Assassin Heir to a Sinister Legacy After the death of patriarch Fzoul Chembryl, House Chembryl and its descendants were scattered across Faerûn. Some members have dutifully continued the family’s dedication to Bane, while others have sought to free themselves from that god’s malignant shadow. However, none have embraced the Chembryls’ tyrannical legacy more than Karas Chembryl, a ruthless…

Specters are bodiless, life-devouring spirits drawn to darkness and negative emotions. Having lost all connection to the beings they once were, these hateful spirits drain mortal essence to steal fleeting tastes of life and warmth. Specters seek creatures and locations that exude evil and feed on the suffering they inspire. Roll on or choose a result from the Specter Haunts table to inspire where…

They were pinkish things about five feet long; with crustaceous bodies bearing vast pairs of dorsal fins or membranous wings and several sets of articulate limbs, and with a sort of convoluted ellipsoid, covered with multitudes of very short antenna, where a head would ordinarily be. . . Sometimes they walked on all their legs and sometimes on the hind-most pair only. —H.P. Lovecraft, The…

Poltergeists are spirits that confuse and torment the living. While typically not visible, they sometimes appear as faded images of whoever they were in life. Some poltergeists don’t realize they’re dead and go through the motions of their past lives. Others are malicious beings or embodiments of fractured psyches that sow discord where they haunt. Poltergeists telekinetically move objects in the…

Commander Springvale unquestioningly served Baron Silverlaine in the old days. Springvale died on the walls defending his liege lord and patrols them still, unaware that his castle is overrun and his allies are now rotten, shambling corpses.

Beings of living rock, galeb duhr seek harmony with the earth and give voice to the vibrations of stone. Their rocky bodies have limbs and facial features accented by gems, ores, and other minerals found in the surrounding earth. Galeb duhr are effectively immortal, with lifespans similar in length to mountains. They don’t experience time or perceive danger as shorter-lived species do. Galeb duhr…

Guardians of the woodlands, dryads magically flit from tree to tree and from root to bough, harrying trespassers with tangling vines and thorns. Most of these elusive beings have a special connection with one plant or a natural sanctuary that they protect. Some also share physical similarities with the plants they’re most connected to. Dryads might sicken or die if their plant or sanctuary is…

Magmins divide all things into two categories: things that are on fire and things that should be on fire. With bodies of flame and magmatic rock, these halfling-size creatures delight in setting fires. They do so not out of malice but out of enthusiasm for primal fire. They don’t consider that objects have value beyond kindling or that creatures can be harmed by flames. If such concepts are…

Baron Silverlaine was master of Shadowfang Keep before it fell to Arugal’s feral worgen. His cursed spirit calls on the beasts that slaughtered him to punish trespassers. He is bound to the stones of the keep and has no loyalty to Lord Godfrey or any of the keep’s masters.

Those learned individuals with aspirations of greatness, but who have fallen to fate’s twisted ironies and been afflicted by a Curse of Lost Sentiment, may emerge from such trials as a Dream Whisperer. Now a deformed, hunched creature covered in contorted arms, the Dream Whisperer uses its many hands to grasp and shred the hopes, dreams, thoughts, and memories of its victims. Though animalistic…

Most salamanders are arrogant yet curious, seeking to create artful blazes or burn that which has never been burned. They eagerly explain their work to strangers before trying to determine how the strangers burn. Salamanders radiate intense heat, which is conducted by their blazing weapons. Salamanders Salamanders are serpentine denizens of the Elemental Plane of Fire. They believe that flames…

Despite their docile and herbivorous, adult nature some Limukin adhere to a strict training regimen to maintain their hunting prowess and strength. This is so that they can operate as defenders of their territory, and the mightiest of these Limukin are dubbed Champions. Limukin Champions are formidable foes in battle. Their decades of training result in immense strength, despite their small…

Many years of tending gardens and decorating humble villages with flowers has allowed some Pluvenn to become particularly well-connected with botany, despite their carnivorous nature. Pluvenn Flowertenders are revered within Pluvenn society, not only for their relative strength from hard labour, but also for their contribution to maintaining the Pluvenn village aesthetics. Design Philosophy Life…

Doomsayer and Fanatic Cultists use extreme measures to spread radical beliefs. They often follow obscure mystical traditions or obsess over interpretations of ancient prophecies. They might worship supernatural patrons—deities, otherworldly creatures, manipulative alien minds, or stranger forces. Some cultists devote themselves to Demogorgon, the self-proclaimed Prince of Demons. These cultists…

Indistinguishable from jackals in their natural form, jackalweres shape-shift to deceive others. These shape-shifters can take three forms: a jackal, a human, or a monstrous hybrid of the two. Jackalweres are easily mistaken for werewolves, but jackalweres aren’t supernaturally afflicted—their jackal forms are their natural state. Jackalweres also possess magical gazes capable of putting foes to…

Assassins are professional killers skilled at stealthily approaching their victims and striking unseen. Most assassins kill for a reason, perhaps hiring themselves out to wealthy patrons or slaying for an unscrupulous cause. They use poisons and other deadly tools, and they might carry equipment to help them break into secure areas or avoid capture. Many assassins adhere to a professional code or…

Smugglers employed by the Boromar Clan (mostly halflings) are notoriously hard to catch. These speedy criminals traffic everything from narcotics to illegal arcane weaponry across Sharn.

Duodrones can perform two tasks at once and often oversee monodrone work groups. They are slightly more skeptical of strangers than monodrones are. Modrons Beings of magic and machinery, modrons embody absolute law. These inhabitants of the clockwork plane of Mechanus tend to the incredible mechanisms of their orderly home and oppose chaotic forces across the multiverse. Modrons are parts of a…

Nox prefers to speak through their music rather than their voice. One of the grim and silent calignis who ventured up into the Abomination Vault’s middle levels from below, Nox earned a place in Shadow Malice by demonstrating superlative skill with a theorbo. Nox dislikes the brutality of combat and seeks opportunities to end a fight quickly, usually by making unexpected attacks with their…

Spirits of vengeance bound to crude frames, scarecrows arise from folk magic, the prayers of desperate commoners, or possession by spirits that died with violent work left undone. Scarecrows might serve those who created them or might defend a place, family, or community from threats—whether physical or to their way of life. Although scarecrows take their name from rural effigies, they might take…

Servant of Superstition Spirits of vengeance bound to crude frames, scarecrows arise from folk magic, the prayers of desperate commoners, or possession by spirits that died with violent work left undone. Scarecrows might serve those who created them or might defend a place, family, or community from threats—whether physical or to their way of life.

The keening wail of a mother is unmistakable and haunting, and the legends that tell of the Dusk Mother barely scratch the surface of her terrifying existence. She carries a pair of oversized shears and a great bell she tolls to accompany her wailing. Her eternal torment stems from her children, who met their fate due to the Dusk Mother’s negligence—or perhaps her wrath. Now she cries in shame…

Flying forth from the Abyss, chasmes resemble horse-size flies. They incapacitate foes by producing a mind-numbing droning, then use their proboscises to drain victims of life. In the Abyss, most chasmes obsequiously serve more powerful demons and search for captives to press into demonic hordes.

Doppelgangers are supernatural beings with the ability to shape-shift into any humanlike form. Their mind-reading abilities aid them in creating near-perfect disguises and plucking secrets from unguarded minds. Occasionally, doppelgangers use their shape-shifting ability in more overt ways, transforming into unsettling forms to frighten foes. A doppelganger’s agenda might relate to its mysterious…

Nerubian venomancers use their lethal toxin as one of their primary weapons. Venomancers’ mastery of poison extends to their webbing, which is toxic to those held within its grasp. Venomancers are quick to assault non-nerubians, driven by their rancor over their lost and scattered kingdom. Nerubians Nerubians are intelligent humanoid spiders whose once-powerful kingdom was decimated by the…

Herod is a charming bully who became a dazzling gladiator. The Scarlet Commander keeps him in the monastery to inspire the troops, since his tendency to cleave indiscriminately can make him a liability to his allies in combat.

Garjainia is an early erythrosuchid, a group of quadrupedal carnivores from the Early Triassic (249-237 million years ago) of Russia and Africa. It walked with a raised gait and had an enormous head, making it an unusual looking animal. Design Philosophy Life is diverse. We find that the current 5.5e system of normal, proficiency, and expertise for saves/skills/attacks/etc. calculations based on…

Garjainia is an early erythrosuchid, a group of quadrupedal carnivores from the Early Triassic (249-237 million years ago) of Russia and Africa. It walked with a raised gait and had an enormous head, making it an unusual looking animal. Design Philosophy Life is diverse. We find that the current 5.5e system of normal, proficiency, and expertise for saves/skills/attacks/etc. calculations based on…

Scouts are keen archers and acutely aware of their surroundings. They often know several regions particularly well and are familiar with local creatures, landmarks, and perils. Scouts Scouts are warriors of the wilderness, trained in hunting and tracking. They might be explorers or trappers, or they could perform more martial roles as archers, bounty hunters, or outriders.