Born to fight and serve,

This race has a long history of proud warriors and martial tradition.
RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 8´ 2˝–10´
Average Weight: 500–680 lbs.
Ability Scores: +4 Strength, +3 Constitution, -2 Dexterity, -4 Intelligence
Size: Large
Speed: 5 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Endurance
Battle Rage: When you’re bloodied, you gain a +1 racial bonus to damage
rolls.
Born Brawler: You make unarmed attacks with a +3 proficiency bonus and do
1d6 + Strength modifier damage per hit
Exotic Arms Skill: Giff can use one weapon or armor of their choosing, even if
it is outside the normal arms available to their class
Thick Skinned: You gain a +1 racial bonus to AC and Fortitude saves
Headlong Charge Giff Racial Power
Encounter ✦ Martial
Move Action Melee
Targets: One creature
Attack: Strength + 2 vs. AC or Constitution + 2 vs. AC
Hit: 2d6 + Constitution or Strength modifier damage. Increase to +4 bonus and
4d6 + Constitution or Strength modifier damage at 11th level, and to +6 bonus
and 6d6 +
Constitution or Strength modifier damage at 21st level.
Special: When you create your character, choose Strength or Constitution as
the ability score you use when making attack rolls with this power. This choice
remains throughout your character’s life and does not change.

Giff are a race of mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers. Long ago, their
empire contended for worldwide dominion, but now
only a few rootless clans of these honorable warriors
remain to pass on their legends of ancient glory.
Play a dragonborn if you want . . .
✦ to look like a dragon.
✦ to be the proud heir of an ancient, fallen empire.
✦ to breathe acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.
✦ to be a member of a race that favors the warlord,
fighter, and paladin classes.
DRAGONBORN
WILLIAM O’CONNOR
4E_PHB_Ch03.indd 34 3/10/08 4:41:16 PM
35
CHA P T ER 3 | Charac t e r Rac e
Physical Qualities
Dragonborn resemble humanoid dragons. They’re
covered in scaly hide, but they don’t have tails. They
are tall and strongly built, often standing close to
6. feet in height and weighing 300 pounds or more.
Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with
three fingers and a thumb on each hand. A dragonborn’s
head features a blunt snout, a strong brow,
and distinctive frills at the cheek and ear. Behind
the brow, a crest of hornlike scales of various lengths
resembles thick, ropy hair. Their eyes are shades of
red or gold.
A typical dragonborn’s scales can be scarlet, gold,
rust, ocher, bronze, or brown. Rarely do an individual’s
scales match the hue of a chromatic or metallic
dragon, and scale color gives no indication of the type
of breath weapon a dragonborn uses. Most dragonborn
have very fine scales over most of their body, giving
their skin a leathery texture, with regions of larger
scales on the forearms, lower legs and feet, shoulders,
and thighs.
Young dragonborn grow faster than human children
do. They walk hours after hatching, reach the
size and development of a 10-year-old human child
by the age of 3 and reach adulthood by 15. They live
about as long as humans do.
Playing a Dragonborn
To a dragonborn, honor is more important than life
itself. First and foremost, honor is tied to battlefield
conduct. Adversaries should be treated with courtesy
and respect, even if they are bitter enemies. Caution
and discretion are key to a warrior’s survival, but fear
is a disease and cowardice is a moral failing.
The drive to behave honorably extends into the rest
of a dragonborn’s life: Breaking an oath is the height
of dishonor, and attention to honesty extends to every
word. A commitment made must be carried out. Ultimately,
a dragonborn takes responsibility for his or her
actions and their consequences.
A continual drive for self-improvement reveals an
additional aspect of dragonborn honor. Dragonborn
value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate
to fail, and they push themselves to extreme efforts
before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds
mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members
of other races who share the same commitment
find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.
The dragonborn dedication to honor and excellence
sometimes leads others to view dragonborn as arrogant
and proud. Most dragonborn share a great pride
in their race’s past and present accomplishments, but
they are also quick to admire the accomplishments of
others. Even though the tiefling empire of Bael Turath
was the enemy of the ancient dragonborn empire of
Arkhosia, dragonborn recognize tieflings as worthy
companions or opponents, admiring their strength
and tenacity as friends or enemies.
Dragonborn seek adventure for the chance to prove
their worth, win renown, and perhaps become champions
about whom stories will be told for generations.
To win everlasting glory through mighty deeds, daring
exploits, and supreme skill—that is the dragonborn
dream.
Dragonborn Characteristics: Driven, honor-bound,
noble, perfectionist, proud, reliable, reserved, rooted in
ancient history
Male Names: Arjhan, Balasar, Bharash, Donaar,
Ghesh, Heskan, Kriv, Medrash, Nadarr, Patrin,
Rhogar, Shamash, Shedinn, Torinn
Female Names: Akra, Biri, Daar, Harann, Kava,
Korinn, Mishann, Nala, Perra, Raiann, Sora, Surina,
Thava
Dragonborn
Adventurers
Three sample dragonborn adventurers are described
below.
Bharash is a dragonborn warlord who leads a group
of adventurers in search of riches and glory. Inspired
by tales of the ancient heroes of Arkhosia, he seeks
his destiny in battle. He dreams of someday leading
a mighty army against an orc horde or a hobgoblin
host, but he is content in the meantime to coordinate
strikes against the lesser forces of evil he encounters in
dungeons and ruins. He reveres Bahamut as the god of
honor.
Harann is a fighter dedicated to the mastery of her
chosen weapon, the bastard sword. She rises early
every morning to practice combat maneuvers and constantly
strives to master new techniques. Excellence
with her weapon is symbolic to her; it represents excellence
of character, the perfection of her spirit. When
she has achieved perfect mastery of the bastard sword,
she believes she will be perfect herself.
Donaar is a paladin of Erathis, the god of cities and
civilization. He believes that the dragonborn race is
destined to rise from the ashes of its ancient empire
and to form a new nation carved from the wilderness.
And he intends to be instrumental in that process. As
a reminder of his heritage, he keeps a piece of the shell
from which he hatched in an amulet around his neck.
Although he sometimes thinks that pillaging dungeons
is a waste of his effort, he occasionally unearths a remnant
of the long-lost dragonborn empire. He believes
he can put such items to use one day in forging a new
empire for his people.