Dragon Magazine #384, Dragon
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
ISSUE 384 | FEbrUary 2010
A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
®
ROLEPLAYING GAME SUPPLEMENT
®
CONTENTS
Features
5
Player’s Handbook 3 debut: tHe battlemind
Get your first look at this new psionic class a full month before the release of
Player’s Handbook 3
.
41
class acts: avenger
By Robert J. Schwalb
Discover the Godsworn—avengers who devote themselves fully to the
destruction of their deity’s enemies.
18
bazaar oF tHe bizarre: legendary Figurines
By Robert J. Schwalb
Figurines of wondrous power
for the paragon and epic tiers.
43
class acts: cleric
By Matt James
New prayers and magic items for battle clerics.
25
Warlock basics
By Matthew Sernett
Get the starter basics for building a bad-ass warlock, as well as some new
feats for your ‘lock character.
45
class acts: Warlord
By Robert J. Schwalb
Discover the commando warlord, fast on his feet and ready to seize whatever
opportunities arise in battle.
25
to Walk unseen PatHs
By Ari Marmell
Learn about those who walk the Unseen Path, rangers who seek to strike
the perfect balance between the world and the Feywild.
48
Winning races: gnomes
By Brian Yablon
Gnomes make poor defenders… or do they? Discover how gnomes protect
their communities from their many foes.
33
class acts: barbarian
By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel
New evocations for two-hander barbarians, emphasizing those that grant
reach.
52
Winning races: eladrin
By Robert J. Schwalb
The winterkin eladrin have potent bonds to the Cold Lands of the feywild.
Learn about this new eladrin bloodline here.
columns
56
class acts: Warlord
By Robert. J. Schwalb
These powers offer the warlord unique powers that enhance his allies’
abilities.
skill powers for Avandra worshipers.
4
editorial
67
design & develoPment
By Mike Mearls
Mike goes into detail in this commentary on the
battlemind class.
60
cHannel divinity: mielikki
By Matthew Sernett
In the Realms, Mielikki is called the Daughter of Silvanus, but learn how her
followers pursue her goals in the world.
68
design & develoPment
By Richard Baker & Rodney Thompson
Rich and Rodney talk about
Martial Power 2
.
64
cHannel divinity: avandra
By Robert J. Schwalb
Avandra shows favor to all adventurers who seize the initiative. Discover new
72
conFessions oF a Full-time Wizard
By Shelly Mazzanoble
D&D
’s “Player-in-Chief ” shares more of her
wisdom and insight.
on tHe cover
Illustration byTyler Jacobson
77
d&d Play rePort
By Chris Tulach
Learn all about the new D&D Encounters program
and how you can get involved!
80
amPersand
By Bill Slavicsek
Bill discusses more of the changes in store for
D&D
in 2009.
Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten realms, Eberron,
D
ungeon
,
D
ragon
, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their
respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.a. and other countries.
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, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events
is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.a. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.
No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons articles, adventures, and information, visit www.wizards.
com/dnd
E D I T oR I A L
384
I GOT A PONY. . .
. . . AND ALL IT COST ME WAS MY PRIDE
Dragon
Fe b r ua r y 2010
Editor-in-Chief Chris youngs
SeniorArtDirector
Jon Schindehette
WebSpecialist
Steve Winter
WebProduction bart Carroll
ContributingAuthors richard baker,
Matt James, Shelly Mazzanoble,
Mike Mearls, aeryn “blackdirge”
Figurines of wondrous power
have a long history in the
Dungeons & Dragons
®
game. They first showed up in
the 1st Edition
Dungeon Master’s Guide
®
core rulebook.
Since then, many designers have added to the list of
ebony f ly
,
golden lions
(pair),
ivory goats
(trio),
marble
elephant
,
obsidian steed
,
onyx dog
, and
serpentine owl
. Later
editions added to the list with the likes of the
jade sea
snake
and the
opal carp
, both available in 4th Edition
games near you. And the
pearl sea horse
.
That’s right, the game now has a
figurine of wondrous
power
that summons a giant aquatic pony. That you can
ride. Did I mention it was also pearl? Not mithral. Not
titanium. Pearl.
I can imagine a less heroic mount or ally, but it takes
some effort. Maybe the purple Peeps figurine? or the
mahogany chipmunk?
As I’ve mentioned in this space before, I play in a
Wednesday night campaign run by Chris Perkins. The
world of Iomandra is composed of a vast sea dotted by
islands of various sizes. We spend a lot of our sessions
aboard ships. In fact, a recent session saw our captured
(read: stolen) ship and another ship assaulted by three
submersible turtle ships crewed by githyanki pirates.
Cool, right? But my point is that we’re on or near the
water a lot.
You’d think that a figurine that lets you waterski
across the water would be a hot commodity.
Jade sea
snake
? Rad.
Opal carp
? Less rad, but I can get behind it.
Enter the
pearl sea horse
. Several months back, our
group recovered one of these. It was near the beginning
of the paragon tier. Keep in mind the aforementioned
proximity of water. Not a one of us manly men (ahem)
would take the sea pony. In fact, the item sat in the
party holding pen, along with spare
healing potions
and
the funds to raise Divin, our party cleric, for two entire
levels.
And then, one day, I’d had enough. After being sty-
mied—yet again—by a seemingly impassable 100-foot
stretch of water, I was done. “You know what? I’ ll take
the pony,” I declared. And I did.
I call him Sharkbait.
Since then, I’ve used Sharkbait at least a dozen times.
I can’t complain. Each time, someone at the table asks
me if I’m enjoying my party dress at my 10th birthday,
or something to that effect. But they shut up when
Sharkbait leaves them in his wake.
This month, we’re adding several new
figurines of won-
drous power
to the game, specifically for the paragon and
epic tiers. Why should heroic characters have all the
fun? Steve and Bart originally pitched this idea. They’re
big fans of the
ebony f ly
and other f lying figurines. You
know, the ones that actually increase your character’s
cool factor. The new figurines are pretty much all of
the kick-ass variety—the
coral dragon
and
mercury wasp
just sound cool, don’t they? As for me, I’ve taken to the
underdog figurines. As soon as I’m able, I’m saving up
for the
tourmaline turtle
.
I think I’ ll call him Shelldon.
What’s your favorite
figurine of wondrous power
? or
even your favorite offbeat magic item? Let us know at
.
rudel, robert J. Schwalb,
Matthew Sernett, bill Slavicsek,
rodney Thompson, Chris Tulach,
brian yablon
Developers Peter Schaefer, Stephen
Schubert, rodney Thompson
Editors Michele Carter, Jeremy Crawford,
Miranda Horner
CoverArtist Tyler Jacobson
ContributingArtists Tyler Jacobson, Chad King,
William O’Connor, Cynthia
Sheppard, Matias Tapia,
Tyler Walpole
PublishingProductionSpecialists angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries,
Christopher Tardiff
WebDevelopment Mark a. Jindra
D&DCreativeManager Christopher Perkins
ExecutiveProducer,
D&DInsider Chris Champagne
DirectorofRPGR&D bill Slavicsek
SpecialThanks
richard baker, Greg bilsland, Michele Carter, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, andy
Collins, bruce r. Cordell, Jeremy Crawford, Peter Lee, Mike Mearls, Kim Mo-
han, Cal Moore, Peter Schaefer, Stephen Schubert, Matthew Sernett, rodney
Thompson, James Wyatt
BATTLEMIND
illustrations by Tyler Jacobsen
“My mind is a far deadlier weapon than some ill-crafted bit of iron.”
For design insights on the battlemind, check out the companion Design & Development article
.
As wanderers, mercenaries, and adventurers, battleminds are carefree warriors who seek only to test
their skill against the mightiest and most dangerous opponents. Battleminds possess a potent combina-
tion of psionic and physical skill, allowing them to use their magic to manipulate and deceive their foes
even as their fighting skill lets them carve a swath through enemy ranks. Battleminds tend to be bold
and sometimes arrogant, an attitude earned through bringing ruin to enemies over the course of many
conf licts.
You might not share your fellow battleminds’ arrogance, but you do have access to an array of
combat abilities that let you manipulate, baff le, and defeat your enemies. Your mind is as deadly as your
weapon, and with the aid of your psionic magic, your body can turn aside attacks as effectively as a suit
of plate armor can.
Let those who would stand against your might quiver in terror when you approach, for you are a
battlemind, and supremacy in combat is your birthright.
TM & © 2009 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
Fe b r ua r y 2010
|
Dragon 384
5
By Mike Mearls
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]