Expanding Possibilities

Shadows of Undrentide

This expansion pack adds 16 monsters, over 30 feats, more than 50 spells, a variety of weapons and 5 prestige classes, which are special sub-classes that require certain prerequisites in skills and feats, and sometimes alignment.

The new monsters include: female frost giants, huge, fearsome giants who can be as wildly unpredictable as they are dangerous; hobgoblins, which are as easily dispatched as their goblin cousins but which are also dangerous if they attack in large numbers; pseudodragons, which are much smaller members of the dragon family; and gorgons, four-legged, bull-like magical creatures that sport a mean coat of armor.

Among the new feats you have to choose from are: arcane defense, in which you study a school of magic enough to learn how to defeat its spells; blind fighting, an obviously important feat to have handy when your torch burns out in a dungeon; and courteous magocracy, which brings you special insight to the histories of old wizards, thus helping you immensely when you recover one of their magical artifacts and need to know what it is.

Magic-users of all stripes will appreciate the many new spells, which include: acid splash (wizard, sorcerer), which conjures a small vial of acid you can throw at an opponent; bane (cleric), which fills your enemies with fear and brings a — 1 to their attacks and saving throws against fear; and bombardment (druid), which causes rocks to rain down on your opponents.

The new prestige classes are:

• Arcane archer: You must be an elven or half-elven fighter, ranger, paladin, or barbarian to add this prestige class. It brings you extra archery skills, including an attack bonus, as well as a few spellcasting abilities, such as enchanted arrows.
• Assassin: As long as your alignment is one of the evil ones and you have high levels of skill in hiding and moving silently, you can adopt this prestige class. When it comes to infiltrating buildings and stealing information or valuable objects, you’re the one to do it.
• Blackguard: This is another prestige class that requires an evil alignment as well as certain skills and feats. A blackguard is the quintessential black knight, a warrior who rubs shoulders with foul creatures and who worships dark deities.
• Harper scout: Those who select this prestige class become members of a secret society that you learn about in the beginning of your adventures. The society’s mission is a nebulous one that involves keeping evil at bay, preserving knowledge, and keeping civilization and the wild in harmony with one another. Harpers gain a wide variety of abilities, including some basic spells.
• Shadowdancer: You can select virtually any class as well as this prestige class; it brings different enhancements depending on which class you belong to. As long as you already possess certain feats and skills, you can become a shadowdancer and pick up such abilities as hiding in plain sight and darkvision, which illuminates dimly lit areas.

Hordes of the Underdark

This expansion pack adds 16 monsters, over 50 feats, more than 40 spells, a variety of weapons, and 6 prestige classes.

New monsters for you to battle include: gelatinous cube, a favorite from the early days of D&D that resembles the blob, as in the B-grade sci-fi film of the same name; beholders, which are essentially one-eyed heads with eyestalks growing out of them and the ability to cast evil spells; prismatic dragons, powerful, colorful lizards that will often leave you alone unless you attack them; and driders, foul creatures with the upper torso of a Drow male and the lower body of a spider.

The new feats include: armor skin, which provides extra protection to your skin; automatic still spell, a handy feat for spellcasters who want to cast their spells without going through the usual hand movements and magical phrases; curse song, which allows you to take the bards’ innocent tunes and twist them so that they corrupt your opponents’ minds; and epic reflexes, a heightened state of awareness that helps you avoid enemy attacks, traps, and other surprises.

Those who attack mainly with spells will appreciate the addition of: ball of lightning (wizard, sorcerer); blackstaff (wizard, sorcerer), which turns an ordinary quarterstaff into a magical weapon; glyph of warding (cleric), which creates a magical zone that can detect approaching monsters; and healing sting (druid), which allows you to arm others simply by touching them.

The new prestige classes are:

• Champion of Torm: This prestige class requires a non-evil alignment, focus on melee weapon feats, and a base attack bonus of +7. Those who choose it dedicate their lives to the god Torm.
• Dwarven Defender: You must be a dwarf, of course, as well as possess certain feats and a lawful alignment. This prestige class comprises dwarven nobility and aristocracy and is a staunch proponent of the dwarven way of life. Those who choose it gain enhanced defensive abilities.
• Pale Master: As long as your alignment is any of the non-good ones and you have reached third level or higher in arcane spellcasting, you can select this prestige class. Those who practice it gain power over the undead.
• Red Dragon Disciple: Either sorcerers or bards can specialize as Red Dragon Disciples, who supposedly have red dragon blood somewhere in their lineage. This gives them the ability to cast special spells, such as red dragon’s breath.
• Shifter: Only druids can select this prestige class, which allows them to change shape as effortlessly as others might change their clothes. As they advance in levels, they gain the ability to turn into a wider array of creatures, including driders and gargoyles, as well as humanoid forms.
• Weapon Master: Members of this prestige class select a weapon and devote all their training to it in a quest to make it an extension of themselves.