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[Let's Read] Dragonlance: War of the Lance
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7890218" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter Six: Personalities</strong></p><p></p><p>Whereas Chapters Three and Four gave us outlines on the world of Krynn, Chapter Six focuses on its people. We have a whopping 68 characters* each with a short bio and full stats. Each entry provides a specific named individual, ranging from influential figures during the War of the Lance to minor characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles. Quite a few of the entries are dragons and a few undead and giants too, so it’s not just the humanoid races getting shoutouts.</p><p></p><p>*69 if you count Kitiara’s two different stat blocks as their own entries.</p><p></p><p>It would be a fool’s errand to go over every individual character. Instead I’ll group them up by related subject material (Dragons, Heroes of the Lance, Dragon Highlords, etc) and call out any particularly interesting bios or stat blocks. Finally, this chapter is rather low on images, so I may borrow Dragonlance artwork from other sources to make up for this.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TdHdi5x.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>DMPCs</strong></p><p></p><p>These are controllable characters who join the party during the Dragonlance Chronicles series of adventures, but are not part of the initial Heroes of the Lance.</p><p></p><p><em>Alhana Starbreeze</em> is the haughty princess of the Silvanesti people, a Noble/Fighter who can inspire people as part of her class feature even if she doesn’t have a winning personality.</p><p></p><p><em>Derek Crownguard</em> is the foil to Sturm Brightblade, an example of what the knighthood <strong>is</strong> versus <strong>what it should be.</strong> Derek is a multi-class Fighter/Noble/Legendary Tactician who specializes in mounted combat and inspirational buffs, but you’d hardly know that given that in the book series he was constantly butting heads with the rest of the party.</p><p></p><p><em>Elistan of Haven</em> is a former Seeker leader turned prophet of Paladine. Unlike most Clerics of Lawful Good deities he is more on the “pure caster” side of things, with a middling Strength score and emphasis on defensive magics over smiting the wicked.</p><p></p><p><em>Gilthanas</em> is the second son of Qualinesti’s king and Laurana’s brother. He is not fond of his cousin Tanis due to a host of personal issues. He is multiclassing all over the place, with 1-2 levels in Noble and Fighter and 3 in Wizard. He’s meant to be a gish* but he still triggers arcane spell failure in his worn armor which makes him a poor man’s Raistlin...or poor man’s Caramon.</p><p></p><p>*fighter/caster hybrid for you newbs.</p><p></p><p><em>Laurana</em> is the daughter of the ruler of Qualinesti and love interest of Tanis Half-Elven. She would become one of the most beloved figures during the War of the Lance, leading the Whitestone Forces to victory over the Dragonarmies. She is a 6th-level Noble with some middling combat ability, and focuses more on the social side of things.</p><p></p><p><em>Serinda Elderwood</em> is a Silvanesti privateer who strikes out against minotaurs and Dragonarmy ships around the Blood Sea Isles. Like Gilthanas she is triple-classed but with levels in Mariner instead of Noble. She’s pretty terrible at melee combat, having a negative strength score which makes her rapier damage pitiful, and her stat block does not mention what wizard spells she has memorized or even a spellbook!</p><p></p><p><em>Theodenes</em> is a “mad gnome,” looked down upon by others of his kind because all of his inventions work properly. Or he would in the base Chronicles: War of the Lance retcons him into a typical tinker gnome who is respected by his peers. He is more adventuresome and mobile than others of his time, and is on a Life Quest to make the “ultimate tool chest” which can improve any mechanism on Krynn by using the right tool in question. Oddly Theodenes is lower-level than when he appears in the Chronicle adventures, being a 5th-level Fighter/Master rather than 10th-level (with levels in Gnomish Tinker) when he ordinarily appears.</p><p></p><p><em>Tika Waylan</em> is the barmaid of the Inn of the Last Home and would join the Heroes of the Lance very soon on their quest. She is a multi-class Fighter/Rogue who has the Improvise Weapon feat and can treat her frying pan as a weapon. Amusingly said frying pan deals more damage than her shortsword at 1d8 base weapon damage! That’s longsword levels of dangerousness!</p><p></p><p><em>Vanderjack</em> is the odd man out of the DMPCs. Although Neutral rather than Evil, he is a mercenary leader who is upfront and honest about being in it for the money. He joins the Heroes of the Lance when in Southern Ergoth, hearing of a legendary treasure near the mountains. Said rumored treasure is the dragonlance forge.</p><p></p><p>Statwise he’s a 10th-level Fighter with some fancy feats like Improved Disarm/Overrun and Combat Expertise hinting at a more causing style of fighting. <a href="https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/specific-magic-weapons/nine-lives-stealer/" target="_blank">He wields a unique trademark longsword</a> which can draw the life force from an opponent.</p><p></p><p><em>Waylorn Wyvernsbane</em> is a delusional druid immortalized in a sleeping tomb in Silvanesti. He was alive during the Third Dragon War, a humble Druid of Chislev who fell in love with the SIlvanesti Queen. Said Queen would later become evil, and Waylorn bravely fought her and her wyvern minions. She escaped along the River of Time into an undetermined future, so he was placed in a magical slumber to be awoken when the time is right. Sadly the years have not been kind, and when awoken will believe himself to be Huma Dragonbane himself.</p><p></p><p>Statwise he is a Druid with one level in Barbarian, which supplements his already powerful Wild Shape ability.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/M4Ciq0D.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Dragon Highlords</strong></p><p></p><p>These are the major leaders of the Dragon Empire, and also includes Ariakas.</p><p></p><p><em>Ariakas, the Dragon Emperor</em> is the most powerful person on Ansalon. Level-wise as well as politically: he has 23 levels in total, a mixture of martial and arcane classes and prestige classes. In addition to having good leadership qualities from Dragon Highlord and Legendary Tactician, his limitless material resources means that his spellbook has every 0 to 3rd level Wizard spell from sourcebooks the Dungeon Master owns. It’s also presumed that he can acquire any mundane or low-level magic item not currently in his equipment list if necessary.</p><p></p><p><em>Feal-Thas</em> is the White Dragon Highlord and as an elf and traitor to his people has to work twice as hard to prove himself worthy of the Dark Queen. He’s proficient in both arcane and martial casting with an emphasis in damaging and summoning spells. His levels in Winternorn* give him the ability to receive a massive 1/day +10 bonus on initiative checks as well as Knowledge and Sense Motive.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/lets-read-dragonlance-towers-of-high-sorcery.856820/" target="_blank">*described in Towers of High Sorcery</a></p><p></p><p><em>Kitiara Uth Matar</em> has two stat blocks: one when she’s still a friend of the Heroes of the Lance several years before the Dragonlance Chronicles’ beginning, and the other when she becomes Blue Dragon Highlord. She was the daughter of a disgraced Solamnic knight whose rough upbringing instilled in her a rather bitter personality. This eventually causes a rift between her and her long-time friends, albeit not without generating a messy love triangle between Tanis, Laurana, and herself.</p><p></p><p>Kitiara’s first stat block is a 7th-level melee Fighter specializing in mounted combat but uses a rather weak short sword as her primary weapon. The second stat block is a mighty 15th-level Fighter/Dragon Rider/Dragon Highlord wielding a Wounding Lance. She picked up a lot of feats enhancing her knack for mounted combat and charges, which combined with her dragon mount can rack up a lot of damage...if said dragon were statted up in this sourcebook! Like Ariakas she can have any low-level items the DM deems necessary in addition to her core equipment.</p><p></p><p><em>Lucien of Takar</em> is the most boring of the Dragon Highlords, I hate to say. Like Kitiara he is a pure martial but doesn’t have an established backstory with the Heroes of the Lance or a kickass dragon mount. He fights exclusively with a longsword and almost all of his abilities and feats (besides the Dragon Highlord suite of features) involve melee combat.</p><p></p><p><em>Salah-Khan</em> is the Green Dragon Highlord. Unlike the other Highlords he is not so big on the direct combat side of things as he is the sneaky-stabby side of things. He is a multiclass Ranger/Assassin/Dragon Highlord and uses a unique variant of the Assassin class with no spells. In 3rd Edition D&D, assassins are spontaneous casters and therefore sorcerers, so they don’t line up with the Age of Despair’s setting continuity. This spell-less Assassin has a Barbarian’s Fast Movement and a Rogue’s Skill Mastery at 3rd and 7th levels. He also can’t cast ranger spells even though you’d presume that Takhisis can afford to throw him a Speak with Animals spell or two.</p><p></p><p><em>Verminaard of Nidus</em> is the Red Dragon Highlord. There’s not really much to say other than that he’s the first “big bag evil guy” the Heroes of the Lance face. Statwise he’s a Cleric/Dragon Highlord with the unique Nightbringer magic item. After the battle of Thorbadin he would survive as an ex-cleric and become a shifty information broker in the town of Flotsam. His new identity: Sevil Draanim Rev, is literally “Verminaard Lives” spelled backwards.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ho9hB1W.jpg?1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Dragons</strong></p><p></p><p>From the heroic D’Argent and Flamestrike to the wicked Cyan Bloodbane, Dragonlance’s great serpents are just as much characters in their own right as they are monsters. With one exception, each one in this chapter is at least Adult age category, meaning that they’re a force to be reckoned with at most levels of play.</p><p></p><p><em>Cyan Bloodbane</em> is a demented green dragon more than eager to visit vengeance upon the elven race, and the Silvanesti Campaign more than accomplished his evil measures. He is an ancient green dragon with a good mixture of utility and offensive spells, and he is nearly unmatched in melee combat.</p><p></p><p><em>Ember (Pyros)</em> and <em>Sleet (Terrisleetix)</em> are the dragon companions to the Red and White Dragon Highlords respectively. They carry their riders into combat to terrifying effect. Sitting at Challenge Rating 20+ each and being quite old, they are encountered in the Dragonlance Chronicles but only Sleet is actually fought. Even then he’s a very difficult battle at the time the PCs face him (9-11th).</p><p></p><p><em>Pyrite</em> is the oldest gold dragon on Krynn, but age has not been kind to him. His senility and weakened strength give him a bunch of unique debuffs, such as a nonlethal toothless bite attack or reduced natural armor. He is still very powerful as a colossal great wyrm dragon. Pyrite was once a good friend of the legendary knight Huma Dragonbane and believes that he is still fighting in the Third Dragon War, so he’s on the lookout for his old friend who he doesn’t realize is dead.</p><p></p><p><em>Silvara/D’Argent</em> is a silver dragon who rebels against her kind by providing covert support to those fighting the Dragonarmies. Living among the Kagonesti elves as a notable healer, she would eventually help the Heroes of the Lance not only find the legendary forge of the Dragonlances but also uncover the secret of the good dragon eggs. She is a very old silver dragon and thus is very powerful: even in humanoid form she can cast spells as a 13th-level sorcerer and has a good mixture of combat, utility, and even healing spells. Technically she is a DMPC, but I’m including her under Dragons just because.</p><p></p><p><em>Whisper</em> is a shadow dragon, one of the few of his kind on Krynn. He was summoned to this world by the archmage Fistandantilus as a guardian for the fortress of Zhaman. Placed under a Geas spell to remain as sentry for as long as his summoner remained upon Krynn, the spell has persisted somehow despite Fistandantilus going missing from the disastrous explosion that brought an end to the Dwarfgate Wars. As centuries pass he got bored of killing the meager intruders who could not hope to stand against him, and decided to entertain them and ask them questions about the outside world.</p><p></p><p>Statwise he is a wyrm of his kind, with a breath weapon that bestows 7 negative levels instead of damage and can gain total concealment in any condition other than full exposure to sunlight. His spell selection specializes in the illusory and creepy, ranging from spells such as Black Tentacles and Nightmare to Invisibility Sphere and Permanent Image.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/jWZPvIK.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Heroes of the Lance</strong></p><p></p><p>These are the original 8 PCs and main protagonists of the Dragonlance Chronicles. The stat blocks here detail them after having visited Xak Tsaroth and retrieved the Disks of Mishakal, placing them at 6th level. As for why not the beginning, well poor Goldmoon would not have any class features then!</p><p></p><p><em>Raistlin & Caramon Majere</em> are listed together although they have two different stat blocks. A literal “brains and brawn” pair, Caramon is smarter than he seems but many people presume him a dullard due to his lack of self-confidence. Raistlin, of course, needs no introduction to the majority of readers here. Caramon is pretty much the brawny sword and board Fighter, but Raistlin has 5 levels in Wizard, 1 level in Wizard of High Sorcery and starts play with not one, but 2 artifacts: the Staff and Dagger of Magius!</p><p></p><p><em>Flint Fireforge</em> is the party dwarf and sort of a curmudgeonly mentor figure. He is a multi-class Fighter/Master (Craftsman) but with just 2 levels in the latter he’s not going to be making any legendary blades anytime soon.</p><p></p><p><em>Riverwind & Goldmoon</em> is our other two-for one entry. They both hail from the Que-Shu tribe of Abanasinian nomads. Riverwind’s grandfather raised him in the belief that there existed ancient gods who existed before the Cataclysm, while Goldmoon was worshiped by a goddess among her people; although initially religious opposites they fell in love with each other, eventually marrying during the Chronicles. The two eventually come into possession of the Blue Crystal Staff which in turn gave them an inkling as to the return of the true gods.</p><p></p><p>Goldmoon is very much your stereotypical “healing priestess” and focuses exclusively on curative and defensive magic. Riverwind is a multi-class Barbarian/Ranger who is adept at both two-weapon fighting and ranged combat.</p><p></p><p><em>Sturm Brightblade</em> would be a Paladin if such a class where permitted in the Age of Despair. The son of a Knight of Solamnia, he has sought to preserve the best of his father’s order in spite of having to flee the country from which his family lived in and protected. He has two deep and dark secrets that he hopes his companions will never find out: he was never actually knighted, and he had a one-night stand with Kitiara (this was before she became Blue Dragon Highlord). Statwise he’s a pure Fighter with melee specialization and possesses the unique Brightblade magic item.</p><p></p><p><em>Tanis Half-Elven</em> would be a Warlord if the Dragonlance Chronicles were made for 4th Edition. Instead he’s a high-Charisma Fighter and the leader of the Heroes of the Lance. His half-elven heritage has caused him no small amount of grief, especially when Laurana’s family would reject her love for the ‘half-breed.’ As such he’s a bit emo, but less about being a half-elf and more due to having feelings for both Laurana and Kitiara. Stawise his Fighter feats center around archery, and he has the Leadership feat but it’s unclear who his cohort and followers are. You can make a joke about it being the other Heroes, but they all have PC classes and violate the “no more cohort levels than your level minus two” rule.</p><p></p><p><em>Tasslehoff Burrfoot</em> is perhaps the most hated Dragonlance character on account of being responsible for the literary creation of the kender race. But overall he’s not that bad; he’s the most upbeat of the Heroes and his levels in Rogue provide him as a valuable scout/trapfinder in a party that has way too many fighters.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7DTV4lp.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Noncombatants</strong></p><p></p><p>People who you wonder why they have stats in the first place, for they surely will be useless in combat.</p><p></p><p><em>Bertrem the Aesthetic</em> is the personal assistant to Astinus in the Great Library of Palanthas. He’s a Master (sage) with mad skillz in Knowledge and other ‘smart people’ things like Decipher Script and Gather Information.</p><p></p><p><em>Bupu</em> is a 1st-level spell-less (heathen) gully dwarf Cleric who the Heroes met in Xak Tsaroth, and is notable for being one of the only people Raistlin was ever nice to.</p><p></p><p><em>Gnosh</em> is a notable gnome, for his Life Quest centers around study of the Dragon Orbs. He can be a great boon during the Chronicles adventures where, if the PCs visit Mount Nevermind, can learn a lot about the dread sphere they have in their possession.</p><p></p><p><em>Otik Sandath</em> is the current owner of the Inn of the Last Home and who every adventuring party wants to have as their friendly neighborhood innkeeper. He is the adoptive father of Tika Waylan who works for him as a barmaid, and he knows practically everyone in Solace. He has not one, but three Profession skills at +13 to +16, so I take it that he’s got a very busy work-life.</p><p></p><p><em>William Sweetwater</em> is yet another friendly neighborhood innkeeper, but he operates out of a tavern deep in Dragonarmy territory. He is a contact for the Silver Fox’s resistance movement.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RcRWwZN.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Political Figures</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Fewmaster Toede’s</em> entry is great; he is in reality a cowardly minor officer under Verminaard who somehow climbs the Dragonarmy ranks after his death. But the entry is written from an in-character autobiography which due to his massive ego makes him sound like the greatest hero on Ansalon. His various <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/thatHappened/" target="_blank">/r/thathappened</a> deeds include being the Dark Queen’s chosen champion, having lots of hot sex with Kitiara, and being invited into all three Orders of High Sorcery without needing to take the Test because he was just that obviously good at magic.</p><p></p><p><em>Kronin Thistleknot</em> is the closest thing the kender have to a leader. The Grand Marshal of Kendemore, he is more rugged than most kender and while still childish and joyful is very much aware of the Dragonarmies’ danger. He is notable for being a 12th-level Barbarian, which creates a funny mental image of a murderously angry kender.</p><p></p><p><em>Lorac Caladon</em> is the Speaker of the Stars, the King of all Silvanesti. He is 18th level, a multi-class Noble/Abjurer Wizard/Wizard of High Sorcery. Being the ruler of a high-magic nation and former student of the Tower of High Sorcery of Istar means that he has access to all 0 to 3rd level wizard spells of five different schools from the Player’s Handbook. But you’re never going to see this stat block in action in any regular War of the Lance Campaign, for he is now a deluded husk hunched over the Dragon Orb. The only thing that can end his curse will be his death. He is remembered now as a tragic figure, who believed that he did what he could to keep the Silvanesti safe. Now his mind is only nightmares of his failure.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Phgn9mP.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>The Rest of Them</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Berem Everman</em> is a multi-class Barbarian/Ranger who has a unique set of defenses from his Green Gemstone, which includes an immunity to all manner of death/drain/disease/necromancy/etc effect as well as converting damage from all sources to nonlethal. This makes him effectively immortal.</p><p></p><p><em>The Gray Wraith</em> is not a wraith in Monster Manual terms, but rather a spectre undead with more Hit Die than usual. This wicked figure is the guardian of the Silver Arm of Ergoth, residing in a shrine near Qualinost. Those who take the artifact will earn the spirit’s undying enmity, with no ocean too wide or mountain high enough to keep him from getting to <s>you baby</s> the artifact.</p><p></p><p><em>Lord Soth</em> would perhaps be the most famous undead character in all of Dungeons & Dragons were it not for Strahd Von Zarovich having his own series of modules. This immortal knight bears a great weight of guilt upon his shoulders for abandoning his quest to prevent the Cataclysm. Until Kitiara recruited his services for the Blue Dragonarmy, he spent most of his days in introspective ennui in a gloomy castle. He is a 17th-level Fighter/Rogue Knight,* and his Death Knight template gives him a huge host of strengths and abilities. He is a heavy hitter in melee combat with his greatsword and has a small number of undead-creation and debuffing spell-like abilities.</p><p></p><p>*as in the prestige class Rogue Knight, not a fighter/rogue.</p><p></p><p><em>Mara</em> seems not to be from the main series of novels in that I don’t recognize her, and the text calls out an obscure Dragonlance short story “War Machines” so I presume she’s from that. Mara’s a teenage girl who has dreams of becoming a great adventurer, but when her town is invaded by the White Dragonarmy she must gain the aid of the gnomes of Mount Nevermind to help her. She is pretty much a 2nd level acrobatic Rogue but with a gnome pseudo-magic item that acts as a Rod of Metal and Mineral Detection.</p><p></p><p><em>Ogmag</em> was once a random ogre mage encounter in the Chronicles, but in this sourcebook he gets his own backstory as an exiled former advisor of Stormogre, Daltigoth’s ruler. Other than that, his 2 levels in Master make him nothing special.</p><p></p><p><em>Theros Ironfeld</em> was the blacksmith who would gain the Silver Arm of Ergoth and forge the legendary dragonlances. He is notable for being the first major black character in the Dragonlance Chronicles, and whose backstory...involves him asking to be taken by minotaur slavers as a child because he longs for adventure…</p><p></p><p>Uh oh.</p><p></p><p>And when said minotaurs raise him and later get attacked by elves, Theros challenged said elves to single combat with only a shovel. The elves respected this so much that they allowed him to depart, and he returned to the minotaur homeland a hero and earned his freedom as a reward.</p><p></p><p>Ooookay.</p><p></p><p>Theros is a member of the Master (Craftsman) class, but he has a high Strength, Power Attack feat, and enough levels in said class that he can make for a decent fighter if push comes to shove.</p><p></p><p><em>Thorne</em> is a Red Robe Wizard of High Sorcery who has been most unfortunately cursed with pseudo-lycanthropy. “Pseudo” because lycanthropes do not exist on Krynn, and he only changes at night when all three moons of magic are full. Which means that due to Ansalon’s moon-tracking chart he shapeshifts every 1.5 years. Not too debilitating. He lives in the village of Dimmin running an herbalist shop, and secretly dreads the next time his curse will arise.</p><p></p><p>Thorne has statblocks for both his normal form and dire wolf form, and no longer ages in either. He is not in the main Chronicle/Legends books, so he’s probably like Mara in being from a spin-off novel.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> There’s not really much to say about this chapter. The stat blocks range from a wide variety of characters, and although some characters are undoubtedly missing this feels like the most complete list of major characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles. There’s no handy appendix sorting them by Challenge Rating, and some of them are built poorly, but as a long-time sufferer of DM Fatigue I can hardly pass up 50+ NPCs.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we finish up this book with some DM advice and a full adventure in Chapter 7: A War of the Lance Campaign & the Lyceum!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 7890218, member: 6750502"] [center][b]Chapter Six: Personalities[/b][/center] Whereas Chapters Three and Four gave us outlines on the world of Krynn, Chapter Six focuses on its people. We have a whopping 68 characters* each with a short bio and full stats. Each entry provides a specific named individual, ranging from influential figures during the War of the Lance to minor characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles. Quite a few of the entries are dragons and a few undead and giants too, so it’s not just the humanoid races getting shoutouts. *69 if you count Kitiara’s two different stat blocks as their own entries. It would be a fool’s errand to go over every individual character. Instead I’ll group them up by related subject material (Dragons, Heroes of the Lance, Dragon Highlords, etc) and call out any particularly interesting bios or stat blocks. Finally, this chapter is rather low on images, so I may borrow Dragonlance artwork from other sources to make up for this. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/TdHdi5x.png[/img] [b]DMPCs[/b][/center] These are controllable characters who join the party during the Dragonlance Chronicles series of adventures, but are not part of the initial Heroes of the Lance. [i]Alhana Starbreeze[/i] is the haughty princess of the Silvanesti people, a Noble/Fighter who can inspire people as part of her class feature even if she doesn’t have a winning personality. [i]Derek Crownguard[/i] is the foil to Sturm Brightblade, an example of what the knighthood [b]is[/b] versus [b]what it should be.[/b] Derek is a multi-class Fighter/Noble/Legendary Tactician who specializes in mounted combat and inspirational buffs, but you’d hardly know that given that in the book series he was constantly butting heads with the rest of the party. [i]Elistan of Haven[/i] is a former Seeker leader turned prophet of Paladine. Unlike most Clerics of Lawful Good deities he is more on the “pure caster” side of things, with a middling Strength score and emphasis on defensive magics over smiting the wicked. [i]Gilthanas[/i] is the second son of Qualinesti’s king and Laurana’s brother. He is not fond of his cousin Tanis due to a host of personal issues. He is multiclassing all over the place, with 1-2 levels in Noble and Fighter and 3 in Wizard. He’s meant to be a gish* but he still triggers arcane spell failure in his worn armor which makes him a poor man’s Raistlin...or poor man’s Caramon. *fighter/caster hybrid for you newbs. [i]Laurana[/i] is the daughter of the ruler of Qualinesti and love interest of Tanis Half-Elven. She would become one of the most beloved figures during the War of the Lance, leading the Whitestone Forces to victory over the Dragonarmies. She is a 6th-level Noble with some middling combat ability, and focuses more on the social side of things. [i]Serinda Elderwood[/i] is a Silvanesti privateer who strikes out against minotaurs and Dragonarmy ships around the Blood Sea Isles. Like Gilthanas she is triple-classed but with levels in Mariner instead of Noble. She’s pretty terrible at melee combat, having a negative strength score which makes her rapier damage pitiful, and her stat block does not mention what wizard spells she has memorized or even a spellbook! [i]Theodenes[/i] is a “mad gnome,” looked down upon by others of his kind because all of his inventions work properly. Or he would in the base Chronicles: War of the Lance retcons him into a typical tinker gnome who is respected by his peers. He is more adventuresome and mobile than others of his time, and is on a Life Quest to make the “ultimate tool chest” which can improve any mechanism on Krynn by using the right tool in question. Oddly Theodenes is lower-level than when he appears in the Chronicle adventures, being a 5th-level Fighter/Master rather than 10th-level (with levels in Gnomish Tinker) when he ordinarily appears. [i]Tika Waylan[/i] is the barmaid of the Inn of the Last Home and would join the Heroes of the Lance very soon on their quest. She is a multi-class Fighter/Rogue who has the Improvise Weapon feat and can treat her frying pan as a weapon. Amusingly said frying pan deals more damage than her shortsword at 1d8 base weapon damage! That’s longsword levels of dangerousness! [i]Vanderjack[/i] is the odd man out of the DMPCs. Although Neutral rather than Evil, he is a mercenary leader who is upfront and honest about being in it for the money. He joins the Heroes of the Lance when in Southern Ergoth, hearing of a legendary treasure near the mountains. Said rumored treasure is the dragonlance forge. Statwise he’s a 10th-level Fighter with some fancy feats like Improved Disarm/Overrun and Combat Expertise hinting at a more causing style of fighting. [url=https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/specific-magic-weapons/nine-lives-stealer/]He wields a unique trademark longsword[/url] which can draw the life force from an opponent. [i]Waylorn Wyvernsbane[/i] is a delusional druid immortalized in a sleeping tomb in Silvanesti. He was alive during the Third Dragon War, a humble Druid of Chislev who fell in love with the SIlvanesti Queen. Said Queen would later become evil, and Waylorn bravely fought her and her wyvern minions. She escaped along the River of Time into an undetermined future, so he was placed in a magical slumber to be awoken when the time is right. Sadly the years have not been kind, and when awoken will believe himself to be Huma Dragonbane himself. Statwise he is a Druid with one level in Barbarian, which supplements his already powerful Wild Shape ability. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M4Ciq0D.png[/img] [b]Dragon Highlords[/b][/center] These are the major leaders of the Dragon Empire, and also includes Ariakas. [i]Ariakas, the Dragon Emperor[/i] is the most powerful person on Ansalon. Level-wise as well as politically: he has 23 levels in total, a mixture of martial and arcane classes and prestige classes. In addition to having good leadership qualities from Dragon Highlord and Legendary Tactician, his limitless material resources means that his spellbook has every 0 to 3rd level Wizard spell from sourcebooks the Dungeon Master owns. It’s also presumed that he can acquire any mundane or low-level magic item not currently in his equipment list if necessary. [i]Feal-Thas[/i] is the White Dragon Highlord and as an elf and traitor to his people has to work twice as hard to prove himself worthy of the Dark Queen. He’s proficient in both arcane and martial casting with an emphasis in damaging and summoning spells. His levels in Winternorn* give him the ability to receive a massive 1/day +10 bonus on initiative checks as well as Knowledge and Sense Motive. [url=https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/lets-read-dragonlance-towers-of-high-sorcery.856820/]*described in Towers of High Sorcery[/url] [i]Kitiara Uth Matar[/i] has two stat blocks: one when she’s still a friend of the Heroes of the Lance several years before the Dragonlance Chronicles’ beginning, and the other when she becomes Blue Dragon Highlord. She was the daughter of a disgraced Solamnic knight whose rough upbringing instilled in her a rather bitter personality. This eventually causes a rift between her and her long-time friends, albeit not without generating a messy love triangle between Tanis, Laurana, and herself. Kitiara’s first stat block is a 7th-level melee Fighter specializing in mounted combat but uses a rather weak short sword as her primary weapon. The second stat block is a mighty 15th-level Fighter/Dragon Rider/Dragon Highlord wielding a Wounding Lance. She picked up a lot of feats enhancing her knack for mounted combat and charges, which combined with her dragon mount can rack up a lot of damage...if said dragon were statted up in this sourcebook! Like Ariakas she can have any low-level items the DM deems necessary in addition to her core equipment. [i]Lucien of Takar[/i] is the most boring of the Dragon Highlords, I hate to say. Like Kitiara he is a pure martial but doesn’t have an established backstory with the Heroes of the Lance or a kickass dragon mount. He fights exclusively with a longsword and almost all of his abilities and feats (besides the Dragon Highlord suite of features) involve melee combat. [i]Salah-Khan[/i] is the Green Dragon Highlord. Unlike the other Highlords he is not so big on the direct combat side of things as he is the sneaky-stabby side of things. He is a multiclass Ranger/Assassin/Dragon Highlord and uses a unique variant of the Assassin class with no spells. In 3rd Edition D&D, assassins are spontaneous casters and therefore sorcerers, so they don’t line up with the Age of Despair’s setting continuity. This spell-less Assassin has a Barbarian’s Fast Movement and a Rogue’s Skill Mastery at 3rd and 7th levels. He also can’t cast ranger spells even though you’d presume that Takhisis can afford to throw him a Speak with Animals spell or two. [i]Verminaard of Nidus[/i] is the Red Dragon Highlord. There’s not really much to say other than that he’s the first “big bag evil guy” the Heroes of the Lance face. Statwise he’s a Cleric/Dragon Highlord with the unique Nightbringer magic item. After the battle of Thorbadin he would survive as an ex-cleric and become a shifty information broker in the town of Flotsam. His new identity: Sevil Draanim Rev, is literally “Verminaard Lives” spelled backwards. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ho9hB1W.jpg?1[/img] [b]Dragons[/b][/center] From the heroic D’Argent and Flamestrike to the wicked Cyan Bloodbane, Dragonlance’s great serpents are just as much characters in their own right as they are monsters. With one exception, each one in this chapter is at least Adult age category, meaning that they’re a force to be reckoned with at most levels of play. [i]Cyan Bloodbane[/i] is a demented green dragon more than eager to visit vengeance upon the elven race, and the Silvanesti Campaign more than accomplished his evil measures. He is an ancient green dragon with a good mixture of utility and offensive spells, and he is nearly unmatched in melee combat. [i]Ember (Pyros)[/i] and [i]Sleet (Terrisleetix)[/i] are the dragon companions to the Red and White Dragon Highlords respectively. They carry their riders into combat to terrifying effect. Sitting at Challenge Rating 20+ each and being quite old, they are encountered in the Dragonlance Chronicles but only Sleet is actually fought. Even then he’s a very difficult battle at the time the PCs face him (9-11th). [i]Pyrite[/i] is the oldest gold dragon on Krynn, but age has not been kind to him. His senility and weakened strength give him a bunch of unique debuffs, such as a nonlethal toothless bite attack or reduced natural armor. He is still very powerful as a colossal great wyrm dragon. Pyrite was once a good friend of the legendary knight Huma Dragonbane and believes that he is still fighting in the Third Dragon War, so he’s on the lookout for his old friend who he doesn’t realize is dead. [i]Silvara/D’Argent[/i] is a silver dragon who rebels against her kind by providing covert support to those fighting the Dragonarmies. Living among the Kagonesti elves as a notable healer, she would eventually help the Heroes of the Lance not only find the legendary forge of the Dragonlances but also uncover the secret of the good dragon eggs. She is a very old silver dragon and thus is very powerful: even in humanoid form she can cast spells as a 13th-level sorcerer and has a good mixture of combat, utility, and even healing spells. Technically she is a DMPC, but I’m including her under Dragons just because. [i]Whisper[/i] is a shadow dragon, one of the few of his kind on Krynn. He was summoned to this world by the archmage Fistandantilus as a guardian for the fortress of Zhaman. Placed under a Geas spell to remain as sentry for as long as his summoner remained upon Krynn, the spell has persisted somehow despite Fistandantilus going missing from the disastrous explosion that brought an end to the Dwarfgate Wars. As centuries pass he got bored of killing the meager intruders who could not hope to stand against him, and decided to entertain them and ask them questions about the outside world. Statwise he is a wyrm of his kind, with a breath weapon that bestows 7 negative levels instead of damage and can gain total concealment in any condition other than full exposure to sunlight. His spell selection specializes in the illusory and creepy, ranging from spells such as Black Tentacles and Nightmare to Invisibility Sphere and Permanent Image. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jWZPvIK.jpg[/img] [b]Heroes of the Lance[/b][/center] These are the original 8 PCs and main protagonists of the Dragonlance Chronicles. The stat blocks here detail them after having visited Xak Tsaroth and retrieved the Disks of Mishakal, placing them at 6th level. As for why not the beginning, well poor Goldmoon would not have any class features then! [i]Raistlin & Caramon Majere[/i] are listed together although they have two different stat blocks. A literal “brains and brawn” pair, Caramon is smarter than he seems but many people presume him a dullard due to his lack of self-confidence. Raistlin, of course, needs no introduction to the majority of readers here. Caramon is pretty much the brawny sword and board Fighter, but Raistlin has 5 levels in Wizard, 1 level in Wizard of High Sorcery and starts play with not one, but 2 artifacts: the Staff and Dagger of Magius! [i]Flint Fireforge[/i] is the party dwarf and sort of a curmudgeonly mentor figure. He is a multi-class Fighter/Master (Craftsman) but with just 2 levels in the latter he’s not going to be making any legendary blades anytime soon. [i]Riverwind & Goldmoon[/i] is our other two-for one entry. They both hail from the Que-Shu tribe of Abanasinian nomads. Riverwind’s grandfather raised him in the belief that there existed ancient gods who existed before the Cataclysm, while Goldmoon was worshiped by a goddess among her people; although initially religious opposites they fell in love with each other, eventually marrying during the Chronicles. The two eventually come into possession of the Blue Crystal Staff which in turn gave them an inkling as to the return of the true gods. Goldmoon is very much your stereotypical “healing priestess” and focuses exclusively on curative and defensive magic. Riverwind is a multi-class Barbarian/Ranger who is adept at both two-weapon fighting and ranged combat. [i]Sturm Brightblade[/i] would be a Paladin if such a class where permitted in the Age of Despair. The son of a Knight of Solamnia, he has sought to preserve the best of his father’s order in spite of having to flee the country from which his family lived in and protected. He has two deep and dark secrets that he hopes his companions will never find out: he was never actually knighted, and he had a one-night stand with Kitiara (this was before she became Blue Dragon Highlord). Statwise he’s a pure Fighter with melee specialization and possesses the unique Brightblade magic item. [i]Tanis Half-Elven[/i] would be a Warlord if the Dragonlance Chronicles were made for 4th Edition. Instead he’s a high-Charisma Fighter and the leader of the Heroes of the Lance. His half-elven heritage has caused him no small amount of grief, especially when Laurana’s family would reject her love for the ‘half-breed.’ As such he’s a bit emo, but less about being a half-elf and more due to having feelings for both Laurana and Kitiara. Stawise his Fighter feats center around archery, and he has the Leadership feat but it’s unclear who his cohort and followers are. You can make a joke about it being the other Heroes, but they all have PC classes and violate the “no more cohort levels than your level minus two” rule. [i]Tasslehoff Burrfoot[/i] is perhaps the most hated Dragonlance character on account of being responsible for the literary creation of the kender race. But overall he’s not that bad; he’s the most upbeat of the Heroes and his levels in Rogue provide him as a valuable scout/trapfinder in a party that has way too many fighters. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7DTV4lp.png[/img] [b]Noncombatants[/b][/center] People who you wonder why they have stats in the first place, for they surely will be useless in combat. [i]Bertrem the Aesthetic[/i] is the personal assistant to Astinus in the Great Library of Palanthas. He’s a Master (sage) with mad skillz in Knowledge and other ‘smart people’ things like Decipher Script and Gather Information. [i]Bupu[/i] is a 1st-level spell-less (heathen) gully dwarf Cleric who the Heroes met in Xak Tsaroth, and is notable for being one of the only people Raistlin was ever nice to. [i]Gnosh[/i] is a notable gnome, for his Life Quest centers around study of the Dragon Orbs. He can be a great boon during the Chronicles adventures where, if the PCs visit Mount Nevermind, can learn a lot about the dread sphere they have in their possession. [i]Otik Sandath[/i] is the current owner of the Inn of the Last Home and who every adventuring party wants to have as their friendly neighborhood innkeeper. He is the adoptive father of Tika Waylan who works for him as a barmaid, and he knows practically everyone in Solace. He has not one, but three Profession skills at +13 to +16, so I take it that he’s got a very busy work-life. [i]William Sweetwater[/i] is yet another friendly neighborhood innkeeper, but he operates out of a tavern deep in Dragonarmy territory. He is a contact for the Silver Fox’s resistance movement. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RcRWwZN.jpg[/img] [b]Political Figures[/b][/center] [i]Fewmaster Toede’s[/i] entry is great; he is in reality a cowardly minor officer under Verminaard who somehow climbs the Dragonarmy ranks after his death. But the entry is written from an in-character autobiography which due to his massive ego makes him sound like the greatest hero on Ansalon. His various [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/thatHappened/]/r/thathappened[/url] deeds include being the Dark Queen’s chosen champion, having lots of hot sex with Kitiara, and being invited into all three Orders of High Sorcery without needing to take the Test because he was just that obviously good at magic. [i]Kronin Thistleknot[/i] is the closest thing the kender have to a leader. The Grand Marshal of Kendemore, he is more rugged than most kender and while still childish and joyful is very much aware of the Dragonarmies’ danger. He is notable for being a 12th-level Barbarian, which creates a funny mental image of a murderously angry kender. [i]Lorac Caladon[/i] is the Speaker of the Stars, the King of all Silvanesti. He is 18th level, a multi-class Noble/Abjurer Wizard/Wizard of High Sorcery. Being the ruler of a high-magic nation and former student of the Tower of High Sorcery of Istar means that he has access to all 0 to 3rd level wizard spells of five different schools from the Player’s Handbook. But you’re never going to see this stat block in action in any regular War of the Lance Campaign, for he is now a deluded husk hunched over the Dragon Orb. The only thing that can end his curse will be his death. He is remembered now as a tragic figure, who believed that he did what he could to keep the Silvanesti safe. Now his mind is only nightmares of his failure. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Phgn9mP.png[/img] [b]The Rest of Them[/b][/center] [i]Berem Everman[/i] is a multi-class Barbarian/Ranger who has a unique set of defenses from his Green Gemstone, which includes an immunity to all manner of death/drain/disease/necromancy/etc effect as well as converting damage from all sources to nonlethal. This makes him effectively immortal. [i]The Gray Wraith[/i] is not a wraith in Monster Manual terms, but rather a spectre undead with more Hit Die than usual. This wicked figure is the guardian of the Silver Arm of Ergoth, residing in a shrine near Qualinost. Those who take the artifact will earn the spirit’s undying enmity, with no ocean too wide or mountain high enough to keep him from getting to [s]you baby[/s] the artifact. [i]Lord Soth[/i] would perhaps be the most famous undead character in all of Dungeons & Dragons were it not for Strahd Von Zarovich having his own series of modules. This immortal knight bears a great weight of guilt upon his shoulders for abandoning his quest to prevent the Cataclysm. Until Kitiara recruited his services for the Blue Dragonarmy, he spent most of his days in introspective ennui in a gloomy castle. He is a 17th-level Fighter/Rogue Knight,* and his Death Knight template gives him a huge host of strengths and abilities. He is a heavy hitter in melee combat with his greatsword and has a small number of undead-creation and debuffing spell-like abilities. *as in the prestige class Rogue Knight, not a fighter/rogue. [i]Mara[/i] seems not to be from the main series of novels in that I don’t recognize her, and the text calls out an obscure Dragonlance short story “War Machines” so I presume she’s from that. Mara’s a teenage girl who has dreams of becoming a great adventurer, but when her town is invaded by the White Dragonarmy she must gain the aid of the gnomes of Mount Nevermind to help her. She is pretty much a 2nd level acrobatic Rogue but with a gnome pseudo-magic item that acts as a Rod of Metal and Mineral Detection. [i]Ogmag[/i] was once a random ogre mage encounter in the Chronicles, but in this sourcebook he gets his own backstory as an exiled former advisor of Stormogre, Daltigoth’s ruler. Other than that, his 2 levels in Master make him nothing special. [i]Theros Ironfeld[/i] was the blacksmith who would gain the Silver Arm of Ergoth and forge the legendary dragonlances. He is notable for being the first major black character in the Dragonlance Chronicles, and whose backstory...involves him asking to be taken by minotaur slavers as a child because he longs for adventure… Uh oh. And when said minotaurs raise him and later get attacked by elves, Theros challenged said elves to single combat with only a shovel. The elves respected this so much that they allowed him to depart, and he returned to the minotaur homeland a hero and earned his freedom as a reward. Ooookay. Theros is a member of the Master (Craftsman) class, but he has a high Strength, Power Attack feat, and enough levels in said class that he can make for a decent fighter if push comes to shove. [i]Thorne[/i] is a Red Robe Wizard of High Sorcery who has been most unfortunately cursed with pseudo-lycanthropy. “Pseudo” because lycanthropes do not exist on Krynn, and he only changes at night when all three moons of magic are full. Which means that due to Ansalon’s moon-tracking chart he shapeshifts every 1.5 years. Not too debilitating. He lives in the village of Dimmin running an herbalist shop, and secretly dreads the next time his curse will arise. Thorne has statblocks for both his normal form and dire wolf form, and no longer ages in either. He is not in the main Chronicle/Legends books, so he’s probably like Mara in being from a spin-off novel. [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] There’s not really much to say about this chapter. The stat blocks range from a wide variety of characters, and although some characters are undoubtedly missing this feels like the most complete list of major characters from the Dragonlance Chronicles. There’s no handy appendix sorting them by Challenge Rating, and some of them are built poorly, but as a long-time sufferer of DM Fatigue I can hardly pass up 50+ NPCs. [b]Join us next time as we finish up this book with some DM advice and a full adventure in Chapter 7: A War of the Lance Campaign & the Lyceum![/b] [/QUOTE]
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