOW CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 39 ALBERTO DAL LAGO Starting Feature You have spent so much time in the darkness that it feels like home to you, letting you overcome the effects of both magical and mundane shadow. Eyes of Night Scion of Shadow Utility A moment’s concentration lets all your senses touch the darkness. Daily ) Shadow Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain blindsight 10 until the end of your next turn. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Although you have chosen to live your life in the light, the darkness still calls to you. When the shadows grow deep, you feel enveloped in safety, and the step into your dark side gives you the fortitude to return to the fight. Benefit: Whenever you are in dim light or darkness, add 4 to your healing surge value. Level 10 Feature A life of lies has its advantages. Your constant effort to hide your true nature and wear two faces has made these acts second nature to you. Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to Bluff checks and Stealth checks. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power As a scion of the Shadovar, you have learned to leave behind a small portion of your essence when you reenter the physical world. Flitting Shadow Scion of Shadow Utility 2 You step back into the real world—but only partially. Encounter ) Shadow No Action Personal Trigger: You reappear after using any teleportation power. Effect: Until the end of your next turn or until you attack, you become insubstantial and phasing, and you gain vulnerable 5 radiant. In addition, you can make Stealth checks to become hidden if you have any cover or concealment, and you can use cover granted by your allies both to become hidden and to remain hidden. Level 6 Utility Power By infusing your darker forms of attack with a bit of extra shadowstuff, you cause them to linger, ready to strike your foes from within when they least expect it. Binding Shade Scion of Shadow Utility 6 The shadows you command squeeze tight about your enemy’s soul. Encounter ) Shadow No Action Personal Trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack. Effect: After the attack is resolved, you gain partial concealment and combat advantage against that enemy until the end of your next turn. Level 10 Utility Power As a veritable master of shadows, you can open temporary gaps in the world, flitting through the edges of the Shadowfell as you slip from place to place. Dancing Shadows Scion of Shadow Utility 10 You step from shadow to shadow with supernatural grace. Daily ) Shadow, Teleportation Move Action Personal Effect: You teleport up to 6 squares. Until the end of the encounter, you can teleport up to 3 squares as a move action once per round. Each time you teleport using this power, the destination space must be an area of dim light or darkness.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 40 TYLER WALPOLE DEVIL’S PAWN What do you mean, those cultists seemed to know me? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Throughout Faerûn’s history, the North has ever been a breeding ground for cults, whether they serve devils, demons, or any of a thousand other dark masters. The last decades have grown progressively darker, presenting a great opportunity for cultists that promise protection from the terrors of the frontier—at the comparatively small cost of eternal loyalty and secrecy. Or so the stories and tales go. In reality, most of the cults that operate in the North have no deific connections, but are composed of indolent noble scions using the threat of darkness to gain romantic favor or to intimidate business rivals into closing up shop and skipping town. In such cults, young nobles claim to supplicate devils for the sake of their own jests, then drink themselves into oblivion while waiting for their servants to clean up the mess. You used to belong to one such false cult—or at least you thought you did. It seemed like a good idea at the time—allying with powerful individuals in Waterdeep in the mutual pursuit of authority, pleasure, and coin. Now, however, you’ve made a terrible mistake—one that you might end up paying for with your eternal soul. Although you come from a noble bloodline, you’ve never been particularly wealthy or influential. In the cult, however, you could rub shoulders with powerful and wealthy noble heirs who are excited to delve into the dark. You saw the potential in making important connections to your fellow noble scions, in the hope of securing a good marriage when you finally decided to settle down. At your infrequent rituals, celebrants would gather around braziers of white-hot coals and invoke the power of strangely named beings. Chanting would ensue, along with tedious and false religious mummery. Nothing ever came of these rites, of course, and each secret conclave would eventually devolve into the more important business of drinking, scheming, and hedonism. It all seemed harmless. Then one day, you were late for a meeting. When you arrived, it was to discover a ritual chamber covered in blood and gore. Your fellow cultists had been brutally dismembered as by a storm of ravaging claws and fangs. The central brazier burned with an unbelievably hot flame, drawing your attention. Enraptured, you stepped toward it, unable to resist. Fire flared, driving into your chest like a lance as it burned you, body and soul. When you awoke, it was in your own bed, far from the scene of the cult’s massacre. You were happy to dismiss the memory as a nightmare—until you glimpsed a mark on your chest that made the nightmare real. You bear a crimson brand now—a sigil that you somehow recognize as the mark of Asmodeus. What it means, you have no idea—but the implications terrify you. Tricked, confused, and scared out of your mind, you fled Waterdeep for a place where you might hope to hide from those who know you. In Neverwinter, you have spent uncounted days looking over your shoulder and dreaming of treachery, violence, and fire. You seek to gather allies to your side, fearful of what the power that binds you has in store. However, you hesitate to share your dreadful secret with them— and the dark dream that has begun to haunt you, wherein you betray those closest to you. Building a Devil’s Pawn The devil’s pawn theme makes the most sense for a character who is wielding dark power in order to do good. A tragic figure at first, you will have to embrace the darkness within you to survive. But will you give into the schemes of the dark being that grants your power? Or will you rise up to face the forces that have tainted you? Class Prerequisite: None. However, to make full use of this theme’s potential, consider playing a warlock or another class known for its secrecy. This
DEVIL’S PAWN CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 41 theme works well with the infernal pact warlock, enhancing that class’s features and utility powers. Race Prerequisite: None. However, you are the scion of a noble—if impoverished—Waterdeep family, so your race should reflect that heritage. Human, half-elf, elf, eladrin, and dwarf are your most likely options. As an interesting spin, you might play a tiefling whose heritage includes a devilish ancestor. BACKGROUND Many of your ilk have a silver tongue when it comes to deception, and you might be one of them. It’s also possible that during your admittedly short time in the cult, you picked up quite a bit of knowledge about faith in devil gods—even if at the time you thought it was all nonsense. Associated Skills: Bluff, Religion Starting Feature Your brand enhances your powers and draws forth the power of the Nine Hells to smite your enemies. You are reluctant to reveal the mark, but you do as you must to survive. Hellfire and Brimstone Devil’s Pawn Attack Your brand burns, searing through clothing and flesh as hellfire springs up around you. Encounter ) Arcane, Fire, Zone Minor Action Close burst 2 Effect: Creatures in the burst take 5 fire damage. The burst creates a zone that lasts until the end of your next turn. While in the zone, enemies take a –2 penalty to attack rolls and all defenses. Level 11: 7 fire damage. Level 21: 10 fire damage. Additional Features Level 5 Feature The brand on your chest attracts allies from among those beholden to Asmodeus—whether you want them or not. Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to Diplomacy checks made to interact with devils, duergar, devil cultists, and other creatures devoted to devils. Level 10 Feature You feel the warmth of your mark every day and wake at night to echoes of the brand’s searing pain. Somehow, becoming acclimated to your mark has inured you to the pain and destruction of real fire. Benefit: You gain resist 10 fire. If you already have fire resistance as a racial trait, it increases by 5. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power Fiendish power is built on treachery—a concept you can channel to cause your foes to betray each other. Traitor’s Brand Devil’s Pawn Utility 2 The fiendish brand on your chest flares, causing your enemy to lash out. Daily ) Arcane, Fire Immediate Reaction Close burst 5 Trigger: An enemy within 5 squares of you hits you. Effect: Creatures adjacent to the triggering enemy take 1d6 fire damage. Infernal Pact: This power deals extra fire damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. Level 6 Utility Power You bargain a piece of your soul for the proffered protection of fiendish flames, shielding you from the eyes and attacks of your enemies. Shielding Hellfire Devil’s Pawn Utility 6 Flames flicker into life around you, drinking in the darkness and blessing your graceful movements. Daily ) Arcane, Fire, Stance Minor Action Personal Effect: You enter the shielding hellfire stance. Until the stance ends, whenever you have any concealment, you gain a +4 power bonus to Stealth checks and resist 5 fire. If you already have fire resistance, increase that resistance by 5. Infernal Pact: Whenever your Warlock’s Curse is triggered, you gain a +4 power bonus to damage rolls with fire attack powers until the end of your next turn. Level 10 Utility Power Embracing your infernal destiny, you become one with the power of your dark brand. Every time you do so, however, you feel a bit of your soul slip away. Pit Fiend Harbinger Devil’s Pawn Utility 10 Glorious pain rips through you as your skin blackens and hardens into devilish scales and great black wings, a crown of fire wreathing your brow. Daily ) Arcane, Polymorph Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you gain a +2 power bonus to AC, a fly speed equal to your speed, and fire resistance equal to 5 + your level (if you already have fire resistance, increase it by 5). While this effect persists, you cannot spend healing surges, and you must make an attack on your turn each round or take damage equal to your level at the end of your turn. This damage cannot be prevented or reduced in any way. Sustain Minor: The effect persists until the end of your next turn. Infernal Pact: You gain 10 temporary hit points each time you sustain this power.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 42 SPELLSCARRED HARBINGER I’ve seen horrors you haven’t even dreamed. Whether I sleep or wake, the nightmares follow me. Nearly a century ago, Faerûn was ravaged by the Spellplague. Few of those alive today can describe this scourge firsthand, and every story disagrees in the details. Landscapes changed, whole cities vanished, and alien nations installed themselves where barren wasteland and the ruins of past civilizations had stood for millennia. Magic failed or went wild, and thousands upon thousands died horribly. Those who encountered the plague directly, either initially or in the long years since, have been forever changed by its touch. Most are horribly deformed or otherwise cursed—even as a rare few gain a strange kind of power. Someone seeing you as a youth might not have known you were bound to such a twisted destiny. You were a normal person, living out a normal life. You had family and friends, and you were looking forward to marriage and children to carry on your legacy. These simple pleasures were not to be yours, however—not once the nightmares began. You ignored the visions at first, but you could not do so for long. One night, you awoke from a nightmare screaming, engulfed in blue flames that were no dream. Though it did not harm you, this unnatural fire wreaked havoc on everything nearby, consuming your home and those you loved, their screams echoing as they burned. When the flames died away, they left in their wake disfigurements on the bodies of the dead— warped limbs, blue scar tissue, or strange runes in a language you did not recognize. Though you survived the destruction, your body was likewise scarred. Hated for the harm you inflicted unintentionally and despised for your deformity, you fled your home in fear. Dependent on the aid of strangers to survive, you were saved when a wandering priest sworn to Ilmater, god of compassion, directed you to Helm’s Hold outside the city of Neverwinter. There, he promised, people like you were welcome. “The spellscarred,” he called you. During your journey, you have tried to puzzle out the reason for the emergence of your curse, to no certain success. Perhaps you were exposed to the Spellplague long ago, and it then lay dormant in you for years. Some say the curse can be inherited by blood, and so the affliction will lead inevitably to more death—for you and those around you. You fear that your time grows short. Whenever you rest, the nightmares that haunted you before your scarring return, coupled with visions of magical cataclysms wreathed in blue flame. You have grown accustomed to looking over your shoulder at all times, struggling to trust even those who seek to aid you. A time is coming when you’ll be able to conceal your true nature no longer. When that day comes, how will you embrace your uncertain destiny? And can the people in Helm’s Hold truly help you? Building a Spellscarred Harbinger The Spellplague curses and blesses at whim, and its power can mark a wide variety of heroes. As a spellscarred harbinger, you are mysterious by nature, since few understand—or will tolerate—your abilities. You live by your wits and skills. Class Prerequisite: None. Although a background related to magic might help explain the exposure that created your spellscar, this theme is suitable for characters of any class. Race Prerequisite: None. The effects of the Spellplague can manifest in anyone. BACKGROUND The specific nature of your spellscar has unlocked knowledge that you can benefit from—bizarre secrets of the magic that lurks inside you. Or, you might have learned certain techniques from the priest of Ilmater to soothe your own distress, as well as other aspects of the healing arts. Associated Skills: Arcana, Heal Starting Feature You have a spellscar that takes the form of an unnatural lesion, glowing tattoos, tentacles where your fingers should be, immaterial blue spines projecting from your skin, or some other obviously magical effect. Your spellscar grants you the power to twist magic. GAINING A SPELLSCAR Any character who bears a spellscar, including one who has the spellscarred harbinger theme, has the following innate abilities. Spellscarred Susceptibility: A spellscarred creature takes a –2 penalty to all defenses and all saving throws against the Spellplague and the same penalty when it is attacked by a plaguechanged creature or another spell scarred creature. Spellplague Sense: A spellscarred creature knows when an area of Spellplague, or a plaguechanged or spellscarred creature, is within 5 squares of him or her.
SPELLSCARRED HARBINGER CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 43 TYLER WALPOLE Benefit: You gain one of the following abilities. ) Dimension Shift: Once per encounter, you can teleport up to 2 squares as a minor action. ) Twist Fate: Once per encounter, you can reroll a failed saving throw. ) Vanish: Once per encounter as a minor action, you can become invisible until the start of your next turn. Additional Features Level 5 Feature By drawing on the magic of your spellscar, you enhance your attacks with burning blue fire. Each time you evoke the flames, your spellscar flares ominously, enticing you to draw on more of its power. Spellscar Spellscarred Harbinger Utility Empowerment You unlock your hidden power, blue flames surrounding you as you lash out. Daily ) Arcane No Action Special Trigger: You hit an enemy with an attack. Effect: The enemy you hit is dazed until the end of your next turn. You take damage equal to 5 + one-half your level. Level 10 Feature Your body and spirit course with blue fire, and you’ve learned to harness that power in a new way. Benefit: Choose another benefit from the spellscarred harbinger starting feature list. You can use only one ability gained from this list per encounter. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power The spellscar forced into your body and soul barely contains the maddening randomness of the Spellplague. By opening yourself to its fearsome power, you can disrupt the powers of those around you. Plague Disruption Spellscarred Harbinger Utility 2 You release the Spellplague within, and your enemies are overwhelmed by the chaotic rush of power you control. Encounter ) Arcane, Aura Minor Action Personal Effect: You activate an aura 2 that lasts until the end of your next turn. Enemies in the aura take a –2 penalty to attack rolls, and must roll twice and use the lower result when attempting to recharge a power. Level 6 Utility Power The Spellplague remakes time and space as well as flesh and stone. Drawing on its power, you alter reality to serve your whims, if only for a moment. Torture Reality Spellscarred Harbinger Utility 6 Your enemy’s strike wavers, changing course toward a target of your choosing. Daily ) Arcane Immediate Interrupt Personal Trigger: You are targeted by a melee or a ranged attack. Effect: You redirect the attack to another creature adjacent to you, other than the attacker. Level 10 Utility Power At its heart, the nature of the Spellplague is change. Your growing mastery of your spellscar and the Spellplague echoes within you allows you to direct that hunger for alteration. When you spy a weakness in an enemy, you can alter that weakness into strength, and use that strength to replenish your reserves. Morphic Spellscarred Harbinger Utility 10 Recovery You absorb some of the essence of another to wield as if it were your own. Daily ) Arcane Free Action Personal Trigger: You hit an enemy granting combat advantage to you when you have expended all your encounter attack powers. Effect: You recover one of your previously expended encounter attack powers of level 7 or lower.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 44 TYLER WALPOLE BREGAN D’AERTHE SPY No one owns a secret. Indeed, among my people, we say that secrets own their keepers. You were on patrol in the Underdark outside your home, beautiful and benighted Menzoberranzan, when betrayal came. As if directed by psychic command, your companions suddenly turned against you as one. Drow are treacherous by nature, but such a blatant and brutal attack could mean only one thing: Your house had fallen. You escaped with your life, but with no allies and no idea of what to do next. None survive alone in the wilds of the Underdark for long, and so your would-be killers assumed you to be dead—as you would have been if the members of Bregan D’aerthe had not found you. You had heard the tales of these drow mercenaries, of course—the much-derided and dishonorable castaways of other destroyed houses. When your benefactors confirmed that your kin had been annihilated, you expected them to show contempt for the weakness of your house and your own helplessness. Instead, they offered to induct you into their company—giving you a chance to restore the honor, the allies, and the home that had been taken from you. For decades, you have served as part of Bregan D’aerthe. As a part of the force sent to the surface to manipulate events in Luskan, you have watched that city’s steady decline from den of piracy to cesspool of evil. You felt the tremors in the earth and saw the plume of black smoke to the south that marked Neverwinter’s fall. During this time, Bregan D’aerthe continued to add to its coffers with missions for hire, but the opportunities for wealth grew slimmer as the danger in the North spread. Now, the mercenary drow have largely left the region, with only a few such as you remaining. You would have preferred to go with your fellows, but an order from Jarlaxle brought you instead to the ruins of Neverwinter. The sometime leader of Bregan D’aerthe gave you the task of investigating the forces at work in the city and the surrounding area—and, as always, to look for ways for Bregan D’aerthe to profit from others’ plots. You have been told that someone—perhaps Jarlaxle himself—will come to you for information. Until then, you are on your own. You have learned that it doesn’t pay to be without allies—even in the relative safety of the surface world. Few surface-dwellers have any compunctions about the death of a lone drow, particularly in the lawless North. Like Jarlaxle and the legendary Drizzt, you need to travel with others if you are to be successful in your goals. Building a Bregan D’aerthe Spy When you choose to be a Bregan D’aerthe spy, you immerse yourself in the web of drow politics and the darkness of the race’s culture. Though you have many options for making your character, only those with sharp blades and sharper wit can become one of the mighty Bregan D’aerthe. Class Prerequisite: None. Rogues and other characters well suited to spying make the best choice for this theme. Lolth’s grip on her people is strong, and if you play a divine character dedicated to another god, you should determine how you found that faith and whether you keep it secret. Many in Bregan D’aerthe dislike the rule of the Spider Queen, but few would be so bold as to openly worship another deity. Race Prerequisite: Drow. All members of Bregan D’aerthe hail from drow houses in the cities of Menzoberranzan and Ched Nasad.
BREGAN D’AERTHE SPY CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 45 Starting Feature Though not all drow can levitate, you saw the usefulness of such an ability and struggled to master it. Levitation Bregan D’aerthe Spy Utility Calling on the magic inherent in your bloodline, you rise into the air as lightly as a feather on the wind. Encounter Move Action Personal Effect: You can fly up to 4 squares vertically and 1 square horizontally, and hover there until the end of your next turn. You have an altitude limit of 4, but if some effect causes you to exceed this limit, you immediately descend to 4 squares above the ground after resolving the effect. When this flight ends, you descend to the ground, taking no falling damage. Additional Features Level 5 Feature Your control over your ability to levitate increases, letting you spend an entire battle in the air if you so desire. Continuous Bregan D’aerthe Spy Utility Levitation With focused concentration, you keep yourself aloft to gain the advantage over your foes. Daily No Action Personal Trigger: You use levitation. Effect: You gain the ability to sustain levitation. This ability lasts until the end of the encounter. Sustain Move: Levitation persists until the end of your next turn, and you can move up to 3 squares vertically or 1 square horizontally. Level 10 Feature Your life of adventure has taught you to be wary— especially when you’re vulnerable. Foes might surprise or corner you, but they’ll find there’s little profit in doing so. Benefit: When you grant combat advantage, enemies do not gain the bonus to attack rolls against you. Optional Powers Level 2 Utility Power As a spy equally at home in the Underdark and the surface world, you know that the ability to swiftly fade from sight can mean the difference between success or failure in your missions. Sudden Stealth Bregan D’aerthe Spy Utility 2 The moment a threat reveals itself, your instinct for stealth takes over, letting you vanish from sight. Encounter ) Martial Free Action Personal Trigger: You have any cover or concealment when you roll initiative. Effect: You can make a Stealth check to hide. Level 6 Utility Power Although stealth can serve you well, sometimes it’s not enough. When battle begins, being quick on your feet can mean the difference between escape and capture, life and death. Fluid Steps Bregan D’aerthe Spy Utility 6 You concentrate on the dance of combat, making certain that you stay a few steps ahead. Daily ) Martial Minor Action Personal Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you can shift up to 3 squares as a move action. Level 10 Utility Power Your duty as a spy is to watch, listen, and learn, and you have honed your senses to the limit. When you enter a state of total waking concentration, little can escape your notice. Spy Sight Bregan D’aerthe Spy Utility 10 You focus your senses, letting all that would obscure the world slip away. Daily ) Martial Minor Action Personal Effect: You gain a +5 power bonus to Insight checks and Perception checks until the end of the encounter. BACKGROUND Drow train in stealth and the lore of the Underdark from a young age, and they rely upon falsehood as much as other creatures do upon breathing. As a member of Bregan D’aerthe, you are well versed in one of the skills vital to your survival amid the deadly politics and dangerous pockets of the Underdark. Associated Skills: Bluff, Dungeoneering, Stealth
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 46 Racial Variants Elves and dwarves in the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting are made up of distinct subraces. Such divisions often have their roots in a race’s earliest existence. When you create a character who belongs to a subrace, you are free to use the race’s standard traits for that character. However, you can instead use the options in this section to set the character apart from other members of his or her race, and to provide ways to develop your character’s identity. Each subrace description contains a set of benefits. Each of these replaces a standard racial trait, as noted in the benefit’s description. Unless otherwise noted, you can select as many of a subrace’s benefits as you want. In addition, each subrace includes a racial background tied to it. Like other backgrounds in the game, these offer associated skills and languages. If you choose the racial background that matches your character’s subrace, you can select one of the following benefits. ) Gain a +2 bonus to checks with a skill associated with your background. ) Add a skill associated with your background to your list of class skills before you choose your trained skills. ) Choose one language associated with your background. You can speak, read, and write that language fluently. DWARVES In a time before the world knew what it was, Moradin the All-Father forged the dwarves in the fiery heart of Abeir-Toril. His people won their way to the light of the surface through grit and battle prowess. In the hot south of the world that then was, they emerged into the cool heights of the mountains and forged for themselves an empire. Divisions among them forced some away and to the plains of the west, where they settled in what would come to be known as the Great Rift. This banishment to the flatlands would prove to have far-reaching consequences when gods and primordials battled. The world split apart, stealing the first great dwarven empire away—beyond even Moradin’s reach. Untold years passed until the next great schism among the dwarves, during which their commander led an exodus from the caverns beneath the plains. His people would forge many kingdoms and pass through many generations, eventually becoming shield dwarves. Those who remained in the plains, and who dwell there still, are the gold dwarves. No grudges endure from such ancient divisions. Dwarves are the children of Moradin, and they have greater common cause with each other than with any other race. However, the two subraces have lived apart for thousands of years, and their lifestyles affect not only their cultures but their physical appearance as well. If you are a shield dwarf, you might come from beyond the Spine of the World mountains or some other area of the North. The heir of Delzoun is a good choice for your character theme, but you have other options. If you are a gold dwarf, you are unlikely to have Delzoun blood (unless you have shield dwarf ancestors in your past), so you should consider other character themes such as devil’s pawn, spellscarred harbinger, and Harper agent. Gold Dwarf Gold dwarves see themselves as the founders of the dwarven race, their society able to trace an unbroken line back nearly to the world’s creation. It should be no surprise, then, that gold dwarves have a chip on their shoulders—and a heavy one at that. Gold dwarves get along well with others, but they come from a culture where tradition reigns and codes of honor are strict. Each dwarf has a predestined role and a place in society that stems from birth order and bloodline. Gold dwarves who stray from such strictures bring great dishonor on themselves and shame to their clans. The largely isolated kingdoms of the gold dwarves had begun to expand before the Spellplague hit. Many adventurous gold dwarves left the Great Rift and their other traditional lands to explore distant parts of the surface world. This emigration served them well when their homeland was destroyed by the plague. Much of the Great Rift and the surrounding surface was obliterated, leaving in its wake the massive Underchasm and the realm of Great Bhaerynden. The gold dwarves who were spread across Faerûn returned to the area to help rebuild their homeland, and the realm known as the East Rift was built on and in the ruins of the Great Rift. The disaster and the disruption of those dark times caused numerous gold dwarf clans to accept new ideas and new peoples, while some others retreated into xenophobia as a means of holding onto the traditions of the past. Roleplaying a Gold Dwarf When creating a gold dwarf character, here are a few points to consider. Tradition preserves us. Your people have survived for eons by adhering to the ways of their ancestors back to the All-Father. Tradition must be respected, and those who go against it dishonor themselves and cannot be trusted.
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 47RACIAL VARIANTS WILLIAM O’CONNOR Wisdom comes with age. Those who have witnessed the passage of decades deserve respect. Those who have seen centuries come and go deserve more. Any society that does not respect its elders is dangerous, for it ignores the wisdom those elders represent. Blood bears truth. You were born into a society where everything was decided for you, from your profession to whom you would marry when the time comes. These decisions were not the whim of an elder, but the dictates of your bloodline in relation to others. Among gold dwarves, who you become is a direct result of who your parents were and all your ancestors before them. Even far from the East Rift, you understand that getting to know someone means getting to know their past as well. Gold Dwarf Benefits When creating a gold dwarf character, you can pick from the following benefits. Cast-Iron Mind: Gold dwarves have developed a resistance to protect against the depredations of aberrant creatures from the Underdark. Benefit: You have a +5 racial bonus to saving throws against ongoing psychic damage. This benefit replaces Cast-Iron Stomach. Gold Dwarf Weapon Proficiency: Though gold dwarves rely on the hammer as a tool as much as do any of their kin, carving their homes from the living rock requires other specialized implements. Such tools have been adapted for use as the traditional weapons of the gold dwarves for as long as anyone remembers. Benefit: You gain proficiency with the war pick and the maul. This benefit replaces Dwarven Weapon Proficiency. Shield Dwarf A long history of internecine war has made the once clannish society of shield dwarves more open. Shield dwarves actively seek out friends and forge alliances against enemies. They judge others by their skill and bravery, not merely the honor of a bloodline or the number of beard hairs gone gray. Tradition, respect for elders, and the bonds of kinship are strong forces in shield dwarf culture. However, no shield dwarf would be thought dishonorable for seeking his or her own destiny, whether doing so involves battling orcs alongside elf allies or becoming a master crafter in a human city. The history of the shield dwarves can be traced back through millennia. The sons of Taark Shanat the Crusader founded eight kingdoms, which fought, made alliances, rose to greatness as one nation, and then fell into separate states before vanishing from the face of the world. The last great dwarven kingdom of the North was Delzoun, and few are the shield dwarves who do not claim a connection to the bloodline of that realm. GOLD DWARF BACKGROUND Gold dwarves have a long history of living beneath the earth and dealing with its denizens, particularly the drow. Associated Skill: Dungeoneering Associated Languages: Deep Speech, Elven
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 48 ZOLTAN BOROS AND GABOR SZIKSZAI Roleplaying a Shield Dwarf When creating a shield dwarf character, here are a few points to consider. Even mountains change. Although you honor the past and strive to see the good of the present preserved, you know that nothing lasts forever. This impermanency is a reminder that one should never be too complacent or too proud. The ruins of cultures that fell to false pride litter the North. Only those who develop and guard a true greatness can maintain that greatness. Even the strongest steel can break. Among the dwarves, it is said that allies are like axes—despite their strength, both can fail when you need them most. Though you strive to make alliances and return friendship in kind, you always remain wary of others. Your closest comrades are noteworthy exceptions, but you remain on the lookout for disloyalty, greed, and cowardice, particularly from other races. A stout shield can both guard and smash. The clan cannot defend itself by hiding in the mountains. Neither can the warrior win merely by blocking attacks. When you face a foe, you must strike out at it. Never fear a challenge so much that you shy away from it. Shield Dwarf Benefits When creating a shield dwarf character, you can pick from the following benefits. Because these benefits both replace Dwarven Weapon Proficiency, you can take only one of them. Shield Dwarf Weapon Proficiency: Shield dwarves spend more time aboveground and in forested areas than their gold dwarf cousins. This has led to them relying on axes as tools and weapons. Benefit: You gain proficiency with the handaxe and the battleaxe. This benefit replaces Dwarven Weapon Proficiency. Shield Proficiency: Besieged by numerous threats such as orcs and goblins, the shield dwarves take the name of their people seriously. Many are trained to use a shield regardless of duty or station. Benefit: You gain proficiency with the light shield. This benefit replaces Dwarven Weapon Proficiency. SHIELD DWARF BACKGROUND Shield dwarves have a long history of struggle for survival in the wilderness of the North, fighting against orcs, giants, and their own kind. To aid in such conflicts, they have found the native languages of the North useful. Associated Skills: Dungeoneering, Endurance, Nature Associated Languages: Chondathan, Giant
CHAPTER 2 | Character Options 49RACIAL VARIANTS WILLIAM O’CONNOR ELVES AND ELADRIN The history of the elves in the world extends into a misty realm of myth. Elves and eladrin relate the chronicle of their past in ballads, poems, and folktales, each speaking of a time when these fey were a single people. These ancient elves arrived from the Feywild so long ago that even the longest-lived elf would need more than two dozen lifetimes to remember it. Legends tell of how the elves adapted to the world over time, becoming moon elves, sun elves, and the Ilythiiri who would spawn the drow. In those days, the drow had not yet fallen from Corellon’s grace, but the Crown Wars would change that. The sun elves, the moon elves, and the drow fought an empire-shattering series of five wars that spanned three thousand years. Little wonder that many elves sought refuge from the destruction by hiding away in the depths of the woodlands. By the time the Crown Wars had ended, those who avoided the conflict and sought refuge in the old ways had become the wild elves. In the millennia that followed, some wild elf communities sought to reestablish contact with the outside world, maintaining a balance between their culture and that of the rising empires of their eladrin kin. The members of these communities became the wood elves. In the time since, elven and eladrin empires have risen to power and fallen into ruin. Now, in the aftermath of the Spellplague and with the long-severed connection to the Feywild restored, new empires are set to rise once again. When you play an eladrin or an elf, think about whether you are a child of Faerûn or of the Feywild. If you were born in the Feywild, the bladesinger class (page 66) and the Iliyanbruen guardian character theme (page 28) are excellent choices for you. If you are a moon elf or a wood elf, you are likely more comfortable in the settlements of other races than some of your kin. As such, consider the devil’s pawn and Harper agent character themes. If you are a sun elf, you might have delved deeply into magic, making the renegade Red Wizard, the spellscarred harbinger, or the devil’s pawn character theme appropriate. Moon Elf (Eladrin) In the ancient past, the moon elves reveled in travel and exploration. As a result, though they were the largest in number, their empires were the last to rise. Moon elves today still have this wanderlust, and are thus both numerous and widespread. Open to new experiences and honest by nature, moon elves are often seen as worthy companions by the people they meet in their travels. Though the Spellplague inspired many sun elves to retreat further into isolation, most moon elves reacted to the tragedy of that period by forming stronger bonds with other races. Many moon elves now consider themselves a citizen of a worldly nation first and an eladrin second. Others have used renewed links with the Feywild to reconnect with their ancient homeland. In turn, a new generation of moon elves now spreads from the Feywild to explore the world.
