Dragon #386 (4e).pdf

ISSUE 386 | aprIl 2010

A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ® ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT

CONTENTS

Features

HumansOFtHeWild

By Robert J. Schwalb

Humans can survive—even thrive—in virtually any environment. Learn how

some groups of hardy humans embrace a more rugged life.

37 ClassaCts: CleriC

By David Adams

Prophecy can be confusing to some, but a road to power for others.

41 ClassaCts: Warden

By Craig Campbell

The Coterie of the All-Spirit believes that all primal spirits and living

creatures are connected to one single, all-encompassing All Spirit.

14 underHandedandOverCOnFident

By Ari Marmell

Scoundrels are some of the most popular and fun characters of fiction and film.

Learn the ins and outs of playing this classic archetype at your game table.

45 ClassaCts: WarlOCk

By Mike Mearls

The Crimson Knights of Bael Turath were an elite fighting force in the days

of the lost empire—learn their battle secrets!

19 FamiliarPOWer: sOrCerers

By Arthur Wright

Any arcanist can engage the services of a familiar. See how sorcerers can

capitalize on their little allies.

49 ClassaCts: BarBarian

By Robert J. Schwalb

The True Born believe they must preserve the traditions of Nerath, despite

living in some of the harshest and most rugged of environments.

25 BazaarOFtHeBizarre: tHelegendOFdrizzt

By Eytan Bernstein

The characters from R.A. Salvatore’s popular novels have always used a plethora

of amazing magic items. Now they’re ready for inclusion in your game.

52 WinningraCes: CHangeling

By Matthew Hanson

Becomers so embrace a particular race that they often identify more as a

member of that race than their own.

34 ClassaCts: druid

By Ari Marmell

In places where the world is close to the Feywild, some primal spirits have

developed unique traits that druids can access.

5 OnCivilizatiOn’sFringes:

55 WinningraCes: gOliatH

By Matt James

Some goliaths, captured from their mountain homes at an early age, are raised

to fight for masters other than themselves.

COlumns

58 WinningraCes: HalF-OrC

By James Auwaerter

Half-orcs, shunned by many, always find a way to survive. Some seek

inspiration in unexpected places, and pursue unexpected careers.

editOrial

64 CHanneldivinity: COrellOn

By Andrew Schneider

The Rose King, a powerful archfey and servant of Corellon, once led an

impressive force against the drow, and while he fell, his legacy continues.

77 amPersand

By Bill Slavicsek

Bill looks ahead at what’s in store for April

and beyond.

67 CHanneldivinity: seHanine

By Claudio Pozas

Sehanine rewards those who rely on themselves, and is the patron of lovers,

tricksters, and thieves. Learn more about the servants of this mysterious deity.

81 COnFessiOnsOFaFull-timeWizard

By Shelly Mazzanoble

D&D ’s “Player-in-Chief ” shares more of her

wisdom and insight.

85 d&dalumni

By Bart Carroll & Steve Winter

A look back at Dungeons & Dragons rules

through past editions.

73 POWerPlay: sHadOW

By Matt James

Assassins aren’t the only ones who can tap the power of shadow.

OntHeCOver

Illustration by Kerem Beyit

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com/dnd

e D I T oR I A L

386

HOW DO YOU

Dragon

Ap r i l 2010

Editor-in-Chief

Chrisyoungs

SPELL VICTORY?

Senior Creative Art Director

Jonschindehette

Web Specialist

steveWinter

Web Production

BartCarroll

Victory. elusive for some, inevitable for others. It’s the

ultimate goal, even for those who don’t acknowledge it. But

what does it mean? What defines victory for a bold group

of adventurers seeking fame and fortune while risking life

and limb in one deadly encounter after the next?

Is it fame? It’s possible. It’s certainly rewarding to

be recognized for your accomplishments, even if that

recognition comes courtesy of imaginary people in an

imaginary land. Fortune? The quest for treasure and

magical might can be compelling. Advancement? For

some, XP is the best reward.

or is it something that transcends these classic

definitions of victory in D&D? Is it something more

nebulous and ephemeral? Clearly, there is no single

definition, and I would contend that in some encoun-

ters—perhaps the best encounters—different players

come away feeling uncertain about whether they’ve

experienced victory at all.

Victory often has a bitter cost, something literature

and film realize to great effect. one of my favorite exam-

ples comes from a novel I try to re-read at least every few

years, The Count of Monte Cristo . (If you’ve never read it,

and worse, if you’ve only ever seen the 2002 version of

the film, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.) In the

book, edmond Dantès, our protagonist, is betrayed by

his closest “friends.” He spends the rest of the book seek-

ing revenge on those who wronged him. His pursuit of

justice becomes so absolute, so singleminded, that he is

almost consumed. Without spoiling the book, in the end,

he finds his victory, but it isn’t what (or how) he thought

it would be.

Another great (and nerdier) example comes at the

end of <i> The Empire Strikes Back </i>. Han is frozen in

carbonite and shipped off to Jabba. Luke is almost dead,

nearly broken from his encounter with Vader, and sans a

hand. But the Rebellion survives to fight another day. So

victory, if not at hand (so to speak), remains possible.

D&D adventures, in contrast, often have very

black and white resolutions. When an outcome is bit-

tersweet, it’s often accidental. In a recent game I ran,

the characters were struck with a beat-stick combina-

tion of poor tactics and worse dice. one character was

dead, two others had accumulated two death saves, and

the remaining two characters had a combined 5 hit

points. Standing in for the monsters were one bloodied

elemental and two mezzodemons, one unbloodied. The

situation looked grim. I may have pulled some punches

toward the end and offered the characters—those still

standing—an alternative out. I don’t believe in punishing

a group for what amounts to poor luck.

After their near escape, as the survivors both

thanked their lucky stars and mourned a fallen com-

rade, I heard two distinct reactions. From one of the

two players with a surviving character, a sigh of relief

and a statement that he felt they’d done well, given the

circumstances. From the other, an outright statement

of failure. “We lost someone and we had to f lee. We

failed!” A sense of victory. A sense of defeat.

As for me? Victory. I felt satisfied, as if I’d just settled

in to a gluttony-induced, post-Thanksgiving food coma.

I loved that the players were conf licted about the out-

come. I love that, despite some of their misgivings, they

walked away still thinking about the session. I can’t wait

to run an adventure like this again, or to play in one.

The idea of sacrifice to gain victory is nothing new,

yet it feels strangely absent in D&D adventures. It

doesn’t need to be. I’m not advocating adventures that,

say, require a character’s death. I just believe that the

game has a place for more . . . thoughtful outcomes.

How about you? Share your stories of bittersweet vic-

tory, whether planned or not at dndinsider@wizards.

com , or over on the D&D Insider community page . Tell

us about the times you had to pay a cost for victory in

your campaigns, or when you ran a game as DM and

imposed a price for your characters’ success. We’d love

to hear from you!

Contributing Authors

davidadams,James,auwaerter,

eytanBernstein,CraigCampbell,

BartCarroll,matthewHanson,

mattJames,arimarmell,shelly

mazzanoble,mikemearls,Claudio

Pozas,andrewschneider,robert

J.schwalb,Billslavicsek,steve

Winter,arthurWright

Peterschaefer,stephenschubert,

rodneythompson

Developers

Editors

mirandaHorner

Cover Artist

keremBeyit

Contributing Artists

ericBelisle,tylerJacobson,Chuck

lukacs,WilliamO’Conner,sarah

stone,s.C.Watson

angelikalokotz,erindorries,

Christophertardiff

Publishing Production Specialists

Web Development

marka.Jindra

D&D Creative Manager

ChristopherPerkins

Executive Producer, D&D Insider

ChrisChampagne

Director of RPG R&D

Billslavicsek

Special Thanks

richardBaker,gregBilsland,micheleCarter,JenniferClarkeWilkes,

andyCollins,Brucer.Cordell,JeremyCrawford,Peterlee,mikemearls,

kimmohan,Calmoore,Peterschaefer,stephenschubert,matthewsernett,

rodneythompson,JamesWyatt

ON CIVILIZATION'S

HUMANS

WILD

By Robert J. Schwalb

Illustration by Tyler Jacobson

THE

Humanity is frequently described as an urban-dwell-

ing race—a people more comfortable behind town

walls and in bustling cities than they are creeping

through the forests or prowling the swamps. Good

reason stands behind this assumption. For one, their

empire’s ashes are hardly cool: The gnoll hordes

defeated King elidyr and his sons only a century ago.

Roads still crisscross the lands, towns once pledged

to the crown still stand strong, and the memory of

that great kingdom lingers in the minds and hearts

of its descendants. As well, one can’t understate the

dangers lurking in the wilds. Beneath its great forests,

hidden in the rolling hills, are the savage peoples,

the brutal orcs and cunning goblins, and countless

others besides. The old cities, whose names are lost to

legend, now hold vicious monsters, while the giants

stir in their mountain homes and dragons soar on

thermals in a world overrun with monsters beyond

imagining.

Yet as civilization recedes, it leaves behind people

not so willing to surrender their homes and lives to

the claw and fang. Thus they remain as they always

have in the lands in which they were born, passing

down their knowledge to each generation to follow in

the hopes of holding the patch of territory for which

they bleed and fight. Many different races make

their homes in the wilderness, from the elves in their

sylvan homes to the goliaths dwelling in mountain

fastnesses, but each seems suited to their lands,

having adapted long ago to the challenges they pres-

ent. Humanity, however, must learn the wild’s secrets

and master them in short order if they want to sur-

vive. It is a testimony to humanity’s adaptability that

they scratch out lives for themselves wherever they

go, from the punishing desert to the icy glaciers in the

far north. A remarkable race, they not only live, but

they thrive wherever they make their homes, proving

their grit and determination through the mere act of

making lives for themselves where any other people

would become extinct.

It is their story we tell. These “wild” humans reject

the comforts found in crowded urban centers for

the freedom and ever-present danger the wilderness

offers. These humans are a rugged folk, made tough

by the day-to-day challenges they face. Their lives are

hard, resources scarce, and enemies beyond counting,

but somehow, through ingenuity or luck, they not only

remain, but they thrive on civilization’s fringes.

Ap r i l 2010 | Dragon386 5

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