Player's Handbook: Arcane, Divine, and Martial Heroes is one of the core sourcebooks for 4th-edition Dungeons & Dragons, published on June 6, 2008.
In a fantastic world of magic and monsters, a new age of adventure unfolds. This core rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game provides everything players need to create and run heroic characters through legendary dungeons of dread.
The Player's Handbook features the 4th Edition game rules, including character creation, combat and adventuring, classes and races, equipment and magic items, skills, feats, powers, and more.
Contents[]
The Player's Handbook is the first core rulebook for the 4th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Within, as in previous editions of the Player's Handbook, are contained all that any player needs to know before playing for their first time, including available classes and races from which to build their character, as well as an introduction to combat rules and a listing of magical equipment that player characters can acquire. The rulebook also includes a listing of feats and rituals, which players can use to further optimize and customize their characters. Unlike later books in the 4th edition core rules, the first Player's Handbook focuses on arcane, divine, and martial classes.
The book is divided into ten chapters, as follow:
- How to Play — This section, which is written to both introduce new gamers to the basics of roleplaying while also explaining differences between the 4th edition ruleset and previous editions, includes a brief history of the game, and an explanation of the most basic rules (such as the "core mechanic" of rolling a twenty-side die) among other details.
- Making Characters — This chapter walks a player through the elementary steps of making their character, such as how to choose a class or race, what ability scores and how to choose them, the basics of roleplaying and alignment, and an explanation of the three "tier" leveling mechanic in the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. A sample character sheet is also provided with notes to explain what each section means.
- Character Races — The core races of the 4th edition ruleset are presented here: dragonborn, dwarves, eladrin, elves, half-elves, halflings, humans, and tieflings. Details include racial abilities as well as a brief description of racial outlook and psychology. These details are broadly meant to apply to all campaign settings, though some are specific to the core setting of Dungeons & Dragons and differ with those of the Realms.
- Classes — The core character classes are introduced here: the cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, warlock, warlord, and wizard. Also presented are paragon paths, such as the kensei or shadow assassin, as well as epic destinies such as the Archmage.
- Skills: — Presented here are a list of skills characters may train themselves in for a variety of useful purposes.
- Feats: — Specialized trained features known as feats are listed here, some of which are specific to race or class or require other specifics before they can be acquired by characters. Listed here are some of the channel divinity feats.
- Equipment: Equipment is listed here, both mundane and magical, as well as an explanation of coinage in the Dungeons & Dragons core setting.
- Adventuring: This chapter provides an explanation of how adventuring works, such as how one may obtain quests, how encounters are constructed, what characters can expect to be rewarded with, and how the resting system works for recovering wounds and alleviating ill effects.
- Combat: This chapter focuses on the combat mechanics of the 4th edition ruleset, giving an explanation of different action types and status effects as well as how to work out attack and damage outputs, how movement works in combat, what kind of actions one can take, and how to heal or deal with dying characters.
- Rituals: The final chapter focuses on rituals, powerful spell-like abilities that can be used outside of combat for a cost. These include such powerful abilities as raise dead.
Index[]
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Creatures[]
- Referenced only
- basilisk • sorrowsworn • vampire • warhorse • werewolf
Magic[]
- Armor & Clothing
- belt of giant strength • black iron armor • boots of spider climbing • boots of striding and springing • bracers of defense • bracers of mighty striking • bracers of the perfect shot • catstep boots • cloak of invisibility • elven boots • exalted armor • Shadowfell gloves
- Channel Divinity
- armor of Bahamut • turn undead
- Holy Symbols
- symbol of hope
- Items
- bag of holding • dimensional shackles • everburning torch • flying carpet • handy haversack • Keoghtom's ointment • portable hole • rope of climbing • sending stones • sunrod
- Jewelry
- amulet of health • ring of freedom of movement • ring of invisibility • ring of protection • ring of regeneration • ring of wizardry
- Potions
- potion of healing • potion of vitality
- Rituals
- animal messenger • arcane lock • commune with nature • comprehend languages • consult mystic sages • cure disease • detect object • detect secret doors • discern lies • Drawmij's instant summons • endure elements • forbiddance • gentle repose • knock • Leomund's secret chest • magic mouth • make whole • passwall • phantom steed • raise dead • remove affliction • secret page • sending • shadow walk • silence • speak with dead • Tenser's floating disk • water breathing • water walk
- Spells
-
- Cleric Prayers
- beacon of hope • blade barrier • bless • blinding light • cause fear • command • cure light wounds • cure serious wounds • divine glow • divine power • fire storm • flame strike • guardian of faith • healing strike • lance of faith • mass cure light wounds • priest's shield • righteous brand • sacred flame • sanctuary • searing light • shield of faith • spiritual weapon • sunburst • weapon of the gods
- Warlock
- armor of Agathys • beguiling tongue • crown of madness • curse of the dark dream • diabolic grasp • dire radiance • dread star • dreadful word • eldritch blast • eldritch rain • ethereal stride • eyebite • fiendish resilience • fiery bolt • flames of Phlegethos • frigid darkness • hellish rebuke • hunger of Hadar • shadow veil • spider climb • vampiric embrace • witchfire
- Wizard
- acid arrow • acid storm • arcane gate • Bigby's grasping hand • blur • burning hands • chain lightning • chill strike • cloud of daggers • cloudkill • color spray • combust • confusion • deft strike • dimension door • disguise self • disintegrate • dispel magic • displacement • divine glow • Evard's black tentacles • expeditious retreat • feather fall • fire burst • fire shroud • fireball • flaming sphere • fly • force orb • forcecage • freezing cloud • ghost sound • greater invisibility • ice storm • icy rays • icy terrain • inspiring reaction • invisibility • jump • levitate • light • lightning bolt • lightning serpent • magic circle • mage hand • magic missile • maze • meteor swarm • mirror image • Mordenkainen's mansion • Mordenkainen's sword • otherwind stride • Otiluke's resilient sphere • prestidigitation • prismatic spray • ray of enfeeblement • ray of frost • resistance • scorching burst • shield • shock sphere • sleep • stinking cloud • stoneskin • thunderclap • thunderlance • thunderwave • time stop • wall of fire • wall of fog • wall of ice • web
- Weapons
- holy avenger • pact blade • staff of storms • vorpal • wand of eldritch rain
Religions[]
Miscellaneous[]
- Armor
- chainmail • hide armor • leather armor • plate armor • scale armor
- Food & Drinks
- ration • wine
- Items
- backpack • bedroll • candle • flask • hammer • holy symbol • incense • lantern • piton • rope • tent • thieves' tools • torch • vial • waterskin
- Languages
- Abyssal • Common • Deep Speech • Draconic • Dwarven • Elven • Giant • Goblin • Primordial • Supernal
- Materials & Substances
- acid • residuum • salt
- Paragon Paths
-
- Fighter
- Iron vanguard • Kensei • Pit fighter
- Ranger
- Pathfinder • Stormwarden
- Rogue
- Cat burglar • Daggermaster • Master infiltrator • Shadow assassin
- Warlock
- Doomsayer • Feytouched • life-stealer
- Warlord
- Combat veteran
- Wizard
- Battle mage • Wizard of the Spiral Tower
- Vehicles
- rowboat
- Weapons
- falchion • glaive • greatsword • halberd • katar • rapier • shuriken • spiked chain
Appendix[]
Connections[]
Core Sourcebooks |
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5th edition |
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual |
4th edition |
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual |
v.3.5 |
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual |
3rd edition |
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual |
2nd edition |
Player's Handbook • Player's Handbook (revised) • Dungeon Master's Guide • Dungeon Master Guide (revised) • Monstrous Manual |
1st edition |
Player's Handbook • Dungeon Masters Guide • Monster Manual |