Dragon #387, MAGAZINES, Dragon Magazine
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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.
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
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.
TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. all rights reserved.
Ma y 2010
|
Dragon 387
5
ENVOYS TO THE
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