I’ve said before that 4e D&D is Superhero Fantasy where the Heroes are medieval versions of the Fantastic Four, Batman and all the rest. That more than hit home while I was reading PHB2. That book is chock full of mutant superhero goodness!
Let’s meet the team.
Professor Xavier – Gnome Tactical Warlord/Shaman with Ritual Feat
Crippled since birth, Xavier is a gnome who knows the battlefield like no other – some say his skill is such that he can even see into the minds of his opponents. He has dedicated himself to the betterment of the non-human races and used his considerable wealth to form the School for Gifted Demihumans.
Angel – Deva Ranger
Where most Devas wear small wing ornaments as a matter of pride, War’rn has self-forged a pair of stunning silver mechanical wings to his back. As the scout and tracker of the team, Angel flies high above his teammates, relaying critical tactical information back to the Professor.
Wolverine – Razorclaw Shifter Barbarian
Grumpy, humourless but quite likeable when you get to know him (after a few decades, maybe), the Shifter known as Wolverine is, without doubt, the best at what he does. Thanks to his Adamantine Amulet of Healing and ferocity in combat, he’s almost unstoppable. Which is not a good thing if you’re the one trying to stop him.
Jean Grey – Half-Elf Shaman
She talks to spirits, and they talk to her. She shares a close bond with Professor X and a bed with….. well, pretty much anyone else, it seems. But the less said about that, the better, eh?
Beast – Half-Orc Rogue with Alchemy Feat
A brutal genius, or a genial brute? The Half-Orc known only as Beast is both, combining his innate strength and dexterity with an unexpectedly scientific mind. He’s far more at home in his alchemy lab than battling evil face-to-face, but when the need arises he’s more than up to the task. In combat he combines unexpected changes of direction and acrobatic moves to leave the poor foe open to attack. Then, he pounces – just like the Beast he is.
Colossus – Goliath Earth Warden
From across the waters comes Piotr Rasputin, a huge hulk of a creature with a close ties to the land itself. With but a thought he can coat himself in rock and his favourite tactic is to pick up Wolverine and throw him at his foes (counts as a Ranged attack with one of Wolverine’s At-Will Powers and Wolverine Shifts to the target square; usable once per Encounter).
Cyclops – Human Chaos Sorcerer
Ever the outcast, Cyclops’ chaotic nature arose in his teens when he accidentally destroyed an orc village. Unlike most sorcerers his magical blasts originate from his eyes and have a habit of accidentally going off at inopportune moments. Professor X and Beast have worked together to fashion of visor for him which grants him some of degree of control. He is a natural leader in the field, though his cautious nature has led to more than one conflict with Wolverine.
Any questions?
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This is awesome. You’ve done a great job of envisioning the X-men as player classes for 4e D&D. Do you think you could convince your gaming group to actually play these characters? And if they do, have you given any thought to what the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants might look like as D&D characters? Sounds like a good idea for a follow-up article.
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Posted 05 May 2009 at 1:21 pm ¶No questions, just an observation that I’m going to hurt you severely for mixing my chocolate in your damn peanut butter. Quitit! ;)
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Posted 05 May 2009 at 1:25 pm ¶@Ameron Thanks! I have a sneaky suspicion that the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants will be appearing in PHB3! I’m sure I could rustle up a follow-up post, or two. My players would definitely love this – longtime superhero gamers, all.
@Chgowiz This is what I think of your idle threats! :D
Posted 05 May 2009 at 1:30 pm ¶oh, nice interpretation. Are you going to do Magneto and his Brotherhood?
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Posted 05 May 2009 at 1:33 pm ¶Um….I think you forgot a few. Here’s one:
[b]GAMBIT – Human Duskblade[/b]
Orphaned as an infant young “Rem” was taken in by a [i]Binder[/i] cult that had long ago broken away from the centuries old [i]Thieves Guild[/i] yet still operated in such a capacity. With the teachings of the guild from his youth and his light armor blessed by Arcane magic Remy sought his own way. Its to no ones surprise that he met up with Xavier’s group.
Nice article!
Posted 05 May 2009 at 2:14 pm ¶@Elton Thanks! I’m sure they’ll make an appearance at some point.
@BlaqueSaber Nice! If I tried to list all of the members of the X-Men past, present and future in D&D form, I’d be here for a very, very long time indeed. I’ll leave that as an exercise for you readers to do :D
Posted 05 May 2009 at 2:31 pm ¶Nice. Just nice. Worth the wait. :-)
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Posted 05 May 2009 at 3:27 pm ¶Curious… have you read Neil Gaiman’s 1602?
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Posted 05 May 2009 at 4:44 pm ¶@Helmsman Oh yes!!
Posted 05 May 2009 at 4:59 pm ¶Jean Grey was really that much of a loose character? (I haven’t read hardly any of the comic books.)
Posted 05 May 2009 at 5:03 pm ¶@benpop Pretty much, yes. As well as Wolverine & Cyclops (who she married twice, and her clone married once – don’t ask) she also went out with Angel for a while and admitted she was in love with Professor X. That’s just the bits I can remember.
Mind you, she’s also died more times than any other superhero ever, but I guess it balances out in the end.
Posted 05 May 2009 at 5:13 pm ¶This is one inspired article. I never really thought much about shifters but “wolverine” would make a great NPC to spring on the PCs.
CharlieAmras last blog post..Before there was Clip Art. . .
Posted 05 May 2009 at 9:39 pm ¶I love the Speedball Special encounter power.
I believe Jean has dated Beast as well, but that was pre-fur era. But for a 46 year-old character thats really not that bad. =)
For Cyclops I may have gone Tactical Warlord muliclass Wizard. This would emphasize his battleground leadership but still give him some blasting ability. Resourceful Warlord/Sorcerer or Chaos Sorcerer/Warlord could be good also.
To add to the conversation:
Posted 06 May 2009 at 4:35 am ¶Storm
Wrathful Invoker
Ororo, once regarded as a goddess herself, has a direct link with the divine. She has the power to call down lightning to smite those who oppose her.
@Milamber Oh good catch! I meant to include Storm as an Invoker then completely forgot. Thanks for adding her back in :D Cyclops works well as a Warlord/Wizard too. I like!
Posted 06 May 2009 at 8:26 am ¶Love it! Actually my group all thought that 4e would make a better supers game than fantasy after thier first session. Most all of the table were guys from our “red book” days and so I wonder when we might read….
WotC announces that it will drop its subpar D20 Modern line and relaunch it as Capes and Crusaders 4e!!!! LOL (wait….I would buy that actually!)
Posted 08 May 2009 at 3:28 am ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
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