Teamwork Benefits

clerics who don’t partake in the prestige class and other divine healers.

Encounters

NPC war weavers aren’t flashy, and PCs run the risk of underestimating them. When no fireballs emerge from the fingertips of the robed woman standing behind the enemy soldiers, the PCs might take her for granted. Remember that characters with ranks in Spellcraft can identify a spell being cast (DC 15 + spell level). If a PC sees an enemy wizard cast invisibility, then touch four allies and make them disappear with her, there’s little doubt that a war weaver is responsible. Conversely, a known NPC war weaver might draw a lot of attention from player characters desperate to stop her before she releases her quiescent weavings or casts more beneficial spells on the enemies facing them. Every round an NPC war weaver stays in the fight gives her a further opportunity to assist the other NPCs, so the encounter gets tougher the longer the war weaver lasts. An undiscovered war weaver might be ignored by the player characters, but a known war weaver among enemy forces should expect to face the brunt of the PCs’ attacks.

EL 10: Arvena the war weaver and three human elite soldiers (see page 143) oppose the PCs in a battlefield skirmish. Arvena usually has heroism and bear’s endurance in a quiescent weaving, which she releases in the first round of combat if possible. If defeat seems likely, Arvena surrenders and tries to strike the best terms possible for herself and any surviving soldiers.

Arvena: Female human wizard 5/war weaver 3; CR 8; Medium humanoid; HD 8d4+16; hp 37; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +3; Grp +2; Atk or Full Atk +3 melee (1d4–1/19–20, masterwork dagger); SA spellcasting; SQ eldritch tapestry, quiescent weaving; AL LN; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8; Str 8, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 12.

Skills and Feats: Appraise +4 (+6 weaving), Concentration +12, Craft (weaving) +13, Knowledge (arcana) +13, Knowledge (history) +13, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +13, Spellcraft +15; Combat Casting, Dodge, Craft Wand, Enlarge SpellB, Mobility, Scribe ScrollB .

Eldritch Tapestry (Su):Arvena can cast a spell requiring willing targets or those with a saving throw entry of harmless through an eldritch tapestry she creates when she prepares her spell. When she does, the spell simultaneously affects up to four allies she designated when she created the eldritch tapestry.

Quiescent Weaving (Su): Arvena can cast two spells of up to 3rd level into the eldritch tapestry, where they remain dormant until she releases them with a move action.

Wizard (Diviner) Spells Prepared (caster level 7th; prohibited school necromancy): 0—acid splash (+4 ranged touch), dancing lights (2), detect magic, message; 1st—burning hands (DC 15), shield (2), sleep (2) (DC 15), true strike; 2nd—bear’s endurance (DC 16), bull’s strength (2) (DC 16), invisibility (DC 16), see invisibility; 3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, displacement (DC 17), haste (DC 17), heroism (DC 17); 4th—arcane eye, hallucinatory terrain (DC 18), polymorph (DC 18). Spellbook: as above plus 0—all except necromancy; 1st—enlarge person, expeditious retreat, identify, mage armor, magic missile, magic weapon, protection from chaos, protection from evil; 2nd—blur, continual flame, darkvision, protection from arrows, scorching ray, whispering wind; 3rd—blink, dispel magic, fly, magic circle against chaos; 4th—stoneskin, scrying. Possessions: bracers of armor +2, masterwork dagger, wand of magic missile (CL 5th, 30 charges), cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, scroll of prying eyes, spellbook.

Armies are constantly training. Their drills and exercises, whether they are marching across a parade ground or using illusion magic to create a realistic mock battle, are an important aspect of the genre. PCs in the military take part in such training because it helps them hone their abilities before the next battle. If you’re playing a war-based campaign, consider using the Gaining Class Benefits training rule on page 198 of the

Dungeon Master’s Guide. Because the characters are in the military, the training doesn’t cost anything. Such training provides an additional benefit: a series of teamwork benefits that affect PCs who have trained together. Taking time out for training also provides a necessary break between battles for the opposing armies to resupply, gather intelligence, hatch new plans, and otherwise set up conditions for the next battle. Time is one of the DM’s most powerful tools, and whether or not the PCs spend time improving themselves, their NPC allies and enemies will certainly seize the chance to improve themselves or formulate plots that come to fruition in future adventures. WHAT IS A TEAMWORK BENEFIT?

War is not an individual calling. Whether it’s the precise commands issued to a phalanx of heavy infantry or the instinctive “stay out of each other’s way” teamwork of a hill giant horde, military efforts depend on cooperation and teamwork. Elf sentries focus their attention on discrete parts of the surrounding forest, together observing their surroundings in every direction. Mounted knights close their ranks to deliver a devastating charge with their steeds galloping shoulder to shoulder. PCs benefit from teamwork all the time. Whenever a wizard renders the party invisible, a fighter provides a flanking situation for a rogue, or a cleric heals a wounded barbarian, everyone in the party benefits. In a battlefield situation, such teamwork is even more important, because the PCs’ enemies will certainly be using teamwork. Experienced D&D players understand the value of specific tactics that take advantage of teamwork. However, teamwork also has a more general benefit. Once you’ve trained with specific comrades, you’re attuned to the nuances of how they fight, move, and communicate. Characters who have spent time working as a team can derive a benefit simply