Sample file - watermark.dndclassics.comwatermark.dndclassics.com/pdf_previews/51630-sample.pdf · Introduction Complete Adventurer is a rules accessory for the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®

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C R E D I T S

D E S I G N

JESSE DECKER

A D D I T I O N A L D E S I G N

RICHARD BAKER, MICHELLE LYONS, DAVID NOONAN, STAN!

D E V E L O P M E N T T E A M

RICHARD BAKER, ANDY COLLINS, ANDREW J. FINCH

E D I T O R S

JOHN D. RATELIFF, GARY SARLI

A D D I T I O N A L E D I T I N G

JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES, CHRIS THOMASSON

M A N A G I N G E D I T O R

KIM MOHAN

D E S I G N M A N A G E R S

ED STARK, CHRISTOPHER PERKINS

D E V E L O P M E N T M A N A G E R

ANDREW J. FINCH

S E N I O R A R T D I R E C T O R R P G

STACY LONGSTREET

D I R E C T O R O F R P G R & D

BILL SLAVICSEK

A R T D I R E C T O R D & D

DAWN MURIN

C O V E R A R T I S T

MATT CAVOTTA

I N T E R I O R A R T I S T S

STEVE BELLEDIN, MITCH COTIE, ED COX, STEVE ELLIS, WAYNE ENGLAND,

DAVID HUDNUT, JEREMY JARVIS, DOUG KOVACS, CHUCK LUKACS, JEFF MIRACOLA,

MONTE MOORE, WILLIAM O’CONNOR, MICHAEL PHILLIPPI, RON SPENCER,

FRANZ VOHWINKEL

G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R S

DEE BARNETT, DAWN MURIN

C A R T O G R A P H E R

TODD GAMBLE

G R A P H IC P RODU C T ION S P E C I A L I S T

ANGELIKA LOKOTZ

I M A G E T E C H N I C I A N

CANDICE BAKER

P R O D U C T I O N M A N A G E R S

JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS

Resources: Arms and Equipment Guide by Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, Jeff Quick, and James Wyatt; Defenders of the Faith by Rich Redman and James Wyatt; Draconomicon by Andy Collins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt; Epic Level Handbook by Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell, and Thomas M. Reid; FORGOTTEN REALMS

® Campaign Setting by Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Wil-liams, and Rob Heinsoo; Magic of Faerûn by Sean K Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, and Angel McCoy; Masters of the Wild by David Eckelberry and Mike Selinker; Miniatures Handbook by Michael Donais, Skaff Elias, Rob Heinsoo, and Jonathan Tweet; Oriental Adventures by James Wyatt; Races of Faerûn by Eric L. Boyd, Matt Forbeck, and James Jacobs; Races of Stone by Jesse Decker, Michelle Lyons, and David Noonan; Song and Silence by David Noonan and John D. Rateliff; Sword and Fist by Jason Carl; “Class Acts: The Nightsong Enforcer,” by Monte Cook (DRAGON

® Magazine #293); “Class Acts: The Nightsong Infi ltrator,” by Monte Cook (DRAGON #294); “Cloak & Dagger” by Eric Cagle and Evan Michael Jackson (DRAGON #316); “Silent Warriors,” by Matthew Sernett (DRAGON #289); “Saying the Right Things” by Eric Cagle (DRAGON #303); “Spellbook Archive,” various authors (www.wizards.com); “Pirates: Fact & Legend,” (www.piratesinfo.com).

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.

This WIZARDS OF THE COAST® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in

any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.

Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, DUNGEON MASTER, d20, d20 System, FORGOTTEN REALMS, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Complete Adventurer, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by Holtzbrinck Publishing. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

620-11729-001-EN9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Printing: January 2005

U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICAWizards of the Coast, Inc.P.O. Box 707Renton WA 98057-0707Questions? 1-800-324-6496

EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERSWizards of the Coast, Belgium

T Hofveld 6d1702 Groot-Bijgaarden

Belgium+322-467-3360

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ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Everyone Has Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What’s Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What You Need to Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Chapter 1: Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Ninja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Game Rule Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Human Ninja Starting Package . . . . . . . . . .9

Scout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Game Rule Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Half-Elf Scout Starting Package . . . . . . . . .13

Spellthief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Game Rule Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Halfl ing Spellthief Starting Package . . . .20

Chapter 2: Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Picking a Prestige Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Animal Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Beastmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Bloodhound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Daggerspell Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Daggerspell Shaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Dread Pirate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Dungeon Delver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42Exemplar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Fochlucan Lyrist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Ghost-Faced Killer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Highland Stalker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Maester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Master of Many Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Nightsong Enforcer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Nightsong Infi ltrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Ollam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Shadowbane Inquisitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Shadowbane Stalker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70Shadowmind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Spymaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76Streetfi ghter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Tempest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Thief-Acrobat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Vigilante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85Virtuoso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Wild Plains Outrider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Chapter 3: Skills and Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Combining Skill Attempts . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95Expanded Skill Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Appraise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Decipher Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98Diplomacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98Disable Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Escape Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Handle Animal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Heal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Hide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Open Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Sense Motive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Survival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Swim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Tumble. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Use Rope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Appraise Magic Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Ascetic Hunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Ascetic Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Ascetic Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Ascetic Rogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Brachiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Brutal Throw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Combat Intuition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Danger Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Death Blow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Deft Opportunist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Deft Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Devoted Inquisitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Devoted Performer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Devoted Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Disguise Spell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Dive for Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Dual Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Expert Tactician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Extra Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Extraordinary Concentration . . . . . . . . . 109Extraordinary Spell Aim . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Force of Personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Goad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Green Ear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Hear the Unseen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Improved Diversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Improved Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Improved Swimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Insightful Refl exes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Jack of All Trades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Leap Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Lingering Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Mobile Spellcasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Natural Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Obscure Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Open Minded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Oversized Two-Weapon Fighting . . . . . . .111Power Throw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Quick Reconnoiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Razing Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Staggering Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Subsonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Tactile Trapsmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Versatile Performer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Bardic Music Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Chant of Fortitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Ironskin Chant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Lyric Spell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Wild Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Blindsense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Climb Like an Ape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Cougar’s Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Hawk’s Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Savage Grapple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Scent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Chapter 4: Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . 115New Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Chapter 5: Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Swift Actions and Immediate Actions . . . . 137New Assassin Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138New Bard Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138New Cleric Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139New Druid Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140New Paladin Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140New Ranger Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140New Sorcerer/Wizard Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . .141New Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Chapter 6: Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Organization Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Blacklock Loreseekers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160The Bloodhounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162College of Concrescent Lore . . . . . . . . . . .165Daggerspell Guardians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167Dragonblade Ninja Clan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169Eyes of the Overking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Grayhaunt Investigators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173League of Boot and Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175Nightsong Guild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Order of Illumination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Shadowmind Guild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Talespinners League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Building an Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Step 1: Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Step 2: Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185Step 3: Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Step 4: Population and Resources . . . . . 186Step 5: Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Step 6: Flesh out the Details . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Appendix: The Epic Adventurer . . . . . . . . . 189Becoming an Epic-Level Adventurer . . 189Epic-Level Prestige Class Characters . . 190Sample Prestige Class Epic Progression:

Dungeon Delver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Epic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

SidebarsSudden Strike and Sneak Attack . . . . . . . . . . . .8Spellthieves and Psionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20The Pirate Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Fochlucan Bandore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48The Fochlucan College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Trick Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Exotic Weapons from

Complete Warrior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Using the Hexblade with

Complete Adventurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Emphasizing an Organization

within a Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Adventurers and the League . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Option: Create an

Organizational Statistics Block . . . . . . . 188Behind the Curtain:

Epic Levels and Prestige Classes . . . . . . 190

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IntroductionComplete Adventurer is a rules accessory for the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. It is primarily a player resource focused on skills and other game elements that charac-ters of any class can use. It looks at nearly every aspect of the D&D game with skills in mind, and it allows characters with the proper number of skill ranks access to new combat options, new spells, new equipment, and new classes. DMs can also use this book as a resource for creating or optimizing single creatures or even entire campaign worlds.

EVERYONE HAS SKILLWhat does it mean to be a skilled character? Really, the term is just a matter of degree. Even a character who gets a measly 1 skill point for each new level he attains can become better at a particular skill than other characters he might encounter (or travel with). Much of this book is potentially relevant to any character—from new uses for skills to new equipment that can help even an unskilled character make a crucial skill check, Complete Adventurer provides exciting options even for characters with very low levels or very few skill points.

WHAT’S INSIDEComplete Adventurer is structured similarly to its compan-ion volumes Complete Warrior, Complete Divine, and Complete

Arcane. It provides the same kinds of game information, emphasizing certain topics in a way that best suits the theme of the book. For instance, a full chapter in Complete Adventurer is devoted to skills and feats, beginning with an extensive discussion of new applications for existing skills—the largest single expansion of the rules in Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook that we’ve ever published. The chapter also includes a long list of new feats, many of which are suited to characters with a large number of skill points per level or a large number of ranks in a single skill.

Three new standard character classes—the deadly ninja, the masterful scout, and the versatile spellthief—provide players with new ways to approach highly skilled characters, and each class has a unique approach to combat as well. The large number of prestige classes in this book is deliberate. Every character class (and nearly every character concept) is represented, each with a focus on skill use. Whether you’re a spellcaster with a few levels of rogue or ninja, a fi ghter feeling a lack of skill points, or a highly skilled character looking to further specialize, you’ll fi nd exciting options and classes throughout these descriptions. Many of the spells introduced in this book interact with skills—opening up new uses, providing special bonuses, or producing powerful effects for characters with the right skills. In addition, many of the spells focus on using existing abilities in unusual and inter-esting ways. These spells allow spellcasters to occupy a signifi cant place in campaigns that emphasize skill use and give advantages to those characters with a large number of ranks in many skills. The last chapter of this book provides information on several organizations open to player characters. Some are related to the prestige classes introduced earlier, while others stand on their own. Each organization has guide-lines for membership, benefi ts for joining, and realistic reasons for adventurers to belong. Any one of these organizations could become the focus of a campaign, since each admits members from a diverse selection of character classes and concepts.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAYComplete Adventurer makes use of the information in the three D&D core rulebooks—Player’s Handbook, Dungeon

Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. In addition, it includes references to material in the Epic Level Handbook, the

Expanded Psionics Handbook, Complete Warrior, and Complete

Arcane. Although possession of any or all of these supple-ments will enhance your enjoyment of this book, they are not strictly necessary.

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SOURCESThis book includes material from other previously published work, including Dragon Magazine and earlier supplements such as Defenders of the Faith and Song and Silence. This mate-rial has been picked up and revised to v.3.5 based on feedback from thousands of D&D players comparing and debating the strengths and weaknesses of characters and options at gaming conventions, on message boards, on email lists, and over the counters of their friendly local gaming stores.

The changes we make to previously published material are intended to create an improved version of that material—to help out prestige classes that were formerly suboptimal choices, to adjust feats or spells that were simply too good, or take whatever steps the D&D v.3.5 revision made necessary for each individual class, feat, spell, or item. Of course, if you’re playing with older material and it’s working fine in your game, you shouldn’t feel compelled to change.

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Each of these classes has a unique set of abili-ties, and each presents a new approach to a wide range of adventuring situations. The ninja, scout, and spellthief classes are especially interesting to groups who want to play in a campaign focused on espionage, politics, or intrigue.

NINJANinjas move through the shadows, striking down the unwary and vanishing again with ease. Ninjas walk where others cannot. They blend their train-ing in stealth and assassination with a focused mind. Their rigorous preparation sharpens their minds and bodies, giving them supernatural abilities of stealth and making them phantoms in the eyes of many. Although ninjas in battle lack the staying power of martial characters such as fi ghters or barbarians, they excel at making combat occur on their terms—appear-ing and disappearing seemingly at a whim. Historically, ninjas came from clans of assas-sins and guerrilla warriors in feudal Japan. In a

ince its inception, the latest edition of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS roleplaying game has been about options, not restrictions. Complete Adventurer continues that theme, introducing

new uses for old skills, new feats and equipment, and the new character classes presented in this chapter. Although every class participates in adventures and is worthy of the title “adventurer,” the classes discussed here emphasize skill use and ingenuity, making them particularly appropriate for this book’s emphasis on skills and adventure. The three classes described in this chapter—ninja, scout, and spellthief—have access to a wide variety of class skills and gain 6 or more skill points per level. More important, however, is the way that these skills and the abilities unique to each class change the way an adventure feels. The scout and ninja both match the rogue’s stealth and ability to fi nd and bypass traps, but each of these classes approaches combat in a new way. The spellthief adds a modest progression of arcane spells. Although these abilities are potent, the most intriguing aspect of a spellthief is his ability to steal and replicate the abilities of his foes.

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fantasy setting, they blend a gift for stealth and infi ltra-tion with devastating surprise attacks and supernatural means of avoiding blows. Although the specifi c abilities of the class differ from those attributed to the historical ninja, they mirror the ninja’s fearsome reputation as a spy, assassin, and martial artist. Adventures: Ninjas adventure for a variety of reasons. A loyal ninja might adventure at her lord’s command, using her abilities of stealth and subterfuge to ferret out his enemies or recover powerful treasures to be used in his service. A mercenary ninja might seek only treasure and fame, while a more idealistic ninja might seek to thwart a growing evil. Most ninjas prefer anonymity to fame, and they go out of their way to disguise their profession and abilities. A rare few, however, revel in the mysterious reputation that surrounds ninjas and their training, making known their abilities and their role in a famous adventuring group. As ninjas grow in wealth and power, their goals often change, and their ability to uncover secrets and kill stealthily can shape the plans of entire nations. Rulers both fear and covet the skills of the ninja, and high-level ninjas whose identities are known often fi nd adventures coming to them rather than the converse. Characteristics: Highly skilled spies and assassins, ninjas can master a broad range of skills and combat techniques. Nearly every ninja perfects the arts of moving quietly and remaining hidden, and her secondary skills defi ne her role in an adventuring party or a community. Many ninjas hone skills that help them become better spies, mastering the arts of social interaction and disguise. Others take on the role of cat burglars, practicing skills that help them fi nd and bypass traps and locks. In combat, a ninja can deal out devastating blows if her opponent doesn’t know she’s there, but she’s not quite as adept as a rogue is at delivering such attacks in a prolonged battle. Ninjas jump and climb farther and faster than members of most other classes, and they are skilled acrobats as well. Ninjas also receive special training in the use of poisons, and many ninjas employ poisonous weapons in combat. Even with these impressive skills, a ninja’s most dan-gerous and remarkable powers involve the ability to step briefl y into the Ethereal Plane. By focusing her ki, a ninja can vanish from sight, walk through solid walls, and deal devastating attacks even when not physically present at the scene. As a ninja advances in level, she can turn this ability to defense, causing blows that would otherwise hit to pass harmlessly through her body.

Alignment: Although ninjas have a reputation as dangerous assassins and deceptive spies, they follow many different philosophies and ideals and can be of any alignment. For every dangerous mercenary who uses her ninja training to kill for money, an honest and loyal ninja stands guard over a just lord. Most ninjas follow their own beliefs rather than the dictates of a noble or magistrate, and therefore more ninjas are chaotic than lawful. Religion: A ninja’s religious beliefs follow those of her clan. In a fantasy game, ninjas can follow any god, although most clans devote themselves to deities of stealth or trickery. Neutral or mercenary ninjas might devote themselves to Olidammara (the god of thieves). Evil ninjas might revere Nerull (the god of death) or Erythnul (the god of slaughter). Ninjas who have left or lost their clan follow any deity and often choose not to worship a deity. Background: Many ninjas come from isolated clans that train in secret. They spend years perfecting the arts of stealth and subterfuge in distant villages and hidden training camps. These warriors, whether deployed in the service of an honorable lord or sent to serve as mercenary assassins, carefully conceal their identities and origins. These ninjas weave complicated webs of disguises, strike only from hiding, and deal through intermediaries when-ever possible. Because of their strong ties to their clan, these ninjas must often put aside personal preferences or goals to serve their lord or clan, but in return they gain the support of a powerful political force and access to the clan’s many safe houses and hideouts. Although most ninjas come from such isolated clans, exceptions exist at every turn. Some ninjas receive specialized training from a single mentor, perhaps even a retired adventurer who wishes to pass along his skills. Others train alongside monks and other ascetics in a peaceful monastery. In some places, far-thinking nobles set up their own ninja training centers. One of these centers might consist merely of a single teacher with a handful of students; another might be a full-blown ninja school that progresses students through a rigid series of tests, ranks, and trials. Races: Humans, halfl ings, half-elves, and half-orcs often have the combination of adaptability and ambition necessary to master the techniques of the ninja. Elves, both graceful and deadly, rarely become ninjas, but those who do often achieve great fame or notoriety. Such elf ninjas often attain the heights of ninja prowess, shaping the history of many human generations through their daring exploits. Dwarves and gnomes seldom train as ninjas. Not only is their social structure too open to

17729_Chpt1.indd 6 10/20/04 3:43:08 PM

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