Giff

Born to fight and serve, This race has a long history of proud warriors and martial tradition. RACIAL TRAITS Average Height: 8´ 2˝–10´ Average Weight: 500–680 lbs. Ability Scores: +4 Strength, +3 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, -4 Intelligence Size: Large Speed: 5 squares Vision: Normal Languages: Common Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance Battle Rage: When you’re bloodied, you gain a +1 racial bonus to damage rolls. Born Brawler: You make unarmed attacks with a +3 proficiency bonus and do 1d6 + Strength modifier damage per hit Exotic Arms Skill: Giff can use one weapon or armor of their choosing, even if it is outside the normal arms available to their class Thick Skinned: You gain a +1 racial bonus to AC and Fortitude saves Headlong Charge Giff Racial Power Encounter ✦ Martial Move Action

Melee

Targets: One creature Attack: Strength + 2 vs. AC or Constitution + 2 vs. AC Hit: 2d6 + Constitution or Strength modifier damage. Increase to +4 bonus and 4d6 + Constitution or Strength modifier damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus and 6d6 + Constitution or Strength modifier damage at 21st level. Special: When you create your character, choose Strength or Constitution as the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice remains throughout your character’s life and does not change. Giff are a race of mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers. Long ago, their empire contended for worldwide dominion, but now only a few rootless clans of these honorable warriors remain to pass on their legends of ancient glory. Play a dragonborn if you want . . .

✦ to look like a dragon. ✦ to be the proud heir of an ancient, fallen empire. ✦ to breathe acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. ✦ to be a member of a race that favors the warlord, fighter, and paladin classes. DRAGONBORN WILLIAM O’CONNOR 4E_PHB_Ch03.indd 34 3/10/08 4:41:16 PM 35 CHA P T ER 3 | Charac t e r Rac e Physical Qualities Dragonborn resemble humanoid dragons. They’re covered in scaly hide, but they don’t have tails. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6. feet in height and weighing 300 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand. A dragonborn’s head features a blunt snout, a strong brow, and distinctive frills at the cheek and ear. Behind the brow, a crest of hornlike scales of various lengths resembles thick, ropy hair. Their eyes are shades of red or gold. A typical dragonborn’s scales can be scarlet, gold, rust, ocher, bronze, or brown. Rarely do an individual’s scales match the hue of a chromatic or metallic dragon, and scale color gives no indication of the type of breath weapon a dragonborn uses. Most dragonborn have very fine scales over most of their body, giving their skin a leathery texture, with regions of larger scales on the forearms, lower legs and feet, shoulders, and thighs. Young dragonborn grow faster than human children do. They walk hours after hatching, reach the size and development of a 10-year-old human child by the age of 3 and reach adulthood by 15. They live about as long as humans do.

Playing a Dragonborn To a dragonborn, honor is more important than life itself. First and foremost, honor is tied to battlefield conduct. Adversaries should be treated with courtesy and respect, even if they are bitter enemies. Caution and discretion are key to a warrior’s survival, but fear is a disease and cowardice is a moral failing. The drive to behave honorably extends into the rest of a dragonborn’s life: Breaking an oath is the height of dishonor, and attention to honesty extends to every word. A commitment made must be carried out. Ultimately, a dragonborn takes responsibility for his or her actions and their consequences. A continual drive for self-improvement reveals an additional aspect of dragonborn honor. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn. The dragonborn dedication to honor and excellence sometimes leads others to view dragonborn as arrogant and proud. Most dragonborn share a great pride in their race’s past and present accomplishments, but they are also quick to admire the accomplishments of others. Even though the tiefling empire of Bael Turath was the enemy of the ancient dragonborn empire of Arkhosia, dragonborn recognize tieflings as worthy companions or opponents, admiring their strength and tenacity as friends or enemies. Dragonborn seek adventure for the chance to prove their worth, win renown, and perhaps become champions about whom stories will be told for generations. To win everlasting glory through mighty deeds, daring exploits, and supreme skill—that is the dragonborn

dream. Dragonborn Characteristics: Driven, honor-bound, noble, perfectionist, proud, reliable, reserved, rooted in ancient history Male Names: Arjhan, Balasar, Bharash, Donaar, Ghesh, Heskan, Kriv, Medrash, Nadarr, Patrin, Rhogar, Shamash, Shedinn, Torinn Female Names: Akra, Biri, Daar, Harann, Kava, Korinn, Mishann, Nala, Perra, Raiann, Sora, Surina, Thava Dragonborn Adventurers Three sample dragonborn adventurers are described below. Bharash is a dragonborn warlord who leads a group of adventurers in search of riches and glory. Inspired by tales of the ancient heroes of Arkhosia, he seeks his destiny in battle. He dreams of someday leading a mighty army against an orc horde or a hobgoblin host, but he is content in the meantime to coordinate strikes against the lesser forces of evil he encounters in dungeons and ruins. He reveres Bahamut as the god of honor. Harann is a fighter dedicated to the mastery of her chosen weapon, the bastard sword. She rises early every morning to practice combat maneuvers and constantly strives to master new techniques. Excellence with her weapon is symbolic to her; it represents excellence of character, the perfection of her spirit. When she has achieved perfect mastery of the bastard sword, she believes she will be perfect herself. Donaar is a paladin of Erathis, the god of cities and civilization. He believes that the dragonborn race is destined to rise from the ashes of its ancient empire and to form a new nation carved from the wilderness. And he intends to be instrumental in that process. As

a reminder of his heritage, he keeps a piece of the shell from which he hatched in an amulet around his neck. Although he sometimes thinks that pillaging dungeons is a waste of his effort, he occasionally unearths a remnant of the long-lost dragonborn empire. He believes he can put such items to use one day in forging a new empire for his people.