D&D 5e - User contributions [en]

Extra Attack

2018-02-03T18:50:33Z

Jason: Fix subject quantity agreement.

Extra Attack is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of several [[:Category:Class|classes]].

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49, 79, 85, 92

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]
[[Category:Monk Feature]]
[[Category:Paladin Feature]]
[[Category:Ranger Feature]]

Extra Attack

2018-02-03T18:49:46Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Extra Attack is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of several [[:Category:Class|class]].

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49, 79, 85, 92

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]
[[Category:Monk Feature]]
[[Category:Paladin Feature]]
[[Category:Ranger Feature]]

Ability Score Improvement

2018-02-03T18:47:31Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Ability Score Improvement is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of every [[:Category:Class|class]].

When you reach a class level with this feature, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49, 54, 59, 67, 72, 78, 85, 92, 96, 102, 108, 115

[[Category: Class Feature]]
[[Category: Barbarian Feature]]
[[Category: Bard Feature]]
[[Category: Cleric Feature]]
[[Category: Druid Feature]]
[[Category: Fighter Feature]]
[[Category: Monk Feature]]
[[Category: Paladin Feature]]
[[Category: Ranger Feature]]
[[Category: Rogue Feature]]
[[Category: Sorcerer Feature]]
[[Category: Warlock Feature]]
[[Category: Wizard Feature]]

Primal Champion

2018-02-03T18:43:53Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Primal Champion is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Indomitable Might

2018-02-03T18:43:04Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Indomitable Might is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Persistent Rage

2018-02-03T18:42:22Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Persistent Rage is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Relentless Rage

2018-02-03T18:41:45Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Relentless Rage is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Brutal Critical

2018-02-03T18:41:00Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Brutal Critical is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.

This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Feral Instinct

2018-02-03T18:39:35Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Feral Instinct is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.

Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Fast Movement

2018-02-03T18:37:15Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Fast Movement is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 49

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Primal Path

2018-02-03T18:35:59Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Primal Path is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Totem Warrior, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 48

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Danger Sense

2018-02-03T18:34:35Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Danger Sense is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 48

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Reckless Attack

2018-02-03T18:32:16Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Reckless Attack is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 48

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)

2018-02-03T18:30:23Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Unarmored Defense is a [[:Category:Class Feature|feature]] of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 48

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Rage

2018-02-03T18:28:06Z

Jason: Move from class description.

Rage is a feature of the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.

While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
* You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
* When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
* You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 48

[[Category:Class Feature]]
[[Category:Barbarian Feature]]

Barbarian

2018-02-03T18:25:17Z

Jason: Move class features to their own topics.

A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.

A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.

Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.

These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.

For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.

=== Primal Instinct ===
People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature—keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

=== A Life of Danger ===
Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

== Creating a Barbarian ==
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

{|
|+
==== The Barbarian ====
!Level!!Features!!Rages!!Rage Damage
|-
|1st||[[Rage]], [[Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)]]||2||+2
|-
|2nd||[[Reckless Attack]], [[Danger Sense]]||2||+2
|-
|3rd||[[Primal Path]]||3||+2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||+2
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]], [[Fast Movement]]||3||+2
|-
|6th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+2
|-
|7th||[[Feral Instinct]]||4||+2
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||+2
|-
|9th||[[Brutal Critical]] (1 die)||4||+3
|-
|10th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+3
|-
|11th||[[Relentless Rage]]||4||+3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+3
|-
|13th||[[Brutal Critical]] (2 dice)||5||+3
|-
|14th||[[Primal Path]] feature||5||+3
|-
|15th||[[Persistent Rage]]||5||+3
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+4
|-
|17th||[[Brutal Critical]] (3 dice)||6||+4
|-
|18th||[[Indomitable Might]]||6||+4
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||+4
|-
|20th||[[Primal Champion]]||Unlimited||+4
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]] in [[Strength]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

=== Class Features ===
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.

==== Hit Points ====
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d12 per barbarian level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 12 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d12 (or 7) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per barbarian level after 1st

==== Proficiencies ====
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Intimidation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

==== Equipment ====
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[greataxe]] or (b) any [[martial melee weapon]]
* (a) two [[Handaxe|handaxes]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* An [[explorer’s pack]] and four [[Javelin|javelins]]

== Primal Paths ==
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.
* [[Path of the Berserker]]
* [[Path of the Totem Warrior]]
* [[Path of the Battlerager]]
* [[Path of the Ancestral Guardian]]
* [[Path of the Storm Herald]]
* [[Path of the Zealot]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Barbarians ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Seret, archwizard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Rawr! I’m really angry! Funny, I don’t feel any stronger. Maybe because I’m always angry, I’m always in top condition. Stands to reason.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where other fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.

=== Personal Totems ===
Barbarians tend to travel light, carrying little in the way of personal effects or other unnecessary gear. The few possessions they do carry often include small items that have special significance. A personal totem is significant because it has a mystical origin or is tied to an important moment in the character’s life—perhaps a remembrance from the barbarian’s past or a harbinger of what lies ahead.

A personal totem of this sort might be associated with a barbarian’s spirit animal, or might actually be the totem object for the animal, but such a connection is not essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance, could still carry an eagle’s feather as a personal totem.

Consider creating one or more personal totems for your character—objects that hold a special link to your character’s past or future. Think about how a totem might affect your character’s actions.

Examples:
* A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt
* Three eagle features given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate
* A necklace made from the claws of a cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
* A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors
* A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool
* An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch

=== Tattoos ===
The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the lift of the bearer or the bearer’s ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian’s tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual’s identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Examples:
* The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back.
* Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear.
* The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms.
* The antlers of an elk are inked across your back.
* Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand.
* The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits.

=== Superstitions ===
Barbarians vary widely in how they understand life. Some follow gods and look for guidance from those deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they encounter. These barbarians believe that spirits inhabit the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians look to them for omens and power.

Other barbarians trust only in the blood that runs in their veins and the steel they hold in their hands. They have no use for the invisible world, instead relying on their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts they emulate.

Both of these attitudes can give rise to superstitions. These beliefs are often passed down within a family or shared among the members of a clan or a hunting group.

If your barbarian character has any superstitions, were they ingrained in you by your family, or are they the result of personal experience?

Examples:
* If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life.
* Never trust a wizard. They’re all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones.
* Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That’s why they live underground.
* Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you.
* When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body.
* If an elf looks you in the eye’s, she’s trying to read your thoughts.

== Barbarians of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Closest to the dark elves, Pwent lowered his head, with its long helmet spike, and impaled one elf through the chest, blasting through the tme mesh of draw armor easily and brutally. The second drow managed to deflect the next battlerager’s charge, turning the helmet spike aside with both his swords. But a mailed fist, the knuckles devilishly spiked with barbed points, caught the draw under the chin and tore a gaping hole in his throat. Fighting for breath, the drow managed to score two nasty hits on his opponent’s back, but those two strikes did little in the face of the flurry launched by the wild-eyed dwarf.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Siege of Darkness</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Many of the lands of the Sword Coast and the North are savage, where day-to-day survival is a struggle. Such lands breed hardy tribes and fierce warriors, such as the Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians of the North and the seafaring Northlanders of the Moonshae Isles and the northernmost reaches of the Sword Coast.

Barbarians of these lands are most often humans or half-orcs, occasionally half-elves born of contact between savage human tribes and the elves of the North or Western Heartlands, or tieflings from tribes known to consort with fiends. Dwarf barbarians are famed and feared warriors among the fiercely proud clans that have reclaimed territories like Mithril Hall and Gautlgrym. Barbarians of most other races hail from warmer southern lands, rather than the Savage North, although southern foundlings are sometimes adopted in the North and raised by tribes there.

=== Primal Paths ===
Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms have the following Primal Path options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook. Reghed and Northlander barbarians tend to follow the Path of the Berserker, while Uthgardt barbarians are nearly always followers of the Path of the Totem Warrior.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 46-50
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 121-122
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 8-11

[[Category:Class]]

College of Whispers

2018-02-03T18:17:19Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like other bards, sharing news, singing songs, and telling tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them against others through extortion and threats.

Many other bards hate the College of Whispers, viewing it as a parasite that uses a bard’s reputation to acquire wealth and power. For this reason, members of this college rarely reveal their true nature. They typically claim to follow some other college, or they keep their actual calling secret in order to infiltrate and exploit royal courts and other settings of power.

{|
|+
==== College of Whispers Features ====
!Bard Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||[[Psychic Blades]], [[Words of Terror]]
|-
|6th||[[Mantle of Whispers]]
|-
|14th||[[Shadow Lore]]
|}

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Speak up! It’s really hard to hear you over the screaming. Nope. It’s no use. I’ll have to stop the screaming. Disintegrations all around, then.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

=== Psychic Blades ===
When you join the College of Whispers at 3rd level, you gain the ability to make your weapon attacks magically toxic to a creature’s mind.

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to deal an extra 2d6 psychic damage to that target. You can do so only once per round on your turn.

The psychic damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level, 5d6 at 10th level, and 8d6 at 15th level.

=== Words of Terror ===
At 3rd level, you learn to infuse innocent-seeming words with an insidious magic that can inspire terror.

If you speak to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to seed paranoia in its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened of you or another creature of your choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged.

If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

=== Mantle of Whispers ===
At 6th level, you gain the ability to adopt a humanoid’s persona. When a humanoid dies within 30 feet of you, you can magically capture its shadow using your reaction. You retain this shadow until you use it or you finish a long rest.

You can use the shadow as an action. When you do so, it vanishes, magically transforming into a disguise that appears on you. You now look like the dead person, but healthy and alive. This disguise lasts for 1 hour or until you end it as a bonus action.

While you’re in the disguise, you gain access to all information that the humanoid would freely share with a casual acquaintance. Such information includes general details on its background and personal life, but doesn’t include secrets. The information is enough that you can pass yourself off as the person by drawing on its memories.

Another creature can see through this disguise by succeeding on a Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check. You gain a +5 bonus to your check.

Once you capture a shadow with this feature, you can’t capture another one with it until you finish a short or long rest.

=== Shadow Lore ===
At 14th level, you gain the ability to weave dark magic into your words and tap into a creature’s deepest fears.

As an action, you magically whisper a phrase that only one creature of your choice within 30 feet of you can hear. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. It automatically succeeds if it doesn’t share a language with you or if it can’t hear you. On a successful saving throw, your whisper sounds like unintelligible mumbling and has no effect.

On a failed saving throw, the target is charmed by you for the next 8 hours or until you or your allies attack it, damage it, or force it to make a saving throw. It interprets the whispers as a description of its most mortifying secret. You gain no knowledge of this secret, but the target is convinced you know it.

The charmed creature obeys your commands for fear that you will reveal its secret. It won’t risk its life for you or fight for you, unless it was already inclined to do so. It grants you favors and gifts it would offer to a close friend.

When the effect ends, the creature has no understanding of why it held you in such fear.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

College of Swords

2018-02-03T18:12:29Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock combats. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skill warriors in their own right.

Their talent with weapons inspires many blades to lead double lives. One blade might use a circus troupe as cover for nefarious deeds such as assassination, robbery, and blackmail. Other blades strike at the wicked, bringing justice to bear against the cruel and powerful. Most troupes are happy to accept a blade’s talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust a blade in their ranks.

Blades who abandon their lives as entertainers have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their weapon skills and magic, these blades either take up work as enforcers for thieves’ guilds or strike out on their own as adventurers.

{|
|+
==== College of Swords Features ====
!Bard Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||Bonus Proficiencies, Fighting Style, Blade Flourish
|-
|6th||Extra Attack
|-
|14th||Master’s Flourish
|}

=== Bonus Proficiencies ===
When you join the College of Swords at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and the scimitar.

If you’re proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

=== Fighting Style ===
At 3rd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if something in the game lets you choose again.

'''Dueling.''' When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

'''Two-Weapon Fighting.''' When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

=== Blade Flourish ===
At 3rd level, you learn to perform impressive displays of martial prowess and speed.

Whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, your walking speed increases by 10 feet until the end of the turn, and if a weapon attack that you make as part of this action hits a creature, you can use one of the following Blade Flourish options of your choice. You can use only one Blade Flourish option per turn.

'''Defensive Flourish.''' You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You also add the number rolled to your AC until the start of your next turn.

'''Slashing Flourish.''' You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit and to any other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die.

'''Mobile Flourish.''' You can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target you hit. The damage equals the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. You can also push the target up to 5 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. You can then immediately use your reaction to move up to your walking speed to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target.

=== Extra Attack ===
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

=== Master’s Flourish ===
Starting at 14th level, whenever you use a Blade Flourish option, you can roll a d6 and use it instead of expending a Bardic Inspiration die.

----
Sources:
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 15-16

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Bard College]]

College of Glamour

2018-02-03T18:05:58Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

The College of Glamour is the home of bards who mastered their craft in the vibrant realm of the Feywild or under the tutelage of someone who dwelled there. Tutored by satyrs, eladrin, and other fey, these bards learn to use their magic to delight and captivate others.

The bards of this college are regarded with a mixture of awe and fear. Their performances are the stuff of legend. These bards are so eloquent that a speech or song that one of them performs can cause captors to release the bard unharmed and can lull a furious dragon into complacency. The same magic that allows them to quell beasts can also bend minds. Villainous bards of this college can leech off a community for weeks, misusing their magic to turn their hosts into thralls. Heroic bards of this college instead use this power to gladden the downtrodden and undermine oppressors.

{|
|+
==== College of Glamour Features ====
!Bard Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||[[Mantle of Inspiration]], [[Enthralling Performance]]
|-
|6th||[[Mantle of Majesty]]
|-
|14th||[[Unbreakable Majesty]]
|}

<blockquote class="templatequote">Illusions? How quaint. Before I destroy you, make one that looks like a really big goldfish—like as big as me! Hmm. That’s too big. Goodbye!
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

=== Mantle of Inspiration ===
When you join the College of Glamour at 3rd level, you gain the ability to weave a song of fey magic that imbues your allies with vigor and speed.

As a bonus action, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to grant yourself a wondrous appearance. When you do so, choose a number of creatures you can see and that can see you within 60 feet of you, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each of them gains 5 temporary hit points. When a creature gains these temporary hit points, ti can immediately use its reaction to move up to its speed, without provoking opportunity attacks.

The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 8 at 5th level, 11 at 10th level, and 14 at 15th level.

=== Enthralling Performance ===
Starting at 3rd level, you can charge your performance with seductive, fey magic.

If you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience by singing, reciting a poem, or dancing. At the end of the performance, choose a number of humanoids within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a number equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you. While charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, it speaks glowingly of you to anyone who talks to it, and it hinders anyone who opposes you, although it avoids violence unless it was already inclined to fight on your behalf. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour, if it takes any damage, if you attack it, or if it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies.

If a target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to charm it.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

=== Mantle of Majesty ===
At 6th level, you gain the ability to cloak yourself in a fey magic that makes others want to serve you. As a bonus action, you cast command, without expending a spell slot, and you take on an appearance of unearthly beauty for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During this time, you can cast command as a bonus action on each of your turns, without expending a spell slot.

Any creature charmed by you automatically fails its saving throw against the command you cast with this feature.

Once you use this feature you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

=== Unbreakable Majesty ===
At 14th level, your appearance permanently gains an otherworldly aspect that makes you look more lovely and fierce.

In addition, as a bonus action, you can assume a magically majestic presence for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated. For the duration, whenever any creature tries to attack you for the first time on a turn, the attacker must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, it can’t attack you on this turn, and it must choose a new target for its attack or the attack is wasted. On a successful save, it can attack you on this turn, but it has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against your spells on the next turn.

Once you assume this majestic presence, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

----
Sources:
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 14-15

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Bard College]]

College of Valor

2018-02-03T17:59:56Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Bards of the College of Valor are daring skalds whose tales keep alive the memory of the great heroes of the past, and thereby inspire a new generation of heroes. These bards gather in mead halls or around great bonfires to sing the deeds of the mighty, both past and present. They travel the land to witness great events firsthand and to ensure that the memory of those events doesn’t pass from the world. With their songs, they inspire others to reach the same heights of accomplishment as the heroes of old.

=== Bonus Proficiencies ===
When you join the College of Valor at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.

=== Combat Inspiration ===
Also at 3rd level, you learn to inspire others in battle. A creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you can roll that die and add the number rolled to a weapon damage roll it just made. Alternatively, when an attack roll is made against the creature, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses.

=== Extra Attack ===
Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

=== Battle Magic ===
At 14th level, you have mastered the art of weaving spellcasting and weapon use into a single harmonious act. When you use your action to cast a bard spell, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 55

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Bard College]]

College of Lore

2018-02-03T17:57:48Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true, from their faith in the priesthood of the local temple to their loyalty to the king.

The loyalty of these bards lies in the pursuit of beauty and truth, not in fealty to a monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic.

The college’s members gather in libraries and sometimes in actual colleges, complete with classrooms and dormitories, to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state, where they can expose corruption, unravel lies, and poke fun at self-important figures of authority.

=== Bonus Proficiencies ===
When you join the College of Lore at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.

=== Cutting Words ===
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.

=== Additional Magical Secrets ===
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.

=== Peerless Skill ===
Starting at 14th level, when you make an ability check, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration. Roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your ability check. You can choose to do so after you roil the die for the ability check, but before the DM tells you whether you succeed or fail.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 54-55

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Bard College]]

Barbarian

2018-02-03T09:08:06Z

Jason: Reorder sources.

A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.

A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.

Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.

These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.

For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.

=== Primal Instinct ===
People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature—keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

=== A Life of Danger ===
Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

{|
|+
==== The Barbarian ====
!Level!!Features!!Rages!!Rage Damage
|-
|1st||[[Rage]], [[Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)]]||2||+2
|-
|2nd||[[Reckless Attack]], [[Danger Sense]]||2||+2
|-
|3rd||[[Primal Path]]||3||+2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||+2
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]], [[Fast Movement]]||3||+2
|-
|6th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+2
|-
|7th||[[Feral Instinct]]||4||+2
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||+2
|-
|9th||[[Brutal Critical]] (1 die)||4||+3
|-
|10th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+3
|-
|11th||[[Relentless Rage]]||4||+3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+3
|-
|13th||[[Brutal Critical]] (2 dice)||5||+3
|-
|14th||[[Primal Path]] feature||5||+3
|-
|15th||[[Persistent Rage]]||5||+3
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+4
|-
|17th||[[Brutal Critical]] (3 dice)||6||+4
|-
|18th||[[Indomitable Might]]||6||+4
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||+4
|-
|20th||[[Primal Champion]]||Unlimited||+4
|}

== Creating a Barbarian ==
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]] in [[Strength]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d12 per barbarian level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 12 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d12 (or 7) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per barbarian level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Intimidation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[greataxe]] or (b) any [[martial melee weapon]]
* (a) two [[Handaxe|handaxes]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* An [[explorer’s pack]] and four [[Javelin|javelins]]

Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Totem Warrior, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.

Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

== Primal Paths ==
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.
* [[Path of the Berserker]]
* [[Path of the Totem Warrior]]
* [[Path of the Battlerager]]
* [[Path of the Ancestral Guardian]]
* [[Path of the Storm Herald]]
* [[Path of the Zealot]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Barbarians ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Seret, archwizard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Rawr! I’m really angry! Funny, I don’t feel any stronger. Maybe because I’m always angry, I’m always in top condition. Stands to reason.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where other fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.

=== Personal Totems ===
Barbarians tend to travel light, carrying little in the way of personal effects or other unnecessary gear. The few possessions they do carry often include small items that have special significance. A personal totem is significant because it has a mystical origin or is tied to an important moment in the character’s life—perhaps a remembrance from the barbarian’s past or a harbinger of what lies ahead.

A personal totem of this sort might be associated with a barbarian’s spirit animal, or might actually be the totem object for the animal, but such a connection is not essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance, could still carry an eagle’s feather as a personal totem.

Consider creating one or more personal totems for your character—objects that hold a special link to your character’s past or future. Think about how a totem might affect your character’s actions.

Examples:
* A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt
* Three eagle features given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate
* A necklace made from the claws of a cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
* A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors
* A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool
* An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch

=== Tattoos ===
The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the lift of the bearer or the bearer’s ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian’s tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual’s identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Examples:
* The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back.
* Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear.
* The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms.
* The antlers of an elk are inked across your back.
* Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand.
* The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits.

=== Superstitions ===
Barbarians vary widely in how they understand life. Some follow gods and look for guidance from those deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they encounter. These barbarians believe that spirits inhabit the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians look to them for omens and power.

Other barbarians trust only in the blood that runs in their veins and the steel they hold in their hands. They have no use for the invisible world, instead relying on their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts they emulate.

Both of these attitudes can give rise to superstitions. These beliefs are often passed down within a family or shared among the members of a clan or a hunting group.

If your barbarian character has any superstitions, were they ingrained in you by your family, or are they the result of personal experience?

Examples:
* If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life.
* Never trust a wizard. They’re all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones.
* Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That’s why they live underground.
* Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you.
* When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body.
* If an elf looks you in the eye’s, she’s trying to read your thoughts.

== Barbarians of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Closest to the dark elves, Pwent lowered his head, with its long helmet spike, and impaled one elf through the chest, blasting through the tme mesh of draw armor easily and brutally. The second drow managed to deflect the next battlerager’s charge, turning the helmet spike aside with both his swords. But a mailed fist, the knuckles devilishly spiked with barbed points, caught the draw under the chin and tore a gaping hole in his throat. Fighting for breath, the drow managed to score two nasty hits on his opponent’s back, but those two strikes did little in the face of the flurry launched by the wild-eyed dwarf.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Siege of Darkness</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Many of the lands of the Sword Coast and the North are savage, where day-to-day survival is a struggle. Such lands breed hardy tribes and fierce warriors, such as the Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians of the North and the seafaring Northlanders of the Moonshae Isles and the northernmost reaches of the Sword Coast.

Barbarians of these lands are most often humans or half-orcs, occasionally half-elves born of contact between savage human tribes and the elves of the North or Western Heartlands, or tieflings from tribes known to consort with fiends. Dwarf barbarians are famed and feared warriors among the fiercely proud clans that have reclaimed territories like Mithril Hall and Gautlgrym. Barbarians of most other races hail from warmer southern lands, rather than the Savage North, although southern foundlings are sometimes adopted in the North and raised by tribes there.

=== Primal Paths ===
Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms have the following Primal Path options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook. Reghed and Northlander barbarians tend to follow the Path of the Berserker, while Uthgardt barbarians are nearly always followers of the Path of the Totem Warrior.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 46-50
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 121-122
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 8-11

[[Category:Class]]

Bard

2018-02-03T09:07:04Z

Jason:

Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, a half-elf in rugged leathers finds knowledge springing into her mind, conjured forth by the magic of her song—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts.

A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant and exhorting his companions to bravery and heroism. The magic of his song fortifies and emboldens them.

Laughing as she tunes her cittern, a gnome weaves her subtle magic over the assembled nobles, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received.

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.

=== Music and Magic ===
In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.

The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.

=== Learning from Experience ===
True bards are not com m on in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.

Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.

== Creating a Bard ==
Bards thrive on stories, whether those stories are true or not. Your character’s background and motivations are not as important as the stories that he or she tells about them. Perhaps you had a secure and mundane childhood. There’s no good story to be told about that, so you might paint yourself as an orphan raised by a hag in a dismal swamp. Or your childhood might be worthy of a story. Some bards acquire their magical music through extraordinary means, including the inspiration of fey or other supernatural creatures.

Did you serve an apprenticeship, studying under a master, following the more experienced bard until you were ready to strike out on your own? Or did you attend a college where you studied bardic lore and practiced your musical magic? Perhaps you were a young runaway or orphan, befriended by a wandering bard who became your mentor. Or you might have been a spoiled noble child tutored by a master. Perhaps you stumbled into the clutches of a hag, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost?

{|
|+
==== The Bard ====
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Spellcasting (Bard)]], [[Bardic Inspiration]] (d6)||2||4||2
|-
|2nd||[[Jack of All Trades]], [[Song of Rest]] (d6)||2||5||3
|-
|3rd||[[Bard College]], [[Expertise]]||2||6||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||7||4||3
|-
|5th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d8), [[Font of Inspiration]]||3||8||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Countercharm]], [[Bard College]] feature||3||9||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||3||10||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||11||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||[[Song of Rest]] (d8)||3||12||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d10), [[Expertise]], [[Magical Secrets]]||4||14||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||—||4||15||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||15||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||[[Song of Rest]] (d10)||4||16||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Magical Secrets]], [[Bard College]] feature||4||18||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d12)||4||19||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||19||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||[[Song of Rest]] (d12)||4||20||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Magical Secrets]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Superior Inspiration]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Charisma]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Dexterity]]. Second, choose the [[entertainer]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[dancing lights]] and [[vicious mockery]] [[:Category:Cantrip|cantrips]], along with the following [[:Category:Level-One Spell|1st-level spells]]: [[charm person]], [[detect magic]], [[healing word]], and [[thunderwave]].

== Class Features ==
As a bard, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per bard level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per bard level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[hand crossbows]], [[longswords]], [[rapiers]], [[shortswords]]

'''Tools:''' Three [[musical instruments]] of your choice

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Dexterity]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills:''' Choose any three

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[rapier]], (b) a [[longsword]], or (c) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[diplomat’s pack]] or (b) an [[entertainer’s pack]]
* (a) a [[lute]] or (b) any other [[musical instrument]]
* [[Leather armor]] and a [[dagger]]

Spellcasting
You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the bard spell list.

Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Bard table.

Spell Slots
The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell cure wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast cure wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know four 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Bard table shows when you learn more bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use a musical instrument (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Bardic Inspiration
You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

Jack of All Trades
Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.

Song of Rest
Beginning at 2nd level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points. (A creature regains the extra hit points only if it spends one or more Hit Dice at the end of the short rest.)
The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.

Bard College
At 3rd level, you delve into the advanced techniques of a bard college of your choice: the College of Lore or the College of Valor, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.

Expertise
At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 10th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Font of Inspiration
Beginning when you reach 5th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

Countercharm
At 6th level, you gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).

Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.
You learn two additional spells from any class at 14th level and again at 18th level.

Superior Inspiration
At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use.

== Bard Colleges ==
The way of a bard is gregarious. Bards seek each other out to swap songs and stories, boast of their accomplishments, and share their knowledge. Bards form loose associations, which they call colleges, to facilitate their gatherings and preserve their traditions.
* [[College of Lore]]
* [[College of Valor]]
* [[College of Glamour]]
* [[College of Swords]]
* [[College of Whispers]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Bards ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Music is the fruit of the divine tree that vibrates with the Words of Creation. But the question I ask you is, can a bard go to the root of this tree? Can one tap into the source of that power? Ah, then what manner of music they would bring to this world!
<div class="templatequotecite">— Fletcher Danairia, master bard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Music is stupid. Wait. I changed my mind. Music is fun. Play more music. No, I was right the first time. Music is stupid. But I won’t maim you after all, in case I change my mind again.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Bards bring levity during grave times; they impart wisdom to offset ignorance; and they make the ridiculous seem sublime. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time—knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed along as oral history, to survive even when no written record remains.

It is also the bard’s role to chronicle smaller and more contemporary events—the stories of today’s heroes, including their feats of valor as well as their less than impressive failures.

Of course, the world has many people who can carry a tune or tell a good story, and there’s much more to any adventuring bard than a glib tongue and a melodious voice. Yet what truly sets bards apart from others—and from one another—are the style and substance of their performances.

To grab and hold the attention of an audience, bards are typically flamboyant and outgoing when they perform. The most famous of them are essentially the D&D world’s equivalent of pop stars. If you’re playing a bard, consider using one of your favorite musicians as a role model for your character.

You can add some unique aspects to your bard character by considering the suggestions that follow.

=== Defining Work ===
Every successful bard is renowned for at least one piece of performance art, typically a song or a poem that is popular with everyone who hears it. These performances are spoken about for years by those who view them, and some spectators have had their lives forever changed because of the experience.

If you character is just starting out, your ultimate defining work is likely in the future. But in order to make any sort of living in your profession, chances are you already have a piece or two in your repertoire that have proven to be audience pleasers.

Examples:
* “The Three Flambinis” a ribald song concerning mistaken identities and unfettered desire
* “Waltz of the Myconids,” an upbeat tune that children in particular enjoy
* “Asmodeus’s Golden Arse,” a dramatic poem you claim was inspired by your personal visit to Avernus
* “The Pirates of Luskan,” your firsthand account of being kidnapped by sea reavers as a child
* “A Hoop, Two Pigeons, and a Hell Hound,” a subtle parody of an incompetent noble
* “A Fool in the Abyss,” a comedic poem about a jester’s travels among demons

=== Instrument ===
In a bard’s quest for the ultimate performance and the highest acclaim, one’s instrument is at least as important as one’s vocal ability. The instrument’s quality of manufacture is a critical factor, of course; the best ones make the best music, and some bards are continually on the lookout for an improvement. Perhaps just as important, though, is the instrument’s own entertainment value; those that are bizarrely constructed or made of exotic materials are likely to leave a lasting impression on an audience.

You might have an “off the rack” instrument, perhaps because it’s all you can afford right now. Or, if your first instrument was gifted to you, it might be of a more elaborate sort. Are you satisfied with the instrument you have, or do you aspire to replace it with something truly distinctive?

Examples:
* A masterfully crafted halfling fiddle
* A mithral horn made by elves
* A zither made with drow spider silk
* An orcish drum
* A wooden bullywug croak box
* A tinker’s harp of gnomish design

=== Embarrassment ===
Almost every bard has suffered at least one bad experience in front of an audience, and chances are you’re no exception. No one becomes famous right away, after all; perhaps you had a few small difficulties early in your career, or maybe it took a while to restore your reputation after one agonizing night when the fates conspired to bring about your theatrical ruin.

The ways that a performance can go wrong are as varied as the fish in the sea. No matter what sort of disaster might occur, however, a bard has the courage and the confidence to rebound from it—either pressing on with the show (if possible) or promising to come back tomorrow with a new performance that’s guaranteed to please.

Examples:
* The time when your comedic song, “Big Tom’s Hijinks”—which, by the way, you thought was brilliant—did not go over well with Big Tom
* The matinee performance when a circus’s owlbear got loose and terrorized the crowd
* When your opening song was your enthusiastic but universally hated rendition of “Song of the Froghemoth”
* The first and last public performance of “Mirt, Man about Town”
* The time on stage when your wig caught on fire and you threw it down—which set fire to the stage
* When you sat on your lute by mistake during the final stanza of “Starlight Serenade”

=== A Bard’s Muse ===
Naturally, every bard has a repertoire of songs and stories. Some bards are generalist who can draw from a wide range of topics for each performance, and who take pride in their versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse—a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience.

A bard who follows a muse generally does so to gain a deeper understanding of what that muse represents and how to best convey that understanding to others through performance.

If your bard character has a muse, it could be one of the three described here, or one of your own devising.

'''Nature.''' You feel a kinship with the natural world, and its beauty and mystery inspire you. For you, a tree is deeply symbolic, its roots delving into the dark unknown to draw forth the power of the earth, while its branches reach toward the sun to nourish their flowers and fruit. Nature is the ancient witness who has seen every kingdom rise and fall, even those whose names have been forgotten and wait to be rediscovered. The gods of nature share their secrets with druids and sages, opening their hearts and minds to new ways of seeing, and as with those individuals, you find that your creativity blossoms while you wander in an open field of waving grass or walk in silent reverence through a grove of ancient oaks.

'''Love.''' You are on a quest to identify the essence of true love. Though you do not disdain the superficial love of flesh and form, the deeper form of love that can inspire thousands or bring joy to one’s every moment is what you are interested in. Love of this sort takes on many forms, and you can see its presence everywhere—from the sparkling of a beautiful gem to the song of a simple fisher thanking the sea for its bounty. You are on the trail of love, that most precious and mysterious of emotions, and your search fills your stories and your songs with vitality and passion.

'''Conflict.''' Drama embodies conflict, and the best stories have conflict as a key element. From the morning-after tale of a tavern brawl to the saga of an epic battle, from a lover’s spat to a rift between powerful dynasties, conflict is what inspires tale-tellers like you to create your best work. Conflict can bring out the best in some people, causing their heroic nature to shine forth and transform the world, but it can cause others to gravitate toward darkness and fall under the sway of evil. You strive to experience or witness all forms of conflict, great and small, so as to study this eternal aspect of life and immortalize it in your words and music.

== Bards of the Sword Coast ==
Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it.

The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion, akin to the visit of a dignitary. A bard can reasonably expect at least a hot supper and a clean place to sleep from a local landlord or inn in exchange for a few songs or stories. A noble might host a bard in fine style—while also being careful to guard any secrets the noble’s household doesn’t want retold or sung across Faerûn.

Not all wandering performers are true bards, nor are all bards inclined to sing for their supper, although most will, given the need. Bards literally have magic to them, and the powers they command through their performance and lore earns them additional respect.

In the Savage North, singers and storytellers called skalds are keepers of the history and great legends of the Northlanders and the Reghed. These warrior-poets are the singers of the songs and sagas that fire the blood of warriors in battle, and composers of the new songs and sagas relating the mighty deeds of heroes and villains. However, spellcasting is taboo among Reghed and Norhtlanders unless it is considered a gift of their gods. Characters with the bard class who rise to prominence among these folk must align themselves with their clan’s priests and shamans or risk being outcast. Most skalds are members of the College of Valor, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

=== The Harpers ===
Bards in the North and the Dalelands benefit from the existence of the Harpers, that legendary society recruiting bards and other independent agents to struggle against the forces of evil. Even though most bards in the region aren’t Harpers (and many who are don’t advertise that fact), common folk in the North often behave as if all bards are legendary wandering heroes, and are as likely to ask a bard for the solution to a problem troubling their community as they are a wandering fighter or wizard. This reputation cuts both ways, however, as some enemies of the Harpers suspiciously assume any humble minstrel might secretly be a Harper agent.

=== Bardic Colleges ===
In addition to the tradition of apprenticing with a master bard, the Sword Coast has some bardic colleges where masters teach students the bardic arts. They hark back to the great bardic colleges of the distant past, particularly the seven elder colleges: Fochlucan, Mac-Fuirmidh, Doss, Canaith, Cli, Anstruth, and Ollamh. These seven are said to be the origin of the instrument of the bards, each of which is named after one of the colleges. See chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the game statistics of these magic instruments.

Long ago, bards who sought the rank of master bard attended each of the elder colleges, seeking to learn its musical and magical secrets. Traditionally, the colleges were attended in the order given above, starting with Fochlucan. That tradition fell when the colleges went into decline, but some bards dream of restoring it.

==== College of Fochlucan ====
The original College of Fochlucan once stood on the northeastern edge of Silverymoon. Many years after it closed its doors, the site was reopened as Ultrumm’s Music Conservatory. The conservatory later moved to Southbank, and the House of the Harp occupied the college’s original location under the guidance of Master Bard Forell “Flamebeard” Luekuan, who sought to revive the ancient traditions and teachings of Fochlucan. Years of cultivation and support from Silverymoon, as well as the Harpers, yielded a faculty able to revive the college, and the House of the Harp adopted the Fochlucan name once again. Most of its bards study and practice the methods of the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

The College of Fochlucan is naturally allied with the Harpers, although its master bards are careful to stress that its mission is separate from that of the Harpers.

==== College of New Olamn ====
Housed in two Cliffride villas overlooking the sea near Waterdeep, the College of New Olamn is a prestigious bardic college established in the Year of the Staff (1366 DR) by wealthy Waterdhavian patrons and named for the old College of Ollamh. Students of the college undergo training in their chosen instruments, along with rigorous practice in memorization and the study of ancient songs, sagas, and history. Most bards of New Olamn belong to the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

The Cliffride, a gravel path up Mount Waterdeep’s northern spur, is used to bring goods to the college, but most visitors and students use the Mount Melody Walk—a tunnel through the mountain itself—to reach it. The tunnel regularly resounds with music, thanks to the Neverending String of Pearls, an ongoing concert where bardic students perform in a small alcove in the tunnel, which carries and echoes their music.

==== College of the Herald ====
Based at the great lore-house of Herald’s Holdfast, northwest of Silverymoon, the College of the Herald is dedicated to the preservation of ancient history and legends. The Heralds are charged with collecting and organizing bodies of lore, which they make available to all of good and peaceful intent. Established by the Harper Aliost Oskrunnar in 922 DR, the Heralds are allies of the Harpers but remain neutral in most conflicts, dedicated to preserving knowledge above all else.

The College of the Herald is less concerned with musical performance (although it contains a considerable library of songs) and more with history, heraldry, and folklore, making it a key center of learning for bards of the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

=== Musical Instruments ===
In addition to the common musical instruments listed in chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook, bards in the Realms play the following instruments:

'''Birdpipes:''' Pan pipes or satyr pipes, also known as the shalm, these are sacred to Lliira and popular with wood elf and wild elf bards.

'''Glaur:''' Short, curved horns like a cornucopia. Played with valves, glaur sound like trumpets, while those without valves, known as gloon, have a more mournful sound.

'''Hand Drum:''' A double-headed skin drum fitted with handles along its side.

'''Longhorn:''' A Faerûnian flute of sophisticated make, found only in areas with skilled artisans, as in great cities or elven enclaves.

'''Shawm:''' A double-reed instrument similar to an oboe or a bassoon, popular with gnomes, who have developed some bellows-powered versions.

'''Songhorn:''' A recorder, a simple type of flute, usually carved from wood.

'''Tantan:''' A tambourine, a popular instrument with halflings and humans south of the Dalelands.

'''Thelarr:''' Also known as a whistlecane, a simple and easy-to-make wind instrument cut from a reed. They are so simple, in fact, that skilled bards frequently make and give them away to children-to the parents’ delight or regret.

'''Tocken:''' A hanging set of carved oval bells, usually played with a pair of light wooden hammers (or open handed). They are most common in underground cultures, where the resonant tones can carry.

'''Wargong:''' A metal gong, traditionally made from a shield, particularly the shield of an enemy. Both goblins and dwarves make and play wargongs, their sound echoing through tunnels in the Underdark.

'''Yarting:''' A southern instrument from Amn and Calimshan that is a Faerûnian analog to the guitar. Numerous variations have spread across the continent.

'''Zulkoon:''' A complex pump organ that originated with the zulkirs of Thay, who use it in the casting of their spells. It is considered to have a dramatic, but sinister, sound.

=== The Moonstars ===
Over a century ago, the Harpers endured a schism. Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun was denounced by other Harper leaders for empowering Fzoul Chembryl, then the evil leader of the Zhentarim, with a powerful artifact. That Khelben did so in order that Fzoul destroy a dangerous lich mattered little. Khelben and Laeral Silverhand, his wife, left the Harpers then, taking with them certain agents and folding them into to a different organization, which Khelben had been secretly working to create for some time due to an old prophecy of the elves of Cormanthor. This group was the Moonstars, called Tel’Teukiira in Elvish. Although the Moonstars worked in concert at times with the Harpers, they also worked at cross purposes, and the Moonstars membership included many whom the Harpers considered too evil, such as a vampire. The Moonstars performed many good deeds, but their methods were often more brutal and pragmatic than the Harpers’ lofty ideals allowed. When Khelben died, the Moonstars seemed to collapse, and for many years the organization was assumed defunct. Yet during the Sundering, Moonstar sleeper agents reactivated the organization on a surprisingly massive scale, with members active in Candlekeep, Waterdeep, and Myth Drannor. The organization has since gone underground again. Their relationship to the present-day Harpers, Laeral Silverhand, and the current Blackstaff of Waterdeep, Vajra, remains unclear.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 51-55
* [[Player’s Handbook—Errata]], p. 1
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 122-124
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 12-16

[[Category:Class]]

Barbarian

2018-02-03T09:02:49Z

Jason: Add source list.

A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.

A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.

Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.

These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.

For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.

=== Primal Instinct ===
People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature—keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

=== A Life of Danger ===
Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

{|
|+
==== The Barbarian ====
!Level!!Features!!Rages!!Rage Damage
|-
|1st||[[Rage]], [[Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)]]||2||+2
|-
|2nd||[[Reckless Attack]], [[Danger Sense]]||2||+2
|-
|3rd||[[Primal Path]]||3||+2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||+2
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]], [[Fast Movement]]||3||+2
|-
|6th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+2
|-
|7th||[[Feral Instinct]]||4||+2
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||+2
|-
|9th||[[Brutal Critical]] (1 die)||4||+3
|-
|10th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+3
|-
|11th||[[Relentless Rage]]||4||+3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+3
|-
|13th||[[Brutal Critical]] (2 dice)||5||+3
|-
|14th||[[Primal Path]] feature||5||+3
|-
|15th||[[Persistent Rage]]||5||+3
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+4
|-
|17th||[[Brutal Critical]] (3 dice)||6||+4
|-
|18th||[[Indomitable Might]]||6||+4
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||+4
|-
|20th||[[Primal Champion]]||Unlimited||+4
|}

== Creating a Barbarian ==
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]] in [[Strength]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d12 per barbarian level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 12 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d12 (or 7) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per barbarian level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Intimidation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[greataxe]] or (b) any [[martial melee weapon]]
* (a) two [[Handaxe|handaxes]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* An [[explorer’s pack]] and four [[Javelin|javelins]]

Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Totem Warrior, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.

Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

== Primal Paths ==
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.
* [[Path of the Berserker]]
* [[Path of the Totem Warrior]]
* [[Path of the Ancestral Guardian]]
* [[Path of the Storm Herald]]
* [[Path of the Zealot]]
* [[Path of the Battlerager]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Barbarians ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Seret, archwizard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Rawr! I’m really angry! Funny, I don’t feel any stronger. Maybe because I’m always angry, I’m always in top condition. Stands to reason.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where other fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.

=== Personal Totems ===
Barbarians tend to travel light, carrying little in the way of personal effects or other unnecessary gear. The few possessions they do carry often include small items that have special significance. A personal totem is significant because it has a mystical origin or is tied to an important moment in the character’s life—perhaps a remembrance from the barbarian’s past or a harbinger of what lies ahead.

A personal totem of this sort might be associated with a barbarian’s spirit animal, or might actually be the totem object for the animal, but such a connection is not essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance, could still carry an eagle’s feather as a personal totem.

Consider creating one or more personal totems for your character—objects that hold a special link to your character’s past or future. Think about how a totem might affect your character’s actions.

Examples:
* A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt
* Three eagle features given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate
* A necklace made from the claws of a cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
* A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors
* A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool
* An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch

=== Tattoos ===
The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the lift of the bearer or the bearer’s ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian’s tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual’s identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Examples:
* The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back.
* Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear.
* The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms.
* The antlers of an elk are inked across your back.
* Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand.
* The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits.

=== Superstitions ===
Barbarians vary widely in how they understand life. Some follow gods and look for guidance from those deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they encounter. These barbarians believe that spirits inhabit the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians look to them for omens and power.

Other barbarians trust only in the blood that runs in their veins and the steel they hold in their hands. They have no use for the invisible world, instead relying on their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts they emulate.

Both of these attitudes can give rise to superstitions. These beliefs are often passed down within a family or shared among the members of a clan or a hunting group.

If your barbarian character has any superstitions, were they ingrained in you by your family, or are they the result of personal experience?

Examples:
* If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life.
* Never trust a wizard. They’re all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones.
* Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That’s why they live underground.
* Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you.
* When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body.
* If an elf looks you in the eye’s, she’s trying to read your thoughts.

== Barbarians of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Closest to the dark elves, Pwent lowered his head, with its long helmet spike, and impaled one elf through the chest, blasting through the tme mesh of draw armor easily and brutally. The second drow managed to deflect the next battlerager’s charge, turning the helmet spike aside with both his swords. But a mailed fist, the knuckles devilishly spiked with barbed points, caught the draw under the chin and tore a gaping hole in his throat. Fighting for breath, the drow managed to score two nasty hits on his opponent’s back, but those two strikes did little in the face of the flurry launched by the wild-eyed dwarf.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Siege of Darkness</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Many of the lands of the Sword Coast and the North are savage, where day-to-day survival is a struggle. Such lands breed hardy tribes and fierce warriors, such as the Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians of the North and the seafaring Northlanders of the Moonshae Isles and the northernmost reaches of the Sword Coast.

Barbarians of these lands are most often humans or half-orcs, occasionally half-elves born of contact between savage human tribes and the elves of the North or Western Heartlands, or tieflings from tribes known to consort with fiends. Dwarf barbarians are famed and feared warriors among the fiercely proud clans that have reclaimed territories like Mithril Hall and Gautlgrym. Barbarians of most other races hail from warmer southern lands, rather than the Savage North, although southern foundlings are sometimes adopted in the North and raised by tribes there.

=== Primal Paths ===
Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms have the following Primal Path options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook. Reghed and Northlander barbarians tend to follow the Path of the Berserker, while Uthgardt barbarians are nearly always followers of the Path of the Totem Warrior.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 46-50
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 8-11
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 121-122

[[Category:Class]]

Path of the Battlerager

2018-02-03T08:56:04Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Known as Kuldjargh (literally “axe idiot”) in Dwarvish, battleragers are dwarf followers of the gods of war and take the Path of the Battlerager. They specialize in wearing bulky, spiked armor and throwing themselves into combat, striking with their body itself and giving themselves over to the fury of battle.

The Path of the Battlerager is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

=== Restriction: Dwarves Only ===
Only dwarves can follow the Path of the Battlerager. The battlerager fills a particular niche in dwarven society and culture.

Your DM can lift this restriction to better suit the campaign. The restriction exists for the Forgotten Realms. It might not apply to your DM’s setting or your DM’s version of the Realms.

=== Battlerager Armor ===
When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor as a weapon.

==== Spiked Armor ====
Spiked armor is a rare type of medium armor made by dwarves. It consists of a leather coat and leggings covered with spikes that are usually made of metal.
* '''Cost:''' 75 gp
* '''AC:''' 14 + [[Dexterity]] modifier (max 2)
* '''Stealth:''' Disadvantage
* '''Weight:''' 45 lb.

While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal ld4 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls.

Additionally, when you use the Attack action to grapple a creature, the target takes 3 piercing damage if your grapple check succeeds.

=== Reckless Abandon ===
Beginning at 6th level, when you use Reckless Attack while raging, you also gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends.

=== Battlerager Charge ===
Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging.

=== Spiked Retribution ===
Starting at 14th level, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes 3 piercing damage if you are raging, aren’t incapacitated, and are wearing spiked armor.

== Path of the Battlerager on Krynn ==
The battlerager has no equivalent in the Dragonlance saga. A character opting for the Path of the Battlerager might be part of a gnomish attempt at inventing a new sort of armor, an effort that yielded a dangerous but effective fighting style. It’s up to the player whether the barbarian’s rage stems from a set of tactics developed for use with the gnome-created spiked armor or from sheer frustration at having to turn to the mad tinker gnomes for help.

== Path of the Battlerager on Eberron ==
The Path of the Battlerager is a great fit for a warforged barbarian trained for close quarters battle and with a chassis modified to incorporate spikes, blades, and other weapons. These warforged made ideal shock troops during the Last War. The few that survive have little choice but to continue martial pursuits, as their frames are suited for little else.

== Path of the Battlerager on Oerth ==
The Path of the Battlerager lacks a direct analog on Oerth. Most likely, a battlerager could be of any race and formerly trained as a pit fighter by the vicious Slave Lords. The Slave Lords are a much-feared cabal who direct raids on seaside communities, carrying off prisoners to a wretched life of servitude. A battlerager might be one such unfortunate victim. A prisoner who shows signs of martial aptitude might be trained in an exotic fighting style sure to fetch a high price from a blood-thirsty buyer.

== Path of the Battlerager on Homemade Worlds ==
The Path of the Battlerager is somewhat difficult to incorporate into a setting because of its idiosyncratic nature. It provides a good match for pit fighters, berserkers, and gladiators. Its reliance on armor provides a good cultural touchstone for dwarf characters, as befits its role in the Realms. Alternatively, you could use the battlerager as the basis for a militant religious order in your world, especially one focused on cruelty or fury.

----
Sources:
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 121, 155-157

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Zealot

2018-02-03T08:50:53Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Some deities inspire their followers to pitch themselves into a ferocious battle fury. These barbarians are zealots—warriors who channel their rage into powerful displays of divine power.

A variety of gods the worlds of D&D inspire their followers to embrace this path. Tempus from the Forgotten Realms and Hextor and Erythnul of Greyhawk are all prime examples. In general, the gods who inspire zealots are deities of combat, destruction, and violence. Not all are evil, but few are good.

The Path of the Zealot is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

{|
|+
==== Path of the Zealot Features ====
!Barbarian Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||[[Divine Fury]], [[Warrior of the Gods]]
|-
|6th||[[Fanatical Focus]]
|-
|10th||[[Zealous Presence]]
|-
|14th||[[Rage beyond Death]]
|}

=== Divine Fury ===
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can channel divine fury into your weapon strikes. While you’re raging, the first creature you hit on each of your turns with a weapon attack takes extra damage equal to 1d6 + half your barbarian level. The extra damage is necrotic or radiant; you choose the type of damage when you gain this feature.

=== Warrior of the Gods ===
At 3rd level, your soul is marked for endless battle. If a spell, such as raise dead, has the sole effect of restoring you to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn’t need material components to cast the spell on you.

=== Fanatical Focus ===
Starting at 6th level, the divine power that fuels your rage can protect you. If you fail a saving throw while you’re raging, you can reroll it, and you must use the new roll. You can use this ability only once per rage.

=== Zealous Presence ===
At 10th level, you learn to channel divine power to inspire zealotry in others. As a bonus action, you unleash a battle cry infused with divine energy. Up to ten other creatures of your choice within 60 feet of you that can hear you gain advantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the start of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

=== Rage beyond Death ===
Beginning at 14th level, the divine power that fuels your rage allows you to shrug off fatal blows.

While you’re raging, having 0 hit points doesn’t knock you unconscious. You still must make death saving throws, and you suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points. However, if you would die due to failing death saving throws, you don’t die until your rage ends, and you die then only if you still have 0 hit points.

----
Sources:
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], p. 11

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Storm Herald

2018-02-03T08:48:18Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

All barbarians harbor a fury within. Their rage grants them superior strength, durability, and speed. Barbarians who follow the Path of the Storm Herald learn to transform that rage into a mantle of primal magic, which swirls around them. When in a fury, a barbarian of this path taps into the force of nature to create powerful magical effects.

Storm heralds are typically elite champions who train alongside druids, rangers, and others sworn to protect nature. Other storm heralds hone their craft in lodges in regions wracked by storms, in the frozen reaches at the world’s end, or deep in the hottest deserts.

The Path of the Storm Herald is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

{|
|+
==== Path of the Storm Herald Features ====
!Barbarian Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||[[Storm Aura]]
|-
|6th||[[Storm Soul]]
|-
|10th||[[Shielding Storm]]
|-
|14th||[[Raging Storm]]
|}

<blockquote class="templatequote">
You know one of the great benefits of living underground? No weather. Don’t mess this up for me.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

=== Storm Aura ===
Starting at 3rd level, you emanate a stormy, magical aura while you rage. The aura extends 10 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover.

Your aura has an effect that activates when you enter your rage, and you can activate the effect again on each of your turns as a bonus action. Choose desert, sea, or tundra. Your aura’s effect depends on that chosen environment, as detailed below. You can change your environment choice whenever you gain a level in this class.

If your aura’s effects require a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.

'''Desert.''' When this effect is activated, all other creatures in your aura take 2 fire damage each. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 10th level, 5 at 15th level, and 6 at 20th level.

'''Sea.''' When this effect is activated, you can choose one other creature you can see in your aura. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. The target takes 1d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d6 at 10th level, 3d6 at 15th level, and 4d6 at 20th level.

'''Tundra.''' When this effect is activated, each creature of your choice in your aura gains 2 temporary hit points, as icy spirits inure it to suffering. The temporary hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 3 at 5th level, 4 at 10th level, 5 at 15th level, and 6 at 20th level.

=== Storm Soul ===
At 6th level, the storm grants you benefits even when your aura isn’t active. The benefits are based on the environment you chose for your Storm Aura.

'''Desert.''' You gain resistance to fire damage, and you don’t suffer the effects of extreme heat, as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can touch a flammable object that isn’t being worn or carried by anyone else and set it on fire.

'''Sea.''' You gain resistance to lightning damage, and you can breath underwater. You also gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.

'''Tundra.''' You gain resistance to cold damage, and you don’t suffer the effects of extreme cold, as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Moreover, as an action, you can touch water and turn a 5-foot cube of it into ice, which melts after 1 minute. This action fails if a creature is in the cube.

=== Shielding Storm ===
At 10th level, you learn to use your mastery of the storm to protect others. Each creature of your choice has the damage resistance you gained from the Storm Soul feature while the creature is in your Storm Aura.

=== Raging Storm ===
At 14th level, the power of the storm you channel grows mightier, lashing out at your foes. The effect is based on the environment you chose for your Storm Aura.

'''Desert.''' Immediately after a creature in your aura hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes fire damage equal to half your barbarian level.

'''Sea.''' When you hit a creature in your aura with an attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone, as if struck by a wave.

'''Tundra.''' Whenever the effect of your Storm Aura is activated, you can choose one creature you can see in the aura. That creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or its speed is reduced to 0 until the start of your next turn, as magical frost covers it.

----
Sources:
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 10-11

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Ancestral Guardian

2018-02-03T08:42:17Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Some barbarians hail from cultures that revere their ancestors. These tribes teach that the warriors of the past linger in the world as mighty spirits, who can guide and protect the living. When a barbarian who follows this path rages, the barbarian contacts the spirit world and calls on these guardian spirits for aid.

Barbarians who draw on their ancestral guardians can better fight to protect their tribes and their allies. In order to cement ties to their ancestral guardians, barbarians who follow this path cover themselves in elaborate tattoos that celebrate their ancestors’ deeds. These tattoos tell sagas of victories against terrible monsters and other fearsome rivals.

The Path of the Ancestral Guardian is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

{|
|+
==== Path of the Ancestral Guardian Features ====
!Barbarian Level!!Feature
|-
|3rd||[[Ancestral Protectors]]
|-
|6th||[[Spirit Shield]] (2d8)
|-
|10th||[[Consult the Spirits]], [[Spirit Shield]] (3d8)
|-
|14th||[[Vengeful Ancestors]], [[Spirit Shield]] (4d8)
|}

=== Ancestral Protectors ===
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, spectral warriors appear when you enter your rage. While you’re raging, the first creature you hit with an attack on your turn becomes the target of the warriors, which hinder its attack. Until the start of your next turn, that target has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn’t against you, and when the target hits a creature other than you with an attack, that creature has resistance to the damage dealt by the attack. The effect on the target ends early if your rage ends.

=== Spirit Shield ===
Beginning at 6th level, the guardian spirits that aid you can provide supernatural protection to those you defend. If you are raging and another creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 2d6.

When you reach certain levels in this class, you can reduce the damage by more: by 3d6 at 10th level and by 4d6 at 14th level.

=== Consult the Spirits ===
At 10th level, you gain the ability to consult with your ancestral spirits. When you do so, you cast the augury or clairvoyance spell, without using a spell slot or material components. Rather than creating a spherical sensor, this use of clairvoyance invisibly summons one of your ancestral spirits to the chosen location. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

After you cast either spell in this way, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a short or long rest.

=== Vengeful Ancestors ===
At 14th level, your ancestral spirits grow powerful enough to retaliate. When you use your Spirit Shield to reduce the damage of an attack, the attacker takes an amount of force damage equal to the damage that your Spirit Shield prevents.

----
Sources:
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 9-10

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Totem Warrior

2018-02-03T08:37:42Z

Jason: Add text for animal options for each feature.

The Path of the Totem Warrior is a spiritual journey, as the barbarian accepts a spirit animal as guide, protector, and inspiration. In battle, your totem spirit fills you with supernatural might, adding magical fuel to your barbarian rage.

Most barbarian tribes consider a totem animal to be kin to a particular clan. In such cases, it is unusual for an individual to have more than one totem animal spirit, though exceptions exist.

The Path of the Totem Warrior is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

=== Spirit Seeker ===
Yours is a path that seeks attunement with the natural world, giving you a kinship with beasts. At 3rd level when you adopt this path, you gain the ability to cast the beast sense and speak with animals spells, but only as rituals, as described in chapter 10.

=== Totem Spirit ===
At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you choose a totem spirit and gain its feature. You must make or acquire a physical totem object—an amulet or similar adornment—that incorporates fur or feathers, claws, teeth, or bones of the totem animal. At your option, you also gain minor physical attributes that are reminiscent of your totem spirit. For example, if you have a bear totem spirit, you might be unusually hairy and thick-skinned, or if your totem is the eagle, your eyes turn bright yellow; a prominent nose if you have an elk totem spirit or catlike eyes if you have a tiger totem spirit.

Your totem animal might be an animal related to those listed here but more appropriate to your homeland. For example, you could choose a hawk or vulture in place of an eagle, a horse or stag, rather than an elk, or a lion, panther, or other big cat, rather than a tiger.

'''Bear.''' While raging, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage. The spirit of the bear makes you tough enough to stand up to any punishment.

'''Eagle.''' While you’re raging and aren’t wearing heavy armor, other creatures have disadvantage on opportunity attack rolls against you, and you can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn. The spirit of the eagle makes you into a predator who can weave through the fray with ease.

'''Elk.''' While you’re raging and aren’t wearing heavy armor, your walking speed increases by 15 feet. The spirit of the elk makes you extraordinarily swift.

'''Tiger.''' While raging, you can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance. The spirit of the tiger empowers your leaps.

'''Wolf.''' While you’re raging, your friends have advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you that is hostile to you. The spirit of the wolf makes you a leader of hunters.

=== Aspect of the Beast ===
At 6th level, you gain a magical benefit based on the totem animal of your choice. You can choose the same animal you selected at 3rd level or a different one.

'''Bear.''' You gain the might of a bear. Your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled, and you have advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.

'''Eagle.''' You gain the eyesight of an eagle. You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Additionally, dim light doesn’t impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.

'''Elk.''' Whether mounted or on foot, your travel pace is doubled, as is the travel pace of up to ten companions while they’re within 60 feet of you and you’re not incapacitated (see chapter 8 in the Player’s Handbook for more information about travel pace). The elk spirit helps you roam far and fast.

'''Tiger.''' You gain proficiency in two skills from the following list: Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, and Survival. The cat spirit hones your survival instincts.

'''Wolf.''' You gain the hunting sensibilities of a wolf. You can track other creatures while traveling at a fast pace, and you can move stealthily while traveling at a normal pace (see chapter 8 for rules on travel pace).

=== Spirit Walker ===
At 10th level, you can cast the commune with nature spell, but only as a ritual. When you do so, a spiritual version of one of the animals you chose for Totem Spirit or Aspect of the Beast appears to you to convey the information you seek.

=== Totemic Attunement ===
At 14th level, you gain a magical benefit based on a totem animal of your choice. You can choose the same animal you selected previously or a different one.

'''Bear.''' While you’re raging, any creature within 5 feet of you that’s hostile to you has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than you or another character with this feature. An enemy is immune to this effect if it can’t see or hear you or if it can’t be frightened.

'''Eagle.''' While raging, you have a flying speed equal to your current walking speed. This benefit works only in short bursts; you fall if you end your turn in the air and nothing else is holding you aloft.

'''Elk.''' While raging, you can use a bonus action during your move to pass through the space of a Large or smaller creature. That creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your Strength bonus + your proficiency bonus) or be knocked prone and take bludgeoning damage equal to 1d12 + your Strength modifier.

'''Tiger.''' While you’re raging, if you move at least 20 feet in a straight line toward a Large or smaller target right before making a melee weapon attack against it, you can use a bonus action to make an additional melee weapon attack against it.

'''Wolf.''' While you’re raging, you can use a bonus action on your turn to knock a Large or smaller creature prone when you hit it with melee weapon attack.

== Path of the Totem Warrior in the Sword Coast ==
The totems of the Uthgardt barbarians of the North (described in chapter 5) correspond to the spirits of the Path of the Totem Warrior as shown in the following table.

{|
|+
==== Uthgardt Totems ====
!Totem!!Spirit
|-
|Black Lion||Tiger
|-
|Black Raven||Eagle
|-
|Blue Bear||Bear
|-
|Gray Wolf||Wolf
|-
|Great Worm||Wolf
|-
|Griffon||Eagle
|-
|Red Tiger||Tiger
|-
|Sky Pony||Eagle, with the Elk Aspect of the Beast
|-
|Thunderbeast||Bear, with the Tiger Totemic Attunement
|-
|Tree Ghost||Bear, with speak to plants in place of the normal rituals for the Spirit Seeker feature
|}

== Path of the Totem Warrior in Krynn ==
Barbarians are most common among Kagonesti elves and human nomad tribes. Both groups have a healthy respect for the land and its creatures, and the tiger and elk totems both have devotees among them. While the folk of Ansalon know of elk, the griffon replaces the tiger as an object of respect.

== Path of the Totem Warrior in Eberron ==
The new totem warrior options are an obvious choice for barbarians with an affinity for a tiger or an elk. The option can also reflect an Argonnessen barbarian’s ties to a specific dragon type. Use the tiger totem for a red dragon totem and the elk for a silver dragon totem.

== Path of the Totem Warrior in Oerth ==
Barbarians are common throughout the northern reaches of Oerik. From the lands of the Wolf Nomads to the enclaves of the Ice Barbarians, these characters venture south in search of loot, glory, and power. Others are exiles, forced to leave their homeland under penalty of death.

The tiger totem is an easy match for barbarians who hail from the realm of the Tiger Nomads. The elk totem is most common among the Rovers of the Barrens, preserving an ancient Flan tradition.

== Path of the Totem Warrior in Homemade Worlds ==
For the tiger and elk totems, conversion is simply a matter of replacing them with more suitable animals (if necessary).

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], p. 50
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 121-122, 155-157

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Berserker

2018-02-03T08:31:45Z

Jason: Add a link to Category:Class.

For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end—that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.

The Path of the Berserker is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] [[:Category:Class|class]].

=== Frenzy ===
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion (as described in appendix A).

=== Mindless Rage ===
Beginning at 6th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.

=== Intimidating Presence ===
Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.

If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.

=== Retaliation ===
Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you. you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 49-50

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Totem Warrior

2018-02-03T08:29:54Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

Barbarian

2018-02-03T08:21:47Z

Jason: List Primal Paths

A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.

A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.

Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.

These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.

For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.

=== Primal Instinct ===
People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature—keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

=== A Life of Danger ===
Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

{|
|+
==== The Barbarian ====
!Level!!Features!!Rages!!Rage Damage
|-
|1st||[[Rage]], [[Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)]]||2||+2
|-
|2nd||[[Reckless Attack]], [[Danger Sense]]||2||+2
|-
|3rd||[[Primal Path]]||3||+2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||+2
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]], [[Fast Movement]]||3||+2
|-
|6th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+2
|-
|7th||[[Feral Instinct]]||4||+2
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||+2
|-
|9th||[[Brutal Critical]] (1 die)||4||+3
|-
|10th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+3
|-
|11th||[[Relentless Rage]]||4||+3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+3
|-
|13th||[[Brutal Critical]] (2 dice)||5||+3
|-
|14th||[[Primal Path]] feature||5||+3
|-
|15th||[[Persistent Rage]]||5||+3
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+4
|-
|17th||[[Brutal Critical]] (3 dice)||6||+4
|-
|18th||[[Indomitable Might]]||6||+4
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||+4
|-
|20th||[[Primal Champion]]||Unlimited||+4
|}

== Creating a Barbarian ==
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]] in [[Strength]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d12 per barbarian level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 12 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d12 (or 7) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per barbarian level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Intimidation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[greataxe]] or (b) any [[martial melee weapon]]
* (a) two [[Handaxe|handaxes]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* An [[explorer’s pack]] and four [[Javelin|javelins]]

Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Totem Warrior, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.

Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

== Primal Paths ==
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.
* [[Path of the Berserker]]
* [[Path of the Totem Warrior]]
* [[Path of the Ancestral Guardian]]
* [[Path of the Storm Herald]]
* [[Path of the Zealot]]
* [[Path of the Battlerager]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Barbarians ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Seret, archwizard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Rawr! I’m really angry! Funny, I don’t feel any stronger. Maybe because I’m always angry, I’m always in top condition. Stands to reason.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where other fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.

=== Personal Totems ===
Barbarians tend to travel light, carrying little in the way of personal effects or other unnecessary gear. The few possessions they do carry often include small items that have special significance. A personal totem is significant because it has a mystical origin or is tied to an important moment in the character’s life—perhaps a remembrance from the barbarian’s past or a harbinger of what lies ahead.

A personal totem of this sort might be associated with a barbarian’s spirit animal, or might actually be the totem object for the animal, but such a connection is not essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance, could still carry an eagle’s feather as a personal totem.

Consider creating one or more personal totems for your character—objects that hold a special link to your character’s past or future. Think about how a totem might affect your character’s actions.

Examples:
* A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt
* Three eagle features given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate
* A necklace made from the claws of a cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
* A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors
* A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool
* An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch

=== Tattoos ===
The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the lift of the bearer or the bearer’s ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian’s tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual’s identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Examples:
* The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back.
* Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear.
* The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms.
* The antlers of an elk are inked across your back.
* Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand.
* The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits.

=== Superstitions ===
Barbarians vary widely in how they understand life. Some follow gods and look for guidance from those deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they encounter. These barbarians believe that spirits inhabit the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians look to them for omens and power.

Other barbarians trust only in the blood that runs in their veins and the steel they hold in their hands. They have no use for the invisible world, instead relying on their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts they emulate.

Both of these attitudes can give rise to superstitions. These beliefs are often passed down within a family or shared among the members of a clan or a hunting group.

If your barbarian character has any superstitions, were they ingrained in you by your family, or are they the result of personal experience?

Examples:
* If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life.
* Never trust a wizard. They’re all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones.
* Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That’s why they live underground.
* Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you.
* When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body.
* If an elf looks you in the eye’s, she’s trying to read your thoughts.

== Barbarians of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Closest to the dark elves, Pwent lowered his head, with its long helmet spike, and impaled one elf through the chest, blasting through the tme mesh of draw armor easily and brutally. The second drow managed to deflect the next battlerager’s charge, turning the helmet spike aside with both his swords. But a mailed fist, the knuckles devilishly spiked with barbed points, caught the draw under the chin and tore a gaping hole in his throat. Fighting for breath, the drow managed to score two nasty hits on his opponent’s back, but those two strikes did little in the face of the flurry launched by the wild-eyed dwarf.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Siege of Darkness</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Many of the lands of the Sword Coast and the North are savage, where day-to-day survival is a struggle. Such lands breed hardy tribes and fierce warriors, such as the Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians of the North and the seafaring Northlanders of the Moonshae Isles and the northernmost reaches of the Sword Coast.

Barbarians of these lands are most often humans or half-orcs, occasionally half-elves born of contact between savage human tribes and the elves of the North or Western Heartlands, or tieflings from tribes known to consort with fiends. Dwarf barbarians are famed and feared warriors among the fiercely proud clans that have reclaimed territories like Mithril Hall and Gautlgrym. Barbarians of most other races hail from warmer southern lands, rather than the Savage North, although southern foundlings are sometimes adopted in the North and raised by tribes there.

=== Primal Paths ===
Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms have the following Primal Path options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook. Reghed and Northlander barbarians tend to follow the Path of the Berserker, while Uthgardt barbarians are nearly always followers of the Path of the Totem Warrior.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Path of the Berserker

2018-02-03T08:17:10Z

Jason: Added a source link.

For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end—that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.

The Path of the Berserker is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] class.

=== Frenzy ===
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion (as described in appendix A).

=== Mindless Rage ===
Beginning at 6th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.

=== Intimidating Presence ===
Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.

If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.

=== Retaliation ===
Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you. you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 49-50

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Path of the Berserker

2018-02-03T08:16:36Z

Jason: Copy in material from sources.

For some barbarians, rage is a means to an end—that end being violence. The Path of the Berserker is a path of untrammeled fury, slick with blood. As you enter the berserker’s rage, you thrill in the chaos of battle, heedless of your own health or well-being.

The Path of the Berserker is a [[Primal Path]] for the [[Barbarian]] class.

=== Frenzy ===
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. When your rage ends, you suffer one level of exhaustion (as described in appendix A).

=== Mindless Rage ===
Beginning at 6th level, you can’t be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage.

=== Intimidating Presence ===
Beginning at 10th level, you can use your action to frighten someone with your menacing presence. When you do so, choose one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature can see or hear you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. On subsequent turns, you can use your action to extend the duration of this effect on the frightened creature until the end of your next turn. This effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 60 feet away from you.

If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, you can’t use this feature on that creature again for 24 hours.

=== Retaliation ===
Starting at 14th level, when you take damage from a creature that is within 5 feet of you. you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.

----
Sources:
* Player’s Handbook, pp. 49-50

[[Category:Class Path]]
[[Category:Primal Path]]

Wizard

2018-02-03T03:10:01Z

Jason: Convert flavor tables to lists.

Clad in the silver robes that denote her station, an elf closes her eyes to shut out the distractions of the battlefield and begins her quiet chant. Fingers weaving in front of her, she completes her spell and launches a tiny bead of fire toward the enemy ranks, where it erupts into a conflagration that engulfs the soldiers.

Checking and rechecking his work, a human scribes an intricate magic circle in chalk on the bare stone floor, then sprinkles powdered iron along every line and graceful curve. When the circle is complete, he drones a long incantation. A hole opens in space inside the circle, bringing a whiff of brimstone from the otherworldly plane beyond.

Crouching on the floor in a dungeon intersection, a gnome tosses a handful of small bones inscribed with mystic symbols, muttering a few words of power over them. Closing his eyes to see the visions more clearly, he nods slowly, then opens his eyes and points down the passage to his left.

Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures monsters from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies. Their mightiest spells change one substance into another, call meteors down from the sky, or open portals to other worlds.

=== Scholars of the Arcane ===
Wild and enigmatic, varied in form and function, the power of magic draws students who seek to master its mysteries. Some aspire to become like the gods, shaping reality itself. Though the casting of a typical spell requires merely the utterance of a few strange words, fleeting gestures, and sometimes a pinch or clump of exotic materials, these surface components barely hint at the expertise attained after years of apprenticeship and countless hours of study.

Wizards live and die by their spells. Everything else is secondary. They learn new spells as they experiment and grow in experience. They can also learn them from other wizards, from ancient tomes or inscriptions, and from ancient creatures (such as the fey) that are steeped in magic.

=== The Lure of Knowledge ===
Wizards’ lives are seldom mundane. The closest a wizard is likely to come to an ordinary life is working as a sage or lecturer in a library or university, teaching others the secrets of the multiverse. Other wizards sell their services as diviners, serve in military forces, or pursue lives of crime or domination.

But the lure of knowledge and power calls even the most unadventurous wizards out of the safety of their libraries and laboratories and into crumbling ruins and lost cities. Most wizards believe that their counterparts in ancient civilizations knew secrets of magic that have been lost to the ages, and discovering those secrets could unlock the path to a power greater than any magic available in the present age.

== Creating a Wizard ==
Creating a wizard character demands a backstory dominated by at least one extraordinary event. How did your character first come into contact with magic? How did you discover you had an aptitude for it? Do you have a natural talent, or did you simply study hard and practice incessantly? Did you encounter a magical creature or an ancient tome that taught you the basics of magic?

What drew you forth from your life of study? Did your first taste of magical knowledge leave you hungry for more? Have you received word of a secret repository of knowledge not yet plundered by any other wizard? Perhaps you’re simply eager to put your newfound magical skills to the test in the face of danger.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a wizard quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Intelligence]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Constitution]] or [[Dexterity]]. If you plan to join the [[School of Enchantment]], make [[Charisma]] your next-best score. Second, choose the [[sage]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[mage hand]], [[light]], and [[ray of frost]] [[:Category:Cantrip|cantrips]], along with the following [[:Category:Level-One Spell|1st-level spells]] for your spellbook: [[burning hands]], [[charm person]], [[feather fall]], [[mage armor]], [[magic missile]], and [[sleep]].

{|
|+Wizard
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Spellcasting (Wizard)|Spellcasting]], [[Arcane Recovery]]||3||2
|-
|2nd||[[Arcane Tradition]]||3||3
|-
|3rd||—||3||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3
|-
|5th||—||4||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||4||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||4||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||—||4||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||5||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Spell Mastery]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Signature Spells]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

== Class Features ==
As a wizard, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d6 per wizard level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 6 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d6 (or 4) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per wizard level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' None

'''Weapons:''' [[Dagger|Daggers]], [[Dart|darts]], [[Sling|slings]], [[Quarterstaff|quarterstaffs]], [[Light Crossbow|light crossbows]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Intelligence]], [[Wisdom]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Arcana]], [[History]], [[Insight]], [[Investigation]], [[Medicine]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (a) a [[quarterstaff]] or (b) a [[dagger]]
* (a) a [[component pouch]] or (b) an [[arcane focus]]
* (a) a [[scholar’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[spellbook]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Wizards ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Wizardry requires understanding. The knowledge of how and why magic works, and our efforts to broaden that understanding, have brought about the key advances in civilization over the centuries.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Gimble the illusionist</div>
</blockquote>

Only a select few people in the world are wielders of magic. Of all those, wizards stand at the pinnacle of the craft. Even the least of them can manipulate forces that flout the laws of nature, and the most accomplished among them can cast spells with world-shaking effects.

The price that wizards pay for their mastery is that most valuable of commodities: time. It takes years of study, instruction, and experimentation to learn how to harness magical energy and carry spells around in one’s own mind. For adventuring wizards and other spellcasters who aspire to the highest echelons of the profession, the studying never ends, nor does the quest for knowledge and power.

If you’re playing a wizard, take advantage of the opportunity to make your character more than just a stereotypical spell-slinger. Use the advice that follows to add some intriguing details to how your wizard interacts with the world.

=== Spellbook ===
Your wizard character’s most prized possession—your spellbook—might be an innocuous-looking volume whose covers show no hint of what’s inside. Or you might display some flair, as many wizards do, by carrying a spellbook of an unusual sort. If you don’t own such an item already, one of your goals might be to find a spellbook that sets you apart by its appearance or its means of manufacture.

Examples:
* A tome with pages that are thin sheets of metal, spells etched into them with acid
* Long straps of leather on which spells are written, wrapped around a staff for ease of transport
* A battered tome filled with pictographs that only you can understand
* Small stones inscribed with spells and kept in a cloth bag
* A scorched book, ravaged by dragon fire, with the script of your spells barely visible on its pages
* A tome full of black pages whose writing is visible only in dim light or darkness

=== Ambition ===
Few aspiring wizards undertake the study of magic without some personal goal in mind. Many wizards use their spells as a tool to produce a tangible benefit, in material goods or in status, for themselves or their companions. For others, the theoretical aspect of magic might have a strong appeal, pushing those wizards to seek out knowledge that supports new theories of the arcane or confirms old ones.

Beyond the obvious, why does your wizard character study magic, and what do you want to achieve? If you haven’t given these questions much thought, you can do so now, and the answers you come up with will likely affect how your future unfolds.

Examples:
* You will prove that the gods aren’t as powerful as folk believe.
* Immortality is the end goal of your studies.
* If you can fully understand magic, you can unlock its use for all and usher in an era of equality.
* Magic is a dangerous tool. You use it to protect what you treasure.
* Arcane power must be taken away from those who would abuse it.
* You will become the greatest wizard the world has seen in generations.

=== Eccentricity ===
Endless hours of solitary study and research can have a negative effect on anyone’s social skills. Wizards, who are a breed apart to begin with, are no exception. An odd mannerism or two is not necessarily a drawback, though; an eccentricity of this sort is usually harmless and could provide a source of amusement or serve as a calling card of sorts.

If you character has an eccentricity, is it a physical tic or a mental one? Are you well known in some circles because of it? Do you fight to overcome it, or do you embrace this minor claim to fame of yours?

Examples:
* You have the habit of tapping your foot incessantly, which often annoys those around you.
* Your memory is quite good, but you have no trouble pretending to be absentminded when it suits your purposes.
* You never enter a room without looking to see what’s hanging from the ceiling.
* Your most prized possession is a dead worm that you keep inside a potion vial.
* When you want people to leave you alone, you start talking to yourself. That usually does the trick.
* Your fashion sense and grooming, or more accurately lack thereof, sometimes cause others to assume you are a beggar.

== Wizards of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
The First Hilt parried a clumsy axe swing and caught the rhythm of the wizard’s spell. It was one with which he was well familiar. Using his free hand, the bladesinger mirrored his opponent’s casting then sent his considerable power out to surround the overmatched wizard, binding it to himself. Argent energy flew from the human’s outstretched hand only to fizzle into nothingness as the bladesinger quenched the spell.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Keith Francis Strohm, <cite>Bladesinger</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Scholars and practitioners of what they call “the Art” (see chapter 1 for details), wizards are the most disciplined spellcasters in the Forgotten Realms. They need to be, as their powers come from years of careful study and practice. Some wizards apprentice and study with an experienced master, while others attend formal academies or universities of wizardry, such as those in Evermeet or Halruaa, or in the great cities of the North like Waterdeep or Silverymoon.

With the intensity of their study and practice, wizards tend to become increasingly solitary as they advance in their Art, having fewer peers with whom they can share their insights, if they choose to share them with anyone at all. Thus great wizards often take up residence in isolated towers or strongholds, exhibiting ever more eccentric behavior as time goes on. Some say this is a mark of madness brought on by delving too deeply into arcane lore, but they never say it too loudly anywhere a wizard might overhear.

The greatest wizards of the Realms find means of extending their lives far beyond the span of any race except the elves. Archwizards may be centuries old, having seen civilizations rise and fall across Faerûn. Other wizards seeking this longevity turn to lichdom, dwelling in isolated tombs and strongholds as they withdraw from the world in body as well as mind.

=== Wizardly Groups ===
Many wizardly groups exist in the Forgotten Realms, but two, in particular, stand out.

==== The Red Wizards ====
The most infamous group of wizards in the Realms are the Red Wizards of Thay. Garbed in their distinctive red robes, the Red Wizards have sought to expand their power and to extend Thay’s influence across the Realms, particularly in lands in the East. They shave their heads and wear complex tattoos reflecting their ambitions and achievements and their favored school of magic.

In Thay, the Red Wizards have ultimate power, although they give governance of day-to-day affairs to those without skill in the Art. Every Red Wizard devotes study to one of the eight schools of magic and serves that school’s zulkir, the leader and ultimate master of that style of magic. The zulkirs and their underlings constantly vie with one another for power and influence, and this competition frequently sends Red Wizards far from Thay to seek new spells, recover lost artifacts, and create wealth that can flow back to Thay. The power the Red Wizards hold in Thay gives them a measure of diplomatic legitimacy in the lands of the Sword Coast and the North, but their presence is rarely welcome and is universally viewed with suspicion.

==== War Wizards ====
The potential for wizards to influence the outcome of battle is something no ruler in Faerûn can afford to ignore, and most great armies seek to recruit and include wizards among their ranks. Evokers are the most common, simply for the potential their spells have of inflicting the most damage to the greatest number of enemies. Still, all schools of magic find their applications in warfare.

The War Wizards of Cormyr are perhaps the best known application of the Art to the field of battle. As much soldiers as they are scholars, many of them were members of the Purple Dragons before they began their training in the Art. In addition to field duty in times of war, the War Wizards also protect the royalty of Cormyr, and each one swears a magic oath of service to the Crown. In this role, War Wizards serve as bodyguards, advisors, and even spies. Members of the royal family, Purple Dragon Knights, and officers of the Purple Dragons frequently wear magic rings that allow a War Wizards to know where they’ve gone and to scry upon them. Removing such a ring, even for innocent reasons, can call a cadre of battle-ready War Wizards to teleport nearby with attack spells already in the midst of being cast.

=== Mage Sigils ===
Wizards and many other arcane spellcasters develop a signature rune, which they use to identify their belongings, sign as their name, and warn others. As a mage gains in power, more individuals recognize the sigil and connect it with a mighty spellcaster, not to be trifled with. Some mage sigils are used in conjunction with spells such as glyph of warding, which enforces the tendency of ordinary people to shy away from items marked by such sigils. There are folktales, in fact, about the gods themselves punishing a person who misuse’s a wizard’s sigil—preposterous tales that were most likely started by wizards themselves. There is no set penalty for violating another mage’s signature sigil or using it without permission. Powerful mages tend to punish such activity themselves to discourage further use.

Apprentice wizards in Faerûn are reminded of the dangers of misusing another spellcaster’s sigil by a rhyme: “Whenever magic one doth weave / ’Tis never, ever, wise to deceive.”

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 112-115
* [[Player’s Handbook—Errata]], p. 1
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 58-59
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 140-142

[[Category:Class]]

Warlock

2018-02-03T03:07:01Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

With a pseudodragon curled on his shoulder, a young elf in golden robes smiles warmly, weaving a magical charm into his honeyed words and bending the palace sentinel to his will.

As flames spring to life in her hands, a wizened human whispers the secret name of her demonic patron, infusing her spell with fiendish magic.

Shifting his gaze between a battered tome and the odd alignment of the stars overhead, a wild-eyed tiefling chants the mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a distant world.

Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, demons, devils, hags, and alien entities of the Far Realm, warlocks piece together arcane secrets to bolster their own power.

=== Sworn and Beholden ===
A warlock is defined by a pact with an otherworldly being. Sometimes the relationship between warlock and patron is like that of a cleric and a deity, though the beings that serve as patrons for warlocks are not gods. A warlock might lead a cult dedicated to a demon prince, an archdevil, or an utterly alien entity—beings not typically served by clerics. More often, though, the arrangement is similar to that between a master and an apprentice. The warlock learns and grows in power, at the cost of occasional services performed on the patron’s behalf.

The magic bestowed on a warlock ranges from minor but lasting alterations to the warlock’s being (such as the ability to see in darkness or to read any language) to access to powerful spells. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat. They are comfortable in light armor and know how to use simple weapons.

=== Delvers into Secrets ===
Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and shapes their later careers as well.

Stories of warlocks binding themselves to fiends are widely known. But many warlocks serve patrons that are not fiendish. Sometimes a traveler in the wilds comes to a strangely beautiful tower, meets its fey lord or lady, and stumbles into a pact without being fully aware of it. And sometimes, while poring over tomes of forbidden lore, a brilliant but crazed student’s mind is opened to realities beyond the material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void.

Once a pact is made, a warlock’s thirst for knowledge and power can’t be slaked with mere study and research. No one makes a pact with such a mighty patron if he or she doesn’t intend to use the power thus gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive warlocks toward adventure.

== Creating a Warlock ==
As you make your warlock character, spend some time thinking about your patron and the obligations that your pact imposes upon you. What led you to make the pact, and how did you make contact with your patron? Were you seduced into summoning a devil, or did you seek out the ritual that would allow you to make contact with an alien elder god? Did you search for your patron, or did your patron find and choose you? Do you chafe under the obligations of your pact or serve joyfully in anticipation of the rewards promised to you?

Work with your DM to determine how big a part your pact will play in your character’s adventuring career. Your patron’s demands might drive you into adventures, or they might consist entirely of small favors you can do between adventures.

What kind of relationship do you have with your patron? Is it friendly, antagonistic, uneasy, or romantic? How important does your patron consider you to be? What part do you play in your patron’s plans? Do you know other servants of your patron?

How does your patron communicate with you? If you have a familiar, it might occasionally speak with your patron’s voice. Some warlocks find messages from their patrons etched on trees, mingled among tea leaves, or adrift in the clouds—messages that only the warlock can see. Other warlocks converse with their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries.

{|
|+
==== The Warlock ====
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!Spells Known!!Spell Slots!!Slot Level!!Invocations Known
|-
|1st||[[Otherworldly Patron]], [[Pact Magic]]||2||2||1||1st||0
|-
|2nd||[[Eldritch Invocations]]||2||3||2||1st||2
|-
|3rd||[[Pact Boon]]||2||4||2||2nd||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||5||2||2nd||2
|-
|5th||—||3||6||2||3rd||3
|-
|6th||[[Otherworldly Patron]] feature||3||7||2||3rd||3
|-
|7th||—||3||8||2||4th||4
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||9||2||4th||4
|-
|9th||—||3||10||2||5th||5
|-
|10th||[[Otherworldly Patron]] feature||4||10||2||5th||5
|-
|11th||[[Mystic Arcanum]] (6th level)||4||11||3||5th||5
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||11||3||5th||6
|-
|13th||[[Mystic Arcanum]] (7th level)||4||12||3||5th||6
|-
|14th||[[Otherworldly Patron]] feature||4||12||3||5th||6
|-
|15th||[[Mystic Arcanum]] (8th level)||4||13||3||5th||7
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||13||3||5th||7
|-
|17th||[[Mystic Arcanum]] (9th level)||4||14||4||5th||7
|-
|18th||—||4||14||4||5th||8
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||15||4||5th||8
|-
|20th||[[Eldritch Master]]||4||15||4||5th||8
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Charisma]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[charlatan]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[eldritch blast]] and [[chill touch]] [[:Category:Cantrip|cantrips]], along with the [[:Category:Level-One Spell|1st-level spells]] [[charm person]] and [[witch bolt]].

== Class Features ==
As a warlock, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per warlock level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per warlock level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Wisdom]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two skills from [[Arcana]], [[Deception]], [[History]], [[Intimidation]], [[Investigation]], [[Nature]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[light crossbow]] and 20 [[bolts]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[component pouch]] or (b) an [[arcane focus]]
* (a) a [[scholar’s pack]] or (b) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]]
* [[Leather armor]], any [[simple weapon]], and [[two daggers]]

Otherworldly Patron
At 1st level, you have struck a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice: the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Pact Magic
Your arcane research and the magic bestowed on you by your patron have given you facility with spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the warlock spell list.

Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn additional warlock cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Warlock table.

Spell Slots
The Warlock table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your warlock spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.
For example, when you are 5th level, you have two 3rd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell thunderwave, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 3rd-level spell.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Warlock table shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table’s Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.

Eldritch Invocations
In your study of occult lore, you have unearthed eldritch invocations, fragments of forbidden knowledge that imbue you with an abiding magical ability.
At 2nd level, you gain two eldritch invocations of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain warlock levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown in the Invocations Known column of the Warlock table.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation that you could learn at that level.
If an eldritch invocation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the invocation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. Level prerequisites refer to warlock level, not character level.

Pact Boon
At 3rd level, your otherworldly patron bestows a gift upon you for your loyal service. You gain one of the following features of your choice.

--
Your Pact Boon
Each Pact Boon option produces a special creature or an object that reflects your patron’s nature.
Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a reflection of your patron, with sprites and pseudodragons tied to the Archfey and imps and quasits tied to the Fiend. Because the Great Old One’s nature is inscrutable, any familiar form is suitable for it.
Pact of the Blade. If your patron is the Archfey, your weapon might be a slender blade wrapped in leafy vines. If you serve the Fiend, your weapon could be an axe made of black metal and adorned with decorative flames. If your patron is the Great Old One, your weapon might be an ancient-looking spear, with a gemstone embedded in its head, carved to look like a terrible unblinking eye.
Pact of the Tome. Your Book of Shadows might be a fine, gilt-edged tome with spells of enchantment and illusion, gifted to you by the lordly Archfey. It could be a weighty tome bound in demon hide studded with iron, holding spells of conjuration and a wealth of forbidden lore about the sinister regions of the cosmos, a gift of the Fiend. Or it could be the tattered diary of a lunatic driven mad by contact with the Great Old One, holding scraps of spells that only your own burgeoning insanity allows you to understand and cast.
--

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Mystic Arcanum
At 11th level, your patron bestows upon you a magical secret called an arcanum. Choose one 6th-level spell from the warlock spell list as this arcanum.
You can cast your arcanum spell once without expending a spell slot. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
At higher levels, you gain more warlock spells of your choice that can be cast in this way: one 7th-level spell at 13th level, one 8th-level spell at 15th level, and one 9th-level spell at 17th level. You regain all uses of your Mystic Arcanum when you finish a long rest.

Eldritch Master
At 20th level, you can draw on your inner reserve of mystical power while entreating your patron to regain expended spell slots. You can spend 1 minute entreating your patron for aid to regain all your expended spell slots from your Pact Magic feature. Once you regain spell slots with this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.

== Otherworldly Patrons ==
The beings that serve as patrons for warlocks are mighty inhabitants of other planes of existence—not gods, but almost godlike in their power. Various patrons give their warlocks access to different powers and invocations, and expect significant favors in return.

Some patrons collect warlocks, doling out mystic knowledge relatively freely or boasting of their ability to bind mortals to their will. Other patrons bestow their power only grudgingly, and might make a pact with only one warlock. Warlocks who serve the same patron might view each other as allies, siblings, or rivals.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Warlocks ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
You think me mad? I think true insanity is being content to live a life of mortal drudgery when knowledge and power is there for the taking in the realm beyond.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xarren, herald of Acamar</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
So you got your powers by making a contract with something? Is it in writing perchance? Well, never mind. Just tell me this: Can I get your powers by eating you?
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Warlocks are finders and keepers of secrets. They push at the edge of our understanding of the world, always seeking to expand their expertise. Where sages or wizards might heed a clear sign of danger and end their research, a warlock plunges ahead, heedless of the cost. Thus, it takes a peculiar mixture of intelligence, curiosity, and recklessness to produce a warlock. Many folk would describe that combination as evidence of madness. Warlocks see it as a demonstration of bravery.

Warlocks are defined by two elements that work in concert to forge their path into this class. The first element is the event or circumstances that led to a warlock’s entering into a pact with a planar entity. The second one is the nature of the entity a warlock is bound to. Unlike clerics, who typically embrace a deity and that god’s ethos, a warlock might have no love for a patron, or vice versa.

The sections that follow provide ways to embellish a warlock character that could generate some intriguing story and roleplaying opportunities.

=== Patron’s Attitude ===
Every relationship is a two-way street, but in the case of warlocks and their patrons it’s not necessarily true that both sides of the street are the same width or made of the same stuff. The feeling that a warlock holds for their patron, whether positive or negative, might be reciprocated by the patron, or the two participants in the pact might view one another with opposing emotions.

When you determine the attitude your warlock character holds toward your patron, also consider how things look from the patron’s perspective. How does your patron behave toward you? Is your patron a friend and ally, or an enemy that grants you power only because you forced a pact upon it?

Examples:
* Your patron has guided and helped your family for generations and is kindly toward you.
* Each interaction with your capricious patron is a surprise, whether pleasant or painful.
* Your patron is the spirit of a long-dead hero who sees your pact as a way for it to continue to influence the world.
* Your patron is a strict disciplinarian but treats you with a measure of respect.
* Your patron tricked you into a pact and treats you as a slave.
* You are mostly left to your own devices with no interference from your patron. Sometimes you dread the demands it will make when it does appear.

=== Special Terms of the Pact ===
A pact can range from a loose agreement to a formal contract with lengthly, detailed clauses and lists of requirements. The terms of the pact—what a warlock must do to receive a patron’s favor—are always dictated by the patron. On occasion, those terms include a special proviso that might seem odd or whimsical, but warlocks take these dictates as seriously as they do the other requirements of their pacts.

Does your character have a pact that requires you to change your behavior in an unusual or seemingly frivolous way? Even if your patron hasn’t imposed such a duty on you already, that’s not to say it couldn’t still happen.

Examples:
* When directed, you must take immediate action against a specific enemy of your patron.
* Your pact tests your willpower; you are required to abstain from alcohol and other intoxicants.
* At least once a day, you must inscribe or carve your patron’s name or symbol on the wall of a building.
* You must occasionally conduct bizarre rituals to maintain your pact.
* You can never wear the same outfit twice, since your patron finds such predictability to be boring.
* When you use an eldritch invocation, you must speak your patron’s name aloud or risk incurring its displeasure.

=== Binding Mark ===
Some patrons make a habit of, and often enjoy, marking the warlocks under their sway in some fashion. A binding mark makes it clear—to those who know about such things—that the individual in question is bound to the patron’s service. A warlock might take advantage of such a mark, claiming it as proof of one’s pact, or might want to keep it under wraps (if possible) to avoid the difficulties it might bring.

If your warlock’s pact comes with a binding mark, how you feel about displaying it probably depends on the nature of your relationship with the one who gave it to you. Is the mark a source of pride or something you are secretly ashamed of?

Examples:
* One of your eyes looks the same as one of your patron’s eyes.
* Each time you wake up, the small blemish on your face appears in a different place.
* You display outward symptoms of a disease but suffer no ill effects from it.
* Your tongue is an unnatural color.
* You have a vestigial tail.
* Your nose glows in the dark.

== Warlocks of the Sword Coast ==
Given their dealings with often sinister otherworldly patrons in exchange for power, warlocks don’t have a sterling reputation in the Realms. Even well-meaning warlocks are viewed with suspicion and justifiable caution. Some wizards feel the very existence of warlocks taints the view of their noble Art and causes the common folk to view all practitioners of magic with doubt.

Some warlocks, particularly those of fey or fiendish bloodlines, are born with a propensity for their power, drawing the attention of potential patrons even from childhood. Others seek out a pact, sometimes because they can’t find the power they desire elsewhere. Some warlocks forge multiple pacts, although they must eventually come to favor one over the others, as their patrons are jealous and possessive beings.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Sorcerer

2018-02-03T01:38:15Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Golden eyes flashing, a human stretches out her hand and unleashes the dragonfire that burns in her veins. As an inferno rages around her foes, leathery wings spread from her back and she takes to the air.

Long hair whipped by a conjured wind, a half-elf spreads his arms wide and throws his head back. Lifting him momentarily off the ground, a wave of magic surges up in him, through him, and out from him in a mighty blast of lightning.

Crouching behind a stalagmite, a halfling points a finger at a charging troglodyte. A blast of fire springs from her finger to strike the creature. She ducks back behind the rock formation with a grin, unaware that her wild magic has turned her skin bright blue.

Sorcerers carry a magical birthright conferred upon them by an exotic bloodline, some otherworldly influence, or exposure to unknown cosmic forces. One can’t study sorcery as one learns a language, any more than one can learn to live a legendary life. No one chooses sorcery; the power chooses the sorcerer.

=== Raw Magic ===
Magic is a part of every sorcerer, suffusing body, mind, and spirit with a latent power that waits to be tapped. Some sorcerers wield magic that springs from an ancient bloodline infused with the magic of dragons. Others carry a raw, uncontrolled magic within them, a chaotic storm that manifests in unexpected ways. The appearance of sorcerous powers is wildly unpredictable. Some draconic bloodlines produce exactly one sorcerer in every generation, but in other lines of descent every individual is a sorcerer. Most of the time, the talents of sorcery appear as apparent flukes. Some sorcerers can’t name the origin of their power, while others trace it to strange events in their own lives. The touch of a demon, the blessing of a dryad at a baby’s birth, or a taste of the water from a mysterious spring might spark the gift of sorcery. So too might the gift of a deity of magic, exposure to the elemental forces of the Inner Planes or the maddening chaos of Limbo, or a glimpse into the inner workings of reality.

Sorcerers have no use for the spellbooks and ancient tomes of magic lore that wizards rely on, nor do they rely on a patron to grant their spells as warlocks do. By learning to harness and channel their own inborn magic, they can discover new and staggering ways to unleash that power.

=== Unexplained Powers ===
Sorcerers are rare in the world, and it’s unusual to find a sorcerer who is not involved in the adventuring life in some way. People with magical power seething in their veins soon discover that the power doesn’t like to stay quiet. A sorcerer’s magic wants to be wielded, and it has a tendency to spill out in unpredictable ways if it isn’t called on.

Sorcerers often have obscure or quixotic motivations driving them to adventure. Some seek a greater understanding of the magical force that infuses them, or the answer to the mystery of its origin. Others hope to find a way to get rid of it, or to unleash its full potential. Whatever their goals, sorcerers are every bit as useful to an adventuring party as wizards, making up for a comparative lack of breadth in their magical knowledge with enormous flexibility in using the spells they know.

== Creating a Sorcerer ==
The most important question to consider when creating your sorcerer is the origin of your power. As a starting character, you'll choose an origin that ties to a draconic bloodline or the influence of wild magic, but the exact source of your power is up to you to decide. Is it a family curse, passed down to you from distant ancestors? Or did some extraordinary event leave you blessed with inherent magic but perhaps scarred as well?

How do you feel about the magical power coursing through you? Do you embrace it, try to master it, or revel in its unpredictable nature? Is it a blessing or a curse? Did you seek it out, or did it find you? Did you have the option to refuse it, and do you wish you had? What do you intend to do with it? Perhaps you feel like you’ve been given this power for some lofty purpose. Or you might decide that the power gives you the right to do what you want, to take what you want from those who lack such power. Perhaps your power links you to a powerful individual in the world—the fey creature that blessed you at birth, the dragon who put a drop of its blood into your veins, the lich who created you as an experiment, or the deity who chose you to carry this power.

{|
|+
==== The Sorcerer ====
!Level!!Sorcery Points!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||0||[[Spellcasting (Sorcerer)]], [[Sorcerous Origin]]||4||2||2
|-
|2nd||2||[[Font of Magic]]||4||3||3
|-
|3rd||3||[[Metamagic]]||4||4||4||2
|-
|4th||4||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||5||4||3
|-
|5th||5||—||5||6||4||3||2
|-
|6th||6||[[Sorcerous Origin]] feature||5||7||4||3||3
|-
|7th||7||—||5||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||8||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||9||—||5||10||4||3||3||3
|-
|10th||10||[[Metamagic]]||6||11||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||11||—||6||12||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||12||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||12||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||13||—||6||13||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||14||[[Sorcerous Origin]] feature||6||13||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||15||—||6||14||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||16||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||14||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||17||[[Metamagic]]||6||15||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||18||[[Sorcerous Origin]] feature||6||15||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||19||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||15||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||20||[[Sorcerous Restoration]]||6||15||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a sorcerer quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Charisma]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[hermit]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[light]], [[prestidigitation]], [[ray of frost]], and [[shocking grasp cantrips]], along with the 1st-level spells [[shield]] and [[magic missile]].

== Class Features ==
As a sorcerer, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d6 per sorcerer level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 6 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d6 (or 4) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per sorcerer level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' None

'''Weapons:''' [[Daggers]], [[darts]], [[slings]], [[quarterstaffs]], [[light crossbows]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Constitution]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills''': Choose two from [[Arcana]], [[Deception]], [[Insight]], [[Intimidation]], [[Persuasion]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[light crossbow]] and 20 [[bolts]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[component pouch]] or (b) an [[arcane focus]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* Two [[daggers]]

Spellcasting
An event in your past, or in the life of a parent or ancestor, left an indelible mark on you, infusing you with arcane magic. This font of magic, whatever its origin, fuels your spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the sorcerer spell list.

Cantrips
At 1st level, you know four cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. You learn additional sorcerer cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Sorcerer table.

Spell Slots
The Sorcerer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these sorcerer spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell burning hands and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast burning hands using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the sorcerer spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Sorcerer table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the sorcerer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the sorcerer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells, since the power of your magic relies on your ability to project your will into the world. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save D C = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your sorcerer spells.

Sorcerous Origin
Choose a sorcerous origin, which describes the source of your innate magical power: Draconic Bloodline or Wild Magic, both detailed at the end of the class description.
Your choice grants you features when you choose it at 1st level and again at 6th, 14th, and 18th level.

Font of Magic
At 2nd level, you tap into a deep wellspring of magic within yourself. This wellspring is represented by sorcery points, which allow you to create a variety of magical effects.

Sorcery Points
You have 2 sorcery points, and you gain more as you reach higher levels, as shown in the Sorcery Points column of the Sorcerer table. You can never have more sorcery points than shown on the table for your level. You regain all spent sorcery points when you finish a long rest.

Flexible Casting
You can use your sorcery points to gain additional spell slots, or sacrifice spell slots to gain additional sorcery points. You learn other ways to use your sorcery points as you reach higher levels.
Creating Spell Slots. You can transform unexpended sorcery points into one spell slot as a bonus action on your turn. The Creating Spell Slots table shows the cost of creating a spell slot of a given level. You can create spell slots no higher in level than 5th. The created spell slots vanish at the end of a long rest.

---
Creating Spell Slots
---
Spell Slot Level, Sorcery Point Cost
1st, 2
2nd, 3
3rd, 5
4th, 6
5th, 7
---

Converting a Spell Slot to Sorcery Points. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend one spell slot and gain a number of sorcery points equal to the slot’s level.

Metamagic
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to twist your spells to suit your needs. You gain two of the following Metamagic options of your choice. You gain another one at 10th and 17th level.
You can use only one Metamagic option on a spell when you cast it, unless otherwise noted.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Sorcerous Restoration
At 20th level, you regain 4 expended sorcery points whenever you finish a short rest.

== Sorcerous Origins ==
Different sorcerers claim different origins for their innate magic. Although many variations exist, most of these origins fall into two categories: a draconic bloodline and wild magic.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Sorcerers ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Practice and study are for amateurs. True power is a birthright.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Hennet, scion of Tiamat</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Divine? Arcane? What difference does it made where magic comes from? You’ve got it or you don’t. Fortunately, I’ve got loads of the the stuff.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

When it comes to drawing forth their abilities in times of need, sorcerers have it easy compared to other characters. Their power not only rests within them, but it likely takes some effort to keep it at bay. Every sorcerer is born to the role, or stumbles into it through cosmic chance. Unlike other characters, who must actively learn, embrace, and pursue their talents, sorcerers have their power thrust upon them.

Because the idea of an innately magical being traveling among them does not sit well with many folk, sorcerers tend to breed mistrust and suspicion in others they come across. Nonetheless, many sorcerers succeed in overcoming that prejudice through deeds that benefit their less magically gifted contemporaries.

Sorcerers are often defined by the events surrounding the manifestation of their power. For those who receive it as an expected birthright, its appearance is a cause for celebration. Other sorcerers are treated as outcasts, banished from their homes after the sudden, terrifying arrival of their abilities.

Playing a sorcerer character can be as rewarding as it is challenging. The sections below offer suggestions on how to flesh out and personalize your persona.

=== Arcane Origin ===
Some sorcerers understand where their power came from, based on how their abilities manifested. Others can only speculate, since their powers came to them in a way that suggests to particular cause.

Does your character know the source of your magical power? Does it tie back to some distant relative, a cosmic event, or blind chance? If your sorcerer doesn’t know where their power arose from, your DM can use this table (or select an origin) and reveal it to you when the information plays a role in the campaign.

Examples:
* Your power arises from your family’s bloodline. You are related to some powerful creature, or you inherited a blessing or a curse.
* You are the reincarnation of a being from another plane of existence.
* A powerful entity entered the world. Its magic changed you.
* Your birth was prophesied in an ancient text, and your are foretold to use your power for terrible ends.
* You are the product of generations of careful, selective breeding.
* You were made in a vat by an alchemist.

=== Reaction ===
When a new sorcerer enters the world, either at birth or later when one’s power becomes evident, the consequences of that event depend greatly on how its witnesses react to what they have seen.

When your sorcerer’s powers appeared, how did the world around you respond? Were other people supportive, fearful, or somewhere in between?

Examples:
* Your powers are seen as a great blessing by those around you, and you are expected to use them in service to your community.
* Your powers caused destruction and even a death when they became evident, and you were treated as a criminal.
* Your neighbors hate and fear your power, causing them to shun you.
* You came to the attention of a sinister cult that plans on exploiting your abilities.
* People around you believe that your powers are a curse levied on your family for a past transgression.
* Your powers are believed to be tied to an ancient line of mad kings that supposedly ended in a bloody revolt over a century ago.

=== Supernatural Mark ===
A sorcerer at rest is almost indistinguishable from a normal person; it’s only when their magic flies forth that sorcerers reveal their true nature. Even so, many sorcerers have a subtle but telling physical trait that sets them apart from other folk.

If your sorcerer has a supernatural mark, it might be one that’s easily concealed, or it could be a source of pride that you keep on constant display.

Examples:
* Your eyes are an unusual color, such as red.
* You have an extra toe on one foot.
* One of your ears is noticeably larger than the other.
* Your hair grows at a prodigious rate.
* You wrinkle your nose repeatedly while you are chewing.
* A red splotch appears on your neck once a day, then vanishes after an hour.

=== Sign of Sorcery ===
As the world well knows, some sorcerers are better than others at controlling their spellcasting. Sometimes a wild display of magic gone awry emanates from a sorcerer who casts a spell. But even when one’s magic goes off as planned, the act of casting is often accompanied by a telltale sign that makes it clear where that magical energy came from.

When your sorcerer character casts a spell, does the effort reveal itself in a sign of sorcery? Is this sign tied to your origin or some other aspect of who you are, or is it a seemingly random phenomenon?

Examples:
* You deliver the verbal components of your spells in the booming voice of a titan.
* For a moment after you cast a spell, the area around you grows dark and gloomy.
* You sweat profusely while casting a spell and for a few seconds thereafter.
* Your hair and garments are briefly buffeted about, as if by a breeze, whenever you call forth a spell.
* If you are standing when you cast a spell, you rise six inches into the air and gently float back down.
* Illusory blue flames wreathe your head as you begin your casting, then abruptly disappear.

== Sorcerers in the Sword Coast ==
The Weave of magic infuses every part of the Realms, and some people have the natural ability to perceive, touch, and shape the Weave. Some inherit this ability from a magical ancestor such as a dragon or an angel, others gain it by accident from exposure to wild magical power, and others manifest this power by chance or the hand of fate, perhaps portended by events at their conception or birth.

Due to their varied origins and delayed manifestation of powers, sorcerers can be found almost anywhere and among almost any people. Larger cities on the Sword Coast—including Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep—all have a few sorcerers, since people with magic gravitate to places where their abilities are valued. Sorcerers are slightly more common among cultures steeped in magic, such as among the elves of Evermeet and the humans of Halruua. The witches of Rashemen are sorcerers who lead that country’s society, but their Thayan neighbors often persecute the sorcerers who appear in Thay, seeing sorcery as a threat to the nation’s power structure, which is based on the study of wizardry. Magic-hating cultures, such as the Northlanders and Uthgardt, exile or kill the sorcerers who manifest among them.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Rogue

2018-02-03T01:19:47Z

Jason: Add links to level table.

Signaling for her companions to wait, a halfling creeps forward through the dungeon hall. She presses an ear to the door, then pulls out a set of tools and picks the lock in the blink of an eye. Then she disappears into the shadows as her fighter friend moves forward to kick the door open.

A human lurks in the shadows of an alley while his accomplice prepares for her part in the ambush. When their target—a notorious slaver—passes the alleyway, the accomplice cries out, the slaver comes to investigate, and the assassin’s blade cuts his throat before he can make a sound.

Suppressing a giggle, a gnome waggles her fingers and magically lifts the key ring from the guard’s belt. In a moment, the keys are in her hand, the cell door is open, and she and her companions are free to make their escape.

Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and their foes’ vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation. They have a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful adventuring party.

=== Skill and Precision ===
Rogues devote as much effort to mastering the use of a variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the skills that help them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks.

When it comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for avoiding danger, and a few learn magical tricks to supplement their other abilities.

=== A Shady Living ===
Every town and city has its share of rogues. Most of them live up to the worst stereotypes of the class, making a living as burglars, assassins, cutpurses, and con artists. Often, these scoundrels are organized into thieves’ guilds or crime families. Plenty of rogues operate independently, but even they sometimes recruit apprentices to help them in their scams and heists. A few rogues make an honest living as locksmiths, investigators, or exterminators, which can be a dangerous job in a world where dire rats—and wererats—haunt the sewers.

As adventurers, rogues fall on both sides of the law. Some are hardened criminals who decide to seek their fortune in treasure hoards, while others take up a life of adventure to escape from the law. Some have learned and perfected their skills with the explicit purpose of infiltrating ancient ruins and hidden crypts in search of treasure.

== Creating a Rogue ==
As you create your rogue character, consider the character’s relationship to the law. Do you have a criminal past—or present? Are you on the run from the law or from an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal?

What was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find a new means of support. Or maybe you made a new friend—another member of your adventuring party—who showed you new possibilities for earning a living and employing your particular talents.

{|
|+
==== The Rogue ====
!Level!!Sneak Attack!!Features
|-
|1st||1d6||[[Expertise]], [[Sneak Attack]], [[Thieves’ Cant]]
|-
|2nd||1d6||[[Cunning Action]]
|-
|3rd||2d6||[[Roguish Archetype]]
|-
|4th||2d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|5th||3d6||[[Uncanny Dodge]]
|-
|6th||3d6||[[Expertise]]
|-
|7th||4d6||[[Evasion]]
|-
|8th||4d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|9th||5d6||[[Roguish Archetype]] feature
|-
|10th||5d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|11th||6d6||[[Reliable Talent]]
|-
|12th||6d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|13th||7d6||[[Roguish Archetype]] feature
|-
|14th||7d6||[[Blindsense]]
|-
|15th||8d6||[[Slippery Mind]]
|-
|16th||8d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|17th||9d6||[[Roguish Archetype]] feature
|-
|18th||9d6||[[Elusive]]
|-
|19th||10d6||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|20th||10d6||[[Stroke of Luck]]
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First. [[Dexterity]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]]. Make [[Intelligence]] your next-highest if you want to excel at [[Investigation]] or plan to take up the [[Arcane Trickster]] archetype. Choose [[Charisma]] instead if you plan to emphasize deception and social interaction. Second, choose the [[charlatan]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a rogue, you have the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per rogue level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per rogue level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[hand crossbows]], [[longswords]], [[rapiers]], [[shortswords]]

'''Tools:''' [[Thieves’ tools]]

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Dexterity]], [[Intelligence]]

'''Skills:''' Choose four from [[Acrobatics]], [[Athletics]], [[Deception]], [[Insight]], [[Intimidation]], [[Investigation]], [[Perception]], [[Performance]], [[Persuasion]], [[Sleight of Hand]], and [[Stealth]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[rapier]] or (b) a [[shortsword]]
* (a) a [[shortbow]] and [[quiver]] of 20 [[arrows]] or (b) a [[shortsword]]
* (a) a [[burglar’s pack]], (b) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]], or (c) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* [[Leather armor]], two [[daggers]], and [[thieves’ tools]]

Expertise
At 1st level, choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies (in skills or with thieves’ tools) to gain this benefit.

Sneak Attack
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.

Thieves’ Cant
During your rogue training you learned thieves’ cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves’ cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly.
In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.

Cunning Action
Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Roguish Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your rogue abilities: Thief, Assassin, or Arcane Trickster, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Uncanny Dodge
Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Reliable Talent
By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Blindsense
Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

Slippery Mind
By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental strength. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

Elusive
Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren’t incapacitated.

Stroke of Luck
At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

== Roguish Archetypes ==
Rogues have many features in common, including their emphasis on perfecting their skills, their precise and deadly approach to combat, and their increasingly quick reflexes. But different rogues steer those talents in varying directions, embodied by the rogue archetypes. Your choice of archetype is a reflection of your focus—not necessarily an indication of your chosen profession, but a description of your preferred techniques.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Rogues ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
People forget that the entire point of venturing down into a dusty tomb is to bring back the prizes hidden away there. Fighting is for fools. Dead men can’t spend their fortunes.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Barnabas Bladecutter</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">Thieves are the worst. I hate anyone that handles my stuff when I’m not looking, especially if they don’t put it back where they found it.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

When brute force won’t get the job done, or when magic isn’t available or appropriate, the rogue rises to the fore. With skills tied to stealth, subterfuge, and trickery, rogues can get into and out of trouble in ways that few other characters can emulate.

Some rogues who turn to adventuring are former criminals who have decided that dodging monsters is preferable to remaining one step ahead of the law. Others are professional killers in search of a profitable application of their talents between contracts. Some simply love the thrill of overcoming any challenge that stands in their way.

On adventures, a rogue is likely to mix an outwardly cautious approach—few rogues enjoy combat—with a ravenous hunger for loot. Most of the time, in a rogue’s mind, taking up arms against a creature is not about killing the creature but about becoming the new owner of its treasure.

The following sections explore certain facets of what it means to be a rogue, which you can use to add depth to your character.

=== Guilty Pleasure ===
Most of what rogues do revolves around obtaining treasure and preventing others from doing the same. Little gets in the way of attaining those goals, except that many rogues are enticed away from that path by a compulsion that clouds their thinking—an irresistible need that must be satisfied, even if doing so is risky.

A rogue’s guilty pleasure could be the acquisition of a physical item, something to be experienced, or a way of conducting oneself at certain times. One rogue might not be able to pass up any loot made of silver, for instance, even if said loot is hanging around the neck of a castle guard. Another one can’t go through a day in the city without lifting a purse or two, just to keep in practice.

What’s the one form of temptation that your rogue character can’t resist when the opportunity presents itself, even if giving into it might mean trouble for you and your companions?

Examples:
* Large gems
* A smile from a pretty face
* A new ring for your finger
* The chance to deflate someone’s ego
* The finest food and drink
* Adding to your collection of exotic coins

=== Adversary ===
Naturally, those who enforce the law are bound to come up against those who break it, and it’s the rare rogue who isn’t featured on at least one wanted poster. Beyond that, it’s in the nature of their profession that rogues often come into contact with criminal elements, whether out of choice or necessity. Some of those people can be adversaries too, and they’re likely to be harder to deal with than the average member of the city watch.

If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to come up with a reason why an adversary has appeared in your life. Perhaps you’ve been the subject of scrutiny for a while from someone who wants to use your for nefarious purposes and has just now become known to you. Such an incident could be the basis for an upcoming adventure.

Does your rogue character have an adversary who also happens to be a criminal? If so, how is this relationship affecting your life?

Examples:
* The pirate captain on whose ship you once served; what you call moving on, the captain calls mutiny
* A master spy to whom you unwittingly fed bad information, which led to the assassination of the wrong target
* The master of the local thieves’ guild, who wants you to join the organization or leave town
* An art collector who uses illegal means to acquire masterpieces
* A fence who uses you as a messenger to set up illicit meetings
* The proprietor of an illegal pit fighting arena where you once took bets

=== Benefactor ===
Few rogues make it far in life before needing someone’s help, which means thereafter owing that benefactor a significant debt.

If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to determine why a benefactor has appeared in your life. Perhaps you benefited from something your benefactor did for you without realizing who was responsible, and that person has now just become known to you. Who helped you in the past, whether or not you knew it at the time, and what do you owe that person as recompense?

Examples:
* A smuggler kept you from getting caught but lost a valuable shipment in doing so. Now you owe that person an equally valuable favor.
* The Beggar King has hidden you from your pursuers many times, in return for future considerations.
* A magistrate once kept you out of jail in return for information on a powerful crime lord.
* Your parents used their savings to bail you out of trouble in your younger days and are now destitute.
* A dragon didn’t eat you when it had the chance, and in return you promised to set aside choice pieces of treasure for it.
* A druid once helped you out of a tight spot; now any random animal you see could be that benefactor, perhaps come to claim a return favor.

== Rogues of the Sword Coast ==
There are those whose abilities lie not with sword or the Art, but with quiet motion, dexterous action, and stealth. Such talents often lead to illegal endeavors, which plague most major cities, but can be placed to good use in dealing with dangerous monsters and lost treasure.

Most large cities in the Realms have a number of thieves’ dens that compete with one another. A few places, such as Baldur’s Gate, have an organized group of rogues that controls all such activity. Most thieves’ dens are secret gathering spots, often beneath the city, and move after they’re discovered.

The city of Waterdeep had once been home to the most powerful guild of thieves in the North: the Shadow Thieves. The Lords of Waterdeep smashed that guild, forcing its leaders to flee the city (the group still operates out of Amn). There are still thieves and even assassins in Waterdeep, but they are broken into innumerable small groups or operate alone.

The most common respite for such robbers is what they call the Honest Trade—adventuring, where roguish abilities may be used without censure and are later lionized in song and legend. Many thieves take to this life, adhering to a code that keeps them out of trouble in civilized areas but still keeps them rich; they vow to burglarize ancient tombs and monstrous lairs instead of the homes and businesses of the wealthy in civilized lands.

Some rogues have learned it is easier to pick someone’s pocket when you have a royal writ, which is to say many rogues are diplomats, courtiers, influence-peddlers, and information-brokers, in addition to the better-known thieves and assassins. Such rogues blend more easily into civilized society, more often acting as grease in the wheels than a wrench in the works.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Rogue

2018-02-03T01:17:48Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Signaling for her companions to wait, a halfling creeps forward through the dungeon hall. She presses an ear to the door, then pulls out a set of tools and picks the lock in the blink of an eye. Then she disappears into the shadows as her fighter friend moves forward to kick the door open.

A human lurks in the shadows of an alley while his accomplice prepares for her part in the ambush. When their target—a notorious slaver—passes the alleyway, the accomplice cries out, the slaver comes to investigate, and the assassin’s blade cuts his throat before he can make a sound.

Suppressing a giggle, a gnome waggles her fingers and magically lifts the key ring from the guard’s belt. In a moment, the keys are in her hand, the cell door is open, and she and her companions are free to make their escape.

Rogues rely on skill, stealth, and their foes’ vulnerabilities to get the upper hand in any situation. They have a knack for finding the solution to just about any problem, demonstrating a resourcefulness and versatility that is the cornerstone of any successful adventuring party.

=== Skill and Precision ===
Rogues devote as much effort to mastering the use of a variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the skills that help them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks.

When it comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for avoiding danger, and a few learn magical tricks to supplement their other abilities.

=== A Shady Living ===
Every town and city has its share of rogues. Most of them live up to the worst stereotypes of the class, making a living as burglars, assassins, cutpurses, and con artists. Often, these scoundrels are organized into thieves’ guilds or crime families. Plenty of rogues operate independently, but even they sometimes recruit apprentices to help them in their scams and heists. A few rogues make an honest living as locksmiths, investigators, or exterminators, which can be a dangerous job in a world where dire rats—and wererats—haunt the sewers.

As adventurers, rogues fall on both sides of the law. Some are hardened criminals who decide to seek their fortune in treasure hoards, while others take up a life of adventure to escape from the law. Some have learned and perfected their skills with the explicit purpose of infiltrating ancient ruins and hidden crypts in search of treasure.

== Creating a Rogue ==
As you create your rogue character, consider the character’s relationship to the law. Do you have a criminal past—or present? Are you on the run from the law or from an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal?

What was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find a new means of support. Or maybe you made a new friend—another member of your adventuring party—who showed you new possibilities for earning a living and employing your particular talents.

{|
|+
==== The Rogue ====
!Level!!Sneak Attack!!Features
|-
|1st||1d6||Expertise, Sneak Attack, Thieves’ Cant
|-
|2nd||1d6||Cunning Action
|-
|3rd||2d6||Roguish Archetype
|-
|4th||2d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|5th||3d6||Uncanny Dodge
|-
|6th||3d6||Expertise
|-
|7th||4d6||Evasion
|-
|8th||4d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|9th||5d6||Roguish Archetype feature
|-
|10th||5d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|11th||6d6||Reliable Talent
|-
|12th||6d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|13th||7d6||Roguish Archetype feature
|-
|14th||7d6||Blindsense
|-
|15th||8d6||Slippery Mind
|-
|16th||8d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|17th||9d6||Roguish Archetype feature
|-
|18th||9d6||Elusive
|-
|19th||10d6||Ability Score Improvement
|-
|20th||10d6||Stroke of Luck
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First. [[Dexterity]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]]. Make [[Intelligence]] your next-highest if you want to excel at [[Investigation]] or plan to take up the [[Arcane Trickster]] archetype. Choose [[Charisma]] instead if you plan to emphasize deception and social interaction. Second, choose the [[charlatan]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a rogue, you have the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per rogue level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per rogue level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[hand crossbows]], [[longswords]], [[rapiers]], [[shortswords]]

'''Tools:''' [[Thieves’ tools]]

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Dexterity]], [[Intelligence]]

'''Skills:''' Choose four from [[Acrobatics]], [[Athletics]], [[Deception]], [[Insight]], [[Intimidation]], [[Investigation]], [[Perception]], [[Performance]], [[Persuasion]], [[Sleight of Hand]], and [[Stealth]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[rapier]] or (b) a [[shortsword]]
* (a) a [[shortbow]] and [[quiver]] of 20 [[arrows]] or (b) a [[shortsword]]
* (a) a [[burglar’s pack]], (b) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]], or (c) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* [[Leather armor]], two [[daggers]], and [[thieves’ tools]]

Expertise
At 1st level, choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 6th level, you can choose two more of your proficiencies (in skills or with thieves’ tools) to gain this benefit.

Sneak Attack
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.

Thieves’ Cant
During your rogue training you learned thieves’ cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves’ cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly.
In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.

Cunning Action
Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Roguish Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your rogue abilities: Thief, Assassin, or Arcane Trickster, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Uncanny Dodge
Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

Evasion
Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Reliable Talent
By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Blindsense
Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

Slippery Mind
By 15th level, you have acquired greater mental strength. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

Elusive
Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren’t incapacitated.

Stroke of Luck
At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

== Roguish Archetypes ==
Rogues have many features in common, including their emphasis on perfecting their skills, their precise and deadly approach to combat, and their increasingly quick reflexes. But different rogues steer those talents in varying directions, embodied by the rogue archetypes. Your choice of archetype is a reflection of your focus—not necessarily an indication of your chosen profession, but a description of your preferred techniques.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Rogues ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
People forget that the entire point of venturing down into a dusty tomb is to bring back the prizes hidden away there. Fighting is for fools. Dead men can’t spend their fortunes.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Barnabas Bladecutter</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">Thieves are the worst. I hate anyone that handles my stuff when I’m not looking, especially if they don’t put it back where they found it.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

When brute force won’t get the job done, or when magic isn’t available or appropriate, the rogue rises to the fore. With skills tied to stealth, subterfuge, and trickery, rogues can get into and out of trouble in ways that few other characters can emulate.

Some rogues who turn to adventuring are former criminals who have decided that dodging monsters is preferable to remaining one step ahead of the law. Others are professional killers in search of a profitable application of their talents between contracts. Some simply love the thrill of overcoming any challenge that stands in their way.

On adventures, a rogue is likely to mix an outwardly cautious approach—few rogues enjoy combat—with a ravenous hunger for loot. Most of the time, in a rogue’s mind, taking up arms against a creature is not about killing the creature but about becoming the new owner of its treasure.

The following sections explore certain facets of what it means to be a rogue, which you can use to add depth to your character.

=== Guilty Pleasure ===
Most of what rogues do revolves around obtaining treasure and preventing others from doing the same. Little gets in the way of attaining those goals, except that many rogues are enticed away from that path by a compulsion that clouds their thinking—an irresistible need that must be satisfied, even if doing so is risky.

A rogue’s guilty pleasure could be the acquisition of a physical item, something to be experienced, or a way of conducting oneself at certain times. One rogue might not be able to pass up any loot made of silver, for instance, even if said loot is hanging around the neck of a castle guard. Another one can’t go through a day in the city without lifting a purse or two, just to keep in practice.

What’s the one form of temptation that your rogue character can’t resist when the opportunity presents itself, even if giving into it might mean trouble for you and your companions?

Examples:
* Large gems
* A smile from a pretty face
* A new ring for your finger
* The chance to deflate someone’s ego
* The finest food and drink
* Adding to your collection of exotic coins

=== Adversary ===
Naturally, those who enforce the law are bound to come up against those who break it, and it’s the rare rogue who isn’t featured on at least one wanted poster. Beyond that, it’s in the nature of their profession that rogues often come into contact with criminal elements, whether out of choice or necessity. Some of those people can be adversaries too, and they’re likely to be harder to deal with than the average member of the city watch.

If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to come up with a reason why an adversary has appeared in your life. Perhaps you’ve been the subject of scrutiny for a while from someone who wants to use your for nefarious purposes and has just now become known to you. Such an incident could be the basis for an upcoming adventure.

Does your rogue character have an adversary who also happens to be a criminal? If so, how is this relationship affecting your life?

Examples:
* The pirate captain on whose ship you once served; what you call moving on, the captain calls mutiny
* A master spy to whom you unwittingly fed bad information, which led to the assassination of the wrong target
* The master of the local thieves’ guild, who wants you to join the organization or leave town
* An art collector who uses illegal means to acquire masterpieces
* A fence who uses you as a messenger to set up illicit meetings
* The proprietor of an illegal pit fighting arena where you once took bets

=== Benefactor ===
Few rogues make it far in life before needing someone’s help, which means thereafter owing that benefactor a significant debt.

If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to determine why a benefactor has appeared in your life. Perhaps you benefited from something your benefactor did for you without realizing who was responsible, and that person has now just become known to you. Who helped you in the past, whether or not you knew it at the time, and what do you owe that person as recompense?

Examples:
* A smuggler kept you from getting caught but lost a valuable shipment in doing so. Now you owe that person an equally valuable favor.
* The Beggar King has hidden you from your pursuers many times, in return for future considerations.
* A magistrate once kept you out of jail in return for information on a powerful crime lord.
* Your parents used their savings to bail you out of trouble in your younger days and are now destitute.
* A dragon didn’t eat you when it had the chance, and in return you promised to set aside choice pieces of treasure for it.
* A druid once helped you out of a tight spot; now any random animal you see could be that benefactor, perhaps come to claim a return favor.

== Rogues of the Sword Coast ==
There are those whose abilities lie not with sword or the Art, but with quiet motion, dexterous action, and stealth. Such talents often lead to illegal endeavors, which plague most major cities, but can be placed to good use in dealing with dangerous monsters and lost treasure.

Most large cities in the Realms have a number of thieves’ dens that compete with one another. A few places, such as Baldur’s Gate, have an organized group of rogues that controls all such activity. Most thieves’ dens are secret gathering spots, often beneath the city, and move after they’re discovered.

The city of Waterdeep had once been home to the most powerful guild of thieves in the North: the Shadow Thieves. The Lords of Waterdeep smashed that guild, forcing its leaders to flee the city (the group still operates out of Amn). There are still thieves and even assassins in Waterdeep, but they are broken into innumerable small groups or operate alone.

The most common respite for such robbers is what they call the Honest Trade—adventuring, where roguish abilities may be used without censure and are later lionized in song and legend. Many thieves take to this life, adhering to a code that keeps them out of trouble in civilized areas but still keeps them rich; they vow to burglarize ancient tombs and monstrous lairs instead of the homes and businesses of the wealthy in civilized lands.

Some rogues have learned it is easier to pick someone’s pocket when you have a royal writ, which is to say many rogues are diplomats, courtiers, influence-peddlers, and information-brokers, in addition to the better-known thieves and assassins. Such rogues blend more easily into civilized society, more often acting as grease in the wheels than a wrench in the works.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Ranger, revised

2018-02-02T23:01:02Z

Jason: Fix some mistaken bolding, and add some links.

{|
|+
==== The Ranger ====
!Level!!Features!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th
|-
|1st||[[Favored Enemy]], [[Natural Explorer]]
|-
|2nd||[[Fighting Style]], [[Spellcasting (Ranger)]]||2||2
|-
|3rd||[[Primeval Awareness]], [[Ranger Conclave]]||3||3
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||3
|-
|5th||[[Ranger Conclave]] feature||4||4||2
|-
|6th||[[Greater Favored Enemy]]||4||4||2
|-
|7th||[[Ranger Conclave]] feature||5||4||3
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]], [[Fleet of Foot]]||5||4||3
|-
|9th||—||6||4||3||2
|-
|10th||[[Hide in Plain Sight]]||6||4||3||2
|-
|11th||[[Ranger Conclave]] feature||7||4||3||3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||7||4||3||3
|-
|13th||—||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|14th||[[Vanish]]||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|15th||[[Ranger Conclave]] feature||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|17th||—||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|18th||[[Feral Senses]]||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||11||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|20th||[[Foe Slayer]]||11||4||3||3||3||2
|}

== Class Features ==
As a ranger, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d10 per ranger level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 10 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d10 (or 6) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per ranger level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Dexterity]]

'''Skills:''' Choose three from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Insight]], [[Investigation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], [[Stealth]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) [[scale mail]] or (b) [[leather armor]]
* (a) two [[shortswords]] or (b) two [[simple melee weapons]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[longbow]] and a [[quiver]] of 20 [[arrows]]

Favored Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy commonly encountered in the wilds.
Choose a type of favored enemy: beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead. You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with weapon attacks against creatures of the chosen type. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it. However, you are free to pick any language you wish to learn.

Natural Explorer
You are a master of navigating the natural world, and you react with swift and decisive action when attacked. This grants you the following benefits:
* You ignore difficult terrain.
* You have advantage on initiative rolls.
* On your first turn during combat, you have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.
In addition, you are skilled at navigating the wilderness. You gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:
* Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
* Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
* Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
* If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
* When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
* While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting
By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.

Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd- level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, your mastery of ranger lore allows you to establish a powerful link to beasts and to the land around you.
You have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast as an action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.
You cannot use this ability against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.
Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creatures’ general direction and distance (in miles) from you.
If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group.

Ranger Conclave
At 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a ranger conclave: the Beast Conclave, the Hunter Conclave, or the Stalker Conclave, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 5th, 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Greater Favored Enemy
At 6th level, you are ready to hunt even deadlier game. Choose a type of greater favored enemy: aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, or giants. You gain all the benefits against this chosen enemy that you normally gain against your favored enemy, including an additional language. Your bonus to damage rolls against all your favored enemies increases to +4.
Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by a greater favored enemy.

Fleet of Foot
Beginning at 8th level, you can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn.

Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, you can remain perfectly still for long periods of time to set up ambushes.
When you attempt to hide on your turn, you can opt to not move on that turn. If you avoid moving, creatures that attempt to detect you take a −10 penalty to their Wisdom (Perception) checks until the start of your next turn. You lose this benefit if you move or fall prone, either voluntarily or because of some external effect. You are still automatically detected if any effect or action causes you to no longer be hidden.
If you are still hidden on your next turn, you can continue to remain motionless and gain this benefit until you are detected.

Vanish
Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can’t be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.

Feral Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened.

Foe Slayer
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

== Ranger Conclaves ==
Across the wilds, rangers come together to form conclaves—loose associations whose members share a similar outlook on how best to protect nature from those who would despoil it.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Ranger, revised

2018-02-02T22:58:21Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

{|
|+
==== The Ranger ====
!Level!!Features!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th
|-
|1st||Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer
|-
|2nd||Fighting Style, Spellcasting||2||2
|-
|3rd||Primeval Awareness, Ranger Conclave||3||3
|-
|4th||Ability Score Improvement||3||3
|-
|5th||Ranger Conclave feature||4||4||2
|-
|6th||Greater Favored Enemy||4||4||2
|-
|7th||Ranger Conclave feature||5||4||3
|-
|8th||Ability Score Improvement, Fleet of Foot||5||4||3
|-
|9th||—||6||4||3||2
|-
|10th||Hide in Plain Sight||6||4||3||2
|-
|11th||Ranger Conclave feature||7||4||3||3
|-
|12th||Ability Score Improvement||7||4||3||3
|-
|13th||—||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|14th||Vanish||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|15th||Ranger Conclave feature||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|16th||Ability Score Improvement||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|17th||—||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|18th||Feral Senses||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|19th||Ability Score Improvement||11||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|20th||Foe Slayer||11||4||3||3||3||2
|}

== Class Features ==
As a ranger, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d10 per ranger level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 10 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d10 (or 6) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per ranger level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Dexterity]]

'''Skills:''' Choose three from '''Animal Handling''', '''Athletics''', '''Insight''', '''Investigation''', '''Nature''', '''Perception''', '''Stealth''', and '''Survival'''

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) [[scale mail]] or (b) [[leather armor]]
* (a) two [[shortswords]] or (b) two [[simple melee weapons]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[longbow]] and a [[quiver]] of 20 [[arrows]]

Favored Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy commonly encountered in the wilds.
Choose a type of favored enemy: beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead. You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with weapon attacks against creatures of the chosen type. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it. However, you are free to pick any language you wish to learn.

Natural Explorer
You are a master of navigating the natural world, and you react with swift and decisive action when attacked. This grants you the following benefits:
* You ignore difficult terrain.
* You have advantage on initiative rolls.
* On your first turn during combat, you have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.
In addition, you are skilled at navigating the wilderness. You gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:
* Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
* Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
* Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
* If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
* When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
* While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting
By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.

Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd- level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, your mastery of ranger lore allows you to establish a powerful link to beasts and to the land around you.
You have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast as an action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.
You cannot use this ability against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.
Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creatures’ general direction and distance (in miles) from you.
If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group.

Ranger Conclave
At 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a ranger conclave: the Beast Conclave, the Hunter Conclave, or the Stalker Conclave, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 5th, 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Greater Favored Enemy
At 6th level, you are ready to hunt even deadlier game. Choose a type of greater favored enemy: aberrations, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, or giants. You gain all the benefits against this chosen enemy that you normally gain against your favored enemy, including an additional language. Your bonus to damage rolls against all your favored enemies increases to +4.
Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by a greater favored enemy.

Fleet of Foot
Beginning at 8th level, you can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn.

Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, you can remain perfectly still for long periods of time to set up ambushes.
When you attempt to hide on your turn, you can opt to not move on that turn. If you avoid moving, creatures that attempt to detect you take a −10 penalty to their Wisdom (Perception) checks until the start of your next turn. You lose this benefit if you move or fall prone, either voluntarily or because of some external effect. You are still automatically detected if any effect or action causes you to no longer be hidden.
If you are still hidden on your next turn, you can continue to remain motionless and gain this benefit until you are detected.

Vanish
Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can’t be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.

Feral Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened.

Foe Slayer
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

== Ranger Conclaves ==
Across the wilds, rangers come together to form conclaves—loose associations whose members share a similar outlook on how best to protect nature from those who would despoil it.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Ranger

2018-02-02T22:50:56Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Rough and wild looking, a human stalks alone through the shadows of trees, hunting the orcs he knows are planning a raid on a nearby farm. Clutching a shortsword in each hand, he becomes a whirlwind of steel, cutting down one enemy after another.

After tumbling away from a cone of freezing air, an elf finds her feet and draws back her bow to loose an arrow at the white dragon. Shrugging off the wave of fear that emanates from the dragon like the cold of its breath, she sends one arrow after another to find the gaps between the dragon’s thick scales.

Holding his hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to the owlbear he’s been tracking and sends the hawk to distract the creature while he readies his bow.

Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch.

=== Deadly Hunters ===
Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization—humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes.

Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger’s talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands.

=== Independent Adventurers ===
Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a ranger’s true calling is to defend the outskirts of civilization from the ravages of monsters and humanoid hordes that press in from the wild. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many rangers, though, are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a ranger might be the first—and possibly the last—line of defense.

This fierce independence makes rangers well suited to adventuring, since they are accustomed to life far from the comforts of a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced with city-bred adventurers who grouse and whine about the hardships of the wild, rangers respond with some mixture of amusement, frustration, and compassion. But they quickly learn that other adventurers who can carry their own weight in a fight against civilization’s foes are worth any extra burden. Coddled city folk might not know how to feed themselves or find fresh water in the wild, but they make up for it in other ways.

== Creating a Ranger ==
As you create your ranger character, consider the nature of the training that gave you your particular capabilities. Did you train with a single mentor, wandering the wilds together until you mastered the ranger’s ways? Did you leave your apprenticeship, or was your mentor slain—perhaps by the same kind of monster that became your favored enemy? Or perhaps you learned your skills as part of a band of rangers affiliated with a druidic circle, trained in mystic paths as well as wilderness lore. You might be self-taught, a recluse who learned combat skills, tracking, and even a magical connection to nature through the necessity of surviving in the wilds.

What’s the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of enemy? Did a monster kill someone you loved or destroy your home village? Or did you see too much of the destruction these monsters cause and commit yourself to reining in their depredations? Is your adventuring career a continuation of your work in protecting the borderlands, or a significant change? What made you join up with a band of adventurers? Do you find it challenging to teach new allies the ways of the wild, or do you welcome the relief from solitude that they offer?

{|
|+
==== The Ranger ====
!Level!!Features!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th
|-
|1st||Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer
|-
|2nd||Fighting Style, Spellcasting||2||2
|-
|3rd||Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness||3||3
|-
|4th||Ability Score Improvement||3||3
|-
|5th||Extra Attack||4||4||2
|-
|6th||Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer improvements||4||4||2
|-
|7th||Ranger Archetype feature||5||4||3
|-
|8th||Ability Score Improvement, Land’s Stride||5||4||3
|-
|9th||—||6||4||3||2
|-
|10th||Natural Explorer improvement, Hide in Plain Sight||6||4||3||2
|-
|11th||Ranger Archetype feature||7||4||3||3
|-
|12th||Ability Score Improvement||7||4||3||3
|-
|13th||—||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|14th||Favored Enemy improvement, Vanish||8||4||3||3||1
|-
|15th||Ranger Archetype feature||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|16th||Ability Score Improvement||9||4||3||3||2
|-
|17th||—||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|18th||Feral Senses||10||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|19th||Ability Score Improvement||11||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|20th||Foe Slayer||11||4||3||3||3||2
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make [[Dexterity]] your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Wisdom]]. (Some rangers who focus on two-weapon fighting make [[Strength]] higher than [[Dexterity]].) Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a ranger, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d10 per ranger level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 10 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d 10 (or 6) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per ranger level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Dexterity]]

'''Skills:''' Choose three from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Insight]], [[Investigation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], [[Stealth]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) [[scale mail]] or (b) [[leather armor]]
* (a) two [[shortswords]] or (b) two [[simple melee weapons]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[longbow]] and a [[quiver]] of 20 [[arrows]]

Favored Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.
Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.
You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.
You choose one additional favored enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th and 14th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.

Natural Explorer
You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in.
While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits:
* Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
* Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
* Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
* If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
* When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
* While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level.

Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting
By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.

Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Ranger Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate: Hunter or Beast Master, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action and expend one ranger spell slot to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn’t reveal the creatures’ location or number.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Land’s Stride
Starting at 8th level, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.

Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain this benefit.

Vanish
Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can’t be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.

Feral Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened.

Foe Slayer
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make against one of your favored enemies. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

== Ranger Archetypes ==
The ideal of the ranger has two classic expressions: the Hunter and the Beast Master.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Rangers ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I spend a lot of my life away from civilization, keeping to its fringes to protect it. Don’t assume that because I don’t bend the knee to your king that I haven’t done more to protect him that all his knights put together.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Soveliss</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I’m a monster. Are you going to try to kill me? Didn’t think so. Go kill some goblins or something. On second thought, goblins aren’t monsters—they’re people. So maybe you should call yourself a people killer.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Rangers are free-minded wanderers and seekers who patrol the edges of civilized territory, turning back the denizens of the wild lands beyond. It is a thankless job, since their efforts are rarely understood and almost never rewarded. Yet rangers persist in their duties, never doubting that their work makes the world a safer place.

A relationship with civilization informs every ranger’s personality and history. Some rangers see themselves as enforcers of the law and bringers of justice on civilization’s frontier, answering to no sovereign power. Others are survivalists who eschew civilization altogether. They vanquish monsters to keep themselves safe while they life in and travel through the perilous wild areas of the world. If their efforts also benefit the kingdoms and other civilized realms that they avoid, so be it.

If you’re creating or playing a ranger character, the following sections offer ideas for embellishing the character and enhancing your roleplaying experience.

=== View of the World ===
A ranger’s view of the world begins (and sometimes ends) with that character’s outlook toward civilized folk and the places they occupy. Some rangers have an attitude toward civilization that’s deeply rooted in disdain, while others pity the people they have sworn to protect—though on the battlefield, it’s impossible to tell the difference between one ranger and another. Indeed, to those who have seen them operate and been the beneficiaries of their prowess, it scarcely matters why rangers do what they do. That said, no two rangers are likely to express their opinions on the matter in the same way.

If you haven’t thought about the details of your character’s worldview, consider putting a finer point on things by summarizing that viewpoint in a short statement (such as the entries on the following table). How might that feeling affect the way you conduct yourself?

Examples:
* Towns and cities are the best place for those who can’t survive on their own.
* The advancement of civilization is the best way to thwart chaos, but its reach must be monitored.
* Towns and cities are a necessary evil, but once the wilderness is purged of supernatural threats, we will need them no more.
* Walls are for cowards, who huddle behind them while others do the work of making the world safe.
* Visiting a town is not unpleasant, but after a few days I feel the irresistible call to return to the wild.
* Cities breed weakness by isolating folk from the harsh lessons of the wild.

=== Homeland ===
All rangers, regardless of how they came to take up the profession, have a strong connection to the natural world and its various terrains. For some rangers, the wilderness is where they grew up, either as a result of being born there or moving there at a young age. For other rangers, civilization was originally home, but the wilderness became a second homeland.

Think of your character’s backstory and decide what terrain feels most like home, whether or not you were born there. What does that terrain say about your personality? Does it influence which spells you choose to learn? Have your experiences there shaped who your favored enemies are?

Examples:
* You patrolled an ancient forest, darkened and corrupted by several crossings to the Shadowfell.
* As part of a group of nomads, you acquired the skills for surviving in the desert.
* Your early life in the Underdark prepared you for the challenges of combating its denizens.
* You dwelled on the edge of a swamp, in an area imperiled by land creatures as well as aquatic ones.
* Because you grew up among the peaks, finding the best path through the mountains is second nature to you.
* You wandered the far north, learning how to protect yourself and prosper in a realm overrun buy ice.

=== Sworn Enemy ===
Every ranger begins with a favored enemy (or two). The determination of a favored enemy might be tied to a specific event in the character’s early life, or it might be entirely a matter of choice.

What spurred your character to select a particular enemy? Was the choice made because of tradition or curiosity, or do you have a grudge to settle?

Examples:
* You seek revenge on nature’s behalf for the great transgressions your foe has committed.
* Your forebears or predecessors fought these creatures, and so shall you.
* You bear no enmity toward your foe. You stalk such creatures as a hunter tracks down a wild animal.
* You find your foe fascinating, and you collect books of tales and history concerning it.
* You collect tokens of your fallen enemies to remind you of each kill.
* You respect your chosen enemy, and you see your battles as a test of respective skills.

== Rangers of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Montolio held out his arm, and the great owl promptly hopped onto it, carefully finding its footing on the man’s heavy leather sleeve.

“You have seen the drow?” Montolio asked.

The owl responded with a whoo, then went off into a complicated series of chattering hoots and whoos. Montolio took it all in, weighing every detail. With the help of his friends, particularly this rather talkative owl, the ranger had monitored the drow for several days, curious as to why a dark elf had wandered into the valley. At first, Montolio had assumed that the drow was somehow connected to Graul, the chief orc of the region, but as time went on, the ranger began to suspect differently.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Sojourn</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Long have rangers walked the wilds of the Sword Coast and the Savage Frontier. Like druids, their practices date back to the earliest days of humanity. And long before humans set foot in the North, elf rangers strode through its forests and climbed its mountains. The traditions and outlook of these people are now shared by members of many races. In particular, lightfoot halflings frequently hear the call of the wild and become rangers, often acting as guides and protectors of roving halfling bands, and shield dwarves forced to wander far from old clanholds sometimes follow the ranger’s path.

Not every prospector wandering far hills or trapper hunting through uninhabited lands becomes a ranger. True rangers go out into nature and find it holy, and like paladins, they are touched by something divine. Their gods and creeds might differ, but rangers share similar values about the sanctity of nature. While by no means always aligned with one another, rangers are bound into a loose community of sorts—one that often connects with circles of druids.

In the North and throughout much of the Heartlands, rangers use special marks to indicate campsites, dangerous areas, evil creatures, foul magic, goblinoid activity, hidden caches of supplies, safe passage, shelter, and graves or tombs. Many of these symbols were derived from elven lore or borrowed from groups like the Harpers. While by no means a secret language, these trail marks are often obtuse to non-rangers, and even druids might not understand them.

As a whole, rangers serve to help societies survive and thrive in the wilderness. Much of the Sword Coast and the North are unsettled. Rangers are driven to explore these lands, searching for fertile soil in which the seeds of civilization might grow, seeking resources (such as metals) that will benefit settled lands, or rooting out evil before it can spread. Other rangers spy on enemy troops or hunt down dangerous beasts or criminals. Given that so much of the North is frontier, rangers play a critical role in keeping communities safe and are often admired within them.

=== Human Rangers ===
Human rangers of the Moonshaes are devoted to the Earthmother, and those that work closely with druid circles on the mainland often honor the gods of the First Circle, but most rangers among humans favor the goddess Mielikki. However, they consider the goddess too wild and primal for them to pray to directly. Instead, they pray to Gwaeron Windstrom to bring their words to the goddess. Gwaeron is said to sleep in a grove of trees west of the town of Triboar, and most of his followers travel to that place at least once in their lives as a holy pilgrimage. Evil human rangers usually honor Malar for his ferocity and hunting skill.

=== Elf Rangers ===
Elf rangers are usually associated with a particular community such as Evereska or the tribes in the Misty Forest. Rather than being wandering explorers, elf rangers typically act as scouts and guardians of elven realms. Such elves usually devote themselves to Rillifane Rallathil or Solonor Thelandria. Elf rangers driven to roam might instead favor Fenmarel Mestarine, god of lone wanderers, or Shevarash, elven god of vengeance.

=== Halfling Rangers ===
Most halfiings who revere nature and its raw beauty come from lightfoot stock. Their bands spend at least as much time on the road and river as in village and town, and the role of a ranger is a natural fit with the lifestyle of most lightfoots. Lightfoot rangers tend to favor the god Brandobaris in his aspect as patron of exploration. Halflings more inclined toward nature itself typically prefer Sheela Peryroyl. Those who devote themselves more to the protection of settlements or travelers honor Arvoreen. The few strongheart halfiings who become rangers tend to favor those latter two deities.

=== Dwarf Rangers ===
Most dwarves prefer to hunker down under a mountain, rather than roam the wilderness of the surface or the Underdark. Most often, a dwarf ranger is either a shield dwarf cast out of a clanhold or a clanless dwarf seeking a place in the world. Sometimes dwarf rangers are prospectors who explore the world seeking new veins of ore. In any case, there are two deities who appeal to such dwarves: Marthammor Duin and Dumathoin.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Paladin

2018-02-02T22:09:09Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Clad in plate armor that gleams in the sunlight despite the dust and grime of long travel, a human lays down her sword and shield and places her hands on a mortally wounded man. Divine radiance shines from her hands, the man’s wounds knit closed, and his eyes open wide with amazement.

A dwarf crouches behind an outcrop, his black cloak making him nearly invisible in the night, and watches an orc war band celebrating its recent victory. Silently, he stalks into their midst and whispers an oath, and two ores are dead before they even realize he is there.

Silver hair shining in a shaft of light that seems to illuminate only him, an elf laughs with exultation. His spear flashes like his eyes as he jabs again and again at a twisted giant, until at last his light overcomes its hideous darkness.

Whatever their origin and their mission, paladins are united by their oaths to stand against the forces of evil. Whether sworn before a god’s altar and the witness of a priest, in a sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin’s oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that turns a devout warrior into a blessed champion.

=== The Cause of Righteousness ===
A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness, but all are bound by the oaths that grant them power to do their sacred work. Although many paladins are devoted to gods of good, a paladin’s power comes as much from a commitment to justice itself as it does from a god.

Paladins train for years to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. Even so, their martial skills are secondary to the magical power they wield: power to heal the sick and injured, to smite the wicked and the undead, and to protect the innocent and those who join them in the fight for justice.

=== Beyond the Mundane Life ===
Almost by definition, the life of a paladin is an adventuring life. Unless a lasting injury has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country.

Adventuring paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests, and even the smallest victory against it can tilt the cosmic balance away from oblivion.

== Creating a Paladin ==
The most important aspect of a paladin character is the nature of his or her holy quest. Although the class features related to your oath don’t appear until you reach 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by reading the oath descriptions at the end of the class. Are you a devoted servant of good, loyal to the gods of justice and honor, a holy knight in shining armor venturing forth to smite evil? Are you a glorious champion of the light, cherishing everything beautiful that stands against the shadow, a knight whose oath descends from traditions older than many of the gods? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? Appendix B lists many deities worshiped by paladins throughout the multiverse, such as Torm, Tyr, Heironeous, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, Dol Arrah, the Silver Flame, Bahamut, Athena, Re-Horakhty, and Heimdall.

How did you experience your call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did some terrible event—the destruction of your home, perhaps—drive you to your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on your soul.

As guardians against the forces of wickedness, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained.

{|
|+
==== The Paladin ====
!Level!!Features!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th
|-
|1st||[[Divine Sense]], [[Lay on Hands]]||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2nd||[[Fighting Style]], [[Spellcasting (Paladin)]], [[Divine Smite]]||2||0||0||0||0
|-
|3rd||[[Divine Health]], [[Sacred Oath]]||3||0||0||0||0
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||0||0||0||0
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]]||4||2||0||0||0
|-
|6th||[[Aura of Protection]]||4||2||0||0||0
|-
|7th||[[Sacred Oath]] feature||4||3||0||0||0
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||3||0||0||0
|-
|9th||—||4||3||2||0||0
|-
|10th||[[Aura of Courage]]||4||3||2||0||0
|-
|11th||[[Improved Divine Smite]]||4||3||3||0||0
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||3||3||0||0
|-
|13th||—||4||3||3||1||0
|-
|14th||[[Cleansing Touch]]||4||3||3||1||0
|-
|15th||[[Sacred Oath]] feature||4||3||3||2||0
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||3||3||2||0
|-
|17th||—||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|18th||[[Aura]] improvements||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|20th||[[Sacred Oath]] feature||4||3||3||3||2
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Strength]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Charisma]]. Second, choose the [[noble]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a paladin, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d10 per paladin level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 10 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d 10 (or 6) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per paladin level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' All [[armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Wisdom]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Athletics]], [[Insight]], [[Intimidation]], [[Medicine]], [[Persuasion]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[martial weapon]] and a [[shield]] or (b) two [[martial weapons]]
* (a) five [[javelins]] or (b) any [[simple melee weapon]]
* (a) a [[priest’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* [[Chain mail]] and a [[holy symbol]]

Divine Sense
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.

Lay on Hands
Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level x 5.
As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.
Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.

Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting
By 2nd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the paladin spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells
The Paladin table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your paladin spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of paladin spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the paladin spell list. When you do so, choose a number of paladin spells equal to your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level paladin, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of paladin spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your paladin spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a paladin spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your paladin spells.

Divine Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is an undead or a fiend.

Divine Health
By 3rd level, the divine magic flowing through you makes you immune to disease.

Sacred Oath
When you reach 3rd level, you swear the oath that binds you as a paladin forever. Up to this time you have been in a preparatory stage, committed to the path but not yet sworn to it. Now you choose the Oath of Devotion, the Oath of the Ancients, or the Oath of Vengeance, all detailed at the end of the class description.
Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 15th, and 20th level. Those features include oath spells and the Channel Divinity feature.

Oath Spells
Each oath has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the oath description. Once you gain access to an oath spell, you always have it prepared. Oath spells don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you gain an oath spell that doesn’t appear on the paladin spell list, the spell is nonetheless a paladin spell for you.

Channel Divinity
Your oath allows you to channel divine energy to fuel magical effects. Each Channel Divinity option provided by your oath explains how to use it.
When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which option to use. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.
Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your paladin spell save DC.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Aura of Protection
Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to grant this bonus.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Aura of Courage
Starting at 10th level, you and friendly creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be frightened while you are conscious.
At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.

Improved Divine Smite
By 11th level, you are so suffused with righteous might that all your melee weapon strikes carry divine power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 radiant damage. If you also use your Divine Smite with an attack, you add this damage to the extra damage of your Divine Smite.

Cleansing Touch
Beginning at 14th level, you can use your action to end one spell on yourself or on one willing creature that you touch.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

== Sacred Oaths ==
Becoming a paladin involves taking vows that commit the paladin to the cause of righteousness, an active path of fighting wickedness. The final oath, taken when he or she reaches 3rd level, is the culmination of all the paladin’s training. Some characters with this class don’t consider themselves true paladins until they have reached 3rd level and made this oath. For others, the actual swearing of the oath is a formality, an official stamp on what has always been true in the paladin’s heart.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Paladins ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
The true worth of a paladin is measured not in foes defeated or dungeons plundered. It is measured in lives saved and hearts turned to the causes of mercy and justice.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Isteval</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Living up to an oath? That sounds ridiculous. Why would anyone ever do that? There’s nothing wrong with making promises, but only suckers keep them.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

A paladin is a living embodiment of an oath—a promise or a vow made manifest in the person of a holy warrior who has the skill and the determination to see the cause through to the end. Some paladins devote themselves expressly to protecting the innocent and spreading justice in the world, while others resolve to attain that goal by conquering those who stand defiant and bringing them under the rule of law.

Although no paladin in the world could be described as typical, a number of them are narrow-minded do-gooders who refuse to tolerate even the smallest deviation from their own outlook. Paladins who take up the adventuring life, however, rarely remain so rigid in their attitudes—if only to keep from alienating their companions.

You can flesh out your paladin character by using the suggestions below. It’s important to keep in mind that most paladins aren’t robots. They have doubts and prejudices and harbor contradictory thoughts just as any other character does. Some are compelled by an internal motivation that might sometimes be at odds with the principles of their oaths.

=== Personal Goal ===
The precepts of a paladin’s oath provide purpose to the character and dictate an ultimate goal or an overall intent that the paladin abides by and advances. Aside from that, some paladins are driven by a personal goal that either complements or transcends the dictates of their oaths. Paladins who spear different oaths might have the same personal goal, differing only in how they apply that goal to their actions when upholding their oaths.

If your paladin character has a personal goal, it might be drawn from some life event and thus not directly tied to the oath.

Examples:
* '''Peace.''' You fight so that future generations will not have to.
* '''Revenge.''' Your oath is the vehicle through which you will right an ancient wrong.
* '''Duty.''' You will live up to what you have sworn to do, or die trying.
* '''Leadership.''' You will win a great battle that bards will sing about, and in so doing, you will become an example to inspire others.
* '''Faith.''' You know your path is righteous, or else the gods would not have set you upon it.
* '''Glory.''' You will lead the world into a grand new era, one that will be branded with your name.

=== Symbol ===
Paladins are mindful of the influence of symbols, and many of them adopt or design an artistic device that bears a distinctive image. Your symbol exemplifies the oath you have taken and communicates that message to those around you, friend and foe alike.

Your symbol might be displayed on a banner, a flag, or your clothing for all to see. Or it could be less obvious, such as a trinket or a token that you carry concealed on your person.

Examples:
* A dragon, emblematic of your nobility in peace and your ferocity in combat
* A clenched fist, because you are always ready to fight for your beliefs
* An upraised open hand, indicating your preference for diplomacy over combat
* A red heart, showing the world your commitment to justice
* A black heart, signifying that emotions such as pity do not sway your dedication to your oath
* An unblinking eye, meaning that you are ever alert to all threats against your cause

=== Nemesis ===
Their adherence to a sacred oath demands that paladins take an active stance in carrying their beliefs into the world. This activity naturally leads to conflict with creatures or entities that oppose those beliefs. Among those opponents, one often stands out as a paladin’s most persistent or most formidable foe—a nemesis whose presence or influence is a constant factor in a paladin’s life.

Your paladin character might have an enemy that dates from the days before you took up your path. Or you could be a target because when you became a paladin, you immediately attracted the attention of those that would do you in. If you have a nemesis, who or what is it? Whom among your enemies do you consider to be the biggest threat to achieving your goals?

Examples:
* A might orc war chief who threatens to overrun and destroy everything you hold sacred
* A field or a celestial, the agent of a power of the Outer Planes, who has been charged with corrupting or redeeming you, as appropriate
* A dragon whose servants dog your steps
* A high priest who sees you as a misguided fool and wants you to abandon your religion
* A rival paladin who trained with you but became an oath-breaker and holds you responsible
* A vampire who has sworn revenge against all paladins after being defeated by one

=== Temptation ===
Although paladins are dedicated to their oaths, they are mortals, and thus they are flawed. Many of them exhibit a type of behavior or hold to an attitude that is not in keeping with the highest ideals of their calling.

What is the temptation that your character succumbs to or finds it difficult to resist?

Examples:
* '''Fury.''' When your anger is roused, you have trouble thinking straight, and you fear you might do something you’ll regret.
* '''Pride.''' Your deeds are noteworthy, and no one takes note of them more often than you.
* '''Lust.''' You can’t resist an attractive face and a pleasant smile.
* '''Envy.''' You are mindful of what some famous folk have accomplished, and you feel inadequate when your deeds don’t compare to theirs.
* '''Despair.''' You consider the great strength of the enemies you must defeat, and at times you see no way to achieve final victory.
* '''Greed.''' Regardless of how much glory and treasure you amass, it’s never enough for you.

== Paladins of the Sword Coast ==
Some people are warriors of superior virtue. They exemplify a host of traits that folk consider honorable, just, and good. These warriors aspire to be the best people they can. When such a warrior also has great devotion to a particular deity, that god can reward the faithful with a measure of divine power, making that person a paladin.

Different paladin orders in the Forgotten Realms emphasize different elements of righteous behavior, but all paladins are expected to hold true to a common set of virtues:

'''Liberality.''' Be generous and tolerant.

'''Good faith.''' Be honest and keep promises.

'''Courtesy.''' Treat others with respect despite how they treat you. Give honor to those above your station. Earn the respect of those below your station.

'''Lawfulness.''' Laws exist to bring prosperity to those under them. Unjust laws must be overturned or changed in a reasonable fashion.

'''Bravery.''' Gain glory through battle. Defend any charge unto death.

'''Pride in one’s actions.''' Lead by example. Let your deeds speak your intentions.

'''Humility in one’s deeds.''' Do not boast or accept rewards undue to you.

'''Unselfishness.''' Share resources, especially with those who have the most need.

'''Good-temperedness.''' Render service cheerfully and without disdain.

'''Wisdom.''' Cause the most good through the least harm.

'''Piety.''' Be faithful to the precepts of your god.

'''Kindness.''' Protect the weak. Grant mercy to those who seek redemption.

'''Honor.''' Hold true to the code. Death before dishonor.

Every paladin grades and emphasizes these virtues based on his or her own personal ethos and religious background. A paladin of Sune would emphasize aspects of courtly love and courtesy, whereas a paladin of Tyr would be more concerned with justice and fair treatment of foes.

Most paladins in the Forgotten Realms, like clerics, are devoted to a particular deity. The most common paladin deities are those that embody action, decision, watchfulness, and wisdom. Torm and Tyr are both popular deities for paladins, as is Ilmater, who stresses self-sacrifice and the alleviation of suffering. Although less common, there are paladins of the following deities: Helm, Hoar, Lathander, Sune, Corellon Larethian, the Red Knight, Clangeddin Silverbeard, Arvoreen, and Mystra.

Their devotion to a higher ideal makes paladins popular folk heroes in the Realms. Many tales are woven about noble knights and oath-sworn champions, although pragmatists note that the tales often end with a tremendous sacrifice on the part of said champions.

The most common patrons of paladins of the Oath of Devotion and the Oath of the Crown (which is described below) are Helm, Torm, and Tyr—protection, courage, and justice—although Ilmater has his share of devoted champions. Those green knights sworn to the Oath of the Ancients might honor Arvoreen or Corellon, while avengers of the Oath of Vengeance follow patrons like Hoar, although there are also avengers of Helm and Tyr, meting out harsh justice.

=== Paladin Orders ===
The following orders can be found in various parts of the Forgotten Realms.

==== Order of the Companion ====
Based in Elturgard in the Western Heartlands, the Order of the Companion is sworn to guard that nation. It formed in the wake of the Spellplague and helped to create Elturgard, centered on the city of Elturel, overlooking the River Chionthar. The Companions safeguard civilization against dangerous and wild forces, particularly unnatural creatures. Of the options in the Sacred Oath class feature, the Oath of the Crown (described below) and the Oath of Devotion (described in the Player’s Handbook) are equally represented among their ranks.

==== Order of the Gilded Eye ====
The monastery and cathedral of Helm’s Hold stands on the edge of the Neverwinter Wood in the North as a safe haven for travelers. The Order of the Gilded Eye safeguards the hold and serves the surrounding community, but their mission has a much broader focus: to guard the world from dangers originating on other planes of existence, especially on the Lower Planes. Many paladins and non-paladins have joined the order in response to its call to cast fiendish incursions out of the world. In recent years, many have ventured forth from Helm’s Hold to do the order’s work in the wider world.

Of the options in the Sacred Oath class feature in the Player’s Handbook, paladins of the Gilded Eye most often follow the Oath of Devotion, although a few zealots are followers of the Oath of Vengeance.

==== Order of Samular ====
The Holy Order of Samular, also known as the Knights of Samular, is made up of warriors in the service of Tyr. The order is based at Summit Hall, while also maintaining a chapter house in Waterdeep. Legendary paladin Samular Caradoon founded the order in 952 DR after the Second Troll War and the deaths of his brothers Renwick “Snowcloak” and Amphail the Just during the war. When Tyr fell silent and the paladins in his service lost their powers, many turned to other gods such as Torm, but the Kights of Samular stayed true to Tyr. Their patience was recently rewarded when, upon Tyr’s return to the world, many of their dwindling number were invested with the powers of a paladin. Known for their support of the law, many paladins of the order follow the Oath of the Crown, which is described below.

=== Breaking Your Oath ===
A paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous paladin is fallible. Sometimes the right path proves too demanding, sometimes a situation calls for the lesser of two evils, and sometimes the heat of emotion causes a paladin to transgress his or her oath.

A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. The paladin might spend an all-night vigil in prayer as a sign of penitence, or undertake a fast or similar act of self-denial. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.

If a paladin willfully violates his or her oath and shows no sign of repentance, the consequences can be more serious. At the DM’s discretion, an impenitent paladin might be forced to abandon this class and adopt another, or perhaps to take the Oathbreaker paladin option that appears in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Monk

2018-02-02T21:29:10Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Her fists a blur as they deflect an incoming hail of arrows, a half-elf springs over a barricade and throws herself into the massed ranks of hobgoblins on the other side. She whirls among them, knocking their blows aside and sending them reeling, until at last she stands alone.

Taking a deep breath, a human covered in tattoos settles into a battle stance. As the first charging orcs reach him, he exhales and a blast of fire roars from his mouth, engulfing his foes.

Moving with the silence of the night, a black-clad halfling steps into a shadow beneath an arch and emerges from another inky shadow on a balcony a stone’s throw away. She slides her blade free of its cloth- wrapped scabbard and peers through the open window at the tyrant prince, so vulnerable in the grip of sleep.

Whatever their discipline, monks are united in their ability to magically harness the energy that flows in their bodies. Whether channeled as a striking display of combat prowess or a subtler focus of defensive ability and speed, this energy infuses all that a monk does.

=== The Magic of Ki ===
Monks make careful study of a magical energy that most monastic traditions call ki. This energy is an element of the magic that suffuses the multiverse—specifically, the element that flows through living bodies. Monks harness this power within themselves to create magical effects and exceed their bodies' physical capabilities, and some of their special attacks can hinder the flow of ki in their opponents. Using this energy, monks channel uncanny speed and strength into their unarmed strikes. As they gain experience, their martial training and their mastery of ki gives them more power over their bodies and the bodies of their foes.

=== Training and Asceticism ===
Small walled cloisters dot the landscapes of the worlds of D&D, tiny refuges from the flow of ordinary life, where time seems to stand still. The monks who live there seek personal perfection through contemplation and rigorous training. Many entered the monastery as children, sent to live there when their parents died, when food couldn’t be found to support them, or in return for some kindness that the monks had performed for their families.

Some monks live entirely apart from the surrounding population, secluded from anything that might impede their spiritual progress. Others are sworn to isolation, emerging only to serve as spies or assassins at the command of their leader, a noble patron, or some other mortal or divine power.

The majority of monks don’t shun their neighbors, making frequent visits to nearby towns or villages and exchanging their service for food and other goods. As versatile warriors, monks often end up protecting their neighbors from monsters or tyrants.

For a monk, becoming an adventurer means leaving a structured, communal lifestyle to become a wanderer. This can be a harsh transition, and monks don’t undertake it lightly. Those who leave their cloisters take their work seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater mission than merely slaying monsters and plundering their treasure.

== Creating a Monk ==
As you make your monk character, think about your connection to the monastery where you learned your skills and spent your formative years. Were you an orphan or a child left on the monastery’s threshold? Did your parents promise you to the monastery in gratitude for a service performed by the monks? Did you enter this secluded life to hide from a crime you committed? Or did you choose the monastic life for yourself?

Consider why you left. Did the head of your monastery choose you for a particularly important mission beyond the cloister? Perhaps you were cast out because of some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to accomplish outside the monastery? Are you eager to return to your home?

As a result of the structured life of a monastic community and the discipline required to harness ki, monks are almost always lawful in alignment.

{|
|+
==== The Monk ====
!Level!!Martial Arts!!Ki Points!!Unarmored Movement!!Features
|-
|1st||1d4||—||—||[[Unarmored Defense (Monk)]], [[Martial Arts]]
|-
|2nd||1d4||2||+10 ft.||[[Ki]], [[Unarmored Movement]]
|-
|3rd||1d4||3||+10 ft.||[[Monastic Tradition]], [[Deflect Missiles]]
|-
|4th||1d4||4||+10 ft.||[[Ability Score Improvement]], [[Slow Fall]]
|-
|5th||1d6||5||+10 ft.||[[Extra Attack]], [[Stunning Strike]]
|-
|6th||1d6||6||+15 ft.||[[Ki-Empowered Strikes]], [[Monastic Tradition]] feature
|-
|7th||1d6||7||+15 ft.||[[Evasion]], [[Stillness of Mind]]
|-
|8th||1d6||8||+15 ft.||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|9th||1d6||9||+15 ft.||[[Unarmored Movement]] improvement
|-
|10th||1d6||10||+20 ft.||[[Purity of Body]]
|-
|11th||1d8||11||+20 ft.||[[Monastic Tradition]] feature
|-
|12th||1d8||12||+20 ft.||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|13th||1d8||13||+20 ft.||[[Tongue of Sun and Moon]]
|-
|14th||1d8||14||+25 ft.||[[Diamond Soul]]
|-
|15th||1d8||15||+25 ft.||[[Timeless Body]]
|-
|16th||1d8||16||+25 ft.||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|17th||1d10||17||+25 ft.||[[Monastic Tradition]] feature
|-
|18th||1d10||18||+30 ft.||[[Empty Body]]
|-
|19th||1d10||19||+30 ft.||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|20th||1d10||20||+30 ft.||[[Perfect Self]]
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a monk quickly by following these suggestions. First, make [[Dexterity]] your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Wisdom]]. Second, choose the [[hermit]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a monk, you gain the following class features.

=== HitPoints ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per monk level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your Constitution modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per monk level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' None

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[shortswords]]

'''Tools:''' Choose one type of [[artisan’s tools]] or one [[musical instrument]]

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Dexterity]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Acrobatics]], [[Athletics]], [[History]], [[Insight]], [[Religion]], and [[Stealth]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[shortsword]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* 10 [[darts]]

Unarmored Defense
Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Martial Arts
At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property.
You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield:
• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and monk weapons.
• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
• When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action. For example, if you take the Attack action and attack with a quarterstaff, you can also make an unarmed strike as a bonus action, assuming you haven’t already taken a bonus action this turn.
Certain monasteries use specialized forms of the monk weapons. For example, you might use a club that is two lengths of wood connected by a short chain (called a nunchaku) or a sickle with a shorter, straighter blade (called a kama). Whatever name you use for a monk weapon, you can use the game statistics provided for the weapon in chapter 5.

Ki
Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your monk level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Monk table.
You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind. You learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class.
When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points.
Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Ki save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Flurry of Blows
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Patient Defense
You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action on your turn.

Step of the Wind
You can spend 1 ki point to take the Disengage or Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, and your jump distance is doubled for the turn.

Unarmored Movement
Starting at 2nd level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain monk levels, as shown in the Monk table.
At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the move.

Monastic Tradition
When you reach 3rd level, you commit yourself to a monastic tradition: the Way of the Open Hand, the Way of Shadow, or the Way of the Four Elements, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your tradition grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level.

Deflect Missiles
Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect or catch the missile when you are hit by a ranged weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your monk level.
If you reduce the damage to 0, you can catch the missile if it is small enough for you to hold in one hand and you have at least one hand free. If you catch a missile in this way, you can spend 1 ki point to make a ranged attack with the weapon or piece of ammunition you just caught, as part of the same reaction. You make this attack with proficiency, regardless of your weapon proficiencies, and the missile counts as a monk weapon for the attack. The range of the monk’s ranged attack is 20/60 feet.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Slow Fall
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your monk level.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Stunning Strike
Starting at 5th level, you can interfere with the flow of ki in an opponent’s body. When you hit another creature with a melee weapon attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Ki-Empowered Strikes
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Evasion
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Stillness of Mind
Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.

Purity of Body
At 10th level, your mastery of the ki flowing through you makes you immune to disease and poison.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon
Starting at 13th level, you learn to touch the ki of other minds so that you understand all spoken languages. Moreover, any creature that can understand a language can understand what you say.

Diamond Soul
Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of ki grants you proficiency in all saving throws.
Additionally, whenever you make a saving throw and fail, you can spend 1 ki point to reroll it and take the second result.

Timeless Body
At 15th level, your ki sustains you so that you suffer none of the frailty of old age, and you can’t be aged magically. You can still die of old age, however. In addition, you no longer need food or water.

Empty Body
Beginning at 18th level, you can use your action to spend 4 ki points to become invisible for 1 minute. During that time, you also have resistance to all damage but force damage.
Additionally, you can spend 8 ki points to cast the astral projection spell, without needing material components. When you do so, you can’t take any other creatures with you.

Perfect Self
At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no ki points remaining, you regain 4 ki points.

== Monastic Traditions ==
Three traditions of monastic pursuit are common in the monasteries scattered across the multiverse. Most monasteries practice one tradition exclusively, but a few honor the three traditions and instruct each monk according to his or her aptitude and interest. All three traditions rely on the same basic techniques, diverging as the student grows more adept. Thus, a monk need choose a tradition only upon reaching 3rd level.

=== Monastic Orders ===
The worlds of D&D contain a multitude of monasteries and monastic traditions. In lands with an Asian cultural flavor, such as Shou Lung far to the east of the Forgotten Realms, these monasteries are associated with philosophical traditions and martial arts practice. The Iron Hand School, the Five Stars School, the Northern Fist School, and the Southern Star School of Shou Lung teach different approaches to the physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines of the monk. Some of these monasteries have spread to the western lands of Faerun, particularly in places with large Shou immigrant communities, such as Thesk and Westgate.

Other monastic traditions are associated with deities who teach the value of physical excellence and mental discipline. In the Forgotten Realms, the order of the Dark Moon is made up of monks dedicated to Shar (goddess of loss), who maintain secret communities in remote hills, back allies, and subterranean hideaways. Monasteries of Ilmater (god of endurance) are named after flowers, and their orders carry the names of great heroes of the faith; the Disciples of Saint Sollars the Twice-Martyred reside in the Monastery of the Yellow Rose near Damara. The monasteries of Eberron combine the study of martial arts with a life of scholarship. Most are devoted to the deities of the Sovereign Host. In the world of Dragonlance, most monks are devoted to Majere, god of meditation and thought. In Greyhawk, many monasteries are dedicated to Xan Yae, the goddess of twilight and the superiority of mind over matter, or to Zuoken, god of mental and physical mastery.

The evil monks of the Scarlet Brotherhood in the world of Greyhawk derive their fanatic zeal not from devotion to a god but from dedication to the principles of their nation and their race—the belief that the Suel strand of humanity are meant to rule the world.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Monks ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Do not mistake my silence for acceptance of your villainy. While you blustered and threatened, I’ve planned four different ways to snap your neck with my bare hands.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Ember, grand master of flowers</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I bet I could be a monk if I wanted. What? Why are you laughing?
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Monks walk a path of contradiction. They study their art as a wizard does, and like a wizard, they wear no armor and typically eschew weapons. Yet they are deadly combatants, their abilities on a par with those of a raging barbarian or a superbly trained fighter. Monks embrace this seeming contradiction, for it speaks to the core of all monastic study. By coming to know oneself completely, one learns much of the wider world.

A monk’s focus on inner mastery leads many such individuals to become detached from society, more concern with their personal experience than with happenings elsewhere. Adventuring monks are a rare breed of an already rare type of character, taking their quest for perfection beyond the walls of the monastery into the world at large.

Playing a monk character offers many intriguing opportunities to try something different. To distinguish your monk character even further, consider the options in the sections that follow.

=== Monastery ===
A monk studies in a monastery in preparation for a life of asceticism. Most of those who enter a monastery make it their home for the rest of their lives, with the exception of adventurers and others who have reason to leave. For those individuals, a monastery might serve as a refuge between excursions to the world or as a source of support in times of need.

What sort of place was your monastery, and where is it located? Did attending it contribute to your experience in an unusual or distinctive way?

Examples:
* Your monastery is carved out of a mountainside, where it looms over a treacherous pass.
* Your monastery is high in the branches of an immense tree in the Feywild.
* Your monastery was founded long ago by a cloud giant is inside a cloud castle that can be reached only by flying.
* Your monastery is build beside a volcanic system of hot springs, geysers, and sulfur pools. You regularly received visits from azer traders.
* Your monastery was founded by gnomes and is an underground labyrinth of tunnels and rooms.
* Your monastery was carved from an iceberg in the frozen reaches of the world.

=== Monastic Icon ===
Even in the monastic lifestyle, which eschews materialism and personal possessions, symbolism plays an important part in defining the identity of an order. Some monastic orders treat certain creatures with special regard, either because the creature is tied to the order’s history or because it serves as an example of a quality the monks seek to emulate.

If your character’s monastery had a special icon, you might wear a crude image of the creature somewhere inconspicuous on your clothing to serve as an identifying mark. Or perhaps you order’s icon does not have a physical form but is expressed through a gesture or a posture that you adopt, and which other monks might know how to interpret.

Examples:
* '''Monkey.''' Quick reflexes and the ability to travel through the treetops are two of the reasons why your order admires the monkey.
* '''Dragon Turtle.''' The monks of your seaside monastery venerate the dragon turtle, reciting ancient prayers and offering garlands of flowers to honor this living spirit of the sea.
* '''Ki-rin.''' Your monastery sees its main purpose as watching over and protecting the land in the manner of the ki-rin.
* '''Owlbear.''' The monks of your monastery revere a family of owlbears and have coexisted with them for generations.
* '''Hydra.''' Your order singles out the hydra for its ability to unleash several attacks simultaneously.
* '''Dragon.''' A dragon once laired within your monastery. Its influence remains long after its departure.

=== Master ===
During your studies, you were likely under the tutelage of a master who imparted to you the precepts of the order. Your master was the one most responsible for shaping your understanding of the martial arts and your attitude toward the world. What sort of person was your master, and how did your relationship with your master affect you?

Examples:
* Your master was a tyrant whom you had to defeat in single combat to complete your instruction.
* Your master was kindly and taught you to pursue the cause of peace.
* Your master was merciless in pushing you to your limits. You nearly lost an eye during one especially brutal practice session.
* Your master seemed goodhearted while tutoring you, but betrayed your monastery in the end.
* Your master was cold and distant. You suspect that the two of you might be related.
* Your master was kind and generous, never critical of your progress. Nevertheless, you feel you never fully lived up to the expectations placed on you.

== Monks of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
The fat man straightened his black-and-gold vest, lowered his round head, and charged.

Danica waited until he was right in front of her, and to the onlookers it appeared as if the woman would be buried beneath mounds of flesh. At the last moment, she dipped her head under the fat man’s lunging arm, caught his hand, and casually stepped behind him as he lumbered past. A subtle twist of her wrist stopped him dead in his tracks, and before he even realized what was happening, Danica kicked the back of both his knees, dropping him to a kneel.
<div class="templatequotecite">— R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Canticle</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Some of the earliest monastic orders in Faerûn arose in the southern lands of Amn and Calimshan, their practices migrating north and east at the same time similar practices filtered westward from distant Kara-Tur.

The oldest orders have branched or fractured into smaller offshoots over time, such that there are now dozens of them. Most are no more than a few dozen members living in an isolated community in the wilderness. Some monastic communities have members numbering in the hundreds, with a presence closer to civilization, and often with correspondingly greater influence, for those orders concern themselves with worldly affairs.

As most monastic orders in Faerûn arose from human nations, the majority of monks in those communities tend to be human. Monasteries have long been sanctuaries for foundlings and outcasts of various sorts, so nonhuman monks are not unheard of.

=== Monastic Orders ===
The following orders can be found in various parts of the Forgotten Realms.

==== The Dark Moon ====
A monastic order devoted to Shar, the Dark Moon works openly in lands where her worship is accepted and in secret wilderness and underground hideaways where it isn’t. Its followers seek “knowledge and conversation with the shadow,” believing true wisdom is found in darkness and loss, both literally and spiritually. Its adherents most often follow the Way of Shadow, as described in the Monastic Tradition class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

==== The Hin Fist ====
A halfiing monastic order from Luiren, adherents of the Hin Fist turn their people’s natural confidence into a spiritual path for mastering themselves and their potential. A few Hin Fist masters have established monasteries in lands outside Luiren, where the teachings available only to halflings have been opened to students of other races who are willing to follow the path laid out by Yondalla. Hin Fist monks generally follow the Way of the Open Hand, as described in the Monastic Tradition class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

==== Order of the Yellow Rose ====
Also known as the Disciples of Saint Sollars the Twice-Martyred, the Order of the Yellow Rose is a solitary monastery of Ilmater worshipers in the Earthspur Mountains of Damara. It is known for loyalty to its allies and destruction to its enemies. Greatly respected on matters of truth and diplomacy, the monks work hard to survive in their remote sanctuary. The monks of the Monastery of the Yellow Rose use the remorhaz to test their disciples. Young monks must prove the power of their mind to overcome fear and pain by riding the beasts.

The faith of Ilmater fosters far more orders of monks that other gods. Other llmatari monastic orders include the Followers of the Unhindered Path, the Disciples of St. Morgan the Taciturn, and the Sisters of St. Jasper of the Rocks.

Monks of Ilmater often travel as wanderers, begging for alms, seeking enlightenment, and relieving the suffering of others. They tend to follow the Way of the Open Hand, as described in the Monastic Tradition class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

==== The Sun Souls ====
The Sun Soul monks follow a monastic tradition that they believe has its roots in the ancient empire of Netheril. In their philosophy, living things harbor a fragment of the sun’s mystic essence within them. Just as the body has a shadow, so too does the spirit have a light. That light is called the sun soul. Brothers and sisters of the Order of the Sun Soul train to tap into the “spiritual light within” and manifest it as supernatural feats of prowess and endurance. Members of this order follow the Way of the Sun Soul, which is described in the “Monastic Traditions” section below.

To get in touch with their internal light, Sun Soul monks follow a strict code of ascetic conduct called the Precepts of Incandescence. It emphasizes three pillars:

'''Seek physical perfection.''' To open the way for the sun soul to manifest, one should strive to make the body beautiful. Fitness, cleanliness, and well-honed physicality create a clearer window through which the light can shine.

'''Seek spiritual virtue.''' Recognize the light in others, not just the darkness. Grant and take each new chance to be virtuous.

'''Shine light into darkness.''' Share the soul’s light with the world. Light up dark places with your presence and banish shadow.

Due to the precepts’ similarity to the teachings of some faiths, the Order of the Sun Soul has long had associations with temples and the faithful of three particular deities: Sune, Selûne, and Lathander. The dictate to seek physical perfection and recognize hidden virtue has similarity to Sune’s teachings about physical and spiritual beauty. Followers of Selûne recognize their goddess’s exhortation to battle darkness and seek virtue. And of course, Lathander’s association with the sun links to the Sun Soul philosophy, but more critically for worshipers of Lathander, they see the idea of granting and taking new chances as similar to Lathander’s emphasis on new beginnings.

==== Long Death Monks ====
Followers of the Way of the Long Death worship the principle of death more so than any deity of death. These monks seek the secrets of life by studying death itself. It is the condition of being dead that concerns them most, and not what lies beyond; the afterlife holds little interest for them. Their monasteries are full of decaying, dying, and dead animal and plant specimens, which they study with detached interest. They frequently purchase rare specimens from adventurers and merchants that they can’t obtain easily themselves. But such studies are only part of the monks’ daily life: They seek to understand death as it pertains especially to intelligent living beings, and to this end they eagerly welcome the diseased and the dying so that they might watch and record their deaths. If such unfortunates seek release from pain through death, the monks provide it. They view death as a gift that they bestow on those who are ready for it. Their means of determining readiness vary from one sect (or even one monk) to another.

The monks suffer no moral qualms about these deeds, for death is the most natural thing in the world, from their perspective, and to expire in service to its principle is one of the most profoundly holy experiences a living being can hope to enjoy. It is for this reason that the monks themselves do not fear death.

Most of the order’s members are either scholars who share mutual fascination with death and dying or clergy who worship one of the deities concerned with death. Some of the monks consider themselves to be nothing less than visionaries whose work will pave the way for a better future for all Faerûn. When death is truly understood, it can be harnessed and used as a tool for the betterment of all, or so they rationalize to themselves.

Monks of this tradition follow the Way of the Long Death, which is described in the “Monastic Traditions” section below.

==== The Yielding Way ====
The monastic order of Eldath is the Disciples of the Yielding Way, sometimes known as the Brothers and Sisters of the Open Palm. These monks guard sacred sites where many priests dwell, and they travel the countryside gathering information for isolated groves and fastnesses. They don’t ever seek to provoke violence, but are quite deadly when defending themselves, their charges, and their holy sites.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Wizard

2018-02-02T21:20:16Z

Jason: Fix link to Category:Ability.

Clad in the silver robes that denote her station, an elf closes her eyes to shut out the distractions of the battlefield and begins her quiet chant. Fingers weaving in front of her, she completes her spell and launches a tiny bead of fire toward the enemy ranks, where it erupts into a conflagration that engulfs the soldiers.

Checking and rechecking his work, a human scribes an intricate magic circle in chalk on the bare stone floor, then sprinkles powdered iron along every line and graceful curve. When the circle is complete, he drones a long incantation. A hole opens in space inside the circle, bringing a whiff of brimstone from the otherworldly plane beyond.

Crouching on the floor in a dungeon intersection, a gnome tosses a handful of small bones inscribed with mystic symbols, muttering a few words of power over them. Closing his eyes to see the visions more clearly, he nods slowly, then opens his eyes and points down the passage to his left.

Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures monsters from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies. Their mightiest spells change one substance into another, call meteors down from the sky, or open portals to other worlds.

=== Scholars of the Arcane ===
Wild and enigmatic, varied in form and function, the power of magic draws students who seek to master its mysteries. Some aspire to become like the gods, shaping reality itself. Though the casting of a typical spell requires merely the utterance of a few strange words, fleeting gestures, and sometimes a pinch or clump of exotic materials, these surface components barely hint at the expertise attained after years of apprenticeship and countless hours of study.

Wizards live and die by their spells. Everything else is secondary. They learn new spells as they experiment and grow in experience. They can also learn them from other wizards, from ancient tomes or inscriptions, and from ancient creatures (such as the fey) that are steeped in magic.

=== The Lure of Knowledge ===
Wizards’ lives are seldom mundane. The closest a wizard is likely to come to an ordinary life is working as a sage or lecturer in a library or university, teaching others the secrets of the multiverse. Other wizards sell their services as diviners, serve in military forces, or pursue lives of crime or domination.

But the lure of knowledge and power calls even the most unadventurous wizards out of the safety of their libraries and laboratories and into crumbling ruins and lost cities. Most wizards believe that their counterparts in ancient civilizations knew secrets of magic that have been lost to the ages, and discovering those secrets could unlock the path to a power greater than any magic available in the present age.

== Creating a Wizard ==
Creating a wizard character demands a backstory dominated by at least one extraordinary event. How did your character first come into contact with magic? How did you discover you had an aptitude for it? Do you have a natural talent, or did you simply study hard and practice incessantly? Did you encounter a magical creature or an ancient tome that taught you the basics of magic?

What drew you forth from your life of study? Did your first taste of magical knowledge leave you hungry for more? Have you received word of a secret repository of knowledge not yet plundered by any other wizard? Perhaps you’re simply eager to put your newfound magical skills to the test in the face of danger.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a wizard quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Intelligence]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Constitution]] or [[Dexterity]]. If you plan to join the [[School of Enchantment]], make [[Charisma]] your next-best score. Second, choose the [[sage]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[mage hand]], [[light]], and [[ray of frost]] [[:Category:Cantrip|cantrips]], along with the following [[:Category:Level-One Spell|1st-level spells]] for your spellbook: [[burning hands]], [[charm person]], [[feather fall]], [[mage armor]], [[magic missile]], and [[sleep]].

{|
|+Wizard
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Spellcasting (Wizard)|Spellcasting]], [[Arcane Recovery]]||3||2
|-
|2nd||[[Arcane Tradition]]||3||3
|-
|3rd||—||3||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3
|-
|5th||—||4||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||4||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||4||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||—||4||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||5||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Arcane Tradition]] feature||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Spell Mastery]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Signature Spells]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

== Class Features ==
As a wizard, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d6 per wizard level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 6 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d6 (or 4) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per wizard level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' None

'''Weapons:''' [[Dagger|Daggers]], [[Dart|darts]], [[Sling|slings]], [[Quarterstaff|quarterstaffs]], [[Light Crossbow|light crossbows]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Intelligence]], [[Wisdom]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Arcana]], [[History]], [[Insight]], [[Investigation]], [[Medicine]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (a) a [[quarterstaff]] or (b) a [[dagger]]
* (a) a [[component pouch]] or (b) an [[arcane focus]]
* (a) a [[scholar’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[spellbook]]

== Xanathar’s Guide to Wizards ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Wizardry requires understanding. The knowledge of how and why magic works, and our efforts to broaden that understanding, have brought about the key advances in civilization over the centuries.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Gimble the illusionist</div>
</blockquote>

Only a select few people in the world are wielders of magic. Of all those, wizards stand at the pinnacle of the craft. Even the least of them can manipulate forces that flout the laws of nature, and the most accomplished among them can cast spells with world-shaking effects.

The price that wizards pay for their mastery is that most valuable of commodities: time. It takes years of study, instruction, and experimentation to learn how to harness magical energy and carry spells around in one’s own mind. For adventuring wizards and other spellcasters who aspire to the highest echelons of the profession, the studying never ends, nor does the quest for knowledge and power.

If you’re playing a wizard, take advantage of the opportunity to make your character more than just a stereotypical spell-slinger. Use the advice that follows to add some intriguing details to how your wizard interacts with the world.

=== Spellbook ===
Your wizard character’s most prized possession—your spellbook—might be an innocuous-looking volume whose covers show no hint of what’s inside. Or you might display some flair, as many wizards do, by carrying a spellbook of an unusual sort. If you don’t own such an item already, one of your goals might be to find a spellbook that sets you apart by its appearance or its means of manufacture.

{|
|+Spellbook
!d6!!Spellbook
|-
|1||A tome with pages that are thin sheets of metal, spells etched into them with acid
|-
|2||Long straps of leather on which spells are written, wrapped around a staff for ease of transport
|-
|3||A battered tome filled with pictographs that only you can understand
|-
|4||Small stones inscribed with spells and kept in a cloth bag
|-
|5||A scorched book, ravaged by dragon fire, with the script of your spells barely visible on its pages
|-
|6||A tome full of black pages whose writing is visible only in dim light or darkness
|}

=== Ambition ===
Few aspiring wizards undertake the study of magic without some personal goal in mind. Many wizards use their spells as a tool to produce a tangible benefit, in material goods or in status, for themselves or their companions. For others, the theoretical aspect of magic might have a strong appeal, pushing those wizards to seek out knowledge that supports new theories of the arcane or confirms old ones.

Beyond the obvious, why does your wizard character study magic, and what do you want to achieve? If you haven’t given these questions much thought, you can do so now, and the answers you come up with will likely affect how your future unfolds.

{|
|+Ambition
!d6!!Ambition
|-
|1||You will prove that the gods aren’t as powerful as folk believe.
|-
|2||Immortality is the end goal of your studies.
|-
|3||If you can fully understand magic, you can unlock its use for all and usher in an era of equality.
|-
|4||Magic is a dangerous tool. You use it to protect what you treasure.
|-
|5||Arcane power must be taken away from those who would abuse it.
|-
|6||You will become the greatest wizard the world has seen in generations.
|}

=== Eccentricity ===
Endless hours of solitary study and research can have a negative effect on anyone’s social skills. Wizards, who are a breed apart to begin with, are no exception. An odd mannerism or two is not necessarily a drawback, though; an eccentricity of this sort is usually harmless and could provide a source of amusement or serve as a calling card of sorts.

If you character has an eccentricity, is it a physical tic or a mental one? Are you well known in some circles because of it? Do you fight to overcome it, or do you embrace this minor claim to fame of yours?

{|
|+Eccentricity
!d6!!Eccentricity
|-
|1||You have the habit of tapping your foot incessantly, which often annoys those around you.
|-
|2||Your memory is quite good, but you have no trouble pretending to be absentminded when it suits your purposes.
|-
|3||You never enter a room without looking to see what’s hanging from the ceiling.
|-
|4||Your most prized possession is a dead worm that you keep inside a potion vial.
|-
|5||When you want people to leave you alone, you start talking to yourself. That usually does the trick.
|-
|6||Your fashion sense and grooming, or more accurately lack thereof, sometimes cause others to assume you are a beggar.
|}

== Wizards of the Sword Coast ==
<blockquote class="templatequote">
The First Hilt parried a clumsy axe swing and caught the rhythm of the wizard’s spell. It was one with which he was well familiar. Using his free hand, the bladesinger mirrored his opponent’s casting then sent his considerable power out to surround the overmatched wizard, binding it to himself. Argent energy flew from the human’s outstretched hand only to fizzle into nothingness as the bladesinger quenched the spell.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Keith Francis Strohm, <cite>Bladesinger</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Scholars and practitioners of what they call “the Art” (see chapter 1 for details), wizards are the most disciplined spellcasters in the Forgotten Realms. They need to be, as their powers come from years of careful study and practice. Some wizards apprentice and study with an experienced master, while others attend formal academies or universities of wizardry, such as those in Evermeet or Halruaa, or in the great cities of the North like Waterdeep or Silverymoon.

With the intensity of their study and practice, wizards tend to become increasingly solitary as they advance in their Art, having fewer peers with whom they can share their insights, if they choose to share them with anyone at all. Thus great wizards often take up residence in isolated towers or strongholds, exhibiting ever more eccentric behavior as time goes on. Some say this is a mark of madness brought on by delving too deeply into arcane lore, but they never say it too loudly anywhere a wizard might overhear.

The greatest wizards of the Realms find means of extending their lives far beyond the span of any race except the elves. Archwizards may be centuries old, having seen civilizations rise and fall across Faerûn. Other wizards seeking this longevity turn to lichdom, dwelling in isolated tombs and strongholds as they withdraw from the world in body as well as mind.

=== Wizardly Groups ===
Many wizardly groups exist in the Forgotten Realms, but two, in particular, stand out.

==== The Red Wizards ====
The most infamous group of wizards in the Realms are the Red Wizards of Thay. Garbed in their distinctive red robes, the Red Wizards have sought to expand their power and to extend Thay’s influence across the Realms, particularly in lands in the East. They shave their heads and wear complex tattoos reflecting their ambitions and achievements and their favored school of magic.

In Thay, the Red Wizards have ultimate power, although they give governance of day-to-day affairs to those without skill in the Art. Every Red Wizard devotes study to one of the eight schools of magic and serves that school’s zulkir, the leader and ultimate master of that style of magic. The zulkirs and their underlings constantly vie with one another for power and influence, and this competition frequently sends Red Wizards far from Thay to seek new spells, recover lost artifacts, and create wealth that can flow back to Thay. The power the Red Wizards hold in Thay gives them a measure of diplomatic legitimacy in the lands of the Sword Coast and the North, but their presence is rarely welcome and is universally viewed with suspicion.

==== War Wizards ====
The potential for wizards to influence the outcome of battle is something no ruler in Faerûn can afford to ignore, and most great armies seek to recruit and include wizards among their ranks. Evokers are the most common, simply for the potential their spells have of inflicting the most damage to the greatest number of enemies. Still, all schools of magic find their applications in warfare.

The War Wizards of Cormyr are perhaps the best known application of the Art to the field of battle. As much soldiers as they are scholars, many of them were members of the Purple Dragons before they began their training in the Art. In addition to field duty in times of war, the War Wizards also protect the royalty of Cormyr, and each one swears a magic oath of service to the Crown. In this role, War Wizards serve as bodyguards, advisors, and even spies. Members of the royal family, Purple Dragon Knights, and officers of the Purple Dragons frequently wear magic rings that allow a War Wizards to know where they’ve gone and to scry upon them. Removing such a ring, even for innocent reasons, can call a cadre of battle-ready War Wizards to teleport nearby with attack spells already in the midst of being cast.

=== Mage Sigils ===
Wizards and many other arcane spellcasters develop a signature rune, which they use to identify their belongings, sign as their name, and warn others. As a mage gains in power, more individuals recognize the sigil and connect it with a mighty spellcaster, not to be trifled with. Some mage sigils are used in conjunction with spells such as glyph of warding, which enforces the tendency of ordinary people to shy away from items marked by such sigils. There are folktales, in fact, about the gods themselves punishing a person who misuse’s a wizard’s sigil—preposterous tales that were most likely started by wizards themselves. There is no set penalty for violating another mage’s signature sigil or using it without permission. Powerful mages tend to punish such activity themselves to discourage further use.

Apprentice wizards in Faerûn are reminded of the dangers of misusing another spellcaster’s sigil by a rhyme: “Whenever magic one doth weave / ’Tis never, ever, wise to deceive.”

----
Sources:
* [[Player’s Handbook]], pp. 112-115
* [[Player’s Handbook—Errata]], p. 1
* [[Xanathar’s Guide to Everything]], pp. 58-59
* [[Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide]], pp. 140-142

[[Category:Class]]

Barbarian

2018-02-02T21:19:09Z

Jason: Fix link to Category:Ability.

A tall human tribesman strides through a blizzard, draped in fur and hefting his axe. He laughs as he charges toward the frost giant who dared poach his people’s elk herd.

A half-orc snarls at the latest challenger to her authority over their savage tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals.

Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face of his drow foe, then turns to drive his armored elbow into the gut of another.

These barbarians, different as they might be, are defined by their rage: unbridled, unquenchable, and unthinking fury. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea.

For some, their rage springs from a communion with fierce animal spirits. Others draw from a roiling reservoir of anger at a world full of pain. For every barbarian, rage is a power that fuels not just a battle frenzy but also uncanny reflexes, resilience, and feats of strength.

=== Primal Instinct ===
People of towns and cities take pride in how their civilized ways set them apart from animals, as if denying one’s own nature was a mark of superiority. To a barbarian, though, civilization is no virtue, but a sign of weakness. The strong embrace their animal nature—keen instincts, primal physicality, and ferocious rage. Barbarians are uncomfortable when hedged in by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt.

Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a berserk state where rage takes over, giving them superhuman strength and resilience. A barbarian can draw on this reservoir of fury only a few times without resting, but those few rages are usually sufficient to defeat whatever threats arise.

=== A Life of Danger ===
Not every member of the tribes deemed “barbarians” by scions of civilized society has the barbarian class. A true barbarian among these people is as uncommon as a skilled fighter in a town, and he or she plays a similar role as a protector of the people and a leader in times of war. Life in the wild places of the world is fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to.

Their courage in the face of danger makes barbarians perfectly suited for adventuring. Wandering is often a way of life for their native tribes, and the rootless life of the adventurer is little hardship for a barbarian. Some barbarians miss the close-knit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties.

{|
|+
==== The Barbarian ====
!Level!!Features!!Rages!!Rage Damage
|-
|1st||[[Rage]], [[Unarmored Defense (Barbarian)]]||2||+2
|-
|2nd||[[Reckless Attack]], [[Danger Sense]]||2||+2
|-
|3rd||[[Primal Path]]||3||+2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||+2
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]], [[Fast Movement]]||3||+2
|-
|6th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+2
|-
|7th||[[Feral Instinct]]||4||+2
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||+2
|-
|9th||[[Brutal Critical]] (1 die)||4||+3
|-
|10th||[[Primal Path]] feature||4||+3
|-
|11th||[[Relentless Rage]]||4||+3
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+3
|-
|13th||[[Brutal Critical]] (2 dice)||5||+3
|-
|14th||[[Primal Path]] feature||5||+3
|-
|15th||[[Persistent Rage]]||5||+3
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||+4
|-
|17th||[[Brutal Critical]] (3 dice)||6||+4
|-
|18th||[[Indomitable Might]]||6||+4
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||6||+4
|-
|20th||[[Primal Champion]]||Unlimited||+4
|}

== Creating a Barbarian ==
When creating a barbarian character, think about where your character comes from and his or her place in the world. Talk with your DM about an appropriate origin for your barbarian. Did you come from a distant land, making you a stranger in the area of the campaign? Or is the campaign set in a rough-and-tumble frontier where barbarians are common?

What led you to take up the adventuring life? Were you lured to settled lands by the promise of riches? Did you join forces with soldiers of those lands to face a shared threat? Did monsters or an invading horde drive you out of your homeland, making you a rootless refugee? Perhaps you were a prisoner of war, brought in chains to “civilized” lands and only now able to win your freedom. Or you might have been cast out from your people because of a crime you committed, a taboo you violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority.

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]] in [[Strength]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[outlander]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a barbarian, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d12 per barbarian level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 12 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d12 (or 7) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per barbarian level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[Intimidation]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[greataxe]] or (b) any [[martial melee weapon]]
* (a) two [[Handaxe|handaxes]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* An [[explorer’s pack]] and four [[Javelin|javelins]]

Rage
In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.
While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless Attack
Starting at 2nd level, you can throw aside all concern for defense to attack with fierce desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to attack recklessly. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next turn.

Danger Sense
At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren’t as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Primal Path
At 3rd level, you choose a path that shapes the nature of your rage. Choose the Path of the Berserker or the Path of the Totem Warrior, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fast Movement
Starting at 5th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

Feral Instinct
By 7th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls.
Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your rage before doing anything else on that turn.

Brutal Critical
Beginning at 9th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.
This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Relentless Rage
Starting at 11th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re raging and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.
Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Persistent Rage
Beginning at 15th level, your rage is so fierce that it ends early only if you fall unconscious or if you choose to end it.

Indomitable Might
Beginning at 18th level, if your total for a Strength check is less than your Strength score, you can use that score in place of the total.

Primal Champion
At 20th level, you embody the power of the wilds. Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 4. Your maximum for those scores is now 24.

Primal Paths
Rage burns in every barbarian’s heart, a furnace that drives him or her toward greatness. Different barbarians attribute their rage to different sources, however. For some, it is an internal reservoir where pain, grief, and anger are forged into a fury hard as steel. Others see it as a spiritual blessing, a gift of a totem animal.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Barbarians ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I have witnessed the indomitable performance of barbarians on the field of battle, and it makes me wonder what force lies at the heart of their rage.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Seret, archwizard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Rawr! I’m really angry! Funny, I don’t feel any stronger. Maybe because I’m always angry, I’m always in top condition. Stands to reason.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

The anger felt by a normal person resembles the rage of a barbarian in the same way that a gentle breeze is akin to a furious thunderstorm. The barbarian’s driving force comes from a place that transcends mere emotion, making its manifestation all the more terrible. Whether the impetus for the fury comes entirely from within or from forging a link with a spirit animal, a raging barbarian becomes able to perform supernatural feats of strength and endurance. The outburst is temporary, but while it lasts, it takes over body and mind, driving the barbarian on despite peril and injury, until the last enemy falls.

It can be tempting to play a barbarian character that is a straightforward application of the classic archetype—a brute, and usually a dimwitted one at that, who rushes in where other fear to tread. But not all the barbarians in the world are cut from that cloth, so you can certainly put your own spin on things. Either way, consider adding some flourishes to make your barbarian stand out from all others; see the following sections for some ideas.

=== Personal Totems ===
Barbarians tend to travel light, carrying little in the way of personal effects or other unnecessary gear. The few possessions they do carry often include small items that have special significance. A personal totem is significant because it has a mystical origin or is tied to an important moment in the character’s life—perhaps a remembrance from the barbarian’s past or a harbinger of what lies ahead.

A personal totem of this sort might be associated with a barbarian’s spirit animal, or might actually be the totem object for the animal, but such a connection is not essential. One who has a bear totem spirit, for instance, could still carry an eagle’s feather as a personal totem.

Consider creating one or more personal totems for your character—objects that hold a special link to your character’s past or future. Think about how a totem might affect your character’s actions.

Examples:
* A tuft of fur from a solitary wolf that you befriended during a hunt
* Three eagle features given to you by a wise shaman, who told you they would play a role in determining your fate
* A necklace made from the claws of a cave bear that you slew singlehandedly as a child
* A small leather pouch holding three stones that represent your ancestors
* A few small bones from the first beast you killed, tied together with colored wool
* An egg-sized stone in the shape of your spirit animal that appeared one day in your belt pouch

=== Tattoos ===
The members of many barbarian clans decorate their bodies with tattoos, each of which represents a significant moment in the lift of the bearer or the bearer’s ancestors, or which symbolizes a feeling or an attitude. As with personal totems, a barbarian’s tattoos might or might not be related to an animal spirit.

Each tattoo a barbarian displays contributes to that individual’s identity. If your character wears tattoos, what do they look like, and what do they represent?

Examples:
* The wings of an eagle are spread wide across your upper back.
* Etched on the backs of your hands are the paws of a cave bear.
* The symbols of your clan are displayed in viny patterns along your arms.
* The antlers of an elk are inked across your back.
* Images of your spirit animal are tattooed along your weapon arm and hand.
* The eyes of a wolf are marked on your back to help you see and ward off evil spirits.

=== Superstitions ===
Barbarians vary widely in how they understand life. Some follow gods and look for guidance from those deities in the cycles of nature and the animals they encounter. These barbarians believe that spirits inhabit the plants and animals of the world, and the barbarians look to them for omens and power.

Other barbarians trust only in the blood that runs in their veins and the steel they hold in their hands. They have no use for the invisible world, instead relying on their senses to hunt and survive like the wild beasts they emulate.

Both of these attitudes can give rise to superstitions. These beliefs are often passed down within a family or shared among the members of a clan or a hunting group.

If your barbarian character has any superstitions, were they ingrained in you by your family, or are they the result of personal experience?

Examples:
* If you disturb the bones of the dead, you inherit all the troubles that plagued them in life.
* Never trust a wizard. They’re all devils in disguise, especially the friendly ones.
* Dwarves have lost their spirits, and are almost like the undead. That’s why they live underground.
* Magical things bring trouble. Never sleep with a magic object within ten feet of you.
* When you walk through a graveyard, be sure to wear silver, or a ghost might jump into your body.
* If an elf looks you in the eye’s, she’s trying to read your thoughts.

== Barbarians of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Closest to the dark elves, Pwent lowered his head, with its long helmet spike, and impaled one elf through the chest, blasting through the tme mesh of draw armor easily and brutally. The second drow managed to deflect the next battlerager’s charge, turning the helmet spike aside with both his swords. But a mailed fist, the knuckles devilishly spiked with barbed points, caught the draw under the chin and tore a gaping hole in his throat. Fighting for breath, the drow managed to score two nasty hits on his opponent’s back, but those two strikes did little in the face of the flurry launched by the wild-eyed dwarf.
<div class="templatequotecite">- R.A. Salvatore, <cite>Siege of Darkness</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Many of the lands of the Sword Coast and the North are savage, where day-to-day survival is a struggle. Such lands breed hardy tribes and fierce warriors, such as the Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians of the North and the seafaring Northlanders of the Moonshae Isles and the northernmost reaches of the Sword Coast.

Barbarians of these lands are most often humans or half-orcs, occasionally half-elves born of contact between savage human tribes and the elves of the North or Western Heartlands, or tieflings from tribes known to consort with fiends. Dwarf barbarians are famed and feared warriors among the fiercely proud clans that have reclaimed territories like Mithril Hall and Gautlgrym. Barbarians of most other races hail from warmer southern lands, rather than the Savage North, although southern foundlings are sometimes adopted in the North and raised by tribes there.

== Primal Paths ==
Barbarians in the Forgotten Realms have the following Primal Path options, in addition to those in the Player’s Handbook. Reghed and Northlander barbarians tend to follow the Path of the Berserker, while Uthgardt barbarians are nearly always followers of the Path of the Totem Warrior.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Fighter

2018-02-02T20:24:40Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

A human in clanging plate armor holds her shield before her as she runs toward the massed goblins. An elf behind her, clad in studded leather armor, peppers the goblins with arrows loosed from his exquisite bow. The half-orc nearby shouts orders, helping the two combatants coordinate their assault to the best advantage.

A dwarf in chain mail interposes his shield between the ogre’s club and his companion, knocking the deadly blow aside. His companion, a half-elf in scale armor, swings two scimitars in a blinding whirl as she circles the ogre, looking for a blind spot in its defenses.

A gladiator fights for sport in an arena, a master with his trident and net, skilled at toppling foes and moving them around for the crowd’s delight—and his own tactical advantage. His opponent’s sword flares with blue light an instant before she sends lightning flashing forth to smite him.

All of these heroes are fighters, perhaps the most diverse class of characters in the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. Questing knights, conquering overlords, royal champions, elite foot soldiers, hardened mercenaries, and bandit kings—as fighters, they all share an unparalleled mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face.

=== Well-Rounded Specialists ===
Fighters learn the basics of all combat styles. Every fighter can swing an axe, fence with a rapier, wield a longsword or a greatsword, use a bow, and even trap foes in a net with some degree of skill. Likewise, a fighter is adept with shields and every form of armor. Beyond that basic degree of familiarity, each fighter specializes in a certain style of combat. Some concentrate on archery, some on fighting with two weapons at once, and some on augmenting their martial skills with magic. This combination of broad general ability and extensive specialization makes fighters superior combatants on battlefields and in dungeons alike.

=== Trained for Danger ===
Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively untrained soldiers with only the most basic combat knowledge. Veteran soldiers, military officers, trained bodyguards, dedicated knights, and similar figures are fighters.

Some fighters feel drawn to use their training as adventurers. The dungeon delving, monster slaying, and other dangerous work common among adventurers is second nature for a fighter, not all that different from the life he or she left behind. There are greater risks, perhaps, but also much greater rewards—few fighters in the city watch have the opportunity to discover a magic flame tongue sword, for example.

== Creating a Fighter ==
As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors around you? Were you particularly ruthless? Did you get extra help from a mentor, perhaps because of your exceptional dedication? What drove you to this training in the first place? A threat to your homeland, a thirst for revenge, or a need to prove yourself might all have been factors.

You might have enjoyed formal training in a noble’s army or in a local militia. Perhaps you trained in a war academy, learning strategy, tactics, and military history. Or you might be self-taught—unpolished but well tested. Did you take up the sword as a way to escape the limits of life on a farm, or are you following a proud family tradition? Where did you acquire your weapons and armor? They might have been military issue or family heirlooms, or perhaps you scrimped and saved for years to buy them. Your armaments are now among your most important possessions—the only things that stand between you and death’s embrace.

{|
|+
==== The Fighter ====
!Level!!Features
|-
|1st||[[Fighting Style]], [[Second Wind]]
|-
|2nd||[[Action Surge]] (one use)
|-
|3rd||[[Martial Archetype]]
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|5th||[[Extra Attack]]
|-
|6th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|7th||[[Martial Archetype]] feature
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|9th||[[Indomitable]] (one use)
|-
|10th||[[Martial Archetype]] feature
|-
|11th||[[Extra Attack]] (2)
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|13th||[[Indomitable]] (two uses)
|-
|14th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|15th||[[Martial Archetype]] feature
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|17th||[[Action Surge]] (two uses), [[Indomitable]] (three uses)
|-
|18th||[[Martial Archetype]] feature
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]
|-
|20th||[[Extra Attack]] (3)
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a fighter quickly by following these suggestions. First, make [[Strength]] or [[Dexterity]] your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons or on archery (or finesse weapons). Your next-highest score should be [[Constitution]], or [[Intelligence]] if you plan to adopt the [[Eldritch Knight]] [[martial archetype]]. Second, choose the [[soldier]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a fighter, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d10 per fighter level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 10 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d10 (or 6) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per fighter level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' All [[armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[martial weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Strength]], [[Constitution]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two skills from [[Acrobatics]], [[Animal Handling]], [[Athletics]], [[History]], [[Insight]], [[Intimidation]], [[Perception]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) [[chain mail]] or (b) [[leather]], [[longbow]], and 20 [[arrows]]
* (a) a [[martial weapon]] and a [[shield]] or (b) two [[martial weapons]]
* (a) a [[light crossbow]] and 20 [[bolts]] or (b) two [[handaxes]]
* (a) a [[dungeoneer’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]

Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Second Wind
You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge
Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

Martial Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your combat styles and techniques. Choose Champion, Battle Master, or Eldritch Knight, all detailed at the end of the class description. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

Indomitable
Beginning at 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

== Martial Archetypes ==
Different fighters choose different approaches to perfecting their fighting prowess. The martial archetype you choose to emulate reflects your approach.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Fighters ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Let me know when you’re all done talking.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Tordek</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
So there are different names for different sorts of people who swing swords? Why? Let me try: big sword swinger and tiny sword swinger. No, that sounds like it’s the size of the sword that matters. How about: big meat bag with a sword and little meat bag with a sword! <div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Of all the adventurers in the worlds of D&D, the fighter is perhaps the greatest paradox. On the one hand, a singular feature of the class is that no two fighters ply their craft in quite the same way; their weapons, armor, and tactics differ across a vast spectrum. On the other hand, regardless of the tool sand methods one uses, at the heart of every fighter’s motivation lies the same basic truth: it is better to wound than to be wounded.

Although some adventuring fighters risk their lives fighting for glory or treasure, others are primarily concerned with the welfare of others. They put more value on the well-being of the society, the village, or the group that on their own safety. Even if there’s gold in the offering, the true reward for most fighters comes from sending enemies to their doom.

The sections below offer ways to add a little depth and a few personal touches to your fighter character.

=== Heraldic Sign ===
Fighters typically do battle for a cause. Some fight on behalf of kingdoms besieged by monsters, while others quest only for personal glory. In either case, a fighter often displays a heraldic sign that represents that cause, either adopting the symbol of a nation or a royal line, or creating a crest to represent one’s self-interest.

Your character could be affiliated with an organization or a cause, and thus might already travel under a banner of some sort. If that’s not the case, consider devising a heraldic sign that symbolizes an aspect of your nature or speak to what you see as your purpose in the world.

Examples:
* A rampant golden dragon on a green field, representing valor and a quest for wealth
* The fist of a storm giant clutching lightning before a storm cloud, symbolizing wrath and power
* Crossed greatswords in front of a castle gate, signifying the defense of a city or kingdom
* A skull with a dagger through it, representing the doom you bring to your enemies
* A phoenix in a ring of fire, an expression of an indomitable spirit
* Three drops of blood beneath a horizontal sword blade on a black background, symbolizing three foes you have sworn to kill

=== Instructor ===
Some fighters are natural-born combatants who have a talent for surviving in battle. Others learned the basics of their combat prowess in their formative years from spending time in a military or some other martial organization, when they were taught by the leaders of the group.

A third type of fighter comes from the ranks of those who received one-on-one instruction from an accomplished veteran of the craft. That instructor was, or perhaps still is, well versed in a certain aspect of combat that relates to the student’s background.

If you decide that your character had an individual instructor, what is that person’s specialty? Do you emulate your instruct in how you fight, or did you take the instructor’s teachings and adapt them to your own purposes?

Examples:
* '''Gladiator.''' Your instructor was a slave who fought for freedom in the arena, or one who willingly chose the gladiator’s life to earn money and fame.
* '''Military.''' Your trainer served with a group of soldiers and knows much about working as a team.
* '''City Watch.''' Crowd control and peacekeeping are your instructor’s specialties.
* '''Tribal Warrior.''' Your instructor grew up in a tribe, where fighting for one’s life was practically an everyday occurrence.
* '''Street Fighter.''' Your trainer excels at urban combat, combining close-quarters work with silence and efficiency.
* '''Weapon Master.''' Your mentor helped you to become one with your chosen weapon, by imparting highly specialized knowledge of how to wield it most effectively.

=== Signature Style ===
Many fighters distinguish themselves from their peers by adopting and perfecting a particular style or method of waging combat. Although this style might be a natural outgrowth of a fighter’s personality, that’s not always the case—someone’s approach to the world in general does not necessarily dictate how that person operates when lives are on the line.

Do you have a combat style that mirrors your outlook on life, or is something else inside you unleashed when weapons are drawn?

Examples:
* '''Elegant.''' You move with precise grace and total control, never using more energy than you need.
* '''Brutal.''' Your attacks rain down like hammer blows, meant to splinter bone or send blood flying.
* '''Cunning.''' You dart in to attack at just the right moment and use small-scale tactics to tilt the odds in your favor.
* '''Effortless.''' You rarely perspire or display anything other than a stoic expression in battle.
* '''Energetic.''' You sing and laugh during combat as your spirit soars. You are happiest when you have a foe in front of you and a weapon in hand.
* '''Sinister.''' You scowl and sneer while fighting, and you enjoy mocking your foes as you defeat them.

== Fighters of the Sword Coast ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
“Slow to learn, aren’t they?” a white-haired old knight who’d lost his helm in the last fray drawled. “This is getting to be like a proper romp in the Dragonjaws, it is! I’ll have to get my minstrel to write a ballad about this…”

“I hope he sings swiftly,” a Purple Dragon armsman growled. “Here they are!”

The howling spilled over the bodies in another rushing tide off flapping leather, slashing swords, and beady goblin eyes. Men planted themselves—no running and leaping now—to hew steadily, like harvesters with scythes and many fields in front of them, in a rhythm of death.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Troy Denning, <cite>Death of the Dragon</cite></div>
</blockquote>

Whether doughty warriors, idealistic young soldiers, or hard-bitten mercenaries, fighters are found everywhere in the Forgotten Realms. Even the most peaceful lands have militia for protection against their enemies, and many great rulers in the Realms’ past were fighters of some sort. There are always opportunities for those who know how to handle themselves in a fight.

Able-bodied folk in many parts of the Sword Coast and the North learn at least the rudiments of combat as part of a local militia, serving in times of need, while a few go on to become professional soldiers, guards, or the like. Officers tend to come from the nobility, although there are opportunities for capable leaders to demonstrate their skills and rise through the ranks.

Fighters who don’t make a career of soldiering find other ways to demonstrate their prowess. Mercenaries find employment with those who need skilled warriors but who lack the time or means to train them. Such employers include adventuring companies, which are almost always in need of a reliable fighter.

Merchants and guilds hire guards to protect caravans, ships, and their warehouses and guildhalls. Such work affords the opportunity for frequent travel and danger.

A good deal of danger comes from fighters who abandon legitimate employment to become bandits—raiding caravans, robbing travelers, and pillaging isolated homesteads, manors, and villages. Out-of-luck fighters might also take part in gladiatorial fights or similar blood sports to make a living off their skills, although such matches are virtually unknown on the Sword Coast and in the North, as compared to southern nations like Amn and Calimshan.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Druid

2018-02-02T19:48:51Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Holding high a gnarled staff wreathed with holly, an elf summons the fury of the storm and calls down explosive bolts of lightning to smite the torch-carrying orcs who threaten her forest.

Crouching out of sight on a high tree branch in the form of a leopard, a human peers out of the jungle at the strange construction of a temple of Evil Elemental Air, keeping a close eye on the cultists’ activities.

Swinging a blade formed of pure fire, a half-elf charges into a mass of skeletal soldiers, sundering the unnatural magic that gives the foul creatures the mocking semblance of life.

Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over nature. Instead, they see themselves as extensions of nature’s indomitable will.

=== Power of Nature ===
Druids revere nature above all, gaining their spells and other magical powers either from the force of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature, animals, or elemental forces. The ancient druidic traditions are sometimes called the Old Faith, in contrast to the worship of gods in temples and shrines.

Druid spells are oriented toward nature and animals—the power of tooth and claw, of sun and moon, of fire and storm. Druids also gain the ability to take on animal forms, and some druids make a particular study of this practice, even to the point where they prefer animal form to their natural form.

=== Preserve the Balance ===
For druids, nature exists in a precarious balance. The four elements that make up a world—air, earth, fire, and water—must remain in equilibrium. If one element were to gain power over the others, the world could be destroyed, drawn into one of the elemental planes and broken apart into its component elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who promote one element to the exclusion of others.

Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant and animal life, and the need for civilized folk to live in harmony with nature, not in opposition to it. Druids accept that which is cruel in nature, and they hate that which is unnatural, including aberrations (such as beholders and mind flayers) and undead (such as zombies and vampires). Druids sometimes lead raids against such creatures, especially when the monsters encroach on the druids’ territory.

Druids are often found guarding sacred sites or watching over regions of unspoiled nature. But when a significant danger arises, threatening nature’s balance or the lands they protect, druids take on a more active role in combating the threat, as adventurers.

== Creating a Druid ==
When making a druid, consider why your character has such a close bond with nature. Perhaps your character lives in a society where the Old Faith still thrives, or was raised by a druid after being abandoned in the depths of a forest. Perhaps your character had a dramatic encounter with the spirits of nature, coming face to face with a giant eagle or dire wolf and surviving the experience. Maybe your character was born during an epic storm or a volcanic eruption, which was interpreted as a sign that becoming a druid was part of your character’s destiny.

Have you always been an adventurer as part of your druidic calling, or did you first spend time as a caretaker of a sacred grove or spring? Perhaps your homeland was befouled by evil, and you took up an adventuring life in hopes of finding a new home or purpose.

{|
|+
==== The Druid ====
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Druidic]], [[Spellcasting (Druid)]]||2||2
|-
|2nd||[[Wild Shape]], [[Druid Circle]]||2||3
|-
|3rd||—||2||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Wild Shape]] improvement, [[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||4||3||2
|-
|5th||—||3||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Druid Circle]] feature||3||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||3||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Wild Shape]] improvement, [[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||—||3||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Druid Circle]] feature||4||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||—||4||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||—||4||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Druid Circle]] feature||4||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||—||4||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||—||4||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Timeless Body]], [[Beast Spells]]||4||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Archdruid]]||4||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a druid quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Wisdom]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[hermit]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a druid, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per druid level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per druid level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]] (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)

'''Weapons:''' [[Clubs]], [[daggers]], [[darts]], [[javelins]], [[maces]], [[quarterstaffs]], [[scimitars]], [[sickles]], [[slings]], [[spears]]

'''Tools:''' [[Herbalism kit]]

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Intelligence]], [[Wisdom]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[Arcana]], [[Animal Handling]], [[Insight]], [[Medicine]], [[Nature]], [[Perception]], [[Religion]], and [[Survival]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a wooden [[shield]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[scimitar]] or (b) any [[simple melee weapon]]
* [[Leather armor]], an [[explorer’s pack]], and a [[druidic focus]]

Druidic
You know Druidic, the secret language of druids. You can speak the language and use it to leave hidden messages. You and others who know this language automatically spot such a message. Others spot the message’s presence with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check but can’t decipher it without magic.

Spellcasting
Drawing on the divine essence of nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the druid spell list.

Cantrips
At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. You learn additional druid cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Druid table.

Preparing and Casting Spells
The Druid table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these druid spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of druid spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your druid level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 3rd-level druid, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of druid spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a druid spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast a druid spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use a druidic focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.

--
Sacred Plants and Wood
A druid holds certain plants to be sacred, particularly alder, ash, birch, elder, hazel, holly, juniper, mistletoe, oak, rowan, willow, and yew. Druids often use such plants as part of a spellcasting focus, incorporating lengths of oak or yew or sprigs of mistletoe.
Similarly, a druid uses such woods to make other objects, such as weapons and shields. Yew is associated with death and rebirth, so weapon handles for scimitars or sickles might be fashioned from it. Ash is associated with life and oak with strength. These woods make excellent hafts or whole weapons, such as clubs or quarterstaffs, as well as shields. Alder is associated with air, and it might be used for thrown weapons, such as darts or javelins.
Druids from regions that lack the plants described here have chosen other plants to take on similar uses. For instance, a druid of a desert region might value the yucca tree and cactus plants.
--

Wild Shape
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed.

---
Beast Shapes
---
Level, Max. CR, Limitations, Example
2nd, 1/4, No flying or swimming speed, Wolf
4th, 1/2, No flying speed, Crocodile
8th, 1, —, Giant eagle
---

You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature’s bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• When you transform, you assume the beast’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren’t knocked unconscious.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Druid Circle
At 2nd level, you choose to identify with a circle of druids: the Circle of the Land or the Circle of the Moon, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Timeless Body
Starting at 18th level, the primal magic that you wield causes you to age more slowly. For every 10 years that pass, your body ages only 1 year.

Beast Spells
Beginning at 18th level, you can cast many of your druid spells in any shape you assume using Wild Shape. You can perform the somatic and verbal components of a druid spell while in a beast shape, but you aren’t able to provide material components.

Archdruid
At 20th level, you can use your Wild Shape an unlimited number of times.
Additionally, you can ignore the verbal and somatic components of your druid spells, as well as any material components that lack a cost and aren’t consumed by a spell. You gain this benefit in both your normal shape and your beast shape from Wild Shape.

== Druid Circles ==
Though their organization is invisible to most outsiders, druids are part of a society that spans the land, ignoring political borders. All druids are nominally members of this druidic society, though some individuals are so isolated that they have never seen any high-ranking members of the society or participated in druidic gatherings. Druids recognize each other as brothers and sisters. Like creatures of the wilderness, however, druids sometimes compete with or even prey on each other.

At a local scale, druids are organized into circles that share certain perspectives on nature, balance, and the way of the druid.

== Druids and the Gods ==
Some druids venerate the forces of nature themselves, but most druids are devoted to one of the many nature deities worshiped in the multiverse (the lists of gods in appendix B include many such deities). The worship of these deities is often considered a more ancient tradition than the faiths of clerics and urbanized peoples. In fact, in the world of Greyhawk, the druidic faith is called the Old Faith, and it claims many adherents among farmers, foresters, fishers, and others who live closely with nature. This tradition includes the worship of Nature as a primal force beyond personification, but also encompasses the worship of Beory, the Oerth Mother, as well as devotees of Obad-Hai, Ehlonna, and Ulaa.

In the worlds of Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms, druidic circles are not usually connected to the faith of a single nature deity. Any given circle in the Forgotten Realms, for example, might include druids who revere Silvanus, Mielikki, Eldath, Chauntea, or even the harsh Gods of Fury: Talos, Malar, Auril, and Umberlee. These nature gods are often called the First Circle, the first among the druids, and most druids count them all (even the violent ones) as worthy of veneration.

The druids of Eberron hold animistic beliefs completely unconnected to the Sovereign Host, the Dark Six, or any of the other religions of the world. They believe that every living thing and every natural phenomenon—sun, moon, wind, fire, and the world itself—has a spirit. Their spells, then, are a means to communicate with and command these spirits. Different druidic sects, though, hold different philosophies about the proper relationship of these spirits to each other and to the forces of civilization. The Ashbound, for example, believe that arcane magic is an abomination against nature, the Children of Winter venerate the forces of death, and the Gatekeepers preserve ancient traditions meant to protect the world from the incursion of aberrations.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Druids ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Even in death, each creature plays its part in maintaining the Great Balance. But now an imbalance grows, a force that seeks to hold sway over nature. This is the destructive behavior of the mortal races. The farther away from nature their actions take them, the more corrupting their influence becomes. As druid, we seek mainly to protect and educate, to preserve the Great Balance, but there are times when we must rise up against danger and eradicate it.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Safhran, archdruid</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I’ve always liked druids, because they are made of natural ingredients. And I believe that everyone should have such a healthy diet.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Druids are the caretakers of the natural world, and it is said that in time a druid becomes a voice of nature, speaking the truth that is too subtle for the general populace to hear. Many who become druids find that they naturally gravitate toward nature; its forces, cycles, and movements fill their minds and spirits with wonder and insight. Many sages and wise folk have studied nature, writing volumes about its mystery and power, but druids are a special kind of being: at some point, they begin to embody these natural forces, producing magical phenomena that link them to the spirit of nature and the flow of life. Because of their strange and mysterious power, druids are often revered, shunned, or considered dangerous by the people around them.

Your druid character might be a true worshiper of nature, one who has always scorned civilization and found solace in the wild. Or your character could be a child of the city who now strives to bring the civilized world into harmony with the wilderness. You can use the sections that follow to flesh out your druid, regardless of how your character came to the profession.

=== Treasured Item ===
Some druids carry one or more items that are sacred to them or have deep personal significance. Such items are not necessary magical, but every one is an object whose meaning connects the druid’s mind and heart to a profound concept or spiritual outlook.

When you decide what your character’s treasured item is, think about giving it an origin story: how did you come by the item, and why is it important to you?

Examples:
* A twig from the meeting tree that stands in the center of your village
* A vial of water from the source of a sacred river
* Special herbs tied together in a bundle
* A small bronze bowl engraved with animal images
* A rattle made from a dried gourd and holly berries
* A miniature golden sickle handed down to you by your mentor

=== Guiding Aspect ===
Many druids feel a strong link to a specific aspect of the natural world, such as a body of water, an animal, a type of tree, or some other sort of plant. You identify with your chosen aspect; by its behavior or its very nature, it sets an example that you seek to emulate.

Examples:
* Yew trees remind you of renewing your mind and spirit, letting the old die and the new spring forth.
* Oak trees represent strength and vitality. Meditating under an oak fills your body and mind with resolve and fortitude.
* The river’s endless flow reminds you of the great span of the world. You seek to act with the long-term interests of nature in mind.
* The sea is a constant, churning cauldron of power and chaos. It reminds you that accepting chance is necessary to sustain yourself in the world.
* The birds in the sky are evidence that even the smallest creatures can survive if they remain above the fray.
* As demonstrated by the actions of the wolf, an individual’s strength is nothing compared to the power of the pack.

=== Mentor ===
It’s not unusual for would-be druids to seek out (or be sought out by) instructors or elders who teach them the basics of their magical arts. Most druids who learn from a mentor begin their training at a young age, and the mentor has a vital role in shaping a student’s attitudes and beliefs.

If your character received training from someone else, who or what was that individual, and what was the nature of your relationship? Did your mentor imbue you with a particular outlook or otherwise influence your approach to achieving the goals of your chosen path?

Examples:
* Your mentor was a wise treant who taught you to think in terms of years and decades rather than days or months.
* You were tutored by a dryad who watched over a slumbering portal to the Abyss. During your training, you were tasked with watching for hidden threats to the world.
* Your tutor always interacted with you in the form of a falcon. You never saw the tutor’s humanoid form.
* You were one of several youngsters who were mentored by an old druid, until one of your fellow pupils betrayed your group and killed your master.
* Your mentor has appeared to you only in visions. You have yet to meet this person, and you are not sure such a person exists in mortal form.
* Your mentor was a werebear who taught you to treat all living things with equal regard.

== Learning Beast Shapes ==
The Wild Shape feature in the Player’s Handbook lets you transform into a beast that you’ve seen. That rule gives you a tremendous amount of flexibility, making it easy to amass an array of beast form options for yourself, but you must abide by the limitations in the Beast Shapes table in that book.

When you gain Wild Shape as a 2nd-level druid, you might wonder which beasts you’ve already seen. The following tables organize beasts from the Monster Manual according to the beasts’ most likely environments. Consider the environment your druid grew up in, then consult the appropriate table for a list of animals that your druid has probably seen by 2nd level.

These tables can also help you and your DM determine which animals you might see on your travels. In addition, the tables include each beast’s challenge rating and note whether a beast has a flying or swimming speed. This information will help you determine whether you qualify to assume that beast’s form.

The tables include all the individual beasts that are eligible for Wild Shape (up to a challenge rating of 1) or the Circle Forms feature of the Circle of the Moon (up to a challenge rating of 6).

<blockquote class="templatequote">
If I could turn into something else, I wouldn’t. Because everything else is inferior to me.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

{|
|+
==== Arctic ====
!CR!!Beast!!Fly/Swim
|-
|0||Owl||Fly
|-
|1/8||Blood hawk||Fly
|-
|1/4||Giant owl||Fly
|-
|1||Brown bear||—
|-
|2||Polar bear||Swim
|-
|2||Saber-toothed tiger||—
|-
|6||Mammoth||—
|}

{|
|+
==== Coast ====
!CR!!Beast!!Fly/Swim
|-
|0||Crab||Swim
|-
|0||Eagle||Fly
|-
|1/8||Blood hawk||Fly
|-
|1/8||Giant crab||Swim
|-
|1/8||Poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/8||Stirge||Fly
|-
|1/4||Giant Lizard||—
|-
|1/4||Giant wolf spider||—
|-
|1/4||Pteranodon||Fly
|-
|1||Giant eagle||Fly
|-
|1||Giant toad||Swim
|-
|2||Plesiosaurus||Swim
|}

{|
|+
==== Desert ====
!CR!!Beast!!Fly/Swim
|-
|0||Cat||—
|-
|0||Hyena||—
|-
|0||Jackal||—
|-
|0||Scorpion||—
|-
|0||Vulture||Fly
|-
|1/8||Camel||—
|-
|1/8||Flying snake||Fly
|-
|1/8||Mule||—
|-
|1/8||Poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/8||Stirge||Fly
|-
|1/4||Constrictor snake||Swim
|-
|1/4||Giant lizard||—
|-
|1/4||Giant poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/4||Giant wolf spider||—
|-
|1||Giant hyena||—
|-
|1||Giant spider||—
|-
|1||Giant toad||Swim
|-
|1||Giant vulture||Fly
|-
|1||Lion||—
|-
|2||Giant constrictor snake||Swim
|-
|3||Giant scorpion||—
|}

{|
|+
==== Forest ====
!CR!!Beast!!Fly/Swim
|-
|0||Baboon||—
|-
|0||Badger||—
|-
|0||Cat||—
|-
|0||Deer||—
|-
|0||Hyena||—
|-
|0||Owl||Fly
|-
|1/8||Blood hawk||Fly
|-
|1/8||Flying snake||Fly
|-
|1/8||Giant rat||—
|-
|1/8||Giant weasel||—
|-
|1/8||Poisonous snake||Fly
|-
|1/8||Mastiff||—
|-
|1/8||Stirge||Fly
|-
|1/4||Boar||—
|-
|1/4||Constrictor snake||Swim
|-
|1/4||Elk||—
|-
|1/4||Giant badger||—
|-
|1/4||Giant bat||Fly
|-
|1/4||Giant frog||Swim
|-
|1/4||Giant lizard||—
|-
|1/4||Giant owl||Fly
|-
|1/4||Giant poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/4||Giant wolf spider||—
|-
|1/4||Panter||—
|-
|1/4||Wolf||—
|-
|1/2||Ape||—
|-
|1/2||Black bear||—
|-
|1/2||Giant wasp||Fly
|-
|1||Brown bear||—
|-
|1||Dire wolf||—
|-
|1||Giant hyena||—
|-
|1||Giant spider||—
|-
|1||Giant toad||Swim
|-
|1||Tiger||—
|-
|2||Giant boar||—
|-
|2||Giant constrictor snake||Swim
|-
|2||Giant elk||—
|}

{|
|+
==== Grassland ====
!CR!!Beast!!Fly/Swim
|-
|0||Cat||—
|-
|0||Deer||—
|-
|0||Eagle||Fly
|-
|0||Goat||—
|-
|0||Hyena||—
|-
|0||Jackal||—
|-
|0||Vulture||Fly
|-
|1/8||Blood hawk||Fly
|-
|1/8||Flying snake||Fly
|-
|1/8||Giant weasel||—
|-
|1/8||Poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/8||Stirge||Fly
|-
|1/4||Axe beak||—
|-
|1/4||Boar||—
|-
|1/4||Elk||—
|-
|1/4||Giant poisonous snake||Swim
|-
|1/4||Giant wolf spider||—
|-
|1/4||Panther (leopard)||—
|-
|1/4||Pteranodon||Fly
|-
|1/4||Riding horse||—
|-
|1/4||Wolf||—
|-
|1/2||Giant goat||—
|-
|1/2||Giant wasp||Fly
|-
|1||Giant eagle||Fly
|-
|1||Giant hyena||—
|-
|1||Giant vulture||Fly
|-
|1||Lion||—
|-
|1||Tiger||—
|-
|2||Allosaurus||—
|-
|2||Giant boar||—
|-
|2||Giant elk||—
|-
|2||Rhinoceros||—
|-
|3||Ankylosaurus||—
|-
|4||Elephant||—
|-
|5||Triceratops||—
|}

== Druids of the Sword Coast ==
The druids of the Realms venerate nature in all its forms, as well as the gods of the First Circle, those deities closest to the power and majesty of the natural world. That group of gods includes Chauntea, Eldath, Mielikki, Silvanus, as well as Auril, Matar, Talos, and Umberlee, for nature is many-sided and not always kind.

Unlike clerics, who typically serve a single deity, druids revere all the gods of the First Circle in their turn, and see them as embodiments of the natural world, which moves in cycles: creation and destruction, waxing and withering, life and death. Thus, Grumbar isn’t just god of the earth to a druid; he is the fertile soil and the rolling hills themselves. Malar isn’t just the Beastlord, but the hunger and the hunting instinct of a predatory beast.

Although they are most strongly associated with sylvan forests, druids care for all aspects of the land, including frozen mountains, burning deserts, rolling hills, and rough coasts.

=== Druid Circles ===
Druidic ways are ancient and largely practiced in secret, away from the eyes of the uninitiated. In many lands, the Old Ways of the First Circle have given way to new churches and temples, but druids and their followers still gather to honor the cycles of nature and to ensure the natural balance isn’t threatened. People who dwell in or near wild lands do well to learn if a druid circle operates nearby, seeking the circle’s blessing before hunting or farming on the lands they protect.

The druid habit of gathering in clearings, wooded groves, or around sacred pools gave rise to the tradition of circles. In a circle, all are equal, and while respect is given to age and accomplishment, the circle reaches decisions as a whole. Those who disagree are free to argue their point, or even to leave the circle, if they wish, but the circle acts as one for the good of all. Druid circles often include non-druid allies, such as rangers, wood elves, and the fey creatures of the land where the circle meets, all given equal voice.

Numerous circles are found across Faerûn, usually made up of no more than a dozen or so druids, plus their allies. They include the High Dance, guarding the Dancing Place in the high valleys of the Thunder Peaks, alongside their fey allies. The Watchers of Sevreld meet in Old Mushroom Grove in the High Forest, northeast of Secomber, and the Starwater Circle gathers around their namesake pool in the northern forest of Mir.

==== The Circle of Swords ====
Protectors of the Neverwinter Wood, the Circle of Swords drives destructive humanoids like hobgoblins, bugbears, and their kin from the wood, while also safeguarding it against exploitation at the hands of civilized folk and protecting the wood’s ancient ruins and sacred sites from looters.

In the Druid Circle class feature in the Player’s Handbook, the Circle of the Moon is common for Circle of Swords druids, although some belong to the Circle of the Land (Forest).

==== The Emerald Enclave ====
Less a druid circle and more a loose confederation of circles and their allies, the Emerald Enclave is devoted to protecting the redoubt of civilization in the North from destruction. Elsewhere in the world, the Emerald Enclave must pursue a more balanced path, but the vast wilderness of the North holds far more danger to people than they pose to it.

Founded in the Vilhon Reach over a thousand years ago, the Emerald Enclave has spread across much of Faerûn. Its members include druids, rangers, barbarians, and others who live in the wilderness and know and respect its ways. They wear an article of emerald green clothing as a symbol of their membership, often bearing the emblem of a stag’s head.

In the Druid Circle class feature in the Player’s Handbook, Emerald Enclave druids belong to the Circle of the Land and Circle of the Moon in equal measure.

==== The Moonshea Circles ====
The Ffolk of the Moonshea Isles venerate the land as the great goddess they call the Earthmother. Their circles gather around sacred pools known as moonwells, their link between the natural world and the goddess, ringed by standing stone circles, raised by their ancient ancestors.

In the Druid Circle class feature in the Player’s Handbook, Moonshea druids most often belong to the Circle of the Land (Coast, Forest, and Mountain).

=== Moonwells ===
The water of a moonwell, drunk directly from cupped hands, restores ld8 hit points, plus the drinker’s Wisdom bonus, if any. If the drinker has threatened the balance of nature since the last full moon, the water instead deals ld8 poison damage to the drinker. This damage is also dealt by a corrupted moonwell. Either effect occurs once only per day per drinker. On the nights of the full moon, drinking the water of a moonwell can, at the DM’s discretion, have additional effects, such as conferring the benefits of a lesser restoration spell.

Moonwell water placed in a container or taken more than 30 feet away from the well no longer has any of these properties; it is simply water.

On the three nights of the full moon, three or more druids gathered around a moonwell can cast commune and scrying once each without expending spell slots and without material components, provided that one of the druids is at least 9th level and the rest are at least 4th level. At the DM’s option, the druids can use a moonwell on such nights to cast different spells.

=== The Harpers and Druids ===
Druid circles in the North are often allied with the Harpers, as they have common purpose, with bards and rangers serving as go-betweens. Individual Harpers can usually expect a circle to at least grant them food and shelter, and an opportunity to attend a gathering and speak, if they wish.

Still, the Harpers aren’t a druidic organization and, despite what some common folk might believe, not every druid or druid circle is allied with, or even friendly toward, the Harpers and their cause. Indeed, some druids consider the Harpers busybodies who threaten the natural balance almost as much as the evils that they fight against.

----

[[Category:Class]]

Cleric

2018-02-02T19:12:30Z

Jason: Basic formatting fixes

Arms and eyes upraised toward the sun and a prayer on his lips, an elf begins to glow with an inner light that spills out to heal his battle-worn companions.

Chanting a song of glory, a dwarf swings his axe in wide swaths to cut through the ranks of orcs arrayed against him, shouting praise to the gods with every foe’s fall.

Calling down a curse upon the forces of undeath, a human lifts her holy symbol as light pours from it to drive back the zombies crowding in on her companions.

Clerics are intermediaries between the mortal world and the distant planes of the gods. As varied as the gods they serve, clerics strive to embody the handiwork of their deities. No ordinary priest, a cleric is imbued with divine magic.

=== Healers and Warriors ===
Divine magic, as the name suggests, is the power of the gods, flowing from them into the world. Clerics are conduits for that power, manifesting it as miraculous effects. The gods don’t grant this power to everyone who seeks it, but only to those chosen to fulfill a high calling.

Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of a deity’s wishes.

Clerics combine the helpful magic of healing and inspiring their allies with spells that harm and hinder foes. They can provoke awe and dread, lay curses of plague or poison, and even call down flames from heaven to consume their enemies. For those evildoers who will benefit most from a mace to the head, clerics depend on their combat training to let them wade into melee with the power of the gods on their side.

=== Divine Agents ===
Not every acolyte or officiant at a temple or shrine is a cleric. Some priests are called to a simple life of temple service, carrying out their gods’ will through prayer and sacrifice, not by magic and strength of arms. In some cities, priesthood amounts to a political office, viewed as a stepping stone to higher positions of authority and involving no communion with a god at all. True clerics are rare in most hierarchies.

When a cleric takes up an adventuring life, it is usually because his or her god demands it. Pursuing the goals of the gods often involves braving dangers beyond the walls of civilization, smiting evil or seeking holy relics in ancient tombs. Many clerics are also expected to protect their deities’ worshipers, which can mean fighting rampaging orcs, negotiating peace between warring nations, or sealing a portal that would allow a demon prince to enter the world.

Most adventuring clerics maintain some connection to established temples and orders of their faiths. A temple might ask for a cleric’s aid, or a high priest might be in a position to demand it.

== Creating a Cleric ==
As you create a cleric, the most important question to consider is which deity to serve and what principles you want your character to embody. Appendix B includes lists of many of the gods of the multiverse. Check with your DM to learn which deities are in your campaign.

Once you’ve chosen a deity, consider your cleric’s relationship to that god. Did you enter this service willingly? Or did the god choose you, impelling you into service with no regard for your wishes? How do the temple priests of your faith regard you: as a champion or a troublemaker? What are your ultimate goals? Does your deity have a special task in mind for you? Or are you striving to prove yourself worthy of a great quest?

{|
|+
==== The Cleric ====
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Spellcasting (Cleric)]], [[Divine Domain]]||3||2
|-
|2nd||[[Channel Divinity]] (1/rest), [[Divine Domain]] feature||3||3
|-
|3rd||—||3||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||4||3
|-
|5th||[[Destroy Undead]] (CR 1/2)||4||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Channel Divinity]] (2/rest), [[Divine Domain]] feature||4||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||4||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]], [[Destroy Undead]] (CR 1), [[Divine Domain]] feature||4||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||—||4||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Divine Intervention]]||5||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||[[Destroy Undead]] (CR2)||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Destroy Undead]] (CR3)||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||—||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||[[Destroy Undead]] (CR4), [[Divine Domain]] feature||5||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Channel Divinity]] (3/rest)||5||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Divine Intervention]] improvement||5||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a cleric quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Wisdom]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Strength]] or [[Constitution]]. Second, choose the [[acolyte]] [[:Category:Background|background]].

== Class Features ==
As a cleric, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per cleric level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per cleric level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]], [[medium armor]], [[shields]]

'''Weapons:''' All [[simple weapons]]

'''Tools:''' None

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Wisdom]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills:''' Choose two from [[History]], [[Insight]], [[Medicine]], [[Persuasion]], and [[Religion]]

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your [[:Category:Background|background]]:
* (a) a [[mace]] or (b) a [[warhammer]] (if proficient)
* (a) [[scale mail]], (b) [[leather armor]], or (c) [[chain mail]] (if proficient)
* (a) a [[light crossbow]] and 20 [[bolts]] or (b) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[priest’s pack]] or (b) an [[explorer’s pack]]
* A [[shield]] and a [[holy symbol]]

Spellcasting
As a conduit for divine power, you can cast cleric spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the cleric spell list.

Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn additional cleric cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Cleric table.

Preparing and Casting Spells
The Cleric table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of cleric spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the cleric spell list. When you do so, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your cleric level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 3rd-level cleric, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of cleric spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your cleric spells. The power of your spells comes from your devotion to your deity. You use your Wisdom whenever a cleric spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a cleric spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast a cleric spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use a holy symbol (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your cleric spells.

Divine Domain
Choose one domain related to your deity: Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, or War. Each domain is detailed at the end of the class description, and each one provides examples of gods associated with it. Your choice grants you domain spells and other features when you choose it at 1st level. It also grants you additional ways to use Channel Divinity when you gain that feature at 2nd level, and additional benefits at 6th, 8th, and 17th levels.

Domain Spells
Each domain has a list of spells—its domain spells—that you gain at the cleric levels noted in the domain description. Once you gain a domain spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you have a domain spell that doesn’t appear on the cleric spell list, the spell is nonetheless a cleric spell for you.

Channel Divinity
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to channel divine energy directly from your deity, using that energy to fuel magical effects. You start with two such effects: Turn Undead and an effect determined by your domain. Some domains grant you additional effects as you advance in levels, as noted in the domain description.
When you use your Channel Divinity, you choose which effect to create. You must then finish a short or long rest to use your Channel Divinity again.
Some Channel Divinity effects require saving throws. When you use such an effect from this class, the DC equals your cleric spell save DC.
Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Channel Divinity twice between rests, and beginning at 18th level you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses.

Channel Divinity: Turn Undead
As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring the undead. Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.
A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Destroy Undead
Starting at 5th level, when an undead fails its saving throw against your Turn Undead feature, the creature is instantly destroyed if its challenge rating is at or below a certain threshold, as shown in the Destroy Undead table.

---
Destroy Undead
---
Cleric Level, Destroys Undead of CR…
5th, 1/2 or lower
8th, 1 or lower
11th, 2 or lower
14th, 3 or lower
17th, 4 or lower
---

Divine Intervention
Beginning at 10th level, you can call on your deity to intervene on your behalf when your need is great.
Imploring your deity’s aid requires you to use your action. Describe the assistance you seek, and roll percentile dice. If you roll a number equal to or lower than your cleric level, your deity intervenes. The DM chooses the nature of the intervention; the effect of any cleric spell or cleric domain spell would be appropriate.
If your deity intervenes, you can’t use this feature again for 7 days. Otherwise, you can use it again after you finish a long rest.
At 20th level, your call for intervention succeeds automatically, no roll required.

== Divine Domains ==
In a pantheon, every deity has influence over different aspects of mortal life and civilization, called a deity’s domain. All the domains over which a deity has influence are called the deity’s portfolio. For example, the portfolio of the Greek god Apollo includes the domains of Knowledge, Life, and Light. As a cleric, you choose one aspect of your deity’s portfolio to emphasize, and you are granted powers related to that domain.

Your choice might correspond to a particular sect dedicated to your deity. Apollo, for example, could be worshiped in one region as Phoebus (“radiant”) Apollo, emphasizing his influence over the Light domain, and in a different place as Apollo Acesius (“healing”), emphasizing his association with the Life domain. Alternatively, your choice of domain could simply be a matter of personal preference, the aspect of the deity that appeals to you most.

Each domain’s description gives examples of deities who have influence over that domain. Gods are included from the worlds of the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Eberron campaign settings, as well as from the Celtic, Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons of antiquity.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Clerics ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
To become a cleric is to become a messenger of the gods. The power the divine offers is great, but it always comes with tremendous responsibility.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Riggby the patriarch</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
I don’t understand the attraction of gods. Why would anyone worship anything other than me?
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Almost all the folk in the world who revere a deity live their lives without ever being touched by a divine being. As such, they can never know what it feels like to be a cleric—someone who is not only a devout worshiper, but who has also been invested with a measure of a deity’s power.

The question has long been debated: Does a mortal become a cleric as a consequence of deep devotion to one’s deity, thereby attracting the god’s favor? Or is it the deity who sees the potential in a person and calls that individual into service? Ultimately, perhaps, the answer doesn’t matter. However clerics come into being, the world needs clerics as much as clerics and deities need each other.

If you’re playing a cleric character, the following sections offer ways to add some detail to that character’s history and personality.

=== Temple ===
Most clerics start their lives of service as priests in an order, then later realize that they have been blessed by their god with the qualities needed to become a cleric. To prepare for this new duty, candidates typically receive instruction from a cleric of a temple or another place of study devoted to their deity.

Some temples are cut off from the world so that their occupants can focus on devotions, while other temples open their doors to minister to and heal the masses. What is noteworthy about the temple you studied at?

Examples:
* Your temple is said to be the oldest surviving structure built to honor your god.
* Acolytes of several like-minded deities all received instruction together in your temple.
* You come from a temple famed for the brewery it operates. Some say you smell like one of its ales.
* Your temple is a fortress and a proving ground that trains warrior-priests.
* Your temple is a peaceful, humble place, filled with vegetable gardens and simple priests.
* You served in a temple in the Outer Planes.

=== Keepsake ===
Many clerics have items among their personal gear that symbolize their faith, remind them of their vows, or otherwise help to keep them on their chosen paths. Even though such an item is not imbued with divine power, it is vitally important to its owner because of what it represents.

Examples:
* The finger bone of a saint
* A metal-bound book that tells how to hunt and destroy infernal creatures
* A pig’s whistle that reminds you of your humble and beloved mentor
* A braid of hair woven from the tail of a unicorn
* A scroll that describes how best to rid the world of necromancers
* A runestone said to be blessed by your god

=== Secret ===
No mortal soul is entirely free of second thoughts or doubt. Even a cleric must grapple with dark desires or the forbidden attraction of turning against the teachings of one’s deity.

If you haven’t considered this aspect of your character yet, see the table entries for some possibilities, or use them for inspiration. You deep, dark secret might involve something you did (or are doing), or it could be rooted in the way you feel about the world and your role in it.

Examples:
* An imp offers you counsel. You try to ignore the creature, but sometimes the advice is helpful.
* You believe that, in the final analysis, the gods are nothing more than ultrapowerful mortal creatures.
* You acknowledge the power of the gods, but you think that most events are dictated by pure chance.
* Even though you can work divine magic, you have never truly felt the presence of a divine essence within yourself.
* You are plagued by nightmares that you believe are sent by your god as punishment for some unknown transgression.
* In times of despair, you feel that you are but a plaything of the gods, and you resent their remoteness.

=== Serving a Pantheon, Philosophy, or Force ===
The typical cleric is an ordained servant of a particular god and chooses a Divine Domain associated with that deity. The cleric’s magic flows from the god or the god’s sacred realm, and often the cleric bears a holy symbol that represents divinity.

Some clerics, especially in a world like Eberron, serve a whole pantheon, rather than a single deity. In certain campaigns, a cleric might instead serve a cosmic force, such as life or death, or a philosophy or concept, such as love, peace, or one of the nine alignments. Chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide explores options like these, in the section, “Gods of Your World.”

Talk with your DM about the divine options available in your campaign, whether they’re gods, pantheons, philosophies, or cosmic forces. Whatever being or thing your cleric ends up serving, choose a Divine Domain that is appropriate for it, and if ti doesn’t have a holy symbol, work with your DM to design one.

The cleric’s class features often refer to your deity. If you are devoted to a pantheon, cosmic force, or philosophy, your cleric features still work for you as written. Think of the references to a god as references to the divine thing you serve that gives you your magic.

== Clerics of the Sword Coast ==
The gods are most active through their chosen clerics, who carry out the gods’ work on the Material Plane. A typical cleric in Faerûn serves a single divine patron, but some individuals feel called to serve a group, such as the elemental gods Akadi, Grumbar, Kossuth, and Istishia, while others serve deities that are intertwined gods, such as the elves’ Angharradh.

Some clerics in Faerûn belong to an established religious hierarchy, but many do not. The gods choose whomever they will, and sometimes a devoted worshiper is blessed with all the abilities of a cleric, despite not being a priest of any kind. That cleric might be a contemplative hermit, a wandering prophet, or simply a devout peasant. Religious orders often try to recruit such clerics and bring them into the fold, but not all of those clerics wish to be bound to a hierarchy.

Conversely, not everyone who pursues a religious vocation is a true cleric. Some acolytes discover a different path for their lives than the path of the cleric. They serve their faiths in other roles, such as priests, scholars, or artisans, while some go on to vocations that have nothing to do with religion. A few souls who are denied the path of the cleric become embittered and seek favor with sinister or forbidden gods or forge pacts with other powerful entities. Religious scholars in the Realms debate whether divine rejection led such a person to embrace a dark path or whether the person was rejected because the gods foresaw the potential for darkness in the person’s future. The gods remain silent on the matter.

Some clerics are homebodies who serve a particular community of the faithful, but adventuring clerics tend to have a certain crusading zeal to do their deity’s work in the wider world. This work may include ministering to far-flung communities, as well as seeking out and defeating threats to the civilized world.

----

[[Category: Class]]

Bard

2018-02-02T18:49:00Z

Jason: Fix link to Category:Cantrip

Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, a half-elf in rugged leathers finds knowledge springing into her mind, conjured forth by the magic of her song—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts.

A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant and exhorting his companions to bravery and heroism. The magic of his song fortifies and emboldens them.

Laughing as she tunes her cittern, a gnome weaves her subtle magic over the assembled nobles, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received.

Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds, create illusions, and even heal wounds.

=== Music and Magic ===
In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers.

The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting, from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.

=== Learning from Experience ===
True bards are not com m on in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore, telling stories, and living on the gratitude of audiences, much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge, a level of musical skill, and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows.

Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard who can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.

== Creating a Bard ==
Bards thrive on stories, whether those stories are true or not. Your character’s background and motivations are not as important as the stories that he or she tells about them. Perhaps you had a secure and mundane childhood. There’s no good story to be told about that, so you might paint yourself as an orphan raised by a hag in a dismal swamp. Or your childhood might be worthy of a story. Some bards acquire their magical music through extraordinary means, including the inspiration of fey or other supernatural creatures.

Did you serve an apprenticeship, studying under a master, following the more experienced bard until you were ready to strike out on your own? Or did you attend a college where you studied bardic lore and practiced your musical magic? Perhaps you were a young runaway or orphan, befriended by a wandering bard who became your mentor. Or you might have been a spoiled noble child tutored by a master. Perhaps you stumbled into the clutches of a hag, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost?

{|
|+
==== The Bard ====
!Level!!Features!!Cantrips Known!!Spells Known!!1st!!2nd!!3rd!!4th!!5th!!6th!!7th!!8th!!9th
|-
|1st||[[Spellcasting (Bard)]], [[Bardic Inspiration]] (d6)||2||4||2
|-
|2nd||[[Jack of All Trades]], [[Song of Rest]] (d6)||2||5||3
|-
|3rd||[[Bard College]], [[Expertise]]||2||6||4||2
|-
|4th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||7||4||3
|-
|5th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d8), [[Font of Inspiration]]||3||8||4||3||2
|-
|6th||[[Countercharm]], [[Bard College]] feature||3||9||4||3||3
|-
|7th||—||3||10||4||3||3||1
|-
|8th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||3||11||4||3||3||2
|-
|9th||[[Song of Rest]] (d8)||3||12||4||3||3||3||1
|-
|10th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d10), [[Expertise]], [[Magical Secrets]]||4||14||4||3||3||3||2
|-
|11th||—||4||15||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|12th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||15||4||3||3||3||2||1
|-
|13th||[[Song of Rest]] (d10)||4||16||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|14th||[[Magical Secrets]], [[Bard College]] feature||4||18||4||3||3||3||2||1||1
|-
|15th||[[Bardic Inspiration]] (d12)||4||19||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|16th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||19||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|17th||[[Song of Rest]] (d12)||4||20||4||3||3||3||2||1||1||1||1
|-
|18th||[[Magical Secrets]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||1||1||1||1
|-
|19th||[[Ability Score Improvement]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||2||1||1||1
|-
|20th||[[Superior Inspiration]]||4||22||4||3||3||3||3||2||2||1||1
|}

=== Quick Build ===
You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, [[Charisma]] should be your highest [[:Category:Ability|ability score]], followed by [[Dexterity]]. Second, choose the [[entertainer]] [[:Category:Background|background]]. Third, choose the [[dancing lights]] and [[vicious mockery]] [[:Category:Cantrip|cantrips]], along with the following [[:Category:Level-One Spell|1st-level spells]]: [[charm person]], [[detect magic]], [[healing word]], and [[thunderwave]].

== Class Features ==
As a bard, you gain the following class features.

=== Hit Points ===
'''Hit Dice:''' 1d8 per bard level

'''Hit Points at 1st Level:''' 8 + your [[Constitution]] modifier

'''Hit Points at Higher Levels:''' 1d8 (or 5) + your [[Constitution]] modifier per bard level after 1st

=== Proficiencies ===
'''Armor:''' [[Light armor]]

'''Weapons:''' [[Simple weapons]], [[hand crossbows]], [[longswords]], [[rapiers]], [[shortswords]]

'''Tools:''' Three [[musical instruments]] of your choice

'''Saving Throws:''' [[Dexterity]], [[Charisma]]

'''Skills:''' Choose any three

=== Equipment ===
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* (a) a [[rapier]], (b) a [[longsword]], or (c) any [[simple weapon]]
* (a) a [[diplomat’s pack]] or (b) an [[entertainer’s pack]]
* (a) a [[lute]] or (b) any other [[musical instrument]]
* [[Leather armor]] and a [[dagger]]

Spellcasting
You have learned to untangle and reshape the fabric of reality in harmony with your wishes and music. Your spells are part of your vast repertoire, magic that you can tune to different situations. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the bard spell list.

Cantrips
You know two cantrips of your choice from the bard spell list. You learn additional bard cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Bard table.

Spell Slots
The Bard table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell cure wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast cure wounds using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know four 1st-level spells of your choice from the bard spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Bard table shows when you learn more bard spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots, as shown on the table. For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the bard spells you know and replace it with another spell from the bard spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability
Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your bard spells. Your magic comes from the heart and soul you pour into the performance of your music or oration. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a bard spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting
You can cast any bard spell you know as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus
You can use a musical instrument (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.

Bardic Inspiration
You can inspire others through stirring words or music. To do so, you use a bonus action on your turn to choose one creature other than yourself within 60 feet of you who can hear you. That creature gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6.
Once within the next 10 minutes, the creature can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the Bardic Inspiration die, but must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once the Bardic Inspiration die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one Bardic Inspiration die at a time.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Your Bardic Inspiration die changes when you reach certain levels in this class. The die becomes a d8 at 5th level, a d10 at 10th level, and a d12 at 15th level.

Jack of All Trades
Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus.

Song of Rest
Beginning at 2nd level, you can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize your wounded allies during a short rest. If you or any friendly creatures who can hear your performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points. (A creature regains the extra hit points only if it spends one or more Hit Dice at the end of the short rest.)
The extra hit points increase when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d8 at 9th level, to 1d10 at 13th level, and to 1d12 at 17th level.

Bard College
At 3rd level, you delve into the advanced techniques of a bard college of your choice: the College of Lore or the College of Valor, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th and 14th level.

Expertise
At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.
At 10th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Font of Inspiration
Beginning when you reach 5th level, you regain all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.

Countercharm
At 6th level, you gain the ability to use musical notes or words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, you can start a performance that lasts until the end of your next turn. During that time, you and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature must be able to hear you to gain this benefit. The performance ends early if you are incapacitated or silenced or if you voluntarily end it (no action required).

Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
The chosen spells count as bard spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.
You learn two additional spells from any class at 14th level and again at 18th level.

Superior Inspiration
At 20th level, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Bardic Inspiration left, you regain one use.

Bard Colleges
The way of a bard is gregarious. Bards seek each other out to swap songs and stories, boast of their accomplishments, and share their knowledge. Bards form loose associations, which they call colleges, to facilitate their gatherings and preserve their traditions.

== Xanathar’s Guide to Bards ==

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Music is the fruit of the divine tree that vibrates with the Words of Creation. But the question I ask you is, can a bard go to the root of this tree? Can one tap into the source of that power? Ah, then what manner of music they would bring to this world!
<div class="templatequotecite">— Fletcher Danairia, master bard</div>
</blockquote>

<blockquote class="templatequote">
Music is stupid. Wait. I changed my mind. Music is fun. Play more music. No, I was right the first time. Music is stupid. But I won’t maim you after all, in case I change my mind again.
<div class="templatequotecite">— Xanathar</div>
</blockquote>

Bards bring levity during grave times; they impart wisdom to offset ignorance; and they make the ridiculous seem sublime. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time—knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed along as oral history, to survive even when no written record remains.

It is also the bard’s role to chronicle smaller and more contemporary events—the stories of today’s heroes, including their feats of valor as well as their less than impressive failures.

Of course, the world has many people who can carry a tune or tell a good story, and there’s much more to any adventuring bard than a glib tongue and a melodious voice. Yet what truly sets bards apart from others—and from one another—are the style and substance of their performances.

To grab and hold the attention of an audience, bards are typically flamboyant and outgoing when they perform. The most famous of them are essentially the D&D world’s equivalent of pop stars. If you’re playing a bard, consider using one of your favorite musicians as a role model for your character.

You can add some unique aspects to your bard character by considering the suggestions that follow.

=== Defining Work ===
Every successful bard is renowned for at least one piece of performance art, typically a song or a poem that is popular with everyone who hears it. These performances are spoken about for years by those who view them, and some spectators have had their lives forever changed because of the experience.

If you character is just starting out, your ultimate defining work is likely in the future. But in order to make any sort of living in your profession, chances are you already have a piece or two in your repertoire that have proven to be audience pleasers.

Examples:
* “The Three Flambinis” a ribald song concerning mistaken identities and unfettered desire
* “Waltz of the Myconids,” an upbeat tune that children in particular enjoy
* “Asmodeus’s Golden Arse,” a dramatic poem you claim was inspired by your personal visit to Avernus
* “The Pirates of Luskan,” your firsthand account of being kidnapped by sea reavers as a child
* “A Hoop, Two Pigeons, and a Hell Hound,” a subtle parody of an incompetent noble
* “A Fool in the Abyss,” a comedic poem about a jester’s travels among demons

=== Instrument ===
In a bard’s quest for the ultimate performance and the highest acclaim, one’s instrument is at least as important as one’s vocal ability. The instrument’s quality of manufacture is a critical factor, of course; the best ones make the best music, and some bards are continually on the lookout for an improvement. Perhaps just as important, though, is the instrument’s own entertainment value; those that are bizarrely constructed or made of exotic materials are likely to leave a lasting impression on an audience.

You might have an “off the rack” instrument, perhaps because it’s all you can afford right now. Or, if your first instrument was gifted to you, it might be of a more elaborate sort. Are you satisfied with the instrument you have, or do you aspire to replace it with something truly distinctive?

Examples:
* A masterfully crafted halfling fiddle
* A mithral horn made by elves
* A zither made with drow spider silk
* An orcish drum
* A wooden bullywug croak box
* A tinker’s harp of gnomish design

=== Embarrassment ===
Almost every bard has suffered at least one bad experience in front of an audience, and chances are you’re no exception. No one becomes famous right away, after all; perhaps you had a few small difficulties early in your career, or maybe it took a while to restore your reputation after one agonizing night when the fates conspired to bring about your theatrical ruin.

The ways that a performance can go wrong are as varied as the fish in the sea. No matter what sort of disaster might occur, however, a bard has the courage and the confidence to rebound from it—either pressing on with the show (if possible) or promising to come back tomorrow with a new performance that’s guaranteed to please.

Examples:
* The time when your comedic song, “Big Tom’s Hijinks”—which, by the way, you thought was brilliant—did not go over well with Big Tom
* The matinee performance when a circus’s owlbear got loose and terrorized the crowd
* When your opening song was your enthusiastic but universally hated rendition of “Song of the Froghemoth”
* The first and last public performance of “Mirt, Man about Town”
* The time on stage when your wig caught on fire and you threw it down—which set fire to the stage
* When you sat on your lute by mistake during the final stanza of “Starlight Serenade”

=== A Bard’s Muse ===
Naturally, every bard has a repertoire of songs and stories. Some bards are generalist who can draw from a wide range of topics for each performance, and who take pride in their versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse—a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience.

A bard who follows a muse generally does so to gain a deeper understanding of what that muse represents and how to best convey that understanding to others through performance.

If your bard character has a muse, it could be one of the three described here, or one of your own devising.

'''Nature.''' You feel a kinship with the natural world, and its beauty and mystery inspire you. For you, a tree is deeply symbolic, its roots delving into the dark unknown to draw forth the power of the earth, while its branches reach toward the sun to nourish their flowers and fruit. Nature is the ancient witness who has seen every kingdom rise and fall, even those whose names have been forgotten and wait to be rediscovered. The gods of nature share their secrets with druids and sages, opening their hearts and minds to new ways of seeing, and as with those individuals, you find that your creativity blossoms while you wander in an open field of waving grass or walk in silent reverence through a grove of ancient oaks.

'''Love.''' You are on a quest to identify the essence of true love. Though you do not disdain the superficial love of flesh and form, the deeper form of love that can inspire thousands or bring joy to one’s every moment is what you are interested in. Love of this sort takes on many forms, and you can see its presence everywhere—from the sparkling of a beautiful gem to the song of a simple fisher thanking the sea for its bounty. You are on the trail of love, that most precious and mysterious of emotions, and your search fills your stories and your songs with vitality and passion.

'''Conflict.''' Drama embodies conflict, and the best stories have conflict as a key element. From the morning-after tale of a tavern brawl to the saga of an epic battle, from a lover’s spat to a rift between powerful dynasties, conflict is what inspires tale-tellers like you to create your best work. Conflict can bring out the best in some people, causing their heroic nature to shine forth and transform the world, but it can cause others to gravitate toward darkness and fall under the sway of evil. You strive to experience or witness all forms of conflict, great and small, so as to study this eternal aspect of life and immortalize it in your words and music.

== Bards of the Sword Coast ==
Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it.

The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion, akin to the visit of a dignitary. A bard can reasonably expect at least a hot supper and a clean place to sleep from a local landlord or inn in exchange for a few songs or stories. A noble might host a bard in fine style—while also being careful to guard any secrets the noble’s household doesn’t want retold or sung across Faerûn.

Not all wandering performers are true bards, nor are all bards inclined to sing for their supper, although most will, given the need. Bards literally have magic to them, and the powers they command through their performance and lore earns them additional respect.

In the Savage North, singers and storytellers called skalds are keepers of the history and great legends of the Northlanders and the Reghed. These warrior-poets are the singers of the songs and sagas that fire the blood of warriors in battle, and composers of the new songs and sagas relating the mighty deeds of heroes and villains. However, spellcasting is taboo among Reghed and Norhtlanders unless it is considered a gift of their gods. Characters with the bard class who rise to prominence among these folk must align themselves with their clan’s priests and shamans or risk being outcast. Most skalds are members of the College of Valor, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

=== The Harpers ===
Bards in the North and the Dalelands benefit from the existence of the Harpers, that legendary society recruiting bards and other independent agents to struggle against the forces of evil. Even though most bards in the region aren’t Harpers (and many who are don’t advertise that fact), common folk in the North often behave as if all bards are legendary wandering heroes, and are as likely to ask a bard for the solution to a problem troubling their community as they are a wandering fighter or wizard. This reputation cuts both ways, however, as some enemies of the Harpers suspiciously assume any humble minstrel might secretly be a Harper agent.

=== Bardic Colleges ===
In addition to the tradition of apprenticing with a master bard, the Sword Coast has some bardic colleges where masters teach students the bardic arts. They hark back to the great bardic colleges of the distant past, particularly the seven elder colleges: Fochlucan, Mac-Fuirmidh, Doss, Canaith, Cli, Anstruth, and Ollamh. These seven are said to be the origin of the instrument of the bards, each of which is named after one of the colleges. See chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the game statistics of these magic instruments.

Long ago, bards who sought the rank of master bard attended each of the elder colleges, seeking to learn its musical and magical secrets. Traditionally, the colleges were attended in the order given above, starting with Fochlucan. That tradition fell when the colleges went into decline, but some bards dream of restoring it.

==== College of Fochlucan ====
The original College of Fochlucan once stood on the northeastern edge of Silverymoon. Many years after it closed its doors, the site was reopened as Ultrumm’s Music Conservatory. The conservatory later moved to Southbank, and the House of the Harp occupied the college’s original location under the guidance of Master Bard Forell “Flamebeard” Luekuan, who sought to revive the ancient traditions and teachings of Fochlucan. Years of cultivation and support from Silverymoon, as well as the Harpers, yielded a faculty able to revive the college, and the House of the Harp adopted the Fochlucan name once again. Most of its bards study and practice the methods of the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

The College of Fochlucan is naturally allied with the Harpers, although its master bards are careful to stress that its mission is separate from that of the Harpers.

==== College of New Olamn ====
Housed in two Cliffride villas overlooking the sea near Waterdeep, the College of New Olamn is a prestigious bardic college established in the Year of the Staff (1366 DR) by wealthy Waterdhavian patrons and named for the old College of Ollamh. Students of the college undergo training in their chosen instruments, along with rigorous practice in memorization and the study of ancient songs, sagas, and history. Most bards of New Olamn belong to the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

The Cliffride, a gravel path up Mount Waterdeep’s northern spur, is used to bring goods to the college, but most visitors and students use the Mount Melody Walk—a tunnel through the mountain itself—to reach it. The tunnel regularly resounds with music, thanks to the Neverending String of Pearls, an ongoing concert where bardic students perform in a small alcove in the tunnel, which carries and echoes their music.

==== College of the Herald ====
Based at the great lore-house of Herald’s Holdfast, northwest of Silverymoon, the College of the Herald is dedicated to the preservation of ancient history and legends. The Heralds are charged with collecting and organizing bodies of lore, which they make available to all of good and peaceful intent. Established by the Harper Aliost Oskrunnar in 922 DR, the Heralds are allies of the Harpers but remain neutral in most conflicts, dedicated to preserving knowledge above all else.

The College of the Herald is less concerned with musical performance (although it contains a considerable library of songs) and more with history, heraldry, and folklore, making it a key center of learning for bards of the College of Lore, as described in the Bard College class feature in the Player’s Handbook.

=== Musical Instruments ===
In addition to the common musical instruments listed in chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook, bards in the Realms play the following instruments:

'''Birdpipes:''' Pan pipes or satyr pipes, also known as the shalm, these are sacred to Lliira and popular with wood elf and wild elf bards.

'''Glaur:''' Short, curved horns like a cornucopia. Played with valves, glaur sound like trumpets, while those without valves, known as gloon, have a more mournful sound.

'''Hand Drum:''' A double-headed skin drum fitted with handles along its side.

'''Longhorn:''' A Faerûnian flute of sophisticated make, found only in areas with skilled artisans, as in great cities or elven enclaves.

'''Shawm:''' A double-reed instrument similar to an oboe or a bassoon, popular with gnomes, who have developed some bellows-powered versions.

'''Songhorn:''' A recorder, a simple type of flute, usually carved from wood.

'''Tantan:''' A tambourine, a popular instrument with halflings and humans south of the Dalelands.

'''Thelarr:''' Also known as a whistlecane, a simple and easy-to-make wind instrument cut from a reed. They are so simple, in fact, that skilled bards frequently make and give them away to children-to the parents’ delight or regret.

'''Tocken:''' A hanging set of carved oval bells, usually played with a pair of light wooden hammers (or open handed). They are most common in underground cultures, where the resonant tones can carry.

'''Wargong:''' A metal gong, traditionally made from a shield, particularly the shield of an enemy. Both goblins and dwarves make and play wargongs, their sound echoing through tunnels in the Underdark.

'''Yarting:''' A southern instrument from Amn and Calimshan that is a Faerûnian analog to the guitar. Numerous variations have spread across the continent.

'''Zulkoon:''' A complex pump organ that originated with the zulkirs of Thay, who use it in the casting of their spells. It is considered to have a dramatic, but sinister, sound.

=== The Moonstars ===
Over a century ago, the Harpers endured a schism. Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun was denounced by other Harper leaders for empowering Fzoul Chembryl, then the evil leader of the Zhentarim, with a powerful artifact. That Khelben did so in order that Fzoul destroy a dangerous lich mattered little. Khelben and Laeral Silverhand, his wife, left the Harpers then, taking with them certain agents and folding them into to a different organization, which Khelben had been secretly working to create for some time due to an old prophecy of the elves of Cormanthor. This group was the Moonstars, called Tel’Teukiira in Elvish. Although the Moonstars worked in concert at times with the Harpers, they also worked at cross purposes, and the Moonstars membership included many whom the Harpers considered too evil, such as a vampire. The Moonstars performed many good deeds, but their methods were often more brutal and pragmatic than the Harpers’ lofty ideals allowed. When Khelben died, the Moonstars seemed to collapse, and for many years the organization was assumed defunct. Yet during the Sundering, Moonstar sleeper agents reactivated the organization on a surprisingly massive scale, with members active in Candlekeep, Waterdeep, and Myth Drannor. The organization has since gone underground again. Their relationship to the present-day Harpers, Laeral Silverhand, and the current Blackstaff of Waterdeep, Vajra, remains unclear.

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