''Martial Power'' is a supplement for the 4th edition of the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. It contains additional options and rules for

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

, rangers, rogues, and

warlords A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

, including new builds for each class to further customize a

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

, such as the "beastmaster ranger,"''Martial Power'' Excerpts: Beastmaster Ranger
at Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved December 4, 2008. "bravura warlord," and "resourceful warlord".''Martial Power'' Excerpts: Bravura Presence
at Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on December 4, 2008.

''Martial Power'', the first supplement in the Power series of books in ''Dungeons & Dragons'', 4th edition, published and debuted new options for the classes that were in the Martial power source. It also expanded and refined the first builds of each class (originally in the ''

Player's Handbook The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...

'') by giving new powers and paragon paths.

Fighter

The fighter, the martial defender, received two new builds to be used in conjunction with the builds in ''

''. The battlerager fighter works as a berserker fighter, which utilizes the new Invigorating keyword, which grants the battlerager temporary hit points to make up for their lack of armor. The tempest fighter is a dual wielding fighter build with great mobility.

Ranger

The ranger, a martial striker, received one new build in ''Martial Power'', the beastmaster. Instead of choosing an archery or a two weapon fighting benefit as detailed in the Player's Handbook, the ranger could instead gain a beast to fight alongside with. The beast is used with new beast powers, which grant it attacks and their own effects.

Rogue

The rogue, a martial striker, gained two new builds in ''Martial Power'', the aerialist rogue and the cutthroat rogue. The aerialist rogue uses the Acrobatics skill to maneuver around enemies and the cutthroat uses the Intimidation skill to rattle and shake foes.

Warlord

The warlord, the martial leader, can use two new builds in conjunction with the two builds in ''Player's Handbook''. The bravura warlord uses daring, and often brash, tactics that could harm the warlord but give great benefits to their allies. The resourceful warlord is a soldier on the battlefield that adapts to certain situations.

Publication history

''Martial Power'' was published in November 2008 and was designed by

Rob Heinsoo Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ( ...

, David Noonan, Chris Sims, and Robert J. Schwalb. Cover art was by William O'Connor, with interior art by

Steve Belledin ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

Leonardo Borazio Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard. People Notable people with the name include: * Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...

, Steve Ellis,

Wayne England Wayne England (d. 9 February 2016) was an English artist whose work regularly appeared in role-playing games, wargaming rulebooks and magazines and was used on cards for collectible card games such as ''Magic: The Gathering''. He died on 9 Feb ...

, Jason A. Engle,

Gonzalo Flores Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014 See also * Gonzalez (disambiguation) * Gonzales (disambiguation) * ...

Adam Gillespie Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, Brian Hagan,

Jeremy Jarvis Jeremy Jarvis is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Early life and education Jeremy Jarvis grew up in a small town in Alabama, and moved to New York City right after high school just before his eighteenth birthday. There, he ...

Ron Lemen Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, Wes Louie,

Howard Lyon Howard Lyon is an American fantasy artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and '' Magic: the Gathering''. Early life and education Howard Lyon was born in Mesa, Arizona and studied illustration at Brigham Young University (BYU) work ...

Lee Moyer Lee Moyer is an People of the United States, American Painting, painter, illustrator, graphic designer, and web designer. Notable works include posters for musicians Tori Amos and Melissa Auf der Maur, as well as Laurel and Hardy paintings for t ...

Lucio Parrillo Lucio Parrillo (born 30 January 1974) is an Italian artist, known for comic books, role-playing game covers, and ''Magic: The Gathering'' cards. Early life Lucio was born in Catanzaro, southern Italy, where he attended art school in Catanzaro. ...

Jim Pavelec James Pavelec is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Career His ''Dungeons & Dragons'' work includes interior art for '' Races of Faerûn'' (2003), '' Unapproachable East'' (2003), ''Underdark'' (2003), ''Unearthed Arcana'' ...

Steve Prescott Stephen Prescott (26 December 1973 – 9 November 2013) was a professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 1990s and 2000s. Prescott made his début for St Helens in 1993, and soon established himself as the club's first choi ...

, Vincent Proce, Ron Spears,

Ron Spencer Ron Spencer is an American illustrator whose most famous work has been for the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''.Felt, Kevin (December 17, 2007). "Painter of 'Magic' cards inspiring random acts of kindness", ''San Gabriel Valley Tri ...

Stephen Tappin Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, Mark Tedin, Beth Trott, and Ben Wootten. ''Martial Power'' was the first book in the initial product line for 4th edition ''D&D'', a set of books which provided options for

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s and the focus for each book was one of the power sources associated with the new edition. '' Martial Power 2'' was published in February 2010.

Reception

Viktor Coble listed the entire ''Power'' series - including ''Martial Power'', '' Martial Power 2'', ''

Divine Power Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of ...

'', '' Arcane Power'', ''

Psionic Power ''Psionic Power'' is a supplement to the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition, 4th edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Contents ''Psionic Power'' adds new options for ardents, battleminds, Monk (Dunge ...

'', and '' Primal Power'' - as #2 on '' CBR'''s 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "What sets the power series apart – besides their updated rules – is how they translate really well to 5e. Whereas, the "Complete" series needs a little more work. The rules have both been pared down and expanded upon in this guide, which makes picking up a copy for whatever type of character is most in favor worth it."

References

External links

*
Martial Power
' at the D&D wiki. {{D&D topics Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2008