The Tyrant

When the tyrant arrives upon the scene, he seems a mere boy. Young and as impetuous as the PC's liege Ludwig, he seems a child among giants next to the players. But even in the first encounters he speaks with eloquence, emotionally manipulating his listeners with skill. After speaking to him, most feel used, that that they have agreed to do something that makes them feel dirty. With his innocent appearance he makes an appeal to his audience's vanity, be it to their morals or desire for power, offering them a course of action that is presented as furtherance of that goal and plays them like an apprentice's lute.

When next they meet him, during the war for Aguies County he is with the Count Aguies, and outfitted in the regalia of war. His shield bears a gold guantlet holding 3 swords on a red field, and he wears a holy symbol of Hextor.

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Trent ✦ Level 9 Paladin (Soldier)
Medium natural humanoid ✦ XP 400
Initiative +5 Senses Perception +4
HP 83; Bloodied 41; Healing Surge: 20; Healing Surges: 1
AC 28; Fortitude 22, Reflex 23, Will 23
Speed 6 (10 on warhorse)

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Powers

triple-headed flail ✦ At-Will, Standard Action, melee weapon, melee basic
Attack: +13 vs. AC
Hit: 1d10 + 6 damage

Enfeebling Strike ✦ At-Will, Standard Action, Melee, melee weapon
Attack: +12 vs. AC
Hit: 1d10 + 8 damage. If marked, the target takes -2 to attack rolls until the end of Trent's next turn.

Divine Challenge ✦ At-Will, Minor Action, Close burst 5, Divine, Necrotic
Effect: the target is marked, taking a -2 penalty to attacks that do not include Trent as a target, and the first time the target makes such an attack it takes 8 points of necrotic damage.

Lay on Hands ✦ 4 times / Encounter, Minor Action, Melee Touch Divine, healing, Divine Reverence ✦ Encounter, Standard Action, Close burst 1Divine, Necrotic, implement
Attack: +12 vs Will
Hit: 1d8 + 8 necrotic damage, and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.

Necrotic Pulse ✦ Daily, Standard Action, Ranged 10
Divine, Necrotic
Attack: +12 vs Fortitude
Hit: 1d10 + 8 necrotic damage, and make a secondary attack
Secondary Attack: +12 vs Fortitude on each enemy adjacent to the primary target.
Hit: 1d10 + 8 necrotic damage and the target is pushed 3 squares.
Sustain Minor: repeat the secondary attack.

Wrath of the Gods ✦ Daily, Minor Action, Close burst 1, Divine
Trent and each ally in burst gain +5 to damage rolls until the end of the encounter.

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Alignment neutral Languages Common
Skills religion +9, bluff +13
Str 16 (+7) Dex 12 (+5) Wis 10 (+4)
Con 11 (+4) Int 14 (+6) Cha 21 (+9)
Equipment: layered plate mail (A.V.), heavy shield, cape of the mountebank +1, triple-headed flail, holy symbol of hextor, heavy warhorse

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A Gnomish barbarian

Hello, again. Just got back from GenCon on Sunday, and I must say I had a blast. Anyway, I thought I'd take a shot at doing an unusual character that avoids the typical Min/Maxing I constantly see in D20/4th ed DnD. If you roll over to Claw/Claw/Bite, our D20 system blog, you can see this guy's stats as I did them for Pathfinder, which is now officially out.
-damp


Luk was not born terribly lucky, despite what his name would tell. His parents were outcast from gnome society while his mother was with him. By the time of his birth, they were destitute, and were forced to abandon him in the heart of the deepest woods. There he was rescued by a pack of wolves, whose alpha female happened to be awakened. Everything was fine, until the month the wolf he called "mother" was killed in the jaws of a hidden trap. He brutally avenged her death by fur collecters, and left the pack to seek his fortune, so that no more of his family would suffer the same fate.
This gnomish warrior could be considered strange even by the standards of his race. Mercrurial and tactless, Luk will pick the absolute worst time to speak the truth with nary a negative intention. But while the insulting replies he receives will roll off his tough hide, the mistreatment of animals--especially wolves and dogs--will immediately send him flying off the handle in a violent rage.

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Luk, level 1 Gnome, Barbarian
Feral Might: Thaneborn Triumph
Background: Gnome - Estranged Fey

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Initiative +1 Senses Perception +0
AC: 15 Fort: 15 Reflex: 12 Will: 11
HP: 30 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 7

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POWERS
Barbarian at-will 1: Howling Strike
Barbarian at-will 1: Devastating Strike
Barbarian encounter 1: Great Cleave
Barbarian daily 1: Swift Panther Rage

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Alignment neutral Languages Common, Gnomish, Lupine
FEATS: Fey Trickster
Skills Perception +5, Intimidate +6, Athletics +7, Acrobatics +1, Arcana +2, Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Dungeoneering +0, Endurance +1, Heal +0, History +0, Insight +0, Nature +0, Religion +0, Stealth +2, Streetwise +1, Thievery +1
Str 17, Dex 12, Wis 11
Con 15, Int 10, Cha 12

Equipment: Hide Armor, Battleaxe, Spiked gauntlet, Adventurer's Kit

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Boots of Certain Gravity

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Level 28 Magic Item

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Kard thought he had his foe, Percivin, backed against the wall. That is, until Percivin ran up the wall to the ceiling!

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Item Slot: Feet
Price: 2,125,000 GP

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Property: Gain a climb speed equal to your speed. You can use this movement across any solid surface. You must end your movement on the ground or else you fall.

Power (daily): Free. Choose a direction. That direction becomes down for you for the duration of the encounter or for 5 minutes. You may dismiss this effect and return down to its regular direction as a free action.

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Broken Camp

The following is a preview of our latest 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure "What's Mine's Yours", now available here.

In this encounter, while traveling through the wilderness to root a group of kobolds out of a mine, the party's slumber is disturbed by a group of kobolds intent on protecting their claim.

Encounter: Broken Camp

The PCs are attacked in the night, during second watch.

The evening's fire dies down to a few embers, with most of the party drifting into a weary traveler's slumber.

Skill Challenge: The PCs who remain awake on watch will have to make DC 15 Perception (to hear the rustling in the leaves) and DC 15 Endurance (to stay awake) checks. Each of these two checks will have to be succeeded two out of three rolls.

Success: If the PCs remain awake and perceive the kobolds:

The sound of a twig breaking on the ground brings your attention to the uphill side of the camp.

The PCs on watch will have time to wake the rest of the party before the attack below.

Failure: If not:

The sound of bowstrings startles you on your watch, as arrows fly through the camp, casting fast shadows across your companions' faces.

See tactics below for more information on starting this combat.

Creatures: 2 Kobold Slingers (p168 MM), 2 Kobold Skirmisher (p 167 MM)

Tactics: As the PCs slumber, on second watch, the kobold sneakers will make their way to positions where they can deliver critical missile attacks upon the stronger party members. Those on watch can make perception checks to notice the sneakers moving into place and call an alarm, disrupting their plans. The two brawlers wait for the arrows to be fired, then charge into the fray, the darkness and smoke of the dying fire providing cover for their actions. They will start by attacking the stronger member of the party, hopefully weakened by the first volley of arrows. If the sneakers are discovered, the four kobolds attack as normal.

Development: When the kobolds are defeated, one will notice the party, cursing, "You greedy ssscum, you'll get yoursss!” If the party carefully checks them over in the morning or with a strong light source, they will notice the Guild’s logo branded onto them.

XP: 400

New Adventure - What's Mine's Yours

What's Mine's Yours is a 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure for 1st level characters. This adventure begins in the marketplace in the town of Fort Wood, where the players are approached by representatives of the Guild, a Merchant collective heavily invested in mining operations. They are escorted to a courtyard at the Guild headquarters in Fort Wood, where they are provided with the setting. Kobolds have taken control of a mine of great importance to the Guild. Their task is to free the mine of the kobolds. Over the course of the adventure, the party discovers there is a more sinister story surrounding the Guild's doings in the mine.

This adventure easily serves as the first adventure undertaken by a new party of 1st level characters.

Buy it here for $2.99 -- cheap!