Dragon Magazine #412

2 Character Theme:
The Mariner
By Jeff Morgenroth
The freedom of the open sea has great
allure to adventurers of all sorts, from
dashing corsairs to murderous pirates.
What kind of mariner are you?
8 Unearthed Arcana: Using
Ships in Your Campaign
By Lori Anderson
Catch a ride on the Falling Star. And, if it
suits you, build your own vessel, handpick
your crew, and equip your ship with magical
and mundane enhancements.
22 Channel Divinity:
Chauntea and Silvanus
By Chad Brown
Nature is a powerful ally, and the Oak
Father and the Earthmother of Faern are
very giving to those who revere them.
36 Eye on Dark Sun:
The Ivory Dungeon
By Rodney Thompson
Visit the secret prison of the sorcerer-king of
Balic, but dare not overstay your welcome.
39 Eye on Eberron:
27 Confessions of a Full-Time
Wizard: Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4
By Shelly Mazzanoble
R&Ds Player-in-Chief lets loose her
inner geek.
The Sovereign Swords
By Keith Baker
They say the Sovereign Swords are the
chosen weapons of the Sovereign Host.
As living instruments of the gods, they
can appear as allies or enemies. But
be warned: these divine heroes arent
entirely what they seem.
17 D&D Outsider:
More Inhuman Resources
By Jared von Hindman

Here it is: Your chaotic neutral guide to
hiring henchmen. I mean, henchfolk.
Whatever. The less flammable they are, the
better.
31 Eye on the Realms:
The Thing in the Crypt
By Ed Greenwood
Rhauntagar. Before the world ends, many
adventurers will learn to fear this name.
44 D&D Alumni: A Tangled Web

By James Maliszewski
Take a trip through past editions of
the D&D game, and see how its iconic
features have evolved over the decades.
Character Theme:
The Mariner
By Jeff Morgenroth
Illustration by Ed Cox
Developing your character into someone who has a
rich story can be a fun and rewarding process. You
likely have an idea of what race and what class you
want to play, but you might have only a general idea
of what your characters life was like before you start
playing the character at the gaming table. A theme
can help you flesh out your character and provide
some interesting options for developing his or her
background.
This article details a character theme for those
seeking excitement on the high seas: the mariner. It
also describes a sample ship that a mariner can help
crew or captain during adventures.
T he M ariner
Mariners are intrepid folk who take to the worlds
great oceans and seas, living on the rolling waves
aboard ships of all kinds. Though they hail from
many races and walks of life, mariners have one thing
that unites thema love of the sea and the freedom
it brings. Mariners set their course for wherever the
winds take them, whether dodging icebergs in the
arctic circle, clipping through the azure waters of
the tropics, or crossing vast seas to unknown lands.
The crisp sea air is the siren that turns the mariners
rudder to dry land, drawing him or her to see whats
beyond the watery horizons.
No two mariners share the same story. Their
backgrounds converge only in the fact that they have
TM & 2012 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
CHARACTER THEMES
Your characters theme is a career, calling, or
identity that describes who he or she is in the
world. Just as race and class create basic definitions about who your character is, theme adds
a third character component to help refine
your story and identity. The mariner theme can
encompass several unique stories within the
same concept. For example, if youre a rogue
who chooses the mariner theme, you could be a
buccaneer in search of plunder, while a warlord
mariner might be a naval officer aboard a royal
man-of-war.
For information on using themes as part of
character creation and rules for how to gain and
use theme powers and features, see Heroes of
Nature and Lore, the first article in this series,
from Dragon 399.
made a life for themselves aboard a ship. For most,

this will have been a decision made by choice. Many
find ample opportunities to seek wealth by traveling
from port to port to trade goods from distant nations.
Experienced mariners sometimes seek rich patrons
willing to finance daring voyages. Plotting courses to
new landsand claiming them in the name of their
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
The Mariner
patroncan bring wealth and fame to the mariner.
Others might have dedicated their lives to the royal
navy, waging war against the realms enemies by sea.
These naval captains are the stuff of legends. Few
mariners reach such lofty status, yet even the rankand-file who crew the ships are rewarded with more
adventure and gold than they would ever gain while
on land.
Although many raise sail for love of adventure or
as a profession, those who spend most of their lives
on ships have darker experiences. These folk are
the dread pirates who plunder the coasts. For these
individuals, the sea might serve as a refuge from the
hangmans noose, but most pirates adopt their ways
after realizing that the expansive holds of merchant
fleets contain enough wealth for a hundred lifetimes. Fighting, drinking, and the feel of gold spilling
through fingers are pleasures enough to draw even
honest mariners to live the pirates life.
The importance that great bodies of water play in
various cultures means that members of many races
become mariners. Though the great fleets of humanity can dominate the trade lanes, flotillas of halfling
skiffs ride the rivers far inland. The graceful prows of
eladrin ships glide through the shimmering waters
of the Feywild. Underground, dwarven barges cruise
through subterranean rivers. Still other mariners
are independent members of a tribe, paddling swift
canoes or catamarans from island to island.
Whether one is a humble sailor, a dashing captain, or a cutthroat pirate, all mariners share a love
of freedom. Riding the winds gives them independence unknown by the masses on dry land. The open
sea, fleet winds, the song of gulls, and the promise
of adventure pull mariners more strongly than the
ebbing tide.
Creating a Mariner
Members of any class could enjoy a life as a mariner.
Rogues and rangers excel as mariners due to their
diverse skills and maneuverability. Fighters, paladins,
and warlords might be mariners aboard a vessel,
where they adapt their fighting styles to the close
quarters of ship-to-ship warfare. Scholarly characters
can draw on their studies to help navigate treacherous waters or communicate with newly encountered
civilizations, while ritual-using mariners could conjure
winds or sea creatures. Primal characters are sometimes drawn by water spirits to the ocean. Regardless
of class, mariners develop similar talents learned from
a life at sea, which makes them versatile and responsive to the changing winds of fate.
Starting Feature
Crewing a sailing ship requires a host of skills most
landlubbers never concern themselves with. Though
each mariner typically has a specialty within a crew,
mariners are expected to be able to assist at whatever
task is needed. These duties often require practical
skills such as carpentry, rope use, or navigation. Many
mariners pick up these and other talents during their
youth, informally mentored by their older shipmates.
Other talents a mariner picks up naturally, such as
keeping ones balance during turbulent weather, spotting land against the glare of the sea, or enduring the
sweltering heat and long days of thirst while exposed
to the elements on deck.
Benefit: While you are aboard a ship, you gain a
+1 bonus to any skill check or ability check related to
life at sea. Examples of such checks include an Athletics check to scale rigging, a Diplomacy check to issue
orders to surly crew members, a Perception check
to spot a dangerous reef, or an Intelligence check to
plot a course using the stars. At 10th level, this bonus
increases to +2.
In addition, you gain the sea legs power.
Sea Legs
Mariner Utility
Your time spent riding the ocean swells gives you a keen
sense of balance and timing.
At-Will F Martial
Free Action
Personal
Trigger: You roll an Acrobatics check to balance or hop
down, and you dislike the result.
Effect: You reroll the Acrobatics check and keep the
higher result.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
It takes quick wits to manage a seafaring ship. Knowing how and when to promptly adjust a sails trim, tie
down rigging, or adapt to the ever-changing currents
might mean the difference between smooth sailing
or running aground. These situations train you to
remain aware of your environment and adapt quickly
to survive. In combat, these skills translate to swift
reactions.
Benefit: You gain a +2 power bonus to initiative
checks.
Level 10 Feature
When landlubbers set foot aboard a ship, they can
be clumsy and awkward, stumbling their way across
the deck or feeling closed in by the web of rigging. To
a mariner, it becomes second nature to maneuver in
crowded spaces or across cluttered floors. You move
with casual ease through obstacles that would trip
others, especially when you can take advantage of a
ships numerous ropes to quickly swing or maneuver
between decks.
Benefit: You ignore difficult terrain when you
shift. While you are aboard a ship, you can use a
minor action once per round to shift 1 square.
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The Mariner
Sea Chantey
BE YE SWAB OR CAPTAIN?
Your characters role aboard a ship depends a lot
on the nature of the campaign. You might begin a
mariners life as a youthful sailor or cabin boy reporting to an officer. As the campaign progresses, you
will have the chance to distinguish yourself during
adventures, perhaps ascending to the rank of captain.
With your DMs permission, you might begin as the
captain of a humble vessel, crewing it with the other
members of the party. Even if the DM doesnt pursue
a naval-themed campaign, you can still be an effective
mariner. Instead of working aboard a ship, you might
be an old sea dog who brings your nautical skills to
adventures ashore.
Below are some of the principal titles found on a
sailing ship. Your skills can make you an excellent fit
for one of these roles, or you might instead be forced
into a role by your captain.
Captain: A captain is the ultimate authority on the
ship, responsible for delegating orders and determining the ships actions.
Quartermaster: An officer with almost as much
authority as the captain, a quartermaster is largely
responsible for all that transpires below deck, such
as the organization and dispensation of supplies.
Optional Powers
Skills learned as a sailor often carry over into activities ashore, yet although mariners arent fish out of
water when on dry ground, most are more comfortable aboard their ship. Mariners who truly devote
themselves to life at sea often pick up a repertoire
of abilities different from those of their landlubber
counterparts.
On many vessels, the quartermaster also acts as

the crews representative during important debates
among officers.
Sailing Master: A sailing master is the officer responsible for turning the captains orders into
action, whether organizing sailors or navigating a
course.
Boatswain: A boatswain inspects the performance and readiness of a ship, as well as enforces the
other officers orders.
Carpenter: A carpenter is a skilled officer in
charge of repairs to a ship and its rigging.
Surgeon: A surgeon tends to the wounds and
illnesses afflicting those at sea. Many surgeons have
no magical ability and must make do with tools used
for other repairs aboard, making for messy work.
Mate: Usually young, mates are high-ranking
sailors who are apprenticed to senior officers.
Seaman: A seaman is any able-bodied sailor
who obeys orders to tend to the numerous needs of
the ship.
Swab: Swab is not a rank, but an insult used
to describe someone you dont respect.
Level 2 Utility Power

Long hours, mealy rations, the stink of other sailors, and months between visiting ports can make a
mariners life one of drudgery. To keep from going
stir-crazy aboard their ships, mariners pass the time
with song, dance, and ribald chanteys. Though as a
mariner your vocabulary is often colored with profane metaphors and curses, your merry work songs
raise spirits and get the most out of the crew.
Mariner Utility 2
Your jolly song eases the burden of work or monotony

among your comrades.
Daily F Martial
Minor Action
Close burst 5
Target: You and each ally in the burst
Effect: Choose a skill. Until the end of the encounter,
each target gains a +2 power bonus to checks made
with that skill. In addition, if you use this power on
board a ship, the ships speed increases by 2 for the
next 8 hours.

Combat amid the tangled rigging and cramped
holds of a ship is challenging for those ill adjusted to
it, which makes an attacking mariner all the more
dangerous when conditions favor him or her. You
can change the dynamic of battle as you cause your
enemy to stumble or become entangled in difficult
terrain while you spring through with ease to set up
your next attack.
Shifting Tides
Mariner Utility 6
You quickly pass through cramped surroundings as an enemy advances, using a tangle of ropes or other hampering
objects to make the foe vulnerable to attack.
Encounter F Martial
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to you.
Effect: You shift up to half your speed, ignoring difficult
terrain. The first time you hit the triggering enemy
before the end of your next turn, the enemy is
immobilized (save ends).

As a mariner who has sailed upon many seas,
your fellow crew members look up to you with the
respect befitting a captain. When the need comes,
your commands are treated as gospel by your allies,
giving them motivation to stand fast against incoming danger or to surge forward to a better tactical
position.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
The Mariner
Avast!
Mariner Utility 10
A stern command from you causes even the surliest sea dog
to hold fast.
Encounter F Martial
Minor Action
Close burst 5
Target: Each ally in the burst
Effect: Each target can choose to be slowed until the
end of your next turn. If a target does so, he or she
gains a +2 power bonus to all defenses and can reduce forced movement against him or her by up to 2
squares while slowed by this effect.
Sample Ship:
T he O sprey
Starting from humble origins, the Osprey is a jaunty
carrack whose masts have flown the banners of villains and kings alike. Its crew is a motley assortment
of patriots and scoundrels, carrying out orders that
make them outlaws to some and heroes to others.
The Ospreys storied legacy is told by bards at ports
near and far. Even members of the Ospreys current
crew exchange tall tales of their ships exploits, with
none knowing for sure which stories are real. One
thing is certain, though: A hundred marks of old battles spark the adventurous spirit of those aboard.
History
The Osprey originated as a merchant carrack, plying
the waters at the expanding edges of the Nerathi
empire. During the empires final years, it was commandeered by the imperial navy and converted for
war. When the empire fell at last, a Nerathi admiral
used the vessel to spirit away a small group of survivors to the southern frontier. After coming upon a
distant cove surrounded by dark forests, the Nerathi
survivors ran the vessel aground and fled inland.
Scourge of the Seas

The Osprey waited in the coves tidal mud flats for
generations, its gloomy silhouette the only sign of
civilization in the tumultuous wilds. Into this cove
rowed Black Cagliostro, a pirate captain who had
been exiled by his mutinous crew. Though he was
quick to lay claim to the Osprey, Cagliostro was captured by barbarians who called the surrounding hills
home. The sly pirate not only brokered his freedom,
but recruited many barbarians to his service. Shortly
thereafter, Captain Cagliostro stood on the forecastle
of the Osprey, sailing with a ferocious crew eager for
blood and glory.
The ocean foamed crimson as Black Cagliostro led
his sea-tigers on some of the most ruthless exploits
of piracy the world has known. Feared, respected,
and fabulously wealthy, Cagliostro set the measuring bar to which every seafaring scoundrel aspires.
Cagliostros wealth eventually caught the eye of the
covetous dragon Torclytanox, who attacked the Osprey
and slew Cagliostro and his reavers. Torclytanox was
denied her prize thanks to the crafty pirates, who
had scattered their wealth across the isles of the Sea
of Mist. Though heavily damaged, the Osprey stayed
afloat, drifting with the winds back to shore.
Astral Tides
The young explorer Qaelwyn Farsight claimed the
Osprey for herself, though sailors throughout the
port warned that the ship was cursed twice over.
Undaunted, she used her familys fortune to repair
the Osprey and hired a crew eager for adventure.
Obsessed with charting the mysterious areas beyond
the edges of her navigators maps, Qaelwyn pressed
ever into the unknown. She mastered the eight seas of
the Iron Circle and grew famous for her discoveries,
yet wanderlust drove her. Ever farther she explored,
and legends say she sailed beyond the horizon and
onto the Astral Sea. The Osprey returned to civilized
waters many years later with a full crewexcept for
SETTING SAIL
The Osprey is a versatile ship that can form an
integral element to your adventures, perhaps
creating the foundation for a naval-themed campaign. Even with the ships involvement kept to a
minimum, it can provide you and your allies with
a speedy mode of transportation to adventure
sites, as well as a familiar home base to recover
from and plan for your adventures. The sample
history and NPCs below can give you inspiration for how to make the Osprey as dynamic a
site as a comfortable inn set in more familiar
campaigns. Additionally, it provides you with
an idea for how your mariner character can join
or fit into a ships crew. You might find creative
ways to incorporate elements of the Ospreys history into your own background as well as add to
its storied legacy.
Check with your DM about how to include
a ship such as the Osprey into your characters
history and the campaign.
Captain Qaelwyn. The crew disbanded and swore a

pact to never reveal her fate. Today only the crews
youngest members survive, now elders who refuse to
tell the tale. When pressed, they gaze skyward and
smile, remembering a time when the Osprey sailed
among the stars.
The Marque of Lords

In recent years, the Osprey has traded hands several
times, being sought out by sages, treasure hunters,
and kings who hope to find clues that can lead them
to lost treasure or fantastic magic. Moreover, the
ships practical qualities have mariners vying to possess the vessel as well, because few ships can keep
pace with the Osprey or outmaneuver it in combat.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
The Mariner
ON DECK
The Osprey is a carrack, which is a three-masted
ship large enough to be stable in rugged seas
and roomy enough to carry crew and provisions
on long voyages. Treat it as a greatship (Adventurers Vault, page 18). The Ospreys sleek profile
and modifications emphasize speed over broadside tactics. Because the ship was designed for
speed, lower its hit points to 300 and increase
its swim speed to 8. Additionally, the Osprey has
a load of only 100 Medium creatures and 250
tons of cargo.
most of your youth, growing up on the decks of the

Osprey.
The ships motley crew includes members of all
races and backgrounds, giving you and your DM
ample opportunities to create a memorable cast. If
your character is just beginning his or her adventures,
then Captain Drake and the other officers might be
mentors, leaders, or rivals. Some of these individuals might figure into your background or provide you
with supplies or information for your adventures.
The following characters can give you and your
DM a starting place for developing the daring crew of
the Osprey and your place in it.
Captain Gallus Drake: Dauntless, cunning, and

ambitious, Drake is known for his passionate emotions, command acumen, and ruthlessness to his
enemies.
Sir Reginald: A fair and diplomatic voice among
the officers, the quartermaster Sir Reginald eases tensions between captain and crew with his thoughtful
words, despite being exiled from the royal court.
Jacquelyn Flay: Perhaps the most uncompromising boatswain ever to set sail, Flay has a stern
discipline that keeps the ships performance at its
best, though she is ill-loved by the crew, who have
nicknamed her the Tigress.
CREWING THE OSPREY

Pirates, smugglers, adventurers, and even foppish
monarchs have fancied themselves the Ospreys captain, though none have held the rank for longuntil
now.
Today the Osprey is captained by Gallus Drake,
privateer and cousin to the king of Nera. Given a
royal marque to attack any of his cousins enemies,
Drake and his crew prowl the waters of the eight seas
in search of fortune and glory. Friends of the captain
toast both him and his crew, while his enemies curse
his name out of hatred or jealousy. Many claim that
no ships sails fill with the bountiful winds of adventure more than the Ospreys.
Captain and Crew

The Ospreys crew is a hardy group that numbers two
and forty. Each member was handpicked by Captain
Drake for his or her skill and grit. Although ostensibly loyal, the crew members have pasts that can be
as shady as the history of the Osprey. You might have
joined the crew recently after impressing the captain
with your skill, or maybe youve been a cabin boy for
As an adventurer aboard the Osprey, you probably

wont be swabbing the decks, but you might not be
experienced enough to be captain, either. In this
case, you and your allies might undertake missions
on behalf of Captain Drake. Also, if the DM has
established you and your allies as commanders of the
ship, you might find a role as an officer a natural fit.
For example, a cleric could easily become the ships
surgeon, while an erudite sorcerer or wizard would
excel as sailing master. Establishing yourself and your
party as officers aboard the Osprey is a perfect way
for you to take control of your adventures.
Use one of the following hooks to explain how you
might have come aboard the Osprey or taken command of her.
F Youre a stowaway, hoping to hitch a ride to distant
lands but now forced to work for your passage.
F Youve joined the crew so that you can find your
father, a mariner long lost at sea.
F You discovered the Osprey as it drifted crewless into
your villages bay, and you worked with your friends
to make it seaworthy.
F Youre a pirate captured by Captain Drake, who has

given you freedom as long as you can prove your
loyalty.
F You secretly possess part of a map leading to Black
Cagliostros treasure, and you hope to find more
clues aboard the Osprey.
F Youre a mate to one of the officers, and youve
spent much of your adolescence at sea.
F The captain has died from an untimely fever, and
now the crew looks to you for leadership.
F Youve inherited the Osprey from its previous captain, who was a close relative.
F As a member of the royal legion, you have warrior
skills that caught the eye of Captain Drake. He
recruited you as a marine.
F You were part of a pirate attack that captured the
Osprey. Upon taking the ship, your captain met with
an unfortunate accident, leaving you in command.
F As a devout servant of the gods, you hope that the
Osprey will take you to the Astral Sea as it did Qaelwyn Farsight.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
The Mariner
Trakas Laughingstone: This gregarious goliath
is the Ospreys carpenter, whose peerless handicraft
keeps the ship afloat and friendly demeanor softens
the boatswains discipline.
Nyasha: Nyasha is a mysterious tribal elf from the
southern jungles whose communion with the winds
fills the Ospreys sails.
Blackjack: Bearing every brand of piracy known,
the reformed Blackjack tends the galley, where he awes
impressionable crew with tales of his pirate days.
Morgan Clegg: Former quartermaster to the
Ospreys deposed smuggler captain, Clegg is a thorn in
Captain Drakes side because of his cynicism and his
tendency to gossip with the crew.
Dangle: The captains pet monkey bears a gold
key around his collar, though none but Drake have
set hands on the wriggling scamp long enough to discover what it opens.
Kal the Red: Kal is a newly arrived seaman
recruited for his skilled swordplay, though rumors say
his ambition bodes ill for the captain.
About the Author
Jeff Morgenroth is a regular contributor to Dungeons &

Dragons Insider, giving wind to the sails of his fellow
gamers. His recent credits include Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook and Character Themes: Samurai
and Yakuza in Dragon 404.
Developer
Tanis OConnor
Editor
Miranda Horner
Managing Editor
Kim Mohan
Development and Editing
Lead
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Greg Bilsland, Stan!
Senior Creative Director
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Ed Cox
Digital Studio Consultant
Daniel Helmick
Publishing Production
Manager
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
Unearthed
Arcana:
Using Ships
in Your
Campaign
By Lori Anderson
Illustration by Adam Paquette
Cartography by Mike Schley
What could be better than the wind at your back, the
sun shining warmly on your face, the soothing sound
of waves crashing, and the gentle roll of the deck
beneath your feet? As you set sail on the open sea, the
air is electrified with the promise of adventure. Travel
to exotic locales, explore unknown lands, encounter
strange sea creatures, discover forgotten civilizations,
and uncover buried treasure.
The ocean is filled with incredible beauty, great
dangers, exotic creatures, and thrilling adventure.
Adventure does not come without peril, and a good
ship can make or break the journey.
Custom ships can add excitement to any seafaring
campaign. This article provides a sample ship and
guidelines for creating customized ships, as well as
sample crew members and adventure hooks for using
ships in your campaign.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
Using Ships in Your Campaign
E x ample Ship:
T he Falling Star
Most people seeking to travel by ship request passage
on a merchant ship heading in the same direction.
The fare, negotiated with the captain, is typically
paid in gold, service, or both, and varies based on the
distance, the danger involved, the captains temperament, and whether the destination requires a change
to the original route. Many captains are glad to have
adventurers aboard their ship and give them free passage in exchange for protection against creatures or
pirates that might attack the ship. That is, of course,
if the adventurers wish to travel where the ship is
already scheduled to go. Captains are generally reluctant to alter their routes or travel in dangerous areas
unless they are tempted with gold.
A carrack is a sailing vessel suited for exploration
and ocean travel. It can withstand the high seas and
fierce storms of the open ocean and has enough cargo
room to carry the supplies necessary for long voyages.
Alternatively, it can be used as a merchant vessel to
transport goods. A carrack can be rented for 500 gp
per week with a full crew or purchased outright for
9,000 gp.
A carrack has the following features, as shown on
the map of The Falling Star.
1. Main Deck: The ships main deck holds standard supplies for running and repairing the ship.
Near the forecastle (area 2), a large crate is securely
bolted down and filled with tools, ropes, and other
supplies. A small rowboat is lashed to the middle of
the deck. Carracks typically have between two and
four masts, and a crows nest sits at the top of the
main mast.
2. Forecastle: The forecastle (focsle) serves as
a platform for archers to fire on enemy ships and as
a defensive stronghold in case the ship is boarded.
A ballista is located on each side of the forecastle. A
small rowboat is also stored here. An anchor with a

thick metal chain rests near the ships railing.
3. Quarterdeck: The quarterdeck and its occupants are important for the navigation and control of
the ship. The captain commands the ship from the
quarterdeck, which is also where the pilot steers the
ship and the quartermaster determines the ships
location and course. A large catapult lobs heavy
stones or flaming balls of tar at enemy ships.
4. Supply Closet: This small supply closet holds
basic supplies such as pails, mops, nets, and rope.
5. Officers Dining Room: The cabin boy delivers food to the officers and other high-ranking crew
members in this dining room. Comfortable chairs
surround a wooden table. Fine linens are used for
napkins, the dishes are made of porcelain, and the
utensils are silver-plated. Prestigious passengers are
often invited to dine with the officers.
6. Officers Lounge: A couch and several plush
chairs furnish this room, where the captain and his
mates relax between shifts.
7. Chart Room: A large table covered with
detailed nautical maps dominates this room. Maps
and charts adorn the walls. A drawing table along
one wall offers space for mapping unexplored areas.
A sextant, compass, and various other navigational
instruments sit on a small corner table.
8. Infirmary: Basic first aid supplies and rough
surgical instruments are located in a cabinet along
one wall. The supplies include bandages, ointments,
slings, and herbal remedies. If a sailor has a more
serious injury, he or she might be given a scrap of
sailcloth to bite down on while his limb is amputated
with a saw. Although the crew does its best to keep
this room clean, bloodstains are visible on the floor
and walls.
9. Head: The head empties directly into the
ocean.
10. Crew Quarters: The crews sleeping quarters
are barren, with only hammocks and a series of small
cubbies on the wall for the crews personal belongings. Chalk marks on the wall count the number of
days the ship has been out to sea.
11 & 12. Passengers Quarters: These rooms
have several sturdy, comfortable beds. At the foot
of each bed is a large chest with a lock to store personal belongings. Each chest holds a complimentary
jar of smelling salts or a pouch of herbs to alleviate
seasickness.
13. Galley: The galley, or ships kitchen, has a
small stove, a wash basin, and wooden cupboards
filled with cooking utensils.
14. Mess Hall: This room is filled with two long
tables and rows of wooden benches. Crew members
gather around the tables to eat or to gamble.
15. Lower Deck: Rows of low wooden benches
line each side of the lower deck. Long oars can be slid
into the water for use when there is no wind in the
sails, or for delicate maneuvering. When the oars are
not in use, this area is used for storage.
16. Captains Study: Against one wall of the
study rests a large, sturdy writing table. There are
also several bookcases with leather straps across each
shelf to hold books in place during rough seas. Onlt
the captain, the first mate, and the second mate are
permitted to use this room.
17. Captains Sitting Room: The captain entertains prestigious guests in this lavishly appointed
sitting room. Since it is one of the most private locations on the ship, the captain also uses this room to
discuss matters that he or she wishes to keep quiet.
Several burgundy chairs with gold trim surround a
low mahogany table. An elegant gold candelabra illuminates the room, powered by the magic similar to
an everburning torch. An intricately carved liquor cabinet graces one corner, and a thick ornamental rug
covers the rough floorboards. As in every room, the
furniture is bolted to the floor, but here the bolts are
cleverly concealed so as not to ruin the rooms ambiance. Tapestries of nautical scenes decorate the walls,
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10

and one hides a small compartment where the captain stores his valuables.
18. Captains Quarters: The captains sleeping
quarters are fairly plain compared to the rest of his
suite. A large wooden bed with fine linens dominates
this room, and a massive wooden bureau stands
against one wall.
19. Pantry: One level down from the galley sits
a food pantry filled with sacks of grain, large cans
of beans and vegetables, barrels of water, casks of
brandy, and other consumables.
20. Cargo Hold: Additional cargo that cannot fit
in the main cargo hold is stored in this room.
21 & 22. Mates Quarters: The first mate and
the second mate share this room, which contains a
bunk bed and two large chests.
23. Brig: The brig is a small, unfurnished room
in the bowels of the ship. The door has a window
with iron bars and a small slit to pass food through.
A straw mat and a chamber pot are the only objects
present.
24. Secured Cargo Hold: Unusually valuable
cargo is stored in this room, which is locked with a
stout iron padlock. The captain carries the only key.
25. Main Pantry: This pantry is filled with large
crates of food as well as barrels of water and beer.
Supplies from this room are used to restock the small
pantry nearer to the galley.
26. Main Cargo Hold: The ships total carrying
capacity is 400 tons of cargo.
27. Livestock Pens: These pens house livestock
such as goats, hens, and the occasional pig. The animals provide fresh meat and eggs, and are especially
important on long journeys when food supplies may
run low.
Travel Speeds
A ships speed can vary considerably, depending as it does on prevailing winds. Typical travel
speeds are about 4 knots, or 100 miles traveled
per day. The table below shows average travel
speeds based on wind conditions.
SHIP TRAVEL SPEEDS

Wind Speed
Knots
No wind
0
1
Light breeze
Rowing
1
4
Moderate wind
Strong wind
6
Gale-force wind
8
Miles/Day
0
30
30
100
165
220
Standard Crew
A standard crew for a carrack includes a captain, a
first mate, a second mate, a quartermaster, a boatswain, a pilot, a cook, a cabin boy or girl, and eighteen
to twenty sailors. The captain is responsible for the
safe and efficient operation of the ship. The captain
also resolves disputes among the crew and is the
ultimate authority on all matters. The first mate and
the second mate are second and third in command.
The quartermaster is responsible for navigation and
maintenance of nautical charts. The boatswain is the
supervisor of the deck crew and also performs routine inspections and maintenance of the vessel. The
boatswain also serves as the ships surgeon, since he
or she is the most skilled with a saw and can perform
rough amputations or stitch someone up if necessary. The pilot helms the ship and is responsible for
safely steering the carrack through dangerous or
shallow waters. The cabin boy or girl runs errands for
the captain and performs other menial tasks such as

cleaning, delivering messages, and carrying supplies.
The remaining crew members perform various duties
as needed, including cleaning, maintenance, trimming the sails, and serving as lookouts.
The day is broken into three eight-hour shifts. Each
crew member works one shift, sleeps one shift, and
has one shift for leisure. Three crew members, one
from each shift, share a single hammock. The captain
usually commands the morning shift, the first mate
commands the afternoon shift, and the second mate
is stuck with the night shift.
Leisure Time
Life on board, staring out at a seemingly endless sea,
can sometimes be enough to test even the stoutest
sailors sanity. Leisure time is important for maintaining order and high morale among the crew. When
sailors are off-duty, they engage in a variety of activities for entertainment.
Games of cards and dice are popular ways of
passing the time. Dice are typically made of wood,
bone, or ivory. Specialty dice bear images of monsters instead of pips, with more dangerous creatures
having a higher value. For example, a six-sided die
might feature a bronze dragon, a water elemental, a
dragon turtle, a kraken, a giant crab, and a shark.
Gambling aboard ship takes many forms, from
card and dice games to betting on everyday things.
Common bets include who will be reprimanded first
on a given shift, what kind of slop will pass as dinner,
or which passenger will be the first to get seasick.
Sailors arent typically rich, so they usually bet in
copper pieces, small luxuries such as reading material, exotic delicacies, alcohol, or services such as
kitchen duty or extra lookout rotations.
No sea voyage would be complete without drinking, singing, and crude jokes. Tall tales might also
provide hours of entertainment, each story more outrageous than the one before.
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11
Have you heard the

one about . . .
F The shipwreck survivor who floated on a
plank of wood for a year and survived by
catching fish with his bare hands?
F The prince who died of heartache when his
lover went out to sea?
F A ship that survived a 2,000-foot-tall tsunami
without waking the captains baby or spilling
a glass of water on a table?
F The girl who leaped into the ocean because
she thought she was a dolphin? (She was seen
many years later swimming with a pod of dolphinsand she had tiny flippers and a tail.)
F The sailor who was swallowed by a kraken
and lived in its stomach for four months
before the beast was killed by fishers? (The
sailor survived, but her skin was bleached
white, she lost her vision, and she went mad.)
F The sailor who wrestled the dragon turtle and
defeated it with his bare hands?
Other pastimes include reading, writing in journals, sketching, and daydreaming. Sailors rarely
exercise during their leisure time, since they do
plenty of labor-intensive chores while on duty.
Crew members might also spend time praying or
making small offerings to their deities. Most sailors
revere Melora, god of the sea, and pray to her for safe
travel. Sailors might also pray to Kord, the storm god,
to spare them from fierce tempests.
The captain does not fraternize with the rest
of the crew, as that might cause them to view him
as an equal, undermining his authority. He therefore spends much of his leisure time alone or with
officers of similar station. If the ship is carrying a

distinguished passenger, the captain might invite
this individual to his sitting room for conversation
over tea. Some captains entertain their guests with a
game of Three-Dragon Ante using a beautifully handpainted deck, or Dragonchess with a carved ivory
chess set. The captain might also spend his or her off
hours reading or keeping a log.
T ypes of Ships
When the time comes to purchase a ship, there are
several varieties to choose from.
Apparatus of Kwalish: This lobster-shaped vehicle can travel underwater and carries two Medium
creatures plus their gear.
Argosy: This bulky trading vessel has substantial cargo capacity and requires only a small crew,
making it popular with merchants. However, it moves
slowly and is difficult to handle during storms.
Carrack: This is the example ship described in
detail in the previous section. It carries 30 people and
holds up to 400 tons of cargo.
Clipper: This long, narrow ship is capable of
reaching high speeds but has little room for cargo.
Greatship: This enormous ship can carry 200
people and up to 500 tons of cargo. During wartime,
it is used to transport large numbers of soldiers.
Longship: Ideally suited for river travel or beach
landings, this slender vessel does not have much
cargo space.
Pinnace: This ship is versatile and well suited to
ocean voyages and coastal travel. The cheapest ship
suitable for travel on the high seas, the pinnace is also
cheap to run since it requires only a small crew.
Rowboat: This small boat is used for travel on
small lakes and streams. Rowboats are also found on
larger vessels and are used for exploring new shorelines and beach landings in places where the larger
ship cannot dock.
Ship Types
Ship Name
Cargo
Cost (gp)
Rowboat 200 lbs 50
Pinnace* 30 tons 1,800
Apparatus of Kwalish*
200 lbs
5,000
Longship* 3 tons 5,000
Clipper 5 tons 5,000
Carrack 400 tons 9,000
Argosy 2,000 tons
9,000
Greatship* 500 tons 13,000
*Ship first presented in Adventurers Vault
Shipboard
M agic Items
A ship owner with money to burn might equip his or
her vessel with magical weapons and other amenities. This section presents a collection of pricy items
designed to make a ship more effective in combat or
life aboard the ship more pleasant.
Unless noted otherwise, the items presented below
must be installed on a ship to function. In addition, some items might be inappropriate for ships of
smaller size; for example, one cannot install a captains feast table on a rowboat. The determines whether
an item is appropriate for a particular kind of ship.
A magic item classified as a ship component (as
opposed to wondrous items) functions only when
attached to a ship or used aboard a ship.
Alchemists Lab
Level 10 Uncommon
This fully-stocked laboratory is filled with beakers, vials, and

strange ingredients such as dragon teeth and jars of bullywug eyeballs.
Wondrous Item
5,000 gp
Properties
F You take half the normal amount of time to create
alchemical items, ritual scrolls, and potions in the
laboratory.
F You gain a +2 item bonus to Arcana checks while in the
laboratory.
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Cabin of Tranquillity
Level 12 Uncommon
Figurehead of Balance
Level 13 Uncommon
Anyone who rests in this comfortable cabin awakens feeling

refreshed and ready to take on the world.
A beautiful figurehead adorns the ships bow and makes the

ships crew and passengers more sure-footed.
Ship Component
13,000 gp
Property
Any creature that takes an extended rest in this cabin gains
15 temporary hit points that last until expended or until the
start of the creatures next extended rest.
Ship Component
17,000 gp
Properties
F The ships crew and passengers gain a +2 item bonus to
saving throws made to avoid being knocked overboard.
F When an effect would knock a crew member or passenger prone, the creature can make a saving throw to avoid
being knocked prone.
Captains Feast Table
Level 9 Uncommon
This highly polished round oak table seats twelve and provides a magnificent banquet for all present.
Ship Component
4,200 gp
Utility Power Daily (Standard Action)
Effect: A delicious feast for 12 creatures appears on the
table. Once the meal is finished, the tables owner can
use a minor action to instantly clean the table.
Dragonstrike Ballista
Level 17 Uncommon
If anyone dares attack your ship, you assault them with

magical bolts of lightning.
Ship Component
65,000 gp
Property
A creature can use an arcane ballista by entering a square
on deck adjacent to the ballista. Only one creature can
use a ballista at a time, and the ballista does not require
ammunition.
R Attack Power (Lightning) At-Will (Standard Action)
Attack: Ranged 20 (one creature); +20 vs. Reflex
Hit: 2d10 + 4 lightning damage. Each creature adjacent to
the target takes half damage.
Elemental Engine
Level 15 Rare
Water elementals are bound to the ship, providing motive

force and making travel less dangerous.
Ship Component
25,000 gp
Properties
F The ship can travel and maneuver under the captains
command without a crew.
F The ship is safely guided around reefs, rocks, whirlpools,
and other natural hazards.
Flag of Resistance
Level 6+ Uncommon
Your colors provide the ships passengers and crew with a

shield of protection against all threats.
Lvl 6
1,800 gp
Lvl 26 1,125,000 gp
Lvl 16 45,000 gp
Ship Component
Property
While aboard the ship or within 5 squares of it, the ships
crew and passengers gain resist 5 to all damage.
Level 16: Resist 10.
Level 26: Resist 15.
Nautical Chart of Tracking
Level 4+ Common
These charts display the ships immediate surroundings.

Lvl 4
840 gp
Lvl 24 525,000 gp
Lvl 14 21,000 gp
Ship Component
Properties
This nautical chart displays the ships general position relative to major known ports and landmasses within 100 miles.
Level 14: Within 1,000 miles.
Level 24: Within 1,000 miles. In addition, the chart shows
the relative location of any other ship you mention by
name, provided the ship is within 1,000 miles of the
nautical chart.
Oceans Keel
Level 20 Rare
This magical keel makes the ship glide faster through the
water and allows you to create a protective bubble around the
ship as it dives under the water.
Ship Component
125,000 gp
Utility Power Daily (Standard Action)
Effect: The ships swim speed becomes 10, and it can travel
underwater without damage to the ship or its cargo. In
addition, all living creatures are protected as if subject
to the Waterborn ritual, as long as they remain within
20 squares of the ship. Creatures remain with the ship
as it travels unless they swim away from the ship. Similarly, objects remain with the ship and do not float away
unless they are thrown overboard. These effects last for
12 hours or until the ship surfaces.
Special: Only those designated by the ships captain can use
this power.
Sails of Speed
Level 10 Common
These magically enhanced sails allow the ship to travel at

much greater speed.
Ship Component
5,000 gp
Properties
F When raised, these sails allow the ship to travel at up to
twice its normal speed.
F If there is no wind, the raised sails fill as though there was
a light breeze.
Shipboard Shrine
Level 10 Uncommon
This shrine provides a quiet place for reflection and prayer.

Wondrous Item
5,000 gp
Properties
F Divination rituals performed in the shrine take half the
normal amount of time to cast.
F You gain a +5 item bonus to Religion checks made as part
of a divination ritual.
FO
nce per day, you can cast the Read Omens ritual in the
shrine without spending its component cost or possessing
a focus. This power functions only once per day, even if
multiple individuals visit the shrine.
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Smugglers Hold
Level 15 Uncommon
A secret compartment conceals illicit goods.

Ship Component
25,000 gp
Property
The smugglers hold is an easily concealable door 3 inches on
a side that, when opened, transforms into the mouth of an
extradimensional space 15 feet on a side. When closed, the
hold cannot be detected by nonmagical means. The captain
can automatically locate and open the smugglers hold.
Spyglass of Perception
Level 3 Common
Peering through this handheld telescope brings the world

into clearer focus.
Wondrous Item
680 gp
Property
You gain a +3 item bonus to Perception checks when using
this device.
Stern Rudder
Level 15 Uncommon
This rudder magically fortifies your ship and makes it more

resilient in combat.
Ship Component
25,000 gp
Property
The ship gains a +5 item bonus to AC and Fortitude, and its
maximum hit points increase by 50 percent.
Teleportation Mast
Level 9 Uncommon
This mast is inscribed with magical runes that allow crew

and passengers to teleport to other areas of the ship.
Ship Component
4,200 gp
Utility Power (Teleportation) At-Will (Standard Action)
Effect: You touch the mast with your hand and teleport to
any unoccupied space aboard the ship that isnt deemed
off limits by the ships captain. If the space you wish to
teleport to is occupied by another creature, you appear in
the nearest unoccupied space aboard the ship.
Special: Only crew members and passengers designated by
the captain can use this power.
A dvanced Crew
M embers
Heres a sampling of specialized individuals who can
be added to any crew for a price. These templates
should be used in conjunction with the hireling rules
presented in Mordenkainens Magnificent Emporium.
Hunter
Cost: Standard
Hunters are experts at catching fish and other sea
creatures with harpoons or nets. They also know
which body parts of aquatic creatures are worth
money as components.
Traits
O Hunting Expert F Aura 5
Allies in the aura gain a +2 power bonus to knowledge
checks about aquatic creatures.
Medic
Cost: Standard 2
Medics perform amputations, set broken bones, stitch
up wounds, and the like. Ship medics use mostly
mundane tools and herbal remedies, as they do not
have magical abilities.
Traits
O Helping Hands F Aura 5
Allies in the aura gain a +2 power bonus to Heal checks.
Cleric
Cost: Standard 4
Cleric use magic to cure diseases and heal grievous
wounds. They can also perform rituals and provide
spiritual guidance. If someone dies, the cleric can perform the last rites and conduct a proper burial at sea,
as well as provide solace to crew members and passengers. Wealthy, high-ranking individuals typically insist
on having clerics with them when they travel.
Traits
O Helping Hands F Aura 5
Allies in the aura gain a +2 power bonus to Heal checks.
Curative Care (healing)
The cleric can attend to one ally during a short rest. At the
end of the short rest, that ally regains 5 extra hit points for
each healing surge spent.
Sacred Knowledge
The cleric knows and can perform the Raise Dead ritual.
Druid
Cost: Standard 3
Druids familiar with the ocean can be invaluable
when dealing with rough or dangerous seas. They are
adept at predicting the weather, and when sea creatures attack the ship, they can help to communicate
with the hostile creatures and convince them to stop
their attack.
Traits
O One With Nature F Aura 5
Allies in the aura gain a +2 power bonus to skill checks
related to natural creatures.
Predict Weather
The druid can perform the Portend Weather ritual once
per day without ritual components.
Mage
Cost: Standard 3
Mages can summon wind into the sails for faster
travel or scare off pirate ships by casting illusions of
giant sea creatures and the like. Even if they pierce
the illusion, most pirates hesitate to mess with a ship
that has one or more mages aboard, fearing that their
wooden ships might go up in flames.
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Traits
O Master Arcanist F Aura 5
Allies in the aura gain a +2 power bonus to Arcana checks.
Standard Actions
Ritual Expert F Daily
Effect: One ally gains a +5 item bonus to the next skill

check made for a ritual that uses the Arcana skill.
Summon Winds F Daily
Effect: The mage summons winds to assist the ship. For the
next 8 hours, the ships swim speed is increased by 2.
A dventure Hooks
Once they have a ship, the PCs need an exciting
seafaring adventure to go on! Drop these adventure
hooks into your campaign, or allow their ideas to
inspire your own.
The Flower Race: Every year, the heroes home
city hosts a regatta that all of the merchant houses
compete in. The ships must travel to Lily Island,
collect the rare magenta lily that grows there, and
return. The route is treacherous, a rival house might
try to sabotage the ship, and competitors sometimes
attack each other when they are out at sea and away
from the watchful eyes of the judges.
Unwelcome Fate: The merchant carrack Lady
Luck has fallen on hard times. For the past month, the
ship has been attacked by pirates on every voyage,
despite taking alternate routes and adjusting its
schedule. The vessels owner hires the adventurers
for added security, and to ferret out the cause of this
ill luck. One of the crew members is a mole working
with a group of pirates. Using a magical beacon, he
broadcasts the ships location and informs the pirates
where the most valuable cargo is stored. The pirates
then attack, steal the cargo, and split the loot with the
mole at the next port.
Undersea Expedition: History books speak of a
glorious city of sea elves deep in the ocean, but no one
has traveled to the area for quite some time. Scholars are interested in discovering the fate of the city,
while merchants are interested in forming a trade
agreement with the sea elvesor plundering the city

if the inhabitants are gone.
The Ghost Ship: A ghost ship haunts the waters
near Rivenskull Island. The plot thickens when it is
discovered that the ships passengers were a team of
royal diplomats sent to reach an alliance between
nations on the verge of war. Who killed them and
why? It appears someone would benefit from a war
being started.
The Unquiet Maiden: A wealthy noble family
commissioned a ship to be built as a wedding gift for
their eldest daughter. The Gentle Maiden is a finely
crafted, elegant ship with hand-carved railings and
a stunningly beautiful figurehead. Of late, however,
the ship has been haunted by an elegiac wailing, and
fierce waves lash around the not-yet-completed vessel.
Sailors believe the ship is cursed, and they refuse to
sail on it. With the wedding only a few days away,
the ship needs to be ready to take the couple on their
honeymoon. The figurehead is actually a magically
trapped hamadryad, and the fierce waves are sea
nymphs trying to free their sister. The wizard tasked
with overseeing the ships construction doesnt want
others to know he bound a hamadryad to the vessel,
and he tries to subvert the adventurers at every turn.
Nightlands: A mysterious island is said to appear
only once every thousand years. It appears out of
nowhere on a moonless night, remains for one full
day, and then slips silently under the sea once more.
What riches and mysteries does this island hold?
Where does it come from, and why does it appear so
infrequently?
Sing No More: A cluster of islands called the
Singing Stones have gone silent. Their soothing lullabies are the stuff of bards tales, and the stones
have served as a beacon of hope for sailors and a
navigational aid for as long as anyone can remember. Several ships have reported seeing the mutilated
bodies of sea nymphs floating in the water near the
now-quiet islands.
Rituals for seafaring

adventures
There are several rituals that benefit seabound
adventurers. Water Breathing (level 8), Waters
Gift (level 10), and Waterborn (level 14) all
grant the ability to breathe underwater, and the
higher-level rituals grant additional underwater
benefits as well. Water Walk (level 2) grants the
ability to walk on water, and Lower Water (level
2) causes a body of water to become shallower.
Control Weather (level 14) can be used to calm
a deadly storm or create wind when in the doldrums. The Purify Water ritual (level 1) can be
used to make seawater drinkable.
Rift at Dagger Point: Ships have been disappearing near Dagger Point. Merchants and political
leaders in ports along the trade route are growing
concerned, since trade has essentially stopped. A
huge whirlpool has formed off Dagger Point, and at
its center yawns a rift to the Elemental Chaos. An
unscrupulous efreet is using the whirlpool to draw
merchant ships into the Elemental Chaos, and he has
earned a tidy profit selling their trade goodsand
selling the crew into slavery!
Ship of Kings: Two warring kings agree to meet
one another to discuss a truce, and after months of
negotiation its agreed they will meet in a neutral
location, away from the prying eyes and eager ears
of their unscrupulous advisors. They elect to hold
the meeting on the open sea aboard the adventurers
ship. When a sahuagin baron declares war on both
kingdoms and attacks the ship, the adventurers must
repel the sahuagin threat and remind the kings they
have a common enemy.
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15

About the Author
Lori Anderson is active in the RPGA and the New England

gaming community. She has written several Living Forgotten
Realms (LFR) adventures, including The Agony of Almraiven,
Containing Shadow, and Plain of Stone Spiders.
Developer
Tanis OConnor
Additional Design and Editing
Christopher Perkins
Managing Editor
Kim Mohan
Development and Editing Lead
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Adam Paquette
Cartographer
Mike Schley
Daniel Helmick
Publishing Production Manager
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
16
D&D Outsider:
More
Inhuman
Resources
Acquiring an Elite
Henchperson: A Chaotic
Neutral Seminar
Written and Illustrated by
Jared von Hindman
Ladies and gentlemen, I know youre in a hurry.
There just dont seem to be enough encounters in the
day to get everything done. Dragons lie atop hoards
of capital waiting to be liquidated. Archlich mages
hunker down, hoping their undead tax bracket will
let them wait out the dungeon real estate crisis. And
no one is happy with the immigration boom of dragonborn, tieflings, kenku, shardminds, and wilden
taking story arcs away from hard-working half-elves
across the campaign. In these trying times, its even
more important to outsource the petty labors of your
adventures than ever before.
I bring you good news! Today were going to talk
about how to find the right henchperson for your
questing paladin, hire the right secretary for your
wizards tomes, and even get an owlbear on staff.
Looking for someone to keep that armor spotless?

An informant to save you from the shame of writing
Streetwise on your character sheet? A pretty face to
make your battle-scarred visage worthy of the royal
court? A soulless automaton festooned with knives for

delicate negotiations? Weve got you covered. Inhuman Resources is happy to be back, and from the look
of things, were just in time.
M a y 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 11
17
D&D Outsider
I nterview with the

H ireling
First off, you need to ask yourself some questions: Do
I want a companion who is a fully fleshed out character, or am I looking for an animal sidekick that looks
cute on a lunchbox? Am I horrified at the idea of
buying torchbearers in bulk so that when one breaks,
I can crack open the case and get a new one? How do
I keep my companion from growing up and wanting
to have adventures of his or her own?
These questions arent easy to answer. (Parents,
especially, are split on that last one.) The more life
you put into nonplayer characters (NPCs), the more
likely that their story hooks will become barbed and
draw the attention of a wandering Dungeon Master.
Likewise, not everyone is willing to lower the bar of
the module by letting in Brecki the pack mule/maid/
musical entertainment, who has no opinions and was
born both mute and deaf, so stop trying to roleplay
with her.
Maybe you want to take direct control of your
companion. Have you thought about an animal companion of sorts? Roleplaying a spirited blink dog or
falcon can be less bilocating than figuring out how
Sir Richard, the retired Knight of the Order of the
Black Sphinx, would respond to an unarmed peasant
asking for food and shelter. How do you quantify the
value of a barrel of monkeys in comparison to a sage
who does all your homework while youre out questing in the land?
I cant answer these questions for you. What I can
do is sit you down behind this desk, hand you a stack
of applications, and send in the first candidate for
your henchman search. Steel your reserves, and prepare to decide who lives and who dies.
Question 1
Question 3
What is your greatest weakness? What is your lowest

defense?
Have you ever had a conflict with a coworker or a solo

monster? If so, how was it resolved? What could you have
done to improve the outcome?
Okay, Miss . . . Rook, is it? Your greatest weakness is

that you work too hard? Id laugh, but the unoriginality of your answer might be appreciated in a heroic
tier mercenary. Thats because this question cuts to
the core of any henchfolk you might want to delve
with. Namely: If you had to take them out, could you
do it? Never hire someone as muscle without finding
out if shes allergic to peanuts or whatnot.
You can also spin this the other way. Is her passive
Insight low enough so that she wont realize that you
lied about releasing all the defeated lizardfolk back
into the wild?
Question 2
Where do you see yourself in 5 rounds?
If things go really badly, as they often do, you want
to make sure that youre not wasting your time putting your henchmen through the Undermountain
Orientation program. Theres a lot of turnover in the
hireling world, and if one implodes whenever a ghoul
sneezes, thats time you could have spent training
someone else.
On the other hand, you dont have to pay dead
henchmen and -women. Many of our clients keep a
stack of applicants on call for just this purpose. Your
insurance premiums will skyrocket once the DM
figures this out, but its not your fault that you keep
hiring brave front-line individuals who retire early
due to spiked pits and hobgoblin archers, right?
There are only two good answers to this question.

One: The hireling says she avoids confrontation and
brings upper management in on such conflicts. This
means you wont have to worry that shell get the
party involved with unnecessary tomfoolery. Employees should respect the chain of command.
The second answer? Something clever. Of course,
something clever can also translate to This person
is dangerous, but it really depends on the specifics
involved. If Liftlin the Mapmaker negotiated a peace
treaty with a vampire lord, you should see a red flag
in the shape of foreshadowing.
One of the best answers to this question? Woof.
Well address animal companions in a bit, but just
remember, if these questions dont seem to apply to
your perfect henchman, options abound.
Question 4
How would you respond to being set on fire?
You might think this question is designed to throw an
applicant off balance, but were playing Dungeons &
Dragons here. This will happen. Admit it.
Question 5
Why are you looking for a position in our adventuring
company? What happened to the last party that employed
you?
Dont forget to check references. Unlike in the mundane world, the answer All my references are dead/
devoured/banished to the Astral Plane isnt too far
out there. That said, no one likes a chronic survivor
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D&D Outsider
(unless its you), particularly if she is the only survivor
(unless its you).
Question 6
Do you have any salary expectations? or How do you
feel about an unpaid internship?
Where do you draw the line between player characters and nonplayer characters? How much depth
does a hireling need before he starts wondering why
he isnt getting a chance to roll on the random loot
table? Of course, if you want to get aggressive with
this, you can use your henchman as an offshore
banking account to double your take of the loot. Just
remember to make his story tragic. Itll be hard for

the party to tell Linkboy to shove off when hes saving
up for an operation to keep his little sister alive.
Little sister is, of course, code for My penthouse flat
in Waterdeep, but the rest of the party doesnt need
to know that.
Question 7
Do you have any story hooks we should be aware of before
we schedule a second interview?
You might need to ask specific questions to pin the
candidate down. Are you destined to give birth to the
Ungod, Destroyer of All Things? Does that tattoo
show your former allegiance to an evil organization
that is still hunting you? Are you thousands of years
old and looking for your undead lover of eons past?
The Dungeon Master is the fatal flaw in any companion character with . . . well, character.
Some of our clients are tempted to downplay
a hirelings strength to keep her under the radar.
Henchfolk who become central to turning the tide
of battle often meet terrible ends. When signing up
new employees, be sure they make the whole team
look good, not create a foil of inadequacy. Dungeon
Master Wrangling is a seminar for another day, but
in a pinch, dont discount the power of a well-placed
bribe. This most definitely includes cake.
Other Questions?
You can find other versions of these questions in Dungeon Masters Guide 2; page 26 of that book features
a character survey and a player survey. The problem
with that material is that no matter how you spin it,
you lose control of the hiring process. In the 13-step
process to building your own custom companion
(pages 3031), only the last stepfleshing out the
companions roleplaying detailsaddresses any of the
pitfalls mentioned above. You dont want to put your
HR department through the hassle of filing all that

paperwork before learning at the last minute that
Princess Petticoat has a demonic soul shard buried
in her chest, a remnant of her brief encounter with a
death god.
Many adventurers wont want to ask their new,
faithful, and underpaid ally too many questions,
though. Sure, they start out innocently enough, like
these from Dungeon Masters Guide 2:
Describe yourself in ten words or fewer.
Why did you choose an adventuring life?
Which family members or friends do you hold
most dear?
What people, groups, or objects hold your greatest loyalty?
What magic items do you crave?
How do you want people to remember you after
your death?
These interview questions might sound great, but by

the end of the list, your store-bought companion is
suddenly wrangling with his mortality, considering
the launch codes for his betrayal, and nurturing the
idea that he doesnt know that he is just an NPC, so
why wouldnt he ask for an equal share? No one wants
to give a hireling the Old Yeller treatment, but in the
long run, its for the best. Ultimately, how you wrangle
the narrative of your companion is up to youand
maybe the Dungeon Master. Just throw an extra miniature on the map and see if the DM notices. If she
doesnt question why you have two initiative scores,
youre golden.
We could flip through the Slaads & Rothbuck
catalog to choose a companion, but first lets cleanse
the palate with a little history about the breeding
density of familiars and conjured guard drakes.
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D&D Outsider
Familiar H istory
An Introduction to Smart
Hench Shopping
No business model stays dynamic and fresh indefinitely. As such, were going to look back at the
innovations that the average adventurer must understand before making a good investment decision.
In the early days, we can see a trend in the availability of companions in D&D. Early options were
severely limited, targeted to the small business owner
in the heroic tier. Players in the Living Forgotten
Realms campaign were all too familiar with the
consumable item known as a riding horse and the
hassle of upgrading them to warhorses, celestial chargers, dire battle swine, or giant ants, depending on
their regional restrictions.
Although the RPGA has implemented insurance
for all mounts, replacing any steed that falls victim
to a carrion crawler bite (referred to by tech support
as the red ring of death), this problem illustrates
why you need to take the long view when shopping
for a flanking ally. If you become too attached to
your faithful riding horse, how will you react to a
flimsy rope bridge leading into eldritch mists above
a bottomless chasm? Weve all seen innocent animal
companions receive that infamous push off the cliff
meant to save them from the hook horrors of starvation. Likewise, many a game session and thief skill set
have been repurposed to invent an equine-centered
pulley system to make sure that Sharbiscuit isnt left
behind.
Sure, the emotional and social value of these
kinds of companions arent to be dismissed, but dont
forgetSharbiscuit breaks down to about a weeks
rations if you cant make it to the Skullport Bar &
Grill in time. The meat might be seasoned with paladin tears, but this kind of out-of-the-box thinking will
keep your Dungeon Master on his toes. Be warned,

though: ever since the McBaphomet scandal hit, it
is considered very insensitive to refer to the partys
minotaur rogue as sneak tartare.
T he T heme of the
Crop
Or, How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Fey
Beast Tamer
The next few products to hit the D&D companion
market set the standard for professional henchman
placement. Anyone who passed her Polymorph &
Potions class could qualify to have a familiar, a magical little creation of her very own.
Beast companions arrived for the niche ranger
market. These flavors solved the red ring of death
problem, albeit from different angles. Worried about
your book imp falling to a horde of zombies? No problem! D&D tech support allowed you to reinstall your
familiar easily using the patent-pending Short Rest
technology.
Meant for high-end users, beast ranger companions led the way to new innovations in expendable
NPCs. From summoning for almost every power
source to shaman spirits to precious metal zoology, it
could be a crowded table for the unprepared. Combined with hybrid class options, it was a good time to
be a Litterbug.
Precious metal zoology was a particular boon to
the dragonslayer on the go. Known to the layman as
figurines of wondrous power, these magic items let you
keep a beast of burden on call without the fuss of
having to feed or clean it. (Fun fact: Emerald frogs do
not leave tiny piles of emeralds behind them. Many
a dwarf mineralzoologist has confirmed such.) Even
better, the figurines make for great collateral. When

you pull out an opal as big as a fish or produce a pearl
large enough to ride on, it makes a mark on the bartering process. A jade sea serpent might be useful
only in an aquatic environment, but a pile of Huge
nuggets of jade isnt something to overlook when
strapped for cash.
T eams, S chemes,
and T hemes
Lets fast-forward, shall we? Weve had multiple new
classes with not one summoned companion but a
whole wedding party in the case of warlocks of the
White Well, fey zombie bridesmaids, and all. Weve
had paragon path pyramid schemes, in which your
familiar brings another on board, as well as themes,
the marble elephant (of power) in the room. With
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D&D Outsider
notable imports from foreign markets such as the
Feywild and the Elemental Chaos, themes made it
possible for any character to have any possible combination of NPC assistance. Its a buyers market, and
if youre brave enough to capitalize on it, the rewards
are there. Instead of just showing you how to turn a
bland barbarian into a beastmaster, lets look at some
of the more narrative tools available to the gamer on
the go.
Ohyou wanted to flip through the Slaads &
Rothbuck catalog and do a little price comparison
between an owlbear and a clockwork horror? If youre
not looking for a companion with autonomy, youre
spoiled for choice. For example, youve got the fey
beast tamer theme. Youve got the White Horn knight
paragon path, which lets you enslave a unicorn.
Youve got the moteborn theme, which withholds
pacts with lesser elementals who also fetch you coffee.
Youve got the blackguard, which can summon an
avatar of rage to answer trivia questions.
There are a lot of options availablemore than
ever before. The thing is, with Heroes of the Feywild
and Heroes of the Elemental Chaos, we start to see
options that have hints of narrative impact. The
familiar bloodsmith paragon path lets you have two
familiars, yet the witch class gives you a familiar
thats an unholy link to a mysterious patron who
whispers secrets in your ear. The shair class has the
same mechanic but is the representation of a soullinked elemental gen that negotiates with higher
powers for shortcuts to spells. Similarly, the Sidhe
lord theme and the Sarifal feywarden theme both
provide a creature thats less of a servant and more
of a coworker. You might see it only once per day
between extended rests, but its a recurring character
in your daily routine.
Often seen as the Cadillac of story-driven companion options these days, Robert Schwalbs ]Henchmen
and Hirelings from Dragon 397 is so nice that Mordenkainen included it in his emporium. We here
at Inhuman Resources cant endorse this hireling

system enough. Mechanically, you get a minion that
has a very specific skill. The catch? Its someone in
the game whom youve hired to do your grunt work.
Need someone to copy down some ancient texts?
Hire a scribe. Found more treasure than you can
carry? Dont bother learning ritualsthat same
money could get you a handful of porters to tote your
new luggage. In fact, hirelings are so cheap that you
could bring one to your first game session. Who
wouldnt want to show up for the getting hired by the
local noble scene with a valet to dust off your chair
and wait on you while the plot unfolds?
Beware the typical companion traps, and conduct an interview or two before going on a second
date. Dont be afraid to flesh out your DMs setting by
making him figure out what kind of hireling would
be willing to risk her neck for 15 gold pieces.
Need a henchman but still want to make a statement? Straight from Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead,
have we got a ritual for you! Just recite the words on
the Undead Servitor scroll, shove it into the mouth of
a slain enemy, and the body will rise to do your bidding until it falls apart. Although the servant lacks
interpersonal skills, animating the corpse of your
enemy makes a statement thats not easy to put into
words. And if you cant say it with a zombie, is it really
worth saying?
D o Your Part to
S olve the NPC
O verpopulation
Crisis
Inhuman Resources would like to close todays
seminar by bringing your attention to the option
for making NPC companions in your game. In our
home game, weve enjoyed watching one hireling
simply refuse to die despite the odds, and although he

interviewed poorly (were waiting for the inevitable
betrayal), were happy to have him on our team. Dont
be afraid to engage with the world that surrounds
your character. Theres an overpopulation issue with
NPCs, and, quite frankly, they have nothing to do
when youre not around. Adopt one todayor maybe
adopt twelve. If no one speaks for the elemental tree
spirit shaman/horse beast ranger hybrid fey beast
tamer mage, who will?
Now if youll excuse me, I have a stack of applications to go through.
Dire Jared, who learned the hard way that
monster.com is the worst possible place to find
hirelings and is still confused by the three sneak
attacks in a row he suffered during the interview
About the Author
Jared von Hindman is an artist, writer, and sometime comedian whose comics, paintings, and poor choices of words have
dwelt upon this very website since 2009. When not drawing
on sidewalks in Eternal Chalk, he lairs in Berlin, Germany.
Visit Jared on Twitter @JaredvonHindman.
Editor
Ray Vallese

Jon Schindehette
Managing Editors
Kim Mohan, Miranda
Horner
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Development and Editing

Lead
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Illustrator
Jared von Hindman
Daniel Helmick
Publishing Production
Manager
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
21
Channel Divinity:
Chauntea and
Silvanus
By Chad Brown
Illustration by Claudio Pozas

Those who worship Chauntea and Silvanus, the
nature gods of Faern, do so out of respect and gratitude for the gifts of nature and the bounty of life.
Farmers, hunters, gardeners, trappers, field workers,
indentured servants, and wealthy landowners all give
thanks to and seek the favor of the Great Mother and
the Forest Father.
Chauntea and Silvanus have always been allied.
Their priests share the same appellation, druid,
and often work together. Both religions are highly
decentralized organizations, with little overarching
supervision. This aspect of their nature is in no way a
disadvantage, because all worshipers of both deities
have a shared mindset and often a common goal.
Chauntea,
Great Mother
Chauntea is a kind mistress, revered by those who
work the land for their living. From the earliest days
of the world, the Great Mother has nurtured life,
encouraging growth and bounty. As the mortal races
bloomed, Chauntea grew with them, teaching them
to treat nature with respect and showing them how to
benefit from the fruits of the world.
Once the matron of the wilderness, the Great

Mother changed as the world grew, bringing agriculture to the mortal races and teaching them to better
coexist with nature. Those who followed her precepts
were fruitful and multiplied, bringing ever more life
into the world.
Worshipers of Chauntea are common in cities,
where large temples often serve as granaries and
seed houses, as well as in caravan depots and farm
labor markets. The backbone of the religion are the
small temples found in towns and villages all over
Faern. Temples and shrines to Chauntea are absent
in places where agriculture cannot take root, such as
in the Shaar Desolation. Even in such areas where a
structure to Chauntea is rarely found, one sometimes
finds a wandering Chauntean or hears a prayer to the
Great Mother.
The druids of Chauntea are generally a sturdy,
down-to-earth, welcoming lot. You might find one
or more of them tending to a seed-house, in a barn
pitching hay, or hoisting a mug of mead or a glass of
barley wine while leading the village tavern in song.
Chaunteans espouse the value of life and the fruits of
cooperation.
Adventurers who have joined cause with the Great
Mother and her adherents hold uppermost the ideals
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
22

of respecting nature and its bounty, and they encourage people to live and grow in a spirit of cooperation
and unity with nature.
Silvanus,
Forest Father
Where Chauntea preaches empathy, Silvanus
teaches the value of balance and the importance of
the cycle of life and death. He and his followers are
viewed by some as the guardians of life and nature,
and by others as uncaring opponents of the constant
encroachment of civilization. When nations first rose
and the Great Mothers focus shifted to the mortal
races and their burgeoning numbers, the Forest
Father retained his connection to the deep wilds, the
natural order, and the cycle of birth and death.
Silvanus dispenses drought and rain, fire and ice,
mercy and savagery, all in the pursuit of balance.
Silvanus and his followers are sometimes seen as
heartless, valuing the life of a tree or grove over that
of a person or a village, but the truth is that Silvanites
value all life: plant, animal, and mortal. Worshipers of Silvanus demonstrate and preach respect for
nature, taking only what is needed and maintaining
the balance. Some druids of Silvanus consider huge
cities such as Baldurs Gate to be tragic examples of
civilization run amok and of trying to exceed what
nature can sustain.
The holy places of Silvanus are almost all located
in the deep wilds, and each ones location can shift
with the seasons. It is widely hypothesized that such
sacred locations exist in the jungles of Chult, the
elf-woods of Aglarond and Luruar, Sarifal in the
Moonshaes, and the Great Wild Wood of Murghm.
Many Silvanites become grim when the Chondalwood is mentioned; several sacred groves there are
rumored to have fallen to the depredations of the
plaguelands and Underdark activity originating
from the nearby Underchasm. Enclaves of Silvanite
followers in many large cities such as Waterdeep

often serve as gardeners and foresters, but the majority of Silvanuss clergy prefer to dwell in the wild or
travel the land.
Adventurers who revere the Treefather are concerned with maintaining and righting balance,
stopping the threat of greed run amok, and encouraging all living things to find their place in the great
cycle of life.
of druids is active near the plaguelands outside

Elturgard.
Common Ground
The Earthmother teaches of cooperation with nature.

You have learned to express this ideal through your
healing powers.
Prerequisite: Must worship Chauntea
Benefit: When you use a power that allows an ally
to spend a healing surge to regain hit points, you can
lose a healing surge on that allys behalf, so the ally
benefits from the healing but does not spend a healing surge.
Although the clergy of the gods of nature have their

differences, their areas of agreements are large and
strong, and the two are close allies. Both are opposed
to unnatural creatures such as undead and aberrants,
and they work to stamp out such corruption wherever it appears. Both are opposed to the priests and
cults of Bane and Cyric, as well as those of Talona,
Umberlee, Talos, and Malar. Their devotion to life
and nature frequently leads to conflicts with Thay,
Netheril, and the Zhentarim. Although a worshiper
of Chauntea might debate and argue with a Silvanite druid, these disputes are set aside when life is
threatened.
The Chaunteans are especially active in the areas
around Baldurs Gate, particularly in the Cloak
Wood, Luruars Glimmerwood, and the Great Dale. A
number of them have traveled to Tymanther to assist
the various small farming villages that are forming
across the region.
Silvanite druids rarely gather in large numbers
for very long, and they are most likely found in deep
wilderness. The Yuirwood in Aglarond and the
Chondalwood in the Vilhon Wilds have active Silvanite presences currently.
The Moonshae Isles are home or refuge to many
druids of both religions, especially among the elves
and the Ffolk, and their conflicts against the cults
of Malar are more vicious than ever. A mixed group
Feats
The following feats are available to any characters
who meet the prerequisites.
Chaunteas Comfort
Great Mothers Step

[Divinity]
When called to action, Chaunteas faithful reap the
benefits of unity and alacrity.
Prerequisite: Channel Divinity class feature,
must worship Chauntea
Benefit: You gain the Great Mothers step power.
Great Mothers Step
Feat Utility
Chaunteas lessons of unity guide your allies along their way.

Encounter Channel Divinity, Divine, Teleportation
Move Action
Close burst 1
Target: You and one ally in burst
Effect: Each target can shift up to 5 squares. If this
movement can start and end adjacent to a plant that
is Large or larger, the target can teleport instead of
shifting.
Special: You can use only one channel divinity power per
encounter.
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Firefoe of Silvanus
The Oak Father has always distrusted fire, a valuable
tool of renewal that can be misused to destroy. Some
of Silvanuss clergy undertake mystic practices to
combat the mishandling of fire.
Prerequisite: Must worship Silvanus
Benefit: You gain resist 5 fire. This resistance
increases to 10 at 11th level and 15 at 21st level. If
you already have fire resistance, it instead increases
by 5.
In addition, against fire creatures, your divine
attack powers and primal attack powers deal extra
damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Forest Fathers Fangs

Your devotion to the fury of nature and your affinity
with beasts enables you to deliver devastating attacks.
Prerequisite: Must worship Silvanus
Benefit: You gain a +2 feat bonus to damage
rolls with beast attack powers and beast form attack
powers. This bonus increases to +3 at 11th level and
+4 at 21st level.
Mothers Bloom
Chaunteas blessings spread as you take a few minutes
to meditate on her glory.
Prerequisite: 2nd level, must worship Chauntea
Benefit: You master the Bloom ritual. You can
perform the Bloom ritual in 5 minutes, including
during a short rest, and you need no ritual book to do
so. Performing the ritual during a short rest does not
prevent you from resting. If a creature in the rituals
affected area spends healing surges at the end of the
rest, that creature regains additional hit points equal
to your Wisdom modifier with each healing surge.
In addition, you can perform the Bloom ritual
once per day without expending ritual components.
Forest Fathers Grasp

[Divinity]
Belled Branch
Silvanus loves and protects wild places, where flora

and fauna grow untouched by civilization. Druids of
Silvanus learn to spread the Forest Fathers influence
wherever the needs of the balance of nature might
carry them.
Prerequisite: Channel Divinity class feature,
must worship Silvanus
Benefit: You gain the Forest Fathers grasp power.
Forest Fathers Grasp
Feat Attack
Spectral vines envelop your target in a spiritual echo of primeval forests.

Encounter Channel Divinity, Divine
Free Action
Special
Trigger: You hit a creature with a divine attack power or a
primal attack power.
Effect: The creature you hit falls prone, and it is slowed
(save ends).
Special: You can use only one channel divinity power per
encounter.
Holy Symbols
The items described below can provide characters
who follow Chauntea or Silvanus with some flavorful
options.
Belled Branch
The earliest druids knew a technique for focusing
magic through tree branches encrusted with mistletoe and holly, allowing them to cast spells safely. The
druids of Silvanus and Chauntea developed these
holy symbols to replicate the effect of that ancient
knowledge.
Level 2+ Common
This silver tree branch, strung with tiny golden bells, hangs
from a simple chain. It allows safe prayer in the heat of
battle.
Lvl 2 +1
520 gp
Lvl 17 +4
65,000 gp
Lvl 7 +2
2,600 gp
Lvl 22 +5
325,000 gp
Lvl 12 +3
13,000 gp
Lvl 27 +6 1,625,000 gp
Implement: Holy symbol
Enhancement Bonus: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus
Property
You provoke no opportunity attacks for using ranged or area
divine attack powers with this implement.
Hamadryad Egg
Creatures of nature who live in deep forests, hamadryads are common allies of those who worship
nature deities. The first hamadryad egg was a milky
stone that a cleric of Silvanus carved and gave, in jest,
to the hamadryad Metiai. To his surprise, on the night
Hamadryad Egg
Level 3+ Uncommon
This egg-shaped white stone has a carving of an oak leaf that

turns green when a worshiper of Silvanus uses it as a holy
symbol.
Lvl 3 +1
680 gp
Lvl 18 +4
85,000 gp
Lvl 8 +2
3,400 gp
Lvl 23 +5
425,000 gp
Lvl 13 +3
17,000 gp
Lvl 28 +6 2,125,000 gp
Implement: Holy symbol
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus, +1d8 damage per plus
against aberrant creatures
Utility Power (Teleportation) Daily (Move Action)
Effect: You teleport up to 5 squares to a square adjacent to
a plant, a plant creature, or a fey creature that is Small or
larger.
Level 13 or 18: Up to 10 squares.
Level 23 or 28: Up to 15 squares.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
24

of the next full moon, she returned the egg with a
potent enchantment added to it.
Rose Scythe of Chauntea

These scythes were made in homage to the practice,
attributed to Chauntea, of using a scythe as a walking stick, an implement, and a farming tool. A deva
invoker who revered the Great Mother claimed to
have been inspired by one of Chaunteas rare battles
in a past life, and she spent the next year crafting a
similar utilitarian implement.
Rose Scythe of Chauntea
Level 4+ Common
This sturdy but worn scythe is carved with images of wheat

sheaves, and the blade bears the image of a single rose.
Lvl 4 +1
840 gp
Lvl 19 +4
105,000 gp
Lvl 9 +2
4,200 gp
Lvl 24 +5
525,000 gp
Lvl 14 +3
21,000 gp
Lvl 29 +6 2,625,000 gp
Weapon: Scythe
Critical: +1d6 damage per plus
Properties
For a character who is a member of a divine class or a
primal class, this scythe functions as a staff implement.
Whenever you use a healing power to allow an ally to
regain hit points, until the end of your next turn, any creature that hits that ally with a melee attack takes damage
equal to the scythes enhancement bonus.
OTHER WORLDS
Nature deities are a staple of the fantasy genre and
are well represented in many roleplaying venues.
Here is some advice on how to use the material
in this article for characters in settings other than
Faern.
In the pantheon presented in the Players Handbook, the goddess Melora represents nature, storm,
and the seas, and she has a strong affinity with
water. The options presented here for worshipers
of Silvanus are useful for devotees of Melora who
focus on the nature aspect of the goddess (rather
than the sea/storm aspects), and also for any distinct
power of your own creation that focuses on nature,
its protection, and its place in the world.
The deity in the Players Handbook that most
closely corresponds to Chauntea is Erathis, who
advances the interests of civilizationthough not
necessarily at the expense of nature. Erathis, like
the Great Mother, places great value on cooperation
and communal effort.
In an Eberron campaign, these options can work
well for worshipers of Arawai, Balinor, and Boldrei.
Consider allowing worshipers of those deities access
to options associated with the related deity from
the Forgotten Realms setting: Silvanus for Balinor,
Boldrei for Chauntea, and either one for Arawai.
Campaigns based in the world of Greyhawk

have many potential nature deities. The options
herein associated with Chauntea are appropriate
for worshipers of Beory, Phyton, and Baervan Wildwanderer, while devotees of Obad-Hai, Rillifane
Rallathil, and Ehlonna will find more appropriate
matches in the options for followers of Silvanus.
The followers of Sheela Peryroyl work well with
the options for both Silvanus and Chauntea, and the
fertility aspects of Chauntea are also appropriate for
worshipers of Ehlonna. Several other nature deities
of Oerth, such as the Olman mother goddess Tlazoteotl, might find use for specific options from either
Chauntea or Silvanus, but such deities have strong
portfolios of their own and such choices should
generally be considered on an individual basis.
In a Dragonlance campaign, the goddess
Chislev is nature incarnate, representing the power of
the natural world and all things primal. Her followers
are well served by the options listed for worshipers
of Silvanus. Zivilyn, the Tree of Life, is a nature power
of wisdom, enlightenment, and insight. The followers
of the Tree of Life can find suitable choices from the
options of either Silvanus and Chauntea, but are likely
to prefer those choices associated with Chauntea.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
25
Divine B oon
About the Author
Chauntea and Silvanus can grant divine boons,

including the one that appears here. For more about
divine boons, see Dungeon Masters Guide 2.
Natures Fervor
The powers of the natural world teach that the cycles
of life and death are an essential component of existence. Creatures that pervert or disrupt these cycles
are subject to the ire of the devotees of nature.
Natures Fervor
Level 3+ Uncommon
Defeating monsters that corrupt the natural world fills you

with zeal, enabling you to carry on the righteous battle.
Lvl 3
680 gp
Lvl 18
85,000 gp
Lvl 8
3,400 gp
Lvl 23
425,000 gp
Lvl 13
17,000 gp
Lvl 28
2,125,000 gp
Alternative Reward: Divine Boon
Property
When you use your second wind, you can make a saving
throw against one effect that a save can end.
Utility Power (Healing) Daily (Free Action)
Trigger: You drop an enemy to 0 hit points.
Effect: You can spend a healing surge or regain the use of
an expended encounter attack power. If the enemy was
aberrant or undead, you can do both.
Chad Brown is an administrator, developer, and author for

the Ashes of Athas organized play campaign, set in the Dark
Sun campaign setting. He has also served as an author,
developer, and administrator for multiple organized play
campaigns, and he currently resides in Seattle with 1d3 + 2
awesome family members. This isnt his first article, but hes
still thrilled to be writing for Dungeon and Dragon magazines.
Developer
Chris Sims
Editor
Miranda Horner
Managing Editor
Kim Mohan
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Claudio Pozas
Daniel Helmick
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
26
C o n f e s s i o n s o f a F u l l -t i m e w i z a r d
Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4
By Shelly Mazzanoble
Illustration by William OConnor
Weve all signed up for the D&D Next playtest,
right? We all downloaded our packets and have been
busy running and playing in the Caves of Chaos? All of
our surveys have been thoughtfully filled out and submitted? Good. Lets talk about it then, shall we?
Around the office, we started playtesting D&D
Next sometime last summer. Id like to tell you everything I remember about those early days, and I will,
but I have the memory of a newborn sea horse, so
bear with me.
Playtest Packet #1
I got an e-mail one day from Greg Bilsland that said
something along the lines of Thank you for Participating in the D&D Playtest.
Participating in a playtest isnt exactly something
you opt into around here. That wasnt a surprise. Its
just assumed youll be partaking.
What was a surprise was that Greg took the liberty
of assigning us our groups. Now some of you might
remember I have an irrational fear of playing D&D
with people I dont know. Especially people who are
really good at D&D, such as anyone from R&D and
six-year-olds. Fortunately, Greg had the good sense
to put me in a group with Bart, Chris Tulach, and my
good friend and editor extraordinaire, Nina. Bruce
Cordell would be our DM. Phew, I thought. I have a
good group! (This feeling was not unlike that day in
high school gym class when square dance partners
were selected.)
The only sucky part about this playtest was our

time slot1:00 p.m. on Fridays. You might not be
aware of this, but we have half-day Fridays, meaning
we work extra hours during the week and can leave
at 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. Pretty sweet, right? I schedule all the things I put off during the week on Friday
afternoonsoil changes, vet checkups, and hair
colors. (Of course my hair is colored. Do you know
anyone with natural cabernet merlot highlights?)
Ah well, I thought. Its only for six weeks. So I
grudgingly rescheduled my eyebrow waxing appointment, rounded up some new dice (new rules require
new accessories, right?), and met my new party in a
conference room named Graceland.
A few days before the game, Bruce e-mailed asking
us to pick our races and classes. Im not going to name
names (Chris Tulach) but someone kind of stole the
wizard right out from under me.
I was at his desk three and a half seconds later.
Whoa there, big boy.
Oh, hey, Mazzy, he smiled, all sunshine and puppies. Sheesh, its hard to be mean to this guy.
I was just wondering how much you were looking
forward to playing the wizard in our playtest.
Oh, I love playing a wizard! he gushed.
Well...
Oh, and if I havent told you yet, Im really excited
to play with you! Its going to be a blast!
Well, crap. I slunk back to my desk to e-mail the
group. Ill be the fighter.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
27
I decided I wouldnt just leave my comfort zone.
Id smash through its walls like the Kool-Aid man
through tissue paper.
Everyone, I said, taking my place at the table.
Meet Lovey Smithsonian. Hes a half-orc. Thats right.
Half-orc.
Hi, Lovey, the group said.
Bart beamed, but only because he thought Lovey
was named after the Chicago Bears coach. In reality
he was named after my beloved stuffed bunny who
lost a battle with the clothes dryer.
Is Lovey a man or a woman? Tulach asked.
Isnt it obvious? I said. Lovey is a dude. A 350pound, six-foot-one big dude.
Chris nodded. Right. Of course. My bad.
Bruce was going to run us through the Tomb of
Horrors, which made me question what we were playtesting here: a new rules system or how quickly Bruce
could TPK four characters. And while were on the
subject, lets talk about Bruce. Heres something you
should know. Bruce is really nice. He always looks like
hes smiling even when he isnt. Or maybe he always
is. He drives a Prius. He fosters kittens. I think hes
even a vegetarian. So whenever Im in the company
of such niceness, I tend to let down my guard. I mean,
this guy rescues kittens. Why should I ever question the
motivation of someone like this as a Dungeon Master?
And then inevitably something happens that
makes me doubt my faith in animal-loving humanity
all over again. The size-of-your-carbon-footprint to
how-kindly-you-treat-your-playtesters ratio is bunk.
There is no correlation.
Bruce Cordell is a silent, smiling, kitten-snuggling
killer.
I dont remember when it happened. I dont even
really know how it happened. All I recall was Tulachs
annoying, eager, cloying wizard and that irritating
lilt to his voice that made every sentence sound like a
question.
Ooooh, someone should look down this hall?
Ooooh my! A basilisk! What a horrible creature?

Ooooh dear, I shall use my magic missile?
Lovey couldnt take it. That stinkin wizard kept
getting in his way! And that whole statement/question
thing was confusing! Are you asking me if I think you
should fire off a magic missile? Loveys Intelligence was
7. The question of whether its night or day probably
wouldnt be answered with much confidence. The
wizard had it coming!
Lovey grabs Tulachs wizard by the collar of his
robe and shoves him.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Tulachs wizard screams.
You pushed me down?
Is that a question question? Or a statement question? Lovey does not like ambiguity!
Bruce made Tulach roll an Athletics saving throw,
which he (of course) failed, causing 4 damage from
Loveys assault. Neither Lovey nor I felt guilty. What
was happening to me?
I remember Loveys trident. It seemed like a cool
weapon because it could immobilize my enemies if I
rolled high enough. But I never got a chance to use it.
Shortly after Loveys assault on the wizard, a stupid
basilisk turned Lovey to stone.
So Im just a rock now? I asked. But only for a
round or two, right? There has to be a way to save out
of this, doesnt there?
Umm...not really, Bruce said. Theres not
really anything you can do. This time he didnt just
look like he was smiling. He was.
Let me get this straight, I said. I am suffering
one extra day looking like Frida Kahlo for a measly 2
rounds of play?
You can still hang out with us, Tulach suggested,
even if you have a unibrow.
Not to be a total baby, but hanging out and
watching them climb over the rocky remains of my
character for the next two hours was like hanging out
with your best friend and the crush she stole right out
from under you at the seventh grade dance. Trust me.

Not fun. (And yes, I know, I need to get over this.)
Maybe you could come back to life as a different
character, Nina suggested. Like on a soap opera.
Everyone has an evil twin.
I might not know much about playing half-orc
fighters, but I do know a thing or two (or 932) about
soap operas. I looked at Bruce hopefully.
Okay, we dont really have time for you to make
a brand-new character, and these guys probably do
need a fighter, so how about you play Loveys twin
brother...Shovey!
Hi, Shovey, the group chimed.
I wasnt sure if it was the system, the adventure,
or the man behind the screen, but we barely made a
dent in the Tomb of Horrors. Shovey didnt die but he,
like the rest of the party, came really close. Leaving
that game gave me the same feeling I had after whitewater rafting down a class 4 river in Australia: Did it!
Never doing it again.
Dont forget to fill out your surveys! Bruce called
to us as we were leaving.
Is this guy nuts? He wants us to tell him what we
thought? I mean, its not like hes trying to get tenure
or anything, but still, youd think all the work that
went into this rules system, hed at least try to keep us
alive so we could come back next week.
Thing is, my group loved this early playtest. They
found it had an old-school feel, but to someone who
is still relatively new school, that was lost on me.
Im the first to admit Im not always good at D&D. I
make the wrong move and use the less effective spell.
Sometimes I forget to use detect magic when the walls
around me are glowing green. But Im at least confidently overlooking these things. And it took a lot of
time to get to that place. Leaving this game set me
back a few paces. I became a self-doubting, temperamental half-orc whose insecurity manifested itself in
violent behavior against wizards. Was that considered
constructive feedback?
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
28
Shellys Feedback on Playtest Packet #1: Death
comes too easy!
Playtest Packet #2
The next playtest packet arrived a couple months
later. This time my group was my usual Wednesday
D&D Encounters party. Instead of playing D&D
Encounters, however, we were going to playtest the
next iteration of the rules.
Surprise! I played a wizard! But Octavia wasnt
entirely typical. She was a half-elf as opposed to a
purebred. I was definitely more at ease with this character, and because of that, I enjoyed the game much
more. One oddity? We didnt use minis or maps.
How will we know where we are? I asked Chris
Lindsay, completely horrified.
Dunno, he answered. Guess youll have to
listen.
Have I ever told you how bad my group is at listening? And because we are poor listeners we constantly
ask Chris things like, Where am I standing? Can I
see anything? Is there anything good in here? With
the absence of any visual cues like little triangles to
signify rough terrain or red and yellow rings to imply
bloodied or slowed, I figured we were goners. After
the 84th time someone asks Chris where the monsters are, hes going to pull a Lovey and shove us all
into the white board.
But the strangest thing happened. Or rather
didnt happen. No one asked. Not being able to look
at where the rogue was in relation to the mouth of a
cave meant we had to listen. And to do that we had
togasp!pay attention.
Octavia had my old standbys such as burning hands
and shield and sleep in her spellbook, which was cool.
What was not cool was that whole prepare your
spells each day and, when I used them, I lost them.
Thats how it was in my day, Chris said, blowing
off my complaints. Kids these days and their at-wills
and encounter powers. Youre so spoiled.
Truth is Im terrible with moderation. If I find a

pair of shoes I love and theyre on sale, Ill buy them
in every color. If someone drops a 6-inch block of
tiramisu on my plate, Im going to eat the whole lot
of it. So if Im packing a magic missile, a pair of burning hands, and a sleep spell, Im going to use them.
Immediately.
You already used your magic missile, Chris told
me when I tried to cast it again.
I know. Im using it again. Its magic like that.
Its expendable. You use it once, and its gone.
Oh, R&D was going to hear about this!
So now I have nothing to defend with? I ask,
sheepishly smiling at my group. Sorry, guys.
Not nothing, Chris Lindsay said. Dont you have
a weapon?
Oh yes, I said, scanning my character sheet.
Looks like Im packing an emery board and a plastic
spork. If I crit, Ill do a whopping 3 damage!
Although I certainly enjoyed returning to my
magical roots, I was wistful for the days of only a few
months prior, where wizards were rich with awesome
spells they could fire off willy-nilly or get back with
just a few hours of shut-eye. How did anyone in the
1980s get out of a dungeon alive?
Shellys Feedback on Playtest Packet #2:
Highly enjoying the whole theater of the mind action,
but come on! More magic, less using!
Playtest Packet #3
When the third packet was ready for playtesting,
I didnt go for the wizard, figuring Id be better off
playing a character proficient with weapons that
didnt fall under the use em and lose em decree.
But I do love the occasional magic trick, so I found
the perfect balance by playing a gnome rogue I
named Pandora Temperlee. Cute, right? At three feet
ten and 43 pounds, Pandora could scale the side of
an embankment while conjuring the sounds of ghosts
whispering across the pond.
What stood out about this version of the playtest

was that Pandora seemed a bit more well-rounded
than my previous characters.
And the partythat was something else I enjoyed.
We were straight-up fighters, clerics, wizards,
and rogues. Nothing fancy. Just good old-school
adventurers.
Because everyones character was relatively upfront, there was a definite distinction in what our
roles were. No fancy party-tricks for the fighter. No
special scimitar for the wizard. Maybe that was why I
started to feel like we were operating as a unit again.
I liked Pandora a lot, especially when I used various tricks in her prestidigitation arsenal. (She made
quite a robust secondary income performing at nursing homes and childrens birthday parties.)
But lets be honest, could a band of orcs really
be scared away by making a fake ink stain appear
on their collars and throwing your voice? Seriously,
could it? Because maybe I needed to give the wizard
another chance.
Shellys Feedback on Playtest Packet #3:
Loving the return to the original roles, but watching
our wizard try to lift a flail is just plain embarrassing
for everyone.
Playtest Packet #4
Rouchard Brouchard was born in playtest packet #4
and heralded my return to wizardry. But Rouchard
wasnt just your average wizard. Oh, no. Rouchard
was much more than that. Lets just say he had toiled
his way around a cauldron or two. Yep, this was the
packet where themes were introduced.
Now youre talking, I thought.
They had me at themes describe your place in the
world. (You might remember Im the kind of person
who gives a name and backstory to the living room
chair, so any chance I can get to add flavor to my
character sheet is okay with me.)
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
29
I scoured the list of themes for one that spoke to
Rouchard. Was he an alchemist? Probably something he minored in at wizardry school, so not quite
unique enough. Could he be a gladiator? With his
slight build and impeccable style, not likely. Was he
a spy? Rouchard could already conjure a disguise
with magic if he ever needed to go incognito. In the
end, I settled on the witch theme. (Ive kind of been
obsessed with witches ever since I went to Boston and
learned more about the Salem Witch Trials.)
This packet also gave me another gift. Something
for my wizard to do when he ran out of magic missiles.
You mean I can use this javelin of fire whenever I
want? I asked Chris.
Well, like, on your turn you can, he said. Dont
just go aiming it at people to illustrate a point or
something.
Sure, it didnt deal crazy amounts of damage, but
having a magical implement I could use at will
made me less stingy and more strategic with the
more powerful spells. And that in turn made me feel
like I was good at D&D.
Shellys Feedback on Playtest Packet #4: Even
without minis, maps, or crazy mash-ups of hybrid
characters (all new to me), this game feels amazingly
like D&D. And thanks for the cool javelin. I shall use
it with you in mind.
About the Author
Thanks to her membership in the beer-of-the-month club,

Shelly Mazzanoble has earned the drink like a fish skill
found in the Pub Crawler theme.
Editor
Nina Hess
Managing Editors
Kim Mohan, Miranda Horner
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
William OConnor
Angie Lokotz
After Action Report

Clearly R&D has been listening to my feedback. I
can barely contain my excitement for the next playtest packet. Based on my past success, Im sure it will
contain talking familiars, the tie goes to the player
concept, and puff pastry pizza recipes.
Youre welcome.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
30
Ed Greenwoods
Eye Realms
on
the
The Thing in
the Crypt
By Ed Greenwood
Illustration by Mark Winters
The minor Cormyrian noble house of Keskrelone of
the noble families of Marsember that has never been
wealthy or numerousrecently suffered the loss of its
elderly matriarch, Asdragarna Keskrel. Her body was
taken by coach to the family crypt, which like that of
many Marsembian noble houses, stands in the hills
inland from the waterlogged city. When the sealed
crypt was opened, the Keskrels and other mourners
were shocked to find many of the stone coffins inside
disarrangedpulled down out of the niches carved in
the stone walls and strewn about the floor.
Several coffins had spilled their contents, while
others appeared to have been opened and their
lids dropped hastily back into place. Nothing of
value seemed to be missingexcept the body of one
Keskrel lord. In his coffin lay a misshapen, mummified dead monster, dressed in the robes of a War
Wizard of Cormyr and clutching a spellbook labeled

Rhauntagar, Wizard of War.
What has happened? Where are the remains of the
lord? How did the monster come to be in his coffin?
What did Rhauntagarif it truly is Rhauntagar
become, and why?
The Keskrels of Marsember

One of the oldest but most often overlooked noble
families of Marsember, the Keskrels were ennobled for
their martial service and steadfast loyalty to the Obarskyrs. They often held wardenships and commanded
local forces with distinction against mercenary forays
out of Sembia. Despite this, the family has neither
flourished nor prospered, assembling a long history of
few children and bad investments. As one Lord Keskrel put it gloomily: This is the family that invests in
ships that sink.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
31
Eye on the Realms

The current head of this house is Lord Lhalaundrovam Keskrel. With Lady Murleeme Keskrel, he
has two hardy highrake1 sons, Irlake and Jeskren,
and a younger daughter Ruvelle. Murleeme, a ravenhaired beauty who stands a head taller than her tall
husband, hails from House Vaeren, another old-blood
Marsembian noble family.
Lord Keskrels father Sorlthavarn died almost
forty years back, but his formidable, voluble mother
Asdragarna perished only a month ago. It was during
her interment in the family crypt that a sensational
and grotesque discovery was made. The aftermath
has brought the Keskrels to the notice of folk low and
high from one end of Cormyr to the othernot to
mention many gossips in the Dales and Sembia.
Cellars and burial crypts in Marsember flood
regularly, and they are so damp the rest of the time
that unless one desires to grow grisly fungiincluding creeping molds deadly to the livingburials are
better made inland, on higher and drier ground. This
is expensive, however, and the Marsembian poor
must often resort to dead barge cremations. An
old scow purchased by city burghers is heaped high
with bodies until the vessel threatens to sink under
their weight, then is towed out to sea and set ablaze.
Wealthier Marsembians have taken to constructing crypts inland, using fortified stone construction
to prevent unauthorized burials from being made
surreptitiouslyand to keep grave-robbing to a
minimum.
No signs suggested that the Keskrel crypta
large, dry room dug into a granite cliff, entered
through ponderously impressive stone doorshad
been opened since the resting of Lord Sorlthavarns
younger brother Roldran, twenty-odd years ago.
Yet when the doors were ceremonially unlocked,
unspiked, and unbarred to admit the mourners
accompanying the cart that bore the remains of Lady
Asdragarna Keskrel,2 chaos was found within it.
The crypt is long and rectangular, with roughhewn walls and ceiling above a smooth floor, all
chiseled out of solid rock. A raised dais at the rear
holds the heavy, simple stone coffins of Rordurn, the
first Lord Keskrel, and his family. Two levels of closely
spaced niches cut into the side walls hold all the
other Keskrel burials. In the upper, deeper niches,
the coffins are slid in headfirst. The lower niches are
shallower, and hold coffins placed sidelong. There are
not many of these, however, with most of the lower
level empty to await future interments. This construction is typical of the most modest noble and wealthy
non-noble burial crypts across Cormyr.
Asdragarnas burial party was shocked to find that
sixteen coffins had been dragged out of their niches
and moved to the floor. They lay in no semblance
of orderthree on their sides with their contents
spilled, two with lids askew, and four others with the
lids replaced wrongly, end for end, so as to fit poorly.
None of the coffins had been broken, suggesting some
care in handling, though there were fresh chips and
cracks in several lids.
Within their coffins, the Keskrel dead are customarily interred in simple shrouds and arranged holding
something on their breasts that they valued in everyday life. Such objects are chosen regardless of their
worth to others; some Keskrel children were buried
with favorite wooden toys. A simple stone slab placed
across a bodys hips is graven with full name, title,
and birth and death dates. It is possible that many
tomb valuables were taken, since records and memories dont reach far into the Keskrels past. It is certain
that at least one such relic is missing, along with its
ownerone shrouded human skeleton is gone, along
with the plain, workaday war-sword known to have
been buried with him.
This missing lord was Deremoz Keskrel, a haughty
and austere head of the house (and Lord Lhalaundrovams grandsire). He died in 1399 DR of winter
chill, 3 and he was buried with his prized blade and
possibly also a chased and gold-inlaid breastplate.

There is some doubt about the latter, since its account
is based on family tales told by a deceased Keskrel
aunt known for embellishing the wealth and importance of her ancestors.
In Lord Deremoz Keskrels open stone coffin, lying
in place of the tall and white-bearded old warriors
remains, was a creature described as a goblinAye,
a goblin right enough, that jut-toothed snarl and big
pointed ears, like hundreds of em Ive seen before.
Only this one was taller and strangely green, nigh
as bright emerald as a fine ladys robe.4 Later and
more thorough examiners agreed it was a goblin,
but certainly not of any sort familiar to Cormyr.
Possessing four arms (two pairs, one immediately
beneath the other), the creature was bloated and
misshapen. Some defect of birth or drastic wounding in early life made its rib cage bulge hugely on one
sidea deformity made more noticeable by the skeletons skin and flesh having been much shrunken by
mummification.
The creature was barefoot and wore no funeral
shroud, dressed instead in the too-large court robes of
a War Wizard of Cormyr. The body was arranged so
that all four claws clutched a slender parchment-andboard working spellbook. The legend Rhauntagar,
Wizard of War had been burned into the front cover
board long ago.
No one who interred Lord Deremoz Keskrel is
still alive, but the examiners of today agree that it is
highly unlikely this monster was put into the lords
coffin just after his death and buried as Lord Keskrel.
The spellbook, if it is authentic, belonged to a mage
who perished years after Deremoz was in his coffin.
This suggests that the dead goblin likely perished and
became mummified elsewhere and earlier, then was
put into the tomb some time after the interment of
Roldran Keskrel in 1456 DR.
The Keskrels have had a few bitter internal
squabbles, but Lady Asdragarna is the last person
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
32
Eye on the Realms

who would have remembered them or harbored any
of their passions. So small and poor has the family
always remained that they made few foesand none
at all after the days of Lord Deremoz a century ago.
The name of Keskrel is not welcomed with favor
by the wealthy Sembian families of Hoelskathur
(Selgaunt) or Raembrace (Saerloon), nor by the Cormyrian noble houses of Alsevir and Hawklin. These
remembered distastes are hardly strong enough to be
termed feuds, leaving few obvious candidates likely
to undertake any action so malicious toward Keskrel
remains.
The interment was attended by several Purple
Dragon officers whose fathers had been sponsored
into service by Lady Asdragarna. They lost no time
calling in on-duty Purple Dragons and War Wizards
from Marsember to investigate the disturbance in
the crypt. The ranking attending Purple Dragon was
Ornrion Luskar Roeble. After initial reports by the
War Wizard Faeruld Thorntentur of Marsember, the
War Wizard sent from Suzail to look into the Keskrel outrage by the Lord Warder of Cormyr was
Antathurr Reignwynd.
Roeble is considered an energetic, sometimes
brusque, by the rules sort, not gifted with a swift or
creative mind. Reignwynd was brought in because
he is brilliant, takes chances, and is a restless improviserthe very opposite of Roeble. Reignwynd was
placed in command, and he made initial headway
in tracing local gossip regarding stealthy attempts by
mysterious unknown outlanders who came over the
fields and backlands, from Sembia way5. These outlanders reportedly attempted to breach several crypts
among the score or so located in the hills immediately around the Keskrel mausoleum.
As time has worn on, however, Reignwynd and
Roeble (who like each other not at all) have made
little additional progress. The official investigation
remains open but abandoned at the Marsembian
end, where Roeble has returned to his daily duties.
Reignwynd continues to work on leads, elsewhere

and out of the public eye.
As far as the Keskrels and most citizens are concerned, the crown has forgotten the matter. The sole
exception to this is Lord Lhalaundrovam Keskrel, to
whom Reignwynd has made several private reports.
These meetings have led Lord Keskrel to confide to
his wife not that the War Wizard is making progress,
but that Reignwynd is a prize idiot, among an organization full of choice idiots.
Elgler Rhauntagar, Wizard

of War
The precise contents of the spellbook have been kept
secret by the Wizards of War, who now have the tome
in their keeping. Faeruld Thorntentur was the War
Wizard who first came to the crypt and took possession of the spellbook. In the aftermath, he felt few
qualms regarding showing the Purple Dragons and
other mourners the wizards sigil that alone adorns
the books first pagea backward Z transfixed vertically by two identical daggers, their hilts at top and
bottom, and their points meeting in the center of the
glyph. This sigil, recorded both by local heralds and
in the court rolls, identifies the book positively as the
property of a particular spellcasterthe War Wizard
Elgler Rhauntagar, who took the oath and joined the
Wizards of War in 1417 DR.
Elgler Rhauntagar was an adventurer, a consummate actor, and a swindler who served Cormyr loyally
rather than enriching himself with his escapades.
A trusted favorite of the Royal Magician Ganrahast,
Rhauntagar ably assisted the Dragon Throne as a
clandestine agent, adopting various entrepreneurial
shady merchant6 guises and using his magic only as
a well-concealed last resort
For years, Rhauntagar helped to sow dissent
and create open feuds between various cabals of
ambitious Sembian investors seeking to subvert or
dominate Cormyrians. Then in the spring of 1434

DR, the wizard abruptly disappeared. War Wizards,
Highknights, and a few ex-Harpers and outland
adventurers covertly hired by Ganrahast all sought
Rhauntagar out, but they uncovered nothing.
The War Wizards thought Rhauntagar most likely
dead, murdered by Sembian forces. Some worried
that he had abandoned his loyalties to Cormyr under
duress or bribery, entering into league with foes of
the realm and dropping out of sight to begin a new
life. Rhauntagars mysterious and never-solved disappearance remains a concern because of how much he
knewand because the lure of Sembian wealth seeking to corrupt Cormyrians is an ongoing fear of the
Dragon Throne.
The Missing Lord Keskrel

In person, Lord Deremoz Keskrel dressed, ate, and
lived as a simple man. He regarded the fripperies, airs, and fine garments and foods of his fellow
nobility as their rightful indulgences, but also their
weaknesses. He was a stickler for decorum, ceremony, and vigilant reverence to laws, unwritten rules,
and traditionand apt to be very haughty with those
who were not.
At the same time, Deremoz was keenly aware of
how laws and proper behavior could be hindrances
to steering the ways of the world to ones liking,
which he saw as the proper role and duty of the
nobility. Early on in his life, he settled on a means of
getting around such hindrancesbecoming a sponsor of many adventuring bands and using them to
harass Sembian trade rivals. Lord Deremoz Keskrel
was most notorious at court for refusing an offer of a
well-paid kissing thy very dreams 7 palace position.
This would have put him in charge of court etiquette,
precedence, and rituals in return for ceasing his
wayward (as one courtier termed it at the time)
adventurer-hiring activities.
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Eye on the Realms
The Mummified Monster

Fully a score of War Wizards investigated the
remains found in the coffin, including the monster
expert Hendren Tharbanner. Working as three independent teams, all agreed that the coffin held a goblin
with an extra pair of arms it had been born with,
that the creature had been magically transformed
more than once in its life, and that it likely perished
and was mummified elsewhere before it was put into
the Keskrel coffin. They could not determine why
the creature had died or who had handled it after its
deaththough several Crown mages expressed their
own dark suspicions.
The Outrage in the Crypt

Royal Magician Ganrahast has stated firmly that the
truth regarding the disappearance of Lord Deremoz
Keskrels body and its replacement with the body of
a curious deceased goblin is not yet known. Officially, the removal and switch were done by unknown
hands and for unknown reasons. The investigation
proceeds, but any rumors regarding its outcome are
speculation and no more. With that caveat, however,
certain War Wizards have not been shy about stating
their speculations.
Many believe the remains of Deremoz Keskrel
were taken for foul necromantic purposesperhaps
involving transforming him into some sort of controlled undead to work against the Crown of Cormyr
as the ghazneths did. More than a few suggest the
mummified goblin was left as a lure to draw the
Wizards of War to places where they might easily
be slain, or also turned into controlled undead to be
used against the realm.8 It is generally thought that
the culprits, whoever they are, have connections with
Sembia and the shades who seek to rule that land and
others.
Elminster has gently commented that none of
these explanations begin to answer the question of
why the crypt was plundered, one dead lord taken,

and a monster left in his place. His own suggestion
regarding the matter seems most cryptic.
Deremoz dealt with adventurers, some of whom
met cruel ends. Their surviving comrades might
well have blamed him. So look again at the mummified monster, and ask: Was it always a goblin, or
was it once a man? Who might have prevailed upon
bitter adventurerslady sword-comrades who were
the lovers of the fallen adventurer, sayto violate the
crypt? Given their wrath, anyone with coin enough
and persuasive wordswhich does, yes, lead back to
Sembia, and the mages of Shade who have become as
weak as I have, reduced to tricking others into doing
their work for them. Manipulationand the gullible
are truly everywhere.
Notes
1. In current parlance, highrake means dashing,
strapping nobles who do the gallant, headstrong, and
expensive things that nobles are popularly supposed
to do.
2. It is customary in crypt burials for the casket or
stone coffin to be brought as close as is practical to
the crypt. This is usually done by means of an open
cart or wagon drawn by mature horses (beasts often
retired from other service). A wooden casket will then
be carried into the crypt by the mourners, or by military personnel or guild members if not enough family
and friends are present to physically do the deed. If
the deceased is interred in a heavy stone coffin, the
mourners unhitch the horses and themselves pull the
cart into the crypt, or will sometimes lower it in slings
or conduct it down a ramp if the entrance forces such
alternatives.
3. Winter chill is now the common name in the
Realms for what we would call pneumonia, even
though it might not be caused by the same pathogens

as in our real world.
4. Or so said Eskulur Horond, one of the grooms
attending the hired grave-cart. Though his account
rambles, it provided the description of the remains
found in Lord Deremoz Keskrels coffin that follows
this brief quotation.
5. These words belong to Old Maeryamm, a garrulous
elderly seamstress who dwells in a cottage not far
from the crypt. She takes in mendings and sells eggs
and chickens to everyone in the vicinity, busily gossiping with all patrons who come her way.
6. This description was provided by a senior scribe
at the Royal Palace of Cormyr. This figure desires to
remain anonymous, but attests that he has had extensive access to private notes made by Ganrahast and
other high in experience and regard Wizards of
War.
7. Kissing thy very dreams is the Faernian equivalent of our sense of ultimate desirein this case, the
notion that Lord Deremoz Keskrel was being offered
his dream job. This Realms phrase comes from a wellknown anonymous poem, which runs in part:
No more awakened by groans and screams
Arising to joy and revelry bright
Henceforth kissing thy very dreams
Thy life thine own, no trouble nor plight
8. Both of the quotations in this paragraph come from
the outspoken young Wizard of War Embrurra Halgontar, a bold and energetic investigator whose hair
and temper run to the same fiery shades. She has a
history of speaking too loudly and clearly, then being
sent on long investigations that take her far from
home. Even so, Embrurra is thought to be a favorite
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
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Eye on the Realms

and personal friend of the Royal Magician Ganrahastperhaps even more than a friend, though in the
century-old words of Dove Falconhand, gossip gives
every powerful Cormyrian a dozen lovers, where
most can manage but one.
About the Author
Ed Greenwood is the man who unleashed the Forgotten

Realms setting on an unsuspecting world. He works in
libraries, plus he writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and romance stories (sometimes all in the same novel),
but he is happiest when churning out Realmslore, Realmslore, and more Realmslore. He still has a few rooms in his
house in which he has space left to pile up papers.
Editor
Scott Fitzgerald Gray
Managing Editors
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Mark Winters
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
35
Eye on DarkSun
The Ivory Dungeon

By Rodney Thompson
Illustration by Claudio Pozas

Balic is a city-state of splendor and tyranny, where
the sorcerer-kings need for control clashes with
his appreciation for beauty. Nowhere else is this
contrast more typified than in the Ivory Dungeon,
a secret prison where Andropinis keeps those who
are too dangerous to be held in normal prisons, and
who are too valuable to kill.
The Ivory Dungeon is an underground complex
beneath a section of Andropiniss White Palace,
accessible only from within the halls of the sorcererkings fortress. The only citizens who know that the
Ivory Dungeon exists are jailers and templars whom
Andropinis trusts. Like much of the rest of the
White Palace, the Ivory Dungeon is made of white
marble mined from just outside the city. The bars
of its cells are polished bone, adding to the pristine
and elegant appearance of the place.
The Ivory Dungeon is a prime example of the
duality that is Balic; it is a place where lives are
stolen and people are crushed beneath a tyrants
heel, and at the same time it appears to be lovingly
crafted and maintained as would be a fine palace
fit for nobles and merchants. The entrance to the
dungeon is behind a secret door, which leads to
a spiral staircase that descends into the depths of

the hillside upon which the White Palace is built.
Throughout the corridors of the Ivory Dungeon, the
sorcerer-king has placed traps both magical and
psionic to keep prisoners from escaping (and keep
anyone foolish enough to break in from getting out).
Given the sorcerer-kings prowess, both magical
and psionic, it says a great deal about the prisoners kept here that Andropinis considers them more
valuable alive than dead. Each occupant of the Ivory
Dungeon is not just a run-of-the-mill victim of the
sorcerer-kings tyranny.
Despite the efforts of Andropinis to keep the
inhabitants (and the existence) of the Ivory Dungeon
a secret, from time to time word of the place and
some of those who occupy it will leak out thanks to
a bribed templar or a lucky bit of scrying concerning the presence of a prisoner beneath the White
Palace. The prisoners chronicled here are just a few
of the important people who have been imprisoned
in the Ivory Dungeon over the years.
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Eye on Dark Sun
Vulgar R ex
The elf Vulgar Rex is a dunerunner who, at one
time, had a dual reputation for being the fastest
dunerunner on Athas and the elf with the filthiest
vocabulary. The days of celebrity are now over for
Vulgar Rex, because he rots in a cell in the Ivory
Dungeon with no chance of escape. When he was
imprisoned a few years ago, Vulgar Rex was young,
vibrant, brash, and uncouth. Years beneath the
White Palace have eroded all of those qualities.
Now, trapped in a tiny cell, Vulgar Rex is embittered
(though still in possession of a salty tongue) and
has lost all his youthful qualities. The elf is a perfect example of what a sentence spent in the Ivory
Dungeon can do to a person in just a short amount
of time, transforming an energetic scoundrel into a
worn-down shell.
Vulgar Rex had the misfortune of drawing
Andropiniss attention when, during a lengthy run
across the desert wastes outside Balic, Rex stumbled
upon a secret staging area for Balics troops. The elf
was caught and interrogated, and was about to be
executed. But when Andropinis plumbed his mind
to see what Rex knew, he found a store of knowledge
about the Athasian wastes that far exceeded that of
any of his best scouts. Vulgar Rexs reputation as a
fast dunerunner was well earned, and that speed
enabled him to traverse dangerous stretches of the
desert without running afoul of the horrors lurking
in the sands.
Rather than having him killed, Andropinis chose
to have Vulgar Rex imprisoned in the Ivory Dungeon, keeping him as a living almanac of the deep
desert. Whenever Andropinis sends troops marching to war, he uses his psionic skill to peel back the
layers of Rexs mind, uncovering information about
shortcuts, hazards, and secret passages that his
troops can use to reach their destination quickly and
without being noticed.
Since Vulgar Rex is being held for his knowledge,

he is just as important to Andropiniss enemies as
he is to the sorcerer-king of Balic. Many opposing
sorcerer-kings would pay a small fortune to have
Vulgar Rex extracted from the Ivory Dungeon. Not
only would his release give the other sorcerer-kings
access to the elf s knowledge of desert routes, but
Rex is even more valuable to them because he has
become privy to the secrets of Andropiniss troop
movements over the last few years, making him a
tactical asset for any attack on Balic.
K rolgar
R amhammer
Few prisoners in the Ivory Dungeon are more
pitiable than Krolgar Ramhammer. A hulking halfgiant bruiser, Ramhammer is kept in a prison cell
twice as large as that of any other prisoner, and yet
the accommodations are still cramped. Before being
imprisoned, he was a typical thug in the employ of
Balic. Like his comrades, he enjoyed cracking skulls
for a living. Yet despite his brutal profession, Ramhammer had a likable and friendly disposition when
he was not on duty. At those times, many throughout Balic would welcome Ramhammer into their
company, and he was known as a good customer
(if, occasionally, a little rowdy) at various drinking
establishments in the city. When he was on duty,
however, the half-giants personality changed drastically. Ramhammer acted as a brute and a thug
of the worst sort, and he showed no compunction
about maiming or killing anyone when he received
orders to do so.
His normal life came to an end when Ramhammer, while off duty, inadvertently witnessed
a meeting between conspirators of the merchant
House Wavir and a group of patricians who were
plotting to overthrow Andropinis. Since he was not
working, the half-giant thought nothing of what
he had seen and went about his business without

reporting anything. When it was discovered that
Ramhammer could potentially identify the conspirators, the praetors questioned him, but could
not suss out what they wanted to learn. Then he was
brought before Andropinis, who reached into the
half-giants mind and tried to pull out the information he sought. Unfortunately for the sorcerer-king,
Ramhammer epitomizes the tendency of half-giants
to be malleable in personality while in the presence of others. As a result, each time Andropinis
would delve into Krolgars psyche in search of the
conspirators identities, the memories produced by
the half-giants mind would shift to match what the
sorcerer-king expected to discover.
At first, the information the half-giant was providing seemed like a great gift; suddenly, Andropinis
found that all the patricians, praetors, and merchants he suspected of plotting against him were,
indeed, plotting against him. After a few executions,
however, it became apparent that the half-giants
mind was creating false memories, providing
Andropinis only the sort of information the sorcererking wanted to hear, and not the truth. Andropinis
imprisoned Ramhammer in the Ivory Dungeon and
periodically interrogates the half-giant psionically,
hoping to break through his minds malleability and
uncover the truth of the meeting of conspirators, but
so far he has had no such luck.
Despite the fact that Ramhammers mind seems
determined to conceal the truth from Andropinis,
the patricians who are secretly involved in the conspiracy fear that, someday, the sorcerer-king will
successfully plumb the depths of the half-giants
psyche and pull out the true facts of the matter. As
a result, many interested parties want to see Ramhammer freed and whisked out of Balic, because as
long as he remains in custody the potential exists for
him to shatter the conspiracy.
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Eye on Dark Sun
Gendra Z aldanis
Gendra Zaldanis was once a praetor in Balic. A
human female in her middle years, Zaldanis was
not only a trusted templar of Andropinis, she was
alsountil her apprehensiona member of the
Veiled Alliance sent to spy on the sorcerer-king.
Now, as Zaldanis rots in her cell beneath the White
Palace, she seems to grow old beyond her years,
each day sapping more of her youth and will to
live. In fact, many times Gendra has attempted to
starve herself to death, willing to waste away rather
than endure another day of capture at the hands
of Andropinis. Once vivacious and sharp-eyed, she
is now a hollow-cheeked husk of a woman, with
sunken eyes and a haunted expression.
The reason why Gendra Zaldanis has tried to
die, and the reason why Andropinis has not yet
slain this known Veiled Alliance infiltrator, is that
Zaldanis has been imbued with an enchantment
that will alert her superiors in the Veiled Alliance
if she dies. When she was captured, several of the
praetors detected the enchantment and attempted
to remove it, without success. When Andropinis
learned the facts of the matter, he ordered her sent
to the Ivory Dungeon and kept alive. Meanwhile,
praetors who are actually loyal to Andropinis now
feed information back to the Veiled Alliance ( just as
Gendras contacts had done previously), except that
Andropinis controls the information they transmit.
As long as Zaldanis stays alive in the Ivory Dungeon,
her overseers in the Veiled Alliance will continue to
believe they have an infiltrator in the ranks of the
praetors, and will continue to happily receive the
false information planted by Andropinis.
If Zaldanis dies, that opportunity for counterintelligence would end, and the Veiled Alliance
would likely try to infiltrate the praetors anew,
requiring Andropinis to start hunting down another
traitor. For this reason, someone in Balic might be
interested hiring adventurers to infiltrate the Ivory

Dungeon not to rescue Zaldanis (who is no longer
much of an asset, given her wasted condition) but to
slay her, which would reveal to the Veiled Alliance
that their infiltrator is no longer in place.
About the Author
Rodney Thompson is an advanced designer for Dungeons

& Dragons R&D at Wizards of the Coast, originally from
Chattanooga, Tennessee. His credits for the Dungeons &
Dragons game include the Dark Sun Campaign Setting and
the Dark Sun Creature Catalog, Monster Vault, Players
Option: Heroes of the Feywild, and Lords of Waterdeep.
Editor
Miranda Horner
Managing Editor
Kim Mohan
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Claudio Pozas
Graphic Production Manager
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
38
Eye on Eberron
The Sovereign
Swords
By Keith Baker
Illustration by Thomas M. Baxa
These are desperate times. Refugees strain the resources of
our cities and villages. Brigands and crime lords prosper
at the expense of honest folk. Hope lies in the Sovereigns,
but they cannot act alone; we must be their swords! Boldrei
has charged us to defend the hearth. Aureon calls on us to
uphold his laws. Join me, and they will give you strength.
Marshal Harkan dDeneith
Few people in Khorvaire have heard of the Dreaming
Dark. Based in the dream realm of Dal Quor, it is a
conspiracy of fiends manipulating the sleeping minds
of mortals. After conquering the continent of Sarlona,
the quori have turned their attention to Khorvaire.
They have agents, spies, and pawns spread across
the Five Nations. Some of them are willing servants
of the darkness, but many have no idea who or what
are their true masters. Sometimes the best way to
manipulate good people is to give them heroes, and
the Dreaming Dark has provided some: the Sovereign
Swords.
Servants of
the Host
Deities rarely intervene in the affairs of mortals, so
it is all the more remarkable when they do. In just
a few years, the Sovereign Swords have become legends. There are hundreds of stories of the Swords,
and all share the same form. Somewhere, people are
suffering. They could be struggling with bandit raiders, rioting against injustice, threatened by roaming
monsters, or menaced by an untouchable serial killer.
Whatever the danger, just when things seem unbearable, the Sovereign Swords arrive. They are courteous
and brave, and they know exactly whats going on. If
the danger is a physical threat, they fight it. If the conflict involves differences of opinion, their officers and
priests mediate the dispute. Medics help with injuries
and plagues, and engineers address concerns with
the infrastructure of the community. Whatever the
problem, the Swords see it through to a solution.
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Eye on Eberron
To maintain their equipment, the Swords accept
any rewards offered to them, but they refuse praise
or glory. It is the Sovereigns who led these soldiers
to the village, and the Sovereigns who gave them the
strength to fight. Let all the glory go to the Sovereigns;
the Swords are just their vessels.
Although the altruism and mundane skills of the
Swords are impressive, they are supplemented by
supernatural power. Boldrei guides them to communities in need. Aureon speaks through the mediator,
and Dol Dorn guides the hand of the warrior. Any
one of the Sovereign Swords is the equal of a dozen
members of a typical village militia, and this fact is
remarkable. In Eberron, few people possess the skills
of adventurers. Few priests perform divine magic. As
such, the appearance of a band of champions wielding supernatural might leaves quite an impression on
people in need.
Where did the Swords come from? Most bards
know the tale of how the marshal Harkan dDeneith
stood on the steps of the sentinel tower and called
his cousins to service just days after the Mourning.
Reminding them of the tale of Tira Mironthe warrior blessed by divine forces in Thranes darkest
hoursHarkan told his cousins that the Sovereigns
were calling them to serve. The Mourning was a sign
and a warning. Khorvaire was in peril, and the Sovereigns needed swords.
As moving as these words were, only a handful
of the Deneith mercenaries joined Harkan that day.
Yet as their legend grows, new champions take up
the mantle. Anyone who wants to be a Sovereign
Sword has to display courage, compassion, and skill.
Aureons laws are the foundation of civilization, and
Boldreis love is the mortar that binds a community
together; the Sovereign Swords are guided by both
principles.
What s R eally
G oing O n
Although the groups numbers fluctuate with casualties and new recruits, there are approximately one
hundred members of the Sovereign Swords. They
are split into three platoons and supplemented by a
handful of solo operatives (mostly sentinel marshals).
Each platoon operates in a different region of the Five
Nations, moving in a circular pattern across Khorvaire. The marshals operate in the space between,
tackling problems that require only the work of an
individual.
People have many reasons to be suspicious of the
Sovereign Swords. The Sovereigns have never taken
such an active role in the world before. The Swords
are willing to lay down their lives for complete strangers. Whats the catch?
The simple truth is that most of them are devout
soldiers who believe that they are guided and empowered by the Sovereigns. They fight because they
consider it to be a divine mission. Detecting lies
through magical means and using telepathy wont
find any dark secrets because they dont have dark
secrets to hide. Instead, their dreams bring visions
from the Sovereigns. These visions guide them in
their missions and inform them of the dangers that
lie ahead.
As it turns out, the soldiers visions are scripted
by the Dreaming Dark. The quori watch the world
through dreams and have spies scattered across
Khorvaire. Its not Boldrei who tells a lieutenant
about the bandit threat in Passageits a quori who
has been monitoring the situation for weeks. In some
cases, the Dreaming Dark creates problems for the
Sovereign Swords to solve. Through manipulation of
dreams and their other pawns, the quori can exacerbate existing tensions and push unstable individuals
over the edge. Thus, a situation thats been holding
steady might reach a boiling point just as the Swords
are closing in on the community. Their arrival seems

prescient, but in reality, its been carefully staged.
What is the point of this elaborate ruse? Why is
the Dreaming Dark manufacturing heroes and enemies for them to fight?
The ultimate goal of the Dreaming Dark is to conquer Khorvaire, just as it conquered Sarlona long ago.
The fiends dont want open war between Riedra and
the Five Nations; the chaos caused by such a conflict
would threaten the stability of Dal Quor, and theres
no assurance that Riedra would win in the end. The
Dreaming Dark is manufacturing heroes because
one day, it will create a disaster on the scale of the
Mourninga disaster that threatens all of Khorvaire.
And when that time comes, a group of heroes will
step forward. By then, everyone in Khorvaire will
know the selfless reputation of the Sovereign Swords.
These champions will lead the people to a new age,
one ruled by the living avatars of the Sovereign Host.
Rather than bringing the Inspired to Khorvaire,
the Dreaming Dark is making new Inspired that the
people of the Five Nations will follow of their own
free willunless the adventurers figure out whats
going on first.
T he Gifts of the
S overeigns
The Sovereign Swords are few in number, but every
full member of the company wields supernatural
power. A soldier blessed by Dol Dorn moves with
astonishing speed and strikes with stunning force. An
officer chosen by Dol Arrah can grant strength and
power to his or her allies with a word. These gifts add
fuel to the growing legend of the soldiers empowered
by the Sovereigns.
As with much about the Swords, these blessings
arent what they appear. The powers arent divine
in nature; they are psionic. The Sovereign Swords
are battleminds and ardents, psychic warriors who
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Eye on Eberron
transform their faith into power. Psionics are rare in
Khorvaire, and few people understand these arts well
enough to recognize themespecially because the
techniques used by the Swords are blended with religious trappings and fervor.
The Swords believe that their abilities are gifts of
the Sovereigns. They dont realize that they dont need
to invoke the gods to use their psionic powers.
Among the Swords, different levels of power and
awareness exist.
Pawns: Most of the Swords are exactly what they
appear to be. Their powers are psionic as opposed to
divine, but the gifts are still fueled by the soldiers faith.
Mind Seeds: The true patron of the Sovereign
Swords is a kalaraq quori named Lashtaqala. This
fiend has the power to hollow out a mortal mind
and replace it with his own personality, a technique
known as mind seed. A seed takes time to germinate, and during this period, the victim appears
disoriented and confused. Once this process is complete, the victims personality is replaced with that
of Lashtaqala. Mind seeds are the only members of
the Swords who know that they are working for the
Dreaming Dark. They are the secret coordinators
who ensure that the Swords do what the Dreaming
Dark wants them to do.
Lashtaqala prefers not to place his mind seeds
in obvious positions of leadership because magic
or telepathy can expose them as liars and schemers. Instead, most mind seeds are pawns such as old
drill sergeants, nave squires, and the like. They are
people who can influence the opinions of others with
a few well-placed words while seeming uninvolved.
In truth, mind seeds are among the most powerful
of the Swords because Lashtaqala has unlocked their
psionic potential. But they keep their full abilities
hidden unless forced into the open.
Vessels: The most blessed members of the Sovereign Swords are known as vessels. Just as the couatl
empowered Tira Miron to fight for the Silver Flame,
each soldier has formed a bond with an angel of the

Sovereign Host. The celestial advises and strengthens
its vessel, and in times of great peril, it can seize control of the vessels body and fight on his or her behalf.
Needless to say, the spirits occupying these vessels arent angels; they are fiends from the nightmare
realm. Most are tsucora quori, though a few hashalaq
quori guide the mediators and priests. These spirits
generally remain in a passive role, offering advice
and passing along the so-called words of the Sovereigns. Through their hosts, they teach the Swords the
prayers and techniques that have produced a corps of
ardents and battleminds. As long as a spirit remains
passive, divination and similar effects cant detect
its hostile intent; the vessel is the dominant mind
and believes that the fiendish rider is benign. Once a
quori has been let in, though, it can seize full control
of its vessel.
What differentiates these hosts from the Inspired of
Sarlona is that the mortal has to voluntarily allow the
spirit in at the start. One of the Inspired can never resist
a quori spirit. If a Sword vessel realizes the true nature
of the quori and somehow exorcises it, the vessel can
prevent it from regaining access to his or her mind.
Most officers and priests of the Swords are vessels,
along with the independent sentinel marshals who
work with the company. Harkan dDeneith accepted
a quori spirit as a divine guide years before the
Mourning, and he is utterly convinced of the benevolence of his spiritual companion.
Why Is T his
A llowed?
The Sovereign Swords are vigilantes. Why do the
leaders of the Five Nations allow them to operate?
The first answer lies in the Swords ties to House
Deneith. Although the Swords arent an official arm
of the house, many of its members are Deneith heirs
and sentinel marshals. There is a long history of
communities hiring Deneith soldiers to fight bandits

when their lords wont do it; the difference here is
that the Swords act for free.
In addition, the Swords remain in motion, they
solve problems that the local authorities cant handle,
and they are extremely popular. Individual lords
might have doubts about the Swords, but overall, its
better to be seen as part of the solution than as a force
opposing it.
What about the Sovereignswhy do they allow
this mockery to act in their name? Well, the deities
dont actually empower the Swords, and because the
soldiers are devout believers who are convinced that
they are doing good deeds, the Sovereigns might be
fooled. Even if they are aware of the truth and feel an
urge to act, its not their way to intervene directly. If
they choose to interfere, they will likely act through a
mortal party such as the adventurers.
A dventure I deas
There are many ways to work the Sovereign Swords
into a campaign. First, decide whether they will
appear as allies, rivals, or enemies.
As allies, the Swords can support the adventurers
when a situation spreads beyond the partys control.
A sentinel marshal aligned with the Swords can provide the adventurers with vital information and, in
return, call on them for aid. The Swords are an excellent choice when the heroes need the cavalry to come
riding over the hill because thats exactly what they
do: show up where they are most needed and ride off
to wherever the Sovereigns send them next.
As rivals, the Swords can compete with the adventurers to complete the same missions. Typically, the
Swords are driven by altruism. If the characters are
working for profit or a particular faction, the intervention of the Swords could jeopardize their mission. This
possibility is particularly relevant for heroes aligned
with the Kings Citadel or another secret service. The
actions of the Swords might not only interfere with the
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
41
Eye on Eberron
QUORI INFLUENCE
The Sovereign Swords have a knack for showing up just
when theyre needed the most. Somehow their journey
brings them to Passage at the exact moment of the
goblin uprising or to Varna just when the Ashbound are
attacking. The Swords have a simple explanation for this:
the Sovereigns choose their path.
Anyone who carefully studies the history of
the Swords will find one detail that defies logic:
Wherever the soldiers go, trouble is just ahead of
them. Bandits who have been laying low for months
start aggressive raids just in time for the Swords to
repel them. Political tensions transform into riots
on the day the Swords arrive in town. It seems as
if problems pop up just so the Swords can solve
themwhich is exactly whats going on.
How does the Dreaming Dark do it? The group has
agents scattered across Khorvaire, and although they
arent behind every bad thing that happens in the Five
Nations, they have a few ways to stir things up.
Mind Seed. Want bandits to begin a foolishly
aggressive campaign? Turn their leader into a
mind seed. The quori dont use this power casually because its their greatest weapon, and if the
people of Khorvaire became aware of the threat,
they might develop ways to counter it. Thus, the
quori wont risk using mind seed on a member of the
Twelve, the Arcane Congress, or a cardinal of the
Silver Flame, but its unlikely that a group of bandits
will be able to recognize a psionic technique.
Gold. The Dreaming Darks agents have gold.
When subtlety fails, they can set things in motion
heroes objective but also expose the secret agenda of

their employers (which could be why the quori sent the
Swords). And yet, the motives of the Swords are, if anything, purer than those of the heroes.
by spreading money around. Even if the source of

funding is revealed, the truth remains hiddenthe
unknown patron who paid the rioters has absolutely
no connection to the Sovereign Swords.
Dream Manipulation. This tool is the favorite of the Dreaming Dark, though it is also the most
limited. Dreams occur in Dal Quor, and a quori can
enter a mortals dream and change it. Whereas
most dreams are forgotten upon waking, a quori
dream is vivid and memorable. A priest receives a
message from his or her deity. A political leader has
a vision of change and crafts the perfect slogan to
galvanize those around him or her, people stirred
by their own restless dreams. A killer is inspired by
visions of paradise to be gained through murder. A
cruel baron dreams of a treasure that the peasants
are hiding from him, so he sends his guards to tear
down the village and search for it.
Dream manipulation cant force someone
to take an action that he or she would never take
willingly. Its just a way to push an idea to the front
of ones mind and encourage the person to act on
it.
The key point is that the Dreaming Dark sets
these events in motion but doesnt steer them with
precision. The group might inspire dissidents to riot,
but it has no control over the leader and cant stop
the ensuing chaos. The Dreaming Dark excels at
manipulation and knows just the right time to push,
but it cant stop the dominos once they begin to fall.
As enemies, the Sovereign Swords could be more

corrupt than they appear. By default, the Swords
truly believe in their mission and their faith, but you
could decide that the Swords are conscious, willing
agents of the Dark. They play the role of champions

in the light but are always working against the party.
This option is especially appropriate if the campaign
has any kalashtar adventurers because, as a race, the
kalashtar are locked in a struggle with the Dreaming
Dark.
Here are a few more options to consider.
F A battlemind or ardent character could begin the
campaign as a member of the Sovereign Swords.
With the exception of the mind seeds and those
possessed by quori, the Swords truly are devout,
noble people.
F An adventurer dedicated to the Sovereign Host
receives a vision from the deities. He or she is
charged with discovering the force that is manipulating the Swords and then freeing the soldiers
from its evil. This adventure idea could be combined with the previous option. But how can the
quori be exposed, let alone driven out?
F Alternatively, a devout hero begins to have dreams
that suggest he or she should work with the Sovereign Swords. Is this a quori trick, or do the
interests of the Sovereigns and the actions of the
Swords truly coincide?
F An ally of the party begins acting strangely. He or
she has been mind-seeded by Lashtaqala and is
being used to cause a problem for the Sovereign
Swords to fix. This agent might become a rabblerouser stirring up mobs or even a serial killer. If
the heroes figure out whats going on, can they find
a way to restore their ally before the damage done
is too great?
F The adventurers become friends with Harkan or
another possessed Sovereign Sword. When they
learn the truth about his condition, they must find
a way to exorcise him and convince him not to let
the angel return. If the quori feels threatened,
it seizes control of Harkan. Can the adventurers
defeat their friend without killing him?
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
42
Eye on Eberron
About the Author
Keith Baker is the creator of the Eberron campaign setting

and designer of the card game Gloom. Or hes just a butterfly
dreaming that hes a game designer. Who can say?
Editor
Ray Vallese
Managing Editors
Jeremy Crawford
Senior Producer
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Jon Schindehette
Art Director
Kate Irwin
Illustrator
Thomas M. Baxa
Daniel Helmick
Angie Lokotz
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
43
A Tangled Web
The Origins of the Drow
James Maliszewski
W ith the Rise of the Underdark campaign underway, this year has been one of drow incursions
against the surface worldplaying out right now in both the current D&D Encounters season and
D&D Lair Assault. To further discuss the role of the drow within the game, Grognardia.coms
James Maliszewski returns for this installment of D&D Alumni.
While the dark elves of Dungeons & Dragons are original to the game's co-creator, Gary
Gygax, they nevertheless have a basis in real world mythology. According to the folklore
of the Norse-influenced islands north of the Scottish mainland for instance, nocturnal
fairies were known as either drow or trow -- a variant of the more common word
troll. In his column entitled Books are Books, and Games are Games, and Never the
Twain... in issue #31 of Dragon (November 1979), Gygax further explains that Drow
are mentioned in Keightleys The Fairy Mythology, as I recall (it might have been The Secret
Commonwealthneither book is before me, and it is not all that important anyway), and as Dark Elves [are] of evil nature, they
served as an ideal basis for the creation of a unique new mythos designed especially for AD&D.
This is typical of Gygax's approach to monster creation: looking to legend for inspiration and then letting his imagination run
wild with it.
Dark Elves Enter the Game

The drow's first formal appearance in Dungeons & Dragons came in 1977, with the publication of the Monster Manual. There,
under the entry for elf is a brief section discussing these now-legendary villains. The section states that the drow are only
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
44
legend and purportedly dwell deep beneath the surface of the earth in a strange subterranean realm. It goes on to say they
are as dark as faeries are bright and as evil as the latter are good. Other than the fact that they are weak fighters but strong
magic-users, the Monster Manual has nothing else to say on the matter; the book does not even provide specific game statistics
for the drow, leaving that up to the individual Dungeon Master to decide.
It's in the G-series adventure modules published the following year that the drow truly
stride onto the roleplaying stage. Written by Gygax, these modules enjoy the distinction
of being the first of this type of product ever published by TSR (standalone adventure
modules, not to mention the first linked scenarios as well). They tell of giants who have
been raiding the lands of men in large numbers, with giants of different sorts in these
marauding groups. Local authorities task the player characters with dealing with these
giants, but also to expect a secret force, some motivational power behind this unusual
banding of different races of giants. Little direct evidence of this motivational power is
found within the first two modules in the series, Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and The
Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, but the third module, Hall of the Fire Giant King finally
reveals that it is the drow, led by an evil high priestess named Eclavdra, as the puppet
masters behind recent events on the surface world.
Hall of the Fire Giant King offers up a full Monster Manual-style description of the dark
elves, which, in addition to detailing their abilities, powers, and equipment, provides
some insight into their history and society. As portrayed by Gygax, the drow were on the losing side of an elven civil war in
ages past and fled into lightless caverns and endless warrens of twisting passages and caves hung with icicles of stone.
Schooling themselves in magic, the drow plotted for centuries in order to work out their schemes and inflict revenge upon
those who inhabit the world above. They thus made perfect masterminds for all manner of nefarious plots against the surface
world.
Looking back on the entry in module G3, it's amazing to see how much of the iconic image of the drow was established by
1978 -- from their consorting with demons; to their decaying cloaks, armor and weapons; to their female-dominated society.
The primary element that's missing is Lolth, the dreaded demon queen of spiders. In Hall of the Fire Giant King, there is not a
single mention of Lolth. Indeed, Eclavdra and the drow under her command are instead shown to worship a strange deity
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
45
called the Elder Elemental God. It is not until the publication of the D-series of modules later in 1978 that the full picture of
the dark elves is revealed, including Lolth herself.
Descending into the Depths of the Drow

Module D1: Descent into the Depths of the Earth, discloses that the drow, true to their
Chaotic Evil nature, possess a fractious society, divided into feuding clans or houses,
each with its own insignia and agenda. One of the first houses the player characters
encounter is Despana, its symbol a golden spider with engraved runes that say in
Drowic, LOLTH, DEATH QUEEN MOTHER, making it the first reference to the
infamous Spider Queen. Module D3: Vault of the Drow, expands upon this information by
introducing the drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu (its name derived from the beginning letters of
the first names of each of Gary Gygax's children: Ernie, Elise, Heidi, Cindy, and Luke).
There we meet all the houses of the drow, including Eilservs, whose members have
turned away from Lolth to serve the Elder Elemental God. In addition, the Eilservs seek
to make their mistress, Eclavdra, Queen of All Drow. Needless to say, this puts them at
odds with most of their fellow drow and which explains their interest in forming an
alliance with the surface-dwelling giants.
Vault of the Drow is a remarkable adventure module, presenting a vast subterranean
environment where the player characters are able to explore, do battle, or almost anything else they desire -- provided they
are careful not to draw too much attention to themselves. Gygax's portrayal of the dark elves as power hungry and, therefore,
riven with internal conflict gives them both depth and versatility; it opens the door for Dungeon Masters to use the drow as
they see fit, with even details as seemingly integral as the worship of Lolth open to individual interpretation. Gygax even
introduces the idea of non-evil drow in the form of Nilonim, a dissident drow ... [who] led a band of rebels attempting to
overthrow noble rule. He is of neutral alignment with a slight tendency towards good deeds. Remember that Nilonim
appeared in 1978, ten years before The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore gave the world Drizzt Do'Urden, perhaps the most
famous drow in the history of Dungeons & Dragons.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
46
Like the modules in which they appeared, the drow quickly proved very popular, becoming favorites of players and Dungeon
Masters alike. Over the years, theyve continued to appear in numerous D&D products (including their canonization of sorts
in the 1st Edition Fiend Folio) across nearly every edition and campaign setting. In the current edition of the game, for
instance, the drow have clearly maintained sufficient traction as to merit Wizards of the Coasts current Rise of the Underdark
campaign (starting off with no less than online updates to the Against the Giants series).
Yet however the drow have continued throughout the game, each presentation has drawn upon the foundation laid by Gary
Gygax thirty-five years ago, adding to the legend of the dark elves.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
47
About the Author

James Maliszewski started roleplaying in the late fall of 1979, when he opened up a copy of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic
Set, which was edited by Dr. J. Eric Holmes and originally purchased for his father. More than thirty years later, hes still
playing. He works as a freelance writer and blogs about old school gaming at http://grognardia.blogspot.com.
J u n e 2 012 | D R AG O N 4 1 2
48

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2 Character Theme:

8 Unearthed Arcana: Using

Ships in Your Campaign

Chauntea and Silvanus

36 Eye on Dark Sun:

The Ivory Dungeon

The Sovereign Swords

More Inhuman Resources

By Jared von Hindman

31 Eye on the Realms:

The Thing in the Crypt

44 D&D Alumni: A Tangled Web

TM & 2012 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

made a life for themselves aboard a ship. For most,

On many vessels, the quartermaster also acts as

Level 2 Utility Power

Your jolly song eases the burden of work or monotony

Level 6 Utility Power

Level 10 Utility Power

Scourge of the Seas

Captain Qaelwyn. The crew disbanded and swore a

The Marque of Lords

most of your youth, growing up on the decks of the

Captain Gallus Drake: Dauntless, cunning, and

CREWING THE OSPREY

Captain and Crew

As an adventurer aboard the Osprey, you probably

F Youre a pirate captured by Captain Drake, who has

About the Author

Jeff Morgenroth is a regular contributor to Dungeons &

Using Ships in Your Campaign

small rowboat is also stored here. An anchor with a

Using Ships in Your Campaign

Using Ships in Your Campaign

SHIP TRAVEL SPEEDS

the captain and performs other menial tasks such as

Using Ships in Your Campaign

Have you heard the

officers of similar station. If the ship is carrying a

This fully-stocked laboratory is filled with beakers, vials, and

Using Ships in Your Campaign

Anyone who rests in this comfortable cabin awakens feeling

A beautiful figurehead adorns the ships bow and makes the

Captains Feast Table

If anyone dares attack your ship, you assault them with

Water elementals are bound to the ship, providing motive

Your colors provide the ships passengers and crew with a

Nautical Chart of Tracking

These charts display the ships immediate surroundings.

These magically enhanced sails allow the ship to travel at

This shrine provides a quiet place for reflection and prayer.

Using Ships in Your Campaign

A secret compartment conceals illicit goods.

Peering through this handheld telescope brings the world

This rudder magically fortifies your ship and makes it more

This mast is inscribed with magical runes that allow crew

Using Ships in Your Campaign

Effect: One ally gains a +5 item bonus to the next skill

agreement with the sea elvesor plundering the city

Rituals for seafaring