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Hello again,

I am happy to finally introduce to you the beta version of the Harbinger, an elemental striker that can be played from level 1 to level 30, with two complete builds and two paragon paths. The Harbinger features polymorphing into elemental forms and a choice of steady or explosive additional damage. Please click on that link to the PDF, give it a look and tell me what you think. All input is valuable. Thanks in advance!
Note: As with the Xaosmith, powers which would otherwise be replaced with higher-level powers instead have a higher level version displayed as an additional line beneath the original power. 

Developing the Harbinger

Of the elemental classes, the harbinger has been changed the most since I first introduced it as the Chaos Bringer. While the Chaos Bringer

As computer games and movies have advanced in the last few decades, so has the public’s appetite for high fantasy.

Just look at any of the great fantasy properties of the last fifteen years. Gritty low fantasies full of desperate men and women fighting puppy-sized rats where magic is small and pointless have been phased out, only to be replaced by heroes casually tossing brilliant streams of magic and fighting mountain-sized monsters. Content creators now have the computer processing speed to depict epic battles between demigods like in the recent remake of [i]Clash of the Titans[/i], wild magic that shatters cities like in the [i]Harry Potter[/i] films, and fantastic vistas like the ones we find in [i]Avatar[/i].

We’ve even seen good models for low-level characters in high-fantasy

Before I say anything else: Within this wall of text you will find details of the first public draft of the Xaosmith, an elemental defender that can be played from level 1 to level 30, with two complete builds and two paragon paths. But we’ll get to that in a minute…

Chaos and Time

The revelation of 5^th edition makes it exceptionally unlikely that we will see true, official elemental classes produced any time soon, so I would like to reaffirm my commitment to proving the viability of the elemental power source by creating four fully-functional elemental classes. I’ve been doing quite a lot of tinkering these past months, albeit less than I would have liked, and for a few months I was bound to silence on the topic; I have sent in, and received a rejection for, a Dragon

D&D’s next edition has been announced, there’s been a lot of buzz about it, especially over 4th edition’s demise. Some folks blame 4th edition as a failure, decrying it as being untrue to the D&D name. Even 4e seems abandoned Wizards of the Coast, hated and hunted.

But I know better, I know the truth. Let me tell you what 4th edition is:

[Mearls down to where 4th edition lies unmoving next to Rich Baker’s body]

Mearls’s Son: Dad! Dad, is he okay? 

Mike Mearls: [relieved as 4th edition slowly pulls himself up to his knees] Thank you. 

4th Edition: You don’t have to thank me. 

In the Elemental Power Source article, I proposed a number of ways to approach creating new, fully-realized elemental classes that can stand on their own, without being associated with another power source. In the previous Elemental Heroes articles 1, 2, 3, and 4, I proposed a one new elemental class of each role along with an extremely rough level 1 Encounters-style character sheet example for each. Since I wrote those articles, I’ve had some great feedback and a lot of vocal support, and I’d like you to know how much I appreciate it. Additionally, Gencon has recently concluded for the year, bringing with it some new information on the upcoming Player’s Option: Power of the Plane Below… which appears to have no elemental classes whatsoever (though the builds themselves

<<<<< Reprint from Dungeon Magazine >>>>>

The Scales of War Adventure Path kicks off in dramatic fashion in issue #156 with "Rescue at Rivenroar," by industry veteran David Noonan. The town of Brindol has experienced a time of peace after the tumultuous war with the goblins of the Red Hand. The town has rebuilt and even constructed a memorial dedicated to the champions who freed the Elsir Vale from the grip of fear and tyranny. But now several citizens of the town have gone missing, and relics of the war have been stolen, leading many to wonder if Brindol will ever find peace. The PCs must discover what has happened to these unfortunate townsfolk and bring them back alive -- if possible.

<<<<< Reprinted from Dungeon Magazine >>>>>

The Plano D&D 4th Ed. Group is looking for

With the recent news that Amazon.com lists what appears to be a player's book of elemental power source material, I thought it would be worthwhile to throw together a few concrete examples of what an elemental class could be.  My hope is to produce a total of four level 1 PCs more or less ready for play at something like an Encounters session, one for each role.

First up is the xaosmith, a defender that channels their strength through a blob of tumultuous elemental chaos matter called a chaos node, from which they can create a weapon identical to whichever one they hold at the moment, allowing them to make melee attacks from a great distance and to be effectively in two places at once. While the chaos node can be used simply as a way to extend the range of your defender abilities,

When 4th Edition was first out, one of the more prevailant comments about it was that it no longer felt like Dungeons and Dragons.  The changes to classes and powers made the game feel different than what we'd come to expect.  For example, fighters had a long list of effects that were named in the same manner as wizard spells, and therefore some folks interpreted them as spells as well.

I feel that Essentials goes back to recapture that feeling of old-school D&D.  A fighter's main combat activity comes back to the basic attack, with options branching off from there (stances, etc.)  I was really delighted to see this, because I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1979, with most of my experience being in 1st and 2nd Editions.

Now, since I was an immediate adapter

*** This campaign uses the Tomb of Horrors adventure book, adapted to the Birthright setting. There was also a session on the 20^th, but I was not present and no one else made a report. So I will incorporate what I heard happened in this report. ***

Absent: 27^th: Barsjt.

The mebhaighl closes in on me from all sides. Overwhelming. All goes black.

I came back to my senses again. My head aching with the power released and infused into the temple. The complex is under assault! By attacking the integrity of the wards placed in and around the temple complex a lot of energy coursed through the buildings, assailing those attuned to magic. I was not the only one who was knocked senseless. Other priests and minor wizards lay moaning or still in the hallway. It took me a