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B a s I c S e t : P l a y e r s B o o k

REDUX by ReduxDM

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Special Thanks To: Ive had the pleasure to game with so many different players and groups

over the years. From quick one-shots to epic long campaigns, each game has had an influence on this Redux. I couldnt possibly list every person that has an influence on my gaming life, but I have done my best to mention, at the least, those groups of players that I gamed with the longest. So here they are, in general order of appearance in my life, each group of players that I have met and slung dice with over the years.

Aurash, Chris, Kevin, Mike, Phillip, and Rick: None of us exactly knew

how to play at first (clerics with spellbooks?), but it didnt stop us from having some grand adventures. I ran my longest Dark Sun campaign with you guys. You helped assassinate a despotic sorcerer-king and almost saved Tyr from the marching Urikite armythat is until that unfortunate incident with Aurashs thri-kreen gladiator getting charmed and turning his 5 attacks per round against you all. Sweet justice.

Eric, James, Jay, Kender, Matt, and Wayne: You guys introduced me to a

whole new world of games in Palladium. My most memorable moments are

with Lothar, Suso, and Selwyn however. What started out as a one-shot near Arabel turned into a world-spanning campaign that ended on an asteroid of all places.

Rob, Sal, Shannon, and Teo: Some of my favorite sessions of all time

come from gaming with you all. Ill never forget our Call of Cthulhu adven-ture with everyone staying in character like some fuckin thespians. Oh, and thanks for introducing me to my gamer wife. That was pretty cool too.

James, Jessica, Mei and Shawn: You were the first group to survive the

dungeons of Quasqueton. In Search of the Unknown was your first adventure with me and it is the first one that I took the time to Redux. Tokuro and Kor-bort are still out there. And they are still looking for you. Maybe Ned Shakeshaft is too.

Sal: Your passing was much too soonfor us and for the world. I wish I

could have gamed with you more, talked with you more, and simply gotten to know you more. You made every game fun, even when your character got the worst of a water nymph encounter.

Credits Game Designers: Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, David Zeb Cook, Monte Cook, Richard Baker, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams, David Kenzer, Jolly Black-burn, Fred Hicks, Rob Donoghue, and Michael Curtis. This Redux borrows design concepts and rules from all of these men. Playtesters: Sal, Teo, Rob, Shannon, and Eric. I love gaming with you guys. We miss you Sal. Layout and Typesetting: ReduxDM Cover Art: Jeff Easley Interior Art: Brendon Fraim, Brian Fraim, Tom Baxa, George Vrbanic. There at least two others that I couldnt find credit for. Redux: ReduxDM

Too numerous to mention by name are the hundreds of other game designers, players, playtesters and artists that had a hand in the original source material for this Redux.

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Foreword to the Redux Edition

I was twelve when I first encountered Dungeons & Dragons. I had already been introduced to the works of Tol-kien, Le Guin, and Howard. I had managed to find my way to the Lonewolf series and even ran all of my friends through the dungeons of HeroQuest. Around this time I had been aware of some sort of fantasy game called Dun-geons and Dragons, but I had no idea how to play or where to find this elusive game. It was only through chance one day that I stumbled upon an old box in the attic that my step-brother left behind when he moved out-of-state.

Inside was his old collection of games: The D&D Basic and Expert Sets, The AD&D Monster Manual, a few mod-ules (Tomb of Horrors, the Slavers series), and the Gamma World, Top Secret, and MERP box sets. This started my school-yard friends and I on a journey that we have since been on for over 20 years.

During that time I have played every edition of Dungeons & Dragons as well as a long list of other RPGs that Im unsure would even fit on this page that Ive allotted myself. From rule-systems, to settings, to GM creativity, there was always something positive that I could take away from every game. What you hold in your hands now is the prod-uct of multiple years of tinkering with the D&D rules, absorbing aspects of each edition that I have enjoyed into one custom Redux.

The overall feel of the Redux are most heavily influenced by the Basic and Expert sets on which I first cut my role-playing teeth. The division of races and classes as found in AD&D are here though, along with some of the AD&D take on character advancement. The Redux initiative system was snatched, just about whole-cloth, from the Players Options: Combat & Tactics book. I borrowed the elegance of 3rd editions ability to make the core rules a bit easi-er to understand for new or casual players. You will recognize ascending AC and Attack Bonus from here. Finally, from the yet to be officially released 5th edition, I borrowed the Advantage/Disadvantage system as well as the background and proficiency system.

Games outside of D&D have had an influence on Redux as well. From Dungeon Crawl Classics I borrowed the warriors Feat Die and the rogues Backstab Die. From DCC I also used similar mechanics for some the spell-casting systems in Redux. The rogues luck system is a take on the Luck system in HackMaster 5th edition. Even Fate has an influence on Redux in the form of Consequences and Inspiration Points. Most of the art in this particular Redux comes from the Fraim brothers work in HackMaster 4th Edition.

There is a setting associated with this Redux. Of all of the basic fantasy settings I have read and gamed in, the Kingdoms of Kalamar has been the most internally consistent and extremely detailed while still offering players a chance to become the real heroes of the setting and never having to take back-seat to meta-plot from novels or high-level NPCs. However, the setting detail in this Basic Set is not so overwhelming that you cant drop the rules into any setting of your choice.

If you are reading this, then you already one of my personal friends that I have already shared many adventures with. I look forward to creating more stories with all of you.

ReduxDM March, 2014

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Introduction ........................................................ 5

Chapter 1: How to Play ....................................... 6 Basic Rules ........................................................................... 8 Ability Scores ........................................................................ 9 Creating a Character ........................................................... 10

Chapter 2: Races ............................................... 12 Race Descriptions ................................................................ 14 Humans ............................................................................. 15 Dwarves ............................................................................ 17 Elves ................................................................................. 18 Halflings ............................................................................ 19

Chapter 3: Classes............................................. 20 Class Descriptions ............................................................... 22 Warrior ............................................................................. 23 Priest ................................................................................. 24 Rogue ............................................................................... 25 Wizard ............................................................................. 26 Multi-Class Characters .......................................................... 27

Chapter 4: Backgrounds and Skills .................... 28 Backgrounds ...................................................................... 30 Skills ................................................................................. 33

Chapter 5: Equipment........................................ 34 Equipping a Character ......................................................... 36 Wealth and Money ............................................................. 36 Weapons .......................................................................... 37 Armor ................................................................................ 39 Goods and Services ............................................................ 40

Chapter 6: Combat ........................................... 42 Combat Sequence .............................................................. 44 Movement in Combat .......................................................... 45Actions in Combat ............................................................... 45 Attack Basics ...................................................................... 47 Mighty Feats of Arms ........................................................... 48 Damage and Dying ............................................................. 48 Resting .............................................................................. 50 Example of Combat ............................................................. 50

Chapter 7: Adventuring .................................... 52 Time ................................................................................. 54 Movement ......................................................................... 54 Falling ............................................................................... 55 Carrying Capacity .............................................................. 55 Stealth ............................................................................... 55 Perception.......................................................................... 55 Illumination ......................................................................... 56 Experience and Levels .......................................................... 57 Treasure ............................................................................ 57 Other Rewards ................................................................... 57

Chapter 8: Magic .............................................. 58 Arcane Magic .................................................................... 60 Divine Magic ..................................................................... 61 Casting Spells .................................................................... 62 Spell Descriptions ................................................................ 62

Chapter 9: Spells .............................................. 64

Index ................................................................ 71

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Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the game that has defined the fantastic imagination for over a quarter of a century.

When you play the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, you create a unique fictional character that lives in your imagination and the imaginations of your friends. One person in the game, the Dungeon Master (DM), controls the monsters and people that live in the fantasy world. You and your friends face the dangers and explore the mysteries your Dungeon Master sets before you.

Each characters imaginary life is different. Your character might:

x Explore ancient ruins guarded by devious traps. x put loathsome monsters to the sword. x loot the tomb of a long-forgotten wizard. x cast mighty spells to burn and blast your foes. x solve diabolical mysteries. x find magic weapons, rings, and other items. x make peace between warring tribes. x get brought back from the dead. x face undead creatures that can drain life away with a touch. x sneak into a castle to spy on the enemy. x travel to other planes of existence. x wrestle a carnivorous ape. x forge a magic wand. x get turned to stone. x get turned into a toad. x turn someone else into a toad. x become king or queen. x discover unique and powerful artifacts of amazing magical power. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

To start playing the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, all you need are the following:

x The Basic Set: Players Handbook, which tells you how to create and play

your character. x A copy of the character sheet. x A pencil and scratch paper (graph paper is nice to have, too). x At least one set of polyhedral dice: a four-sided die (d4), a six-sided dice

(d6), an eight-sided die (d8), a ten-sided dice (d10), a twelve-sided die (d12), and a twenty-sided die (d20).

x Optionally, a miniature figure to represent your character in the game. Additionally, the Dungeon Master needs the Basic Set: Dungeon Masters

Guide, which is filled with advice, ideas, and guidelines, and also includes magic items and monsters with which to reward and challenge the players.

THE PLAYERS HANDBOOK

This book gives you everything you need to create and play your charac-ter. It features the following chapters:

How to Play (Chapter 1): A single, streamlined system for determining how successful an action is in the game.

Races (Chapter 2): Four distinct character races (humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings), each with unique features.

Classes (Chapter 3): Four character classes (warriors, priests, rogues, and wizards), each of which has features to make it work well at every level. Also, a versatile system for multi-classing allows players to combine the fea-tures of any classes.

Backgrounds and Skills (Chapter 4): Fourteen character backgrounds that range from commoner to bounty hunter. Also included are skills that govern everything from a rogues stealth to a wizards arcane knowledge.

Equipment (Chapter 5): Weapons and armor from the common to the ex-oticincluding the reliable longsword, the large two-handed sword, a

crossbows, and plate armorplus all the gear that adventurers need to stay alive.

Combat (Chapter 6): Critical hits, combat actions such as charge or dodge, fighting with two weapons, and rules for all the unpredictable ma-neuvers and challenges that adventurers face on the field of battle.

Adventuring (Chapter 7): Getting around the fantasy world, and gaining in power over time.

Magic (Chapter 8): Learning, preparing, and casting spells. Spells (Chapter 9): Spells from level 1 to level 2 for priests and wizards.

DICE

The rules abbreviate dice rolls with phrases such as 3d4+3 (which means three four-sided dice plus 3, generating a number between 6 and 15). The first number tells you how many dice to roll (all of which are added together), the number after the d tells you what type of dice to use, and any number after that indicates a number added to or subtracted from the result.

Some examples include the following: 1d8: One eight-sided die (generating a number from 1-8). This is the

amount of damage a longsword deals. 1d8+2: One eight-sided die plus 2 (3-10). This is the amount of damage that a longsword deals when swung by a character with a +2 Strength bonus.

2d4+2: Two four-sided dice plus 2 (4-10). This is the amount of damage that a 3rd-level wizard deals with a magic missile spell.

d%: The d% (percentile dice) is a special case. When you roll d%, you generate a number between 1 and 100 by rolling two different colored ten-sided dice. One color (designated before you roll) is the tens digit and the other is the ones digit. A roll of 7 and 1, for example, give youre a result of 71. A 0 and 6 equals 6. A double-0 (two zeros), however, represents 100. Some pairs of percentile dice are both the same color. In this case, the tens digit is marked on the tens die in tens: 00, 10, 20, etc., while the ones die has numbers from 1 to 0. With these dice a roll of 70 and 1 would give you a result of 71, and a result of 00 and 0 would be 100.

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How to Play

Chapter 1: How to Play

Chapter One

How to Play

Where were going, there is no board. This game takes place in the Theatre of the Mind.

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How to Play

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HHHHHooooowwwwww ttttttoooooo PPPPPllllllaaaaayyyyyyy

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How to Play

The adventures that unfold in DUNGEONS & DRAGONS take place in your imagination. The Dungeon Master describes environments and circumstanc-es, and you and your fellow players, using your imaginations, respond by asking questions, describing your characters actions, and testing your char-acters abilities to overcome obstacles and foes. This shared imaginary envi-ronment hosts the chambers you explore, the battles you fight, and the en-counters you experience.

If youre a player, these rules assume that you have a set of polyhedral dice, a character sheet, and something to take notes with. If youre the DM, you should have dice, a way to take notes, and an adventure, either a pub-lished adventure or one of your own creation. You can use whatever visual aids enhance your enjoyment of the gameminiatures, maps, and the likeor use none at all.

Most of this material in this chapter is directed at an individual player, but the rules are for players and DMs alike.

BASIC RULES You do things in the game by first describing the thing you want your

character to do. The DM then responds to your description, and might ask you to use one of your characters ability scores to help determine success.

You use your ability scores and their modifiers to interact with the game world in three basic ways: ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. All three involve rolling a d20, applying any relevant bonuses and penalties (collectively called modifiers), and comparing the total to a target number. If the total meets or beats that number, the task succeeds.

ABILITY CHECKS

An ability check is a test to see if your innate talent and training are enough to overcome a challenge. Most of the time, you must make an ability check because the DM has determined that an action you want to attempt has a chance of failure. The outcome is uncertain, and your DM turns to the dice to determine your fate.

When you need to make an ability check, your DM asks you to make it using an ability of his choice. The DM chooses the ability that applies best to the task at hand.

To make an ability check, first look at the relevant ability on your character sheet. The ability has both a score and a modifier. Then follow these steps.

1. Roll the die: Roll a d20 and add the relevant abilitys modifier. 2. Apply bonuses and penalties: If a class feature, a spell, proficiency, or

some other effect gives you a bonus or a penalty to this check, apply it to your roll.

3. Announce the total: Tell the DM the result of your check. When you make an ability check, your DM picks a target number, called

a Difficulty Class (DC), for the check. The DM has details on how to deter-mine DCs. The more difficult a task, the higher its DC.

If your check result is equal to or greater than the DC, you succeed. Oth-erwise, you fail. When you succeed, your action works as intended. When you fail, you either make no progress or perhaps suffer a setback.

CONTESTS

A contest pits two or more characters or creatures against each other, with the outcome determined by each contenders luck and talent. Contests are a form of ability check, except that instead of matching your roll against a DC, both you and the creature you are opposing make a roll. You then compare the two results to see who succeeds.

When to Have a Contest: Contests arise when two creatures attempt to do the same thing and only one can succeed, such as if both you and a bandit attempt to snatch up a magic ring that has fallen on the floor. In other cases, you might attempt something that another creature actively opposes. If you attempt to push open a door that an orc holds shut from the other side,

you make an ability check to open the door, and the orc makes a check to keep it shut.

Resolving a Contest: A contest uses the same rules as an ability check, except that more than one creature makes a check. Any bonuses and penal-ties you apply when making an ability check that is not a contest also apply to contests involving that ability.

The creature with the higher check result wins the contest. The creature ei-ther succeeds at its action or prevents its opponent from succeeding.

If the contest ends in a tie, the situation remains the same as it was before the contest. Thus, one contestant might win the contest by default. If you and a bandit tie in a contest to snatch a ring, neither one of you grabs it. If you tie in a contest to push open a door held shut by an orc, the door remains shut.

Likewise, if you tie in a contest to hide from another creature, your situa-tion with respect to that creature does not change. If the creature was al-ready aware of you before the contest, you fail to hide. If it was not aware of you before the contest, you remain hidden.

SAVING THROWS

A saving throw, or save, is a special kind of ability check. Saving throws represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. The rules and the DM tell you when to make a saving throw; it is not something that you do at will.

Each character class has two saving throw types that they are particularly skilled in. When making saving throws of these types, the character can add his Proficiency Bonus to the roll.

ATTACK ROLLS

When you meet a ferocious monster, you likely will need to attack it to de-feat it. An attack roll is similar to an ability check (you roll a d20 and add modifiers), except that you compare the result of your attack roll to your tar-gets Armor Class (AC). To hit the target, your result must be equal to or greater than the AC. If you hit, you deal damage with your attack, reducing your targets Hit Points. When a creature drops to 0 Hit Points, it typically falls to the ground, dying.

Additional rules for attacks and taking damage are provided in Chapter 6: Combat.

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE

Sometimes you have an edge, an Advantage, in a situation. At other times, circumstances conspire against you and impose a Disadvantage on you.

When the rules say you have Advantage or Disadvantage on an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw, you roll a second d20 when mak-ing that roll. You use the higher of the two rolls to determine your result if you have Advantage and the lower roll if you have Disadvantage.

No matter how many times you gain Advantage or Disadvantage on the same roll, you roll only one additional d20.

If you have Advantage and Disadvantage on the same roll, the Ad-vantage and the Disadvantage cancel each other out. This rule applies even when you have Advantage or Disadvantage from multiple sources. For ex-ample, if two effects give you Advantage on a roll and one effect gives you Disadvantage, you have neither of them for that roll.

You usually gain Advantage or Disadvantage through the use of special abilities and spells. Your DM might also determine that circumstances are in your favor and grant you Advantage, or that they are not in your favor and impose Disadvantage.

As described in the rules on combat, you can take certain actionssuch as the dodge, help, and hinder actionsto gain Advantage or impose Dis-advantage.

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How to Play

INSPIRATION POINTS

You earn an Inspiration Point if the DM determines that either your ideal, flaw, or bond complicates the adventure in a meaningful way. At any later point, you can spend one Inspiration Point to gain Advantage on a single roll. See page 10 for more details on ideals, flaws, and bonds.

ABILITY SCORES Just about every dice roll that you make is going to be based on one of

your characters abilities. A tough character has a better chance of surviving a wyverns poison sting. A perceptive character is more likely to notice bug-bears sneaking up from behind. A stupid character is less likely to find a secret door that leads to a hidden treasure chamber. Your ability scores tell you what your modifiers are for rolls such as these.

ABILITY MODIFIERS

Each ability score has a modifier ranging from -5 to +5. Table 1 shows the modifier for each score. The modifier is the number you apply to the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. You also use the modifier with some numbers that arent die rolls. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.

Table 11: ABILITY SCORE MODIFIERS

Score Modifier 1 -5

2-3 -4 4-5 -3 6-7 -2 8-9 -1

10-11 0 12-13 +1 14-15 +2 16-17 +3 18-19 +4 20-21 +5

STRENGTH

Strength (Str) is a measure of a characters muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for warriors because it helps them prevail in combat.

You apply your characters Strength modifier to:

x Melee attack rolls that are made using Strength-based weapons such as two-handed swords and spears.

x Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon (Excep-tion: Attacks made with a characters off-hand receive no damage bonus from having a high Strength).

x Checks made to break down doors, bend metal bars, lift heavy gates, break restraints, climb walls, or to jump long distances.

x Saving throws made to resist being pushed against your will, knock aside a boulder that is rolling toward you, catch a collapsing ceiling, or grab onto a ledge to keep from falling.

DEXTERITY

Dexterity (Dex) measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and bal-ance. This ability is the most important ability for rogues and for anyone that wants to be a skilled archer.

You apply your characters Dexterity modifier to:

x Melee attack rolls that are made using Dexterity-based weapons such as daggers and short swords.

x Ranged attack rolls, including attacks made with bows, crossbows, throw-ing axes, slings, and other ranged weapons.

x Armor Class (AC), provided the character can react to the attack. x Checks made to balance on small ledges, squeeze through small spaces,

hide in shadows, move silently, and to pick locks. x Saving throws made to avoid spells such as lightning bolt or fireball,

dodge a falling pillar, or dive out of the way of a charging horse.

CONSTITUTION

Constitution (Con) represents your characters health and stamina. A Con-stitution bonus increases a characters Hit Points, so the ability is important for all classes, but especially the warrior so he can stay in combat longer

You apply your characters Constitution modifier to:

x Each Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a Hit Die roll below 1). If a characters Constitution changes enough to alter his Constitution modifi-er, his Hit Points also increase or decrease accordingly.

x Checks made to march for long hours, go without sleep, or to survive without food and water.

x Saving throws made to resist disease, poison, or fatigue; withstand a medusas petrifying gaze; endure the debilitating effects of a deep wound; or ignore excruciating pain.

INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. This ability is important for wizards because it affects how many spells they can cast and how hard their spells are to resist. Its also important for any charac-ter who wants to have a wide assortment of proficiencies.

You apply your characters Intelligence modifier to:

x The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game. x Spell checks made by wizards when casting arcane spells. x Checks made to find secret doors, search an area for traps, disarm found

traps, appraise treasure, recall ancient lore, or forge a document. x Saving throws made to resist a spell that attempts to overcome your intel-

lect or to detect illusions for what they actually are.

WISDOM

Wisdom describes a characters willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents ones ability to analyze infor-mation, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of ones surround-ings. An absentminded professor has low Wisdom and high Intelligence. A simpleton (low Intelligence) might still have great insight (high Wisdom). Wisdom is an important ability for priests because it affects how many spells they can cast and how hard their spells are to resist.

You apply your characters Wisdom modifier to:

x Spell checks made by priests when casting divine spells. x Checks made to stabilize a dying companion, hear a noise behind a

door, sense if someone is being dishonest, find a safe place to camp, or to spot an ambush.

x Saving throws to resist attempts to influence you or overcome your will. CHARISMA

Charisma measures a characters force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Charisma is important for priests, since it affects their ability to turn undead.

You apply your characters Charisma modifier to:

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How to Play

x Turning attempts made by priests to turn zombies, skeletons, and other undead.

x Checks made to calm a startled horse, recruit new henchmen, bluff your way past a city guard, negotiate a treaty between elves and dwarves, gather rumors at the local tavern, impress the princess with a song, or in-spire a follower to fight for you.

x Saving throws made to resist personality altering spells such as charm person.

CREATING A CHARACTER You begin playing the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game by creating a char-

acter: the persona you play during the game. Before you start, you might find it helpful to think about the basic kind of

character you want to play. You might be a courageous warrior, a skulking rogue, a fervent priest, or a flamboyant wizard. Or you might be more inter-ested in an unconventional character, such as a brawny rogue who likes to mix it up in hand-to-hand combat, or a sharpshooter who picks off enemies from afar.

Follow these steps in order to create any character you want to play.

1. DETERMINE ABILITY SCORES

Much of what your character does in the game depends on his abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each ability has a score, which is a number you record on your character sheet.

To begin, you generate ability scores randomly. Roll three, 6-sided dice and record the total on your character sheet as your characters Strength score. Do this five more times, once each for Dexterity, Constitution, Intelli-gence, Wisdom, and Charisma in order.

2. CHOOSE A RACE

Every character belongs to a race, a species on the world of Tellene. The most common player character races are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. See Chapter 2: Races for more information.

The race you choose contributes to your characters identity in an im-portant way, by establishing general appearance and natural talents gained from culture and ancestry. Your characters race grants particular racial traits, such as adjustments to ability scores, special senses, talent with certain weapons, or the ability to use minor spells. These traits sometimes dovetail with the capabilities of certain classes (see step 3). For example, the racial traits of halflings make them exceptional rogues, while elves tend to be pow-erful wizards.

Your race also indicates the languages your character can speak, plus a number of bonus languages based on your Intelligence modifier. Your DM may let you choose a regional language, or even an exotic language, in-stead of a standard language, depending on his campaign. Record the traits granted by your race on your character sheet.

3. CHOOSE A CLASS

Every character is a member of a class. Class broadly describes what profession your character pursues, what special talents he possesses, and the tactics he is most likely to employ when exploring a dungeon, fighting mon-sters, or engaging in a tense negotiation.

The most common classes are warrior, priest, rogue, and wizard. Warri-ors are tough fighters and weapon specialists, priests are champions en-dowed with magic from the gods, rogues are experts in many areas of ex-pertise and skullduggery, and wizards are masters of arcane magic. See Chapter 3: Classes for more information on each class.

Your character receives a number of benefits from your choice of class. Many of these benefits are class featurescapabilities that set your character apart from members of other classes. Record all the starting character infor-mation and class features granted by your class on your character sheet.

4. CHOOSE A BACKGROUND

Your character has a background, a story that describes where he came from, his original occupation, and the characters place on Tellene. Choose a background from among those in Chapter 4: Backgrounds and Skills.

Your DM might offer additional backgrounds beyond the ones included there. A background gives your character a background trait (a general benefit) and proficiency in four skills. Record this information on your charac-ter sheet.

5. CHOOSE AN IDEAL, FLAW, AND BOND

All characters have character traits known as ideals, flaws, and bonds. Choose one ideal, one flaw, and one bond and use the space provided on the character sheet to record them.

Ideals motivate you act in a certain way. This encompasses everything from a life goal to a core belief system. Ideals might answer any of these questions: What are the principles that you will never betray? What would prompt you to make sacrifices? What drives you to act and guides your goals and ambitions? What is the single most important thing you strive for?

Flaws represent the vices, compulsions, fears, and weaknesses of a char-acter. Flaws might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What is the one thing that you cannot bear to witness without becoming angry? What are you afraid of? Whats the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices?

Bonds represent a characters connection to people, places, and events in the world. Bonds might answer any of these questions: Whom do you care most about? To where do you feel a special connection? What is your most treasured possession?

6. CHOOSE EQUIPMENT

Your class suggests a package of starting equipment, including weapons, armor, and other adventuring gear. You can choose this package to get started quickly.

Alternatively, you can purchase your starting equipment. Each class has a different amount of starting money to begin their adventuring career. See Chapter 5: Equipment for details. Once you have decided on your charac-ters starting equipment, record these items on your character sheet.

7. FILL IN NUMBERS

Its a fact of the adventuring life that characters get into trouble. They fight with monsters and other hostile beings, they deal with traps and hazards that threaten to waylay them, and they endure brutal environmental conditions.

Several important numbers determine how well your character succeeds in combat and other perilous situations: Hit Points (HP), Hit Dice (HD), Armor Class (AC), base speed, and attack bonuses. You can find more information about these numbers in Chapter 6: Combat.

Hit Dice: A character who rests can use Hit Dice to recover Hit Points. A character gets one Hit Die per level. The dies type is determined by class. On your character sheet, record the type of Hit Die your character uses and the number of Hit Dice you have (For a 1st level character, this number is 1).

Hit Points: Your characters Hit Points define how tough your character is in combat and other dangerous situations. Your characters maximum Hit Points are determined based on your Hit Dice. Roll all of your Hit Dice (1 at 1st level) and add your Constitution modifier. As you increase in level, this maximum increases too. Record your characters Hit Points on your character sheet.

Armor Class: Your characters Dexterity modifier, armor bonus and shield bonus (if any), and other features contribute to your Armor Class, which represents how well your character avoids being hit in battle. If you arent wearing armor, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier. Add the bo-nuses given for your armor and shield in Chapter 5: Equipment, and rec-ord the total.

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How to Play

Base Speed and Weapon Speed: Characters act in combat in a se-quence according to either their base speed or their weapons speed, whichever is slower. Your characters base speed is determined by his race. Weapon speeds are determined by the weapon being used. See Chapter 2: Races and Chapter 5: Equipment for details.

Attack modifiers: A character can make two kinds of attacks: melee (hand-to-hand combat) and ranged (attacks made from a distance). Your melee attack modifier is your Strength modifier plus bonuses or penalties from other sources. Your ranged attack modifier is your Dexterity modifier plus bonuses or penalties from other sources. You add your proficiency bonus (+1 for a 1st-level character) to attack rolls with weapons youre proficient with. Write down your total attack modifiers, using the weapons your character wields, on your character sheet.

Spells: Some characters can cast spells. If your character can, your class description states which ability (usually Intelligence or Wisdom) your charac-ter uses when making spell checks. See Chapter 8: Magic for details.

Proficiency: Characters can acquire proficiencyfrom their class, race, and backgroundin any of a variety of weapons, armor, skills, and saving throws. Proficiency is often reflected in the addition of a characters profi-ciency bonus (derived from the characters level) to an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll.

Armor: You need to be proficient with armor to wear it effectively. If you put on armor that you cannot use, you have Disadvantage on checks, saving throws, and attack rolls that involve Strength or Dexterity.

Weapons: When you attack with a weapon youre proficient with, you add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll. If you attack with a weapon youre not proficient with, you have Disadvantage on the attack roll (and you dont add your proficiency bonus).

Saving Throws: When you have proficiency in a specific kind of saving throw, you add your proficiency bonus to your saving throws of that type.

Skills: When you have proficiency in a skill, you add your proficiency bo-nus to ability checks you make that involve that skill.

8. DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER

Heres where you fill in the physical and personality details about your character. Spend a few minutes thinking about what he looks like and how he behaves in general terms. Its a good idea to take into account your characters ability scores and race when making these decisions.

Name: You should come up with a suitable name for your character. Your characters race description includes name suggestions for members of that race.

Physical Traits: You can decide on your characters height and weight, us-ing the information provided in your race description, as well as hair, eye, and skin color, and age if desired. To add a touch of distinctiveness, you might want to give your character an unusual or memorable physical charac-teristic, such as a scar, a limp, or a tattoo. Note these details on your char-acter sheet.

Goals and Motivations: A backstory, even if its brief, can help guide you when roleplaying your character. The background choices are good starting points for thinking about your characters goals, taking into account upbring-ing, homeland, life-changing events, training, and the like. You might also want to discuss your characters goals and motivations with your DM; talking about these details paves the way for the DM to craft adventures that get the players involved.

Alignment: A typical creature in the worlds of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS has an alignment, which broadly describes its moral and personal attitudes. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (law-ful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, nine distinct alignments define all the possible combinations.

Although evil adventurers exist, they tend to cause problems in groups with others who dont share their interests and objectives. Generally, evil align-ments are for villains and monsters.

These brief summaries of the nine alignments describe the typical behavior of a creature with that alignment. Individuals might vary significantly from that typical behavior, and few people are perfectly and consistently faithful to the precepts of their alignment.

Lawful good creatures can be counted on to do the right thing, as ex-pected by society. Gold dragons, paladins, and most dwarves are lawful good.

Neutral good is about doing the best one can to help others according to their needs. Many angels, some cloud giants, and most gnomes are neutral good.

Chaotic good creatures act as their conscience directs, with little regard for what others expect. Copper dragons, many elves, and unicorns are cha-otic good.

Lawful neutral individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or per-sonal codes. Many wizards are lawful neutral.

Neutral is the alignment of those that prefer to steer clear of moral ques-tions and dont take sides, doing what seems best at the time. Lizardfolk, most nature priests, and many humans are neutral. Animals and other crea-tures that dont choose their moral compass are also neutral.

Chaotic neutral creatures follow their whims, holding their personal free-dom above all else. Many barbarians and rogues, and some bards, are chaotic neutral.

Lawful evil creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of tradition, loyalty, or order. Devils, blue dragons, and hobgoblins are lawful evil.

Neutral evil is the alignment of those that do whatever they can get away with, without compassion or qualms. Many drow, some cloud giants, and grimlocks are neutral evil.

Chaotic evil creatures act with arbitrary violence, spurred by their greed, hatred, or bloodlust. Demons, red dragons, and orcs are chaotic evil.

For many thinking creatures, alignment is a moral choice; humans, dwa-rves, elves, and other humanoid races can choose whether to follow the paths of good or evil, law or chaos. Many other creatures, though, have inborn tendencies toward certain alignments. Most gnolls are irredeemably chaotic evil, and gold dragons are innately lawful good.

Alignment is an essential part of the nature of creatures from the Outer Planes (celestials and fiends). A devil does not choose to be lawful evil, and it doesnt tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil at its core. If it somehow ceased to be lawful evil, it would cease to be a devil.

Most creatures that lack the capacity for rational thought have neutral alignments. Such a creature is incapable of making a moral or ethical choice, and acts according to its bestial nature. Sharks are savage preda-tors, for example, but they are not evil; they have a neutral alignment.

Personality: Some notes about your characters personality can breathe life into your roleplaying. How does your character respond to stress, danger, or moral crises? Perhaps he has an unusual behavioral or personality quirk, such as a nervous tic, a lisp, or a raspy voice.

9. PLAY!

Once you create your character, youre ready to start playing. Each char-acter plays a role within a party, a group of adventurers working together for a common purpose. Teamwork and cooperation greatly improve your partys chances to survive the many dangers you face in the worlds of DUNGEONS &DRAGONS. Talk to your fellow players and your DM to decide whether your characters know one another, how they met, and what sorts of quests the group might undertake.

12

Races

Chapter 2: Races

Chapter Two

Races

Whether your blood be of dwarf, elf, halfling, or of man. Take heed and trust in your fellow adventurers.

For there are creatures in the world that rival all your blood-lines combined.

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Races

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Races

14

Races

Dwarven warriors carry the body of a fallen leader deep into their under-ground mountain city, passing the tombs of kings dead for some thirty dwa-rven generations. Wandering Dejy nomads explore the ruins of a fallen civilization deep within the massive Vohven jungle, and awake a power none could expect. Bold adventurers set off into the Khydoban desert, seek-ing a country populated with undead and ruled by a powerful lich lord. Barbarian horse lords war among each other for control of territory, while Slennish cultists kidnap the innocents left behind the lines. Xenophobic elves patrol the Lendelwood, guarding their ancient city against a threatened hu-man assault.

In the world of Tellene, your character is not defined merely by his abili-ties. A character's background, native land, race, religion and much more all play important parts.

Your characters race gives you plenty of cues as to what sort of person he is, how he feels about characters of other races, and what his motivations might be.

RACE DESCRIPTIONS The rest of this chapter describes each race. Remember that these descrip-

tions apply only to the majority of each races members. In each race, some individuals diverge from the norm, and your character could be one of these. Dont let a description of a race keep you from detailing your character as you like.

At the heading of each race is the following game rule information that you will need to know when creating and playing your character:

Ability Adjustments: Each race has certain strengths and weaknesses that are reflected as adjustments to your ability scores. Adjust your ability scores by the amount listed.

Maximum Hit Die: Hit Dice are normally determined by the class that you choose. However, some races are less hardy than others. Smaller races, such as elves and halflings, have a maximum hit die type. Elves, for example have a maximum hit die of d8. This means that an elven warrior will always use 8-sided dice for his Hit Dice instead of the 10-sided dice that a warrior normally gets.

Base Speed: This is the action phase that you begin acting on during a combat round. This speed may be adjusted if you are attacking with a weapon or casting a spell. See Initiative, page 44.

Movement: This is the amount of distance in feet that you can cover during a single combat round and still take an action. See Movement in Combat, page 45.

Male and Female Names: Each race has its own language and naming conventions that make its traditional names unique. A sample of names are provided for both male and female members of the race. When a culture or race uses surnames, examples of those are given as well.

Automatic Languages: There are a myriad of languages and local dialects on Tellene. All characters know how to speak and read one or more lan-guages based upon their race.

Bonus Languages: You can speak and read a number of additional bonus languages equal to your Intelligence bonus. Select your characters bonus languages (if any) from this list.

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Races

HUMANS Ability Adjustments: None Maximum Hit Die: d10 Base Speed: Fast Movement: 30 feet

Humans live throughout Tellene, from the arctic hinterlands to the tropical rainforests. They form the largest and most populous civilizations of any race, and are the dominant sociopolitical force on Tellene. All humans on Tellene share the standard human features and abilities.

HUMAN FEATURES

Experience Bonus: Humans are quick to learn new skills and find them-selves adapting to situations very quickly. You gain a 10% bonus on all experience points earned.

Bonus Skill: You can select one extra skill from the list provided. See Skills, page 33.

Triple Class: If you decide to multi-class, you can choose a combination of three classes as opposed to two (see page 26).

Automatic Language: Native (in the case of Dejy) or national language (e.g. Brandobian for Mendarns, etc.).

Bonus Languages: Typically, humans speak the Merchants Tongue or other tongues spoken by neighbors or frequent trade partners.

The human race has fragmented into several distinct cultures, each deserv-

ing of its own description.

BRANDOBIANS

Brandobians are the smallest of the human races, with slender bodies measuring usually a little over five feet in height. Their skin tones are usually olive and their dark hair ranges from curly to straight. Brandobians have fine features, clear voices, and a hardy resistance to disease.

Brandobians live on the western coast of Tellene and occupy maritime colonies off their own coast, on Western Svimohzia and along the Elos Bay. Their numerous colonies result from centuries of exploration and conquest, and the Brandobians take great pride in the vastness and impact of their travels. Their people are vibrant and alive and rarely keep their opinions to themselves. Right or wrong, you know where a Brandobian stands.

Adventurers from this region generally become warriors, rogues, or priests. Although Eldorans disdain magic, powerful wizards live in Cosdol and nu-merous lesser mages live in Pel Brolenon.

Male Names: Atlamir, Brendol, Coldon, Crend, Defrin, Estand, Fortind,

Glandal, Granden, Gruthal, Ichil, Ilthan, Lonveln, Malvus, Munvaln, Nandten, Nurband, Senden, Sevlen, Transen, Valesin, Voldomar, Vrasten, Vrindon.

Female Names: Avil, Blesden, Brava, Brennor, Cosolel, Dandrel, Elbren, Elvled, Eve, Gulda, Lelten, Mindoleen, Mindrel, Mindril, Norlel, Norvita, Olita, Pandred, Ranselita, Sabeleen, Selguld, Strolema, Vurethel, Wencrel, Yulan.

Surnames: Blondol, Brendril, Brodoran, Celdon, Colbrandar, Colmen, Corvled, Dolcrindel, Dorbren, Dorguld, Edarn, Folnester, Fortron, Galborn, Guldselan, Ingamin, Lelten, Melran, Minel, Norcrensel, Olmcrelnel, Rancren, Rondstern, Stron, Thronel, Torist, Velsin, Vleldin, Volven.

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Races

DEJY

The Dejy are the most diverse of all the human races. Ample evidence shows that they have inhabited or roamed the farthest corners of Tellene and all areas in between. Today, they are most populous in the Young King-doms, the Wild lands, and the various wastelands (deserts, jungles, tundra, remote islands and the like). They range in size from the short and thick-boned people of Dynaj to the lean and rangy desert riders of the Elos. Skin colors run from amber-gold to burning red to the light brown color of worn leather. While facial features vary from tribe to tribe, hair color is always dark, facial and body hair sparse, and the Dejy typically have flatter faces than the angular Brandobians or hawk-nosed Kalamarans.

Male Names: Bajyr, Chojen, Gyrjen, Janesh, Jaresh, Jish, Jorjen, Khodri,

Kotesh, Nyrash, Rijani, Roshnyr, Saryf, Shanko, Shathy, Shiseth, Shyja, Shy-nath,Thakyr,Thekevi.

Female Names: Adagyr,Ashny,Aslesh, Chada, Cheshy, Daresh, Dolshy, Enshy, Freesha, Jolndar, Jynko, Koshy, Kylsha, Rosharek, Shary, Slajen, Thena,Vashel, Yendo, Yerjen, Yuji.

FHOKKI

The Fhokki tower over all other human races and have adapted to handle the bitter cold of their environment. Their hair ranges from platinum blonde to vibrant red to dark brown, and their skin color tends to be pale. Their fair faces often light up in laughter or redden in anger; they are an emotional and expressive people.

Traditionally, Fhokki live in extended families that dwell in log homes. Some Fhokki clans herd reindeer as their principal means of livelihood, oth-ers fish the plentiful depths of Lake Jorakk, and supplement their diet with deer taken from the thick forests of their homelands.

Fhokki inhabit the length and breadth of the Wild Lands. The Hurrkal and other clans live as far south as the edge of Reanaaria Bay, where they gen-erally get along peaceably with the humans and demihumans there. The Trusk live in Skarrna and the Rokk Woods. The Kartorr and Roth clans range to the north and east further than Kalamaran scribes record.

Males Names: Arturr, Dvorn, Elmin, Froljar, Gortha, Gurthay, Hostud,

Hreathwrot, Hurrkal, Lokkur,Mantak, Ragil, Rastur, Rythok, Thalnawr, Thel-van, Thurvan, Viljar, Vosted.

Female Names: Defyn, Dythrok, Enga, Fontharra, Gulli, Gytha, Halvena, Otha, Rortakk, Rothla, Ryndar, Shrokker, Sorykka, Tankarra, Thanarkka, Thelka, Thilla, Thrayd, Unula, Vrykor.

KALAMARAN

To hear a Kalamaran speak of his people's history, you would think that it was his idea to cultivate rice in the Alubelok Swamp, that he personally marched in formation against the Fhokki barbarians, and that he built Ko-lokar's Barrier with a brick in his left hand and trowel in his right. Kalamarans are as proud as the sun is bright, and others lament that the Kalamaran can usually make good his boast.

Kalamarans construct their homes, their arms and armor, and their cities with grandeur in mind. They exaggerate both size and detail, covering mas-sive lintels with brilliant frescoes, and placing them above colossal door-ways.

Pure Kalamarans have blue eyes and dark red hair, features that are now prominent only among the nobility. They are tall, especially in the eastern Young Kingdoms and northern Kalamar, where Fhokki blood runs strong. But Fhokki blood is hardly the only racial influence. Today's Kalamaran has unprecedented range in size, shape, build and coloration. Centuries of conquest and trade have given the Kalamarans access to every known race.

Male Names: Balamir, Balan, Fanam, Feledar, Feranis, Folikar, Fonamar,

Haraman, Hovaran, HulMar, Lakaran, Malaran, Minon, Morisato, Nelata,

PSor, Parama, Pilamel, Pitar, Pulan, Puramal, Resemer, Saterus, Satira, Sel-emar, Sulat, Vanamir.

Female Names: Asa, Benali, Dela, Dorata, Famaril, Fanam, Felana, Fito-lima, Gimane, Goranu, Helena, HuUra, Ilubek, Inala, Kaperele, KiIsa, Kibika, Korasela, Lamasaru, Lisanara, Mepate, Nelata, Pakara, Takane, Tomare.

Surnames: ArTur, Balemo, Darisek, Dilomas, Esamil, Falama, Fape-ki,Gomanas, Hapnam, Heran, KuAto, Kuwaki, Lesepar, Mokira, PLedin, PMare, Pateris, Ragarela, Ragosip, Remel, Saketi, Sepiter, Setiran, Vitisar.

REANAARIAN

Reanaarians are medium in build, often stocky but rarely fat. They are a folk of extremes: they respect hard work, but they enjoy holidays and feast-ing. They are clever bur appear dull and boring to outsiders. They are fasci-nated with magic bur rarely pursue it as a class.

The Reanaarians, like the Brandobians, are inquisitive folk. Just as during the period of their great migrations, they explore their current home, the Reanaaria Bay area, without aims of conquest or glory. They enjoy the beau-ty of their home and rarely come into conflict with the dwarves, elves, or halflings who live there.

Reanaarians inhabit the western shores of the Bay, leaving the north to the Skarrns (Fhokki) and the east to the Dejy. Reanaarians who stray more than 100 miles inland are rare.

Male Names: Boelain, Bouzaar, Dealaan, Emearer, Geolain, Haar, Le-

naiz, Liamar, Neila, Norgren, Peasor, Raizix, Reenea, Reollain, Sortureer, Sutilla, Taofoor, Vaxea, Vuuawa, Wiuxiu.

Female Names: Alixoor, Boebea, Ceopeari, Daarlau, Gaafour, Huurum, Keilaaw, Leugoo, Lewao, Miana, Naavabi, Naavazoor, Neavazaar, Ria-noo, Teelia, Vandakeer, Vaolai, Veuza, Vuubou, Ziliana.

Surnames: Feasiari, Feaveu, Foormau, Gazee, Huuraew, Laaria, Leenoorva, Lorot, Nae, Naizix, Nartuir, Peer, Reemae, Rooxea, Seetoov, Sumorna, Tarealeon, Vaotal, Vuria, Xookaer.

SVIMOHZ

Second only to the Dejy in diversity, the Svimohz have shiny black skin and a wide range of facial features that vary from region to region. The Meznams, for example, tend to be taller, with sharp angular features, long beards and athletic builds. The Zazahnii are less muscular, bur their shorter builds make them look barrel-chested and ungainly.

The traditional Svimohzish custom of sprawling, close-knit families still ex-ists, especially in Ohzvinmish, Meznamish and rural Zazahni. Family ties are very tight, and foreigners who fall in love with a Svimohz must make a good impression on the family or risk losing their paramour's affection.

Svimohz live throughout the island, except in Ul-Karg, which is wholly dominated by hobgoblins, and in the west, which many people avoid be-cause of the Mendarn (formerly Pel Brolenese) colony of Vrandol. While the Mendarns are less belligerent than the Brolenese, many Svimohz formerly residing there have migrated east or north to friendlier places.

Male Names: Amar, Anarvis, Ansven, Azhanimahr, Hilanozh, Izvan,

Mesvanish, Miznamyho, Mizovohr, Movazh, Onsar, Razhan, Roshanaz, Selevahn, Shazahn, Suvar, Svemahni, Wherahzni, Zhulurahn, Zohshanam.

Female Names: Anasvish, Daresvim, Ehnosham,Emeni, Hava, Lashasvow, Leshan, Menahvna, Minona, Morashez, Movamo, Nomishim, Sanano, Savano, Sharresh, Sisi, Vanazha, Zeminah, Zhashosa, Zoravam.

Family Names: Arhomven, Aziri, Damozh, Eshovim, Ghanim, Izahn, Mezahn, Mizani, Mozaresh, Neshnamohn, Ohmdalz, Shenshal, Svowmizh, Vezdor, Vlan, Whenonesh, Yahul, Zalden, Zhamish.

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Races

DWARVES Ability Adjustments: Constitution +2, Charisma -2 Maximum Hit Die: d10 Base Speed: Fast Movement: 20 feet

Hill dwarves (also known as lowland dwarves, or adurek in Dwarven) are the most common type of dwarf, and are the typical examples of their kind. Most dwarves are distrustful of outsiders and have a fierce racial pride. Whether this developed over years of isolation, or forced them into isolation in the first place, is debatable. Dwarves are skilled craftsmen, mountaineers and knowledgeable guides and trackers. Dwarves often refer to themselves not as dwarves, or by their regional name, bur by clan or nation (such as Draskan or Karastan).

Dwarves stand only 4 to 4 feet tall, but they are so broad and compact that they are, on average, almost as heavy as humans. Dwarf men are slight-ly taller and noticeably heavier than dwarf women. Dwarves skin is typically deep tan or light brown, and their eyes are dark. Their hair is usually black, gray, or brown, and worn long. Dwarves value their beards highly and groom them very carefully. Dwarves favor simple styles for their hair, beards, and clothes. Dwarves are considered adults at about age 40, and they can live to be more than 400 years old.

Lowland dwarves trade often with halflings and humans. While they re-spect elven warriors, they have little in common with elven culture or religion. In general, dwarves are polite but succinct, and their lack of solicitousness comes across as rude to cultures such as the Svimohzish, which consider such things as banter to be a necessary courtesy.

Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend toward good. Adventuring dwarves are less likely to fit the common mold however, since theyre more likely to be those who did not fit perfectly into dwarven society.

Adurek prefer to live among other dwarves, not out of dislike for other races, but because they prefer their own customs, language and traditions. When they live among humans or other races, they tend to work as artisans, craftsmen or mercenaries.

Adurek tend to live in vast underground cities. These communities rival human settlements in size, but they keep this information hidden from their enemies. Large extended families live in smaller settlements of only a few hundred and these are scattered across Tellene, typically clustered around a rich vein of ore. Lowland dwarves can be found in the foothills of any moun-tains, but there are high concentrations near the Kakidela and KaAsa rang-es. Because of their exile from Karasta, many lowland dwarves now live in southwestern Reanaaria as well.

Adurek favor worship of Hildal the Founder, Seslik the Speaker of the Word, Salimak the True and Lasterm the Powermaster. Hildals teachings resonate with most lowland dwarves, even those who dedicate their lives to another god. Among evil dwarves, the most corrupting are Gordal the Hatemonger, who plays upon distrust of other races, Surik the Jealous Eye, who plays upon their greed, and Solin the Dark One.

Lowland dwarves speak Dwarven among themselves, but they prefer to use another language with outsiders. Since it is difficult to master, the Dwa-rven language is difficult to comprehend and painful to hear when attempted by non-fluent speakers.

Male Names: Adurmak, Blim, Borli, Durmak, Fargad, Forbarek, Fulkaft,

Golzumak, Kazuk, Kelterak, Lomburd, Rurik, Trezek, Ulgrum, Urgaz. Female Names; Ada, Adel, Dagmar, Edda, Femek, Ganila, Gomore,

Imelka, Kelarr, Klass, Kormeta, Muoro, Mieka, Zarakil, Zomed. Surnames: Angklim, Damvalk, Gramdal, Gunterm, Kerak, Talek, Tukurz,

Zarduk.

DWARF FEATURES

Infravision: You can see heat signatures in the dark up to 60 feet. Stonecunning: You have Advantage on Intelligence checks to notice unu-

sual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceil-ings, and the like. If you merely come within 10 feet of unusual stonework, you can make an Intelligence check (without Advantage) as if you were actively searching. You can also intuit depth, sensing your approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Lowland dwarves have a sixth sense about stonework, an innate ability that they get plenty of opportunity to practice and hone in their underground homes.

Poison Resistance: Dwarves are naturally resistant to poison. You have Advantage on all saving throws made to resist the effects of poison.

Dwarven Defense: Giants, ogres, and trolls have Disadvantage to attack rolls made against you. This represents special training that lowland dwarves undergo, during which they learn tricks that previous generations developed in their battles with giants and their kin.

Arcane Failure: Because of your non-magical nature, any magical item that you use that is not directly related to your class has a 20% chance (1-4 on a 1d20) to malfunction when used. This check is made each time you use an item. A malfunction affects only the current use; the item may work proper-ly the next time. For devices that are continually in operation, the check is made the first time the device is used during an encounter. If the check is passed, the device functions normally until it is turned off. If a cursed item malfunctions, you notice its cursed nature and can dispose of the item. Mal-functions apply to rings, amulets, potions, horns, jewels, and all other magi-cal items except weapons, shields, armor, gauntlets, and girdles. Arcane failure does not apply to you if you are a dwarven priest using priest scrolls.

Automatic Languages: Dwarven and one human language. Bonus languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Mer-

chants Tongue, Orc, and Undercommon.

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Races

ELVES Ability Adjustments: Dexterity +2, Constitution -2 Maximum Hit Die: d8 Base Speed: Fast Movement: 30 feet

Elves live in villages and towns scattered throughout Tellene, usually loyal

to a prince or a king that rules a loose hereditary monarchy. The oldest and most secluded of these settlements number in the tens of thousands, but these few are rare and exist only in deep forests. Elves gather in cities in the Lendelwood and the Kalalali Forest. High elves (also known as "Lathlani" in Low Elven) are the standard most commonly encountered elves on Tellene.

Elves are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. With such a long life span, they tend to keep a broad perspec-tive on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether an adventurous mission or learning a new skill or art, they can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Lathlani are content to remain within their lands and let the other races fight over the rest of the continent. They have grown weary of dealing with the short-lived races, especially the humans, and now prefer to let them run their course. However, should any race encroach on what the high elves perceive to be their domain, they will quickly learn what force has made the high elves one of the longest lasting races on Tellene.

The lathlani have the best relations with those demi-human races that live close to and respect nature: halflings and other elves. While they respect the power and integrity of dwarves, they cannot understand their culture or the ways, and prefer to leave them alone. They are generally distrustful of hu-mans, as they seem too eager to make and break promises, but rend to evaluate each one as an individual case. High elves live all across Tellene, but their largest numbers are in Cilorealon, the Kalokopeli Forest and the Brindonwood.

Lathlani favor worship of Banadar the Raconteur, Adrededar the Guardi-an, Halobrendar the Riftmaster, Adrabrintariel the Pure One and Nanaeclya the Lord of Silver Linings. To a lesser extent, they also revere Elobreria the Eye Opener, Albabrilia the Great Huntress and Gavedever the Raiser.

High elves speak High Elven among themselves, but they use Low Elven when speaking to non-elves. They are adept linguists and usually understand Merchant's Tongue as well (they consider it a rather simple tongue) but rarely speak it, forcing their trade partners to use Low Elven (the original mer-chant's tongue).

The Elven language is the most complex language on Tellene. Spoken El-ven is divided into two classifications: High and Low (or Common) Elven. Only a full-blooded elf will be fluent in High Elven as no elf would ever teach a mortal the sacred language of his ancestors. Low Elven is a language of trade and commerce that elves taught other races in order to conduct busi-ness. Non-elf player characters and NPCs that speak Elven will only know some variety of Low Elven.

When dealing with non-elves, elven family names are usually translated to Low-Elven. Some go so far as to reduce their name to the graceless Mer-chants Tongue. High elves that do so sometimes have names like White-helm, Highspear, and Lightfoot, while wood elves use arboreal or rural-sounding names like Woodhall, Oaklimb, and Greentree.

Male Names: Amator, Artesidet, Bare, Cyrn, Huliard, Hurell, Jumar,

Mellitee, Selemar, Shifan, Sincarel, Telarai, Torasceine, Werlen, Wevelin. Female Names: Ameris, Asaivelia, Celmereian, Colinaseti, Culessa, Ha-

nasila, Jelena, Jeserel, Laraneia, Mehelet, Setita, Tessevi, Tultetika, Wylee, Zowale.

ELF FEATURES

Spell Resistance: You have Advantage when making saving throws against enchantment spells or effects such as charm person and sleep.

Low-light Vision: You can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moon-light, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. You retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Martial Training: You were trained in elvish martial traditions and can se-lect one of the following weapons to become proficient in: longsword, shortbow or longbow. Elven priests must still abide by their weapon re-strictions and cannot use longswords, shortbows, or longbows without incur-ring disfavor from their god (unless they worship a god that allows the use of those weapons already). If you select a class that is already proficient in these weapons (such as the warrior), you gain no additional benefit.

Find Secret Doors: Secret doors (those constructed so as to be hard to no-tice) and concealed doors (those hidden from sight by screens, curtains, or the like) are difficult to hide from elves. You have Advantage when making Intelligence checks to find secret or concealed doors. If you merely come within 10 feet of a concealed door you can make an Intelligence check (without Advantage) as if you were actively searching. You must still actively search for secret doors to be able to make an Intelligence check to find them.

Wilderness Stealth: Elves are very skilled at moving unseen in their wood-land homes. You have Advantage when making Dexterity checks to hide and avoid being heard when in wooded environments. You do not automatically have Advantage when trying to hide in deserts, city streets, or any non-wooded environments. You lose this ability if you are wearing metal armor.

Automatic Languages: High Elven, Low Elven, and one human language. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Gnoll, Gnome, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling,

Merchants Tongue, Orc, and any human language.

19

Races

HALFLINGS Ability Adjustments: Strength -2, Dexterity +2 Maximum Hit Die: d6 Base Speed: Very Fast Movement: 20 feet

Halflings are common throughout the civilized lands of Tellene. They are

rare in the harsh north and do not often live high in the mountains, but they thrive in the peaceful lands tamed by themselves and other races. Lightfeet (called gurin in the Halfling tongue) halflings are clever, capable opportun-ists. Halfling individuals and clans find room for themselves wherever they can. Often they are strangers and wanderers, and others react to them with suspicion or curiosity. Depending on the clan, halflings might be reliable, hard-working (if clannish) citizens, or they might be thieves just waiting for the opportunity to make a big score and disappear in the dead of night. Regard-less, halflings are cunning, resourceful survivors.

Lightfeet prefer trouble to boredom. They are notoriously curious. Relying on their ability to survive or escape danger, they demonstrate a daring that many larger people cant match. Halflings enjoy wealth and the pleasure it can bring, and they tend to spend silver as quickly as they acquire it.

Halflings are also famous collectors. While more orthodox halflings may collect weapons, books, or jewelry, some collect such objects as the hides of wild beastsor even the beasts themselves. Wealthy halflings sometimes commission adventurers to retrieve exotic items to complete their collections.

Halflings stand about 3 feet tall and usually weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. Their skin is ruddy, their hair black and straight. They have brown or black eyes. Halfling men often have long sideburns, but beards are rare among them and mustaches almost unseen. They like to wear simple, com-fortable, and practical clothes. A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his second century.

Lightfeet consider gnomes good neighbors, because the two races share the same sized furniture. The-larger folk tend to get the scale wrong or seat them with the children, which is annoying. Lightfeet also enjoy the company of high elves. Lightfeet consider dwarves reliable but not fun (the opposite of their views on most elves).

Lightfeet tend to live with other races, but they rarely report crime or other problems to the government as long as only halflings are involved. The halflings defer to a priest or respected elder of their own and generally abide by his decision for disputes, crimes and punishment and other conflicts.

Lightfeet thrive in central Kalamar, the Dopromond Hills, Welpremond Downs, Pekal, Prompeldia, the Fautee Forest, Ozhvinmish, Ahznomahn and the rural parts of western Reanaaria. Gurin enjoy city life as well as rural settlements, but they might feel stifled in an overcrowded city where humans are predominant.

Lightfeet frequently worship Dari the Raiser if good and Narokam the Sell-er of Souls if evil. Some lightfeet might revere Kaepran the Risky, and other common patrons are Rasda the Great Huntress, Sartan the Eye Opener, Thassah the Bear, Taotan the Fate Scribe and Ledia the Laugher.

Halflings speak their own language and a variety of other useful tongues, including the languages of humans. Nicknames are extremely popular with halflings, and it might be difficult for a stranger to track down a halfling with no more information than his name because any given halfling might be known by a dozen different nicknames among his friends, family, neighbors, lord or vassal, fellow worshippers, etc. Halfling communities rely on Mer-chants Tongue or the local human language to write their text.

Male Names: Babaktar, Borin, Furum, Gonflen, Guvrokam, Kavleta, No-

lan, Nurdan, Theartan, Zandi. Female Names: Arenou, Bousrah, Catrakkan, Mari, Noolau, Sahar, Sar-

shar, Sejeyla, Tajela, Virda. Surnames: Altean, Bojardi, Kapran, Maleki, Murmalal, Padraven, Ramin,

Sadek, Sapran, Takhi.

HALFLING FEATURES

Small Size: As a small creature, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class, and a +1 bonus to attack rolls. However, your carrying capacity is three-quarters that of medium-sized characters. You also must use smaller weapons than a medium-sized character. You are able to hold small (size S) weapons such as a short sword in one hand. However, you must wield a medium (size M) weapon such as a longsword with two hands. Large (size L) weapons are simply too hefty for your tiny hands.

Thrown Weapons: Halflings have a natural talent with thrown weapons. Rock pitching is a favorite sport among many a halfling child. You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made using thrown weapons.

Wilderness Stealth: Halflings are very skilled at moving unseen in wood-lands homes. You have Advantage when making Dexterity checks to hide and avoid being heard when in wooded environments. You do not gain Advantage when trying to hide in deserts, city streets, or any non-wooded environments. You lose this ability if you are wearing metal armor.

Lucky: Halflings are surprisingly capable of avoiding mishaps. You can add one saving throw type to your classs list of saving throws, giving you a total of three saving throw types that you add your Proficiency Bonus to.

Fear Resistant: Halflings are extremely courageous (or nave, depending on whom you ask). You have Advantage on all saving throws made to resist fear type effects.

Automatic Languages: Halfling and the local human language. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Low Elven, Merchants Tongue, Gnome,

Goblin, Orc, and any human language.

20

Classes

Chapter 3: Classes

Chapter Three

Classes

Youre no hero. Youre an adventurer: a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished.

There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them...

21

Classes

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22

Classes

Adventurers seek gold, glory, justice, fame, power, or knowledge, or per-haps other goalssome noble and some base. Each chooses a different way to achieve these goals, from brutal combat power, to mighty magic, to subtle skills. Some adventurers prevail and grow in experience, wealth, and power. Others die.

Your characters class is his profession or vocation. It determines what he is able to do: combat training, magical ability, proficiencies, and more. Class is probably the first choice that you make about your character after seeing his ability scores (just ahead of race, or perhaps in conjunction with that decision).

There are four different types of character classes: Warriors are fighters with exceptional combat capability and an unequal

skill with weapons. Priests wield divine magic and are capable fighters as well. Rogues are tricky, skillful scouts, spies and thieves that win the battle by

stealth rather than brute force. Wizards are potent spellcasters that harness extraordinary arcane power

at the risk of becoming corrupted by otherworldly powers. Each class description includes many features: Requirements, Hit Dice,

weapons allowed and other aspects of the class.

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS The rest of this chapter describes each class. In each description youll

find a general discussion in game world terms, the sort of description that characters in the world could understand and the way such a character might describe himself. These descriptions are general. Individual members of a class may differ in their attitudes, outlooks, and other aspects.

At the heading of each class is the following game rule information that you will need to know when creating and playing your character:

Requirements: Every class has some requirements that you must meet in

order for your character to be a part of the class. The most common require-ment is a minimum level of ability score. For example, you must have a Strength of 9 or higher to be a warrior. The wizard and the priest classes have additional race and alignment requirements.

Hit Dice: The type of Hit Die used by characters of the class determines the number of Hit Points gained per level. A character rolls one Hit Die when he gains a new level and adds the result to his hit point total, thus a charac-ter has the same number of Hit Dice as levels. For his first Hit Die, a 1st level character gets the maximum Hit Points rather than rolling (although Constitu-tion modifiers, plus or minus, still apply).

For example, Selwyn gets a d8 Hit Die because he is a priest. At 1st level he gets 8 Hit Points instead of rolling. Since he has a Constitution score of 13, he has a +1 bonus, raising his starting Hit Points to 9. When he reaches 2nd level (and every level thereafter), Selwyns player rolls a d8, adds 1 (for his Constitution bonus) and then adds the total to Selwyns Hit Points.

Weapons: This is a list of weapons that members of the class are profi-cient with. If a character uses a weapon that he is not proficient with, he has Disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the weapon.

Armor: This is a list of armors that members of the class are proficient in. If a character wears armor that he is not proficient in, they have Disadvantage on checks, saving throws, and attack rolls that involve Strength and Dexterity. Some special class abilities do not work while wearing armor that is not on this list. For example, a wizard cannot cast spells while wearing armor while a rogue cannot make use of his backstab ability if he is wearing chain mail.

Saving Throws: Some classes are more resistant than others to certain types of attacks and effects. Characters of this class add their Proficiency Bonus to all saving throws made of the types listed.

Skills: One or more skills are listed here that your character can become proficient in. See Chapter 4: Backgrounds and Skills.

Class Table: This table details how a character improves as he gains ex-perience levels. Class tables include the following:

Level: The characters level in that class. Experience: This column shows the experience point total needed to

achieve a given level. For example, a 2nd level warrior needs a total of 4,000 experience points to reach 3rd level.

Proficiency Bonus: You apply this bonus to any ability check that is related in scope to an area of expertise that you are proficient in. For example, Badger, a 3rd level rogue, is proficient in Pick Locks, so when attempting to pick the lock to a chest, Badger adds his Proficiency Bonus of +2 to his Dexterity check. You also add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls made with weapons that you are proficient in as well as to saving throws that your character is proficient in.

Class Die: Warriors and rogues both gain a special die that they can use in a way that is unique to their class.

Spells: If the character class is allowed to cast spells, the number of spells that he is allowed to memorize each day are listed here based on character level. If the entry is for a given level of spells, the character may not cast spells of that level. If the entry is a number, the character may cast that many spells plus any bonus spells. Bonus spells for wizards are based on Intelli-gence. Bonus spells for priests are based on Wisdom.

23

Classes

WARRIOR Requirements: Strength 9 Hit Dice: d10 Weapons: Any Armor: Any Saving Throws: Strength and Constitution Skills: Choose one from Acrobatics, Athletics, or Intimidation.

The questing knight, the conquering overlord, the kings champion, the elite foot soldier, the hardened mercenary, and the bandit kingall are warriors. Warriors can be stalwart defenders of those in need, cruel ma-rauders, or gutsy adventurers. Some are among the lands best souls, willing to face death for the greater good. Others are among the worst, with no qualms about killing for private gain, or even for sport.

Most warriors see adventures, raids, and dangerous missions as their job. Some have patrons who pay them regularly. Others prefer to live like pro-spectors, taking great risks in hopes of the big haul. Some warriors are more civic-minded and use their combat skills to protect endangered people who cannot defend themselves. Whatever their initial motivations, however, war-riors often wind up living for the thrill of combat and adventure.

Of all classes, warriors have the best all-around fighting capabilities. Warriors are familiar with all the standard weapons and armors. In addition to general fighting prowess, warriors are able to perform Mighty Feats of Arms in the midst of battle. As warriors gain experience, their ability to per-form these feats increases. In the hands of a capable and creative warrior, mighty feats can mean the difference between victory and crushing defeat.

Warriors often worship The Power Master (god of strength and medicine), or The Old Man (god of war, power, and strategy). A crusader or paladin type of warrior might instead devote themselves to The Knight of The Gods or The True. Barbarians are likely to worship Battle Rager. A warrior may style himself as a crusader in the service of his god, or he may just want someone to pray to before putting his life on the line yet another time.

Warriors come to their profession in many ways. Most have had formal training in a nobles army or at least in the local militia. Some have trained in formal academies. Others are self-taughtunpolished but well tested. A warrior may have taken up the sword as a way to escape the limits of life on the farm, or he may be following a proud family tradition. Warriors share no special identity. They do not see themselves as a group or brotherhood. Those who hail from a particular academy, mercenary company, or lords regiment, however, share a certain camaraderie.

Human warriors are usually veterans of some military service, typically from more mundane parents. Dwarf warriors are commonly former members of the well-trained strike teams that protect the underground dwarven king-doms. They are typically members of warrior families that can trace their lineages back for millennia, and they may have rivalries or alliances with other dwarf warriors of a different lineage. Elf warriors are typically skilled with the longsword. They are proud of their ability at swordplay and eager to demonstrate or test it. Halfling warriors usually stay in their own communi-ties as part of the area militia rather than adventuring.

The warrior excels in a straight fight, but he relies on others for magical support, healing, and scouting. On a team, it is his job to man the front lines, protect the other party members, and bring the tough opponents down. War-riors might not understand the arcane ways of wizards or share the faith of priests, but they recognize the value of teamwork.

In most adventuring parties, the warrior serves as a melee combatant, charging into the fray while his comrades support him with spells, ranged attacks, and other effects. Warriors who favor ranged combat can prove very deadly, though without other melee support, they can find themselves in front-line combat more often than they might prefer.

Table 22: THE WARRIOR

LLevel

EExperience

Proficiency Bonus

Feat Die

1 0 +1 d3 2 2,000 +1 d3 3 4,000 +2 d4 4 8,000 +2 d4

WARRIOR FEATURES

Weapon Specialization: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with one type of weapon, such as longsword or a short bow.

Improved Critical: Attacks that you make using a weapon can score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. You must still beat your targets Armor Class by 5 or more in order for your strike to be considered a critical hit (see Criti-cal Hits, page 47, for more information).

Attack Bonus: Unlike other classes, you do not add your proficiency bo-nus to your attack rolls. Instead, you receive a randomized modifier known as a Feet Die. At 1st level, this is a d3. You roll this d3 on each attack roll and apply it to both your attack roll and damage roll. On one attack, the die may give you a +1 to your attack roll and damage roll. On the next attack, the die may give you +3! The Feat Die advances with your level, climbing to d4 at 3rd level. You always make a new roll with this die in each combat round. If you have multiple attacks, the same Feet Die roll applies to all at-tacks in the same combat round.

Mighty Feats of Arms: Prior to any attack roll, you can declare a feat. This feat is a dramatic combat maneuver within the scope of the current combat. The feat does not increase damage but could have some other combat effect: pushing back an enemy, tripping or entangling him, temporar-ily blinding him, and so on. Your Feat Die determines the feats success. This is the same die used for your attack and damage modifier each round. If the feat die is a 3 or higher, and the attack lands (e.g., the total attack roll ex-ceeds the targets AC), the feat succeeds. If the feat die is a 2 or less, or the overall attack fails, the feat fails as well. Refer to the Combat section for additional information on Feats (see page 48).

24

Classes

PRIEST Requirements: Wisdom 9, Alignment Lawful Good Hit Dice: d8 Weapons: Any bludgeoning (type B) weapons Armor: Any Saving Throws: Wisdom and Charisma Skills: Choose one from Healing, Insight, Persuasion, Lore

(Divine), and Lore (Undead)

Priests of the Eternal Lantern are the sworn enemies of the undead and the minions of darkness. They dedicate themselves to the banishment of the evil that lurks in the shadows of the night by bringing all creatures into the purify-ing light of Radiance. The Order of Light preaches that only by walking in the light of the Lady of Luminosity can one save ones soul from the taints of darkness. The main weapon against evil in the arsenal of the clergy is con-version. All priests must go on a one-year mission to gain converts and bring them into the flock.

During the darkest hours of the night, the priests act as sentries by walking through cities, towns and villages with lanterns and torches to help the Lady of Luminosity hold back the darkness. This ritual is known as the Dark Watch. Priests of the Eternal Lantern are often found as members of adven-turing bands who assist a town watch or city guard in protecting the settle-ment from evil.

The principal reason for the Orders adventures are, misgivings aside, ven-tures against the undead an