Dragon Magazine 387.pdf

ISSUE 387 | May 2010

A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ® ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT

CONTENTS

Features

5 shamanBasics

By Robert J. Schwalb

Get the rundown on this primal leader class, with emphasis on your first

shaman character, as well as some new shaman options for all players.

36 classacts: avenger

By Jeff Morgenroth

The Unbroken Circle traces its origins back to ancient Nerath, and still seeks

to prevent corruption from tainting the mortal realm.

15 Playingshardminds

By Bruce R. Cordell

One of the new—and most intriguing—races from Player’s Handbook 3 is

explored in greater detail here.

39 classacts: invoker

By Robert J. Schwalb

These new feats will enable any invoker to find the perfect level of

customization.

20 thecalloFtheWild: WayFaringBards

By Logan Bonner

Bards can discover power in many places, but the Feywild offers unique

opportunities for those who seek power from the many diverse cultures

found on that plane.

44 classacts: ranger

By Jared Glenn

The Scions of Onat hail from a town still in touch with its primal roots.

47 Winningraces: shiFter

By Keith Baker

Some shifters have embraced civilization, finding ways to blend into urban

environments seamlessly.

27 BazaaroFtheBizarre: ritualmagicitems

By Peter Schaefer

Introducing new magic items designed especially for use in conjunction with

rituals.

50 Winningraces: revenant

By Matthew Sernett

Revenants are often drawn to the path of the assassin, and these new options

give them more reasons to embrace the call of the Raven Queen.

31 classacts: artiFicer

By Robert J. Schwalb

Different races each approach the artificer’s art in unique ways.

54 Winningraces: tieFling

By Peter Schaefer

The Blightseers, one of many tief ling bloodlines, brings ruin to any and all

they deem as their foes.

columns

57 channeldivinity: Pelor

By Andrew Schneider

The Students of Aurtus, once a great priest of Pelor, seek to apply the mistakes

of history to the present day.

72 amPersand

By Bill Slavicsek

Bill looks ahead at what’s in store for April and

beyond.

60 channeldivinity: erathis

By Elliott Hoffman

Erathis draws many worshipers, but adventurers often find common ground

with her teachings.

78 conFessionsoFaFull-timeWizard

By Shelley Mazzanoble

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

and insight.

82 d&dalumni

By Bart Carroll and Steve Winter

A look back at DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules

through past editions.

88 d&dPlayrePort

By Chris Tulach

Join Chris Tulach as he talks about what’s going

on with official D&D play, the community, and

upcoming events!

63 guilds&grouPs: shadesoFdarkness

By Robert J. Schwalb

The lich Mourne founded this Shadowfell-oriented group long ago. Now its

members seek to protect the Shadowfell from those who would exploit its power.

68 knoWyourrole: deFender

By James Auwaerter

Nearly all adventurers lose a comrade at some point in their careers, but some

defenders turn the burden of that loss into new arenas of power.

90 design&develoPment: rules

uPdateProcess

By Greg Bilsland & Andy Collins

Learn about the errata and update process for D&D

rules.

93 design&develoPment: neW monster

onthecover

Illustration by Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

statBlocks

By Greg Bilsland

Monster Manual 3 is out this month. Discover how

R&D came up with the new, easier-to-use stat block.

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com/dnd

E D I T OR I A L

387

LOVE THE FIGHT

Dragon

Fe b r ua r y 2010

YOU’RE IN

Editor-in-Chief

chrisyoungs

Senior Creative Art Director

Jonschindehette

Web Specialist

steveWinter

I’m like any other player when a fight starts. I wait to

hear what the DM describes, hinging on the moment

when the encounter’s foe is fully revealed. Sometimes,

my group goes into battle forewarned. We know who or

what we’ ll be facing. Sometimes it’s a surprise. And for

the most part, I’m not looking forward to facing a par-

ticular enemy. I mean, they’re monsters. They’re trying

to kill your character. They’re all to be dreaded and

despised rather than anticipated.

But there are exceptions. Some enemies bring a cer-

tain something to the table. These are the baddies we

love to face, the ones that send a little chill down our

backs when the mini hits the mat. And not necessarily a

chill of fear (although that could certainly be part of it),

but of anticipation.

What follows is my list of the top monsters I love to

fight. These are the ones that get me to sit forward a

little when I see them hit the table. They’re presented

in no particular order. Also, since I actually thought of

several more that I love to fight, I expanded the list in

the version of the editorial we’re posting on the D&D

Insider community page.

owlbears: Let’s get this one out of the way right now.

I hate owlbears. I think they’re dumb, and I’ve gone on

record with that opinion before. So why do I like to fight

‘em? Because each time an owlbear dies, I like to think

I’ve somehow eliminated one from the world, leaving

one less owlbear someone else will have to deal with. I

know it’s stupid, but I can’t help myself.

Purple Worms: Really, this could be any monster

that burrows around and erupts from the earth to try

and swallow you whole. Granted, many monsters are

trying to eat your character. But there’s a certain fear

factor in the idea that this monster actually has mechan-

ics that enable it to do so. Plus, purple worms have

the distinction of being one of the few monsters in the

game that are almost exclusively reserved for surprise

encounters. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never played

in a game or campaign where we knew we’d be facing a

purple worm. Any time one showed, it was a shock. That

sucks a whole new kind of awesome.

Emperor Palpatine: What’s that? A Star Wars

villain in D&D? No, not really. It’s the kind of villain

Emperor Palpatine represents that I love to fight. This

is the villain who, when you first meet him (or her), you

get the feeling he’s probably a bad guy. He’s not super

evil. He doesn’t seem to be up to no good. He just rubs

you the wrong way. He’s probably in a position of power.

He might seem to be allied with the forces of good.

But through one misguided or duplicitous effort after

another, it becomes more and more clear that he’s a vil-

lain who is thwarting you at every turn. The worst part

is that, for some reason, he’s untouchable. Then it comes,

the moment you’ve been waiting for. The smokescreen

clears, and you finally get to fight this villain mano y

mano . Few fights are more satisfying than this one.

Beholders: One of the deadliest foes in the game,

the beholder embodies, to me, the unpredictable vil-

lain. The thing about the beholder is that it encourages a

sort of masochistic approach in the players at the table.

You find yourself hoping—hoping!—that the beholder is

“only” going to hit you with the searing ray or the teleki-

nesis ray rather than the dreaded death or disintegrate

rays. That’s right, when you fight a beholder, you hope

that all it does is deal a massive amount of damage or

drop you off a cliff. What a world! But that same unpre-

dictability means that every round is different. To me,

no monster brings so much tension to the table, and that

makes it a favorite.

Mobs of Minions: This is another category, rather

than a specific monster. It includes any large group of

popcorn-like monsters. You can’t just stop with one, and

why should you? Is there anything more viscerally satis-

fying than dropping a burst 2 area attack on a cluster of

minions? I say no.

There’s my list. Honorable mention goes to the pit fiend,

any dragon, the succubus, and the marilith. I know you’ve

all got your own lists. What are they? What monsters do

you just love to fight, and why? Post your lists to the D&D

Insider community page or email them to us at dndin-

sider@wizards.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Web Production

Bartcarroll

Contributing Authors

Jamesauwaerter,keithBaker,

loganBonner,craigcampbell,

Brucer.cordell,Jaredglenn,

elliotthoffman,Jeffmorgenroth,

Peterschaefer,robertJ.schwalb,

matthewsernett

Developers

Peterschaefer,stephenschubert,

rodneythompson

Editors

michelecarter,Jeremycrawford,

mirandahorner

Cover Artist

zoltanBorosandgaborszikszai

Contributing Artists

Wayneengland,Jeffhimmelman,

tylerJacobson,JasonJuta,mclean

kendree,Williamo’connor,craig

J.spearing,sarahstone,

BenWootten

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

SHAMAN BASICS:

SPIRIT WORLD

By Robert J. Schwalb

Illustration by Sarah Stone

Chanted words suffused the campsite. The quiet, rhythmic

murmur drew casual glances from Corben’s companions as

they cleaned their swords, patched their wounds, and rif led

through their packs looking for hardtack. Corben shut out

their movements and whispered conversation, focusing his

thoughts on his present predicament. They had scoured the

swamps for the bullywug encampment, searching with little

luck for the villagers abducted for some dark purpose. Their

prowling through the swamps had brought them in touch

with other predators and vermin, but the hideous croakers

remained elusive.

The party had called a halt after fighting back the

greenscale lizardfolk that had dogged their steps for days

and settled down to regroup and figure out what they had

missed. The carcasses stank from their twisted heap a

few dozen yards away. Corben pitied them, knowing the

conf lict could have been avoided had the barbarian been a

bit more discerning with that axe of hers. No matter. The

damage was done, and Corben had to maintain his focus if

he wanted to complete his evocation.

He intensified his chanting until his voice rose above the

campsite, silencing his companions’ chatter. He gestured to

shift his senses into the spirit world, using the primal ener-

gies f lowing around him to open his eyes to the creeping,

twitching, f litting, snarling, and giggling essences drawn

by his magic. With his awakened senses, he left behind life’s

fog to perceive the world’s true form, noting the sharpness

in the trees, the light dappling on the waters’ surface, and

the wind’s sigh as it played through the tupelo trees. He

noticed a swamp cat watching him from the underbrush,

curious but unwilling to approach. A snake slithered

through the waters, and a bright green frog clung to a leaf.

Yet all these revelations could not distract him, because

lives depended on the information he would coax from the

oft-difficult spirits.

And then, gathered all around, the spirits assembled,

their forms running from beautiful to hideous, with some

as multicolored motes drifting like dandelion seeds carried

on the wind, and others made from mud and twigs, green

eyes shining. From such a congress, Corben knew he would

learn the villagers’ fate and, if they still lived, where he

would find them.

Ma y 2010 | Dragon 387 5

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