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lady_skuld
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Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:10 pm

I know some of you are relatively fresh to the game. So here's what I'm going to do to help you get aquianted with the workings. I'm going to go through and give you brief summaries of the roles in a party, the specific classes, the books you can find them in, and hopefully anything else which doesn't make sense off the bat.

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:25 pm

Roles

There are certain roles in any given party, and these roles help contribute different things to a party's survival. When considering what kind of player to be, first debate what kind of role you wish to have. These definitions will be copied directly from the book, page 14 of the Player's hand book, but you may wish to instead quick reference this, because I'll have compiled from all other sources.

Defender:
You probably know this as the "tank" class. You soak up damage like a sponge, boasting high hp and AC. The best offense is a good defense, as your allies lob in high powered artillery rounds of whoopass over your head.

Defenders have the highest defenses in the game and good close-up offense. They are the party’s front-line combatants; wherever they’re standing, that’s where the action is. Defenders have abilities and powers that make it difficult for enemies to move past them or toignore them in battle.

These are your Fighters, Paladins, and Wardens

Controller:
These guys are the crowd control class. Controllers deal with large numbers of enemies at the same time. They favor offense over defense, using powers that deal damage to multiple foes at once, as well as subtler powers that weaken, confuse, or delay their foes.

Also known as Manipulators, these fighters are primarily for those who focus on damage through tactics, rather than sheer force.

Best Examples are: Druid, Invoker, Wizard

Leader:
Leaders inspire, heal, and aid the other characters in an adventuring group. Leaders have good defenses, but their strength lies in powers that protect their companions and target specific foes for the party to
concentrate on.

Clerics and warlords (and other leaders) encourage and motivate their adventuring companions, but just because they fill the leader role doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a group’s spokesperson or commander. The party leader—if the group has one—might as easily be a charismatic warlock or an authoritative paladin. Leaders (the role) fulfill their function through their mechanics; party leaders are born through roleplaying.

If you prefer to assist others, instead of doing damage, taking damage, or generally anything else, this is your role.

Best examples are Bards, Clerics, Shaman, Warlord

Strikers:
These guys are the DPS of the group. Strikers specialize in dealing high amounts of damage to a single target at a time. They have the most concentrated offense of any character in the game. Strikers rely on superior mobility, trickery, or magic to move around tough foes and single out the enemy they want to attack.

If you're the kind of person who likes hitting hard, hitting fast, and not so concerned with doing anything but that, this is your role.

Best strikers are Avengers, Barbarians, Rangers, Rogues, Sorcerers, and Warlocks.

lady_skuld
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lady_skuld
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:56 pm

The Defenders

Once you've decided how you like to fight, next comes the more difficult task of knowing the more precise ways of fighting. I'm going to list the various descriptions, builds, and recommended races for each (in case you enjoy a bit of min-maxing).

Do note that things with a star (*) by them will have certain rules and issues to deal with; while I am allowing them in, they come from other campaigns and the like, which are best suited by getting supplemental materials not yet listed. Also note, I'm being very nice and separating these by the role they play in the party...

Fighters - Page 75 of PHB
The classic sword and shield fighter is a bit of a misnomer of sorts. Boasting high HP and AC, the fighter is the rough and tumble, teeth gnashing, pit fighting, powerhouse that generally can be called a 'warrior'. While it could range from a human knight to an orcish infantry, the Fighter is a stalwart class that few can ignore.

Fighters are determined combat adepts trained to protect the other members of their adventuring groups. Fighters define the front line by bashing and slicing foes into submission while reflecting enemy attacks through the use of heavy armor. Fighters draw weapons for gold, for glory, for duty, and for the mere joy of unrestrained martial exercise.

Features:
-Fighters can mark opponents, who must attack the fighter or risk penalty.
-Fighters are adept at taking full combat advantage, gaining great bonuses.
-A weapon is a fighter's second hand. His familiarity with it makes him more deadly than others with it.

Type of builds:
- Great Weapon Fighter: You prefer big two-handed weapons such as the greatsword or greataxe. You’re more interested in fighting hard than fighting smart.

- Guardian Fighter: You’re willing to trade offense for superior defenses and better ability to control the battlefield around you. You fight with a heavy shield and a good one-handed weapon, such as a longsword, flail, or battleaxe.

- Battlerager Fighter (in Martial Power): Few aspects of life give you the charge that being in the heat of battle does, and you build up a fury when your enemies manage to hurt you. You thrive on taking it to those foes by wielding highly damaging weapons such as axes, maces, hammers, and picks.

- Tempest Fighter (In Martial Power): Rather than a shield or a big weapon, you have specialized in fighting using a weapon in each hand. You see it as the best of both worlds—given the right training, you can deliver good damage and make up for the lack of a shield with deft parrying.

Power source: Martial
Key Abilities: Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution

Races Best suited:
Dragonborn, Dwarf, Genasi*, Goliath, Half-orc, Human, Shifter, Warforged*

Paladins - Page 89 of PHB
A fighter is a deadly force. A paladin is a fighter with god on his side. These defenders are the kind you're scared of fighting, for good reason. Gods are powerful, and with physical brawn and divine intervention, they are very scary indeed.

Paladins are indomitable warriors who’ve pledged their prowess to something greater than themselves. Paladins smite enemies with divine authority, bolster the courage of nearby companions, and radiate as if a beacon of inextinguishable hope. Paladins are transfigured on the field of battle, exemplars of divine ethos in action.

To you is given the responsibility to unflinchingly stand before an enemy’s charge, smiting them with your sword while protecting your allies with your sacrifice. Where others waver and wonder, your motivation is pure and simple, and your devotion is your strength. Where others scheme and steal, you take the high road, refusing to allow the illusions of temptation to dissuade you from your obligations.

Features:
- Can help others with lay on hands.
- Can channel divinity powers.
- Can force opponents to attack them instead of enemies.

Type of builds:
- Avenging Paladin: You burn with the desire to punish the wicked and smite the unbelievers. In your view, the best way to safeguard your allies is to destroy your enemies with divine power and overwhelming attacks.

- Protecting Paladin: You emphasize defense, guarding your allies, and healing and bolstering them with a few of your powers. You do not deal as much damage as the avenging paladin, but you are better at dealing with a wider array of situations.

- Ardent Paladin (from Divine Power): Your brutal assaults demonstrate the power of your god's wrath. You're more like a striker than other paladins are. You willingly sacrifice your own health and defense to strike down your foes, even giving up some healing ability to be a more powerful attacker.

- Virtuous Paladin (from Divine Power): You are a tower of faith; enchantments and dreadful powers wielded by your foes can find little purchase in your devoted heart. Like the protecting paladin, you shield your companions, but you do so while protecting yourself so that you can stay in the fight. No matter how your enemies attack you, you excel at resisting conditions that would impede others. As a warrior of exceptional piety, you also make more use of your holy symbol than other paladins do.

Power source: Divine
Key Abilities: Key Abilities: Strength, Charisma, Wisdom

Races Best suited:
Dragonborn, Dwarf, Human, *Kalashtar, Shifter (longtooth), *Warforged

*Swordmage - Page 24 of Forgotten Realms
Upcoming

Features:
- Can summon their swords.
- Places wards on opponents for added bonuses.
- can use magnetism to increase AC.

Type of builds:
- Assault Swordmage: Your style of combat focuses on flashy attacks that call up elemental forces and throw your opponents around the battlefield. This method of aggressive swordmage combat spread from Returned Abeir to Toril through the heritage of the anarchs of Shyr.

- You protect your allies with magical shields of force—and by keeping enemies away from them. This heritage is embodied by the Coronal Guard tradition, a discipline that can be traced over a thousand years to the armathors, the elite guards of the coronal of Myth Drannor.

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Strength, Constitution

Races Best suited:
*Genasi, Goliath, Human, *Warforged

Wardens - Page 152 of PHB2
Upcoming

Features:
-Can make more saving throws against ongoing damage.
-Can use primal forces to augment their abilities.
-Can mark more opponents than other defenders, and use natural powers.

Type of builds:
Earth Warden: You draw primal power through a link with the land, and the power of the earth strengthens and sustains you. Select powers that channel primal energy through the land around you, hindering your foes’ movement or knocking them prone. You lean toward controller as a secondary role.

Wild Warden: Your blood is a medium of primal power; nature’s vigor pulses in your veins.

Life Warden (from Primal Power): By drawing deep on the primal currents flowing through all things, you wield the power that was the first spark of life in the mortal realm. With that power, you shelter the world from its harshest enemies, bolstering your allies even as you defend the land.

Storm Warden (from Primal Power): The strength ofthe storm is the epitome of primal power, from the screaming winds and relentless snows of the highest mountains to the lashing rains and blistering lightning of a summer thunderstorm. Although all wardens draw power from nature, the storm warden has the strongest connection to nature's wrath.

Power source: Primal
Key Abilities: Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Wisdom

Races Best suited:
Dwarf, Goliath, Human, Longtooth Shifter, *Warforged

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:18 pm

The Controllers

Druid - Page 82 of PHB2
Secretive and enigmatic, druids call the wilderness their home. They are capable of running with a wolf pack, speaking with the most ancient trees, and watching thunderstorms from atop the clouds themselves. They regard challenges as tests, both of their fitness and of their connection with the wild places of the world. And though many druids project an outward calm, they have the cunning of the beast and the fury of the storm.

Whether you were born to the wilds or retreated from civilization, whether you chose your path or answered a call that whispered in your heart, you
share a bond with the primal spirits of nature. You are neither their servant nor their master, but winds, trees, and beasts heed your words, for they recognize you as kin.

Call to the spirits, and they will entangle your foes or smite your enemies with the storm. Unleash your own spirit, and you will become the Primal Beast, uncaged and untamed.

Features:
- You get one bonus at will power, with shapeshifting.
- You gain a primal aspect to boost your power.
- Rituals are given freely, without need for a feat.

Type of builds:
- Guardian Druid: As a guardian druid, you are a protector of the land and those who rely on it. Yours is the magic of earth, forest, and sky, the enduring aspects of nature that outlive any mortal tyrant.

- Predator Druid: As a predator druid, you hunt down and destroy those who despoil the natural world. Yours is the magic of the bared fang, the stalking wolf pack, and the blood-red moon. Your powers make striker your secondary role, with a focus on dealing significant damage along with your control effects.

- Swarm Druid: Druids call on forces associated with primal magic, such as beasts, plants, storms, and the earth. Swarm druids prefer to call on a particular primal force: insect swarms. Such druids see great strength in the unity ofpurpose and combined might ofa colony of ants or a nest of hornets.

- Summoner Druid: You are a champion of nature, a leader ofspirits, and a summoner offeral beasts. You place your trust in the magic of the hunting tiger. the stalking wolf, and the shrieking hawk. The creatures you summon obey your every command, yet ifyou fail to guide them, they act according to their instincts.

Power source: Primal
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution

Races Best suited:
Dwarf, Elf, Human, Razorclaw Shifter

Invoker - Page 100 of PHB2
At the dawn of time, the gods who inhabited the Astral Sea warred with the primordials of the Elemental Chaos, the mighty beings who shaped the world out of formless void. The greatest of the gods’ mortal agents in that war were invokers, imbued with a fragment of the gods’ own might to fight alongside them. No other mortal servant of the gods can claim the same kind of power. Through rites of investiture, avengers, clerics, and paladins gain the ability to manifest echoes of that power, uttering careful
prayers and channeling divine energy through their holy symbols. You, however, channel your god’s power directly. No mere symbol can contain it, for you speak the words of creation, shaping the universe to your and your god’s will.

Perhaps you were trained in a secret monastery, or you studied in a library where the universe’s oldest lore was preserved. Or perhaps you experienced the presence of your god firsthand and took a shard of divine power into yourself. You might even be an immortal born into flesh, slowly awakening to the awesome divine power that is your birthright. Whatever
your past, you are among the gods’ most trusted servants, bound to a covenant in which you swore to use divine power with great care. To what end will you wield that might?

Features:
- Can Channel Divinities
- Access the Ritual Casting Feat automatically
- Have covenant that adds bonuses to all attacks.

Type of builds:
- Preserving Invoker: You defend your allies, combining defensive magic with prayers that hinder or prevent your enemies’ attacks. Choose powers that grant defensive benefits to your allies or penalties to your enemies.

- Wrathful Invoker: You are an instrument of divine wrath, smiting those who have the temerity to doubt the reach of your god’s power.

- Malediction Invoker (From Divine Power): The malediction invoker build is based upon the Covenant of Malediction. The Malediction invoker employs dread words of power to eradicate the gods' foes. These words of power come from the gods' lexicon, the very words of creation. The words are frequently too potent for mortals, imperiling the health and sanity of those who speak them.

Power source: Divine
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Constitution, Intelligence

Races Best suited:
Deva, Dwarf, Human

Wizard - Page 156 of PHB
The classic controller, Wizards are scions of arcane magic. Wizards tap the true power that permeates the cosmos, research esoteric rituals that can alter time and space, and hurl balls of fire that incinerate massed foes. Wizards wield spells the way warriors brandish swords.

Magic lured you into its grasp, and now you seek to master it in turn. You could be a bespectacled sage searching for dusty tomes in forgotten sepulchers, a scarred war mage plying foes with fireballs and foul language in equal measure, a disgruntled apprentice who absconded with your master’s spellbooks, an eladrin upholding the magical tradition of your race, or even a power-hungry student of magic who might do anything to learn a new spell. A cloak of spells enfolds you, ancient rituals bolster your senses, and runed implements of your craft hang from your belt. Effervescing arcane lore pulses through your consciousness, a constant pressure craving release. When will you know enough magic to storm the ramparts of reality itself?

Features:
- Can gain special benefits with implements.
- Know Cantrips (common magic)
- Gain Ritual Casting
- Gain a free spellbook

Type of builds:
- Control Wizard: Your favorite powers restrict your enemies in various ways—crushing them in the coils of a lightning serpent, trapping them in a cloud of noxious vapor, or encasing them in ice.

- War Wizard: Your delight is in powers that deal damage—lots of damage, to many foes at a time. Enormous bursts of fire, searing bolts of lightning, and waves of caustic acid are your weapons.

- Illusionist Wizard: Your Mysterious powers cloud the mind and assault the senses. The imaginary landscapes and phantasmal creatures you create impede, distract, and redirect your foes. Nothing is as it seems when you're in control.

- Summoner Wizard: Terrifying creatures obey your call, and you order them to aid you and to fight for you. In addition to binding these monsters, you are skilled at conjuring objects made of magical energy to impede or harm your foes. You must use your own actions to control your summoned monsters, so your role in combat is quite different from that of other wizards.

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity

Races Best suited:
Deva, Eladrin, Elf, Human, Razortooth Shifter.

lady_skuld
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lady_skuld
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:23 pm

The Leaders

*Artificer - Page 44 of Eberron

Artificers treat mastery of magic like a technical skill. They see patterns in energy and matter, and they understand how to manipulate the flow of magic in and around objects and creatures. Artificers channel energy into items using magical components, diagrams, and complex chains of sigils. Their skills let them assemble a magic device for any situation.

As an artificer, you might be a formal student of magic who became interested in artifacts and arcane items. Alternatively, you could be a tinkerer who devised magic tools in a musty basement. Or perhaps you are an explorer who found your knowledge in the forgotten places of the world. Whatever the source of your talents, a passion for the technical components of magic drives you to perfect your art.

With a bandolier slung across your chest, you carry an arsenal of alchemical compounds, magic implements, mundane materials, and tools. Your weapons, implements, and other gear are inscribed with runes and mystic patterns. You mix reagents, drink potions, and craft items. You use your knowledge to infuse yourself and your allies with arcane power. And one day, your magical skills will carry you into legend.

Features:
- Can augment or impart energy into items.
- Can infuse items to heal when used.
- Can ritually cast without a feat.

Type of builds:
- Tinkerer artificer: Using whatever materials are on hand, you empower
weapons and armors and even create allies. You imbue each of your creations with magic, elemental spirits, and a spark of life, giving it the power to perform a specific task.

- Battlesmith artificer: You weave strands of magic and thread them into
items and allies. With these infusions, weapons become stronger, armor becomes tougher, and allies become more durable.

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Constitution, Wisdom

Races Best suited:
Devas, Dwarves, Humans

Bard - Page 66 of PHB2
Bards are artists first and foremost, and they practice magic just as they practice song, drama, or poetry. They have a clear sense of how people perceive reality, so they master charm magic and some illusions. Sagas of great heroes are part of a bard’s repertoire, and most bards follow the example of many fables and become skilled in a variety of fields. A bard’s artistic ability, knowledge of lore, and arcane might are widely respected, particularly among the world’s rulers.

Art and magic share a sublime beauty, and, as a bard, you seek the place where the two meet. You might be a naturally talented wanderer who casts impressive spells almost instinctively, a student of a bardic college who learned ordered systems of magic and epic poetry, a warrior skald who mixes skill at arms with thundering music, a dashing performer known for putting on a good show even for your enemies, or a perfectionist who seeks the consummate formula that blends art and magic into a higher force.

A steady rhythm beats in the back of your mind as you brandish your sword. Your eyes and ears pick up the motion of the villains that surround you, and one glance tells you everything you need to know to defeat them. You whistle three staccato notes, letting your allies know the symphony of battle is about to begin.

Features:
- Multiclass versatility
- Skill Versatility
- Special Bardic powers
- Ritual casting feat

Type of builds:
- Cunning Bard: The heroes of the past whom you hold as exemplars overcame adversity and escaped danger using their wits, by tricking their foes and concocting cunning stratagems. You seek to emulate those heroes, combining your winning personality with a keen intellect.

- Valorous Bard: To your mind, the ancient heroes most worthy of emulation are those whose courage in the face of overwhelming odds carried them to victory. Your own fortitude and forceful personality inspire similar valor in your allies.

- Prescient Bard (In Arcane Power): You have the foresight to navigate the twisting roads of luck and fate, emulating those heroes who were able to sense the truths beyond mere reality. By manipulating luck and glimpsing the future, you help your allies exploit every advantage, attacking your enemies' weakest defenses and avoiding mishaps in combat. You wield a ranged weapon, with which you can cast spells at enemies from a distance while inspiring allies.

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Charisma, Intelligence, Constitution

Races Best suited:
*Changeling, Gnome, Half-elf, Human, Tiefling

Cleric - Page 60 of PHB
Clerics are battle leaders who are invested with divine power. They blast foes with magical prayers, bolster and heal companions, and lead the way to victory with a mace in one hand and a holy symbol in the other.

Clerics run the gamut from humble servants of the common folk to ruthless enforcers of evil gods. As a cleric, the deity (or deities) you choose to revere goes a long way toward defining you, or at least how other people in the world see you. You could be a platinum-garbed envoy of Bahamut seeking justice throughout the land, a shadowy follower of Sehanine with a roguish streak, a burly disciple of Kord who believes the virtue of strength is sufficient for all challenges, or a dwarf cleric of Moradin bringing honor to the denizens of your mountain home.

Will you protect what is sacred to your god, quest for legendary holy artifacts, pursue a life of evangelical adventuring, or attempt all these deeds and more?

Features:
- Channels Divinities
- Ritualist Feat
- Uber Healing ability.

Type of builds:
- Striking Cleric: This cleric focuses, as the name suggests, on bashing people on the face with the holy justice of god. Save your friends by inflicting personal pain on your enemies.

- Devoted Cleric: With this build, you choose to stand back and concentrate your abilities on keeping your fellow adventurers healthy and optimized. To this end, choose powers that grant bonuses and healing, such as divine glow and beacon of hope.

- Shielding Cleric: A shielding cleric, you believe your place is not to take the fight to the enemy directly, but to bolster allies with your presence. your prayers lend additional resources to your friends and create opportunities for them to defeat your foes. Yours lis a life of leadership through self sacrifice, ongoing support, and inspiration.

Power source: Divine
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Strength, Charisma

Races Best suited:
Dragonborn, Kalashtar, Human, Longtooth Shifter

Shaman - Page 118 of PHB2
Shamans are inspiring and dangerous battle leaders. They command powerful spirit guides, and through them lead their allies. These nature spirits bolster their allies’ attacks and offer protection and healing when needed.

In a rite of passage or initiation, you pledged yourself to the spirits, to be their voice and hands in the world. Through ancient song and sacred ceremony, you have called a powerful spirit companion to your side. The primal spirits of nature affirm your will, guide the actions of your allies, and deal mighty attacks against your foes. You might be a venerable advisor to a tribal leader, a young traveler seeking to bring tales of a wider world back to your people, or a scholar devoted to the pursuit of nearly forgotten lore.

The spirits and voices of nature guide your every step. Their power flows through you, calling you to lead, to fight, and to triumph.

Features:
- Gain ability to speak to spirits
- Can heal with spirit.
- Gain a spirit pet.

Type of builds:
- Bear Shaman: You excel at protecting your allies and preserving life. Make Wisdom your highest ability score, followed by Constitution so that you can better lend health to your allies.

- Panther Shaman: You wield the spirits’ power to see events before they unfold and to shape them as you like, guiding your allies’ actions in battle.

- Eagle Shaman (From Primal Power): Your spirit companion soars above you and your allies, keeping a watchful eye for hidden enemies and drawing attacks to distant foes. Your role is to guide the attacks of your allies, using your spirit companion to concentrate your allies' ranged attacks on enemies you want to slay or lock down.

- World Speaker Shaman (From Primal Power): You channel the living essence of the primal world and the cycles that define it, giving you command over the field of battle. Your spirit companion acts al most like a defender, preventing enemy movement around it while helping your allies move freely.

Power source: Primal
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Constitution, Intelligence

Races Best suited:
Deva, Dwarf, Human

Warlord - Page xx of PHB
Warlords are accomplished and competent battle leaders. Warlords stand on the front line issuing commands and bolstering their allies while leading the battle with weapon in hand. Warlords know how to rally a team to win a fight.

Your ability to lead others to victory is a direct result of your history. You could be a minor warchief looking to make a name for yourself, a pious knight-commander on leave from your militant order, a youthful noble eager to apply years of training to life outside the castle walls, a calculating mercenary captain, or a courageous marshal of the borderlands who fights to protect the frontier. Regardless of your background, you are a skillful warrior with an uncanny gift for leadership.

The weight of your armor is not a hindrance; it is a familiar comfort. The worn weapon grip molds to your hand as if it were a natural extension of your arm. It’s time to fight and to lead.

Features:
- Grants all party members bonuses to initative.
- Uses presence to influence the battle.
- Access to the Inspiring Word, adding resilience.

Type of builds:
- Inspiring Warlord: You lead by exhortation, encouragement, and inspiration. Your powers help your allies find new surges of courage and endurance within themselves, helping them heal, shrug off debilitating conditions, and defend themselves from attack.

- Tactical Warlord: Your leadership takes the form of quick commands, cunning strategies, and tactical superiority. Your powers guide your allies to extra and more powerful attacks, as well as helping them move quickly in combat situations. You also assist your allies by moving your enemies around or knocking them prone.

- Bravura Warlord (From Martial Power): You lead through a combination of daring attacks and aggressive tactics. Using your powers is risky, but the rewards for success are great. You help your allies find the nerve to profit from bold maneuvers and punch into enemies head-on. Compared to other warlords, you’re oriented more toward handling heavy fighting
yourself, and your attack powers rely mainly on Strength.

- Resourceful Warlord (From martial power): You don’t limit yourself to a particular set of tactics, instead adapting to the mistakes and openings your enemies provide and endeavoring to create opportunities. You lead through a diverse selection of shouted commands, ongoing stratagems, martial stances, and flexible plans. Allies can expect help in a wide variety
of circumstances.

Power source: Martial
Key Abilities: Strength, Intelligence Charisma

Races Best suited:
Changeling*, Dragonborn, Genasi*, Gnome, Human, Tiefling

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:55 pm

The Strikers

Avenger - Page 32 of PHB2
In secret temples far from bustling cities and priestly hierarchies, orders of esoteric warriors train their initiates in ancient traditions now forgotten or forbidden by most religious organizations. The champions of these orders are avengers—deadly weapons in the hands of their gods, imbued with divine power through secret rites of initiation. In battle, avengers swear to execute divine vengeance, entering a mental state that gives them unerring focus on a single enemy.

As an avenger, you were trained in a monastery, initiated through secret rites, and imbued with the power to smite your god’s foes. You might be a disciple of Ioun, sworn to hunt and exterminate the minions of Vecna until you one day face the Maimed God. You could be an agent of the Raven Queen, bringing death to those who would defy your mistress. Or perhaps you serve Bahamut as an agent of justice, bringing ruin to tyrants and oppressors. The organizations devoted to your god might view you as a heretic or a hero, but you answer only to your god and to the vows you swore upon your initiation as an avenger. Where will those vows lead you? One thing is certain: Doing the will of your god is never easy and
never free of peril.

Features:
- Gain bonuses to defense when wearing little armor.
- Can enhance accuracy against targets not attacking you.
- Can channel divine powers.

Type of builds:
- Isolating Avenger: After you swear an oath of enmity, you keep your enemy beside you and drive other foes away. Your powers help you isolate one creature at a time and bring it down quickly and let you take vengeance when that creature’s allies get past your defenses.

- Pursuing Avenger: Once you swear an oath of enmity against an enemy, you pursue that creature wherever it goes. As much as it might try to escape your wrath, your powers let you follow it and punish it for trying to flee.

- Commanding Avenger (from Divine Power): The commanding avenger build is based on the Censure of Unity. Once you have sword your oath of enmity, you hope to surround your target with as many of your allies as possible. If the enemy seeks to flee, your powers enable you to compel it to face you. Alone, you are powerful, but alongside your comrades, you are vengeance incarnate.

Power source: Divine.
Key Abilities: Wisdom, Dexterity, Intelligence

Races Best suited:
Deva, Eladrin, Elf, Human, Razortooth shifter

Barbarian - Page 48 of PHB2
Barbarians are savage warriors who deal out powerful blows from their mighty weapons. They charge from foe to foe and seldom feel the pain of an enemy’s strike. For barbarians’ foes, the moments of greatest terror come when barbarians call upon primal forces to lend power to their raging spirits. These rages, although temporary, give a barbarian incredible powers, a combination of skill, willpower, and a legacy of ancient tribal rituals.

As a barbarian, you have a link to powerful nature spirits and other primal forces bound to the warriors of your tribe by the songs and totems of your legacy. These spirits lend energy to your rages, transforming you into a devastating force on the battlefield. As you become more experienced, these rages transcend mortal limitations, manifesting directly as waves of
elemental power or gifting you with supernatural recuperative powers.

When the heat of battle is upon you, will you respond with a sudden charge that fells with one mighty swing of your weapon, or with a prolonged rage that leaves destroyed foes in your wake?

Features:
- Bonus to Reflex and armor if not using heavy armor.
- Rampage
- Can inspire others, or plow through damage

Type of builds:
- Rageblood Barbarian: You can withstand a great deal of physical punishment, especially when you are in the throes of rage. At higher levels, your powers, particularly your rages, visibly manifest the spirits sacred to your tribe.

- Thaneborn Barbarian: You use primal power to fuel your mighty rages and lend power to your already imposing personal presence. Your combination of physical prowess and charismatic appeal draws allies to you as surely as it fills your foes with fear.

- Thunderborn Barbarian (from Primal Power): Some barbarians can be mistaken for savage warriors bereft of magic, at least until they rage. Whether you are raging or not, no one makes that mistake about you. Your ferocity and power have endeared you to the primal spirits of thunder. They circle around you, waiting for a time when you unleash them on your enemies.

- Whirling Barbarian (From Primal Power): Some barbarians, particularly elves and half-orcs, rely on speed and startling force to slay their enemies. Stories abound of the ability ofsuch barbarians to cut down an entire group ofbandits in the blink of an eye. These whirling barbarians combine supreme speed and agility with great strength.

Power source: Primal
Key Abilities: Strength, Constitution, Charisma

Races Best suited:
Dragonborn, Goliath, Half-elf, Human, Warforged

Ranger - Page 103 of PHB
Rangers are watchful warriors who roam past the horizon to safeguard a region, a principle, or a way of life. Masters of bow and blade, rangers excel at hit-andrun assaults and can quickly and silently eliminate
foes. Rangers lay superb ambushes and excel at avoiding danger.

As a ranger, you possess almost supernaturally keen senses and a deep appreciation for untamed wilderness. With your knowledge of the natural world, you are able to track enemies through nearly any landscape, using the smallest clue to set your course, even sometimes the calls and songs of beasts and birds. Your severe demeanor promises a deadly conclusion to any enemy you hunt.

When you catch sight of your quarry, will the transgressor perish by swift bow shots from a distance, or by the twofold blades that glint and glitter in each of your battle-scarred hands?

Features:
- Can specialize to either ranged combat or melee.
- Can mark a target for extra damage.
- Gets bonus to attack for being close range.

Type of builds:
- Archer Ranger: You are a master of the bow (or, rarely, the crossbow, sling, or thrown weapon). You prefer ranged attack powers, and you resort to melee only when there are no good targets left for your arrows.

- Two Blade Ranger: You like to get up close and rely on the ranger’s famous two-weapon fighting style. Naturally, you prefer melee attack powers, and that means Strength should be your highest ability score. For

- Beastmaster Ranger (from Martial power): A deadly hunter, you specialize in double-teaming your enemies with the aid of a beast companion. Your beast is an extension of you, and thereby it is an invaluable member of your group. No other is needed to help you flank your quarry.

Power source: Martial
Key Abilities: Str, Dex, Wis

Races Best suited:
Elf, Half Orc, Human, Longtooth Shifter, Razortooth Shifter

Rogue - Page 116 of PHB
Rogues are cunning and elusive adversaries. Rogues slip into and out of shadows on a whim, pass anywhere across the field of battle without fear of reprisal, and appear suddenly only to drive home a lethal blade.

As a rogue, you might face others’ preconceptions regarding your motivations, but your nature is your own to mold. You could be an agent fresh from the deposed king’s shattered intelligence network, an accused criminal on the lam seeking to clear your name, a wiry performer whose goals transcend the theatrical stage, a kid trying to turn around your hardluck story, or a daredevil thrill-seeker who can’t get enough of the adrenaline rush of conflict. Or perhaps you are merely in it for the gold, after all.

With a blade up your sleeve and a concealing cloak across your shoulders, you stride forth, eyes alight with anticipation. What worldly wonders and rewards are yours for the taking?

Features:
- Can be a tricky or brawny rogue.
- Have combat advantage against foes who haven't attacked.
- Can make deadly sneak attacks.

Type of builds:
- Brawny Rogue: You like powers that deal plenty of damage, aided by your Strength, and also stun, immobilize, knock down, or push your foes.

- Trickster Rogue: You like powers that deceive and misdirect your foes. You dart in and out of the fray in combat, dodging your enemies’ attacks or redirecting them to other foes. Most of your attack powers rely on Dexterity, so that should be your best ability score.

- Aerialist Rogue (from Martial power): All rogues are known for their agility and daring, but you take both to the next level. Ducking under a giant’s club isn’t enough; you leap over it and cartwheel to safety. You’re a masterful mover and an expert top-story burglar, using your abilities to
tumble into the fray, into high openings, and out of all sorts of tight spots.

- Cutthroat Rogue (from Martial Power): Leave smiles and misdirection to the tricksters. Instead, you use your animal magnetism in a more beastly way, oozing menace and implying a willingness to allow those who cross you to linger in pain. A friendly manner is for the weak; you achieve your
way through tough words, hard looks, and the ability to back up either.

Power source: Martial
Key Abilities: Dex, Str, Cha

Races Best suited:
Changeling*, Dragonborn, Drow, Half-Orc, Halfling, Human

Sorcerer - Page 136 of PHB2
The sorcerer is the arcane antithesis of the wizard. Wielding raw, barely contained magical power, sorcerers channel bursts and blasts of arcane energy through their bodies. They gain their power not through rigorous study of esoteric tomes, but by harnessing magic in their blood, waiting to be tapped and shaped. If wizards wield magic as fighters wield swords, a sorcerer’s magic is the arcing greataxe of a raging barbarian.

You might be a proud dragonborn scion of ancient Arkhosia, calling on the draconic power of your heritage, or perhaps you were bathed in dragon blood as an infant to fill you with that power. You might have been born in a place where planar forces converged in strange eddies, infusing you with chaos, or perhaps you survived implantation of a slaad embryo, which left the taint of chaos upon you.

Magic pulses through your veins, calling on you to give it expression. As it grows ever stronger, will it consume you or transform you into magic incarnate?

Features:
- Follow a specific source of power, which leads to further specialization.

As annoying as it seems, that's what defines the sorcerer.

Type of builds:
- Chaos Sorcerer: Like the arcane power you wield, you can be reckless
and hard to control. Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Select powers that use your high Dexterity to move your enemies, deal extra damage, or impose penalties on your foes.

- Dragon Sorcerer: You command the ancient arcane power that flows through dragons. Make Charisma your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Select powers that use your high Strength to deal extra damage, grant yourself a bonus, or hinder your enemies.

- Storm Sorcerer (from Arcane Power): The raw and unbridled fury of storm powers your spells. While others might flee a storm, you embrace
its power, internalize the force, and then unleash it. The impetuous, unpredictable power resident in the storm is your greatest ally. Like a tempest, you never give up and never give in until you are completely
spent.

- Cosmic Sorcerer (From Arcane Power): The sun, the moon, and the stars speak to you in the voiceless language of cycles. The natural flow of the seasons tugs at your blood as the tide acts upon the oceans, pushing and pulling with gentle insistence regardless of the storm's fury, the dragon's flight, or the antics of otherworldly primordials. Just as the constellations move around the sky in a steady, imperturbable cadence, your spells are strong and unshakable, and tied to energies that can outlast all others.

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Charisma, Dexterity, Strength

Races Best suited:
Changeling*, Dragonborn, Drow, Half-Orc, Halfing, Human

Warlock - Page 129 of PHB
Warlocks channel arcane might wrested from primeval entities. They commune with infernal intelligences and fey spirits, scour enemies with potent blasts of eldritch power, and bedevil foes with hexing curses. Armed with esoteric secrets and dangerous lore, warlocks are clever and resourceful foes.

However you came to your arcane knowledge, you need not accept the poor reputation warlocks sometimes endure. You could be a libram-toting scholar captivated by ominous lore, a foot-loose wanderer searching for elusive ultimate truths, a devil-touched hunter using infernal spells to eliminate evil, or even a black-clad mercenary who uses sinister trappings to discourage prying strangers and unwanted attention.

On the other hand, you could be a true diabolist using your gifts to tyrannize the weak—some warlocks unfortunately are exactly that. The pacts are complete. The rites have concluded. The signs are drawn in blood, and the seals are broken. Your destiny beckons.

Features:
- Automatically gain the eldritch blast power
- Make a pact with a specific entity to enhance spells and skills.
- Gain the Shadow Walk feature, and curse others for more damage.
- Gain bonus to attack when close in combat.

Type of builds:
- Deceptive Warlock: You prefer spells that deal a little less damage, but that inflict a variety of penalties and negative conditions on your foe. You’d rather fight at range and avoid getting caught in close-up battles.

- Scourge warlock: No subtlety here—you want to deal damage. You’re tougher than the deceptive warlock, and you’ve got powers to help you attack and defend in melee, as well as excellent ranged attacks.

= Many of the different builds come from the pacts forged. Fey, Eldritch, Infernal are the three main ones, but Vestige (from Arcane power) and Dark (from forgotten realms) are also available, depending on tastes.=

Power source: Arcane
Key Abilities: Charisma, Constitution, Intelligence

Races Best suited:
Changeling*, Gnome, Half-Elf, Human, Tiefling

lady_skuld
Vice Captain

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lady_skuld
Vice Captain

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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:58 pm

Races

In our world, the word "race" just really means a different genetic trait between humankind. In truth, the "races" of D&D are more akin to that of species. But besides this annoying detail, the races each have benefits that allow them to live in the world. In the Vale, each race is present, although it may be wise to acquaint yourself with your RP ego's habits, lore, and whatnot.

Natives to the Vale:

Dragonborn
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The Dragonborn are a tall, proud race, heirs to the ancient empire of Arkhosia, though few remain compared to what they once were. Honor and respect, noble guardians of truth, justice, and courage, these true warriors had to do something when the word of the Vale spread to their ears. Tiamat, the sinful dragoness of greed and evil, had opened up her breath upon the Elsir, and by Bahamut's call, the Dragonborn came.

By no means really 'native' to the lands, in the last fourty years many dragonborn have flocked to rectify the past, and lend aid in the vale in such that others may understand the true power of a dragon.
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Dwarf
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Moradin shaped the lands, and with it, gave birth to the Dwarvish race. The first race to 'claim' the Vale, the tales of the first dwarf explorer venturing outside the Hammerfist Holds in the south still are told around a brew or fire to this day. Tradition, honor, and family rule to this day, and the pious dwarven race continues to live, fight, and stay true like the mountains they were carved from.

The history of the Dwarf influence can be seen everywhere in the Vale; it's long and rich command being far too much to describe. Constantly fighting against the giant hordes and the red hand, many have found that the lands outside their home to be a violent one. Though, by their hand, it has been save countless times, only proving the stubbornness of dwarves cannot be stopped by mere force of arms.
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Elf
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