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Money is the only cause worth dying for.

0 2002 Aderac Entertainment Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

WRITING EDITING
Noah Dudley, Andrew Getting, Travis Heermann, Shane Lacy Hensley, jim pinto
Jeff Ibach, Mike Leader, Mike Meads, jim pinto,
Eric Steiger,John Baxter Stringfellow,Douglas Sun INTERIOR DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Dave Agoston and Mark Jelfo
ART DIRECTION
jim pinto PROJECT MANAGER
jim pinto
COVER DESIGN

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Dave Agoston and Mark Jelfo PLAYTESTING AND ADVICE
Mike Leader, James “Sparky”Sparling, Jeff Ibach,
COVER ILLUSTRATION Kevin Millard
Michael Phillippi

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SPECIAL THANKS
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS Once again, there are just far too many people to thank,
Storn Cook, Liz Danforth, Lim Guo Liang, but I’ll do my best.
Michael Phillippi, Kevin Wasden, Jeff Wright Mike Leader, first and foremost for his tireless quest
to make this book as good as it could be.
Robert Lee. I left his name off of Gods. Sorry, Rob.
Andrew Getting for constantly surprising me.
Mike Mearls for everything.
Justin Lawler for nothing.

e Jeff Ibach for so much help, it can’t be calculated.

Travis Heermann for sticking it out.
Alexander William Sparling.. . just because.
Storn Cook. If there’s a better clutch hitter working
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in the minor leagues today, 1haven’t met them.
Scott James. Perfect as always.
Kevin Wasden for shots on goal.

Best wishes to Eric Steiger.

A HEROES’ WELCOME
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To Dave Agoston for doing the impossible.

DEDICATION
This one is for all the unsung heroes.
You know who you are.
Sa
 INTRODUCTION

Introduction ................................. 4 Chapter 7: Spells ............................. 107

Alchemist Elixirs ................................... 107
Chapter I: Races .............................. 5
Bard Spells......................................... 110
Cleric Spells 111
Cleric Domains .................................... 113
Bael . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dralloks............................................ 10
Lahryk ...................... Paladin Spells ...................................... 127
Magirn...................... Ranger Spells ...................................... 128
Guardian, Sorcerer.and Wizard Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Taranuhl. .......................................... 17

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Tattoo Mage Spells ......... .................... 130
Uldrath ............................................ 19 New Spells......................................... 132
Chapter 2: Classes ............................ 21 Chapter 8: Mercenaries ........................ 147
Alchemist ....................... 21 Hiring Mercenaries....
Guardian ........................................... 24

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Guerilla . . . . . . . . . 27
Hunter ............................................. 29
32 Random Mercenary Creation . . . . . . . . 161
Mercenary Ranger .................................. 34 100 Mercenary Adventure Ideas ..................... 166
37
Nomad............................................. 39 Chapter 9: Mercenary Companies .................1 6 9
Scout .............................................. 42 The Mercenary Company ........................... 169
Tattoo Mage ........................................ 44 Mercenary Legends................................. 181
The Scarlet Fist..................................... 184
Chapter 3: Skills ............................. 49
New Uses for old Skills .............................
Stealth .............................................
Chapter 4: Feats ..............................
Feat Descriptions ..........................
49
55
57
57
e Scarlet Fist Feats ...................................
The Delvers ........................................
Krotoks Croakers ..................................
War Wizards’Conclave. . . . . . . . . .
....................
185
187
189
191
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Chapter 10: Prestige Classes 195
Chapter 5: Description., ....................... 69
Mercenary Warriors................................. 69

Walk the Walk ...................................... 71

Religion.................................
....................... 80
Fanatic . . . . . . . ............................... 203
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Chapter 6: Equipment ......................... 81 The Fifth Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Starting Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 206
. . . . . . . . . . . 84
. . . . . . . .209
....................... 92 Man-at-Arms....................................... 211
Order of the Sanguine Knights ...................... 212
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....................... 95 Partisan............................................ 213

Personal Champion.
Class Tools and Skill Kits ..... Skirmisher......................................... 216
. . . . . . . . 217
....................... 97
Guilds .................................. ............................... 219
Stalwart Defender . . . . . . . . . . .221
Urban Defender . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Mounts and Related Gear . . . . . Unseen Hand ...................................... 223
Special and Superior Items........................... 98
. . . . . . . . . . . 100 Chapter 11: Magic Items ....................... 225
. . 101 New Magic Items .................................. 225
Goods and Services................................. 102 Artifacts . . . . . . . . 232
Chapter 12: Monsters ......................... 233
Beasts of Burden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Beasts of the Earth.................................. 237
 INTRODUCTION

ored champions - all may call themselves mercenaries

I” and all with different hopes at heart.
It is this life that true adventurers lead.
“It is true that wealth won’t make a man vi~+uous,but I notice
there ain’t anybody who wants to be poor just for the purpose This book contains the essence of the mercenary’s
of being good.” world, a world of men bound by contract and coin; lives
-Josh Billings spent scrimping by, making a scant living while other
grow fat off their work. The life of a mercenary is not one
Historically, mercenaries lived harsh, difficult lives. to envy or even begrudge, for the day may come when
To attract offers, they had to garner military fame, which even the most popular hero of the realm must sell his

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required great risk. To make a profit, they had to demand sword in order to eat.
at least partial payment up front (lest their employers’cof-
fers - salary and all - go to the enemy). To stay alive, ...
they had to decide whether to betray their patron, or risk

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being betrayed themselves (an all-too-common occur- This book contains everything a DM needs to create
rence when using nominally neutral troops receiving exciting and unique campaigns and everything players
higher pay than the norm). The cycle then repeated itself need to bring a new level of play to their adventures.
for decades until they could earn enough to retire. Not New races and classes enhance or replace those already in
surprisingly, almost none survived long enough to do so. the game system, and new feats and equipment allow
And they never had to worry about magic. players more options for creating gritty swords for hire.
Or monsters.
Or actual, immediate, karmic retribution for their activ-
ities.

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Fantasy mercenaries have no such luxury, and must
compete with the common adventurer for many of their
contracts. They make dangerous foes, and possibly even
more dangerous allies. Mercenaries are a temptation to all
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warlords, and a pawn to be sacrificed.They may fight for
ideals, nations, races, or loyalty, but they always fight for
money.
While most fantasy adventurers view mercenaries with
unmitigated contempt, mercenaries themselves point out
that almost everyone is a “mercenary”on some level. Even
the most enlightened soul rarely plies his trade for free,
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and mercenaries are - in their own eyes at least - sim-

ply honest about their profession. Mercenaries are espe-
cially critical of other adventurers, who work on a for-hire
basis, yet seem to lack the courage to acknowledge
such materialism. After all, not all mercenaries aban-
don morality in their quest for money.
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At least not at first.

The problem with such thinking is that mercenar-
ies face the worst the world has to offer, on a constant
basis. Depending on the nature of the contract, they
must serve as shock troops, skirmishers, suicide
squads, or assassins (battlefield or otherwise). Though
they pride themselves on their mental and physical
fortitude, even they have limits, and the grinding car-
nage that mercenaries face takes its toll. Few survive
long without succumbing to despair or madness.. .
but those who do are heroes in their own right, as
worthy of respect as any paladin or mage. A soul
forged in the terrors of war has little to fear off the
battlefield, and much to gain- on it. Gods of war,
slayers of men, heroes for hire, vile traitors, and hon-
 RACES

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Often perceived as naught more than intelligent vermin,
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to life in a community
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aradan are as hardy and nimble as the rats they resemble. st often found alone
They integrate themselves into other races’ societies as
best they can, feeding off the refuse of others. While nor- be chaotic and neutral.
mally cowardly, aradan turn vicious when their homes or They thrive on change, e a nasty habit of causing
friends are threatened, and the creatures travel in packs. chaos wherever they go
Personality: Aradan greatly prefer action to planning. Race Lands: Aradan h lands of their own. They
They are infamously restless and impetuous, relying on e they can carve out a
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their innate toughness and uncanny ability to survive place of their own. They can be found in most any land,
danger; they exhibit daring that most others cannot but are most frequently encountered in halfling lands or
match. in the dregs of other races’ cities. For the most part, they
Gluttonous and greedy, aradan have an endless appetite prefer any type of city or village to the wilderness.
for both food and wealth, and they hoard both instinc- Religion: The Aradan have no religion of their own.
tively. The creatures often pick over the leavings of other They often follow gods of chaos, trickery and thievery.
races, looking for any lost goods they might use. Some choose to follow the halflings’pantheon, while oth-
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Physical Description: Most aradan stand slightly ers prefer to live lives unfettered by the worship of a deity.
shorter than men, no more than four or five feet tall and Language: Aradan speak their own language, which
slightly built. Fur covers their entire bodies, and their fin- uses the common script (though in a largely illegible
gers and toes end in small, sharp talons. Their fur colors manner). They lack anything resembling literature, with
range widely, from the rare shades of black or white to the most of their great stories being shared orally. They speak
vastly more common reddish brown. Their incisors the Common and Halfling tongues as well.
extend below their jaw, and can cut through wood and Aradan Names: An aradan has a given name, a clan
flesh with equal ease. An aradan’s eyes are small and red, name, and usually a taken name. Occasionally, some
and reflect light well. Aradan have average vision, but pos- aradan take nicknames or are given nicknames by their
sess great darkvision. In addition, aradan possess sharp clans. Nicknames given by a clan are always an honorary
hearing and a keen sense of smell. Aradan have an incred- title, more than a nickname, and are only given to truly
ibly rapid metabolism that enhances their physical exceptional aradan. In some cases, the honorary nick-
prowess and healing ability, but greatly decreases their name is used instead of the Clan name, and gives rise to
life-span. Aradan generally mature within IO years, and a new clan of aradan, comprised of the founder’s family
have a maximum lifespan of around 40 years.