5CHAPTER 1:NATURESLORETime flows like a river. All our sufferings, these are just pebblesin the riverbed.VadaniaThis chapter examines the roles of the barbarian, theranger, and the druid in the campaign. Such charactersmight appear to be loners, cut off from civilization andstuck in the cycle of nature. Fundamentally, though, theDUNGEONS & DRAGONS game isnt about solo play; itsabout team dynamics in an unpredictable world. Thus,barbarians, druids, and rangers must somehow find waysto work harmoniously with other classes, using their par-ticular talents to advance the groups goals. This sectiondiscusses how to integrate these outsiders into a cam-paign so that they can use their strengths to the fullest.THE BARBARIANIN PERSPECTIVETheres a logic to chaos. Hit 'em with everything. you've got. Hitem fast, hit 'em hard, hit'em till they stop moving. Thats logic.KruskThe barbarians road is the path to power. Without thecombat tricks ot the lighter, the holy energy of the paladin,or the lithe grace of the ranger, the barbarian still more thanholds his own in combat. How? Hes tougher and strongerthan everyone else, and that makes all the difference.Many melee-oriented characters profit from an obvi-ous versatility. The ranger and the paladin balance theircombat prowess with spellcasting and other special abil-ities. The rogue has a wide range ot skills, the tighter a se-lection ot bonus feats, and the monk a palette ot specialabilities. The bard is the very definition ot flexibility. Sowhy does the barbarian fare so well in comparison withthem? Because he has locus. He wont try to trick or de-ceive you. He wont try to do anything but overcome youby force. That devotion to a single methodology makesthe barbarian an unusually effective war machine. Afterall, during any given round of combat, the two actionsthat most characters perform are attacking and avoidingthe attacks ot others. So why not be good at it?Of course, a barbarian must be able to take hits at leastas well as he can dish them out. Survivability is ot para-mount importance to a character who relies primarily oncombat. While its good to have the might to strike downtoes, its also important to live long enough to see thenext tight. The barbarian has more hit points, on average,than a character of any other class, and his damage re-duction ability effectively increases that total. Even rage,his signature offensive ability, gives him extra hit pointsthat may allow him to survive an extra round or two ofcombat. In addition, the barbarians uncanny dodge abil-ity minimizes his exposure to surprise, flanking, andtraps. Finally, many high-level barbarians don suits ofmithral full plate (medium armor) to preserve their fastmovement while gaining the best Armor Class possible.This same reasoning also explains the popularity of ringsof evasion and cloaks of displacement among barbarian char-acters. In addition, the barbarians rage, damage reduc-tion, and uncanny dodge abilities improve as he rises inlevel, making him even more formidable.All that obvious power and toughness can make a bar-barian forget about some of his other advantages. Hisclass skills are diverse enough to allow for considerablevariation, and it is the choice of skills more than any-thing else that differentiates one barbarian from another.One may concentrate his skill ranks in Intimidate tobecome a swaggering warrior; another may choose toknow the outdoors through Intuit Direction, Swim, andWilderness Lore.Other adventurers tend to view the barbarian as an un-sophisticated, ignorant, and unintelligent thug. In tact,more than a few barbarians do fit that stereotype, butplenty of others are cleverit not brilliantwarriors.They may not be worldly, but neither are they gullible.Nor are they necessarily violent, except when the situa-tion calls for judicious use of might.Race and the BarbarianHuman and humanoid societies exist at all levels of cul-tural development, from primitive to advanced, so thebarbarian class is open to all races. Social restrictionsmake some races more likely than others to embrace thebarbarian way ot life, but concrete disadvantages toadopting the class are few.Humans: Lacking the fighters bonus feats, a barbar-ian can profit greatly from the bonus feat and the bonusskills that the human race offers. Humans are also themost likely humanoids to descend intoor fail to riseabovea primitive culture. While that may be a regret-table trait tor humanity in general, it makes human bar-barians the most common and the most acceptedmembers ot that class.Dwarves: Barbarians generally dont flourish inhighly regimented societies, so its no surprise thatdwarves training tor warcratt tend to become soldiers(fighters) rather than barbarians. Where the normally or-derly dwarven society is absent for some reason, dwarvenbarbarians can arise. For example, a dwarf who grew upamong primitive humans would be a perfect candidatefor the class, as would one whose keep was overrun andleft in chaos. Dwarves make good barbarians for manyreasons. Not only does the dwarfs +2 bonus to Constitu-tion enhance the barbarians already high average hitpoints, it also extends his rages. In addition, the barbar-ians fast movement ability offsets the dwarf s normallyslow movement rate. Finally, the dwarven racial bonuson saving throws to resist spells fits in nicely with thedistrust of wizardry that some barbarians exhibit.Elves: Most elven societies do not accept barbarians,perhaps because elves do not make especially good ones.The elfs penalty to Constitution devalues the barbariansnatural strengths, and although he is known for his care-free nature, the typical elf finds the primitive and some-times savage ways of the barbarian repellent. A note-CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
6worthy exception is the wild elf (grugach), who takes upthe barbarians path with pleasure, despite his Constitu-tion penalty.Gnomes: Gnome barbarians are as rare aselven ones, though the reasons for this areprimarily social. Gnomes do not separatethemselves from the natural world, but theydo tend to prefer sophisticated professionssuch as alchemy, engineering, and skilledtrades. The average gnome enjoys his owncleverness too much to adopt the boldlydirect approach of the barbarian. Thats un-fortunate, because the gnome doesnt per-form poorly in that role. His size bonus toAC and attacks and his racial Constitutionbonus offset his Strength penalty most ofthe time, and the barbarians fast movementcan compensate for the gnomes slow speed.Half-Elves: Most barbarians are eitherhumans or half-orcs, but half-elves run aclose third. Since the half-elf has all thecapriciousness of both his human and hiselven sides, the requirement for a nonlawfulalignment is easy to meet. Half-elves whofind themselves cast aside by human andelven communities may find the barbarianspath an especially inviting one. Becoming abarbarian may even lead to a form of accept-ance for the half-elfalthough tribal soci-eties are not known for welcoming out-siders, they readily accept a strong sword-arm in times of trouble.Half-orcs: Orcs are savages, its true. So,its no real surprise that many half-orc heroesare barbarians. All orcs can feel the battlerage pounding in their hearts, but only thosewho are also barbarians can harness theirblood frenzy to best effect. The half-orcsbonus to Strength, the prime statistic for thecombat-focused, is worth the sacrifice ofCharisma and Intelligence. (After all, howoften must the barbarian try to woo oroutwit someone?) Count the number oftimes the fighter swings his sword, and re-member that not only does the half-orc bar-barian typically do more damage than thefighter with each hit, he also hits more often.If youre looking for the most powerful bar-barian, and you can live with a bit of social stigma, thenhalf-orc is the right choice.Halflings: For the barbarian, high Constitution is usu-ally better than high Dexterity, so gnome tends to be abetter choice than halfling. Moreover, primitive orsavage halfling communities are quite rare. Halflings arecreatures of comfort, and their communities are strong.While their athleticism and bravery do them credit, andtheir racial bonus to Listen checks falls right in line withthe barbarians class skills, the penalty to Strength is toogreat adrawback to overlook.Monsters: Among the monstrous races, grimlocks,lizardfolk, locathahs, and orcs are the most likely toadopt the barbarian way of life.Grimlocks are xenophobic, subterranean creatures.Though they are blind, they can still sense their foesthrough blindsight. Grimlocks charge into combatwielding battleaxes, and that trait in itself seems bar-baric. Grimlocks are strong, tough, and formidableenough to make fine barbarians. Because of the grim-locks various advantages, his level equivalent is his classlevels +5.Lizardfolk make ideal barbarians, both because theirsocieties tend to be primitive and because their liveli-hood depends primarily on hunting and raiding. Fastmovement provides them with a speed advantage overmembers of most other races. Rage greatly enhances alizardfolks already above-average Strength and Constitu-tion scorcs, which can provide a significant bonus ontheir weapon and natural attacks. Because of these ad-vantages, the lizardfolks level equivalent is his classlevels +4.Locathahs are an exotic but reasonable choice for bar-barian player characters. They tend toward neutrality inalignment, and while they dont trust outsiders, theyarent as aggressive as grimlocks. Perhaps thats becauselocathahs are unusually intelligent and wise (+2 racialbonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Dexterity) for hu-manoids who favor the barbarian class. Locathahs have aterrible land speed (10 feet) that even the barbarians fastmovement cant fully compensate for. Because of his ad-vantageous ability modifiers, formidable natural armor,and ability to breathe water, however, the locathahs levelequivalent is his class levels +3.The orc is another common choice for barbarian, andhis +2 racial bonus to Strength is a good selling point forthe class. The DUNGEONMASTERS Guide provides rules forplaying an ore, which is basically a more extreme versionof the half-orc. Many of the same considerations notedfor half-orcs (above) apply to the orc as well.The Barbarian and Other ClassesBarbarians can be very opinionated, so its not surprisingthat they provoke strong reactions from other characters.In most cases, though, these differences in approach art-just hooks for good roleplaying.The barbarian makes an excellent addition to adven-turing parties in need of more muscle. If youre playing abarbarian, you may find some good advice in the follow-ing paragraphs about getting along with your fellow ad-venturers.Bards: Theres nothing like a good skald to inspireyour battle rage or while away the downtime between ad-ventures with songs and stories. You dont really under-stand his spellcasting, but you can appreciate it morethan that of the wizard or sorcererafter all, the bardsmagic can heal. Best of all, though, he can help youachieve immortality by making up songs and legendsabout your exploits. So what if he tends to get the partyinto trouble with his boasting and tomfoolery occasion-ally? Whats life without a little conflict?Clerics: You can certainly appreciate a good healer,but the typical cleric spends alot of time talking aboutthe afterlife and trying to convert others to his faith. Youdont worry all that much about the next lifeyou haveto focus on the here and now if you want to survive. Cler-Level EquivalentSome monsters are innatelymore powerful than membersof the common races (human,elf, dwarf, and so on). Whenone of those monsters gainslevels in a class, some numberis added to its class levels to de-termine its effective level. Thetotal of its class levels and thisnumber (which varies accord-ing to creature type) is its levelequivalent.For example, a grimlockslevel equivalent is equal to itsclass levels +3. This means thata 1st-level grimlock barbarian iseffectively a 4th-level charac-terin other words, roughlyequal in power to a 4th-levelplayer character of one of thecommon races. (What gives agrimlock this advantage is itsblindsight, coupled with its im-munity to attacks that rely onthe target having a visualsense.)An ordinary member of amonster race (one withoutclass levels, such as the grim-lock described in theMonsterManual ) does not have a levelequivalent.In addition to grimlocks,creatures discussed in thisbook that have level equivalentsare lizardfolk, locathahs, cen-taurs, dryads, nymphs, gnolls,sahuagin, and yuan-ti.For more on level equivalent,see Monsters as Races in Chap-ter 2 of theDUNGEONMASTERSGuide.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
7ics who follow nature deities (including nonhumandeities such as Corellon Larethian) are another matter.They have their feet on the ground, so to speak, even iftheir heads are in the sky, and you welcome their pres-ence. Its wise not to offend any cleric if you can help it;you cant deny the power of deities in the world.Druids: You get along with the druid just fine. She hashealing powers, but she doesnt proselytize the way thetypical cleric does. Maybe thats because both of you arecommitted to nature, or because you share many skills,or because she simply prefers to follow her own path.Whatever her philosophy, the druid is the sage of yourworldher knowledge of nature outstrips even yourown. Although you may never adore nature the way shedoes, you both walk the same trails and drink from thesame springs.Fighters: You cant help but appreciate the companyof a fighter, since his approach to life is so much likeyours. He is a staunch ally in battle and a friendly rivaloutside it. The fighter has more options and tricks thanyou do in combat, but youre often the more formidablefoe, especially while youre raging. In addition, you havea wider array of skills than he does, so you have the ad-vantage over him in wilderness exploration. None of thishurts your friendship, though. A little competition is agood thing, after all.Monks: If you have an opposite number, it has to bethe monk. Your zest for life and focus on reality are dia-metrically opposed to her philosophy ofwithdrawalfrom the world. You have no trouble expressing youropinions, but shes terribly reservedshe must either beafraid of something or be too stifled to show her feelings.Other people claim that your approach to life and hersare both valid, but you think shes simply wrong. Youdont worry much about her choices, though, as long asshe doesnt try to impose them on you.Paladins: The paladin is a welcome ally in combat, butoff the battlefield, the two of you seldom see eye-to-eye.You hate restrictions, and she, of course, is rigidly lawfulas well as good. You tend to set aside social niceties andget right to the heart of a situation; she wastes time withplatitudes and negotiation. Even in combat, the two ofyou sometimes differ in your approaches. Whereas thepaladin considers her foes actions in a moral sense andtries to protect the weak, you simply want to crush yourenemies and to see them driven before you. Neverthe-less, the two of you can work together quite effectively aslong as your overall goals coincide.Rangers: In melee, the ranger is your polar opposite.Light and graceful, he often wields two weapons whileyou typically fight with a single large one. Youre might-ier than he is, but he dabbles in divine spells. Look pastthose superficial differences, though, and its obviousthat the two of you have a lot in common. You share morethan a few class skills, including Wilderness Lore. Youboth embrace the outdoors, and youre both uncomfort-able in heavy armor. The ranger is better at tracking foesthan you are, but youre happy to throw in your muscleagainst his favored enemies.Rogues: Some people dislike rogues, but you can seethe advantage of having one around. Without her, yourelikely to bear the brunt of a lot more traps. And not evenyou can ignore the impressive damage she can inflictwhen youre helping her flank a foe. Rogues and barbar-ians often achieve a profound respect for one anotherthat eventually deepens into genuine friendship.Sorcerers: Heres a fellow who can fire off some veryflashy spells, but his power doesnt come from gods, oreven from books, like the wizards does. He says his spell-casting ability is natural, and maybe thats truehe doeswield his power with an easy grace, as though it werepart of him. As long as hes honest with you about hisabilities and treats you with respect, theres no reason thetwo of you cant become close friends. But if he tries toforge an air of mystery about himself, as some sorcerersdo, hes likely to earn your antipathy instead.Wizards: You dont understand the wizard, and youdont trust what you dont understand. How can just read-ing a book give her such incredible powers? For all youknow, she could be in league with some dark deity, so herability to toss around fireballs wont earn her any respectfrom you until she takes the time to explain how shedoes it. At that point, maybe you can move beyond yourbasic mistrust of the unknown and begin to form a per-sonal connection with her.Choosing When to RageSometimes my mind just gets in the way. Sometimes not.KruskThe barbarians rage is limited in both duration and fre-quency, so the question of when to activate it is an im-portant tactical decision. But the considerations changeas the barbarian gains levels and has more opportunitiesto rage.The low-level barbarian can rage only once or twiceper day, so he must use the ability wisely. One option isto save his rage for the combat that he guesses to be thebig showdown of the day. In the typical dungeon, itsoften obvious when the party is facing or about to facethe toughest villain. In this case, it makes sense to rage assoon as the battle begins. The faster the enemies can beeliminated, the less damage they do, and the fewer partyresources must be expended in the battle. Unless thebarbarians Constitution score is especially low, his rageshould last long enough to finish even the toughest fightot the day.It sometimes makes sense for a low-level barbarian torage when hes low on hit points. The extra hit points thatrage grants may keep him on his feet long enough tofinish off his foe, and a rage opportunity left unused is nogood to an unconscious or dead barbarian. However, thistactic can be problematical. The bonuses last until therage ends. At that point, the barbarian immediately losesthose extra hit pointsand if hes already severely in--CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
8jured or unconscious, he might die from that additionalloss. In fact, a barbarian who uses this tactic frequently ismore likely to end up dead after a fight thananyone else in his party.As the barbarian gains levels, decidingwhen to rage becomes easier. The mid-levelbarbarian, who can rage three or moretimes per day, might want to use the abilitywhenever he faces spellcasting enemies. Itgrants him a +2 morale bonus on Will savesand a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves (throughincreased Constitution). Given that Willsaves can be something of an Achilles heelfor the barbarian, anything that minimizeshis chance of falling victim to fear ormental domination is a good thingnotjust for him, but for everyone in his party.The same reasoning applies when hesfacing opponents who use poison or adraining ability that requires a savingthrowthe barbarian should rage to try toprevent any negative effects he knows arecoming. He might also consider raging togain the Strength bonus he needs to openan especially stubborn door or overcome aphysical obstacle, or to gain the savingthrow bonuses when he fears setting off atroublesome trap.At 20th level, when he can rage five ormore times per day, the barbarian shouldsimply use the ability at the start of every sig-nificant encounter. Against obviouslyweaker foes, he can withhold his power justas the wizard or spellcaster conserves spells,but whenever the outcome is worth worry-ing about, he should rage.THE DRUIDIN PERSPECTIVENature is by definition uncontrollable. At best you can attempta momentary influence, but even that is subject to the whims ofnature.VadaniaThe druids home is more spacious, and possibly morebeautiful, than that of any other character. Tall oaks,pines, and elms form the roof over her worlda canopymore vibrant and interesting than any ceiling fresco. Thegrasses and leaves provide her with a floor and a soft bed.Where are the walls? The druid laughs, for she knows nowallsno boundaries to her never-ending naturalworld.Within her home or outside it, the druid is never with-out friends. That wolf hiding in the grass, the hawkflying above, and the mighty bearthese make loyaltraveling companions as well as fearsome opponents foruninvited guests. Should she need clever scouts to prowlthe bushes or soar through the sky in search of enemies,or strong warriors to protect her from harm, her friendscan be at her side in a moment. If their aid isnt enough,she can become one of natures creatures and eitherdefeat her foes with claw and tooth or take wing andescape. Woe to the cretin who thinks the druid powerlessoutside her wood, for even in the darkest dungeon, she isnever without friends, spells, or powers.Unlike many adventurers, the druid is fully preparedto go it alone. The fighter, wizard, and rogue depend onthe cleric to heal them, and the cleric depends on thefighter to keep enemies at bay. The druid, on the otherhand, can defeat her enemies with fiery spellcastingnearly as powerful as the sorcerers, take the form of atiger or a lion to gain the upper hand in melee, then healherself when the battle is done.Because of this versatility, the druid has much to offera group of adventurers. She can take on any role thats re-quired. Need a healer for the barbarian? Can do. Need alittle more firepower to strike down foes from a distance?No problem. Need some spells to make the partytougher? Sure thing. How about reasonable combatskills, allies that can be summoned at a moments notice,and the ability to bring down the rain or clear away theclouds? The druid is your choice. With all these options,hundreds of druids can share the same world and still benothing alike. One may concentrate on healing, anotheron the creation of magic items, another on animal com-panions, and yet another on assuming other shapes.Race and the DruidDruids can emerge from any natural environment.Where they are rarest is where cobbled stones and thenoisy advance of civilization have replaced a carpet ofleaves and the gentle song of the lark. Some races aremore likely than others to take up the druids path torcultural reasons, but in game terms theres no race thatmakes for an especially bad druid. Since Wisdom is theprimary ability score tor the class and no race has a bonusor penalty to this score, no obvious racial choice existsfor druid characters.Humans: Though humans lack the special abilities ofother races, the bonus skill points and feat they gain at1st level make them excellent candidates for the druidclass. After all, a druid who knows more of the forests se-crets (though extra ranks in Wilderness Lore) is by defi-nition a more powerful druid. The human druid also hasthe acceptance of her peers, especially if she is from asavage or primitive background. The one glaring humanweakness, poor night vision, is problematical for druids,but they can eventually compensate for it through spells,magic items, or wild shape.Dwarves: Dwarven druids, as the Players Handbooknotes, are rare. Since dwarves often exhibit fierce loyaltyto clan or keep, placing nature first doesnt come easilytor most of them. Nor does it help that many dwarvesspend their lives working underground, carving up rockand stripping precious resources from the earth. Never-theless, a dwarf who leaves that life behind can be a for-midable defender of nature, tough beyond measure. Theextra hit points a dwarf gets from her racial Constitutionbonus are invaluable to a druid who spends a lot of timein battle. The druids ability to take other forms thoughwild shapecompensates nicely for the dwarfs slow move-ment rate, and darkvision is a real blessing.On the Originof ThingsIn history, druids were priests ofCeltic tribes in western Europe.Many stories and great legendsdescribe these figures from ourpast. To learn more, visit yourbookstore or check a few booksout of your library and readabout the druids who popu-lated history. Good works tostart with includeCeltic Lore byWard Rutherford,The Druids byStuart Piggott, andMyths andSymbols in Pagan Europe: EarlyScandinavian and Celtic Reli-gions by Hilda Roderick EllisDavidson.Keep in mind that the druidsof the D&D game are basedmore on fantasy and fictionthan on historical fact. Here,druids are not Celtic priests,and they dont follow the samebeliefs, obey the same restric-tions, or participate in the samerites that real druids did. Druidsin the game have more incommon with characters fromTerry BrookssShannara series,Marion Zimmer BradleysTheMists of Avalon, and MorganLlywelynsThe Druid than withanyone from Earths past.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
9Elves: Elves are the archetypal druids, with goodreason. From birth, children of this race learn to love thewoodlands and the natural world in general. Elvendruids have several racial advantages, not the least ofwhich is their improved visionlow-light vision andbonuses to Spot and Search checks. Sadly, they must setaside their racial training in the longsword, rapier, andbow; a druid who uses any of those weapons loses all herdruid powers for 24 hours. The physical frailty of an elf(2 penalty to Constitution) is a slight disadvantage, burone that most elven druids are willing to accept. Best ofall, an elven druid can return to the woodland home ofher youth and find acceptance and even honor amongher kind. Not many cultures are so accepting of thedruid, and in few other settlements can she feel trulycomfortable.Gnomes:Though many do not realize it, the gnomesbond with the natural world is nearly as strong as theelves. Gnomes live simply, in wooded hills and warmburrows. Unlike members of other races, they can con-verse with burrowing creatures through an innate speakwith animalsability. Whether it is a blessing of thedeities or a trick the gnomes learned over time, this abil-ity bonds them with animals in a way that few others un-derstand. Add in the gnomes low-light vision andnatural hardiness, and the gnome druid has many of thedwarfs physical advantages as well as the social accept-ance that the elf enjoys. Though her small size makesthe gnome druid physically weaker than a human, wildshape allows her to take the form of an animal with greatstrength, such as a bear or leopard. Humble, playfulpeople that they are, gnomes make talented and stead-fast druids.Half-Elves: Lost and looking for her place in theworld, many a half-elf finds solace in serving nature. Per-haps its a way of accepting her elven half or appeasingelven kinor perhaps the half-elf whom society has castaside finds a certain appeal in the sometimes lonely pathof the druid. Whatever her reasons for taking up theclass, the half-elven druid benefits from her elven her-itage through her improved vision. Half-elves may alsohave an easier time getting along in a human-dominatedworld than elves do.Half-orcs: Its unfortunate that so few half-orcs takeup the druidic path. Like their orc parents, many half-orcs live in wild frontiers, often far away from settled andwell-defended towns. Those same frontiers are oftenhome to druids. Halt-orc characters have two significantadvantages: darkvision and a +2 racial bonus to Strength.Moreover, although some may mock the half-orc for herlack of intelligence and her crudeness, a druid can livewithout great intelligence and charisma. Like the half-elf, the half-orc must live with a degree of social stigma,so she may find a solitary existence in the woods prefer-able to dealing with those who cant accept her for whatshe is. Nature, after all, embraces all living beings andbrings peace to the tormented soul.Halflings: Halflings make good druids. Their naturalathleticism and sensitive ears are ideal tor outdoor sur-vival, and their general good luck and bravery servethem well too. The primary reason that so few halflingstake up the sickle and mistletoe is the strength of thehalfling community. Their predilection for comfortablebeds, fine food, and ample drink tends to discouragethem from choosing more challenging lives in service tonature. The few who do take up the druids path find thattheir size is no impediment to excellence.Monsters: Among the monstrous races, two stand outas likely druids: centaurs and lizardfolk. Both races gen-erally have tribal societies, and both live in harmonywith their environments. It is not uncommon in eitherculture to find druids in positions of leadership.A centaur makes an excellent druid because of her +3racial bonus to Wisdom, her natural familiarity with theoutdoors, and her skill with horticulture. Her levelequivalent is her class levels +7, so a 1st-level centaurdruid would be appropriate for a 6th-level party.Lizardfolk druids are easier to integrate with the aver-age game than are their centaur counterpartsif noth-ing else, its easier to take a lizardfolk than a centaur intoa dungeon. Since the lizardfolks level equivalent is herclass levels +4, a 1st-level lizardfolk druid can join a cam-paign when the average character level is only 3rd.Unlike centaurs, lizardtolk druids have no racial adjust-ment to their Wisdom scorcs, but they do have re-spectable natural attacks at their disposal. As aquatic-creatures, theyre the only druidically inclined race thatcan also breathe water.An enterprising player might also consider the dryad(class levels +4) and the nymph (class levels +12) aschoices for a druid character. Both have strong ties tonature, and abilities that benefit from the addition of thedruid class.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
10The Druid and Other ClassesThe druids defense of the natural world is neither short-sighted nor provincial. She is, in some sense, a living ex-tension of natures will. Therefore, when evil threatensthe land, shes likely to enlist in the fight, even if it takesplace far outside her grove. On other occasions, the druidmay become involved in adventures out of loyalty tofriends, or out of curiosity about some aspect of nature.As noted above, the druid has no difficulty fitting intomost adventuring parties. If youre playing a druid, youmay find some good advice in the following paragraphsabout getting along with your fellow adventurers.Barbarians: Though the barbarian may rush headlonginto combat, your relationship with him tends to be agood one. Both of you have woodland skills, and whileyou may not share the same view of the world, you do tra-verse the same hills and valleys.Bards: You can understand the traveling lifestyle ofthe bard, but you dont envy it. Bards tend to stir upnearly as much trouble as rogues do in their wander-ings, but bards at least make charming and versatile ad-venturing companions. Their wide range of skills, theirspellcasting talent, and their combat ability make themsuitable backups for nearly any other character class.Add to that their incredible musical effects, and whatsnot to like? The bard reminds you that zest for living isa good thing, and that whatever duties you take on, lifeis a precious gift that should be enjoyed, not merelyspent.Clerics: You and the cleric share many spells andsome similar obligations, but you certainly dont sharethe same viewpoint on life. Your mind is focused on theearth, while he contemplates the heavens. This differ-ence does not necessarily make for poor relations;indeed, you and he can develop a healthy respect forone anothers abilities and come up with some highlyuseful spell combinations. True friendship is rare, how-ever, unless the cleric has chosen the Animal, Plant, orSun domain.Fighters: Its always handy to have a fighter aroundwhen theres trouble. Through the barbarian may betougher overall, the fighter is incredibly skilled in the artof war, which means he usually knows a lot of fightingtricks that can help his group defeat sophisticated andpowerful adversaries. On the other hand, it seems that hedevotes his entire life to combatand what sort of atti-tude is that? Its that mindsetconcentrating on pettysquabbles instead of more important issuesthat en-courages ever-increasing conflict in the world. All thingsconsidered, you get along fine with the fighter whenyour goals coincide with his, but you would rather spendtime with the ranger or the barbarian.Monks: The monk seeks enlightenment through anascetic lifestyle, which ultimately amounts to a denial ofthe self. To you, that seems utter folly. While there maybe other planes of existence and astate beyond themortal realm, people should live in the presentin thisworld. You can sympathize with that lonely figure whocame out of a monastery, but you have trouble embracingher outlook on life. As long as shes content to let otherspursue their own paths, though, the two of you might beable to forge a bond of friendship.Paladins: Your relationship with the paladin is oftenstrained because the two of you have different outlookson life and devote yourselves to different goals. The twothings you have in common are a sense of moral dutyand a desire to protect something in this world. Youreboth champions of your causes, and at those times whenyour interests overlapwhen confronted by an over-whelming evil, for instanceyou can form an alliancethat few foes can withstand. Lasting friendship betweenthe two of you is rare, however.Rangers: As might be expected, you and the rangerget along well. You share an understanding of the naturalworld, and though your means may vary, you see theneed for each other. The one thing that disturbs youabout the ranger is his vengeful dislike of certain crea-tures. You can understand the desire to huntthats anatural instinctbut you dont understand the desire toeradicate a certain type of being. Though your skills tendto overlap, the two of you together with your animalcompanions can greatly increase the capabilities (andsheer numbers) of an adventuring party.Rogues: You appreciate rogues for their unique tal-ents, but your lifestyle rarely brings you into contactwith them. For the most part, that suits you just fine.The fact that civilized society considers rogues to bemiscreants, thieves, and assassins doesnt concern you,since you care little for societys strictures anyway. Butsome rogues think of life as a game, and too manyothers think of nothing but worldly goods. This leavesyou little in common with the partys rogue, thoughyou respect her skills.Sorcerers: You may not fully understand the sorcereror his origin, but you do respect innate gifts. The sor-cerer, through some quirk of fate or bloodline, has atalent for magic, and unlike the wizard, he doesnt clois-ter his body inside a moldy tower or his mind inside anequally moldy tome. Most sorcerers are charismaticpeople who dont hide from the world or hold them-selves above it. Those attributes make it easy for you toget along with them.Wizards: Theres a place for learning and a place foracademic study. Wizards spend far too much time withtheir noses in books and not enough time getting exer-cise in the fresh air. But despite their typical lack ofphysical prowess, they often make pleasant compan-ions and able adventurers, and their spells complementyours nicely. From your perspective, the only real flawin the wizards magic is that she draws her power fromunnatural sources, calling in energy from places not ofthis world. Thus, while you are wise enough to be-friend the wizard in your own adventuring group, youoften take some small pleasure in fighting a villainouswizard.Rules Update: UsingWild ShapeThey tickle and itch, but you get used to feathers. Never quiteget used to the eggs, though.The druid Kelliana of Blue TribeWild shape is one of the druids most useful and flexibleclass features. The following version of this ability super-sedes the one presented in the Players Handbook.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
11Wild ShapeAt 5th level, a druid gains the spell-like ability to turnherself into a Small or Medium-size animal (but not adire animal or a legendary animal) and back again onceper day. The druid may adopt only one animal form peruse of this ability.The creatures available as wild shape forms includesome giant animals (as described in Appendix I of theMonster Manual) but not beasts, magical beasts, or any-thing with a type other than animal. The druid may usewild shape to become a dog or a giant lizard, for example,but not an owlbear. The form chosen must be that of ananimal she is familiar with. For example, a druid who hasnever been outside a temperate forest could not becomea polar bear.The druid can freely designate the new forms minorphysical qualities (such as fur, feather, or skin color andtexture) within the normal ranges for an animal of thatkind. The new forms significant physical qualities (suchas height, weight, and gender) are also under her controlbut must fall within the norms for the animals species.The druid is effectively disguised as an average memberof the new forms species, gaining a +10 bonus on herDisguise checks as long as she maintains the form.This change of form never disorients the druid. Uponchanging to an animal form, she regains lost hit points asif she had rested for a day, though this healing does notrestore temporary ability damage or provide any otherbenefits of resting for a day, and changing back does notheal her further. If slain, the druid reverts to her originalform, though she remains dead.When the change occurs, the druids equipment, ifany, melds into her new form and becomes nonfunc-tional. Material components and focuses melded in thisway cannot be used to cast spells. When the druid re-verts to her true form, any objects previously meldedinto the animal form reappear in the same locations theypreviously were and are once again functional. Any newitems the druid wore in animal form (such as a saddle,rider, or halter) fall off and land at her feet; any that shecarried in a body part common to both forms (mouth,hands, or the like) at the time of reversion are still heldin the same way.The druid acquires the physical and natural abilities ofthe creature whose form she has taken while retainingher own mind. Physical abilities include size as well asStrength, Dexterity, and Constitution scorcs. Naturalabilities include armor, natural weapons (such as claws,bite, or gore), sensory abilities (such as low-light vision),and similar gross physical qualities (presence or absenceof wings or gills, number of extremities, and so forth).Natural abilities also include mundane movement capa-bilities, such as walking, swimming, and flying withwings. The druid also gains all the racial bonuses andfeats of the animal form selected. She does not gain anysupernatural or spell-like abilities (such as breath weap-ons or gaze attacks) of her new form, but does gain all theforms extraordinary abilities. All these alterations lastuntil the wild shape ends.The druids new scorcs and faculties are average onesfor the species into which she has transformed. Shecannot, for example, turn herself into a wolf with aStrength of 20. Likewise, she cannot change into a biggeror more powerful version of a creature (or a smaller orweaker version).The druid retains her own Intelligence, Wisdom, andCharisma scorcs, level and classes, hit points (despiteany change in her Constitution score), alignment, baseattack bonus, and base save bonuses. (New Strength,Dexterity, and Constitution scorcs may affect finalattack and save bonuses.) The druid also retains her owntype (for example, humanoid), extraordinary abilities,and spell-like abilities, but not her supernatural abilities.She loses her ability to speak while in animal form be-cause she is limited to the sounds that a normal, un-trained animal can make. (The normal sound a wildparrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form doesnot permit speech.)Though the druid retains any spells she previously car-ried, her new form may not permit her to use them.Unless the chosen form is one with prehensile hands(such as a monkey or an ape) or some other manipulativeappendage, the druid may not be able to manipulate ma-terial components and focuses for spellseven if thoseare not melded into her new form. Likewise, her lack ofa humanlike voice means she cannot cast spells withverbal components or activate command word items. Inthe same manner, the lack of appropriate appendagesmay prevent her from using manufactured weapons andmagic items. If the usability of a particular spell or itemis in doubt, the DM makes the decision.The druid can use this ability more times per day at6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table38 in the Players Handbook. In addition, she gains theability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, aTiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15thlevel. At 12th level and beyond, she can take the form ofa dire animal.At 16th level, the druid may use wild shape to changeinto a Small, Medium-size, or Large elemental (air, earth,CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
12fire, or water) once per day. She gains all the elementalsspecial attacks and special qualities when she does so, re-gardless of ability type (that is, she gains the supernaturaland spell-like abilities of the elemental as well as extraor-dinary ones). She also gains the elementals feats andracial skill bonuses for as long as she maintains the wildshape while retaining her own creature type (humanoidin most cases). At 18th level, she can assume elementalform three times per day.Choosing a Wild ShapeBeginning at 5th level, the druid gains the ability to usewild shape. During her career, a variety of choices presentthemselves as she masters larger and smaller forms, andeventually she can assume the form of a dire animal or anelemental. The array of options can be downright bewil-dering.The primary consideration in selecting an animal formis what you want it for. Here are some factors a druidshould consider when approaching this decision.Detecting: Because the druid can use the extraordi-nary abilities of the form chosen, she can gain blindsightas a dire bat or a porpoise. Most animals have low-lightvision, and a few (such as the snake and the owl) alsohave racial Spot or Listen bonuses.Escaping: The one of the best way to escape a trou-bling situation through wild shape is to take to wing as ahawk or an eagle. The fly speeds of those creatures are 80and 60 feet respectively, and thats usually fast enough toescape from an advancing army or a land-bound monster.The owl, despite its popularity, doesnt fly especially fast(only 40 feet). In a dungeon, or against some airbornefoes, the cheetah or horse may be a more appropriatechoice. A light horse has a respectable land speed of 60feet; the cheetah moves only 50 feet normally but canalso travel 500 feet in a sprint (see the cheetah entry inthe Monster Manual). Escape doesnt always require fastmovement, thougha high-level druid can use wildshape to take the form of a Tiny animal and use the Hideskill to avoid enemies.Fighting: Wild shapecan make the druid a formidableopponent. Until 8th level, when she can use ivild shape tobecome a Large animal, her best choices are the wolver-ine, black bear, or leopard, with three attacks each. Ofthese, the black bear offers the highest Strength scoreand the leopard the highest AC. The wolverines rageability grants it the same Strength bonus as the blackbear, plus a few additional hit points. The form of a con-strictor snake might also prove very useful, especiallyagainst enemy spellcasters.For an 8th-level druid, the polar bear reigns supremewith its Strength score of 27. The heavy horse is weakerin combat but a lot less conspicuous, if thats a concern.The only other options worth considering are the bigcatslions and tigerswhose pounce and rake abilitiesare a fair trade for the polar bears higher strength. Thetiger is uniformly tougher than the lion, but both canhold their own in combat. Finally, reach provides a sig-nificant advantage in a fight, and the druid can gain thatin the form of a Large viper.At 12th level, the druid can use wild shape to become adire animal. As a dire bear with a Strength of 31, she cando 30 or more points of damage in a single round. Thedire lion is her second-best choice.When the druid reaches 15th level, the dire tigerbecomes available, but the dire bear may still be abetter decision. The dire tigers Huge size makes iteasier to hit than the dire bear, and the addition ofpounce and rake attacks may not entirely compensatefor that disadvantage.At 16th level, the druid gains a significant newoptionelemental form. This allows the druid access toall the special abilities of the chosen elemental, includ-ing whirlwind, drench, vortex, push, and burn. Becauseof its high Strength score, the earth elemental is proba-bly the best choice, though the water elemental has abetter AC. If AC is not a factor, however, the dire bear isstill a better fighter than any elemental simply because ofits higher strength.Impressing Foes: Bears, lions, and elememals im-press the local populace and frighten even veteran mer-cenaries. A DM may allow a +2 circumstance bonus onIntimidate checks for a druid using an impressive form.Impressing Other Animals: The druid usually relieson her Animal Empathy skill to calm hostile or hungryanimals and reassure them that violence is not necessary.The druid who takes the time to use wild shapeto assumethe target animals form often has an easier time in thisnegotiation, even though she doesnt gain the ability tospeak with the creature directly. To represent this advan-tage, the DM may allow the druid a +4 circumstancebonus on Animal Empathy checks made against ananimal whose form she has assumed.Scouting: Avian forms are good for scouting, but dontoverlook subterfuge as an option. An old story tells of adruid who learned all her enemies plans when she as-sumed the form of a heavy horse and served a day as thesteed for the commander of the evil army. Most peoplepay little attention to horses, livestock, or passing frogs,and the druid can profit from that.Training Animals: The training process becomesmuch easier if the druid can simply assume the animalsform and demonstrate the behavior or action she wants.The DM may allow the druid a +4 circumstance bonus onher Handle Animal checks when she uses wild shape inthis fashion.Traveling: Because of their good fly speeds, birds arethe obvious choices for travel. Should travel by ocean,sea, or river be an option, the dire shark moves at an im-pressive speed (90 feet) that even the eagle cannot match.At 15th level and higher, the druid should seriously con-sider the form of an air elemental for travel because of itsincredible fly speed (100 feet).THE RANGERIN PERSPECTIVEYou could just as easily gel a shark to give up swimming as youcould get a ranger to sfay at home.SovelissDespite his association with the forest, the ranger cannotbe described as rooted. Too great an attachment toCHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
13places, material possessions, and traditions is unhealthyfrom his point of view. After all, change is a fundamentalaspect of nature, and it doesnt pay to fight that.In fact, the ranger is among the most versatile of allcharacters. Yes, he wears armor, but its never as clunky asthe paladins. Yes, he casts spells, but he never relies solelyon them for survival as the wizard does. Yes, he moveslike the breeze, but never with the blatant fear ofstraight-on confrontation that so many rogues display.Though the bard claims to be a jack-of-all-trades, it is theranger who quietly proves himself the perfect balance ofdisciplines.The rangers versatility makes him more of a generalistthan most other characters, and that can be as much ahindrance as a boon. He cant deal as much damage witha single blow as a greatsword-wielding fighter withWeapon Specialization or a wizard with a maximized fire-ball. What he can do is mete out a wild flurry of damagefrom multiple sources, then retreat before his opponentcan return the favor. A ranger of moderate level mightunleash three unerring arrows in one round, switchweapons and close in the next round, then lay his oppo-nent low with four blows from his two weapons in thethird round. If that opponent is a favored enemy, thesecond and third rounds might not even be necessary.In many ways, the rangers greatest strength is leader-ship. Like the rogue, he often scouts ahead of fellowparty members, where he can make the best use of hisTrack feat and sense-oriented class skills. Unlike therogue, however, he feels physically outmatched by thechallenges that those talents reveal. As the first to spot anenemy, he must decide whether to close or sneak back,and his friends lives may depend on the wisdom of hisdecision.Race and the RangerEvery humanoid race has spawned rangers, and eachoffers its own set of advantages. As with the druid, no ob-vious racial choice exists for a ranger.Humans: Most rangers are human. Dividing a humanrangers initial skill points evenly between Bluff, Listen,Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore gives the 1st-level human ranger a +5 bonus on those checks againstfavored enemies, in addition to any other bonuses hemay have. Moreover, he doesnt have to choose betweenWeapon Focus and Alertness to augment his best attrib-utes; he can get them both right away. Of course, thehumans biggest advantage is that he is a member of thedominant race on the planet.Dwarves: Like most of their race, dwarven rangerstend to live underground. Such cavers need not worrymuch about maintaining relations with fey creatures orprotecting the trees, but that doesnt mean they shouldskimp on ranks in the Wilderness Lore skill. Its a neces-sity for tracking foes, especially since dungeon floorscount as hard ground (see the Track feat description inthe Players Handbook). The Listen skill is also vital in adungeon environment, and the ranger gets a bonus onListen checks against favored enemies. The dwarvenrangers racial combat bonuses already let him shineagainst three categories of foes (orcs, goblinoids, andgiants), so those are excellent first, second, and thirdchoices for favored enemy. Choosing giants first mightwell pay off when that first ogre comes charging downthe dungeon corridor.Elves: The elf is the ranger incarnate. He has bonuseson two skills for which the ranger gets also favoredenemy bonuses: Listen and Spot. That means a 5th-levelelven ranger gets a +4 bonus on Spot checks against hisfirst favored enemy, on top of his skill ranks and anyother bonuses he has. Most fey creatures favor elves, sothe elven ranger can create a strong network of alliesduring his travels through the forest. In addition, hisneed for but 4 hours of meditation and 4 hours of restrather than 8 hours of sleep means he is almost always onwatch at night, when his low-light vision and high Spotbonus are the most useful.Gnomes:Like the dwarf, the gnome ranger starts outwith solid bonuses against some very common favoredenemies: goblinoids, kobolds, and giants. Like the elf, hegets a racial bonus on Listen checks. Like the halfling, hegains bonuses on attack rolls and AC for being Small.Unlike anyone else, the gnome ranger with an Intelli-gence score of 10 or higher has both arcane spells anddivine spells at 4th level, plus the best possible baseattack bonus. All this makes the ranger class an excellentfit for the gnome. However, gnome rangers rarely leavetheir homelandsa loss to adventuring parties every-where.Half-Elves: The half-elf is already an outsider, so theranger lifestyle is second nature for him. Nearly every-thing said above about the elf (racial bonuses on Spot andListen checks, low-light vision, and so on) applies to thehalf-elf as well, though not always to the same degree. So-cially, however, the half-elf is a better bridge between theCHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
14natural and the civilized worlds than either the elf or thehuman is.Half-orcs: Though many half-orcs consider barbarianand fighter to be better class choices, the half-orc rangeris a true monster against his favored enemies. A racialbonus to Strength, the best possible attack progression,and favored enemy bonuses mean that a 10th-level half-orc ranger with a Strength score of 22 and Weapon Focus(battleaxe) has a +20 attack bonus against his first favoredenemy, not including the bonus of the magic battleaxehe has in each hand. A half-orc going this route must tryto compensate for his Intelligence penalty, since therangers strength lies not only in combat but also inskills. Probably the biggest disadvantage for the half-orcranger is that few believe he is a friend of the forest. Still,he has his ways of persuading people.Halflings: The Players Handbooknotes that halflingrangers arent encountered often, but thats primarily be-cause they can choose when encounters occur. Thehalflings Strength penalty undercuts his ranger bonuses,but consider the 9th-level halfling ranger with WeaponFinesse and a through-the-roof Dexterity score. Hes toss-ing thrown weapons and wielding pairs of melee weap-ons, as well as moving silently and hiding better thananyone else through frequent use of the pass without tracespell. In addition, his exceptional bonus on Listenchecks lets him know that his foe is coming long beforehe has to decide whether to fight or flee.Monsters: Members of several monstrous races alsomake particularly good rangers. Among these are cen-taurs, gnolls, grimlocks, sahuagin, and yuan-ti (pure-blood and halfblood).All these creatures have racial bonuses to Strength,and each has one or more advantages all its own. Thesahuagins ability to breathe water and its blood frenzyare significant advantages, though they are effectivelylimited to underwater environments. The yuan-ti half-blood has several interesting optionsscales for a natu-ral Armor Class bonus, snakes instead of arms for naturalattacks, or even a snake head with a poisonous bite. Addto this the spell-like abilities and psionic powers that allyuan-ti have, and either creature is a formidable foe.The level equivalents of these creatures vary widely.The gnolls level equivalent is class levels +3, the grim-locks is class levels +5, the sahuagins is class levels +5,the centaurs is class levels +7, the yuan-ti purebloods isclass levels +12, and the yuan-ti halfbloods is classlevels +13.One final note about nonhuman rangers: All of themcan select human as a favored enemy, and they shouldstrongly consider doing so. Humans are the most fre-quently encountered toe in almost every D&D game,so favored enemy bonuses against them come into playoften.The Ranger and Other ClassesThe rangers single-minded pursuit of afavored enemyoften provides the impetus for a quest. For example, iforcs occupy the hinterlands, its the ore-hunting rangerwho gets a group together to chase them out.When selecting companions for hismissions, theranger should consider how his skills and attitudes fitwith theirs. If youre playing a ranger, you may find somegood advice in the following paragraphs about gettingalong with your fellow adventurers.Barbarians: You and the barbarian make a terrificone-two punch, since you can both inflict tons ofdamage. Working together, you can also avoid nasty sur-prisesyou watch for foes coming out of the woodworkand he ignores sneak attacks and avoids traps. A partywith the pair of you doesnt have as much need for arogue as one not so doubly blessed. The only issue be-tween you and the barbarian isthat you may want toleave combat long before he does.Bards: The bard seems like such a dilettante. Both ofyou are extraordinarily versatile, but youre versatile witha purpose (at least in your mind). Nonetheless, youreboth favorites of elves, so you tend to get along. On agood day, youre cool toward him (like you are to every-one else), and hes superficial toward you (like he is toeveryone else).Clerics: Though you might get along with a druidmore easily, you rarely turn down an alliance with acleric. Of course, the extent of the friendship always de-pends on his domains. A cleric with Animal, Healing,Sun, or other domains relating to nature is always a wel-come companion, but youre less likely to enjoy the com-pany of one who specializes in Death, Destruction, orTrickeryunless of course youre an evil ranger whodoesnt care much about the cycle of life.Druids: You and the druid are natural partners, inboth senses of the term. You appreciate guidance in theways of the wild, so youre willing to help out the druidin return for some of her knowledge. Shes a better divinespellcaster than you are, but this works for both ot you, ifyou plan accordingly. You carry the standby spells such asprotection from elements so that she can focus on healingand controlling animals.Though your skills are similar, aparty with both of you benefits from the many animalsand summoned allies you both tend to have in tow,which can deliver a swarm of attacks against your toes.Fighters: The fighter is a demonstration of everythingthats wrong with societyhes clanky, monomaniacal,and graceless. Youre almost as good at fighting as he is(considering that he gets bonus feats), but you have otherabilities as well. When youre in a parry with him, themonsters tend to consider you (with your light armor; asthe lesser of the two threatsat least until you hit fourtimes in a round.Monks: The monks ascetic lifestyle is very similar tothe sort of self-exile you embrace. Both of you are nimbleand silent, and you both have the ability to make extra at-tacks each round. Best of all, each of you respects theothers need for solitude. You and she could live in thesame woods tor years and never say a word to eachotherexcept the occasional Help! When you do joinforces, you make a powerful combination.Paladins: It the fighter is rigid and loud, the paladin iseven more so. Even if youre both of good alignment, youmay be so far apart on the law and chaos axis that youcant have a civil conversation. Even her warhorse is asticking point, since at any moment it can commandyour mount, and youre not about to stand for that. Still,CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
15the two of you do have one thing in common: If some-thing goes against your code, youre unshakable in yourfervor to set things right. When you both agree on some-thing, its not a good idea to get in your way.Rogues: You have a lot in common with the partyrogue because your skill sets overlap but dont compete.When the two of you move down a hallway together, youcan back each other up in ways a paladin and wizardcouldnt begin to understand. You may live in differentenvironments, but you respect each others abilities andattitudes.Sorcerers: Sorcerers are what rangers would be if theywere arcane spellcastersfast, focused, and unclutteredby tomes and universities. You and the sorcerer workwell together because you can depend on him to do whatyou expect and do it well.Wizards: Wizards can be maddeningly unpredictable.You want maximum versatility in combat, and so doesshemostly for staying out of melee. But just when youdecide to wade in for two-weapon battery, you discoverthat shes targeting the area for a fireball. Still, any arcanespellcaster is better than none, since shes bound to havelots of useful spells.Variant: Urban RangersThe Player s Handbook describes rangers as forestdenizens who can use the natural camouflage of thewoods to advantage. Soveliss, girded in his tree-trunk-brown studded leather, is ready ata moments notice to disappearamong the trees. This is a finelifestyle for the majority ofrangers, but some prefer to stalk foes through other ter-rain. The urban ranger is the king of the streets, capableof tracking a foe through a marketplace or across a castleparapet.To play an urban ranger, use the rules from the rangerclass description in Chapter 3 of the Players Handbook.Every rule mentioned there also applies to an urbanranger. With your DMs permission, however, you canadopt a few modifications designed to make your charac-ter more effective in the unorthodox urban terrain. Make the following class skill switches: AnimalEmpathy for Gather Information and Knowledge(nature) for Knowledge (local). Saying goodbye to anexclusive class skill is hard, but you need as manyranks in Gather Information and Knowledge (local) asyou can get. Trade the Track feat for the Shadow feat (see Chapter2). This gives you an edge in following someonethrough city streets. Also, you might want to adopt thespecial use of the Hide skill called Tail Someone, asdescribed in Chapter 2. Take an organization or culture rather than a creaturetype as a favored enemy. For example, you mightchoose the Knights of the Hart, which would allowyou to use your favored enemy bonuses against elvesand humans who belong to that organization, but notagainst other elves and humans. Be sure to make sucha choice in concert with your DM, or you could end upwith a favored enemy you never encounter. Swap out a few ranger spells for bard spells of equallevel. Here are some trades to consider: delect snares andpits for detect secret doors, speak with animals for message,speak with plants for delectthoughts, plant growth forphantom steed, and tree stride for dimension door. Youmight want to see if your DM would let you trade forspells from different class lists as well, though youreunlikely to get chainlightning out of the deal.An urban ranger who wants to adopt a prestige classmight consider the watch detective, the foe hunter, orthe bloodhound (see Chapter 5). All those focus on im-proving the rangers best attributes without advancingthe naturalistic aspect of the class.Below are statistics tor an urban ranger created withthese variant rules: the dwarven constable Sergeant Regi-nald Fitz-Louis and his trusty mastiff, Baskerville.mSergeant Reginald Fitz-Louis: Male dwarfRgr12; CR 12; Medium-size humanoid; HD12d10+36; hp 102; Init +1; Spd. 20 ft.; AC 17(touch 11, flat-footed 16); Atk +14/+9/+4 melee(1d8+3/1920, + 1 ghost touch longsword) and +13/+8melee (1d6+2/×3, +1 handaxe) or +15 ranged (1d8+1/1920, masterwork light crossbow with + 1 crossbowbolts); SQ Dwarf traits, favored enemies (cult ofVecna +3, goblinoids +2, giants +1); AL LN; SVFort +11, Ref +5, Will +7; Str 15, Dex 12, Con17, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 15.Skills and Feats:Appraise +4, Bluff +7, Concen-tration +6, Craft (metalworking) +4, Craft(stoneworking) +4, Diplomacy +4, Disguise +4, GatherCHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
16Information +19, Hide +11, Intimidate +4, Knowledge(local) +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +6, Perform +4, Ride(horse) +6, Search +17, Spot +18; Alertness, Expertise, Im-proved Two-Weapon Fighting, Shadow, Skill Focus (Gath-er Information), Weapon Focus (longsword).Dwarf Traits:+1 racial bonus on attack rolls againstorcs and goblinoids; +2 racial bonus on Will savesagainst spells and spell-like abilities; +2 racial bonus onFortitude saves against all poisons; +4 dodge bonusagainst giants; darkvision 60 ft.; stonecunning (+2 racialbonus on checks to notice unusual stonework; can makea check for unusual stonework as though activelysearching when within 10 ft. and use the Search skill tofind stonework traps as a rogue can; intuit depth); +2racial bonus on Appraise checks and Craft or Professionchecks related to stone or metal (figured into the statis-tics above).Favored Enemies: Reginald has selected the cult ofVecna as his first favored enemy, goblinoids as hissecond, and giants as his third. He gains a +3, +2, and +1bonus, respectively, on melee damage rolls and on hisBluff. Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lorechecks against these creature types.Spells Prepared (2/2/2; base DC = 13 + spell level): 1stdetect secret doors, message; 2ndcure light wounds,detectthoughts; 3rdneutralize poison, phantom steed.Possessions: +3 studded leather cirnior, +1 ghost touch long-sword, +1 handaxe,masterwork light crossbow, 25 +1 cross-bow bolts, circlet of persuasion, figurine of wondrous power(onyx dog), potion of sneaking, potion of cure moderate wounds.mBaskerville: Male onyx dog; CR 1; Medium-sizeanimal; HD 2d8+4; hp 13; Init +2; Spd. 40 ft.; AC 16(touch 12, flat-footed 14); Atk + 3 melee (1d6+3, bite); SATrip; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, see in-visible, speaks Common; AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will+1; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Inr 8, Wis 12, Cha 6.Skills and Feats:Listen +5, Search +3, Spot +9, Swim +5.Wilderness Lore +1 (+5 when tracking by scent).Choosing a Favored EnemyDo unto others as they seek to do unto you.SovelissOver the course of twenty levels, the ranger chooses fivefavored enemies. Many factors can come inio play here,includingthe players choice of background (I chose mypath when orcs devastated my homeland), campaignenvironment (Here in the snowy northlands, we live tofight the remorhaz), and game utility (What are wegoing to fight in the near future?).Once the ranger makes a choice, he cant later changehis mind. That means the player must bet on what kindof creatures the character is likely to meet most often.The Dungeon Master can help with this, since he or sheknows whats out there in the campaign world.Against his favored enemy, a ranger gets a bonus onBluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lorechecks as well as damage rolls with melee weapons andwith ranged weapons fired from no more than 30 feetaway. (This damage bonus does not apply against crea-tures immune to critical hits.) The value of the bonus is+1 when the ranger first designates that creature type asa favored enemy, and it rises by an additional +1 at 5th,10th, 15th, and 20th levels. He chooses his first favoredenemy at 1st level, the second at 5th level, the third at10th, the fourth at 15th, and the fifth at 20th.Theres a tradeoff involved in making these choicesShould the rangers first favored enemy be a low-CR or ahigh-CR creature? Remember, the first favored enemychosen is the one against which he has the highest bonusthroughout his career, and the last is the one againstwhich he has the lowest bonus. Is it better to gain anearly advantage or to forego the immediate benefit andwork toward the long term? In fact, both are perfectlyvalid choices. For example, suppose you choose orcs first.That gives your ranger a useful bonus against orcs whenhes likely to see them mostwhen hes low level. Whenhes 20th level, though, he has a +5 bonus against orcs(which he may rarely see at that point) and a lower bonusagainst the more powerful creatures that hes likely tomeet more often. Conversely, if you choose demons asyour rangers first favored enemy, hes not likely to getmuch benefit out of his bonus for a long time because heprobably wont meet many demons until he has severallevels under his belt. But when he does meet them, heimmediately has a substantial bonus against them.Aberrations:This category is a rich choice for favoredenemy. Aberrations include beholders, carrion crawlersdriders, gibbering mouthers, mimics, mind flayersnagas, oryughs, rust monsters, skum, umber hulks, will-o-wisps, and many others. Of these, skum are the lowestpowered at CR 2. Thus, if you want an early advantageaberrations may not be a good first choice. Howevertheres a clump of them in the CR 68 range, and evenmore beyond that, so this category is a fine choice for asecond, third, or fourth enemy. If you dont mind waitinga while to reap the benefit, go ahead and take aberrationsas your first choice.Animals:Animals are among the best choices for tirstfavored enemy. Your ranger should meet a lot of them atlow levels, but hell continue to meet tougher ones as headvances. Dire animals range all the way up to CR 9 (thedire shark).Beasts: This surprisingly small category of foes in-cludes odd creatures such as ankhegs, griffons, hip-pogriffs, hydras, owlbears, purple worms, and stirges, aswell as dinosaurs, rocs, and sea lions. The CRs in thisgrouping range from 1 (stirge) to 12 (purple worm), sobeasts are a good choice for a rangers tirst, second, ormaybe even third favored enemy.Constructs: These creatures are immune to criticalhits (and thus to the rangers favored enemy damagebonus), so this is a suboptimal choice unless youre usingthe variant favored enemy rules, below. Bluff and SenseMotive are useless against constructs. The bonuses onSpot. Listen, and Wilderness Lore checks still apply, butsince constructs frequently just sit in place until dis-turbed. these benefits arent much help either.Dragons: This category is a great choice at any level. Aranger can meet a wyrmling white dragon right out ofthe gate and still be fighting dragons when he reaches20th level. This is one of the few categories that scales upas the ranger advances, since dragons advance as well.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
17The bonus is also effective against dragon turtles, half-dragons, pseudodragons, wyverns, and anything elsewith the dragon type. Pay special attention to those Bluffand Sense Motive bonusesoften the best way to dealwith a dragon is by skillfully playing on its desire fortreasure and fame.Elementals: Unless you use the variant favoredenemy rules below, your favored enemy damage bonusesdont work against elementals because they are immuneto critical hits. The other bonuses still apply, but whatgood is a Spot or Listen check against a creature thatanyone can see and hear from a quarter-mile away?Fey: This category is an excellent choice for evilrangers, but good rangers tend to ally with these crea-tures rather than fight them. Dryads, nymphs, satyrs, andsprites fall into this grouping. Nymphs are the toughestat CR 6, so if youre going to take fey as a favored enemy,you might want to do so early.Giants: Giants make great favored enemies fordwarves and gnomes, who already have racial bonusesagainst them. In addition to the six giants, this categoryincludes ettins, ogres, ogre mages, and trolls. Since yourranger is likely to meet ogres early in his career, considergiants as a first or second favored enemy choice. Thatway, when he meets storm giants later on, hell have asig-nificant bonus against them.Humanoids: This category requires the choice of aspecific humanoid subtype, but only an evil ranger canchoose his own subtype. Some choices here are betterthan others.Humans:This is easily the best choice in the game foreveryone except the nonevil human ranger, who cantselect it. In almost any D&D game, player charactersmust fight many human foes. Even a ranger allied withhumans should consider taking this option early.Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Haflings:All four of thesechoices are much more limited than humans. If youthink your ranger would be surprised to find a tyrannicalhalfling warlord trampling life and liberty across thecampaign world, avoid these groups.Orcs: This is an excellent choice for dwarves (whoalready get a +1 bonus on attacks against orcs) and apretty good choice for others as well. Since the bonuseswork against both orcs and half-orcs, this can be a goodoption to take early, when your ranger is fighting orcsand their leaders in abundance. And even though hesnot as likely to meet orcs at higher levels, he may stillhave to deal with the occasional orc army or high-levelhalf-orc NPC.Gnolls: This is not as versatile a choice as orcs in mostcampaigns. The typical ranger is less likely to meet ad-vanced gnolls than advanced half-orcs as he rises in level.Goblinoids: This is a fine choice, particularly at lowlevels. A dwarven or gnome ranger already has a +1 racialbonus on attack rolls against these creatures and is likelyto fight them for living space regularly. This category alsoincludes bugbears, goblins, and hobgoblins (CR 2, 1/4,and 1/2, respectively). Its a good choice for first favoredenemy, but it isnt too useful later.Reptilians: This is a surprisingly good choice for agnome ranger, who already has a +1 bonus on attack rollsagainst kobolds. Lizardfolk and troglodytes are also rep-tilians. Again, this is a good choice for a first favoredenemy but less useful thereafter.Aquatic: Speaking of lizardfolk, this category includesthat race as well as locathah, merfolk, and sahuagin. Ifyou expect your ranger to go to sea a lot, consider thisoption for his first or second favored enemy.Magical Beasts: In a campaign with lots of bizarrecreatures, you probably cant do better for a favoredenemy than this. The list is enormous, and it includesmost of the traditional D&D foes, such as basilisks,chimeras, cockatrices, displacer beasts, krakens, manti-cores, phase spiders, remorhazes, ropers, sphinxes, andthe tarrasque. Theres at least one magical beast at everyCR from 1 to 15, so your ranger gains value from thechoice at every level. Moreover, he gains bonuses againstall the celestial and fiendish creatures summoned by hisarcane foes. Consider taking magical beasts as a first orsecond favored enemy.Monstrous Humanoids: This category includes suchcreatures ascentaurs, grim locks, hags, harpies, kuo-toa,medusas, minotaurs, and yuan-ti. Since there is littlecommonality about where and when aranger mightmeet these creatures, it is a very versatile option. All thecreatures noted above are CR 7 or lower, so this categoryis a decent choice for a second or third favored enemy.Oozes: These mindless, formless creatures arent sub-ject to critical hits, so favored enemy damage bonusesdont work against them unless youre using the variantrules below. You wont get bonuses on damage rolls, Bluffchecks, or Sense Motive checks, and you probably wonthear them coming. Still, a high Spot bonus is very help-ful against a gelatinous cube.Outsiders: This category is among the few appropriatechoices for a rangers fifth favored enemy, but since youmust choose a specific kind of outsider, you have to guesswhat sort your ranger is likely to fight. The list of optionsincludes nearly all creatures native to planes other than theMaterial Plane. Of these, only celestials, demons, devils,formians, and slaadi have enough CR variation to justifythem as good choices over the long hauland of those,only demons and devils are commonly encountered foes.See the variant rules below for another way to approachrangers favored enemy bonuses against outsiders.Plants: Theres something quite odd about the conceptof hunting plants. Theyre immune to critical hits andthus to favored enemy damage bonuses, and Bluff andSense Motive checks are generally useless against them.In addition, most of them dont move enough for yourbonuses on Listen and Wilderness Lore checks to beuseful. A Spot bonus might be nice, but you gain muchmore utility out of choosing another favored enemyunless you use the variant favored enemy rules below.Shapechangers: Even though only a few creatureshave this type, lycanthropes alone have enough variationto make this category an excellent choice. A lycanthropecan have any CR above 1, so a ranger can benefit fromthis choice at any time in his career.Undead: When your ranger runs into skeletons andzombies in his first few adventures, you might betempted to choose undead as afavored enemy. Resist thetemptation. All undead are immune to critical hits andmind-influencing effects, and some are also incorporeal,CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
18so they dont make noise. Thus, favored enemy bonusesare all but useless against undead unless youre using thevariant rules below.Vermin: This category is a moderately good choice. Alot of monstrous spiders and centipedes live out there,and even though your ranger wont be bluffing them,every bit of extra damage helps.Variant Favored Enemy RulesSome favored enemy choices have significantly less util-ity than othersnamely outsiders and those types thatare immune to critical hits. The variant rules presentedhere make these choices more appealing. As with all vari-ant rules, aplayer wishing to utilize these mustfirst get the DMsconsent.Favoring Subtypes of Outsiders: In thisvariant, the ranger can choose a subtype of out-sider as a favored enemy. The available optionsare air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful,water, and no subtype. A ranger who chooseschaotic outsiders, for example, gains favoredenemy bonuses against chaos beasts, demons,djinn, ghaeles (a type of celestial), lillends,slaadi, and titans, whereas one who choosesoutsiders with no subtype gains bonusesagainst aasimars, half-celestials, half-fiends,jann, ravids, and tieflings. When choosingamong these options, consider your rangersalignment and the conditions in which he nor-mally adventures.Favoring Subraces of Your Own Race: Agood or neutral ranger cannot select his ownrace as a favored enemy, but his enemies can,which is disconcerting. In this variant, a rangercan select a subrace of his own race as a favoredenemy. Generally, the DM should allow thisonly when it corresponds to deep divisionswithin that race. For example, a high elf couldselect drow, but not gray elves. Similarly, hilldwarves might select derro or duergar, but notdeep dwarves. Half-orcs (especially if raisedamong humans) could choose orcs. This vari-ant also allows the ranger to choose others ofhis own race who come from a hostile countryas a favored enemy.Defensive Favored Enemy Bonuses: Aranger using this variant gains his favoredenemy bonus on Hide and Move Silently checksinstead of on damage, Bluff checks, and SenseMotive checks against a particular favoredenemy. Also, he can use his favored enemybonus as a dodge bonus as if using the Dodgefeat. (That is, each round he must designate onefavored enemy opponent against whom the ACbonus applies, and he gains no bonus when flat-footed.) The ranger retains his other bonuses onListen, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks. Onceyou choose this option for a particular favored enemy, youmay not reverse the decision. This variant is recommendedfor rangers who choose constructs, elementals, oozes,plants, or undead as favored enemies, though other mem-bers of the class may find it useful as well.CHAPTER 2:SKILLS ANDFEATSHe just sat there, downing poison pepper after poison pepper.Each of his challengers would pop one pepper and then leave ona stretcher.A town criers description of KruskThe first section of this chapter details new ways of usingsome of the skills listed in the Players Handbook. Thesecond section presents a number of new feats designedwith barbarians, druids, and rangers in mindthough,of course, any character who qualifies can take them.NEW WAYS TO USE SKILLSNew ways to use the Handle Animal, Hide, and Wilder-ness Lore skills are discussed below, as well as variantrules for using the Intimidate skill.Handle AnimalOnce you have befriended an animal, you might want totrain it before taking it into dangerous adventuring situa-tions with you. Teaching an animal a trick requires twomonths and a successful Handle Animal check (DC 15). Ifthe creature is your animal companion, a +2 circumstancebonus applies to the check. This represents the animalsunusual degree of loyalty and willingness to cooperate.New TricksSee the Animal Companions sidebar in Chapter 2 of theDUNGEON MASTER S Guidefor the basic list of tricks animalscan learn. Several additional tricks are detailed below.Armor:The animal is willing to accept the burden of |armor.Assist Attack:The animal aids your attack or that of an-other creature as a standard action. You must designateboth the recipient of the aid and a specific opponent. Theanimal makes one attack roll per round it is assisting. Ifit hits AC 10, the creature it is aiding gains a +2 circum-stance bonus on attack rolls against the designated oppo-nent until the animals next turn.Assist Defend:The animal aids your defense or that ofanother creature as a standard action. You must designateboth the recipient of the aid and a specific opponent. Theanimal makes one attack roll per round it is assisting. Ifit hits AC 10, the creature it is aiding gains a +2 circum-stance bonus to AC against the designated opponentuntil the animals next turn.Assist Track:The animal aids your attempt to track. If itsWilderness Lore check (DC 10) succeeds, you gain a +2circumstance bonus on Wilderness Lore checks madefor tracking.Calm: This trick lets an animal deal with dungeon en-vironments. It becomes willing to move through or restquietly in darkness, to skirt ledges around pits, and toclimb up slanted passages and staircases. When the situ-ation requires it, the animal even allows itself to be har-Variant IntimidationRulesIts an unfortunate fact that thebarbarian, regardless of hismight, can still fail to intimidatefoes who are cowed by the styl-ish bard or the magnetic sor-cerer. The two optional rulespresented here are designed tomake the barbarian a bit morefrightening. These rules workwhether the barbarian is ragingor not, though rage does in-crease their effectiveness.Raging Intimidation: A ragingbarbarian gains a +4 bonus toboth his Strength and his Consti-tution scorcs. This variant alsogrants him a +4 morale bonuson his Intimidate checks. Afterall, when a barbarian begins toscream and froth at the mouth,just about anyone is a little morelikely to do what he says.Intimidation throughStrength: Sometimes its appro-priate to change the key abilityscore of a particular skill. WhileIntimidation is usually a func-tion of Charisma, this ruleallows the barbarian to applyhis Strength modifier ratherthan his Charisma modifier toIntimidate checks. This as-sumes, of course, that he ac-companies such attempts withappropriate displays of might,such as breaking objects orshowing off impressive mus-cles. A barbarian who is ragingis even better at intimidationbecause of his increasedStrength score.CHAPTER 1: NATURE'S LORE
19nessed for travel over vertical surfaces.Hold: The animal initiates a grapple attack and at-tempts to hold a designated enemy in its arms, claws, orteeth. An animal with the improved grab ability uses thatin the attempt; otherwise, the attack provokes an attackof opportunity.Home:The animal returns to a preset location, travel-ing overland as required.Hunt: The animal attempts to hunt food for you (andany others you designate) and bring it back through theuse of Wilderness Lore. While an animal automaticallyknows how to hunt for its own needs, this trick causes itto return with food rather than simply eating its fill ofwhat it finds.Subdue: The animal attacks a designated target creatureto subdue it, suffering a 4 penalty on its attack roll. Theattack trick (above) is a prerequisite for this one.Stalk:The animal follows a designated target, doing itsbest to remain undetected, until the target is wounded orresting, and then attacks.Steal:In this variation on the fetch command, theanimal grabs an object in the possession of a targetcreature, wrests it away, and brings it to you. If multi-ple objects are available, the animal attempts to steal arandom one.HideThe Hide skill is as useful in the wild as it is in a city.Sometimes, however, rangers and druids must adapttheir skills to city situations (see Urban Ranger, in Chap-ter 1). This section describes how to use the Hide skill totrack someone surreptitiously.Tail SomeoneSince the Hide skill allows for movement, you can use itas a move-equivalent action or part of a move action if de-sired. This means you can try to follow someone whilemaking periodic Hide checks to remain unseen. Howoften you need to make a Hide check depends on the dis-tance at which you follow. If you stay at least 60 feet awayfrom your quarry, you can get by with a Hide check onceevery 10 minutes, provided that your quarry doesnt sus-pect youre following and that you do nothing but main-tain the tail. At distances of less than 60 feet, you mustmake a Hide check each round.Of course, you still need appropriate concealment tosucceed at Hide checks while tailing, but many optionsare often available. In a forest, of course, there are plenty ofconvenient trees to hide behind. If youre trying to tailsomeone on a city street, you can duck behindpassersbythough in that case, you wouldnt be hiddenfrom the people youre using for cover, just from yourquarry. If the street is fairly crowded, using passersby asconcealment imposes no penalty on your Hide check,though you might still suffer a penalty for your movement(see the Hide skill description in the PlayersHandbook).If you dont have moving people to hide behind, youcan instead move from one hiding place to another asCHAPTER 2: SKILLS AND FEATS
20offers a variety of new feats designed specifically forbarbarians, druids, and rangersthough, of course,any character who qualifies can take them. Many ofthese new feats have at least one prerequisite, such asa minimum ability score or base attack bonus. Aster-isked feats on Table 21 are available as fighter bonusfeats.Virtual FeatsIf a character has a class feature or special ability thatexactly duplicates the effects of a feat, then he or shecan use that virtual feat as a prerequisite for otherfeats, as well as prestige classes, and so forth. For ex-ample, a ranger can fight with two weapons as if he hadthe feats Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting, sohe is considered to have those feats for the purpose ofacquiring the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat de-tailed in this section. If the character ever loses the vir-tual prerequisite, he or she also loses access to any featsor other benefits acquired through its existence. For ex-ample, a ranger who wears armor heavier than lightloses access to the virtual feats noted above, and therebyto Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as well. Acquiring avirtual feat does not give a character access to its pre-requisites.Wild FeatsThe feats in this new category relate to the wild shape abil-ity, and all require it as a prerequisite. Any class feature orability that has the words wild shape in its name (such aslesser wild shape, greater wild shape, and undead wild shape;see Chapter 5) counts as wild shape for meeting prerequi-sites. Wild feats apply to any version of wild shape.New FeatsI smell blood and bones and the whiff of fear.SovelissAnimal Control [General]You can channel the power of nature to gain masteryover animal creatures.Prerequisites: Animal Defiance, ability to cast speakwith animals and animal friendship.Benefit: You can rebuke or command animals as anevil cleric rebukes undead. To command an animal, youmust be able to speak with it via a speak with animalseffect, though you may issue your commands mentally ifdesired. The number of times per day that you can usethis ability is equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. Yourhighest divine caster level is the level at which yourebuke animals.Special: Animals you command through thisability count against the HD limit of animalsyou can befriend through animal friendship.Animal Defiance [General]You can channel the power of nature to driveoff animals.Prerequisite: Ability to cast detect animalsor plants.Benefit: You can turn (but not destroy) an-imals as a good cleric turns undead. The numberyou follow your quarry. Distance is a factor, thoughthis option works only as long as your next hiding placeis within 1 foot per Hide rank you possess of your cur-rent one. (If you have a magic item that helps you hide,such as a cloak of elevenkind or a robeof blending, add 1 footto that limit per point of Hide bonus it provides.) If youtry to move any greater distance than that betweenhiding places, your quarry spots you. A movementpenalty may apply to your Hide check if you dash fromone hiding place to the next at more than half yournormal speed.Even if you fail a Hide check while tailing someone orare spotted while moving too great a distance betweenhiding places, you can attempt a Bluff check opposed byyour quarrys Sense Motive check to look innocuous. Suc-cess means your quarry sees you but doesnt realize youretailing; failure alerts him or her that youre actually follow-ing. A modifier may apply to the Sense Motive check, de-pending on how suspicious your quarry is. The table belowgives Sense Motive modifiers for particular situations.Sense MotiveYour Quarry ...ModifierIs sure nobody is following5Has no reason to suspect anybodyis following+0Is worried about being followed+10Is worried about being followed andknows youre an enemy+20Wilderness LoreThe description of the Track feat in the Players Hand-book notes that with a successful Wilderness Lorecheck, you can track someone for a mile or until thetracks become hard to follow. But what if youre follow-ing someone who really knows how to hide a trail? Inthat case, the quarry may make a Wilderness Lore checkto hide his or her trail. This is opposed by your Wilder-ness Lore check for tracking. The DC modifiers listedin the Track feat description in the PlayersHandbookapply to the quarrys check.FEATSFeats provide characters with new capabilities or im-prove those that the heroes already have. This sectionCHAPTER 2: SKILLS AND FEATS
21of times per day that you can use this ability is equal to 3+your Charisma modifier. Your highest divine caster levelis the level at which you turn animals.Blindsight [Wild]Your senses are as keen as the bats.Prerequisite: Ability to use wild shapeto become adire bat.Benefit: You gain the extraordinary ability blindsight(as described in Chapter 3 of the DUNGEON MASTER SGUIDE ), which operates regardless ot your form. Like thedire bat, you emithigh-frequency sounds, inaudible tomost creatures, as a lorm of sonar that allows you toTABLE21: FEATSGeneral FeatsPrerequisitesAnimal DefianceAbility to castdetect animals or plantsAnimal ControlAnimal Defiance, ability to castspeak with animals andanimal friendshipBrachiationClimb 6 ranks, Jump 6 ranks, Str 13Clever WrestlingImproved Unarmed Strike. Small or Medium-sizeDestructive RageAbility to rage*Dragons ToughnessBase Fort save bonus +11*Dwarf's ToughnessBase Fort save bonus +5Extended RageAbility to rageExtra Favored EnemyBase attack bonus +5. at least one favored enemyExtra RageAbility to rageFaster HealingBase Fort save bonus +5Favored CriticalBase attack bonus +5, at least one favored enemyFlyby AttackAbility to fly, either naturally or through shapechanging*Giants ToughnessBase Fort save bonus 18 or higherGreater ResiliencyDamage reduction as a class feature or innate ability*Greater Two-Weapon FightingImproved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting, Ambidexterity, base attack bonus +15Improved FlightAbility to fly (naturally, magically, or through shapechanging)Improved SwimmingSwim 6 ranksInstantaneous RageAbility to rageIntimidating RageAbility to rageMultiattackAccess to a form with three or more natural weapons*MultidexterityAccess to a form with three or more arms. Dex 15*Off-Hand ParryAmbidexterity, Dex 13. Two-Weapon Fighting, base attack bonus +3. proficiency with weaponPlant DefianceAbility to castdetect animals or plantsPlant ControlPlant Defiance, ability to castspeak with plants*Power CriticalImproved Critical, base attack bonus +12, proficiency with weaponRemain ConsciousBase attack bonus +2, Endurance, Iron Will, ToughnessResist DiseaseResist PoisonResistance to EnergyBase Fort save bonus 18ShadowSnatchAccess to a form with either claws or bite as natural weaponsSupernatural CriticalFavored enemy that is immune to critical hits, base attack bonus +7WingoverAbility to fly (naturally, magically, or through shapechanging)Item Creation FeatsPrerequisiteCreate InfusionWilderness Lore 4 ranks, spellcaster level 3rdWild FeatsPrerequisiteBlindsightAbility to usewild shape to become a dire batExtraWild ShapeAbility to usewild shapeFastWild ShapeAbility to usewild shape to become a dire animal, Dex 13Natural SpellAbility to usewild shape. Wis 13ProportionateWild ShapeAbility to usewild shape, natural form neither Small nor Medium-sizeScentAbility to usewild shape to become a wolf. Wis 11SpeakingWild ShapeAbility to usewild shape, Int 13locate objects and creatures within 120 feet. Since thisability relies on hearing, any circumstance that deprivesyou of that sensealso negates your blindsight.Brachiation [General]You move through trees like a monkey.Prerequisites: Climb 6 ranks. Jump 6 ranks. Str 13.Benefit: You move through trees at your normal landspeed by using your arms to swing from one branch toanother. To allow brachiation, the area through whichyou are moving must be at least lightly wooded, withtrees no farther apart than 15 feet. You may not use thisability while holding an item in either hand, or whilewearing armor heavier than medium.CHAPTER 2: SKILLS AND FEATS
22Create Infusion [Item Creation]You store a divine spell within aspecially prepared herb(see Chapter 3 for details on infusions).Prerequisites: Wilderness Lore 4ranks, spellcasterlevel 3rd.Benefit: You create an infusion of any divine spellavailable to you. Infusing an herb with a spell takes oneday. When you create an infusion, you set the caster level,which must be sufficient to cast the spell in question butnot higher than your own level. The base price of anin-fusion is its spell level times its caster level times 50 gp.To create an infusion, you must spend 1/25 of this baseprice in XP and use up raw materials costing one-halfthis base price.Any infusion that storcs a spell with a costly materialcomponent or an XP cost also carries a commensuratecost. Inaddition to the costs derived from the base price,you must also expend the material component or pay theXP when creating the infusion.Clever Wrestling [General]You have a better than normal chance to escape or wrig-gle free from a big creatures grapple or pin.Prerequisites: Improved Unarmed Strike, Small orMedium-size.Benefit: When your opponent islarger than Medium-size, you gain a circumstance bonus on your grapplecheck to escape agrapple or pin. The size of the bonus de-pends on your opponents size, according to the follow-ing table.Opponent Is ...BonusColossal +8Gargantuan +6Huge +4Large +2Destructive Rage [General]You shatter barriers and objects when enraged.Prerequisite: Ability to rage.Benefit: While youre raging, you gain a +8bonus onany Strength checks you make to break open doors orbreak inanimate, immobile objects.*Dragons Toughness [General]You are incredibly tough.Prerequisite: Base Fort save bonus +11.Benefit: You gain +12 hit points.Special: You can gain this feat multiple times.*Dwarfs Toughness [General]You are tougher than you were before.Prerequisite: Base Fort save bonus +5.Benefit: You gain +6 hit points.Special: You can gain this feat multiple times.Extended Rage[General]Your rage lasts longer than it normally would.Prerequisite: Ability to rage.Benefit: Each of your rages lasts anadditional 5rounds beyond its normal duration.Special: You can take this feat multiple times, and theadditional rounds stack.Extra Favored Enemy [General]You select an additional favored enemy.Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +5, at least one fa-vored enemy.Benefit: You add an extra favored enemy to your list(see Table 314 in the Players Handbook) beyond yournormal allotment. Initially, you gain the standard +1bonus on damage and the usual skill checks against thisnew favored enemy. When you advance beyond the levelat which you gained Extra Favored Enemy, this bonus in-creases in the same way other favored enemy bonuses do.For example, suppose you select goblinoids as your firstfavored enemy when you are a 1st-level ranger and mag-ical beasts as your second when you reach 5th level. Thenyou take Extra Favored Enemy as your feat at 6th leveland select aberrations. At this point, you have a +2 bonusagainst goblinoids and a +1 bonus against both magicalbeasts and aberrations. When you reach 10th level, yourbonuses rise to +3 against goblinoids and +2 against mag-ical beasts and aberrations.Extra Rage [General]You rage more frequently than you normally could.Prerequisite: Ability to rage.Benefit: You rage two more times per day than youotherwise could.Special: You can take this feat multiple times, gainingtwo additional rages per day each time.ExtraWild Shape [Wild]You use wild shape more frequently than you normallycould.Prerequisite: Ability to use wild shape.Benefit: You use your wild shape ability two moretimes per day than you otherwise could. If you are able touse wild shape to become an elemental, you also gain oneadditional elemental wild shape use per day.Special: You can take this feat multiple times, gainingtwo additional wild shapesof your usual type and one ad-ditional elemental wild shape (if you have this capability;each time.FastWild Shape [Wild]You assume your wild shape faster and more easily thanyou otherwise could.Prerequisites: Ability to use wild shape to become adire animal. Dex 13.Benefit: You gain the ability to use wild shape as amove-equivalent action.Normal:A druid uses wild shape as a standard action.Faster Healing [General]You recover faster than others do.Prerequisite: Base Fort save bonus +5.Benefit: You recover lost hit points and ability scorepoints taster than you normally would, according to thetable on the next page.CHAPTER 2: SKILLS AND FEATS