Classes

Classes
by Mike Mearls
Alignment: Myrmidons may select any alignment.
MYRMIDON Good ones are crusaders and defenders of the realm. They
Fighters and wizards are held at opposite ends of the congregate into chivalrous orders dedicated to a god or
adventuring spectrum. Fighters stand at the forefront of nation and swear to use their magic for the betterment of
any battle, relying on their heavy armor, powerful all. Other good myrmidons are free-spirited adventurers
weapons, and physical strength to carry them to victory. who use their skills to defend the weak. Neutral myrmi-
The fighter is firmly entrenched in the physical world. dons work for their own betterment or act as mercenaries,
The wizard loathes melee combat. He relies on others to putting their skills to use for the highest bidder. Evil myr-
shield him from the enemy, and he is frail and often midons take what they want from those weaker than
defenseless. However, he calls upon powerful enchant- themselves, relying on their magic to strike fear into their
ments that allow him to deal far more damage in a single enemies. Lawful myrmidons form institutions similar to
attack than even the strongest warrior can muster. The wizards’ guilds or knightly orders, while chaotic ones are
wizard’s tools are magical energies, arcane training, and lone wanderers who pass their knowledge down to pupils
other nebulous concepts accessible only with training who catch their fancy.
and dedication to the mystic arts. Religion: Myrmidons embrace a wide range of deities.
Some cultures meld these two disparate traditions into Some worship gods of magic, others choose gods of war.
a single, powerful body of knowledge. The myrmidon is In areas or cultures where myrmidons are common, they
the most common of the warrior-mages, a combination of often have their own patron deity or saint. Evil myrmi-
the fighter’s skill at arms with the wizard’s arcane prowess. dons also look to gods of tyranny and death, while good
Myrmidons study a unique brand of magic that allows ones pray to gods of war, protection, and justice.
them to cast spells while wearing even the heaviest armor. Background: Most myrmidons spend years in training
They train with bows, swords, shields, and other tools to master their art. Like wizards, myrmidons apprentice
alien to most arcane spellcasters. This training comes at themselves to accomplished spellcasters who teach them
a price, as the myrmidon learns spells at a slower rate the basics of the myrmidon’s unique brand of magic.
in comparison to wizards and sorcerers. Myrmidons Some myrmidons begin their training as fighters or wiz-
also learn a specialized set of spells, limited primarily to ards and grow into their role after becoming dissatisfied
enchantments that improve their combat abilities, pro- with the initial taste of their training.
vide defense against enemy spells and attacks, and sup- Races: Elves have a very strong tradition of producing
port their allies in battle. powerful myrmidons. As a race that embraces arcane
Adventures: Myrmidons adventure to improve their magic, the elves produce more myrmidons than most
fighting and arcane skills. Like wizards, they seek arcane other races in terms of raw numbers, even though they
knowledge and hunt for lost magical items and long for- typically are few in number compared to humans and oth-
gotten spells. Similar to fighters, they find combat and ers. Gnome myrmidons are also rather common, as their
other dangerous situations exhilarating. Other myrmi- innate ability for illusion magic pushes many of their war-
dons adventure out of a sense of duty, viewing their riors to mix the martial and magical arts. The dwarves’
unique combination of martial and mystical talents as an reliance on military skill produces a few members of this
important gift they must use to help defend their people. class, and in some strongholds myrmidons outnumber
Characteristics: Myrmidons occupy a middle ground wizards by a healthy margin. Of course, the ever-adapt-
between wizards and fighters. They are a notch below able humans produce some myrmidons, though rarely in
fighters in terms of combat skill, and take a back seat to numbers that approach wizards or fighters. Half-elves
wizards in a comparison of raw spellcasting ability. raised in elf communities commonly become myrmi-
However, their unique mix of arcane spellcasting and dons. Halflings and half-orcs can become myrmidons, but
combat abilities make them more effective than either very few do so. Halflings prefer subtlety to combat, and
class in some situations. Myrmidons work best when they few half-orcs have the mental capacity to handle arcane
have a chance to cast a few spells before entering combat. spellcasting.
Their magic centers on spells that improve their fighting
ability and bolster their defenses.

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 Classes

Other Classes: As a class that straddles the line Class Features

between two specialists, myrmidons get along well with All of the following are class features of the Myrmidon.
all the other classes. They are not as skilled in the fighter’s Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As trained warriors,
or wizard’s specialties and always appreciate having mem- myrmidons gain proficiency with simple and martial
bers of those classes around. Rogues and clerics fill the weapons, shields, and light and medium armor.
few gaps in their abilities, and most myrmidons have the Spells: The myrmidon uses a specialized selection of
tactical and strategic skills necessary to realize they can- spells that eliminates all somatic components, allowing
not thrive without aid from others. him to cast spells while wearing armor or carrying a
shield. These spells obey all other rules for arcane spells,
GAME RULE INFORMATION but they form their own special spell list. Like a wizard,
Myrmidons have all the following game statistics. the myrmidon prepares spells ahead of time and follows
Abilities: Strength and Intelligence are the myrmi- all rules for preparing spells that apply to that class. To
don’s two most important ability scores. Intelligence con- learn, prepare, or cast a spell, a myrmidon must have an
trols how many spells they can cast, which spells they can Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. A myr-
master, and how difficult it is to resist their magic. A high midon’s bonus spells are based on Intelligence. The save
Strength improves a myrmidon’s combat skills and grants DC for a myrmidon’s spells equals 10 + the spell’s level +
him bonus damage with his attacks . the myrmidon’s Intelligence modifier.
Alignment: Any. Spellbooks: Just like wizards, myrmidons keep spell-
Hit Die: d8. books in which they record the spells they know.
Starting Gold: 6d4 × 10 gp. Myrmidon spellbooks follow all rules for a wizard’s books,
including rules for adding new spells to them. A myrmi-
Class Skills don begins play with a spellbook containing a number
The myrmidon’s class skills (and the key ability for each of 0-level spells equal to 3 + the myrmidon’s Intelligence
skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), bonus. With each level gained in this class, the myrmidon
Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), gains two new spells of the levels he may cast to his book.
Ride (Dex), and Spellcraft (Int). For example, a 3rd-level myrmidon may add two 1st-level
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 2. spells to his book, but he may not add any 2nd-level ones
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int as he cannot yet cast spells of that level.
modifier. Bonus Feats: At 1st level and every fourth level, the
myrmidon gains a bonus feat. This feat may be any feat
available as a bonus feat to the fighter class, an Item
Creation feat, or a Metamagic feat.

Table 2–10: The Myrmidon

Base Fort Ref Will Spells per Day
Level Attack Save Save Save Special 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Bonus feat, spells 2 — — — — — —
2 +1 +0 +0 +3 3 0 — — — — —
3 +2 +1 +1 +3 3 1 — — — — —
4 +3 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat 3 2 0 — — — —
5 +3 +1 +1 +4 3 3 1 — — — —
6 +4 +2 +2 +5 3 3 2 — — — —
7 +5 +2 +2 +5 3 3 2 0 — — —
8 +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Bonus feat 3 3 3 1 — — —
9 +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 3 3 3 2 — — —
10 +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 3 3 3 2 0 — —
11 +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 3 3 3 3 1 — —
12 +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Bonus feat 3 3 3 3 2 — —
13 +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 3 3 3 3 2 0 —
14 +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 4 3 3 3 3 1 —
15 +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 4 4 3 3 3 2 —
16 +12/7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Bonus feat 4 4 4 3 3 2 0
17 +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 4 4 4 4 3 3 1
18 +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 4 4 4 4 4 3 2
19 +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 4 4 4 4 4 4 3
20 +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bonus feat 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

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 Classes
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