General Prestige Class : Dwarven Thane - Warcraft III
by Clifford Horowitz, Dragon #299
Dwarven Thanes, also known as Mountain Kings, are the pinnacle of dwarven martial might. Eschewing their race's talent for engineering, mining, and metallurgy, these staunch fighters craft only themselves, dedicating their entire existence to forging the ultimate soldier. They exist to defend the dwarven kingdoms from all that threatens them. While some soldiers would stand as a shield against attack, the thanes believe the best way to defend against threats is to threaten back. Wielding the traditional dwarven armament of both axe and hammer, they threaten with all the grim, unswerving focus one expects from a dwarf.
Fighters easily segue into the path of the thane, but rangers find their skills and connection with nature make them good candidates as well. Dwarven defenders have occasionally been known to become thanes, seeking out the enemy instead of waiting for the attack.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Dwarven Thane, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Dwarf
- Skills: Knowledge (Religion) 5 ranks
- Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (any axe), Weapon Focus (any hammer).
- Base Attack Bonus: +6.
- Special: Must be a devout follower of either a dwarven deity or earth spirits.
Class Skills
The dwarven thane's class skills are Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (religion), and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the dwarven thane prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Dwarven thanes are proficient in all armors, but gain no additional proficiency in weapons or shields.
Mountain Hand (Ex): Thanes spurn the use of a shield in favor of the extra attacks wielding a second weapon grants. However, for them, every strike must collide with the strength of a mountain behind it; to do anything less would be a waste. Thus, the first thing a thane learns to do is strike with full power on every blow. When wielding two weapons, the dwarven thane adds his full Strength bonus to damage caused by his off-hand weapon.
Storm Bolt (Su): Taking the doctrine of punishing power to the next level, a dwarven thane learns to hurl weapons with meteoric ferocity, dazing opponents with the force of impact. A number of times per day equal to his class level, the dwarven thane can make a stunning attack with any thrown weapon. This is in all other ways identical to the monk class's stunning attack ability.
Thunder Clap (Su): A combination of divine grace and raw, unbridled power, the thane can now use the earth as a medium to transmit the fury of his blows. By attacking the ground with any bludgeoning weapon (including bare hands), the thane causes the ground to heave and quake.
As a full-round action, the thane may attack the ground and make a trip attack against all opponents within 5 feet. Make a standard trip attempt and apply the result to all opponents in the area of effect. However, because of the special nature of this trip attack, opponents must oppose with a Dexterity check or a Balance skill check, and size modifiers do not apply. Opponents cannot attempt to trip the thane should the thunder clap trip attempt be unsuccessful. A dwarven thane can make a thunder clap attack a number of times per day equal to his dwarven thane level plus his Wisdom modifier (with a minimum of 1 per day). If the dwarven thane has the improved Trip feat, he does not gain extra attacks on those he trips using the thunder clap ability.
Bash (Su): At 4th level, the thane learns the final secrets of power and strikes irresistible blows that none can stand against. The battlefield itself seems to shake with every explosive hammer strike and shrieking axe swing. Now, any critical the thane scores immediately becomes a stunning attack as well. These stunning attacks count against the limit of storm bolt attacks the thane is permitted each day.
Avatar (Su): By 5th level, the dwarven thane has proven himself a worthy receptacle for the powers of the mountains and may become their avatar for a short time. When the thane summons such power, he becomes the embodiment of the raging earth, a living earthquake that sweeps across the land and topples all in its path. When using the avatar ability, a dwarven thane gains his Wisdom bonus as a bonus to damage with all melee attacks and thrown weapon attacks for a number of rounds equal to his class level. A dwarven thane can use the avatar ability a number of times per day equal to his dwarven thane level plus his Wisdom modifier (with a minimum of 1 per day).
| Dwarven Thane | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Mountain hand |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Storm bolt |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Thunder clap |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Bash |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Avatar |
Source: Dragon #299