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Ancient Feats

Ancient Feats

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620_17738_Ch1.indd 1 12/2/04 1:39:15 PM DESIGNERS: Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout ADDITIONAL DESIGN: James Wyatt DEVELOPERS: Richard Baker with Eric L. Boyd and George Krashos EDITOR: Penny Williams MANAGING EDITOR: DESIGN MANAGER: Christopher Perkins SENIOR ART DIRECTOR RPG R&D: DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D: PRODUCTION MANAGERS: Josh Fischer, Randall Crews

FORGOTTEN REALMS ART DIRECTOR: Robert Raper ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR: Mari Kolkowsky COVER ARTIST: Marc Sasso INTERIOR ARTISTS: Thomas M. Baxa, , , Marko Djordjevic, , Earl Frank, Randy Gallegos, Rafa Garres, Chris Hawkes, , , , Vince Locke, , William O’Connor, , Steve Prescott, , , GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Dee Barnett CARTOGRAPHER: Dennis Kauth GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST: Angelika Lokotz IMAGE TECHNICIAN: Bob Jordan

Sources include by , Sean K Reynolds, , and ; Faiths and Pantheons by Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona; Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn by James Wyatt and Rob Heinsoo; Magic of Faerûn by Sean K Reynolds, Duane Maxwell, and Angel Leigh McCoy; Player’s Guide to Faerûn by Richard Baker, Travis Stout, and James Wyatt; Races of Faerûn by Eric L. Boyd, , James Jacobs, and Sean K Reynolds; by Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, and Darrin Drader; Unapproachable East by Richard Baker, Matt Forbeck, and Sean K Reynolds; by , Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick; 1st and 2nd Edition FORGOTTEN REALMS sourcebooks too numerous to list; FORGOTTEN REALMS novels too numerous to list; and the extensive notes, details, and comments of Eric L. Boyd, as well as “Timeline of the North,” as kept by George Krashos. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by and and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by , , Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and . This game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20

U.S., CANADA, ASIA, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Wizards of the Coast, Belgium Wizards of the Coast, Inc. T Hofveld 6d P.O. Box 707 1700 Groot-Bijgaarden Renton, WA 98057-0707 Belgium (Questions?) 1-800-324-6496 +322–467–3360

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Printing: February 2005 620–17738–001–EN

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , FORGOTTEN REALMS, d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Lost Empires of Faerûn, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, , all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. DistributedSample to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by Holtzbrinckfile Publishing. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fi ction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. Visit our website at www.wizards.com/forgotten realms TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ...... 4 Songs and Stories ...... 53 Chapter 7: Giant Whip Spider ...... 161 The Ruin-Based Campaign . . . . .4 Important Sites ...... 56 The Imperial South ...... 113 Giant Sun Spider ...... 162 What’s Inside ...... 5 Aryvandaar ...... 56 History ...... 113 Baneguard ...... 162 What You Need to Play ...... 5 Illefarn ...... 57 Timeline ...... 113 Baneguard ...... 162 Ilythiir ...... 58 Keepers of the Past ...... 116 Direguard ...... 162 Chapter 1: Ancient Secrets . . . . .6 Miyeritar ...... 58 Songs and Stories ...... 117 Crawling Claw ...... 163 Ancient Feats ...... 6 Legacies of the Crown Wars . .59 Important Sites ...... 117 Combat ...... 164 Arcane Manipulation ...... 6 Adventure Seeds ...... 59 Coramshan ...... 117 Creation ...... 164 Arcane Transfi guration ...... 6 Buried Secrets ...... 59 High Shanatar ...... 118 Curst ...... 165 Channel Charge ...... 7 Memnonnar ...... 119 Sample Curst ...... 165 Cormanthyran Chapter 4: Jhaamdath ...... 120 Creating a Curst ...... 165 Moon Magic ...... 7 God-Kings of the East ...... 60 Shoon Imperium ...... 121 Deepspawn ...... 166 Craft Scepter ...... 8 History ...... 60 Tethir ...... 122 Combat ...... 167 Familiar Concentration . . . . .8 Timeline ...... 60 Legacies of the Past ...... 123 Demon, Ghour ...... 168 Godsight ...... 8 Keepers of the Past ...... 63 Adventure Seeds ...... 123 Combat ...... 168 Greenbound Summoning . . . .8 Songs and Stories ...... 63 Buried Secrets ...... 123 Dread ...... 169 Item Reprieve ...... 8 Important Sites ...... 64 Heirs to the Empire ...... 124 Combat ...... 169 Jergal’s Pact ...... 8 Imaskar ...... 64 Dread Warrior ...... 169 Multilingual ...... 8 Mulhorand ...... 66 Chapter 8: The Dream of Sample Dread Warrior . . . . 169 Netherese Battle Curse ...... 8 Narfell ...... 67 Cormanthyr ...... 125 Creating a Servant of the Fallen ...... 9 Raumathar ...... 68 History ...... 125 Dread Warrior ...... 170 Spell Reprieve ...... 9 Unther ...... 69 Timeline ...... 125 Flameskull ...... 171 Trapmaster ...... 9 Legacies of the Keepers of the Past ...... 129 Combat ...... 171 Wounding Spell ...... 9 ...... 70 Songs and Stories ...... 129 Foulwing ...... 172 Prestige Classes ...... 10 Adventure Seeds ...... 70 Important Sites ...... 132 Combat ...... 172 Cultist of the Buried Secrets ...... 70 The Elven Court ...... 132 Gorynych ...... 172 Shattered Peak ...... 10 Heirs to the Empire ...... 70 Myth Drannor ...... 133 Combat ...... 173 Glorious Servitor ...... 13 Adventure Site: Semberholme ...... 133 Greenbound Creature ...... 173 Magelord ...... 17 Sonjar’s Tower ...... 72 Vale of Lost Voices ...... 133 Sample Olin Gisir ...... 21 Background ...... 72 Legacies of Cormanthyr . . . . 134 Greenbound Creature . . .174 Sunmaster ...... 25 The Earth Node ...... 72 Adventure Seeds ...... 134 Creating a Ancient Spells ...... 29 Tower Features ...... 73 Buried Secrets ...... 135 Greenbound Creature . . .174 Assassin Spell ...... 29 Keyed Areas ...... 73 Helmed Horror ...... 175 Bard Spell ...... 29 Chapter 9: Helmed Horror ...... 175 Cleric Spells ...... 29 Chapter 5: The Old North ...... 136 Battle Horror ...... 177 Druid Spells ...... 29 Realms of the High Forest . . . 83 History ...... 136 Ixzan ...... 177 Paladin Spell ...... 29 History ...... 83 Timeline ...... 136 Combat ...... 178 Sorcerer/Wizard Spells . . . . .29 Timeline ...... 84 Keepers of the Past ...... 142 Lycanthrope ...... 178 Spell Descriptions ...... 30 Keepers of the Past ...... 85 Songs and Stories ...... 142 Songs and Stories ...... 85 Important Sites ...... 142 Combat ...... 178 Chapter 2: Important Sites ...... 86 Ardeep ...... 142 Lycanthrope, Dreams of the Past ...... 36 Ammarindar ...... 86 Gauntlgrym ...... 143 Werebat ...... 178 The Ruins of the Past ...... 36 Delzoun ...... 87 Old Illusk ...... 144 Lycanthrope, Cities into Dungeons ...... 36 Eaerlann ...... 89 Phalorm ...... 144 Werecat ...... 179 Interesting Sites ...... 38 Sharrven ...... 91 Legacies of the Lycanthrope, Ancient Deities ...... 41 Siluvanede ...... 92 Old North ...... 146 Werecrocodile ...... 181 Amaunator ...... 41 Legacies of the Adventure Site: Lycanthrope, Auppenser ...... 41 High Forest ...... 92 Keep on the Frontier . . . . 146 Wereshark ...... 183 Bhaal ...... 41 Adventure Seeds ...... 92 Background ...... 146 Metalmaster ...... 184 Gilgeam ...... 42 Heirs of the High Forest . . .94 Keep Features ...... 146 Combat ...... 184 Leira ...... 42 Keyed Areas ...... 146 Nightshade, Nighthaunt . . . . 185 Chapter 6: Fallen Netheril . . . 95 Moander ...... 42 Concluding the Combat ...... 185 High and Low Netheril . . . . . 95 Myrkul ...... 43 Adventure ...... 150 Nishruu ...... 186 Ramman ...... 43 History ...... 96 Combat ...... 186 Tchazzar ...... 43 Timeline ...... 96 Chapter 10: Phaerimm ...... 187 Epic Magic ...... 43 Keepers of the Past ...... 100 Artifacts of the Past ...... 151 Combat ...... 187 Mystra’s Ban and Songs and Stories ...... 102 Magic Item Descriptions . . . 151 Phaerimm Characters . . . . 189 Epic Magic ...... 43 Important Sites ...... 104 Weapons ...... 151 Tomb Tapper ...... 189 Epic Spell ...... 43 The Lost Kingdoms ...... 104 Rings ...... 152 Combat ...... 190 Epic Spell Seeds ...... 44 Low Netheril ...... 105 Scepters ...... 153 Construction ...... 190 Mythals ...... 45 Netherese Colonies ...... 107 Staffs ...... 153 Tressym ...... 191 What Is a Mythal? ...... 45 Shattered Cities ...... 108 Wondrous Items ...... 154 Combat ...... 191 Raising a Mythal ...... 45 Surviving Cities ...... 109 Artifacts ...... 156 Velvet Worm, Giant ...... 191 Sample Mythal: The Wards Western Diaspora ...... 109 Minor Artifacts ...... 156 Combat ...... 192 of Silverymoon ...... 50 Legacies of Netheril ...... 111 Major Artifacts ...... 157 Adventure Seeds ...... 111 Chapter 3: Buried Secrets ...... 111 Chapter 11: Monsters of the SampleAncient Lands ...... 160 file The Crown Wars ...... 51 Heirs to the Empire ...... 112 rachnids, Giant ...... 160 History ...... 51 A Combat ...... 160 Timeline ...... 51 Giant Whip Scorpion . . . . . 160 Keepers of the Past ...... 52

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620_17738_Ch1.indd 3 12/2/04 1:39:28 PM The Ruin-Based Campaign The history of Faerûn’s lost empires is a tale of unparalleled magical might, lost imperial majesty, and age-old, cataclysmic aerûn is littered with the wreckage of the past—shat- wars involving numerous realms and many races. It is also an tered castles, ruined cities, forgotten dungeons, nameless F incomplete chronicle replete with overlooked arcane wonders, strongholds, shunned temples, and other ruins too untold entombed evils, and long-forgotten gods. In ancient vaults decayed to identify. But what were these places in their days and ruins, legacies both foul and fair lie patiently in the dark, of glory, and what forces brought them low? Each crumbling awaiting the right moment, the right adventurer, or the right edifi ce has a story to tell—a tale of glory and power followed by sign to herald their return to the light. slow decline or outright destruction through betrayal, , or Campaigns in Faerûn can embroil characters in ongoing events catastrophe. When heroes explore such a site, they venture into occurring throughout the continent. From the plots and schemes its story and become part of it, adding their deeds to a tale that of ambitious rulers to the hidden agendas of rival churches and may have begun thousands of years before their birth. secret societies, the adventuring landscape of Faerûn is an ever- Like our own world, the land of Faerûn has been sculpted shifting backdrop whose precise nature varies with the successes and shaped by the merciless winds of history and time. Ancient and failures of numerous factions. Lost Empires of Faerûn adds wars, terrible catastrophes, personal tragedies, and great triumphs to this rich tapestry of deeds and machinations by returning to have all given rise to consequences that in turn caused other wars present-day Faerûn some of the lore and magic of the civilizations and disasters. Thus has the endless cycle of cause and effect been gone by. propagated across thousands of years and hundreds of cities and The history of Faerûn is the foundation upon which the cur- kingdoms. rent-day world rests. To most people, the overt signs of history Lost Empires of Faerûn offers rationales for how and why the are meaningless, and old ruins and empty mines are places to be ruined places of the past may demand the attention of the player avoided. To a sage or adventurer, however, such locations serve as characters in your game. In a FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign, no windows into the past. A fallen realm or forgotten empire may ruined castle should be a nameless mound of rubble fi lled with seem to exert little infl uence in the here and now, but it holds random monsters. Was it once the stronghold of a Netherese lich great potential for both dire perils and marvelous wonders. who outlived his land by centuries? Or the fortress of an evil The historical realms described in Lost Empires of Faerûn warlord who dreamed of carving out his own kingdom from the are not meant to be intriguing destinations for time-traveling chaos following Phalorm’s fall? Or could it be the secret retreat characters. Rather, adventures and even entire campaigns can be of a sinister Nar conjurer who bound a demon within its walls designed around an ancient kingdom that the heroes know only some fi fteen centuries ago? An adventure site with links to the from stories. For example, addressing a threat from the vanished past offers a wonderful opportunity to ground your adventures past might require adventurers to explore an ancient empire’s in the setting and immerse your players in the fantastic world culture, learn its history, and understand its magical nuances. In that Sampletheir characters inhabit and explore. file so doing, characters could acquire a particular mastery necessary to survive a disaster or solve a problem that began long ago. At that point, the way is open for them to rediscover spells created

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620_17738_Ch1.indd 4 12/2/04 1:39:34 PM INTRODUCTION

by long-dead mages, recover lost swords of legend, learn the Finally, several books are referenced herein. In many cases, this secrets of forgotten gods, and confront the horrors and failures reference is in the form of a superscript abbreviation of the book’s of fallen empires. title, which is tacked onto the end of the name of a spell, monster, or some other game element. The books (including some of those mentioned above) and their abbreviations, when applicable, are as What’s Inside follows: (BV), City of the Spider Q ueen, Epic Lost Empires of Faerûn includes information intended for both Level Handbook (EL), Expanded (XPH), Faiths players (most of Chapter 1) and Dungeon Masters (most of the and Pantheons (FP), (FF), (LD), rest of the book). The information is broken down by chapter, Magic of Faerûn (Mag), , Monster Manual as follows. II (MM2), Monster Manual III (MM3), : Chapter 1: Ancient Secrets details prestige classes, feats, and Monsters of Faerûn (Mon), Player’s Guide to Faerûn (PG), Races spells commonly employed by characters who delve into the of Faerûn (Rac), Serpent Kingdoms (SK), Shining South, Silver secrets of the past or keep alive the ancient traditions of realms Marches, Unapproachable East (Una), and Underdark (Und). now vanished into history. Chapter 2: Dreams of the Past examines the role of the ancient MONSTER SUBSTITUTES past in an ongoing D&D campaign and offers advice on how to Many creatures mentioned in this book are described in one of use Faerûn’s legacy of catastrophe, tragedy, ambition, and failure the sources mentioned above. If you do not own the source in in your own current-day campaign. question, use the designated substitute, which appears either in Chapter 3: The Crown Wars describes the most ancient of the Monster Manual or in this book. Faerûn’s kingdoms—the elven realms of the Crown Wars. The great wars these kingdoms waged upon each other led to the Creature (Source) Substitute destruction of forested lands, the descent of the drow, and the Archlich (Monsters of Faerûn) Trumpet archon establishment of refuges such as Evereska and Evermeet. Asabi (Serpent Kingdoms) Lizardfolk Chapter 4: God-Kings of the East details the fi rst great realms Baelnorn (Monsters of Faerûn) Trumpet archon of humankind—the Old Empires of Mulhorand and Unther, and Baphitaur (Underdark) Tiefl ing the rival empires of Narfell and Raumathar. Bar-lgura (Book of Vile Darkness) Babau (demon) Chapter 5: Realms of the High Forest describes the kingdoms Bheur hag (Unapproachable East) Night hag of Eaerlann, Siluvanede, Sharrven, and the surrounding states. Brain golem (Fiend Folio) Flesh golem It also chronicles the Seven Citadels’ War in which Siluvanede Brown dragon (Monsters of Faerûn) Blue dragon was destroyed. Caller in darkness Chapter 6: Fallen Netheril describes the most famous of (Expanded Psionics Handbook) Dread wraith Faerûn’s fallen lands—the mighty Empire of Netheril, which Crystal dragon (Monster Manual II) Copper dragon now lies buried under the shifting sands of Anauroch. Dao (Manual of the Planes) Efreeti Chapter 7: The Imperial South examines the powerful states Death knight (Monster Manual II) lord of Coramshan (and later the Shoon Imperium) and Jhaamdath, Deep dragon (Monsters of Faerûn) Black dragon the Twelve Cities of the Sword. Dekanter goblin (Monsters of Faerûn) Fiendish goblin Chapter 8: The Dream of Cormanthyr describes the fabled Demilich () Human lich wizard 20 realm of Myth Drannor and its fall hundreds of years ago. Elder brain (Underdark) Mind fl ayer wizard 20 Chapter 9: The Old North relates the history of the Sword Gemstone golem (Monsters of Faerûn) Stone golem Coast North and the fate of storied cities and lands such as Hagspwan template (Unapproachable East) Fiendish creature Phalorm and the Kingdom of Man. Illithilich (Monsters of Faerûn) Mind fl ayer sorcerer 9 Chapter 10: Artifacts of the Past introduces magic items Keening spirit (City of the Spider Q ueen) Ghost created and used by the people of various lost empires. Leucrotta (Monsters of Faerûn) Dire wolf Chapter 11: Monsters of the Ancient Lands presents twenty- Maur (Underdark) Stone giant nine monsters that originated in these long-lost lands or are now Myconid (Monster Manual II) Svirfneblin (gnome) commonly encountered in and around their ruins. Nycaloth (Monster Manual III) Glabrezu (demon) Orglash (Unapproachable East) Air elemental Orog (Races of Faerûn) What You Need to Play Phrenic creature (Expanded Psionics Handbook) Half-fi end To use this supplement, you need the FORGOTTEN REALMS Cam- Sarrukh (Serpent Kingdoms) Yuan-ti abomination paign Setting, plus the three core rulebooks of the DUNGEONS & Sharn (Monsters of Faerûn) Mind fl ayer DRAGONS game: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Skulk (Fiend Folio) Grimlock Guide, and the Monster Manual. Player’s Guide to Faerûn is Sporebat (Fiend Folio) Yrthak also Samplea useful source, since it includes many of the feats, spells, Swordwraith (Fiend Folio) Dreadfile warrior (see page 169) and items used by various NPCs described in this book. You may Tanarukk (Monsters of Faerûn) Fiendish orc also fi nd the Expanded Psionics Handbook helpful, since a small Udoroot (Expanded Psionics Handbook) Tendriculos amount of this material refers to the psionics rules. Yellow musk creeper (Fiend Folio) Assassin vine

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620_17738_Ch1.indd 5 12/2/04 1:39:39 PM Ancient Feats Those who study the lore of the vanished past often come across long-lost arcana, forgotten schools of combat, and boons granted by gods who are no longer worshiped in Faerûn. In addition, characters with a scholarly interest in the works and writings of fallen civilizations often wish to learn unusual tricks and xploring the ruins of ancient civilizations is techniques to make their studies easier. E probably the single most common activity for adventuring companies. Whether they’re confront- ing an ancient evil in its lair or simply treasure-hunting for Arcane Manipulation personal gain, most groups of PCs fi nd themselves in ancient You are learned in the arcane ways of Netheril, where ruins more than a few times over the course of their careers. masters of magic once molded and shaped arcane energy to However, few adventurers ever consider the origins of the ruins their own will. they explore. Ancient dungeons and crumbling crypts don’t just Prerequisite: Wizard level 1st. spring up out of nowhere; the peoples who constructed them Benefi t: When you prepare spells, you can break down up to did so for specifi c reasons using styles and methods particular three existing arcane spell slots to create a specifi ed number of to their cultures. lower-level spell slots. (A 0-level spell counts as 1/2 level for this This chapter is dedicated to characters who go beyond the purpose, so a 1st-level spell slot could be broken into two 0-level surface—those who choose to learn the whys and wherefores of spell slots.) The sum of the levels of all the new spell slots must the ancient civilizations whose monuments dot Faerûn. These equal the level of the original. The number of spell slots you can historians and scholars safeguard the knowledge of Faerûn’s create in this manner is otherwise unlimited. Spell slots that you past, and they can be valuable assets to adventurers as well. break down into multiple lower-level slots remain that way until For example, a trap could be so cunningly hidden that the the next time you prepare spells, at which time you can choose most keen-eyed rogue might miss it, but a character versed in to restore your spell slots to normal or break them up again. history and ancient cultures would recognize the crumbling Normal: A character can always choose to use a higher-level friezes on the walls as the decorations of a royal tomb and spell slot to prepare a lower-level spell, but any “remainder” spell warn her companions that it’s certain to be well protected. Or levels are lost. a character who knows ancient languages might be able to read ruined signposts and determine the fastest, safest route to the PCs’ objective. Arcane Transfiguration Not all characters with detailed knowledge of the ancient Drawing upon forgotten lore, you broaden your arcane studies past are historians, tomb guardians, or mages eager to recapture and master a school of magic previously prohibited to you. the mighty lore of the past. Many undead creatures and other Prerequisites: Item Reprieve, Spell Reprieve, specialist wizard long-lived beings still remember Myth Drannor and Ascalhorn level 10th. fi rsthand, and Netheril’s numerous legacies include a secret society Benefi t: Choose a school of magic that was previously prohib- of watchersSample and guardians that has passed down the traditions of ited to you because of your arcane filespecialization. You can now the Arcane Age from one generation to the next. This chapter learn and cast spells from that school normally, as if you were is for the players of these characters as well. not a specialist wizard.

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