The Dark Voyage

Rogue

colstrom — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:28:19 +0000

A Rogue is an essential component to any dungeon-crawling party, either as a hireling or a player character. Their ability to detect and disarm traps can make an otherwise deadly dungeon survivable, and their non-combat versatility is unmatched. No other class receives as many skill points, or as diverse a selection of skills.

Pros

High number of Skill Points (8+Int)
Good Reflex saving throw
Sneak Attack
Able to detect most traps
Impressive dodging capabilities
Class Skill: Use Magic Device

Cons

Relatively small Hit Dice (d6)
Poor Fortitude and Will saves
Significant reduction in capabilities when wearing anything heavier than Light armour

In Combat
The role of a rogue in combat tends to be more tactical than a Fighter or most other characters. This is because a Rogue's primary combat ability (Sneak Attack) only functions when an opponent would be denied their dexterity bonus to AC, and the Rogue is within 30 feet of the target. This requires them to remain in close proximity, but not in a direct combat. Rogues often attempt to flank their targets, both as a setup for their Sneak Attack, and to support the party member who is keeping the enemy's attention away from the Rogue.

A Rogue tailored to combat should consider investing skill points into Jump and Tumble for improved mobility in battle, Bluff and Intimidate for drawing out vulnerabilities in their opponents, Hide and Move Silently to perfect the element of surpirse, as well as Balance and Climb to make the most of their environments (a Rogue climbing a tree in combat and sniping from a position with some measure of safety), for example.

As Explorers
Rogues make effective characters to scout ahead of the party, as they are able to detect (and disarm) traps that are beyond the abilities of other characters, and their stealth abilities allow them to return to the party without being detected. This can grant a party the time needed to prepare for an encounter, knowing what lurks around the corner.

Rogues who intend to perform scouting tasks for a party would do well to take ranks in Decipher Script (for interpreting potential warning symbols for traps), Search and Disable Device (to detect and neutralize traps), Hide and Move Silently to remain undetected, Listen and Spot to remain aware of nearby danger, and Open Lock to ensure that a scouting mission is thorough.

As Thieves and Spies
A Rogue's ability to pass unseen through well-secured locations is the stuff of legends. Characters employing such skills may find that they often come into possession of things that would otherwise not belong to them: trinkets, artifacts, and even bits of closely-guarded information. There is a need to move these goods, and to do so in a discreet fashion. Recommended skills include Gather Information and Knowledge (local) to know who wants what and where to find it, Appraise and Sense Motive to know the worth of what is wanted, and the social capabilities to negotiate the best terms for the exchange of goods (Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate all have use in this regard).

Why Should I Play a Rogue?
Due to their versatility, Rogues may appeal to many players. Rogues often avoid being in the line of fire in combat, but face danger more directly than any other character in their confrontations with traps. Players who prefer sneaking about, being able to utilize a wide range of skills, and escaping danger despite constant exposure to it may enjoy playing a Rogue.

Source Material Referenced in this Article

Fighter

colstrom — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:47:46 +0000

Source: Player's Handbook

Doubtless the most versatile class in combat, the Fighter is often the party leader, first into combat, and last to retreat when things go badly. With more feats than any other class, and several that are unavailable to any other class, it is rare for two Fighters to be alike.

Pros

Very Good hit die (d10)
Ridiculous number of feats (17 by 20th level)
Access to Fighter-only feats
Automatic proficiency with nearly all equipment
Good fortitude save

Cons

Poor allotment of skill points (2+Int)
Poor reflex and will saving throws

Class Skills

Climb
Craft
Handle Animal
Intimidate
Jump
Ride
Swim

In Combat
Fighters are the primary combat characters of most parties. They dish out the most physical damage, they take the most hits, and perhaps most importantly, they hold the attention of the enemies while the other members of the party (especially Rogues and Rangers) have time to prepare.

Fighters come in all varieties, from the heavily armoured defender (Full Plate, Tower Shield, and a handful of defensive feats) to the whirlwind of death (Great Cleave, Whirlwind, Improved Critical, and a vorpal weapon of some sort). They can be melee warriors, or ranged support. A fighter is defined by his feat selection more than any other class. Planned carefully, a Fighter can be incredibly deadly much sooner than another class.

Why Should I Play a Fighter?
A Fighter may appeal to you if you like heroics. While a Paladin may be a paragon of virtue, and a hero to the people, the Fighter is the general on the battlefield. He is the heart of the party's combat strategy (usually), is calm in the face of danger (your mileage may vary based on personality) going toe-to-toe with the biggest, baddest monsters on the field.

Fighters are combat-heavy. If you feel that combat is the bread and butter of D&D, a Fighter is likely a character your will enjoy.

Source Material Referenced in this Article

Cleric

colstrom — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:33:56 +0000

Source: Player's Handbook

Often viewed as the healers and support characters of the party, Clerics fill this role and more with a solid helping of hit points, the ability to wear armour, and wield several weapons (assuming the proper training), and no risk of Arcane Spell Failure.

Pros

Spontaneous spellcasting
Wide range of enhancement spells
Good hit die (d8)
Ability to Turn Undead (or Rebuke Undead)
Two good saving throws (fortitude and will)
Able to wear armour
Does not suffer from Arcane Spell Failure risks

Cons

Most spells must be prepared
Limited weapon selection without expending feats
Poor allotment of skill points (2+Int)
Few class abilities beyond spells
Poor reflex save
Limited selection of skills
Loses all spells and class features if he violates his religious code of conduct

Class Skills

Concentration
Craft
Diplomacy
Heal
Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (history)
Knowledge (religion)
Knowledge (the planes)
Profession
Spellcraft

Spontaneous Casting
One of the keys to an effective Cleric is understanding and making use of their spontaneous casing ability. In a nutshell, a Good-aligned Cleric should never have need to prepare any Cure Wounds spells, as any other spells can be converted into Cure Wounds of the appropriate level (any first-level spell can become Cure Light Wounds, for instance). Conversely, Evil-aligned Clerics can loose Inflict Wounds spells in the same fashion.

This allows a Cleric to prepare a diverse range of spells without reserving any slots for healing (or harming, as the case may be). Compare this to a Wizard taking the role of Party Healer:

The Wizard would prepare a selection of Cure Wounds spells, giving up spell slots that could house other spells. In the event that the party fared better than expected, some of these spells would not be used. Effectively, the Wizard would reduce his own effectiveness in order to be prepared for a negative outcome. This would most likely increase the chances of such a situation, as the Wizard would be less prepared to offer support in other ways.

A Cleric in the same role would be able to offer superior support to the party. In the event that recovery was needed, his spontaneous casting abilities would allow him to restore the health of his comrades. Effectively, the Cleric is always prepared to heal his party, if needed. Evil-aligned Clerics on the other hand, are always prepared to do harm. They can prepare buffs and restoration spells no more effectively than a Wizard, but are able to dish out pain at a moment's notice.

In Combat
The combination of a good hit die (d8) with being able to wear heavy armour and carry a shield grants a Cleric superior survivability. While they lose out on the incredible number of feats a Fighter would have, they make up for this with the ability to cast divine spells. Even though a Fighter would gain up to 2 additional hit points at each level, a Cleric is able to restore hit points as needed, which is arguably more valuable.

Why Should I Play a Cleric?
The Cleric class may appeal to you if you like playing a versatile magic-user. Being able to enhance the abilities of your party members and keep them alive makes a Cleric one of the most appreciated characters in a party. If you don't mind having the survival of your entire group rest on your shoulders from time to time, a Cleric can be a very rewarding class to play.

Clerics offer a balance of casting and fighting. If they run out of prepared spells, they can still hold their own with most foes, which puts them ahead of most spellcasters in terms of survivability.

From a roleplaying standpoint, the Cleric is defined by his faith, so as long as you choose a deity that aligns well with the way you want to play your Cleric, you should have few problems. Some Clerics have been known to get the party into trouble over matters of faith, though they tend to produce less conflict than a Paladin would.

Source Material Referenced in this Article

Half-Elf

colstrom — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:45:17 +0000

Source: Player's Handbook

Pros

Low-Light Vision
Immunity to sleep spells
+2 Save Bonus (Racial) vs Enchantment
+2 Skill Bonus (Racial) on Diplomacy and Gather Information
+1 Skill Bonus (Racial) on Listen, Search, Spot
Highest level class counts as favoured
Bonus Language: Elven

Cons

Counts as an Elf for all checks regarding race.

Half-Elves are a balance between the developmental flexibility of Humans, and the natural advantages of Elves. Immunity to magical sleep effects improves their survival chances when compared to other races, which is a benefit to any class (especially Melee characters and Spellcasters).

Class Synergy

Rogue - The detection bonuses (Search, Spot, and Listen) are very advantageous to a Rogue, as are the social bonuses (Diplomacy and Gather Information). Immunity to magical sleep provides protection against a common type of magical trap, though the save bonuses are less valuable to a Rogue. A hidden character is a safe one.

Paladin - Immunity to sleep spells, combined with the bonuses to Diplomacy and Gather Information, and natural mental barriers to manipulation (save bonus vs enchantments), would suit a Paladin, though the detection bonuses would be of lesser value.

Ranger - A Half-elf's natural detection abilities supplement the role of a scout nicely. As this responsibility is often handled by the Ranger or Rogue class (unless your campaign allows the Scout class), these classes are natural fits.

Bard - The social gifts of a Half-elf lend themselves well to the calling of a Bard, though most of their other advantages are not leveraged as easily by this class.

Recommended Class: Rogue or Paladin

Tips
If you don't intend to multiclass with a Half-Elf, consider taking your first level as Rogue. This gives a large pool of skills to make your character more versatile without suffering a penalty due to the favoured class rules.

Source Material Referenced in this Article

Human

colstrom — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:47:28 +0000

Source: Player's Handbook

Today we review the Human race. If they were described in a single word, it would be versatile. As a race, they offer very little to define themselves. It is their classing advantages that make them worthwhile.

Pros

+1 Skill Point per Level
Bonus Feat
Highest-level class counts as favoured
Medium Size

Cons

Compared to most other races, has relatively few benefits

Humans are generally considered to be the most abundant race, inhabiting all manner of regions, with no set civilization style. From tiny farming villages to sprawling cities, they can be found almost anywhere in most game worlds. This may not hold true if the Dungeon Master has created a world that is not human-dominated, but we can't really account for such decisions in a review, can we?

Mechanically, humans have very few direct advantages. Even when weighed against the negatives of many other races, they still come out pretty close to the bottom. Despite this, they are one of the most common races to be played, and are considered an 'Easy' species. They are versatile, and in human-dominated worlds they tend to have some diplomatic advantage (excepting cases where such domination was achieved through less tasteful means). Due to how common they are, they have some advantages when it comes to 'staying off the radar', so to speak. More exotic races are much more likely to draw attention.

Class Synergy
Humans are exceptionally versatile when it comes to class choices, and their multiclassing advantage enhances this greatly.

Rogues especially work well as Humans, where the extra skill point gained each level can supplement the Rogue's already-impressive array of skills. Their diplomatic advantages can benefit a class choice of Bard or Cleric, and an additional feat at first level can give a Fighter a good head start when working towards some more advanced techniques (often leading to those prized abilities such as Whirlwind being obtained two to three levels before a non-human Fighter would have mastered them).

The skill point and feat advantages can also be used to offset a class deficiency in such areas. Wizards can put the extra feat to good use, and a single extra skill point is more meaningful to a Fighter than most other classes, with only 2 + Int Modifier gained per level.

Summary
Overall, a Human character is likely to be just a little more versatile, or slightly more specialized than any other race in the same role. They have no distinct advantages in terms of survivability, but can offset this with feat selections early on (Toughness for more hit points, or one of the many feats that grants a bonus to certain saving throws).

Source Material Referenced in this Article

What is The Dark Voyage?

colstrom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:36:36 +0000

The Dark Voyage is a compendium of Dungeons & Dragons information. Not the backstory and tales of far-off lands that fills most sourcebooks, but the nuts-and-bolts of it all. Practical, useful information. The initial plan goes a little something like this:

Take one character class and deconstruct it, starting with the classes covered in the Player's Handbook.
- Pros and cons.
- Which type of player would this class appeal to?
- Function in a party.
- Survivability in various party configurations.
- Assorted other details.
Once those are covered, move on to the core races.
Along the way, sprinkle in some prestige classes from the Dungeon Master's Guide, and playable races from the Monster Manual (with thoughts for DMs regarding balance issues for those races).
Having covered the core material, supplemental sourcebooks will be discussed, one at a time.
On occasion, feats and spells of note may be covered, and variant rules may be discussed.

Note: Much of the material described here is based on content that is copyright of various authors. Where this is the case, links to purchase these materials will be made available. Any such material referenced on this site has already been purchased by the author of this site (yes, I have a lot of D&D books). Any analysis of such content (including but not limited to: survivability of classes, usefulness of spells, balance of playable races, etc) is stricly the opinion of the author of this site. While I may have experience in both a Dungeon Master and Player capacity, my opinions are not to be taken as the absolute final word in truth. What I consider balanced may still be abused by a creative player.

Source Material Referenced in this Article