*Art by Storn A. Cook, used under Creative Commons
[Below you'll find the first of five Pick Up PCs for eleventh level play, each one can be downloaded and opened using the D&D Character Builder program. All five are from the Eberron campaign setting, although they can easily be ported to another campaign world if needed.]
Download Evard the Explorer as a DDI Character Builder file
Download Evard the Explorer as a PDF file
Background
Evard the Explorer is a dwarven artificer from the city of Stormreach. When he was a child and his older brother Eberk was learning the dwarven arts of combat, Evard was always off exploring the city, sometimes wandering into the dangerous sewers beneath the city. It was during one of these forays that Evard found his love.
Inside one of the many twisting passages that makes up the Stormreach sewers Evard found a tunnel leading to an ancient Dharkanni ruin, filled with mysterious artifacts and ancient architecture. Evard was enamored, and hardly noticed the hobgoblins sneaking up behind him.
Eberk saved him, leading a foray of warriors into the sewers they tracked him with the help of a dockside tough named Khava. From that point, Eberk never took his eyes off Evard. Unfourtunetely for Eberk, Evard had a taste of adventure and history and would never be the same.
Evard poured himself into the study of ancient arcane arts, and history. He lent his services to those who would take him on their quests, and quickly found regular employment with the Morgrave University, exploring ruins both on Khorvaire and within the deepest jungles of Xendrik.
Goals
Evard is fascinated with history and the arcane. Sadly he has no long term goal in mind, but floats from job to job and place to place enamored with the wonders around him. For Evard life is about adventure and nothing speaks to him more than the glorious remains of the past.
Mannerisms
While playing Evard feel free to break dwarven stereotypes. Evard isn't somber, he isn't concerned with honor or his family's respect. Evard is a flighty, curious man who is willing to endanger himself (and by extension his allies) to find a shred of interesting lore on a forgotten culture.
Despite the problems his work encounters (or creates) Evard stays optimistic, certain in his safety even as he is seperated from the surface world by collapsing ruins. This is largly due to his older Eberk always being around, and if Evard finds himself alone if is highly likely that the situation would chip away at his happy demeanor.
Combos
Shatter the Shell
This move allows Evard to pound on an enemy as efficiently as any frontline warrior, perhaps even better.
The Setup
Make sure you are within ten squares of the enemy, but with no other opponents adjacent to you.
The Execution
1st: Attack the opponent with Altered Luck, and since you are within range give yourself a +2 to your next attack.
2nd: Spend an action point and attack the opponent with Brittle-Skin Missile
3rd: At the end of this turn, or the start of the next turn close with your opponent and start attacking with Aggravating Force, giving you a continuous +2 to hit with your next attack. Also, since you have White Lotus Enervation, they take a -1 to their AC until the end of your next turn.
4th: Continue step 3, enjoying your +3 to hit and +5 to damage.
Using Evard In Your Campaign
Using Evard in a different campaign doesn't require much of a change, just rework his background to be another city, and instead of Dharkanni ruins, he discovers a different ruin left by a group in your campaign world.
Using Evard as an NPC
Evard could make for an interesting employer for the PCs. Hiring them for protection and then occasionally putting the party in danger "In the name of research".
Alternatively, if the party has a habit of exploring ruins Evard and his friends could be reoccurring rivals, constantly striving to do things faster and better than the PCs.
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