The Dungeon Master's Journal of the Unquiet Lands

The companion character is one of the most useful game mechanics introduced in the Dungeon Master's Guide 2. It allows for the quick inclusion of durable characters who can support a party without stealing the spotlight, and who are easily run by players.

I am particularly fond of the fact that companions bypass two of my pet peeves of D&D, one thematic and the other practical. The first is the need for magic items. Here are four capable high level characters and no magical items are listed for any of them! Alternatively, they could be decked out with magical equipment, all already accounted for in their statistics. It's just a question of how I want to present them. In this case, Fell's orb is certainly a magical item of some power. . . but I don't have to say what it is at all!

My other pet peeve is feats. Few things about D&D from third edition on make me more impatient than going through page after page of poorly-organized feats. Granted, organization markedly improved with the fourth edition, but it's still a headache. In the case of companion characters, it's also unneeded. One of these days, I'll probably make a personal list of useful NPC feats, but it's nice to be able to skip the step without having to compensate in terms of the characters' abilities.

These four companions are for a high heroic or low-paragon tier game. Their statistics have been adjusted to best complement a party of 11th level adventurers. (See "Making Things Level," Dungeon Master's Guide 2, pages 34-35.)

The personalized stat block I use is still evolving. This is the latest version for companion characters. Two things experienced D&Ders may notice are missing: level and alignment. Level is irrelevant; some of these characters are originally of lower or higher level, but I've already said they're geared to support 11th level adventurers. Alignment is similarly unnecessary. Whether chaotic evil or lawful good, the purpose of a companion is to support a party. If I need these character to behave in ways that don't have the best interests of the party at heart, that is when I step in to take personal control of the character. I'm not a fan of letting players do my own dirty work.

There are a few other tweaks here and there that reflect the peculiarities of the situation that these characters are to be used in, such as language choices, minimal equipment, and focus on combat statistics. Time is always at a premium when running three games, and I very much try to avoid unnecessary work whenever I can resist the temptation.


Girain Sundrynice
Medium Fey Humanoid Male (Eladrin)
Role: Leader
Languages: Elven, Goblinese
Str 13 (+6) Con 14 (+7) Dex 11 (+5) Int 16 (+8) Wis 12 (+6) Cha 18 (+9)

Equipment: chainmail, longbow, longsword, quiver w/ 30 arrows

Play Notes
Girain stands just shy of six feet, and has long gray hair and purple eyes. Formerly the leader of a mercenary band, he now serves as captain of the guards at Fell's Holdfast. Not as strong or as agile as his lieutenants, he has developed a personal fighting style that compensates for his physical shortcomings with numerous feints and flashy bluffs, and is inspiring in its audacity.

Skills (Including a -1 armor penalty where appropriate.)
Acrobatics: +4
Arcana: +15
Athletics: +5
Bluff: +9
Diplomacy: +14
Dungeoneering +6
Endurance: +6
Heal: +6
History: +10
Insight: +6
Intimidate: +9
Nature: +6
Perception: +11
Religion: +8
Stealth: +4
Streetwise: +9
Thievery: +4

Trained Skills: Arcana, Diplomacy, Perception

Traits
Trance - 4 hours of wakeful rest counts as an Extended Rest

Free Actions
Action Point (encounter trigger - own turn only) take one standard-equivalent action

Minor Actions
Inspire (twice per encounter; once per round) Close Burst 5 targeting self or allies; target may spend a healing surge

Song of Conquest (encounter) any ally within 5 squares who hits an enemy gains 5 temp hp ENT

Move Actions
Speed 5

Fey Step (encounter) Teleport 5

Basic Standard Actions
Longbow (at-will) Ranged 20/40 Basic Bow +17 vs. AC; 1d10+5 dmg (critical: 15 dmg); load free; ammo 30

Longsword (at-will) Melee Basic Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 1d8+6 dmg (critical: 14 dmg); versatile

Standard Actions
Guiding Strike (at-will) Melee Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 1d8+9 dmg (critical: 17 dmg) and target takes -2 to any one defense Girain picks ENT; versatile

Attention-gathering Strike (encounter) Melee Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 2d8+9 dmg (critical: 25 dmg), slide one ally who is adjacent to the target to another space adjacent to the target and grant that ally +2 to AC ENT; versatile

Second Wind (encounter) spend a healing surge to heal 19 and gain +2 to all defenses SOT

Stealth +4
Low-light vision
PP 21 PI 16
Initiative +5
AC 26 Fort 24 Ref 24 Will 25
HP: 76/38
HS/SV: 9/19
Saves at +5 vs. Charm

Giersas Dancingfroth
Medium Fey Humanoid Male (Eladrin)
Role: Striker
Languages: Elven, Supernal
Str 10 (+5) Con 18 (+9) Dex 12 (+6) Int 16 (+8) Wis 15 (+7) Cha 13 (+6)

Equipment: robes

Play Notes
Giersas is of medium height, with silver hair, large gray eyes, and a maimed left hand. He is pleasantly handsome and careful about his appearance. Giersas is Fell's chief advisor, and holds authority over all of Fell's apprentices. A scholar much of his life, he is not an experienced combatant. The fact that his spells have comparable accuracy and damage to the rest of the party's attacks is attributable to the potency of the curses he knows.

Skills
Acrobatics: +6
Arcana: +15
Athletics: +5
Bluff: +6
Diplomacy: +6
Dungeoneering +7
Endurance: +9
Heal: +7
History: +15
Insight: +7
Intimidate: +6
Nature: +7
Perception: +7
Religion: +13
Stealth: +6
Streetwise: +6
Thievery: +6

Trained Skills: Arcana, History, Religion

Traits
Advantageous Strike (once per round) add +1d6 dmg to any attack that hits with combat advantage

Trance - 4 hours of wakeful rest counts as an Extended Rest

Free Actions
Action Point (encounter trigger - own turn only) take one standard-equivalent action

Move Actions
Speed 6

Fey Step (encounter) Teleport 5

Basic Standard Actions
Eldritch Blast (at-will) Ranged 10 Basic Arcane +15 vs. Reflex; 1d10+9 dmg (critical: 19 dmg)

Unarmed Strike (at-will) Melee Basic Unarmed +15 vs. AC; 1d4+5 dmg (critical: 9 dmg)

Standard Actions
Ambassador Imp (daily) send a message and receive a reply from a target up to 100 miles away

Infernal Moon Curse (encounter) Ranged 10 Poison +15 vs. Fortitude; 2d8+9 poison (critical: 25 poison) and the target is held immobilized 1 square above the ground ENT

Second Wind (encounter) spend a healing surge to heal 20 and +2 to all defenses SOT

Stealth +6
Low-light vision
PP 17 PI 17
Initiative +6
AC 26 Fort 24 Ref 24 Will 25
HP: 80/40
HS/SV: 10/20
Saves at +5 vs. Charm

Hyadein Treasuremap
Medium Fey Humanoid Male (Eladrin)
Role: Striker
Languages: Elven, Common
Str 18 (+9) Con 15 (+7) Dex 16 (+8) Int 10 (+5) Wis 12 (+6) Cha 13 (+6)

Equipment: leather armor, longsword, short sword, longbow, 2 quivers with 30 arrows each, standard adventurer's kit

Play Notes
Hyadein is Iyaum Treasuremap's younger brother. He looks up to her and joined the King's Rangers because she did. He's mostly worked in small groups of other rangers, and has hunted more than a few fearsome monsters during his career. Hyadein has messy red hair and purple eyes, wears modest, practical garments and bears numerous magically-incurred scars, some of them from his recent fight with the fiends from the Devilswood.
He keeps to himself and could be called secretive, if he had any secrets worth keeping. He's also got an impish streak that often riles his very serious sister. Hyadein is fond of company, though he doesn't stand out in a crowd. A serious camp addict, he probably should have been born an elf, and would spend every waking moment outdoors if he could.
Hyadein is armed with longbow, longsword, and short sword, as are all of the King's Rangers. However, he has little use for his short sword, and more often chooses to wield the longer blade with both hands. He does value the short sword as a badge of the Rangers, and will not hurl it in a place where he is not certain of being able to retrieve it later, unless he is desperate.

Skills
Acrobatics: +16
Arcana: +7
Athletics: +17
Bluff: +6
Diplomacy: +6
Dungeoneering +6
Endurance: +7
Heal: +6
History: +7
Insight: +6
Intimidate: +6
Nature: +14
Perception: +6
Religion: +5
Stealth: +8
Streetwise: +6
Thievery: +8

Trained Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature

Traits
Dangerous Advantage (once per round) add +2d6 dmg to any attack that hits with combat advantage

Trance - 4 hours of wakeful rest counts as Extended Rest

Undaunted Stride Stance (when active) difficult terrain does not affect movement

Free Actions
Action Point (encounter trigger - own turn only) take one standard-equivalent action

Minor Actions
Battle Runner (daily) gain Battle Runner Stance EOE (only one stance may be in effect at any time)

Undaunted Stride (daily) gain Undaunted Stride Stance EOE (only one stance may be in effect at any time)

Move Actions
Speed 6

Battle Run (at-will while in Battle Runner Stance) Run 10 and do not grant CA

Fey Step (encounter) Teleport 5

Basic Standard Actions
Longbow (at-will) Ranged 20/40 Basic Bow +17 vs. AC; 1d10+8 dmg (critical: 18 dmg); ammo 60; load free

Longsword (at-will) Melee Basic Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 1d8+9 dmg (critical: 17 dmg); versatile

Short Sword (at-will) Melee Basic Light Blade +18 vs. AC; 1d6+9 dmg (critical: 15 dmg); off-hand

Thrown Short Sword (at-will) Ranged 5/10 Basic Improvised Thrown +15 vs. AC; 1d4+8 dmg (critical: 12 dmg); ammo 1

Standard Actions
Hit and Run (at-will) Melee Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 1d8+9 dmg (critical: 17 dmg); effect: moving after this attack does not provoke opportunity attacks when leaving the first threatened square adjacent to the target; versatile

Second Wind (encounter) heal 19 and gain +2 to all defenses SOT

Toppling Rush (encounter) Move at speed. Melee Heavy Blade +18 vs. AC; 3d8+9 dmg (critical: 33 dmg) and knocked prone; versatile

Stealth +8
Low-light Vision
PP 16 PI 16
Initiative +8
AC: 25 Fort: 23 Ref: 25 Will 22
HP: 77/38
HS/SV: 8/19
Saves at +5 vs. Charm

Fell
Medium Natural Humanoid Male (Tiefling)
Role: Controller
Languages: Elven, Primordial, Supernal
Str 11 (+5) Con 10 (+5) Dex 13 (+6) Int 21 (+10) Wis 15 (+7) Cha 18 (+9)

Equipment: modest beige robes, staff, orb (a crystal ball with milky-pale gold speckles encased within a delicate silver netting)

Play Notes: Fell was formerly the master of battle magic for the Flamehearts, an organization comprised mostly of tieflings who deal with unnatural threats to the Bright Kingdom. He retired to the northeastern portion of Gwyren Ogleth, where he commissioned a small keep to be raised. Fell had auburn hair that is now mostly white, and possesses amber eyes. Once quite dextrous, he is afflicted by tremors in his old age. He seems a little shorter than his average height due to a slight stoop. Fell is a cautious, economical fighter who is very much aware of his abilities and limitations.

Skills
Acrobatics: +6
Arcana: +18
Athletics: +5
Bluff: +11
Diplomacy: +17
Dungeoneering +7
Endurance: +5
Heal: +7
History: +18
Insight: +7
Intimidate: +9
Nature: +7
Perception: +7
Religion: +18
Stealth: +8
Streetwise: +9
Thievery: +6

Trained Skilled: Arcana, Diplomacy, History, Religion

Traits
Bloodhunt - attack bloodied enemies at +1

Free Actions
Action Point (encounter trigger - own turn only) take one standard-equivalent action

Infernal Wrath (encounter trigger - an enemy within 10 squares hits Fell) Close Burst 10 targeting triggering enemy; effect: 2d6+10 fire

Opportunity Actions
Arcane Riposte (at-will trigger - creature provokes an opportunity attack) Melee Opportunity Improvised +19 (+20 if target is bloodied) vs. Reflex; 1d8+10 cold/fire/force/lightning (critical: 18 cold/fire/force/lightning); special: choose one form of damage when making this attack

Immediate Actions
Shield (daily interrupt trigger - hit by an attack) gain +4 to AC and Reflex defenses ENT

Minor Actions
Arcane Gate (daily) Ranged 20 targeting 2 squares; treat targets as adjacent ENT

Sustain Arcane Gate

Move Actions
Speed 6

Basic Standard Actions
One-handed Staff Strike (at-will) Melee Basic Improvised +15 (+16 if target is bloodied) vs. AC; 1d4+5 dmg (critical: 9 dmg)

Standard Actions
Forceful Retort (encounter) Close Burst 1 targeting enemies; Force Orb +15 (+16 if target is bloodied) vs. Fortitude; 3d8+10 force (critical: 34 force), push 1 and knock prone

Phantom Bolt (at-will) Ranged 10 Illusion Orb +15 (+16 if target is bloodied) vs. Will; 1d8+10 psychic (critical: 18 psychic) and slide 1

Second Wind (encounter) heal 15 and gain +2 to all defenses SOT

Stealth +8
Low-light Vision
PP 17 PI 17
Initiative +6
AC: 24 Fort: 22 Ref: 24 Will 26
HP: 60/30
Resist 10 fire
HS/SV: 6/15