Unearthed Arcana 1 Preface Now that you have this tome in your hands, you are This effort was by no means mine alone. Len about to discover a new and exciting dimension in Lakofka, as usual, contributed his part. Roger Moore the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game is a name that all devotees of the game know, and world. You have unearthed the hidden mysteries of he also added to this work. Luke Gygax was this work, so although they are no longer arcana, invaluable as a sounding-board and playtester. the contents are treasure. The AD&D game system Frank Mentzer was on hand from the beginning to is dynamic. It grows and changes and expands. test and try my thoughts and ideas, to bring his own Our universe does all this, and so too the multiverse creativity to the whole, and to assist in making this a of this game system. The description and definition far better effort than originally conceived. Once of an infinite multiverse must necessarily be done the ideas were compiled, Jeff Grubb and Kim piecemeal - adding new discoveries as they come Mohan went to work on the manuscript. These two to light, expanding horizons as the sum total of our insisted on clarifying, codifying, expanding, and past knowledge allows. defining, and generally demanded that the whole text become better and better. Despite the extra As the original volumes of the game system work demanded from me, I thank them for this - (Monster Manual, Players Handbook, and Dungeon and still more for their own creativity which they Masters Guide) have altered from their first editions, freely contributed in order to insure that what you so the game has changed in form and substance. now hold is the best possible text, a literally up-to- This new material grew from my own campaign, the-minute description of the “state of the art” as articles published in DRAGON Magazine, and input that term applies to the AD&D game system. from many Dungeon Masters and players also. The book has a single purpose: Unearthed Arcana Every Dungeon Master who has created a brings new dimensions to the AD&D game system. campaign milieu out of whole cloth, so to speak, The compiled material, which lies herein, offers fresh can certainly understand that the more one learns, new approaches to play without materially the more one comes to understand how little he affecting any ongoing campaign adversely. This knows. So too the multiverse of this game system. work does not alter former “laws of the multiverse,” The farther afield one goes in exploration and but it does open insights and vistas beyond those discovery, the greater the realization of how vast is previously understood and seen. the realm of unknown knowledge which awaits discovery, as it were. However, such as with our All the participants of a campaign will find this actual world, the expanses of the game multiverse material of greatest interest and benefit to them. will always have frontiers and unexplored territories. Dungeon Masters will discover new sub-races and This fact, indeed, is what makes the AD&D game their inter-relationships, new deity models for non- system so wonderful and appealing. humans, and much in the way of magic - a new spellcasting class and new options for casters! Thus, Good Reader, here is the “last word” - by far Players, of course, benefit from all of that and more. not the last word ever, but the latest so far. It is, after There are new horizons for demihuman characters, all, high time that those who enjoy the challenge new professional callings, new weapons, new and excitement of the AD&D game be presented approaches to just about everything. Yes, some of with a tome such as this, a package that gathers all this material has appeared previously, but here it is of the new discoveries, plus a wealth of just carefully revised, edited, and compiled so as to uncovered secrets, between one pair of covers. change it from a possible insertion to an integral Preliminaries aside, here is Unearthed Arcana. It is part of a vital campaign. There are new choices, now the moment you have waited for. Read on, new possibilities, new opportunities, and new ideas and may you have as much fun with your creation laid out before you. Best of all, these rest upon the as we are having with ours. solid foundation of the AD&D game system - the most widely accepted and played role-playing game in the world. Unearthed Arcana 2 EXPANDED CHARACTER RACES The expanded, revised character race tables show all of the racial and with an eye towards what class (q.v.) of adventurer the varieties that are now open to player characters. In summary, player character will be. character dwarves are no longer limited to being hill dwarves; elves Penalties and Bonuses for Race: Certain racial stocks excel in certain can be other than high elves; and gnomes are not restricted to ability areas and have shortcomings in others. These penalties and being “surface gnomes.” The special characteristics of the additional bonuses are applied to the initial ability scores generated by a player sub-races and the new player race, the half-ogre, are given on the for his character as soon as the racial stock of the character is following pages. selected and the modified ability scores then are considered as if The Dungeon Master may have restrictions as to which races are they were the actual ability scores generated for all game purposes. allowed in the campaign due to the circumstances of the milieu. These penalties and bonuses are shown below. The minimum and Two tables for easy reference are given below in order that you can maximum initial ability scores listed include ability adjustments by select the racial stock of your character based on abilities generated race. Magic may alter ability scores above or below these values: Ability Adjustments By Racial Type or Subtype Initial Ability Score Limits By Racial Type or Subtype Race Penalty or Bonus Race Ability Score Limits Dwarf, gray Constitution +1, Charisma -1 Dwarf, gray Constitution 19, Charisma 17 Dwarf, mountain Constitution +1, Charisma -1 Dwarf, mountain Constitution 19, Charisma 17 Intelligence +1, Dexterity +1, Wisdom -1, Intelligence 19, Dexterity 19, Wisdom 17, Elf, dark (male) Elf, dark (male) Constitution -1 Constitution 17 Intelligence +1, Dexterity +1, Charisma +1, Intelligence 19, Dexterity 19, Charisma 19, Elf, dark (female) Elf, dark (female) Strength -1, Constitution -1 Strength 17, Constitution 17 Intelligence +1, Dexterity +1, Strength -1, Strength 17, Intelligence 19, Dexterity 19, Elf, grey Elf, grey Constitution -1 Constitution 17 Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Intelligence -1, Strength 18, Dexterity 19, Intelligence 17, Elf, sylvan Elf, sylvan Constitution -1 Constitution 17 Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Constitution -1, Strength 18, Dexterity 19, Constitution 17, Elf, wild Elf, wild Charisma -1 Charisma 17 Gnome, deep Constitution +1, Charisma -1 Gnome, deep Constitution 19, Charisma 17 Strength +2, Constitution +2, Intelligence -1, Strength 19, Constitution 19, Intelligence 15, Half-ogre Half-ogre Dexterity -1, Charisma -2 Dexterity 15, Charisma 13 There are certain other disadvantages and advantages to characters of various races; these are described in the paragraphs pertaining to each race which follow. Character Class Limitations By Race Racial Stock of Character Class Dwarf, Grey Dwarf, Mountain Elf, Dark Elf, Grey Elf, Wild Elf, Wood Gnome, Deep Half-Ogre CLERIC yes yes yes* yes no yes yes yes Bard yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no Cloistered Cleric yes yes yes* yes no yes yes no Druid yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes FIGHTER yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Anti-paladin yes yes yes yes no yes yes yes Barbarian yes yes no no yes no no yes Cavalier no no yes yes no yes no no Duelist yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no Paladin yes yes yes yes no yes yes no Ranger yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes MAGIC-USER no no yes* yes no yes yes no Illusionist no no yes* yes no yes yes no Necromancer no no yes* yes no yes yes no MONK no no no no no no no no PSIONICIST yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no THIEF yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes Assassin yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes * Only drow females may be clerics of Lolth, goddess of the drow. As such, male drow are typically arcane casters while females are clerics. Note: Character class names are shown in capital letters if the class is core class; sub-classes are shown with the first letter capitalized only. The character classes presented in this book, listed in italics, list what races are permitted for that particular class. Assume that all subraces face the same restrictions with regards to these newly presented classes, unless otherwise noted in the subrace or class description. Racial Stock of Characters shows seven subraces of the six demihuman races presented in the PLAYERS HANDBOOK as well as a new player race, the half-ogre. Reading down each heading gives quick reference as to what classes each subrace or race is able to become in regard to their player character role. A “no” indicates that the race cannot become the character class in question. A “yes” indicates that the race may choose the character class in question. The listed multiclass options only show primary class combinations. Permitted Multiclass Options: All subraces presented herein use the multiclass restrictions of their race as outlined in the PLAYERS HANDBOOK, except as noted below.