Characters (4E)

4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons

Optional rules for character creation.

Free Skill Selection

This option allows free selection of skills, while still ensuring that essential class skill requirements are still met. Members of any class have four free skill picks. Some classes get one or two bonus skills in addition to the four free picks. These are essential skills that are needed for the class, such as Religion for clerics or Arcana for wizards.

Class	Picks	Bonus
Cleric	4	Religion
Fighter	4
Paladin	4	Religion
Ranger	4	Dungeoneering or Nature or Streetwise
Rogue	4	Stealth & Thievery or Bluff & Streetwise or Acrobatics & Athletics
Warlock	4
Warlord	4
Wizard	4	Arcana

This option makes the extra skill selection equivalent for Humans and Eladrin.

Martial Arts Class Option

Before the arrival of the monk, any class can be made into a martial arts class by applying the following modifiers. This is based on the Chinese martial arts tradition, and can use quite a lot of different weapons.

• Remove all armor proficiencies except Cloth armor and all shield proficiencies
  • If the class had proficiency in leather armor, give a bonus to Armor Class equal to the number of armor proficiencies the class had. This bonus applies as long as the character is not helpless and not wearing any armor..
  • If the class had proficiency in heavy armor, it has the option to use either Dexterity, Intelligence, or Constitution to AC while wearing light armor.
  • If the class had proficiency in light shields, give the Two Weapon Defense feat as a bonus feat.
  • If the class had proficiency in heavy shields, give the Fencing and Fencing Stance feats as a bonus feats.
• Give an unarmed attack with the following values: Proficiency +2, Damage 1d8, 1 Handed, Melee, Unarmed, with the Off-hand property.
  • When using an unarmed attack, the character can use the magical abilities of any one melee weapon she carries and is proficient in. She need not be wielding this weapon, but must be carrying it. Changing which carried weapon gives you a bonus is a minor action.