Miniatures Handbook Classes

Wizards of the Coast released the Miniatures Handbook in October 2003 in an effort to more closely integrate the popular new miniatures game with the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Miniatures Handbook includes new prestige classes, feats, spells and monsters suitable for every D&D campaign.

The new base classes and prestige classes are very setting-neutral, so none requires significant modification to place in the Eberron campaign world. However, the new classes are a particularly good fit for some groups and cultures, and this article explores those connections by specifically tying the classes to elements of the campaign setting. Remember that these are just suggestions, and the decision of whether or not to include any of these classes is ultimately up to the DM.

Remember, heroic classes are rare in Eberron, so a healer or tactical soldier is someone special, not just a standard member of any organization. Characters with levels in prestige classes are even rarer, and the DM should take care to avoid having such characters overshadow the PCs.

Basic Classes

Healer
“I thought I had seen the end of it. I thought I was ne’er going to see Breland again. I laid for what seemed like hours on the bloody ground. And then those gentle hands lifted my head, and poured water through my dry lips, and I knew hope again.”
Most healers are trained by House Jorasco and serve in the Healer's Guild, though a few followers of the Silver Flame or the Sovereign Arawai develop this gift unaided. Because of this, nearly half the healers in Khorvaire are halflings, though healers of have been found among all the common races and most Jorasco “healers” are actually adepts or experts. During the Last War, healers were one of the few groups of people who had little to fear treading through great battlefields and even between opposing strongholds. Due to their rarity, they were sought after when large scale battles broke out between factions, and were mutually protected by all sides, since the healers cared for fallen soldiers without bias. Though their role in Khorvaire has lessened significantly with the ending of the Last War, healers are still given almost unrestricted freedom by all nations. If any group can claim healers as enemies, it would be the Blood of Vol, whose numerous undead followers fear the positive energy that healers use to remove the wounds of living beings. Healers traditionally train as apprentices to a teacher, and usually a higher level healer is followed by an acolyte who performs trivial tasks in exchange for learning the healer’s skills.

Marshal
"Move it, you worthless curs!! Fall in, arms ready!! You three, knock down that brush; you, keep your head up, the enemy ain’t in the ground!! There you are, you’ll make your mothers proud now, good form!! Those bastard undead sons of the Keeper don’t stand a chance!!"
Ancient records by Dhakaani generals and warlords tell of goblinoid troops who had the uncanny ability to harass and haranguing lesser soldiers into ranks that would rival elite fighting battalions. There is little doubt that the Dhakaan Empire would not have expanded even half as swiftly as it did without the aid of many of these marshals guiding the humanoid forces on the field. When King Galifar was conquering Khorvaire, he personally commissioned the first marshal school in a now destroyed township in Thrane. Some sages believe he came up with the concept of marshals on his own independently; others believe he learned from Dhakaani scrolls or even a from a hobgoblin warlord who gave his allegiance to Galifar. Today, most marshals emerge as some of the most talented students at the Rekkenmark Academy in Karrnath, while others are trained by the sentinel marshals of House Deneith. The Church of the Silver Flame has a small school for marshals of its own, and other factions make frequent use of marshals’ talents when larger scale conflicts arise. The elves of Valenar currently have the largest number of marshals, much to the lament of the Talenta halflings.

Warmage
“There is nothing quite like the cleansing brought to the world by fire…and lightning…and maybe a little acid, too. Oh, and we can’t forget cold, too, can we? Oh, no, we can’t forget—THAT!!!”
Some say that the path to truly powerful magic is laced with madness. Warmages seem to hold this saying more as a tenet than a cliché. Originally created by the Arcane Congress in the early days of the Last War, warmages have had a chaotic history at best. Learning to cast a small number of spells with such potency that it strains the very mind itself has taken a toll on those brave enough to learn the techniques. While most warmages seem to only exhibit a slight eccentricity after their training begins, occasionally talking to themselves or developing nervous ticks, some fall into outright madness. During the start of the Last War, Aundair was the first to enlist warmages to great effect. The other nations soon followed suit, until a lone warmage destroyed an entire farming village in Breland for no apparent reason. This scenario repeated itself whenever warmages were left uncontrolled. The use of warmages declined as the war progressed, as commanders began to fear the repercussions of their own spellcasters. Today, warmages have a very bad reputation, though a small school in Arcanix, discreetly funded by the Arcane Congress, still teaches the spellcasting style, with eventual hopes of retaining a warmage’s sanity.

Prestige Classes

Bonded Summoner
“No, it is not a servant. Though others may treat elementals as such, the truth of the matter is that all things in the world are composed of the elements. Elementals are simply a more focused version of what we ourselves are, a perfect form of a single concentrated element. They are our brothers, trying to guide us to our own state of perfection.”
Spellcasters have long known the great power that is held by elementals, which is why they are the most commonly summoned creatures. Some arcane spellcasters think that merely summoning elementals is not enough, and that becoming elementals themselves is the most direct route to power. There are no schools or organizations for bonded summoners, but bonded summoners are overwhelmingly found in Zilargo, where gnomes have mastered the art of summoning and binding elementals. Farns Philworth, a gnomish wizard during the pre-Galifar era who is even today considered the ultimate expert on the combination of elementals and arcane magic, penned an instructive text on the subject called Flames, Pebbles, Spray, and Wind: a Treatise on the Nature of Elementals. Other books, and even the very elemental companions brought to this world by bonded summoners, give guidance on the transformation process.

Dragon Samurai
“You cowards sneak through our islands and dare to attempt to set foot on the sacred land of the dragons? You shall all die by my blade or my flame. Honor commands that I show you the power that you dare to defy!!”
Dragon samurai are among the greatest warriors of the Seren clans and protect Argonnessen with a legendary zeal. Considered to be some of the most powerful and fanatical defenders of Argonnessen, dragon samurai command respect and fear from those of their clan, as well as any others unfortunate enough to cross their paths. Among their own clans, dragon samurai are feared and respected for their single-minded drive to defend Argonnessen. Dragon samurai have been known to track fleeing opponents deep into Khorvaire. The most successful dragon samurai earn the respect of the dragons they worship, gaining the right to use them as mounts in the service of Argonnessen. The Lhazaar Principalities once fended off an attack by a copper dragon samurai and his draconic mount, though the price was far too high for the princes involved to be called a victory.

Havoc Mage
“I see no reason to sit back and let the guy with the big knife over there have all the fun. He can’t even cast a cantrip while swinging his blade. I can harness the forces of magic and metal!!”
Birthed by mercenaries during the Last War, havoc mages filled a niche that was occasionally needed during some of the huge battles. Havoc mages were trained to combine the art of magic and the art of melee. A front-line spellcaster was often more useful than the normal rear artillery. While most wizards or sorcerers would concentrate on raw firepower, which often included more than a fair share of accidental allied injuries, a havoc mage focuses on one-on-one combat. If a certain foe seemed to be resistant to sheer force or the use of normal arcane magic would put friendly troops in danger, havoc mages would often be assigned to a unit. Their success was mixed; for every tale of great victory by a havoc mage, there was a story of failure, often of the spectacular or even humorous sort. Today, few havoc mages are trained anywhere. House Deneith has the largest stable of havoc mages, but many other groups, including the Valenar elves, have their own small band of the odd, if useful, warrior-mages.

Skullclan Hunter
“I remember the wraith pushing its hand through me. I remember feeling as though my heart had stopped and could feel my life being slowly sipped away. I could only look into its eyes, and see the pleasure it gained as it ripped at my very soul. If it had not been for my companions, I would have died and become one of them. That is why I hunt the undead. I must free them from the tortured, hateful existence they have been forced into.”
The birth of the Mournland created manifold horrors and nightmares that spill over into surrounding lands like an oozing sore. Undead beings seem to be in never-ending supply in the Mournlands, and the occasional horde has proven to be devastating to the halflings of the Talenta Plains. As a result, a small group of halflings have spent the past four years developing unconventional techniques of fighting against skeletons and zombies. Using divine energy to allow for vital blows has given the halflings a decided edge in dealing with the unliving invaders. At present, no more than a handful skullclan hunters live in Khorvaire; they are nowhere near as established as the hunters of the dead trained by the Aereni Deathguard. However, the few skullclan hunters that exist are more willing to share their techniques with people outside their organization.

Tactical Soldier
“Wait for the swing, step, pivot in, strike!! Now turn, shield up, feint, strike!! Parry, strike low, and then coup de grace. See? It’s just like dancing. Only your partner falls if you do it right.”
As the Last War progressed, masses of lesser troops became worth far less to the various commanders on the field. Smaller groups of better-trained and more cooperative soldiers won battles better than thousands of troops who had first lifted a spear the day before. Tactical soldiers were specifically trained to help those elite units fight better. With their skills more directed to aiding their allies in a fight more than fighting more fiercely themselves, tactical soldiers performed an unsung but vital role for most powerful squads of soldiers. Towards the end of the war, all sides had some form of a tactical soldier on the field, and virtually all used them in the same manner and with the same effect. After the war, most tactical soldiers found their skills to be under appreciated at best. Many have retired or lost their skill at arms in the years of neglect. Others have found a career by hiring themselves out to adventurers, or becoming adventurers themselves. Still others have started schools where they teach their unique style of combat to worthy students.

War Hulk
“Urrr…”
Both the various forces of Darguun and the Daughters of Sora Kell use ogres and giants as living siege engines, and the most effective of these are the war hulks. Trained not to think about anything more than what to swing at next, war hulks are ideal for breaking up large formations of smaller troops. Giants and ogres are usually singled out and taken by trainers, who break their minds and rebuild them into utterly focused machines of war. Combined with a massive amount of physical training and a technique of sweeping blows that can strike several opponents in one swing, the war hulk becomes an awesomely powerful opponent against swarms of lesser troops. However, all commanders who use war hulks know their weakness when forced into one-on-one combat, and how the war hulk’s single-mindedness can lead to some seemingly idiotic actions. Hence, war hulks are almost always found with a contingent of smaller, weaker troops to support and guide the war hulk as needed.

Warchief
“My tribe hasss watched you for many dayssss now, humansss. You make for the holy city of Haka’torvhak, thisss issss without quesssstion. But now your path issss blocked by a fully forty spearsss wielded by my bessst warriorssss. Perhapsss you should rethink your path, yessss?”
The lizardfolk of Q’barra are a group of savage, brutal warriors who often kill intruders without warning or question. The great driving force behind these savage killers is the warchief. Using sheer force of personality, they bring their warriors into such a frenzy that the warriors often end up doing as much damage to themselves as their enemies. Such consequences matter little to the warchiefs and the various tribes, however, as the numbers of lizardfolk warriors seems endless. Warchiefs typically do not lead tribes, or even hold favored positions in the clans; they are seen more the way a human lord would view an effective field commander. A few tribal leaders do have the skills of a warchief, but they normally have gained the status of a leader by some other action or feat. Though almost exclusive to Q’barra, the drow warbands of Xen’Drik are also known to occasionally use warchiefs against outsiders. It is not known if the two cultures are connected in any way.

This article was written and written by Orion Cooper and edited by Johnny "Jhonen Olain" O'Neal. All associated copyrights are property of Wizards of the Coast.

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