TRAINING
A character might be offered pecial training in lieu of
a financial reward. This kind of training isn't wid ely
available and thus is highly desirable. It presumes
the existence of a skilled trainer-perhaps a retired
adventurer or champion who is willing to serve as a
me ntor. The trainer might be a reclusive wizard or
haughty sorcerer who owes the queen a favor, the
knight-commander of the King's Guard, the leader of
a powerful druid circle, a quirky monk w ho lives in a
remote mountaintop pagoda, a barbarian chieftain, a
warlock living among nomads as a fortune-teller, or an
absentminded bard whose plays a nd poetry are known
throughout the land.
A character who agrees to training as a reward must
spend downtime with the trainer (see chapter 6 for
more information on downtime activities). In exchange,
the character is guaranteed to receive a special benefit.
Possible training benefits include the following:
The character gains inspiration da ily at dawn for
ld4 + 6 days.- The character gains proficiency in a skill.
The character gains a feat.
EPIC BOONS
An epic boon is a special power available only to 20th
level characters. Characters at that level gain such
boons only if you want them to and only when you feel
it's appropriate. Epic boons are best awarded after
the characters complete a major quest, or accomplish
something else particularly notable. A character might
gain an epic boon after destroying an evil artifact,
defeating an ancient dragon, or halting an incursion
from the Outer Planes.
Epic boons can also be used as a form of
advancement, a way to provide greater power to
characters who have no more levels to gain. With this
approach, consider awarding one epic boon to each
character for every 30,000 XP he or she earns above
355,000 XP.
You determine which epic boon a character gains.
Ideally, the boon you pick is something the character
would put to use in future adventures. You can allow a
player to select a boon for his or her character, subject to
your approval.
Whatever boon a character ends up with, consider its
place in your story and world. Many of the boons are
extraordinary and represent the gradual transformation
of a character into something resembling a demigod.
The acquisition of a boon might visibly transform a
character. For example, the eyes of a character with
the Boon of True sight might glow when he or she feels
strong emotion, and a character who has the Boon of
High Magic might have faint motes of light glimmering
around his or her head. Also, decide how the boon first
appears. Does the boon appear spontaneously and
mysteriously? Or does a being of cosmic power manifest
to bestow it? The bestowal of a boon can itself be an
exciting scene in an adventure.
The text of a boon addresses its user. Unless a boon
says otherwise, a character can't gain it more than once.
- ••