Saturday, April 17, 2010

D&D: The Assassin

The Assassin is well-known in both fantasy and non-fantasy literature; he silently steals into the abode of a target and kills them swiftly, then leaves before anyone knows he was there. In D&D, the Assassin has abilities that certainly help with sneaking about, but the D&D Assassin is no ordinary killer - he has a connection the the Shadowfell which makes him all the more dangerous. The only released class of the Shadow power source, the Assassin is a Striker; he sneaks up on his foes, and attacks swiftly and without mercy, doing as much damage as possible before melting into the shadows again. This will be revealed here, with Elkantar, Drow Assassin.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Elkantar, level 1
Drow, Assassin
Guild Training: Night Stalker
Darkfire: Darkfire Charisma

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16.


AC: 16 Fort: 12 Reflex: 14 Will: 15
HP: 22 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 5

TRAINED SKILLS
Stealth +11, Thievery +9, Bluff +9, Acrobatics +9, Streetwise +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana, Diplomacy +4, Dungeoneering, Endurance +1, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate +6, Nature, Perception, Religion, Athletics

FEATS
Level 1: Keeper of the Black Flame

POWERS
Assassin at-will 1: Leaping Shade
Assassin at-will 1: Shadow Storm
Assassin encounter 1: Nightmare Shades
Assassin daily 1: Grave Spike

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Leather Armor, Longsword
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Elkantar, as an Assassin, gets several special abilities; for one, he can, once per encounter, turn himself insubstantial and sneak up on an enemy, only becoming substantial again when he strikes; he can also jump through shadows in a sort of short-range teleport. He can also target enemies with Shrouds; Elkantar can target one enemy per round, and each target can take up to 4 Shrouds, and when Elkantar strikes that enemy, he can choose to expend the Shrouds on the target to deal additional damage. Also, as a Drow, he can both create an area of total darkness that only he can see through and surround a target with a purple light that makes it easier to hit them. As for his normal combat powers, Leaping Shade lets him strike a target and do a small bit of extra damage if he does not expend his Shrouds on that foe, and Shadow Storm lets him attack a foe and do more damage for each other creature adjacent to the target. Nightmare Shades lets Elkantar strike a foe hard and also gain a bonus to attack and damage against that foe until the end of his next turn, and Grave Spike is his cruelest attack - he attacks a foe, and the attack does ongoing damage, and every time the ongoing damage happens, it causes the target to fall prone - and in addition, Elkantar gets a bonus to attack the foe until the end fo the encounter as long as he has Shrouds on it.

Friday, April 16, 2010

D&D: The Artificer

It has long been a staple of mythology and fantasy literature to have a character whose job it is to slave away at a forge, making the awesome magic weaponry and armor that the heroes use. D&D, specifically the Eberron setting, took that idea a step further, saying "What if that guy got out on a battlefield - what kind of havoc could he wreak?" It turns out, quite a bit. Since the original purpose of an Artificer is to create objects and weave enchantments about them, the Artificer is a Leader; he works much of his magic through the weapons, armor, and equipment of his allies. But it is better to show than tell, so I present Dayereth, Eladrin Artificer!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Dayereth, level 1
Eladrin, Artificer

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 16, Dex 12, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 12.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 12.


AC: 16 Fort: 14 Reflex: 14 Will: 13
HP: 28 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +8, Arcana +11, Perception +6, Heal +6, History +11, Diplomacy +6

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +1, Bluff +1, Dungeoneering +1, Insight +1, Intimidate +1, Nature +1, Religion +4, Stealth +1, Streetwise +1, Thievery +1, Athletics -1

FEATS
Artificer: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Accurate Magic Weapon

POWERS
Artificer at-will 1: Magic Weapon
Artificer at-will 1: Aggravating Force
Healing Infusion: Healing Infusion: Resistive Formula
Artificer encounter 1: Burning Weapons
Artificer daily 1: War Proxy

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Crossbow, Leather Armor, Adventurer's Kit, Wand Implement
RITUALS
Brew Potion, Disenchant Magic Item, Enchant Magic Item, Make Whole
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Dayereth, as an artificer, gains the ability to craft healing infusions, which he can then carry around and use as needed; his basic one simply heals, but the other will be covered shortly. His feat gives him a small bonus to attack with any weapon or implement which has been used as a focus for his powers that encounter. Magic Weapon is a power that lets Dayereth fire at an enemy, and also give a bonus to the attack and damage rolls of any adjacent allies; Aggravating Force is similar, but it grants only one ally an attack bonus against the attack's original target. The Resistive Formula healing infusion, as the name implies, aids the resistance of the ally who gets it, increasing his AC. Burning Weapons attacks an enemy with fire, and causes Dayereth, and any ally within 2 squares, to add fire damage to their attacks until the end of Dayereth's next turn. Finally, War Proxy targets both an enemy and an ally; the enemy takes damage from an attack, while the ally, if the attack is successful, can be the originating point for all Dayereth's ranged attacks until the end of the encounter - allowing him to attack foes he normally could not.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

D&D: The Invoker

The Invoker is another Divine power source class, but it isn't anything like the others. Where the Cleric and Paladin were familiar, and the Avenger pretty much a church assassin, the Invoker is the wrath of his or her god, personified. He wields some seriously Old Testament powers, kind of like Moses - if Moses were played by Jet Li. Invokers have a tiny portion of their god's essence within them, and were originally created to help fight primordials - but now they just hit people with curses, maledictions, and general unpleasantness. The Invoker is a Controller; he shapes the battlefield to his liking with divine force. With this one, I've done something a bit different and made an evil character, so meet Vondal, Duergar Invoker of Bane!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Vondal, level 1
Duergar, Invoker
Divine Covenant: Covenant of Malediction

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 10.


AC: 16 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 15
HP: 28 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +6, Intimidate +5, Endurance +8, Insight +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana +1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +6, Heal +4, History +1, Nature +4, Perception +4, Stealth -1, Streetwise, Thievery -1, Athletics -1

FEATS
Invoker: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Baleful Malediction

POWERS
Invoker at-will 1: Visions of Blood
Invoker at-will 1: Divine Bolts
Invoker encounter 1: Whispers of Defeat
Invoker daily 1: Execration

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Staff Implement, Adventurer's Kit, Chainmail, Mace
RITUALS
Hand of Fate, Create Holy Water
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Vondal is a malediction Invoker, meaning he curses enemies with unpleasant things like boils and visions of agony. His feat, Baleful Malediction, gives any enemy hit by one of Vondal's Ecnounter or Daily powers a -2 to attack him. Visions of Blood afflicts the target with terrible visions, damaging him and giving him a minor penalty to attack until Vondal's next turn, while Divine Bolts hits a target (or two) with bolts of divine lightning. Whispers of Defeat is an area attack that afflicts affected enemies with searing doubt, giving them penalties to attack and inflicting psychic damage. Finally, Execration is an area attack that curses your targets, causing not only initial damage, but also ongoing damage until they make a saving throw; sadly, to use this, Vondal also takes some ongoing damage, but those are the risks you take to defeat your foes.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

D&D: The Sorcerer

The Sorcerer came about in 3rd Edition; he was an arcane caster, like the Wizard, but instead of learning his spells through long study and practice, his skills were innate. While he knew fewer spells, he could use what he knew more often. They were charismatic individuals, who wielded their magic through force of personality. Much of that is the same in 4th Edition; they are still charismatic, and their magical skills are innate, but now they have a variety of methods for gaining their magic - general chaos, the blood of a dragon in the family line, the fury of a storm, or simply a connection to the cosmos. Each gives them something different, but as a Striker, their job is still the same - kill things fast with as much magic as possible. So I present to you Sim, Changeling Sorcerer!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Sim, level 1
Changeling, Sorcerer
Spell Source: Wild Magic

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 16.


AC: 14 Fort: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 17
HP: 24 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +5, Intimidate +9, Bluff +11, Diplomacy +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +4, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance +1, Heal +1, History, Insight +3, Nature +1, Perception +1, Religion, Stealth +4, Streetwise +4, Thievery +4, Athletics -1

FEATS
Level 1: Disciplined Wild Soul

POWERS
Sorcerer at-will 1: Chaos Bolt
Sorcerer at-will 1: Energy Strobe
Sorcerer encounter 1: Bedeviling Burst
Sorcerer daily 1: Chromatic Orb

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Dagger, Staff Implement
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Sim is a chaos sorcerer, so a certain number of effects he uses are randomized; the energy type of his attacks, whether he gets an attack or defense bonus each round, all turn on the roll of a die. Chaos Bolt hits an enemy with a bolt of chaotic energy, and a random roll determines whether a secondary attack occurs, whereas with Energy Strobe, a bolt of energy strikes an opponent, and the roll of a die determines both the energy type and what energy type Sim gets a minor resistance to until the end of his next turn. Bedeviling Burst is a ranged magic attack that does psychic damage, and either pushes or slides the target, depending on whether the attack comes up even or odd. Finally, Chromatic Orb does good damage, and after a die roll, you find out what type of energy - and corresponding fun effect - the target is hit with.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

D&D: The Shaman

The Primal power source introduced in Player's Handbook 2 brought a number of new ideas to the game. One of these is the concept behind the Shaman. The Shaman is, as you'd expect, a shamanistic character, communing with spirits for advice and talking to nature. But the Shaman also gets a spirit companion - and it is through this spirit companion that many of the Shaman's powers play out. The shaman chooses a type of spirit companion, like a protector, a predator, or a watcher, and can then have that spirit be any kind of animal she wants - perhaps a bear for a protector, or a great cat for a predator. Then the Shama can move the spirit companion around on the battlefield, using her powers through the spirit to aid her allies. The Shaman is the Leader for the Primal power source, and thus it is up to her to aid her allies and keep them going - as you will see in Gwenna, the Shaman.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Gwenn, level 1
Human, Shaman
Companion Spirit: Watcher Spirit

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 12.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12.


AC: 15 Fort: 13 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
HP: 24 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 6

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +6, Nature +9, Insight +9, Heal +9, Perception +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +3, Arcana, Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Dungeoneering +4, History, Intimidate +1, Religion, Stealth +3, Streetwise +1, Thievery +3, Athletics -1

FEATS
Human: Watcher Spirit Adept
Level 1: Resilient Spirit

POWERS
Bonus At-Will Power: Voice of Battle
Shaman at-will 1: Watcher's Strike
Shaman encounter 1: Stormhawk's Fury
Shaman daily 1: Spirit of Consuming Terror

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Leather Armor, Totem, Spear
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Gwenna's companion spirit is a watcher spirit; the watcher spirit watches carefully for any sign of enemy weakness, and then strikes. For her feats, Gwenna has a feat to improve Insight and Perception checks for allies near her spirit, and also to increase her spirit's defenses - while it cannot die, it can be temporarily banished if hit hard enough. Voice of Battle is a psychic attack through the spirit companion, and it allows an ally near the spirit to shift 2 squares; Watcher's Strike, on the other hand, is also an attack through the spirit, but gives adjacent allies a bonus to attack and Perception checks. Stormhawk's Fury lets the spirit move swiftly, strike hard, and until the end of Gwenna's next turn, any ally who hits an enemy adjacent to her spirit causes that enemy to take additional damage. Spirit of Consuming Terror is Gwenna's daily, and it not only does decent damage, but until the end of its next turn the target gets a penalty to attack rolls, and Gwenna can choose to repeat the attack on the following turns.

Monday, April 12, 2010

D&D: The Warden

Wardens are new to D&D, as a part of the Primal power source. Think of them like this: if the Barbarian is like an avalanche, and a Druid like a coming storm, the Warden is like a mountain; he is the bulwark against which attacks break and enemies fall. Wardens do not use heavy armor to break the attacks; instead, they rely on their innate toughness and high hit points as they wade into the fray and mark all those around them. Wardens are, as you may have guessed, Defenders; unlike the Fighter, Paladin, and Swordmage, though, the Warden can mark all enemies adjacent to him, which makes it useful for the Warden to really jump into the middle of things. Without further useless words, I present Lo-Kag, Goliath Warden!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Lo-Kag, level 1
Goliath, Warden
Guardian Might: Stormheart

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8.


AC: 18 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 13
HP: 35 Surges: 13 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +8, Perception +6, Endurance +8, Athletics +10

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana +1, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +1, Heal +1, History +1, Insight +1, Intimidate -1, Religion +1, Stealth -1, Streetwise -1, Thievery -1

FEATS
Level 1: Markings of the Predator

POWERS
Warden at-will 1: Tempest Assault
Warden at-will 1: Strength of Stone
Warden encounter 1: Gale Strike
Warden daily 1: Form of Mountain's Thunder

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Hide Armor, Light Shield, Battleaxe
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Lo-Kag is a Stormheart Warden, which means when he uses his second wind, he can slide every marked enemy within 2 squares of him 1 square, and they are all Slowed until the end of his next turn. His feat gives him a +1 to defense when he bloodies an enemy, useful for a Defender. As for his powers, Tempest Assault strikes one enemy with the power of lightning, and one enemy nearby the original target takes thunder damage, while Strength of Stone allows Lo-Kag to hit an enemy and gain temporary hit points from it. Gale Strike lets Lo-Kag hit one enemy hard, and hit all other enemies marked by him for damage, as well as letting him slide them all 1 square. Finally, Form of Mountain's Thunder transforms Lo-Kag, giving him a protective shell of rock and earth; for the rest of the encounter, he resists a small amount of any damage he gets, gets a bonus to his AC, and once per turn he can deal a small amount of damage automatically to all targets he has marked after he hits - and once for the rest of the encounter, he can strike the ground with the fury of thunder, and all enemies adjacent to him take damage and are knocked prone.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

D&D: The Druid

Druids are an old favorite of D&D, and in 3rd Edition, they could be one of the most overpowered classes, because they could shapeshift into virtually anything, and get the same abilities of whatever they turned into. In 4th Edition, druids can still shapeshift, but they don't get any improved abilities other than the use of some special powers that can only be used while shapeshifted, but druids are still powerful - they're just a little trickier to use. They are Primal Controllers, meaning it is their job to control the battlefield, whether pouncing on enemies in beast form, overcoming them as a swarm of insects, or striking them with the full force of nature. So here I present, Banmarden, wilden Druid!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Banmarden, level 1
Wilden, Druid
Primal Aspect: Primal Swarm
Hardy Form: Hardy Form Reflex

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 18, Dex 12, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 16, Dex 12, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 10.


AC: 14 Fort: 14 Reflex: 13 Will: 15
HP: 30 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +11, Insight +9, Heal +9, Perception +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Arcana +1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance +3, History +1, Intimidate, Religion +1, Stealth +2, Streetwise, Thievery, Athletics -2

FEATS
Druid: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Stinging Swarm

POWERS
Druid at-will 1: Swarming Locusts
Druid at-will 1: Grasping Tide (Druid)
Druid at-will 1: Pounce
Druid encounter 1: Scattered Form
Druid daily 1: Fog of Insects

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Adventurer's Kit, Hide Armor, Quarterstaff, Totem
RITUALS
Animal Messenger, Portend Weather
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Banmarden is a wilden, a race that is essentially sentient plant life. He has the Primal Swarm specialty, which means his beast form is a swarm of insects, and the feat he has, Stinging Swarm, means that he gets combat advantage every time he takes damage. Druids get three at-will powers; of those, Swarming Locusts is an area attack that causes Banmarden's beast form to explode outwards, and any enemy within grants combat advantage; Grasping Tide is a ranged area attack that causes a pillar of water to hit enemies, and if they attempt to leave the area, they can be knocked prone; and Pounce is a beast form attack that does damage and grants combat advantage to the next ally to attack the target. Scattered Form is a swarm attack that causes Banmarden's insect form to attack a small area around him, and he also takes half damage from all attacks until his next turn. Finally, Fog of Insects summons a great could of stinging insects to an area around Banmarden, doing decent damage and giving him a bonus to defense until the end of the encounter.