Chapter 3 Character Building
This chapter provides the rules for creating and levelling Player Characters. The overall character creation process is first described, and then each creation and levelling step is discussed in detail: stat generation, Origin and class selection, mundane equipment, feat selection, levelling up, and using magic items.
- Overview
- Stat Generation
- Origins
- Classes
- Paragon Paths
- Epic Destinies
- Equipment
- Feats
- Levelling
- Magic Items
3.1 Character Creation Overview
From the initial character concept to the point where the character sheet is complete, there are several decisions that a player must take in order to create a first level character. In this section, we explain the character creation process as a whole, and a more detailed discussion of each step is provided later on.
The basic steps for creating a character are:
- Character concept and story
- Origin and Class selection
- Ability generation
- Skill selection
- Equipment selection
- Feat selection
- Power selection
- (Levelling)
3.2 Character concept and story
…
3.3 Origin
…
3.4 Class selection
3.4.1 Power Source
3.4.2 Role
3.4.3 Class Build
3.4.4 Class Powers
…
3.5 Ability generation
Once the player has decided on a character class and a class build, the Abilities for the Player Character can be generated. To do this, the player selects a Primary and a Secondary ability, and then assigns scores to each. These choices are usually conditioned, if not fully determined, by the character’s class build:
- The Primary Ability is the character’s strongest and most important Ability, used for most attacks. Most class builds have a fixed Primary Ability.
- The Secondary Ability adds useful bonuses to several character Powers and Class Features. Many class builds have a predetermined Secondary Ability, though some provide a choice between two or three options.
Assign the following scores:
- +4 to Primary Ability
- +3 to Secondary Ability
- +0 to to other Abilities
3.5.1 Wide Ability Array (Advanced rule)
The set of Ability scores described above is known as the Default Ability Array, and should be a good fit for the majority of characters. However, some character builds may have ability requirements that are spread across many abilities, usually due to heavy multiclassing or to being non-conventional designs from early legacy sourcebooks. For those cases, and with approval of the GM, a player may choose instead the Wide Ability Array - choose one Primary Ability and two Secondary Abilities (instead of just one, as usual), and assign the following scores:
- +3 to Primary Ability
- +3 to Secondary Ability
- +0 to to other Abilities
3.5.2 Tertiary Ability and Weak Ability (Optional)
As an option, players can choose two Abilities that are not Primary nor Secondary to be their Tertiary and Weak Abilities:
- The Tertiary Ability is an Ability with a slightly above average score.
- The Weak Ability is an Ability that sees little to no use for the character, and has the lowest score. Class builds should provide suggestions for suitable Weak Abilities, but the choice is otherwise up to the player.
Assign the following scores:
- +1 to Tertiary Ability
- -1 to Weak Ability
Tip: Having a Tertiary and Weak abilities very slightly increases a PC’s effectiveness, but it’s not really a required step in character generation. New players are encouraged to skip this step until they have a good grasp of the rules of the game and the impact of changing these ability scores. We recommend GMs to allow selection of Tertiary and Weak abilities at a later point in the game, such as after reaching Level 2.
3.6 Skill Bonuses
There are 12 Skills in the game that determine how good a character is at different activities. For each skill, the associated Skill Bonus is generated as follows:
Skill Bonus = Ability Skill Bonus + Skill Training Bonus + Armor Penalty + Other ModifiersEach of these modifiers is explained in a separate section below.
The following table shows all 12 Skills with their corresponding Abilities and a summary of what they are used for. For a detailed description of Skills and how they work, see the Skills chapter.
| Skill | Ability | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Strength | Sprinting, Climbing, Swimming |
| Authority | Strength | Intimidation, Leadership, Military |
| Concentration | Constitution | Study, Craftsmanship, Art |
| Endurance | Constitution | Resilience, Wakefulness, Survival |
| Finesse | Dexterity | Balance, Tumbling, Lockpicking |
| Stealth | Dexterity | Hiding, Secrets, Ciphers |
| Perception | Wisdom | Observation, Empathy, Memory |
| Nature | Wisdom | Flora, Fauna, Environment, Healing |
| Diplomacy | Charisma | Rethoric, Etiquette, Politics |
| Trickery | Charisma | Lying, Gossip, Forgery |
| Arcana | Intelligence | Magic, Science, Cosmology |
| Lore | Intelligence | History, Geography, Law |
3.6.1 Ability Skill Bonus
Each Skill has an associated Ability, which is used to determine the Skill Bonus. However, rather than directly adding ability scores to the Skill Bonus, we use a related value, called the Ability Skill Bonus. Unlike Ability scores, which remain constant after a character creation, an Ability Skill Bonus can be affected by the character’s Origin, and increase as they level up.
For each Ability, the corresponding Ability Skill Bonus is generated as follows:
Ability Skill Bonus = Ability + Origin Ability Modifier + Ability Skill Points + Other ModifiersAn explanation for each : - Ability: Ability Score - Origin Ability Modifier: Modifier to that Ability Skill Bonus from the character’s Origin. Typically, Origins add +1 to 2 fixed Ability Skill Bonuses - Ability Skill Points: Players get to assign extra points to add to their Ability Skill Bonus as they level up - see the table below. - Other Modifiers: Characters can gain additional modifiers from Feats or Magic Items, among other sources.
Ability Skill Points are gained at levels 4, 8, 14, 18, 24 and 28. When a PC reaches one of these levels, they choose an Ability and add 1 to the Ability Skill Points assigned to that Ability Skill Bonus, as shown in the table below:
Level | Points gained | Score Limit 4 | +1 | +2 8 | +1 | +3 14 | +1 | +3 18 | +1 | +4 24 | +1 | +4 28 | +1 | +5
Players are restricted in the abilities they can choose to increase their Ability Skill Points: only abilities where the sum of Ability Score and current Ability Skill Points are below a certain value (shown in column Score Limit of the table above) can be chosen this way. Other bonuses, such as the Origin Ability Modifier, are not counted towards the Score Limit.
Example - Ability Skill Bonus for a Level 1 PC. Gimli is a Level 1 Dwarf Warrior with +4 Str, +3 Con, and +0 to other abilities. Origin Ability Modifiers for a Dwarf are +1 Con, +1 Wis. This character will have the following Ability Skill Bonuses:
- Str: +4 (Ability)
- Con: +3 (Ability) +1 (Origin) ; Total: +4
- Dex: +0 (Ability)
- Wis: +0 (Ability) +1 (Origin) ; Total: +1
- Int: +0 (Ability)
- Cha: +0 (Ability)
Example - Ability Skill Points. The character from the previous example levels up. When he reaches level 4, he can gain an Ability Skill Point on any ability other than Str and Con. He chooses to add a point to Wis. Ability Skill Bonus for Wis at Level 4:
- Wis: +0 (Ability) +1 (Origin) +1 (Points); Total: +2
At level 8, he can add an Ability Skill point on any ability other than Str. He chooses Con this time. Ability Skill Bonus for Con at Level 8:
- Con: +3 (Ability) +1 (Origin) +1 (Points); Total: +5
3.6.2 Skill Training
Depending on their class, Player Characters can choose a number of Skills to become Trained in them. Characters gain a +3 bonus to Skill Checks with Trained Skills, and Skill Checks of Hard Difficulty are only available to characters with training in that Skill.
In order to select a Player Character’s Skills, the player should look look at the Class Skill List for the character’s class, as well as the Racial Skill List for the character’s Origin. Any Skill in either of these lists can be selected as a Trained Skill for the character. The player then looks at the number of Trained Skills allowed by the character’s class, and selects that many Trained Skills.
Some Origins and Classes provide automatic training with predetermined Skills. In that case, the character first gains training with these skills, and then the player selects Trained Skills as usual.
3.6.3 Armor Penalty to Skill
Some types of armor have an Armor Penalty value (typically -1). This penalty applies to Skill Checks for Athletics, Endurance, Finesse, and Stealth. See Armor in the equipment section of this chapter for more information.
3.6.4 Other Skill Bonuses
Characters can gain additional modifiers from Feats or Magic Items, among other sources.
3.7 Equipment selection
A character’s class determines which weapons, implements and armor the character is proficient with. Upon creation, every character starts the game with the following items:
- Up to three weapons the character is proficient with.
- An armor the character is proficient with.
- Up to one implement the character is proficient with.
In addition, starting characters get mundane equipment that has no impact on their stats and powers, including clothing, adventuring supplies, food, and money. The specific details should vary based on the character’s background and the context of the initial adventure, and be the result of a dialogue between player and Game Master. We suggest, by default, providing characters with food for a week of travel, money to cover living for a month, and a non-exhaustive list of items to carry with them, such as bedrolls, rope, and torches. In addition, whenever a more unusual item of reasonable weight and cost is needed, we recommend the Game Master to assume that a character is carrying it, provided that the player can come up with a convincing explanation.
Designer Note: Some games aim to provide a detailed simulation of economy in a fantasy world. This is not such a game. We believe that keeping track of the specific contents of a player’s backpack or the balance of each economic transaction are not critical to the game experience. Instead, we recommend players and Game Masters to keep inventories vague and flexible, outside of player rewards like Magic Items, or items of special importance to the game plot.
That said, if you favor more detailed rules for economy, there are tables with recommended item costs and weights from other game systems, such as D20SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/equipment.htm ) and 13AGESRD (http://www.13thagesrd.com/equipment ), which are freely available online. You can use these tables as a reference for setting item prices in your campaign.In the rest of this section, we list the weapons, armor and implement available in the game, along with a description of their rules.
3.7.1 Weapons
Each weapon in the game is described by the following elements:
- Name
- Family: A category of weapons with similar properties. For example, Axes is a weapon family that includes hand axes, battle axes, and greataxes.
- Damage: Base damage dealt per weapon damage die.
- Keywords: Special properties associated with the weapon.
- Training: How much training is required to wield the weapon, determines which classes can use it.
- Type: Whether it is a Melee or Ranged weapon.
- Hands:Whether the weapon requires 1 or 2 hands to be wielded.
A character’s class determines which weapons the character is trained to use. A character using a weapon without training does not benefit from any of the weapon’s properties, including damage, keywords, and any magic abilities. Instead, the weapon is treated as an Light Improvised Weapon if it requires one hand to wield, or a Heavy Improvised Weapon if it requires two hands. Improvised weapons can be used without training.
3.7.1.1 Weapon Families
The following weapon families are supported in the game:
- Axe: Melee weapon consisting of a heavy edged head and a handle.
- Bow: Ranged weapon consisting of a strip of wood or other flexible material and a string, used to shoot arrows.
- Crossbow: Ranged weapon consisting on a bow mounted on a stick and a mechanism to hold the string. Used to shoot bolts.
- Flail: Melee weapon consisting on a blunt or spiked head attached to a handle by a chain or rope.
- Hammer: Melee weapon consisting of a heavy blunt head and a handle.
- Heavy Blade: Melee weapon with a long and heavy blade
- Improvised: A common object used as a weapon, or a weapon used without training.
- Light Blade: Melee weapon with a short or slender blade
- Sling: Ranged weapon consisting of a pouch and a string, used to throw stones or bullets.
- Spear: Melee weapon consisting of a pointed head attached to a long shaft.
- Staff: Melee weapon consisting of a long wooden shaft.
- Unarmed: A character’s own body used as a melee weapon.
3.7.1.2 Weapon Keywords
The following weapon keywords are supported in the game:
- Off-Hand: The weapon can be wielded in the off-hand while another weapon or object is wielded in the main hand.
- Parry: A character wielding one or more weapons or shields with Parry gains +1 to Arm against Melee and Close attacks. The bonus from multiple instances of this keyword does not stack.
- Ranged: Ranged weapons have the Range keyword, followed by a number indicating the Weapon Range. Characters can make Ranged and Area attacks up to a distance equal to the Weapon Range without penalty. In addition, characters can make Ranged (but not Area) attacks at long range, to distances between Weapon Range and twice the Weapon Range, with a -2 penalty to hit.
- Reach: Weapons with reach increase the Melee Reach for attacks made with them by a certain amount. A medium-sized character typically has a Melee Reach of 1, which increases to 2 with a Reach +1 weapon, and to 3 with a Reach +2 weapon.
- Throw: Melee weapons with Throw can be used to make Ranged and Area attacks as well as Melee and Close attacks. The Throw keyword is followed by a number indicating the Weapon Range. Characters can make Ranged and Area attacks up to a distance equal to the Weapon Range without penalty. In addition, characters can make Ranged (but not Area) attacks at long range, to distances between Weapon Range and twice the Weapon Range, with a -2 penalty to hit. After using a Ranged or Area attack power with a Throw weapon, choose a character targeted by the attack. The weapon is placed on the ground in a square in the character’s space. Magical Weapons with Throw are automatically returned to the wielder’s hand after each attack instead.
- Unwieldy: Attacks made with this weapon gain a -1 penalty to hit.
- Versatile: When wielded on the main hand with a free off-hand, this weapon deals +1 damage per weapon damage die. This increases to +2 damage per weapon damage die at level 16.
- Very Unwieldy: Attacks made with this weapon gain a -2 penalty to hit.
3.7.1.3 Weapon Hands
The hand requirements to use a weapon are as follows:
- One-handed weapons without the Off-Hand keyword can be wielded in the character’s main hand. The character can wield another item, such as an Off-Hand weapon, an implement or a Shield, in the Off-Hand.
- One-handed weapons with the Off-Hand keyword can be wielded in the character’s main hand or off-hand. The character can wield another item, such as an Off-Hand weapon, an implement or a Shield, in the other hand. When making an attack, a character can choose to use either the main hand weapon or the Off-Hand weapon - there are no penalties for Off-Hand attacks.
- Two-handed weapons require both hands to be wielded. A character cannot use a hand to wield any other item while wielding such a weapon.
One-handed versatility : A character wielding a One-Handed weapon while leaving the other hand free can choose to take a -1 Hit penalty on an attack with that weapon to gain a +1 bonus to the weapon damage (scaling with Weapon Damage Multiplier). When they do, that weapon counts as Two-Handed for the purpose of powers or abilities that care about weapon types.
3.7.1.4 Weapon Tables
The tables below provide stats for all weapons in the game, classified by the type of training they require, whether they are melee or ranged weapons, and the number of hands they require.
3.7.1.4.1 Basic Weapons
| Name | Family | Hit | Damage | Keywords | Type | Hands |
| Dagger | Light Blade | 0 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 5 | Melee | 1 hand |
| Hand Axe | Axe | 0 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 5 | Melee | 1 hand |
| Light Hammer | Hammer | 0 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 5 | Melee | 1 hand |
| Javelin | Spear | 0 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 5 | Melee | 1 hand |
| Mace | Hammer | -1 | 1d8 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Halfspear | Spear | -1 | 1d8 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Scythe | Heavy Blade | -1 | 1d8 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Quarterstaff | Staff | -1 | 1d8 | Melee | 2 hands |
3.7.1.4.2 Improvised Weapons
| Name | Family | Hit | Damage | Keywords | Type | Hands |
| Unarmed | Unarmed | -2 | 1d4 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Improvised, Light | Improvised | -1 | 1d4 | Throw 5 | Melee | 1 hand |
| Improvised, Heavy | Improvised | -2 | 1d8 | Throw 2 | Melee | 2 hands |
3.7.1.4.3 Martial Weapons
| Name | Family | Hit | Damage | Keywords | Type | Hands |
| Short Sword | Light Blade | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand | Melee | 1 hand |
| Nunchaku | Flail | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand | Melee | 1 hand |
| Longsword | Heavy Blade | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Rapier | Light Blade | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Battle Axe | Axe | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Warhammer | Hammer | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Light Flail | Flail | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Greatsword | Heavy Blade | -1 | 1d12 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Greataxe | Axe | -1 | 1d12 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Maul | Hammer | -1 | 1d12 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Heavy Flail | Flail | -1 | 1d12 | Melee | 2 hands | |
| Longspear | Spear | 0 | 1d8 | Reach 2 | Melee | 2 hands |
| Glaive | Heavy Blade | 0 | 1d8 | Reach 2 | Melee | 2 hands |
| Halberd | Axe | 0 | 1d8 | Reach 2 | Melee | 2 hands |
| Whip | Flail | 0 | 1d8 | Reach 2 | Melee | 2 hands |
| Shuriken | Light Blade | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 7 | Ranged | 1 hand |
| Dart | Light Blade | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 7 | Ranged | 1 hand |
| Boomerang | Hammer | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Throw 7 | Ranged | 1 hand |
| Hand Crossbow | Crossbow | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Ranged 7 | Ranged | 1 hand |
| Sling | Sling | 1 | 1d4 | Off-hand, Ranged 7 | Ranged | 1 hand |
| Short Bow | Bow | 1 | 1d4 | Ranged 8 | Ranged | 2 hands |
| Light Crossbow | Crossbow | 0 | 1d8 | Ranged 15 | Ranged | 2 hands |
| Longbow | Bow | 0 | 1d8 | Ranged 15 | Ranged | 2 hands |
| Heavy Crossbow | Crossbow | -1 | 1d12 | Ranged 10 | Ranged | 2 hands |
| Composite Bow | Bow | -1 | 1d12 | Ranged 10 | Ranged | 2 hands |
3.7.1.4.4 Inner Weapons
| Name | Family | Hit | Damage | Keywords | Type | Hands |
| Unarmed Smash | Unarmed, Hammer | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand | |
| Unarmed Chop | Unarmed, Axe | 0 | 1d8 | Melee | 1 hand |
Some character classes use unique weapons not available to other classes. In these cases, stats for these weapons should be provided within the class rules.
Compatibility Note: Some weapon types from legacy rulebooks are no longer supported. As a general rule, we recommend treating any such weapon as a currently supported weapon of the same Family, Training, Type, and Hand requirements, if available. Some cases of particular interest are:
Two previously existing weapon families, Picks and Maces, have been discontinued. We recommend replacing Picks with Axes of similar properties, and replacing Maces with Hammers of similar properties.
Some weapons used to have the same name as their weapon family. To remove this ambiguity, they have been renamed:
- Spear is now Halfspear
- Crossbow is now Light Crossbow
- Flail is now Light Flail
Some character classes from legacy sourcebooks have bonuses associated with obsoleted weapon types. We recommend the following replacements for these weapons:
- Sickle: replace with Dagger
- Scimitar: replace with Short Sword
- Club: replace with Mace
3.7.2 Armor
Each armor in the game is described by the following elements:
- Name
- Arm bonus: Bonus granted to a character’s Arm for wearing the armor with training.
- Type: Whether the armor is Light Armor or Heavy Armor, or a Shield.
- Armor Penalty: Penalty granted to Ranged and Area attacks and many Skills.
- Movement Penalty: Penalty granted to a character’s Speed (for all available movement types).
Each character can wear one suit of Light Armor or Heavy Armor. In addition, each character can use one Shield. Characters wearing nothing but plainclothes, or wearing no clothes, are considered as wearing Cloth Armor. Using a shield takes up one hand, and characters cannot wield weapons or implements nor carry objects with their shield hand.
Armor Penalty: Some types of armor have an Armor Penalty value (typically -1). This penalty applies to Hit rolls of Ranged and Area attacks, as well as Skill Checks for Athletics, Endurance, Finesse, and Stealth.
Range Penalty: Some types of armor have a Range Penalty value (typically -2). This penalty reduces the range of Ranged and Area powers, and is applied before doubling the range for Long Range attacks.
A character’s class determines which armors the character is trained to use. A character using an armor without training does not benefit from any of the armor’s properties, including Arm bonus and any magic abilities. However, any Armor Penalty or Movement Penalty imposed by the armor still applies. All characters are considered to be trained in the use of Cloth Armor.
A character using a Shield and wearing Light Armor or Heavy Armor can add the Arm bonuses from shield and armor.
Some character classes gain an additional bonus to Arm while wearing Light Armor. This is called Light Armor Arm Bonus. Some classes also have class features that grant a bonus to Arm, and these can stack with their Light Armor Arm Bonus. A table summarizing Light Armor Arm Bonus and other stats for all classes currently in the game (including classes from legacy rulebooks) is provided in this chapter, in the Origin and Class Selection section.
To summarize, a character’s Arm is calculated as follows:
Arm= 10 + Armor bonus + Shield bonus + Class Light Armor bonusNote that these are the most common types of Arm bonus, but other bonuses granted by specific Class Features, Feats, or Powers can still apply.
3.7.2.1 Armor Types
The different types of armor available in the game are described as follows:
- Light Armor
- Cloth: Regular clothing, or Robes
- Leather: A combination of regular clothing and leather pieces for added protection, such as a leather jacket or coat, a leather suit, or leather breastplates.
- Heavy Armor
- Hide: A combination of regular clothing, leather pieces, and thick pieces of beast skin for added protection.
- Chain: Armor made of interlocking metal rings.
- Scale: Armor made of small, overlapping metal scales.
- Plate: Armor made of large metal plates.
- Shield
- Light Shield: Shield of reduced size and weight.
- Heavy Shield: Large shield that covers most of a character’s body.
3.7.2.2 Armor Table
The table below provides stats for all types of armor in the game:
| Name | Arm bonus | Type | Armor Penalty | Movement Penalty | Range Penalty |
| Cloth | 1 | Light Armor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leather | 2 | Light Armor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hide | 3 | Heavy Armor | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Chain | 3 | Heavy Armor | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Scale | 4 | Heavy Armor | -1 | -1 | -2 |
| Plate | 5 | Heavy Armor | -1 | -1 | -2 |
Shields have the following rules:
- Light Shield: Gain Parry (+1 Arm vs Melee and Close attacks)
- Heavy Shield: -1 Hit on all attacks. Gain +2 Arm.
3.7.3 Implements
Each implement in the game is described by the following elements:
- Name
- Hands: Whether the implement requires a hand, two hands, or no hands at all to wield.
- Keywords: Special properties associated with the implement.
- Range: base range for Implement Ranged Basic Attacks made with the implement.
Note that, unlike weapons, implements do not have an associated damage die. Damage in implement attacks is not affected by the choice of implement. The only mechanical differences between implements are their hand requirements, the bonuses provided by their associated Implement Focus Feats, and the range for Implement Ranged Basic Attacks (but not for other ranged attacks). The rules for Implement Ranged Basic Attacks are in the Stat Generation section of this chapter.
A character’s class determines which implements the character is trained to use. A character wielding no implement, or wielding an implement without training uses the “No Implement” stats, which include a -2 penalty to hit due to the Very Unwieldy property. A character using an implement without training does not benefit from any of the implement’s properties, including damage, keywords, and any magic abilities.
3.7.3.1 Implement Types
The following implement types are supported in the game:
- Staff - Long shaft, usually made of wood.
- Wand - Short, slender stick.
- Rod - Long, decorated stick.
- Orb - Sphere made of a transparent or reflective material
- Tome - Heavy leather-bound book with inscribed spells
- Symbol - Amulet or necklace bearing the symbol of a deity
- Focus - Small carried object used to channel inner energy
- Totem - Carved figure representing an animal, plant, or spirit.
- Weapon Implement - Weapon that can be used to channel supernatural powers. Some character classes allow specific types of weapons to be used as Weapon Implements. Weapon Implements require the same number of hands to wield as their associated weapons.
- No Implement - A character using just hand gestures to channel power.
3.7.3.2 Implement Keyword
The following implement keywords are supported in the game:
- Very Unwieldy: Attacks made with this implement gain a -2 penalty to hit.
3.7.3.3 Implement Hands
The hand requirements to use a weapon are as follows:
- No Hand implements do not require any free hands to be wielded.
- One-handed implements can be wielded in the character’s main hand or off-hand.
- Two-handed implements require both hands to be wielded. A character cannot use a hand to wield any other item while wielding such an implement.
3.7.3.4 Implement Table
The table below provide stats for all implements in the game:
| Name | Hands | Range | Keywords |
| Staff | 2 hands | 12 | |
| Wand | 1 hand | 10 | |
| Rod | 1 hand | 10 | |
| Orb | 1 hand | 10 | |
| Tome | 1 hand | 10 | |
| Holy Symbol | No hand | 5 | |
| Ki Focus | No hand | 5 | |
| Totem | 1 hand | 10 | |
| Weapon Implement | As weapon | 5 | |
| No Implement | 1 hand | 5 | Very Unwieldy |
3.8 Feats
A Feat is a character customization option that lets player specialize their characters beyond their Origin, Class, and Power selection.
There are two main categories of feats:
- Combat Feats: Feats that improve a character’s combat abilities.
- Adventure Feats: Feats that improve a character’s abilities out of combat.
Player Characters start the game with one Combat Feat and no Adventure Feats, and acquire more as they level up, up to a maximum of nine of each at level 30. Bonus feats can also be gained from other sources, such as a character’s Origin or Class.
Each Feat is composed of the following elements:
- Name
- Type: Combat or Adventure.
- Level: The minimum level at which the Feat can be acquired. Also, the minimum level of the Feat Slot that can be used to learn the Feat.
- Category: A group of Feats that perform a similar function. A character can only select a single Feat from each Feat Category, unless the feats are Unrestricted.
- Keywords: A series of labels that describe the Feat. Feat Keywords are purely descriptive and have no associated rules, but are sometimes referenced by other Feats.
- Requirements: A series of conditions that a character must meet before taking the Feat.
- Description: The benefits granted by the feat.
- Summary: An abbreviated version of the Feat Description, used in summary tables. The Summary text does not necessarily provide exact or complete rules, and should only be used as a quick guide for character building decisions, not as a rules reference.
Feats can have the following special properties:
- Unrestricted: A character can take multiple Unrestricted feats within the same category.
- Repeatable: A Feat with this property can be taken multiple times. (This also ignores the one feat per category limit).
The following table summarizes the acquisition of feat slots per character level:
| Level | Slots aquired | Total Combat Feats | Total Adv. Feats | Combat Feat levels | Adv. Feat levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gain a Level 1 Combat Feat | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Gain a Level 2 Adventure Feat | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Gain a Level 4 Combat Feat | 2 | 1 | 1,4 | 2 |
| 6 | Gain a Level 6 Adventure Feat | 2 | 2 | 1,4 | 2,6 |
| 8 | Gain a Level 8 Combat Feat | 3 | 2 | 1,4,8 | 2,6 |
| 10 | Gain a Level 10 Adventure Feat | 3 | 3 | 1,4,8 | 2,6,10 |
| 11 | Gain a Level 11 Combat Feat | 4 | 3 | 1,4,8,11 | 2,6,10 |
| 12 | Gain a Level 12 Adventure Feat | 4 | 4 | 1,4,8,11 | 2,6,10,12 |
| 14 | Gain a Level 14 Combat Feat | 5 | 4 | 1,4,8,11,14 | 2,6,10,12 |
| 16 | Gain a Level 16 Adventure Feat | 5 | 5 | 1,4,8,11,14 | 2,6,10,12,16 |
| 18 | Gain a Level 18 Combat Feat | 6 | 5 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18 | 2,6,10,12,16 |
| 20 | Gain a Level 20 Adventure Feat | 6 | 6 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20 |
| 21 | Gain a Level 21 Combat Feat | 7 | 6 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20 |
| 22 | Gain a Level 22 Adventure Feat | 7 | 7 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20,22 |
| 24 | Gain a Level 24 Combat Feat | 8 | 7 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21,24 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20,22 |
| 26 | Gain a Level 26 Adventure Feat | 8 | 8 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21,24 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20,22,26 |
| 28 | Gain a Level 28 Combat Feat | 9 | 8 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21,24,28 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20,22,26 |
| 30 | Gain a Level 30 Adventure Feat | 9 | 9 | 1,4,8,11,14, 18,21,24,28 | 2,6,10,12,16, 20,22,26,30 |
Each Combat Feat slot can be used to gain a Feat with a level equal or lower to that of the Feat Slot. Likewise, each Adventure Feat slot can be used to gain an Adventure Feat with a level equal or lower to that of the Adventure Feat Slot. Note that Combat Feats and Adventure Feats are not interchangeable: a Combat Feat Slot cannot be used to gain Adventure Feats, nor can an Adventure Feat slot be used to gain Combat Feats.
Designer Note: Experienced players may find this Feat system too restrictive compared to those of previous games. However, these restrictions serve an important purpose. Here is the reasoning behind them:
- Separation between combat options and adventuring options: Allowing characters to freely choose between combat and non-combat Feats results in excessive performance variability, to the point that it’s virtually impossible to design high level content that will be moderately difficult and enjoyable to both characters that are completely specialized on combat and characters that only select non-combat Feats. Furthermore, it is usually optimal to ignore either combat or non-combat options (depending on the campaign), resulting in roughly half the Feats in the game seeing little to no play. The split between Combat and Adventure Feats allows us to get much more predictable character outcomes, which make for a better high level game experience. This also allows players to improve both their combat and non-combat capabilities without feeling that they are hurting their character’s potential.
- Feat categories: It is a natural thing for players to experiment with spending all of their customization resources in improving a single dimension of their character, such as damage, or defenses, or even mobility. Again, this leads to excessive variability between high level character builds and, as a consequence, high variability in game difficulty, combat length, and overall game experience. By classifying Feats into functional Categories, and restricting players to one Feat per Category, we can, for example, provide dozens of options to increase attack damage while ensuring that a given character will only be able to have two or three of them at once.
- No support for previous Feats: We wanted every Feat in the game to have a purpose, and to be playable for a significant percentage of character builds. However, legacy rulebooks had thousands of Feats with wildly inconsistent quality and power level. We decided that starting from scratch and having a compact set of Feats that could realistically be tested and polished was the best option.
- No class/Origin requirements: We wanted the total number of feats to be manageable for players, but also to maintain backwards compatibility with previous Origins and Classes. Since legacy rulebooks have dozens of Origins and Classes, and including Feats for only a subset of them would be considered unfair and introduce balance issues, we chose to remove racial feats altogether and replace Class Feats with options based on Class Role and Power Source, which fill a similar niche with much less effort and complexity. That said, we might reconsider this for future supplements.
3.9 Power selection
The following table summarizes the acquisition of power slots per character level, for classes with standard levelling progression. Note that there are classes with non-standard progressions - the powers gained per level for these classes are listed as part of the class description.
| Level | Powers Acquired | Encounter Attacks | Daily Attacks | Utilities |
| 1 |
Gain 2 At-Will attacks. Gain Level 1 Encounter attack. Gain Level 1 Daily attack. |
1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Gain Level 2 Utility. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Gain Level 3 Encounter Attack. | 1, 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 1, 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | Gain Level 5 Daily Attack. | 1, 3 | 1, 5 | 2 |
| 6 | Gain Level 6 Utility. | 1, 3 | 1, 5 | 2, 6 |
| 7 | Gain Level 7 Encounter Attack. | 1, 3, 7 | 1, 5 | 2, 6 |
| 8 | 1, 3, 7 | 1, 5 | 2, 6 | |
| 9 | Gain Level 9 Daily Attack. | 1, 3, 7 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6 |
| 10 | Gain Level 10 Utility. | 1, 3, 7 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6, 10 |
| 11 | Gain Paragon Path Encounter Attack. | 1, 3, 7, pp11 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6, 10 |
| 12 | Gain Paragon Path Utility. | 1, 3, 7, pp11 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6, 10, pp12 |
| 13 | Upgrade - Level 13 Encounter Attack. | 3, 7, 13, pp11 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6, 10, pp12 |
| 14 | 3, 7, 13, pp11 | 1, 5, 9 | 2, 6, 10, pp12 | |
| 15 | Upgrade: Level 15 Daily Attack. | 3, 7, 13, pp11 | 5, 9, 15 | 2, 6, 10, pp12 |
| 16 | Upgrade: Level 16 Utility. | 3, 7, 13, pp11 | 5, 9, 15 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 |
| 17 | Upgrade: Level 17 Encounter Attack. | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 5, 9, 15 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 |
| 18 | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 5, 9, 15 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 | |
| 19 | Upgrade: Level 19 Daily Attack. | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 9, 15, 19 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 |
| 20 | Gain Paragon Path Daily Attack. | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 9, 15, 19, pp20 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 |
| 21 | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 9, 15, 19, pp20 | 6, 10, 16, pp12 | |
| 22 | Upgrade: Level 22 Utility. | 7, 13, 17, pp11 | 9, 15, 19, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12 |
| 23 | Upgrade: Level 23 Encounter Attack. | 13, 17, 23, pp11 | 9, 15, 19, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12 |
| 24 | 13, 17, 23, pp11 | 9, 15, 19, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12 | |
| 25 | Upgrade: Level 25 Daily Attack. | 13, 17, 23, pp11 | 15, 19, 25, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12 |
| 26 | Gain Epic Destiny Utility | 13, 17, 23, pp11 | 15, 19, 25, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12, ed26 |
| 27 | Upgrade: Level 27 Encounter Attack. | 17, 23, 27, pp11 | 15, 19, 25, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12, ed26 |
| 28 | 17, 23, 27, pp11 | 15, 19, 25, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12, ed26 | |
| 29 | Upgrade: Level 29 Daily Attack. | 17, 23, 27, pp11 | 19, 25, 29, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12, ed26 |
| 30 | 17, 23, 27, pp11 | 19, 25, 29, pp20 | 10, 16, 22, pp12, ed26 |