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Spoiler: This series of posts cover actual game play of the War of the Burning Sky campaign arc from EN Publishing.

Part 1 is here.

When we last left our heroes, they were resting at the Mercineum (a temple dedicated to Pelor and a headquarters of the Gate Pass resistance) before they set off to investigate the Eladrin mage Shealis at Gabal’s School of War later that morning. The main floor of the Mercineum was full of refugees when the heroes arrived so they, along with more incoming refugees, made their way downstairs into the temple’s crypt to rest. Buron Watcher and Torrent escorted the ailing Rivereye Badgerface to a side chamber off the crypt where an infirmary had been set up. All of the heroes except Athos made their beds to the right of the main door to the crypt. Athos decided he needed some distance from his new companions and laid his bed next to the sarcophagus on a dais at the far end of the room. Refugees scattered themselves around the dark chamber in small groups.

A few hours after the group laid to rest, Omicron and Aukan were awakened by the sound of chanting. coming from somewhere near the large statues in the center of the room. Omicron quickly realized it was some form of summoning ritual. They woke Thaikou and Vandalin and crept around the statue to locate the source of the chanting. They spotted a robed half-orc with a scroll who was just finishing the chant. He then yelled “For Ragesia!” and threw a pot of alchemist’s fire at his feet consuming several nearby refugees and himself in flames. The noise woke Athos and the other refugees. Clattering from the alcoves around the room revealed a dozen skeletons awakened by the ritual. The sarcophagus on the dais slid open and an undead horror dressed in armor pulled itself from the coffin. Refugees screamed in terror as Buron yelled from the infirmary doors, “Save the refugees!” He closed the doors sealing himself inside with the wounded and whatever horrors arose in that chamber.

The heroes immediately began to attack the skeletons, who seemed to be focused on the refugees. The armored creature that came from the sarcophagus was identified as a wight. Athos’ bed was nearly atop the wight and the creature began to hack at the warlock with his longsword, immobilizing him when he hit. Athos was in dire straights until Thaikou was able to make his way through to chaos to assist him. Following his brother’s lead with the massive maul attack Aukan hammered on the bandit at the Poison Apple Pub early that morning, Thaikou slammed his maul down on the wight crushing him into the stone floor. Omicron, Aukan, and Vandalin had all moved on to other skeletons at this point in the chaotic battle.

Free from the wight’s immobilization, Athos telekenetically flew atop the statues at the center of the chamber and began shooting at the remaining skeletons around the room. The remainder of the heroes engaged them in melee with Omicron sniping off several smaller skeletons that were waylaying the few remaining refugees. A few minutes later and the fight was over. The aftermath was dire. Out of 30 refugees sleeping in the crypt, only 6 remained. Buron was disappointed, but the survivors were grateful. An old man and his granddaughter who escaped from the crypt offered their savings, a small ruby and 200sp, to the party hoping it would help them protect the city from the oncoming army. Athos offered to give the valuables back, but the old man insisted and left before they could argue further.

Refugees and resistance members began the task of clearing the bodies from the room. The party noticed that the small infirmary held the piles of nearly a dozen skeletons, all of which Buron had destroyed single-handedly. Buron approached the heroes and offered a pair of healing potions to aide them. When asked about Torrent’s absence, he told the heroes that she had been sent out to meet an illusionist named Diogenes at Gabal’s. Diogenes was sympathetic to the resistance and Buron hoped he would have information on Shealis. The heroes, still tired from the morning’s activities, resumed their rest.

The morning of the first day of the Ragesian siege was cold and a heavy snowfall began. The harsh weather limited the aerial assault that had begun at midnight. Upon their awakening, Buron told the party that a few survivors of the morning’s terrorist attack identified the half-orc. They said he frequented a warehouse in the next city quarter. Torrent had not yet returned so Buron asked the heroes to investigate the warehouse in case there were other terrorists in Gate Pass.

The heroes decided they wanted to stop at a merchant on the way to the warehouse to purchase some other supplies. They located a decent sized shop that had an attached storeroom behind it. After haggling for a few minutes with the shopkeeper for a few items, the merchant’s assistant came running from the storeroom and fled out the front door screaming, “We’re under attack!” The Suicide Squad immediately went into action with Athos rushing into the storeroom to find that a scarab beetle had dug its way into the room through the dirt floor. The other party members followed and quickly surrounded the hole through which the beetle had emerged. A strange beast soon crept from the hole and immediately attacked Aukan, drawn to his plate armor like a moth to a flame. The creature attacked him, little feather-like tendrils sweeping over his armor. Rust spots followed in their wake. Vandalin swung his greataxe at the creature, but his weapon began to rust after connecting on a heavy blow. The beast was still drawn to Aukan’s armor and, after another attack, his plate rusted completely through and dropped from his immense frame. Aukan was now completely unprotected from the creatures attacks, but it turned its attention towards Vandalin and began to eat at his chainmail. Two ebon-skinned dwarves emerged from the hole during the fight. They were clad in hide armor and wielded greatclubs and shortbows. Their tactical options were limited since the party had them hedged in near the hole and after a few minutes the fight was finished. The beetle and rust beast had been slain along with the two dwarves. The merchant was jubilant that none of his goods were damaged in the fight. He accepted the weapons and armor of the dwarves in return for a new suit of plate armor for Aukan and a new suit of chain and new greataxe for Vandalin. The heroes found a magic amulet on one of the dwarves that protected the user and created the alchemical substance beastbane, which repels beasts. The merchant surmised that the amulet allowed the dwarves to push the beetle and rust beast to do their bidding. They also found a potion of healing, 110gp, and a small sapphire.

After leaving the merchant’s shop, the party continued through the snowy streets towards the warehouse of the reported terrorists. They found it without difficulty and before they could discuss tactics Vandalin kicked the doors in and rushed inside. The warehouse was long and narrow with a small office in the far right corner. Stacks of boxes, baskets, and crates left small walkways through to the rear of the room. Stores had been cleared from the left back corner were come form of summoning circle had been etched and outlined with candles. Four humans with clubs and three orcs clad in chainmail with halberds gawked at the intruders.

The heroes made their way through the aisles towards the back of the warehouse after Omicron quickly felled a thug with a magic missile fired from outside the doors. Two thugs rushed forward and kicked over a pair of baskets on either side of the room. Swarms of snakes slithered forth and attacked the nearest creatures. The halberdiers quickly engaged the three largest heroes, one each on Aukan, Thaikou and Vandalin. Athos scurried back and forth across the entrance of the room in a shadowy haze shooting eldritch blasts at the enemies. Omicron moved forward slightly in the center aisle so he could better see and dropped a few scorching bursts of fire on their foes.

Shortly after the fight began, the office door opened. A man clad in black and purple robes carrying a sickle emerged and maneuvered behind the line of halberdiers. Athos identified the man’s necklace as a holy symbol of the Raven Queen. Aukan hammered his way through his attacker with a massive slam invoking Kord’s name for divine strength and filling his blood with mighty power. He felled the man in a single blow and rushed the priest only to be teleported away to the side of the warehouse next to one of the snake swarms. Omicron responded by diabolically grasping the priest and yanking him towards the other snake swarm. The priest was unable to withstand their poisonous bites and soon died. The fight raged on for several minutes with a few of the party members hinging on death, but the Suicide Squad prevailed.

One of the halberdiers broke off from the melee and ran into the office closing the door behind him. Athos followed and barely listened to the orc’s pleas for mercy before slaying him with an eldritch blast of blue flame. The rest of the party was a little put out by Athos’ actions. The heroes searched the warehouse for other snakes and found none. The crates were filled with clothing and foodstuffs. They also located a small locked chest in the office. Omicron was easily able to pick the lock. Inside were a small opal, 350gp, and several letters that appeared to be orders to conduct terrorist attacks on the city from the inside while the army attacks the gates. More letters alluded to other cells within the city who were ordered to round up several mages, two names the party recognized: Diogenes and the city councilman Erdan Menash.

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This session consisted of a lot of combat and little roleplaying, but I think everyone had fun. After fairly easily completing the encounters in the first session, I think the players (other thank Erik who has played with me as DM before) were a little off guard by how difficult the first and last encounter were. Vandalin was unconscious by the end of the last encounter and Aukan went down in both (failing two death saves in the last one before being stabilized). However, they did survive and have proven themselves to be true heroes of Gate Pass.

Now if only they can find that case of Ragesian secrets…

Spoiler: This series of posts cover actual game play of the War of the Burning Sky campaign arc from EN Publishing.

This post covers the first session of the campaign in which the heroes meet and begin their quest to save the world from destruction. The heroes were introduced here.

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Our intrepid group of heroes find themselves outside the Poison Apple Pub in Gate Pass shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve. All of them, except one, have been asked by the resistance leadership to meet a woman named Torrent at the pub for a mission of vital importance.Shortly after the arrival of the last recruit, a woman opens the alley door of the pub and lets the men inside. Most of the furniture has been pushed to one side of the room and covered with a sheet, but a lone table with six chairs is still setup. Atop it sits a small keg of beer and several mugs.

“I am Torrent,” says the woman. “Thank you for coming.” She tells the men of a case of military intelligence that has been smuggled from the capital of the Ragesian Empire by a gnome named Rivereye Badgerface. He was to meet a contact within the resistance named Peppin Tallman, but Peppin was murdered several days before. Fortunately the resistance acquired his signet ring and locker key, as well as information regarding his planned meeting with Rivereye, through a speak with dead ritual.

One of the men asks Torrent, “Wait a minute, there’s an army coming towards Gate Pass?”

“Hey, aren’t you Vandin? Are the rumors true that you’re a drunk?” asks one of the large men.

“It’s Vandalin, and no. Not always. So what’s this about an army?”

The group fills Vandalin in on the recent events in the world, including the Ragesian army marching on Gate Pass. Torrent explains that the city council is considering letting Ragesian Inquisitors into the city so they can seek out arcane mages in an effort to appease the invaders. She outlines their need to acquire this case and get it to the Lyceum Academy far to the south in Seaquen. She has determined that the best route to get there is down the Old Elf Road south out of the city and through the Fire Forest of Innenotdar.

Several distant thumps and explosions are heard by the party followed by a commanding voice outside the Pub, “Front door, go!”

The front door to the pub comes crashing down. A halfling runs into the open doorway spinning a pair of bolas. He is followed by a man dressed in leather armor and wielding a mace. Four thugs with clubs come in after him. The intruders demand the party’ surrender. Our heroes, who have since come to call themselves the Suicide Squad, did not surrender. Instead they proceeded to lay into the thugs with reckless abandon. The halfling spun his bolas up and restrained Vandalin and Thaikou for a brief second during the fight. In return, Thaikou drew his throwing hammer and whipped it at the halfling’s head, causing a mortal wound. Aukan dropped his maul atop the head of another intruder completely smashing him into the floor. The party thought the reverberations of the impact shook the entire building, but it was actually a Ragesian bomb that hit the pub, causing flaming oil to seep down from the second floor and the ceiling to collapse on Thaikou. He made an attempt to exit the pub through the alley door, only to find it guarded from the outside. The rest of the party escaped thought he front door chasing after a fleeing intruder only to find another man outside with a pair of attack dogs and a formidable man atop a horse. Vandalin and Aukan proceeded to chase down the fleeing man along with his companion while Thaikou emerged from the collapsing pub to engage the horseman.

After a few minor blows and all of his companions slain or fled, the horse man said “It appears Renard underestimated your capabilities.” With that, he turned and galloped down the snowy street, but not before Thaikou took one last mighty swing with his maul. The horseman was almost thrown from his saddle by the impact, but managed to stay mounted and flee the scene. Omicron would later realize that these men wore the insignia of the Black Horse, a group of  mercenary bounty hunters native to Gate Pass.

The party quickly regrouped and moved on from the now completely collapsed Poison Apple Pub towards the next district to the east and their meeting with Rivereye at the depository. They almost ran over a frail man holding an unconscious woman with three children straggling behind. Their clothes smoldering from the fires in the building they just exited. “Help me please,” than man implores the party. Aukan, ever the guardian, immediately comes to the woman’s aide, administering healing as bet he can. After stabilizing her wounds, he asks if there is a place nearby they can take the family. Torrent suggests a small temple down a side street and the party takes the family there. The man, named Rensar, thanks the heroes and promises to return the favor in the future.

Further along the main street, a crowd is gathered near house aflame. A woman is standing in the upstairs window, flames licking at her heels. The twins immediately jump into action using their height (both are 7 feet tall) to overcome the challenge. Aukan climbs on his stronger brother’s shoulders and reaches up to grab the woman from the window. Thaikou loses his grip and they fall, but not before Athos and Vandalin help soften the blow with the ground. The crowd immediately converges on the woman to see to her wounds as they give thanks to our heroes.

Explosions and fires are creating chaos in the western districts of Gate Pass. Crowds of fleeing citizens make their way towards the gate to the next district to the east. The party joins to moving mass of people. A wave of fear spreads over the crowd as a flying creature, identified as a Wyvern by Aukan, passes overhead pursued by one of Gate Pass’ own griffon riders. As the crowd becomes more dense, Omicron feels someone bump into him, he turns and sees a young boy running off through the crowd. Quickly inspecting his belt, he discovers his coin purse is missing. The heroes immediately give chase through the crowd. Aukan’s superior height allows him to see the culprit’s moves while he yells at the crowd to make way. Athos conjures eldritch blue flames into his hands striking fear into many of the citizens causing them to back away from the party. Omicron catches a glimpse of the boy and uses mage hand to trip him so the pursuing heroes can catch up. The men successfully catch the boy after Omicron causes a ghost sound of a terrible monster in front of the boy who immediately curls up in the fetal position in fear. The party finds Omicron’s purse along with a nice gold ring and a potion of healing. The boy confesses to stealing the other two items. The men take them and let the boy go, threatening him that they will find him if he steals again.

The crowd of people is dispersing at this point since they have passed through the gates into the next district, but the screams of terror come back as the wyvern approaches the main street. His pursuer engages in combat in flight and causes the wyvern to crash down into a nearby house. After a few moments, the party hears a woman’s curdling scream cut short and the cries of a small child. Aukan and Vandalin immediately run towards the small building. Vandalin kicks in the door to find a half-orc Ragesian soldier dressed in nice black scale armor, wielding a battleaxe and large spiked shield. In his arms he holds a small boy with his battleaxe at the boy’s throat. “Move and let me go!” The half-orc demands.

The party engages the soldier. In response, he slits the boy’s throat and moves to defend himself. The battle lasts several minutes with the heroes laying into the Ragesian with all their might. Several times the soldier slammed Vandalin with his shield, knock him to the ground several feet away. Aukan summoned all of his strength for one attack, heedless of defending himself, but imparting a serious blow on the soldier with his mighty maul. The half-orc proceeded to hack his way through the men to reach the street outside, but his wounds began to take the best of him and the party slew him in the snowy street. The heroes discovered the soldier’s dead wyvern in a large pile of rubble int eh corner of the building. In his saddlebags were 70gp and a potion of healing. They removed the Ragesian’s armor after discovering it is magical and provides resistance to fire and necrotic damage. Thaikou replaced his own scale armor with the magical suit. It was snug, but seemed to morph itself to fit his immense frame. The party survived their first direct encounter with the Ragesian army, barely. Vandalin and Aukan were both severely hurt, but they pressed on to the depository and their quest to retrieve the case of military secrets.

Torrent imparted some healing to the young boy, barely saving his life. She instructed the men to continue their mission while she took the boy to the Mercineum nearby. She would meet them there once they retrieved the case. The party decided Omicron was best suited to impersonate Peppin since they were both human merchant/mage-types. With Tallman’s key and signet ring in hand, the group entered the depository to meet with the ugly gnome Rivereye Badgerface. The gnome approached the men at the base of the stairs asking for Peppin by name. Omicron replied he was Pepping and the two moved up to the second floor. Rivereye asked about the code phrase to which Omicron replied “Ramshorn.” Immediately after ofering this bit of information, Omicron got a feeling Rivereye was not who he pretended to be. The gnome’s legs were a little too long for his height even though he was stopped over like a hunchback. The gnome walked over to a door and on to a balcony. Omicron asked about the case to which the gnome said it was in the locker. The mage located locker 222 and opened it using Tallman’s key, but nothing was inside. He called to his companions downstairs and the party looked for the gnome, but he was nowhere to be seen.

A bright light on the third floor drew the party’s attention. They investigated to find it was a wisp solon, a small sun floating in the middle of the room. Omicron informed the party that solons were creations of the primordials to fight the angels of the immortals. They often aligned with good mages and sorcerers. The solon proved to be a very gregarious conversationalist with the party discovering that the imposter was an eladrin named Larion. His companions had taken the case to their master, a mage named Shealis at Gabal’s School of War in Gate Pass. The solon then teleported away in small bursts of flame leaving the heroes to discover the real Rivereye and several orc guards on the fourth floor. The gnome was sad to hear the news of Peppin’s murder and asked the men to take him to Torrent as he was ill and needed rest before they confronted Shealis. He offered them Larions’ cape and belt, which the eladrin had swapped out for the gnome’s own in order to better his disguise. The identified the cape as one that magically aides its wearer’s defense and has the ability to teleport him out of harm’s way. With the current fiery issues with teleportation, the party gives the cape to Thaikou who seems to have the ability to withstand the fires of telportation due to the black scale armor he is wearing. The belt magically imparts vigor to its wearer. Vandalin puts it on.

The heroes escort Rivereye to the Mercineum and Torrent. Buron Watcher, the priest of Pelor who runs the temple, takes the ill gnome downstairs to an infirmary the resistance has set up. After some deliberation with Torrent, teh heroes agree that they need time to rest before confronting Shealis later that morning.

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So ends part 1 of the Scouring of Gate Pass. The players were all very excited to continue and have decided to play every week rather than every other, at least until schedules dictate we change. Overall I thought the session went well. There were no rules arguments, every had fun, one or two players came very close to death each encounter, and each player had the chance to shine at different moments. As a DM, I like to make every encounter challenging enough to the point where player’s feel a sense of danger, but not so much that they are unable to progress. I think I accomplished that with these first few encounters. I was a little concerned the solo fight might be too much for the Suicide Squad, but they put out so much damage that I gave the solo his full 188hp rather than start him at bloodied. The two defenders came very close to dying, but the team manged to kill the solo just in time.

I am looking forward to this coming Friday’s session as two of the encounters we should get through are ones I really enjoyed changing from the published adventure. Hopefully the heroes prevail.

Until next time…

After last night’s Dark Sun D&D Encounters session, my DM asked me about what I would do if I created the pre-generated characters for this season. I posted my thoughts on the pre-gens earlier, but he asked me to go ahead and re do them in character builder (as best I can since not all the rules are in there yet) and see what happens. So without further ado, here are my revisions to the Dark Sun D&D Encounters party:

Barcan, level 1 Human Sorcerer (Spell Source: Cosmic Magic), Theme: Veiled Alliance
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 14, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 14, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.
AC: 12 Fort: 13 Reflex: 11 Will: 18
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Insight +4, Arcana +5, History +5, Diplomacy +10, Bluff +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Dungeoneering -1, Endurance, Heal -1, Intimidate +5, Nature -1, Perception -1, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise +5, Thievery, Athletics +2
FEATS: Human: Superior Implement Training (Incendiary dagger), Level 1: Arcane Reserves
POWERS: Bonus At-Will Power: Arcing Fire, Sorcerer at-will 1: Blazing Starfall, Sorcerer at-will 1: Burning Spray, Sorcerer encounter 1: Explosive Pyre, Theme encounter: Excise From Sight, Sorcerer daily 1: Grounding Rebuke
ITEMS: Incendiary dagger, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Adventurer’s Kit

Barcan was not a terrible pre-generated character with the exception of his race. Sorcerers really need a 16 or 18 in their secondary stat to keep pace with other strikers for their damage since their bonus is derived from that stat. Barcan only has a 14 Strength so his damage bonus with spells is only +2, pretty poor compared to the +1d6 of a warlock and ranger or +2d6 of a rogue. The disparity is worse if those classes take the appropriate feats to make their bonus damage die a d8. Originally Barcan had two feats that helped alleviate some of this issue under certain circumstances. The feats were not bad, but Superior Implement Training (incendiary dagger) is better since it applies almost all the time rather than only under certain conditions. Plus it offers a +1 to hit bonus that his other feats did not. Overall though, Barcan did not really change much from his pre-gen form, but the minor changes should make him a far more effective striker.

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Castri, level 1 Elf Ranger (Fighting Style: Hunter Fighting Style, Ranger: Prime Shot), Theme:
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 20, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10.
AC: 18 Fort: 11 Reflex: 16 Will: 13
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Nature +10, Acrobatics +9, Endurance +4, Stealth +9, Athletics +3
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +3, Heal +3, History, Insight +3, Intimidate, Perception +5, Religion, Streetwise, Thievery +4
FEATS: Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Greatbow)
POWERS: Ranger at-will 1: Twin Strike, Ranger at-will 1: Fading Strike, Ranger encounter 1: Hindering Shot,
Ranger daily 1: Split the Tree
ITEMS: Hide Armor, Longsword, Greatbow, Dagger

Elves are not optimal choices for melee combatants for most classes since they lack a +2 Strength bonus so Castri’s original build as a marauder ranger isn’t the best. I have recreated him as a hunter ranger using a greatbow since it has the most damage for a medium ranged weapon. This takes advantage of the elf’s two best qualities, +2 Dexterity and Elven Accuracy and greatly improves his overall damage output as a striker. Unfortunately this change alters Castri’s background somewhat. He can probably still be a gladiator, but I don’t think the theme’s encounter power will work well if it is based on strength. Since we don’t have all the details on the theme powers yet, I can’t say for sure what would be best for the new Castri.

If Castri were to remain a melee ranger, he would be better off as a two-weapon fighter so he gets toughness as a free feat to give him more hit points and two larger weapons will allow him to do more melee damage. Here he is with two longswords. To up his damage he could trade out his feat for Lethal Hunter and/or wield dual battleaxes, but both of those options would decrease his attack rolls by +1 each.

Castri, level 1 Elf Ranger (Fighting Style: Two-Blade Fighting Style, Ranger: Running Attack), Theme: Gladiator
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 16 Fort: 15 Reflex: 14 Will: 11
HP: 28 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS: Nature +8, Athletics +8, Endurance +4, Perception +8, Acrobatics +7
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +1, Heal +1, History, Insight +1, Intimidate -1, Religion, Stealth +2, Streetwise -1, Thievery +2
FEATS: Level 1: Weapon Expertise (Heavy Blade)
POWERS: Ranger at-will 1: Shield of Blades, Ranger at-will 1: Twin Strike, Ranger encounter 1: Dire Wolverine Strike, Ranger daily 1: Jaws of the Wolf
ITEMS: Hide Armor, Longsword (2)

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Jarvix, level 1 Tiefling Psion (Discipline Focus: Telepathy Focus), Theme: Veiled Alliance
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 16.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 14.
AC: 15 Fort: 10 Reflex: 15 Will: 15
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Diplomacy +8, Intimidate +8, Perception +5, Bluff +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Arcana +5, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Heal, History +5, Insight, Nature, Religion +5, Stealth +2, Streetwise +3, Thievery, Athletics -1
FEATS: Psion: Ritual Caster, Level 1: Superior Implement Training (Crystal orb)
POWERS: Psion at-will 1: Dishearten, Psion at-will 1: Mind Thrust, Theme encounter: Excise From Sight, Psion daily 1: Mental Trauma
ITEMS: Dagger, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Crystal orb
RITUALS: Comrades’ Succor, Create Campsite

Jarvix was not a bad pre-gen at all, probably the best of this group. The only change I made to him was his feat since it grants him +1 to-hit and +2 damage with all of his attacks instead of the extra use of Distract one per encounter. He now is much more of a striker than before.

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Phye, level 1 Human Ardent (Ardent Mantle: Mantle of Elation), Theme: Noble Adept
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 18.
AC: 16 Fort: 14 Reflex: 11 Will: 17
HP: 31 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS: Streetwise +10, Heal +5, Insight +5, Athletics +4, Diplomacy +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics -1, Arcana -1, Bluff +5, Dungeoneering, Endurance +1, History -1, Intimidate +5, Nature, Perception, Religion -1, Stealth -1, Thievery -1
FEATS: Human: Weapon Expertise (Spear), Level 1: Toughness
POWERS: Ardent at-will 1: Energizing Strike, Ardent at-will 1: Focusing Strike, Bonus At-Will Power: Demoralizing Strike, Theme encounter: Adept’s Insight, Ardent daily 1: Implanted Suggestion
ITEMS: Iron Longspear, Chainmail, Adventurer’s kit

I changed Phye to an Elation Adept rather than a Clarity Adept to slightly increase her survivability since she is the only leader in the party. Her Reflex went down by one, but her Fortitude and Will increased by one each and she has two more hit points and one more healing surge per day. I also changed her mantle of Readiness feat (which is nice, but not great) to Weapon Expertise (spear) to grant her an additional +1 to hit. Her ardent weapon powers now have an attack bonus of +8 instead of +6 and she does one more point of damage with them. The to hit bonus is important since the secondary effects of her powers only take effect if she hits and since she is using a reach weapon to stay out of harm’s way, she will not likely have combat advantage to help her hit.

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Shikirr, level 1 Thri-Kreen Battlemind (Psionic Study: Battle Resilience), Theme: Wilder
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 11, Con 18, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 11, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 10.
AC: 19 Fort: 14 Reflex: 13 Will: 15
HP: 38 Surges: 13 Surge Value: 9
TRAINED SKILLS: Intimidate +7, Endurance +7, Athletics +3
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics -1, Arcana -1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +3, Heal +3, History -1, Insight +3, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion -1, Stealth -1, Streetwise, Thievery -1
FEATS: Level 1: Toughness
POWERS: Battlemind at-will 1: Bull’s Strength, Battlemind at-will 1: Iron Fist, Racial encounter: Thri-Kreen Claws, Theme encounter: Wild Surge, Battlemind daily 1: Aspect of Elevated Harmony
ITEMS: Scale Armor, Heavy Shield, Battleaxe

Shikirr was tough to change since Thri-Kreen are not in character builder. I changed my previous assumption of stat bonuses to +2 Dex and +2 Wis after a colleague pointed out the stats don’t add up right with +2 to Con, not the greatest for a battlemind since they are Con based so he can’t get a 20 in his primary stat. Plus, since he has a +2 to Wisdom, he fits the Resilient Battlemind build better than the Quick Battlemind. Shikirr is now the party’s true tank with an AC of 19. Since he has four arms, you could also assume that he has two light shields rather than one heavy shield. He no longer has reach, but he needs to be adjacent to his marked enemies to invoke his abilities anyway. Now he has a little more staying power to do so.

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Yuka, level 1 Mul Fighter (Fighter: Combat Superiority, Fighter Talents: Tempest Technique), Theme: Wasteland Nomad
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 20, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
AC: 17 Fort: 17 Reflex: 11 Will: 11
HP: 36 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 9
TRAINED SKILLS: Intimidate +4, Endurance +7, Athletics +11
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics -1, Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Nature +2, Perception, Religion, Stealth -1, Streetwise -1, Thievery -1
FEATS: Level 1: Toughness
POWERS: Fighter at-will 1: Grappling Strike, Fighter at-will 1: Dual Strike, Fighter encounter 1: Spinning Sweep, Racial encounter: Incredible Toughness, Theme encounter: Wasteland Fury, Fighter daily 1: Ruinous Assault
ITEMS: Chainmail, Longsword, Spiked gauntlet

Originally I was going to change Yuka from a Grappling Fighter to a Battlerager Fighter to take advantage of his Con bonus, but after rebuilding Shikirr as the party’s main tank, I decided to keep Yuka a little more like his original comcept and opted for Tempest Technique. He can still use grappling strike to grab enemies, but now he does a little more damage than before.

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Well, there they are. Not the best characters in the world, but better IMHO than they were before. The party has a little more resilience and damage output which is the name of the game when it comes to D&D Encounters.

Until next time…

Even though I may not have a chance to play Thordek I am really liking his concept, a dwarf warrior who gains insight and help from his ancestral spirits. His warlock build is cool, but I find that he lacks a lot of melee powers since a warlock’s only melee power is Eldritch Strike at 1st level. They have a bunch of close powers, but they are spread out. Looking for more melee prowess got me to thinking about making him a hybrid. Since he is Con based the class that makes the most sense is battlemind. So here is Thordek as a hybrid battlemind/warlock:

Thordek, level 1 Dwarf Battlemind|Warlock [Eldritch Pact (Hybrid): Vestige Pact (Hybrid); Hybrid Warlock: Hybrid Warlock Reflex; Psionic Augmentation (Hybrid): Hybrid Power Point Option; Hybrid Talent: Warlock Pact Boon; Background: Dwarf - Dedicated to an Ancestor (+2 to History)]
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 13, Con 20, Dex 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 13, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 13 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 12
HP: 33 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 8
TRAINED SKILLS: Religion +6, Athletics +6, History +8
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Arcana +1, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +3, Endurance +7, Heal +1, Insight +1, Intimidate -1, Nature +1, Perception +1, Stealth, Streetwise -1, Thievery
FEATS: Level 1: Hybrid Talent
POWERS: Hybrid at-will 1: Eyes of the Vestige, Hybrid at-will 1: Bull’s Strength, Psionic Defense (Hybrid): Mind Spike, Hybrid daily 1: Vestige of Mount Vaelis
ITEMS: Adventurer’s Kit, Leather Armor, Warhammer

The only real downside to him so far is his lack of AC at 1st level since he has to use his feat to regain his warlock pact boon instead of gaining proficiency in chainmail armor. That will be corrected at level 2. There are a few other weaknesses to him being hybrid though. He no longer has a power he can use as a basic melee attack so he will sometime have to spend a feat on Melee Training (Constitution), and he no longer gets the Prime Shot class feature. The latter is not that big of a deal, although it sure comes in handy once he hits paragon level and gets the Prime Punisher feat.

I’m not sold on the hybrid build yet, but it looks interesting so far.

Until next time…

The time has come. The immortal emperor is dead and war is coming. Gate Pass, long a shining beacon between two great nations, is soon to be under siege by the armies of the Ragesian Empire. The resistance forces of old have renewed the pledge to protect their beloved free city and new recruits have been called to their ranks:

Athos (played by Chris) - A mysterious gaunt humanoid from another plane who wields arcane forces of a dark nature. Who he is, where he came from, and why he is protecting Gate Pass, only he knows.

Thaikou & Aukan (played by Jayson & Tom) - Twin goliath brothers found as infants and raised by their Uncle Osrik, the dwarven high priest of Moradin in Gate Pass. Thaikou has followed closely in his uncle’s footsteps honing his skills as a runepriest, while Aukan, elder by three minutes, is more protective and adheres to the path of the paladin. Their uncle was a member of the city’s resistance from 40 years ago and is one of its leaders today. The brothers heeded their uncle’s call to help defend Gate Pass.

Omicron (played by Erik) - A young mage and former student of Gabal’s famed School of War in Gate Pass. Omicron was expelled from the school after meddling in forbidden magic. Gate Pass is the only home he has ever known and he is set on seeing the Ragesian Scourge stopped at its gates.

Vandalin (played by Ryan) - A young warrior native to Gate Pass. He left the service of the city guard after his wife was brutally murdered to pursue the culprits, but has since become a drunk and embarrassment to his family.

Can these five men become heroes and save the world? Only time will tell.

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So begins my War of the Burning Sky Campaign. Every since reading about this when it first came out from E.N. Publishing a few years ago, I have wanted to either run or play the campaign. Since I’ve read way too much to play it now, I’m taking the reigns as DM every other Friday for this small group of intrepid heroes.

The party seems pretty strong and the players are all experienced with D&D 4th edition, so I will have to be on my toes. The PCs and their races/classes are: Athos (githyanki dark pact warlock), Thaikou (goliath wrathful runepriest), Aukan (goliath ardent paladin), Omicron (human wizard/infernal pact warlock), and Vandalin (human battlerager fighter).

Hopefully all goes well…

I know. I know. I said Wizards is killing me with their errata, but I can’t help myself. I like making characters. So here are a few more first level characters I’ve come up with just for the heck of it:

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Thordek, level 1 Dwarf Warlock, Eldritch Strike: Eldritch Strike Constitution, Eldritch Pact: Vestige Pact, Background: Dwarf - Dedicated to an Ancestor (+2 to History)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 13, Con 20, Dex 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 13, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 16 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 12
HP: 32 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 8
TRAINED SKILLS: Insight +6, Religion +6, History +8, Arcana +6
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics -1, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +3, Endurance +6, Heal +1, Intimidate -1, Nature +1, Perception +1, Stealth -1, Streetwise -1, Thievery -1, Athletics
FEATS: Level 1: Armor Proficiency (Chainmail)
POWERS: Eldritch Blast: Eldritch Strike, Vestige Pact at-will: Eyes of the Vestige, Warlock encounter 1: Clarion Call, Warlock daily 1: Vestige of Mount Vaelis
ITEMS: Adventurer’s Kit, Dagger, Warhammer, Chainmail

Thordek is a spiritual warrior using the warlock class for mechanical purposes. He is basically a priest of ancestor worship and gains his powers through communion with his deceased ancestors. As far as the game is concerned he is a warlock, but fluff-wise his powers are different. The vestige pact works very well for this since it is based on making pacts with a variety of spirits. Instead of the spirits mentioned in each power (King Elidyr, Zutwa, and Mount Vaelis), Thordek communes with his ancestors King Eberk, Zistra, and Vondal. He is a multi-purpose striker with both melee and ranged attacks (well, one melee attack) and is okay with being right in the mix since he has a 16AC, 32hp, and lugs around a warhammer. His ancestors protect him if he moves around the battlefield (concealment from Shadow Walk ability). That’s the only thing I couldn’t really explain directly. Why do his ancestors provide concealment if he moves? I have no idea. Instead of cursing enemies he asks for his ancestors to guide his attacks. They typically provide other boons as well.

Thordek doesn’t necessarily have the greatest striker damage since his ranged at-will is only +5 vs. Will and 1d6+5 damage + 1d6 if they are cursed. His melee at-will is a little better since he two-hands the warhammer (+7 vs. AC and 1d10+6 damage +1d6 if they are cursed). At 2nd level he will take Dwarven Weapon Training and switch to a waraxe, which will up his melee damage to 1d12+8 +1d6 if they are cursed. Other heroic feats that fit his character are: Killing Curse (d8 instead of d6 curse damage), Scale Armor Proficiency (for better AC), Toughness (more hp never hurt), and Empowering Shadows (+1 damage when he is concealed). His first two paragon feats will be Prime Punisher (his Prime Shot bonus applies to melee attacks if no allies are adjacent to his target) and Called Shot (+5 damage against target hit using Prime Shot bonus). He will probably also retrain Empowering Shadows for Dwarven Durability for a little more survivability. Prime Punisher will be really awesome since Thordek can pretty easily get a +3 Prime Shot bonus while he is under the vestige of Zistra and +3 to hit is no joke. Plus that feat means the damage bonus of Called Shot also applies. At 12th level, using Eldritch Strike with a standard waraxe he’d be +17 vs. AC and 1d12+2d8+13 damage if his target was cursed with none of Thordek’s allies adjacent to the target and he had Zistra’s pact boon applied. That’s pretty nasty.

Anyway, I like Thordek. He is different than your typical build which is always something I look for when making a character. He may not be completely optimized but he should be able to do his job as a striker well, especially once he gets the Paragon level.

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Rufus the Bowmaster, level 1 Human Ranger, Fighting Style: Hunter Fighting Style, Ranger: Prime Shot
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10.
AC: 18 Fort: 13 Reflex: 17 Will: 12
HP: 24 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS: Perception +6, Nature +6, Endurance +5, Dungeoneering +6, Acrobatics +9, Athletics +4
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Heal +1, History, Insight +1, Intimidate, Religion, Stealth +4, Streetwise, Thievery +4
FEATS: Human: Weapon Proficiency (Greatbow), Level 1: Weapon Expertise (Bow), Hunter Style: Quick Draw
POWERS: Bonus At-Will Power: Fading Strike, Ranger at-will 1: Twin Strike, Ranger at-will 1: Warning Shot,
Ranger encounter 1: Skirmish Shot, Ranger daily 1: Sure Shot
ITEMS: Greatbow, Longsword, Hide Armor, Adventurer’s Kit

The greatbow is currently the most powerful ranged weapon in D&D 4e at 1d12 damage so it lends itself to optimized ranged strikers. Most ranged strikers typically have set damage values for their powers of either 1d8 or 1d10 (Dark Pact warlock is an exception if the target is at full hp). Only the Ranger has ranged weapon powers that can take advantage of the 1d12 of the greatbow. Unfortunately the greatbow only has a +2 proficiency so starting characters are likely to have only a +6 or +7 to hit versus AC which is not that great. Fortunately the Ranger has Twin Strike, so they can shoot twice, as well as Prime Shot if they get close enough. Rufus is human just so he can get that extra +1 to hit from Weapon Expertise at first level. What other race/class combo gets two attacks at +8 or +9 vs. AC and 1d12 damage plus another 1d6 if the target is the ranger’s quarry? And do it all from out of harm’s way? Rufus can still handle himself decently in melee. While he only has 24hp, he has an 18AC (22 AC vs. opportunity attacks provoked by him shooting), and he can draw and sheathe his longsword for free (very useful with Fading Strike).

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Bree, level 1 Halfling Sorcerer, Spell Source: Storm Magic, Background: Occupation - Mariner (+2 to Perception)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 8, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18.
AC: 13 Fort: 10 Reflex: 13 Will: 17
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Arcana +5, Endurance +5, Nature +5, Athletics +4
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics +5, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate +5, Perception +2, Religion, Stealth +3, Streetwise +5, Thievery +5
FEATS: Level 1: Sorcerous Blade Channeling
POWERS: Sorcerer at-will 1: Lightning Strike, Sorcerer at-will 1: Storm Walk, Sorcerer encounter 1: Whirlwind, Sorcerer daily 1: Howling Tempest
ITEMS: Dagger, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Adventurer’s Kit

Bree is a character I came up with when working on a waterworld type fantasy campaign. In a world where islands are the norm, trees may not be in great supply so ships will either be rare or smaller. In either case, halflings make great sailors due to their small size. When I saw the new Storm Sorcerer I thought it would be perfect for a halfling buccaneer spellcaster, especially with the Sorcerous Blade Channeling feat. Bree is not the most optimized character around as her at-wills are only +5 to hit and 1d8+8 damage. Not bad, but not that great. She’s more of a fun character concept than an optimized build anyway.

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Until next time…

Season 2 of D&D Encounters starts next week. I came across the six pregenerated characters and must say I’m disappointed (because I like optimized characters and these aren’t). Below are the six characters along with my thoughts on them.

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Barcan, level 1 Human Sorcerer, Spell Source: Cosmic Magic, Theme: Veiled Alliance
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 14, Con 10, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 14, Con 10, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.
AC: 12 Fort: 13 Reflex: 11 Will: 18
HP: 22 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Insight +4, Arcana +5, History +5, Diplomacy +10, Bluff +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Dungeoneering -1, Endurance, Heal -1, Intimidate +5, Nature -1, Perception -1, Religion, Stealth, Streetwise +5, Thievery, Athletics +2
FEATS: Human: Arcane Reserves, Level 1: Focusing Spellfury
POWERS: Bonus At-Will Power: Arcing Fire, Sorcerer at-will 1: Blazing Starfall, Sorcerer at-will 1: Burning Spray, Sorcerer encounter 1: Ray of the Moon, Theme encounter: Excise From Sight, Sorcerer daily 1: Cosmos Call
ITEMS: Adventurer’s Kit, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Quarterstaff

Barcan is probably the best of the pregen characters since his main stat is a 20. His feats are needed to make up for his lackluster damage bonus (+2 from strength) to bring him in line with the more capable strikers.

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Castri, level 1 Elf Ranger, Fighting Style: Marauder Fighting Style, Ranger: Running Attack, Theme: Gladiator,
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 17 Fort: 15 Reflex: 15 Will: 11
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Nature +8, Stealth +7, Perception +8, Acrobatics +7, Dungeoneering +6
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Endurance -1, Heal +1, History, Insight +1, Intimidate -1, Religion, Streetwise -1, Thievery +2, Athletics +3
FEATS: Level 1: Improved Initiative
POWERS: Ranger at-will 1: Twin Strike, Ranger at-will 1: Throw and Stab, Ranger encounter 1: Precise Assault, Theme encounter: Disrupting Advance, Ranger daily 1: Isolation Strike
ITEMS: Bone carrikal, 2 flint daggers, hide armor

Castri is not a bad character, but with only an 18 strength on a melee class he’s not great either. His biggest flaw is probably his daily power which does not take advantage of the extra +1 to hit he gets from Running Attack. He’d probably also be better with either Quick Draw or Lethal Hunter as his feat rather than Improved Initiative. Quick Draw would allow him to re-arm himself faster after he throws his weapon using Throw and Stab, and Lethal Hunter ups his overall damage. His weapons are decent although he could probably use a handaxe in his off hand rather than the dagger for a small damage increase at the loss of +1 to hit. Not sure how I feel about that since I prefer characters with better than average to hit bonuses but perhaps his racial ability will compensate.

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Jarvix, level 1 Tiefling Psion, Discipline Focus: Telepathy Focus, Theme: Veiled Alliance
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 11, Con 10, Dex 10, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 16.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 11, Con 10, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 8, Cha 14.
AC: 15 Fort: 10 Reflex: 15 Will: 15
HP: 22 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS: Intimidate +8, Perception +4, Bluff +10, Diplomacy +8
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Arcana +5, Dungeoneering -1, Endurance, Heal -1, History +5, Insight -1, Nature -1, Religion +5, Stealth +2, Streetwise +3, Thievery, Athletics
FEATS: Psion: Ritual Caster, Level 1: Discipline Adept
POWERS: Psion at-will 1: Dishearten, Psion at-will 1: Mind Thrust, Theme encounter: Excise From Sight, Psion daily 1: Mental Trauma
ITEMS: Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Bronze Dagger, Orb Implement
RITUALS: Comrades’ Succor, Create Campsite

Like Barcan, Jarvis also has a 20 in his main stat so he’s a little better off than the other characters. I played a Shardmind Psion in the first D&D Encounters season who was more optimized than Jarvix, but he’s ok. He’d be better off with the overpowered Superior Implement Training (Crystal Orb) feat rather than Discipline Adept. Being able to use Distract a second time in an encounter is nice, but not at the expense of +1 to-hit and +2 damage all the time.

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Phye, level 1 Human Ardent, Ardent Mantle: Mantle of Clarity, Theme: Noble Adept
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 18.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 16.
AC: 16 Fort: 13 Reflex: 12 Will: 16
HP: 29 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS: Streetwise +9, Heal +8, Insight +8, Athletics +4, Diplomacy +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics, Arcana -1, Bluff +4, Dungeoneering +3, Endurance, History -1, Intimidate +4, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion -1, Stealth, Thievery
FEATS: Human: Mantle of Readiness, Level 1: Toughness
POWERS: Ardent at-will 1: Energizing Strike, Ardent at-will 1: Focusing Strike, Bonus At-Will Power: Psionic Shield, Theme encounter: Adept’s Insight, Ardent daily 1: Implanted Suggestion
ITEMS: Adventurer’s Kit, Chitin Chainmail, Iron Longspear

Phye is the only leader in the pregens (which should make things interesting in a six person party). I prefer leaders who can either protect themselves or output damage near striker levels. Phye half-accomplishes those. She uses a reach weapon with could keep her away from enemies while still being able to attack with a 1d10 damage weapon. Not bad, but not great. her feats are ok. Toughness helps with her survivability, but I’m not sold on the other one. I’d probably go with Weapon Expertise to up her base to-hit to +7, which is very important since her at-will effects on work if she hits her target.

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Yuka, level 1 Mul Fighter, Fighter: Combat Agility, Theme: Wasteland Nomad
Fighter Talents: Brawler Style
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 18, Con 14, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 16, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.
AC: 19 Fort: 18 Reflex: 14 Will: 10
HP: 29 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS: Intimidate +5, Endurance +9, Athletics +9, Streetwise +7
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics +3, Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, History, Insight, Nature +2, Perception, Religion, Stealth +3, Thievery +3
FEATS: Level 1: Brawler Guard
POWERS: Fighter at-will 1: Threatening Rush, Fighter at-will 1: Grappling Strike, Fighter encounter 1: Serpent’s Coil, Theme encounter: Wasteland fury, Fighter daily 1: Unstoppable Advance
ITEMS: Id Fiend Scale Armor, Obsidian Short sword, Bone Alhulak, Adventurer’s Kit

The complete Mul race writeup won’t be available until the Dark Sun rulebook is released, but players have been able to piece together most of their bonuses. They have +2 Str and +2 Con like Goliaths which makes them suitable to the melee classes dwarves should be able to take (see my previous post). If they can take dwarven feats they will be awesome. In that case, their +2 str combined with Dwarven Weapon Training will make one heck of a nasty warrior.

Yuka uses the new brawler build from Martial Power 2, which is a neat build but is better suited to the Half-Orc. Since Yuka needs 3 stats to perform well he has only an 18 in strength. Not great. He’d be much better off as a battle rager rather than a brawler. At least he has a 19 AC though, but 29 hp is a little weak for a defender. His weapon is only 1d8 so his damage output is not to my preferred level for any character and he only has a +7 to-hit, also a little low. If he had a 20 strength he could go with a larger weapon like a battleaxe.

I have a feeling he will be a popular character since the Mul is new. not sure how my local group is going to decide who gets to play whom.

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Shikirr, level 1 Thri-Kreen Battlemind, Psionic Study: Speed of Thought, Theme: Wilder
FINAL ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 18, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 16, Cha 11.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES: Str 10, Con 16, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 11.
AC: 17 Fort: 14 Reflex: 11 Will: 15
HP: 33 Surges: 13 Surge Value: 8
TRAINED SKILLS: Intimidate +5, Endurance +9, Athletics +8
UNTRAINED SKILLS: Acrobatics +1, Arcana -1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +5, Heal +3, History -1, Insight +3, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion -1, Stealth +1, Streetwise, Thievery +1
FEATS: Level 1: Melee Training (Constitution)
POWERS: Battlemind at-will 1: Bull’s Strength, Battlemind at-will 1: Twisted Eye, Theme encounter: Wild Surge, Battlemind daily 1: Allies to Enemies
ITEMS: Adventurer’s Kit, Mekillot Scale Armor, Stone trikal, Bone wrist razors

Like the Mul, the Thri-Kreen is a new race that players have only received glimpses of. It looks like they get +2 Con and +2 Wis, but Shikirr’s stats are not optimized. Not all of his points have been spent. Assuming the above statline and bonuses he has 5 more points to spend which could net  a statline of 10, 20, 11, 8, 16, 10 (the same as what I have on my Dwarf Battlemind from my previous post). He is also a defender with a measly AC of 17 and low +6 to-hit. He is going to miss a lot and only does 1d10+4 damage. Plus he is equipped with a reach weapon when he needs to be adjacent to his marked target in order for his defender abilities to work. Sure he could mark somebody and attack to guy behind him, but I’d prefer him to hit the guy he marked. Better that he has a heavy shield and a one-handed weapon like a longsword rather than the way he’s built now. At least they gave him a decent feat although I’d prefer Weapon Expertise.

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Oh well, I wasn’t very hopeful in seeing some good pregenerated characters and Wizards came through with some very lackluster ones. Still undecided whether I will play in the season. The only good thing I can see is that the season is long enough (16 sessions) that the characters will get to level 2 and possibly level 3 so these pregens can see at least one retrain option. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done for those that have 18’s in their main stat instead of 20.

Until next time…

I’ve been a Dungeons and Dragons player for a long time. Started with watching my brother play 1st edition with his friends and then really took off when I received the Red Box. Over the years I have enjoyed each version’s quirks and for the most part have endured their flaws. 4th edition was a big change from previous editions however. I decided to give it a chance even though it does not work well with my favorite character class, multiclass (yeah I played an elf back in the Red Box days). For a while I was able to create characters using the multiclass and then hybrid rules for 4th edition, but recent changes have completely ruined my favorite character, a knife fighter based on the tempest fighter build in Martial power 2 along with the daggermaster paragon path from the Player’s Handbook. First it was the change to dual strike where he could not attack a single target twice. I remedied this by making him a hybrid fighter/ranger even though that diluted some of his ability. Now Wizards has ruled that a daggermaster can only crit on an 18-20 when using daggermaster or rogue powers which completely ruins the character concept as a dual-wielding master of daggers.

Not only has Wizards made my favorite character build of 4th edition useless, they are reportedly going to require players in the upcoming Dark Sun D&D Encounters season to use pregenerated characters (mainly due to the fact that the Dark Sun Campaign Guide will not be out until well after the season begins). So now all the other character ideas I have tossed around are useless as well.

Way to go Wizards. You’re killing me. Oh well, I guess I can stop ranting now and pay more attention to other roleplaying games.

Until next time…

Didn’t think I had a chance to win the Avatar Comics & Games painting competition and I was right. I also did not realize they had a best conversion category as well. My converted inquisitor lord with psycannon ended up winning that category. What can I say other than I am very happy. Now I just have to hop GW doesn’t screw with the inquisitors when they redo their codex. Oh and need to actually work on this guy’s retinue, lol.

Until next time…

After writing yesterday’s post, I started thinking about what character to play in the next “season” of D&D Encounters, which will be set in Dark Sun. Since the campaign book won’t be out until August I have to base my selection on what is available now.

D&D Encounters is a little different than your typical D&D campaign since characters are likely only going to level once or twice (if the season is long enough) so basically it is best to create a character that is optimized for 1st level with 2nd level just acting as a bonus to your key numbers like to-hit and defenses. With that in mind, here are a few characters I am considering. These characters will also have an additional encounter power based on their Theme, a new mechanic being added in Dark Sun.

Bane, level 1, Revenant, Assassin (Bleak Disciple), Choose your Race in Life: Githzerai, Background: Geography - Mountains (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 8, Con 16, Dex 20, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 11.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 8, Con 14, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 11.
AC: 17 Fort: 14 Reflex: 15 Will: 11
HP: 26 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS - Stealth +10, Perception +5, Bluff +5, Acrobatics +10, Athletics +6
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Arcana, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Endurance +5, Heal, History, Insight, Intimidate +2, Nature, Religion, Streetwise, Thievery +5
FEATS - Level 1: Githzerai Blade Master
POWERS - Assassin at-will 1: Shadow Storm, Assassin at-will 1: Inescapable Blade, Assassin encounter 1: Smothering Shadow, Assassin daily 1: Grave Spike
ITEMS - Fullblade, Leather Armor, Adventurer’s Kit, Climber’s Kit, Thieves’ Tools

Bane is cool since his basic attack, Shadow Storm, is +8 vs. AC and does 1d12+7 damage with an additional +1 damage per creature adjacent to the target (which will always be at least +1 since Bane is adjacent to the target) along with any shrouds Bane puts on the target and invokes (so typically he will do 1d12+1d6+8 damage if he is the only one adjacent to the target and he has put one shroud on it and invokes that shroud). That’s pretty much in line with some of the other hard hitting strikers out there like Rangers, Rogues, and Barbarians. But Bane also has some serious mobility with Shadow Step and can hit extremely hard against bosses by putting his shrouds on them and killing off minions first (since they do not need shrouds) which will trigger his Dark Reaping racial power to be used on the boss.

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Skrag, level 1, Half-Orc, Rogue (Ruthless Ruffian), Rogue: Sharpshooter Talent (Crossbow), Background: Half-Orc - Orc Birth (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 16, Con 11, Dex 20, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 14, Con 11, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8.
AC: 17 Fort: 13 Reflex: 17 Will: 10
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS - Stealth +10, Thievery +10, Intimidate +6, Acrobatics +10, Athletics +10, Perception +5
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, Endurance +2, Heal, History, Insight, Nature, Religion, Streetwise -1
FEATS - Level 1: Backstabber
POWERS - Rogue at-will 1: Clever Strike, Rogue at-will 1: Disheartening Strike, Rogue encounter 1: One-Two Punch, Rogue daily 1: Checking Jab
ITEMS - Adventurer’s Kit, Leather Armor, Dagger, Mace, Hand Crossbow, Crossbow Bolts (20)

Skrag is a concept I’ve liked since Martial Power and the PH2 were released. He is more thug than rogue and has some cool aspects. Most of his powers are Rattling which cause the target to suffer a -2 to attack rolls until the end of Skrag’s next turn whenever he hits them. He also does better damage than a typical rogue since he uses a mace in two hands (1d8+1 damage) rather than a smaller weapon like a dagger (1d4) and adds his strength mod (+3) to damage with Rattling powers and has the half-orc racial for an additional 1d8 damage once per encounter. The only power he has that does not have the Rattling keyword is Clever Attack, which will only be used if he cannot get combat advantage through normal means. Skrag is a little squishy in comparison to the other characters here which may be a huge detriment depending on the healing ability of the party.

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Lo-Kag, level 1, Goliath, Runepriest (Wrathful Hammer), Background: Goliath - Lightlost (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 20, Con 16, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 18, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8.
AC: 17 Fort: 15 Reflex: 10 Will: 11
HP: 28 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS - Religion +5, Heal +5, Endurance +8, Athletics +14
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Acrobatics, Arcana, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering, History, Insight, Intimidate -1, Nature +2, Perception, Stealth, Streetwise -1, Thievery
FEATS - Level 1: Goliath Greatweapon Prowess
POWERS - Runepriest at-will 1: Word of Shielding, Runepriest at-will 1: Word of Diminishment, Runepriest encounter 1: Flames of Purity, Runepriest daily 1: Rune of the Undeniable Dawn
ITEMS - Adventurer’s Kit, Scale Armor, Maul

I really like the new runepriest class from PH3. The versatility is cool, although Lo-Kag will probably always be using the Rune of Destruction. It fits his character better and adds some serious damage ability to the party along with his own. Allies who attack a target adjacent to him get +1 to their attack rolls to start with and his basic attack, Word of Diminishment, does 2d6+7 damage with the maul and imparts vulnerability 2 to all damage on the target. Then there’s the power bonus to damage rolls the party receives from his encounter power and from his Rune of Mending (yeah, he’s a healer) as well as a damage buff he receives when he his hit. Optimization often means a character can perform a second role as well as his first. In Lo-Kag’s case, he’s a leader who basically hits as hard as a striker if you consider the extra damage done by party members as coming from him.

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Dak, level 1, Githzerai, Avenger (Censure of Pursuit), Background: Geography - Mountains (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 8, Con 11, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 8, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 10.
AC: 16 Fort: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
HP: 25 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS - Religion +5, Endurance +5, Athletics +8, Acrobatics +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +5, Heal +5, History, Insight +5, Intimidate, Nature +5, Perception +5, Stealth +3, Streetwise, Thievery +3
FEATS - Level 1: Githzerai Blade Master
POWERS - Avenger at-will 1: Bond of Pursuit, Avenger at-will 1: Avenging Shackles, Avenger encounter 1: Angelic,  Alacrity, Avenger daily 1: Aspect of Might
ITEMS - Fullblade, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Adventurer’s Kit

Dak was originally an elf because of their great speed and ability to ignore rough terrain when shifting (which a Pursuit Avenger may do a lot of), but you may have noticed a theme developing in my characters. I love the feats that grant +2 damage and weapon proficiency at heroic tier. It doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, it is. Currently there are only four such feats: for dwarves, eladrin, goliaths, and githzerai, but the eladrin one isn’t that great in most cases since it cannot be used with max damage weapons. Dak actually would be good as an elf due to the mobility and higher AC (with Unarmored Agility feat) of 19. That’s defender AC territory. But the githzerai gains a +2 bonus to damage over the elf so it’s kind of a tossup. A little more damage versus better movement and higher AC.

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After all that though, I think I am leaning towards this last character for the “season.” What can I say? I like dwarves. And who wouldn’t like a defender who has 35hp at 1st level with AC19 and does 1d12+7 damage with his main attack (which also grants resist 3)?

Durin, level 1, Dwarf, Battlemind (Battle Resilience), Background: Geography - Mountains (+2 to Athletics)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES - Str 9, Con 20, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES - Str 9, Con 18, Dex 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10.
AC: 19 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 15
HP: 35 Surges: 14 Surge Value: 8
TRAINED SKILLS - Endurance +10, Heal +8, Athletics +4
UNTRAINED SKILLS - Acrobatics -2, Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +5, History, Insight +3, Intimidate, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion, Stealth -2, Streetwise, Thievery -2
FEATS - Level 1: Dwarven Weapon Training
POWERS - Battlemind at-will 1: Iron Fist, Battlemind at-will 1: Whirling Defense, Battlemind daily 1: Aspect of Elevated Harmony
ITEMS - Scale Armor, Heavy Shield, Waraxe, Adventurer’s Kit

My biggest gripe about dwarves in 4th edition is their lack of strength. Many of the iconic classes for a dwarf: fighter, barbarian, cleric, runepriest, require strength as the primary attribute for attacks. For D&D Encounters this problem becomes even more of an issue since a character’s primary stat should be 20 for optimization of to-hit and damage. Fortunately the battlemind class provides a remedy since it is based on constitution. It is also better than other defender classes since constitution can be maxed for the greatest number of hp as well. About the only thing I don’t like about Durin is his mere +7 versus AC to-hit and his Battle Resilience kicks in regardless of whether or not the attacker hits, but at least his resist 3 from Iron Fist is an effect that takes place when he misses as well so he should be very resilient.

Anyway, I’m having a good time playing Naram, but am looking forward to see what Dark Sun D&D Encounters has to offer.

Until next time..