Word of Wizards - Excerpts: Racial Paragon Paths

Player's Handbook 2 Excerpts: Racial Paragon Paths

The first excerpt from the PHB II has finally arrived and we are introduced a new form of paragon paths; the racial paragon path.

They work very similarly with the current class-based paragon paths but the only pre-requisite of picking them is based on your race. The PHB II will feature racial paragon paths for every race except for the half-elf who takes a feat instead.

This excerpt also showcases a sample racial paragon path for humans called the Adroit Explorer. They are the human epitome of curiousity in search of power and knowledge that are driven by their ambition, determination and action.

Their Ambitious Effort (11th level path feature) let's them gain any 7th level encounter attack power. If the Adroit Explorer picks an encounter power that he already has, that power can be used twice in an encounter. This power is re-pick at level 21 whereby the encounter attack power of choice can be all the way to 13th level.

That which does not kill him makes him stronger with his Bloody Determination (11th level path feature). If an Adroit Explorer is bloodied for the first time in an encounter, they gain a +5 power bonus to their attack roll against the opponent who bloodied him until the end of their next turn.

Desperate times calls for desperate measures and the Adroit Explorer responds with a Heroic Action (11th level path feature). Whenever he spends an action point to take another action, he gains a resistance 10 to all damage until the end of his next turn. This resistance increases to 20 when the Adroit Explorer is level 21.

The Adroit Explorer will eventually become the Champion of Humanity (16th level path feature) and wakes up from an extended rest with 2 action points instead of 1.

The powers of the Adroit Explorer are launchpads to greatness. Destined for Greatness (Level 12, Encounter) allows the Explorer to reroll a failed saving throw with a +4 power bonus and spend a healing surge. This power can only be used for saving throws that are not preventing him from dying.

Bloodied Greatness (Level 20, Daily) is triggered as an immediate reaction against any enemy that bloodies the explorer. The explorer can use any encounter attack power against that enemy even if it's already expended or does not expend that power if it's not.

This is quite a neat paragon path and it would match very well with the Bravura Warlord build (Martial Power).