Epic destinies from 4e in 3.5 [LONG!!!]
Marcel Beaudoin
Some tables, so the formatting may be off
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One of the new concepts of 4th Edition D&D is the epic destiny, which
determines what you are fated to become, your role on the stage of
history, and how people across the planes will remember you for all time.
Epic characters are incredibly powerful, but those with epic destinies go
beyond what normal people can even imagine attaining. With an epic
destiny, you might bind powerful artifacts to your will, fight back
danger that would destroy the world, attain divine power, find your place
in a cycle of great heroes, become a force of nature, or become a ghost
story that gets told forevermore.
Immortality
Every epic destiny gives you immortality -- either true everlasting life
or a legacy that will live forever. One way or another, you will move
beyond mortal affairs. You might leave the world, be reincarnated as a
new hero, die a glorious death, or enter the realm of the deities and
assume divine power. This is the end of your adventuring career, and it
provides a satisfying ending to your character's story. Which is not to
say that your story might not have an epilogue . . . there are many ways
you might return and find adventure once again. The forms of immortality
listed here include ways in which the DM might incorporate the legacy of
your epic hero into a future campaign.
Destiny Quests
You don't fulfill your epic destiny by chance or by gaining experience.
Your final adventure, carefully crafted by your DM, takes you on to
immortality. If everybody in the group has an epic destiny (which is
recommended if you're using epic destinies in your campaign), the DM can
end the campaign with one extraordinary adventure. You'll be working
toward your destiny quest in subtle ways long before you reach 30th
level. Keep an eye out for clues that might point toward your destiny
quest.
Forge Your Own Destiny
You have many options when using epic destinies. Not every group wants to
end the campaign at 30th level, and not every DM wants to end a campaign
in a way that will mesh with your destiny. All the details for
immortality and suggestions for destiny quests are entirely optional.
What happens to you when you finish your destiny quest (or if you just
keep playing) is up to you and your DM.
Gaining an Epic Destiny
Normally, you can gain an epic destiny by taking the Epic Destiny feat.
Doing so takes up your 21st-, 24th-, 27th-, and 30th-level feat slots.
(You gain bonus feats from your class normally.) Your DM might decide
that, if everybody in the group is taking an epic destiny, the epic
destiny doesn't use up any feats. Ask your DM how epic destinies work in
his campaign.
An epic destiny has four parts:
* One or more 21st-level features
* A 24th-level feature that makes you harder to kill
* A 27th-level special power
* A 30th-level feature
Any effect that applies to class features also applies to epic destiny
features.
New Feat: Epic Destiny
You have a destiny beyond that of other adventurers.
Prerequisite: 21st level, any other requirements listed in the epic
destiny's description.
Benefit: Choose an epic destiny. You gain that epic destiny's benefits at
21st, 24th, 27th, and 30th level. When you have this feat, you do not
gain additional feats at 24th, 27th, or 30th level.
Artifact Lord
The power of magic items lures you, and you learn to command them with
great ease. When you hold an item, you can trace the paths of the magic
that formed it, and understand it like no one else -- not even its
creator, unless the creator also is an artifact lord -- is able to. The
more you use magic items, the closer your connection to them, and you
gain the ability to protect them and even place your very soul within
them. Eventually, even artifacts consider you their master.
Requirements: 21st level.
Artifact Lord
Level Benefit
21st Impossible activation, charge item
24th Disjunction ward
27th Soul transfer
30th Artifact dominion
Impossible Activation (Ex): At 21st level, you disregard effects that
prevent you from activating magic items. For example, you can speak a
command word even when silenced, or activate a mental command item while
dominated or unconscious. This does not apply to items for which you
don't meet the requirements, but you automatically get a result of 20 on
all Use Magic Device checks.
In addition, you never provoke attacks of opportunity for activating a
magic item.
Charge Item (Ex): At 21st level, you get the most out of your magic
items. Once per day as a swift action, you can add one charge to an item
that has charges or get an extra use out of an item that has a limited
number of uses per day. If the item has multiple functions that have
charges (such as a staff) or multiple functions that have a number of
uses per day, you choose which one to increase or restore.
Disjunction Ward (Su): At 24th level, magic items you possess are
protected against magical disjunction. If an effect (such as
Mordenkainen's disjunction) would cause an item you hold, wear, or have
on your body to become nonmagical, you can choose to negate that effect
(for your items only) and to cause the effect's caster (if within line of
effect) to suffer the effect himself. This feature also offers some
protection to items you own, but don't have with you. An item you own
that is not being worn or held by someone else gets a bonus on its saving
throws equal to half your level.
Soul Transfer (Su): At 27th level, you can transfer your soul to an item
when you die. This ability functions once per day. When you are reduced
to 0 hit points, choose a magic item you possess. Your body blazes with
cold blue light, then transforms into adamantine as the object becomes
your soul's new home. As the object you have a fly speed of 30 feet
(perfect), though if you transfer into an item your body's wearing, you
won't be able to move. You can cast spells in this form, activate the
item, and attack with it if it's a weapon (or similar item). Anything you
do using this item functions as it normally would, and you still count
the bonuses for magic items your body's wearing.
In this form, you can be attacked only as an item, not a creature (mind-
affecting effects are an exception). If the item is destroyed, you die.
Artifact Dominion (Su): At 30th level, you can call upon the power of
various artifacts. An artifact called by artifact dominion appears,
assists you briefly, then returns to the location from which it came.
Choose three of the options from the list below. You can activate each
effect once per day as a swift action. If at any time you possess one of
these artifacts, you gain one extra use of the listed effect (and the
artifact dominion effect doesn't prevent you from using the artifact
normally).
Book of Exalted Deeds: You can use this effect only if you are lawful
good, neutral good, or chaotic good. For 1 hour, you cast good spells and
use good abilities at +2 caster level. During this time, you can also
make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage per character
level to an evil creature.
Book of Vile Darkness: You can use this effect only if you are lawful
evil, neutral evil, or chaotic evil. For 1 hour, you cast evil spells and
use evil abilities at +2 caster level. During this time, you can also
make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage per character
level to a good creature.
Olidamarra's Dice: Choose a creature within 20 feet (or yourself). Roll
1d6 and consult the table to determine the effect upon the creature.
There is no saving throw.
Roll Result
1 -1 penalty on attacks, saves, and checks for 1 hour
2 -4 penalty to AC for 10 minutes
3 +1 morale bonus on attacks and on saves against fear for 10 minutes
4 Gain effects of blur for 10 minutes
5 +1 insight bonus on all attacks, saves, and checks for 1 hour
6 Gain effects of freedom of movement for 1 hour
Sphere of Annihilation: Duplicate the effects of disintegrate, caster
level 20.
Staff of the Magi: You gain spell resistance equal to 10 + your level for
1 hour, and you're invisible (as the greater invisibility spell) for 5
rounds.
Immortality of Metal and Stone: With your destiny complete, you can rest
in a new form that can survive for eons, through any sort of calamity.
You disperse your essence into artifacts of your own design. Perhaps you
transfer fragments of your persona to twelve amulets that wait to be
picked up by the next generation of epic heroes. Or you could become an
adamantine vessel that travels the skies, using supernatural senses to
seek out danger and end it. Maybe your bones become artifacts, imbuing
those who come upon them with some of your power. And if your next
campaign is a 4th Edition game, you can use the artifact rules (in the
Dungeon Master's Guide) to model your character's new incarnation.
Blade of Ragnarok
When powerful forces desire to end the world or to snuff out existence,
you will be there. With power that is destined to be under your command,
you can fight off any threat. There is no danger you cannot face, and on
the battlefields where the fate of everyone and everything is decided,
you will stand victorious. You can fight the most powerful of creatures
-- those regarded as invincible by almost everyone.
Requirements: 21st level.
Blade of Ragnarok
Level Benefit
21st Unbreakable body, weapon of ruin
24th Slayer's fury
27th Unstoppable tenacity
30th Destiny strike
Unbreakable Body (Ex): At 21st level, you gain damage reduction 5/--.
Unlike most damage reduction, this stacks with all other DR. You
automatically succeed on saving throws when you take massive damage.
Weapon of Ruin (Su): At 21st level, your attacks have abilities that let
them bypass some damage reduction. You gain the aligned strike
(corresponding to your alignment), epic strike, and magic strike
qualities (Rules Compendium, pages 100-101).
You can also emulate a material or damage type on all your attacks. Only
one can be in effect at a time, and changing it is a move action. The
effect is continuous. You can treat your attacks as bludgeoning,
piercing, slashing, adamantine, cold iron, or silver (with no damage
penalty).
You also gain the ability to make a Sense Motive check (opposed by the
target's Bluff) to determine the damage reduction type (but not amount)
of a creature you can see.
Slayer's Fury (Su): At 24th level, you gain the ability to make
devastatingly accurate attacks. Twice per day as a swift action, you gain
a +20 luck bonus on all attack rolls you make on your current turn, and
your critical hit range is doubled. Furthermore, you suffer no miss
chance on the attacks and can re-roll any 1 you roll on an attack or
damage roll.
Unstoppable Tenacity (Ex): At 27th level, you can fight when you should
be dead. You don't die when you reach -10 hit points. Instead, you die
when you have negative hit points equal to half your full normal hit
points.
Furthermore, you can keep fighting when you are below 0 hit points. When
reduced to -1 or fewer hit points, you automatically become stable and
can choose to keep fighting. If you keep fighting while below 0 hit
points, you take a -1 penalty on attacks, saves, and checks.
Destiny Strike (Su): At 30th level, you can make attacks that strip away
the defenses of powerful enemies. You can use this ability three times
per day. Before making an attack, you can declare it to be a destiny
strike (a free action). If you hit, the DM lists all of the following the
hit creature possesses: damage reduction, fast healing, immunities, miss
chance (including from incorporeality), regeneration, resistance to
energy, spell resistance, and turn resistance. You can suppress one of
those benefits for 3 rounds. If it has multiple types of immunities or
resistances, choose only one. The DM lists only the types, not the
amounts. For example, the DM would tell you a monster has fast healing,
fire resistance, and spell resistance, not that it has fast healing 23,
fire resistance 10, and spell resistance 35.
The Long Wait of Immortality: Your destiny quest has been fulfilled. Most
likely, you fought off an evil that could have destroyed your world, your
plane, or all of creation. Your work done, you pass into hibernation in
an unknown place, sleeping until you are needed once more. You've become
a legendary, godlike figure. The one who is prophesied to return when
needed once again. When another threat arises that is as powerful as the
last, you might rise to stop it . . . but you might need to be awakened.
A group of adventurers could seek you out to tap into the deep well of
your martial power. And perhaps your new character can be one of these
brave souls.
Demigod
Over the course of adventuring, you have attained some small degree of
inherent divine power. This initial spark is different from what divine
spellcasters tap into, because it comes from within, not through worship
or from the great deeds you have accomplished. As you travel through this
epic destiny, you gain a small following of worshipers, which grows with
each level until you become a full-fledged deity, and enhances your
inherent divine power.
Note that the demigod epic destiny does not use the demigod traits
outlined in Deities and Demigods. This is to keep the demigod's abilities
more in line with the rest of the party, and for simplicity's sake.
Requirements: 21st level.
Demigod
Level Benefit
21st Divine spark, death denied
24th Regenerative touch
27th Divine surge
30th Miracle
Divine Spark: At 21st level, you gain either a +1 inherent bonus to each
of two ability scores or a +2 inherent bonus to one ability score.
Death Denied: At 21st level, you become resistant to attacks that would
instantly kill you. You gain a +5 luck bonus on saving throws against
necromancy effects and saving throws against massive damage. If you roll
a 1 on one of these types of saving throws, you can re-roll the die. If
you succeed on a save against a necromancy spell, you suffer no effect,
even if you would normally suffer a partial effect.
Regenerative Touch (Sp): At 24th level, you gain the ability to use
regenerate at will (caster level 20).
Divine Surge (Su): At 27th level, you can restore yourself to fighting
form. Once per day as an immediate action, you can use this ability to
restore yourself to full maximum hit points and gain the benefit of
greater restoration.
Miracle (Sp): At 30th level, you can use miracle once per day. You choose
what happens, using your own divine power instead of making a request of
a deity. You must still pay any XP and component costs required by the
miracle spell. Use your character level to determine the caster level.
Divine Immortality: When you reach the end of your destiny quest, you
become a true deity (if a minor one). Perhaps you create your own divine
domain and portfolio, or perhaps a deity you had a close connection with
gives you a piece of his power in respect for your incredible service.
You might want to design a divine portfolio, holy symbol, and other
trappings of your own faith before the campaign ends, and share those
with the group when you finish your destiny quest. When you reach
godhood, the adventuring life seems quaint compared to the power you
wield. Your character's need to travel and battle mortal threats is
finished, but her influence on other adventurers might not be. Perhaps
the deity you've become will even be a major player in your next
campaign.
Eternal Hero
Over many eons, in many bodies, with many names, you have adventured and
conquered. In an endless cycle of death and rebirth, you have attained
the name "hero" in many lands and many incarnations. When you die, you
always return again, as a new hero. You might be very different in each
form, but a common thread binds one soul to all these manifestations. You
learn to draw on the strength and resolve of your past selves to fight
off death itself.
Requirements: 21st level.
Eternal Hero
Level Benefit
21st Continual resurrection, death denied
24th Quickening
27th Eternal renewal
30th Nexus of many lives
Continual Resurrection: At 21st level, you gain the ability to return
from the dead. At dawn each day, if you are dead, you are restored to
life (as true resurrection). You can set a place where you want to be
resurrected. (You must be standing in that place when you make the
choice.) When you are resurrected, you can choose to be resurrected in
the place you choose or in the place you died. You can choose a new
location for your place of resurrection once per level.
Death Denied: At 21st level, you become resistant to attacks that would
instantly kill you. You gain a +5 luck bonus on saving throws against
necromancy effects. If you succeed on a save against a necromancy spell,
you suffer no effect, even if you would normally suffer a partial effect.
You gain a +10 luck bonus on saving throws against death attacks and
saving throws against massive damage. If you roll a 1 on one of these
types of saving throws, you can re-roll the die.
Quickening: At 24th level, your body begins to heal at an amazing rate.
At the start of your turn, you gain a number of temporary hit points
equal to your level. If you already have any temporary hit points when
you gain these temporary hit points, they do not stack -- use only the
higher value.
Eternal Renewal (Su): At 27th level, you gain the ability to immediately
come back from death's door. When you take damage that reduces you to
below 0 hit points (even if you go below -10 hit points), you can use
this ability as an immediate action. You go to 0 hit points, then regain
a number of hit points equal to half your maximum hit points. You can use
this ability twice per day, increasing to four times per day at 30th
level.
Nexus of Many Lives: At 30th level, you can tap into the power of one of
your past incarnations. You can use this ability once per day. When you
do, choose which incarnation to activate and use the effect listed. Upon
gaining this class feature, you must choose a weapon type for the warrior
incarnation, the arcane spell for the arcanist incarnation, the divine
spell for the disciple incarnation, and up to three options for the
traitor incarnation.
The Warrior (Su): Make a full attack as a standard action. For the
purpose of this attack, you have a +25 base attack bonus, a +11 Strength
modifier, and a magic weapon with up to a +8 enhancement bonus and
special properties equaling up to a total +5 bonus equivalent (you must
choose the weapon's bonus and properties when you gain this epic destiny
feature). You can apply any spells affecting you or feats you have to
these attacks.
The Arcanist (Sp): Duplicate the effect of any 7th-level arcane spell
from any class list. Your caster level is equal to your character level
for this spell. While casting this spell, you do not suffer arcane spell
failure, you automatically succeed on Concentration checks, and you gain
a +10 bonus on caster level checks to overcome spell resistance.
The Disciple (Sp): Duplicate the effect of any 7th-level divine spell
from any class list. Your caster level is equal to your character level
for this spell. While casting this spell, you automatically succeed on
Concentration checks and you gain a +10 bonus on caster level checks to
overcome spell resistance.
The Traitor (Sp): Duplicate the effect of any 8th-level evil spell from
any class list. This can include spells that can attain the evil
descriptor if used in certain ways, such as summon monster spells, but
must be cast as the evil version if used in this way. When you use the
traitor manifestation, you might become evil if you are not already. Make
a Charisma check (DC 20) after you use the manifestation. If you fail and
are good, change the good axis of your alignment to neutral. If you are
not good or evil, change neutral to evil. Your caster level is equal to
your character level for this spell. While casting this spell, you
automatically succeed on Concentration checks and you gain a +10 bonus on
caster level checks to overcome spell resistance.
Immortality in Rebirth: Despite your ability to avoid it, you will
eventually face death. It might be from a foe too powerful to overcome,
but whom you might face again in another life. Or, you might have
finished your destiny quest and realized your work is done in this body
and it is time to move on. In either case, your soul returns to its true
essence, and you experience, briefly, knowledge beyond all mortal ken.
Then, you find yourself once again in a new body. Does this manifestation
know anything about its past lives now or will it learn more later on?
Does this form resemble the last or are they far different? All these
might be questions to explore with your next character.
Force of Nature
Your connection to nature has always been strong, but now it grows deeper
still. Wherever you go, your essence infuses the landscape all around
you, and you are likewise affected by your surroundings. You can manifest
the power of the weather and call upon all the animal and plant life of
the terrain to defend you or strike your foes. The strength of stone, the
fluidity of water, and the life force of the trees are all a part of you.
In time, it becomes difficult to separate you from the land, as it and
your soul merge into one.
Requirements: 21st level, wild shape class feature
Force of Nature
Level Benefit
21st Boon of nature
24th Improved boon of nature
27th Storm suffusion
30th Environment shape
Boon of Nature (Su): At 21st level, you gain a continuous benefit that
gets better in certain types of environments. You have access to two of
the different boons listed below (chosen when you acquire this class
feature), and can swap out boons as a swift action. The benefit applies
in both your normal form and when wild shaped (or otherwise in an
alternate form).
Boon of Life: At will, you can use a swift action to heal a creature
within close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). This effect cures a number
of points of damage equal to half your character level. While you are in
an area where plant growth is pervasive (such as a forest or meadow), you
have fast healing 10.
Boon of Stone: You have DR 3/adamantine while this boon is active. If you
have the ability to wild shape into an elemental, you can wild shape into
any elemental with the earth subtype (within the normal size and HD
restrictions). If you're in an area where stone is common (such as a
mountain or stone-walled structure), you can trigger a minor tremor as a
swift action. The range is long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level) and affects any
creature standing on the ground within a 30-foot-radius spread. An
affected creature must make a Reflex save (DC 20 + your Wisdom modifier)
or fall prone.
Boon of Storms: At will, you can use a swift action to tap into the power
of lightning or wind. You can call down a streak of lightning against a
creature within medium range. It requires a ranged touch attack to hit
and deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per two character levels. If
you have the ability to wild shape into an elemental, you can wild shape
into any elemental with the air subtype (within the normal size and HD
restrictions). If you're under an open sky, you gain concealment (20%
miss chance) while this boon is active.
Boon of Water: While this boon is active, you gain DR 3/magic and
resistance to fire 10. If you have the ability to wild shape into an
elemental, you can wild shape into any elemental with the water subtype
(within the normal size and HD restrictions). While you are in an aquatic
environment, you gain the benefits of freedom of movement and water
breathing.
Improved Boon of Nature: At 24th level, you gain access to one additional
boon of nature.
Storm Suffusion (Su): At 27th level, you take on the form of an immense
storm when you are in danger of dying. When you are reduced to 0 hit
points or fewer, you become a storm. This duplicates the effects of a
storm of vengeance, with the radius of the effect centered on the square
where you were. Use your character level for the caster level and your
Wisdom modifier for the ability bonus. This effect lasts for 5 rounds
(it's not dismissable when used this way), at which time you return to
your natural form at 0 hit points and become stable. You can use this
ability once per day.
Environment Shape (Su): At 30th level, you can assume the form of the
terrain around you when you wild shape. When you do so, choose one of the
forms listed below that is applicable in your current environment. You
fuse with the terrain, taking up a 15-foot cube of space within the
terrain type you choose (this cube must be adjacent to you when you
change shape). This makes you fill the same amount of space as a Huge
creature, and attacks against you can target any square in that space
(though you don't take any of the modifiers for being Huge).
You can "move" at your normal speed, though you're actually moving your
essence from one part of the environment to another. Consequently, this
movement doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity.
Unlike with other uses of wild shape, your physical ability scores do not
change and gear you wear still functions, though you can't activate
items. If you are targeted by a spell that would affect the terrain (such
as transmute rock to mud or whirlwind), you get a Fortitude saving throw.
If you fail, you return to your natural form in a square adjacent to the
space you occupied as the terrain.
Form of Life: You must be in an area where plant growth is pervasive. You
gain the benefits of boon of life (see above). You can make a grapple
check as a swift action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. You
can use a slam attack as a swift action or a standard action. You can use
control plants and entangle at will, as supernatural abilities.
Form of Stone: You must be in an area where stone is common. You gain the
benefits of boon of stone (see above). You gain a melee touch attack that
knocks the target prone. You can use this attack as a swift action or a
standard action. You can use earthquake as a supernatural ability, using
your character level as the caster level. You can do this once while in
this form (returning to normal form, then using wild shape to return to
form of stone allows you to use earthquake again). You can also cast
spells with the earth descriptor normally while in this form (as the
Natural Spell feat), and you use them as though you were three caster
levels higher.
Form of Storms: Only while under an open sky, you gain the benefits of
boon of storms (see above), plus the following additional features. You
gain a slam attack that deals 2d8 (plus your Strength modifier) points of
damage and knocks the target back 20 feet. You can use this slam attack
as a swift action or a standard action. You can use call lightning storm
as a supernatural ability while in this form. This is an at-will ability,
but you can have only one in effect at a time. You can also cast spells
with the air or electricity descriptor normally while in this form (as
the Natural Spell feat), and you use them as though you were three caster
levels higher.
Form of Water: You must be in an aquatic environment. You gain the
benefits of boon of water (see above). You gain a slam attack that deals
2d10 (plus your Strength modifier) points of damage and knocks the target
back 10 feet. You can use this slam attack as a swift action or a
standard action. You can use waterspout (Spell Compendium 236) as a
supernatural ability, using your character level as the caster level.
This is an at-will ability, but you can have only one waterspout active
at a time. Unlike the normal spell, this waterspout has a 10-foot radius
and can suck in Large and Huge creatures. You can also cast spells with
the water descriptor normally while in this form (as the Natural Spell
feat), and you use them as though you were three caster levels higher.
Immortality of the Earth and Planes: Your life force pulses with the
rhythms of the natural world, and in time you can no longer tell which is
which. Your essence flows from place to place in the world, and from
plane to plane. You see many things, but care little for events that
don't harm the plants and animals of the planes. Over the eons, your name
becomes forgotten -- heard only in the rustle of leaves, the crash of
thunder, and the babbling of brooks.
Mythic Shadow
Legends of your exploits have traveled the world, but they seem so unreal
that most consider your very existence a rumor. An enemy might, if he's
lucky, catch a glimpse of you in the shadows before he feels your blade
in his back. Those who bring the fight to you find you an elusive
opponent -- almost impossible to keep in one place or to hit effectively.
Being a mythic shadow means you won't get all the glory you deserve, so
you'll have to take comfort in being the one person who knows how good
you really are.
Requirements: 21st level
Mythic Shadow
Level Benefit
21st Improved precision damage, phantom visage
24th Spectral stride
27th Spurn death
30th Shadow strike
Improved Precision Damage (Ex): At 21st level, any attack you make that
gets extra precision damage (because you're able to strike a vital spot
with an ability such as the rogue's sneak attack, ninja's sudden strike,
or scout's skirmish) becomes more powerful. Increase the size of your
precision damage dice by one step.
Phantom Visage (Su): At 21st level, you are under a constant greater
invisibility effect. You can suppress or resume this effect as a swift
action.
Spectral Stride (Su): At 24th level, you gain the ability to move through
solid objects. Doing so requires you to have a 10-foot running start.
Additionally, you treat these objects as difficult terrain (each square
of movement counts as 2 squares, each diagonal square counts as 3), and
you can't end your movement inside a solid object. This movement provokes
attacks of opportunity normally, but you have concealment (20% miss
chance) against such attacks.
Spurn Death (Su): At 27th level, you can usually avoid being killed or
disabled. If you would be reduced to 0 hit points or fewer by an attack
or die from massive damage from an attack, you can use an immediate
action to attempt to spurn death. You have a 50% chance to avoid all
damage from the attack.
Shadow Strike: At 30th level, your attacks with weapons, natural weapons,
or unarmed strikes become touch attacks.
Immortality in the Shadows: Many characters who achieve their epic
destinies leave the world, but you might not want to. Ageless and always
concealed from sight, you can find out many things you're not supposed to
know. There are still so many places to go and things to see that you
might not tire of earthly delights for some time. Occasionally, you might
even hear a story about yourself and your exploits. Perhaps you'll even
spread a few rumors of your own. There's something satisfying about
watching tales of your legendary deeds grow and become well-known
legends, and if there are a few exaggerations here and there, who does it
hurt? When the bards sing tales of your first adventures, even if you're
actually 3 feet shorter than they say and you didn't really kill 800 orcs
with one swing of your blade, it still feels like old times. In time, as
your tale becomes taller and taller, you can no longer remember whether
you're a real person, or just an old story.
How to Implement Epic Destinies
If you decide to use epic destinies in your campaign, you'll need to
dedicate yourself to working closely with your players, and you may
possibly need to give up some of your control as a DM (but if you're
playing epic level, you've probably gotten used to that anyway). The epic
destiny a player chooses gives you a good idea of what she expects to get
out of the final stages of a campaign.
As a DM, epic destinies are a great tool for crafting the last adventures
of your campaign. If you've already plotted out the endgame, try tying
destiny quests into the story. Let's say you're using Atropus from Elder
Evils as a threat in your game (either a version you've modified to epic
levels or one you're fighting using the "Non-Epic Epic Destinies"
variant). This undead planetoid can obliterate all on an entire world if
it's not stopped. A blade of Ragnarok character thrills at the prospect
of a battle to decide the fate of the world. The force of nature must
stop the destruction of natural life. The demigod sees the failure of the
deities to stop the incoming destruction, and vows to become a deity who
will be prepared for such extreme dangers. The eternal hero's previous
incarnation is the one who inadvertently called Atropus to your world,
and must stop the creature to redeem himself.
The immortality section of each epic destiny also includes ways you can
create continuity between campaigns. By linking the epic characters from
previous campaigns to your next campaign, you can give players a sense of
a larger world and give their characters a more important role within it.
This approach works especially well if you plan to do multiple campaigns
in the same world.
Here are some suggestions for engaging characters who are using epic
destinies in your campaign.
Artifact Lords in Your Campaign
Item-related hooks can draw in the artifact lord player. You can use an
artifact lord character to bring artifacts into your game.
* The party finds a deck of cards that looks much like a deck of many
things. However, instead of the normal faces, each of the 22 cards has a
message scrawled on it describing a mission. The PCs find that if they
complete a mission, the message transforms into a single letter. What
could the 22-letter message be?
* One of the artifact lord's items, which seemed to be a normal magic
item, suddenly becomes intelligent. Its personality seems benign, even
helpful at times. But soon, other party members' items gain sentience,
too, and they all share the same personality. As it spreads, the items
grow rebellious, but you can't get rid of them. What is this being, and
why is it taking over your items?
Blades of Ragnarok in Your Campaign
Combat and world-ending threats are compelling to a blade of Ragnarok.
Only the biggest threats draw the notice of such a powerful warrior.
* Signs of deadly portent abound. The night sky is filled with
strange phenomena, and a scourge upon the land brings drought, famine,
and disease (see "Signs of Apocalypse," Elder Evils pages 7-10). The
signs are clear, but there are so many. Is it possible many evils rise
against the world at the same time?
* There is not just one blade of Ragnarok, and their numbers are
split. A blade of Ragnarok sits on the throne of a small empire in the
Outlands, far from other civilized life. He kidnaps beings from across
the planes and brings them here to serve as slaves. All manner of
creatures from solars to titans to great wyrm dragons toil, bound
magically to his command. They carry out many schemes, and if the PCs can
follow them to the Outlands and slay the corrupt blade of Ragnarok, they
can greatly influence the apocalyptic battle.
Demigods in Your Campaign
Adventure hooks for demigods usually deal with existing deities and
danger in good deities' domains.
* Becoming a true deity requires great sacrifice and dedication. The
existing deities devise challenges for one who might join their number,
and there's no guarantee that Ehlonna or Pelor will be any more lenient
than Hextor or Gruumsh. These challenges can be folded into other
adventures (and much of the difficulty lies in discovering when you are
being challenged). Theme these challenges to the deities who chose them.
Kord might demand a test of courage in battle. Vecna might want the
demigod to infiltrate the power structure of one of his followers he
suspects of deception. Fharlanghn might send the demigod traversing
across the planes, gathering dust or useless trinkets from every corner.
* A deity needs to travel to a distant place. Perhaps it is beyond
all the planes, in a place difficult for anyone but a deity to fathom.
Perhaps the deity needs to assume a less powerful form for some time. In
any case, it's too dangerous to let others know of the deity's absence.
The demigod character must impersonate the deity, see to the affairs of
the divine domain, and generally maintain appearances. This "trial run"
for godhood might come with unwanted surprises . . .
Eternal Heroes in Your Campaign
Since eternal heroes all have deep histories, it's easy to incorporate
them into your campaign. Here are a few plot hooks related to eternal
heroes.
* The PCs find a magic item or artifact that belonged to a previous
incarnation of the eternal hero. Inscribed on it is writing in a secret
language only the eternal hero can understand. It warns of impending
danger.
* The eternal hero hears about a villain that gives her an odd mental
image. She discovers she encountered this villain in a previous
incarnation. Perhaps this was someone the eternal hero was unable to
defeat, an undead form of the original, or even an "eternal villain" who
will always return to plague the hero.
* The party encounters a descendent of one of the previous
incarnations of the eternal hero. This descendent wields some of the
power of that incarnation. This could even be one of the PCs, if the
players are game.
Forces of Nature in Your Campaign
The secrets of the natural world are known to the force of nature, and
they can be a source of adventure ideas.
* The grass, the animals, and the rock of the earth speak to the
force of nature. Every place of evil, and every dungeon in which aberrant
creatures live, is like a disease in nature's body. Nature's life force
is growing dim and could be snuffed out. Eons ago, shards of a vast,
green crystal -- a heart of the earth -- were wrenched from the earth and
scattered into hidden places across the planes by vile beings. If the PCs
can recover the pieces and reform this nexus of nature's power, nature's
resurgence can blot out the grotesque mockeries that dot the surface of
the world.
* A powerful group of mind flayers (similar to the mind flayers of
Thoon, Monster Manual V, pages 104-125) seeks a mysterious substance
called "quintessence." It exists in many places, and the mind flayers are
willing to extract it even from living creatures. Every time they extract
it, the earth -- and the force of nature -- feel pain. The mind flayers
are ruled by a thoon elder brain (MM5 144, advanced to 30 HD). The
leaders of the group are ulitharid sorcerers (LoM 158), who aspire to
gain even more power by becoming alhoons (LoM 157) kept alive with
quintessence. You can use advanced versions of the thoon creatures as
rank and file.
Mythic Shadows in Your Campaign
When a mythic shadow hears about an impenetrable fortress or well-guarded
secret, she considers it a challenge. Sometimes, the reward for pulling
off an unlikely scheme is just being able to say you could do it.
* The city of Sigil (Dungeon Master's Guide 167) is vast, and no one
knows all its secrets. Several centuries ago, a sage began recording
every door in the city, and he actually almost completed his list.
However, he met with a messy end. His assassins failed to account for all
his magical countermeasures, and his vast folio of maps landed in the
hands of the mythic shadow, for unknown reasons. It seems like someone
wanted to keep the sage from completing the list. Can the PCs discover
why that is, and how the mythic shadow became involved?
* The mythic shadow walks the thin line between reality and legend,
as does the Mazraghar Fortress. Tales bandied about between epic
adventurers say that the fortress was formed with giant bricks carved
from the substance of different planes and serving as a window into each.
One brick is a slice of Arboria, another a chunk of the Negative Energy
Plane, and so on. The fortress was created by a great dragon, and all his
friends and allies died while building the fortress. When it was done,
the dragon went inside and hasn't left. He now sits, watching all areas
on all the planes, but with no companionship. Stories about the fortress
are assumed to be fables, illustrating moral concepts about how ambition
and power bring only solitude. But the mythic shadow character is not so
sure they aren't true. What kind of power rests in Mazraghar Fortress?
How can the PCs get there? And how does one get past a dragon who can see
all places?
Variant: Non-Epic Epic Destinies
Despite the name, it's possible to use epic destinies at non-epic levels.
If you don't feel like playing in an epic campaign, you can change the
prerequisite of the Epic Destiny feat and the levels at which you replace
feats with epic destiny features.
Epic Level Non-Epic Level
21st 12th
24th 15th
27th 18th
30th 20th
*The 20th-level feature doesn't replace a feat.
Keep in mind that the epic destiny features are much more powerful below
epic level! Your game automatically has a higher power level than normal,
and the power between characters is very unbalanced unless every
character has an epic destiny. You can use tougher monsters to
compensate, though you can give XP as though the monsters were lower CR
to keep advancement at the rate you want.
--
Marcel
Allen Wessels
Marcel Beaudoin <marcel....@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080428&authentic=true
>
> Some tables, so the formatting may be off
Thanks for posting that. Funniest thing I've seen in a few days.
- Allen
Dragonkat
>
> read more »
This is more like it. Kierye7(Spelling error) could learn from this!
Dragonkat
Jasin Zujovic
> http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080428&authentic=true
"You can walk through walls, but you have to have a running start and
they're treated as difficult terrain" is one of the funniest abilities
I've ever seen, in a good way.
Marcel Beaudoin
news:awessels-62437A...@newsclstr02.news.prodigy.com:
???
--
Marcel
Malachias Invictus
"Jasin Zujovic" <jzuj...@inet.hr> wrote in message
news:fv6ioi$3uj$1...@sunce.iskon.hr...
Don't you know who I am?
--
^v^v^Malachias Invictus^v^v^
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the Master of my fate:
I am the Captain of my soul.
from _Invictus_, by William Ernest Henley
Matt Frisch
scribed into the ether:
Even better, is how you only get a 20% miss chance while you're INSIDE A
WALL.
C'mon now...what the fuck.
Hadsil
than 20th level. It is a high powered game. I think he'll enjoy
this.
Gerald Katz