Complete Warrior, Dragonlance Style

D&D 3e (3.0/3.5) Rules

by Raistlin's Khellspawn

One of my greatest desires was to adapt certain classes and prestige classes from Complete Warrior for the Dragonlance universe. Note that some do not fit with Dragonlance, however, at the DM's discretion, he or she could possibly include such classes. This document shows where the class is transferred (if it can be), what time period(s) it would best fit into, and which races would be best.

Classes

Hexblade: Typically, the blending of sword and sorcery has been frowned upon in the Dragonlance realm, except in some elven traditions. Even still, most elves would despise the curse and hex powers of the hexblade. This class would only really be viable in either the War of the Lance time period, or just after the War of the Souls. Good races for a hexblade in the Dragonlance realm would be humans, Theiwar dwarves, dark elves, draconians, or even evil renegade Irda.

Samurai: As such Eastern culture does not yet exist on Krynn, the samurai class does not exist.

Swashbuckler: Swashbucklers can exist in any culture (except dwarven or gnomish, and some of the brutish evil races). This class would work in all but the earliest time periods. Good races for swashbucklers include humans from anywhere on Krynn (except Solamnia, for obvious reasons), some elves (especially sea elves), non-afflicted kender, or even, in a few rare cases, minotaurs.

Prestige Classes

Bear Warriors: The bear warrior would work well in Dragonlance, providing that divine and feral magic exists for transformations to work. This works in all areas, as druidic magic never faltered (except maybe in the Age of Might and the Age of Mortals). However, at the DM's discretion, wild mystics could take the Bear Warrior prestige class.

Bladesingers: As long as arcane magic is available (sorcerers or wizards, or even bards in some cases), the bladesinger will have a place in elven culture, who have a reputation for blending song, blade, and magic. Though this style of magic was frowned on by the Conclave, it was never persecuted.

Cavaliers: As most of the knightly orders would already be mounted on horses (or dragons), cavaliers would be rare in Dragonlance. It could be used as an alternative to the knights, or a secondary class to improve combat. It also could be used for the humans of Nordmaar, who are renowned for their horsemanship.

Dark Hunters: Due to the fact that the Underdark has a minor role in Dragonlance, dark hunters would be rare or entirely nonexistant. The only race that would produce dark hunters would be the dwarves, and they would function as hunters of wild underground creatures, like grells.

Darkwood Stalkers: As orcs do not exist in Dragonlance, darkwood stalkers would have to shift focus to other evil races. It would be possible for darkwood stalkers to hunt ogres, minotaurs, draconians, or even dark elves. Depending on the time period, the darkwood stalkers could take the place of the kirath, or the bounty hunters sent after Porthios and Alhana.

Dervishes: Rare in Dragonlance. As elves are more cultured and halflings do not exist, the two primary dervish races are gone. It would, however, would be possible to have kender dervishes, and those would be scary indeed. Time placement is also tricky. The most likely time period for dervishes is the War of the Lance or during the Great Migration (where thousands of kender flee from Kendermore to Hylo), or any other time kender are under attack.

Drunken Masters: Non-existant in Dragonlance. No Dragonlance monk would dare to stoop so low to even try the art of drunken fighting.

Exotic Weapon Masters: Common in Dragonlance for mercenaries or for gladiators in the Age of Might, the exotic weapon masters have and will always exist on Krynn. Common examples are human mercenaries for the dragonarmies, kender hoopak specialists, gnomish experimental-weapon warriors, or minotaur gladiators.

Eye of Gruumsh: Neither Gruumsh nor orcs exist on Krynn, but the class could be adapted for ogres, hobgoblins, or minotaurs. Still, the sickening disfiguring rite would put off even the most stoic ogre. If the DM chooses to use this prestige class, the only times to use them would be during the Third Dragon War (ogre battle commanders), or during the War of the Lance.

Frenzied Berserkers: Extremely rare among the civilized races of Krynn, this class could be found in the savage barbarians of the Plains of Abanasinia, or among ogres or feral draconians. They would exist in any time the races of Dragonlance were driven to barbarism (which happened several times, especially after the Cataclysm).

Gnome Giant Slayers: The gnomes in Dragonlance are not typically the type who would kill the rare giants of Krynn, so it would be best for DMs to adapt this class for the kender race. Again, this class would only exist for kender under dire threat.

Halfling Outriders: As halflings don't exist in Dragonlance, the best use for the halfling outrider would be to adapt them for kender (yet again) as elite cavalry. Still, they would be really rare, in all but the few times the kender went to war.

Hulking Hurlers: Rare in the Dragonlance realm, as giants are rare, but ogres could become hulking hurlers in some situations. They would only exist in certain settings, especially where ogres are being driven into barbarism, especially in the Age of Might and after the War of the Lance.

Hunters of the Dead: In some areas of Solamnia, especially the ones bordering Nightlund, a small secret order of Hunters of the Dead has existed since just after the Cataclysm to protect the rest of Solamnia from the undead of Nightlund. This order lasted until after the War of the Souls, when the evil left Nightlund. The Hunters may reappear, especially due to Chemosh's recent activity.

Invisible Blades: This order has always existed on Krynn, in every thieves' guild from Palanthas to Flotsam, in every race. The kender have also maintained a small group of invisible blades that function as defenders and national heroes. The class started circulation in the Age of Might, and has remained strong ever since.

Justicars: This order, in a way, parallels the Knights of Solamnia and the Legion of Steel, but when those groups were either in decline, not available or non-existant, the justicars could have functioned as the police and detectives of Krynn.

Kensai: As Eastern culture is not found in the Dragonlance universe, the Kensai doesn't exist. However, if the PCs really want the class, it could be adapted by DMs as a special group of sworn warriors that could belong to any race.

Knights of the Chalice: There are three knightly orders, and the Knights of the Chalice are not one of them. Not only that, Krynn has very few contacts with other planes, and this order is not really relevant to Krynn.

Knight Protectors: The only place these warriors could possibly fit in would be as renegade Knights who still want to serve the cause of justice in their own way, but their numbers would be few and they would be hunted by vengeful Knights of all three orders. Any group like this would have come into existance in the Age of Might, where disillusioned Knights decided to go against the Kingpriest.

Master Throwers: Obscure methods of fighting are commonplace in the Dragonlance setting, and the Master Thrower is no exception. Coming into fashion during the War of the Lance, all races (particularly kender) would be attracted to this class, for its unique style.

Master of the Unseen Hand: Only high-level wizards and sorcerers can cast telekinesis, and the Conclave frowns on this prestige class, so the few spellcasters who take this class are either renegade wizards or sorcerers (who are considered renegades anyway).

Mindspy: Becoming more and more common after the War of the Souls, the rogue/wizards and rogue/sorcerers are more commonly joining the ranks of the dopplegangers who have been running the hidden mindspy organization for hundreds of years, since before the First Dragon War. The group became more famous as a number of mindspies were Dragonsbane hunters or dragons themselves, but the Kingpriest worked hard to decimate the mindspies, until the Edict of Thought Control caused the Kingpriest to employ hundreds of them.

Nature's Warriors: This group has been Chislev's elite brigade for centuries, since the All-Saints War. Most were exterminated by the Kingpriest along with druids, but a few, primarily elven, remained alive and in hiding, and the group survived the Cataclysm. After Chislev left the world during the Second Cataclysm, the Nature's Warriors vanished completely. Now that the Nature goddess has returned, the Nature's Warriors have returned.

Occult Slayers: A small order before the Age of Might, but it became larger than the Knights of Solamnia during the Age of Might, and they were the primary force that fought for the Kingpriest against the wizards during the Lost Battles. After the war ended, the occult slayers worked on exterminating wizards entirely. Luckily for the Conclave, all of the Occult Slayers were destroyed when the Cataclysm struck. Not the best time to call a Occult Slayer order meeting in Istar.

Order of the Bow Initiates: As with several other orders, the Order of the Bow has remained stoic and strong in the elven nations for hundreds of years. The elves, however, forbade the humans from joining the Order during the Age of Might and did not lift the ban until after the War of Souls, when the desperate homeless elves offered any service they knew so they could survive in the outside world.

Purple Dragon Knights: This group has been replaced by the Knights of Solamnia and the Legion of Steel.

Rage Mage: Only a few sorcerers took this path during the Age of Mortals. The wild aspect did not appear to any except for the most violent, crazed, and evil of sorcerers. All rage mages are either human, ogres, hobgoblins, or the rare draconian, and they only exist in the Age of Mortals.

Ravagers: This prestige class can only be appropriately applied to one small group of humans: the cannibals of Lahue. They are true Ravagers, and if the prestige class was going to be applied to any one group already existing, it would be them. However, if the DM desires that the Ravagers exist beyond there, they would worship Sargonnas and would only be found in the most barbaric of places on Ansalon.

Reaping Maulers: Other than a small dwarven wrestling group dedicated to Reorx in Thorbardin, the reaping mauler class does not exist. If the DM wishes, small communities of reaping maulers could be found in the service of certain gods, such as Kiri-Jolith and Sargonnas (humans and minotaurs only, respectively). The reaping maulers have always have a very small following on Krynn, as most people in the Dragonlance universe prefer to use weapons, but it is gradually expanding with the founding of Thoradin and Teyr, where, under Governor Kang's guidance, a small hand-to-hand combat guild has been created.

Ronin: As samurai do not exist in Dragonlance, ronin, likewise, don't exist either.

Spellsword: Like the hexblade, few spellswords would be found in Dragonlance, due to the typical mistrust of blending both blade and magic. If they were, the only place they'd show up would be in the arena of Istar (captured mages forced to learn combat skills to survive as gladiators) or in the ranks of the dragonarmies (where the blending of sorcery and sword became popular as it was a cheap way of dispatching enemies). Not surprisingly, the most common spellswords are draconians, as they tend to rely on both muscle and magic.

Stonelords: The "chosen of Reorx," most stonelords are found as high priests of Reorx, residing in the tunnels of Thorbardin, where they work to fulfill the will of Reorx. The order of stonelords was founded in the Age of Dreams, and has vanished numerous times (namely after the first Cataclysm and during the Age of Mortals, before the War of the Souls). Rumours relating to a gully dwarf stonelord in Agharbardin, appearing just after the War of Souls in Thorbardin have not been confirmed.

Tattooed Monks: Where the few monks in the world of Krynn serve Majere, the tattooed monk is even more rare. It had only been practiced during the Age of Might, but when the gods 'left' Krynn during the Cataclysm, the monks vanished along with the clerics. After the War of the Souls, the tattooed monk tradition has been revived by ambitious acolytes, and is spreading across Ansalon once more.

Thayan Knight: As this prestige class relates directly to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, it does not exist in Dragonlance.

War Chanters: The wild elves have always had a small sect of war chanters, as have the centaurs, but their numbers have been scattered and they have been relentlessly persecuted, first by the Kingpriest, then by elves seeking to enslave their wild brethren, then by the Dragon Overlords. Now, the Kagonesti, who maintains a sort of home in Southern Ergoth, fight against Gellidus, and their war chanters lead them in war.

War Shapers: This prestige class has been relatively rare, confined to druids, as the Conclave refuses to accept mages who delve into this art. The class, however, has been growing in ranks, especially as more and more druids join the orders. Surprisingly, a large number of draconian shapeshifters have joined the war shapers, hoping to perfect their transforming abilities.

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