Consumed by their thirst for forbidden knowledge, nothics are cursed lore seekers transformed by secrets never meant to be known. The bodies of these former scholars are warped into otherworldly shapes, each with a head dominated by a gigantic, unblinking eye. Nothics remember nothing of their past lives and care only for their endless pursuit of hidden mysteries and uncanny truths. They seek…

The sentries could be Shield Guardians. Mr Meville could have another Cultist Fanatic as his assistant, together controlling 12 Cultists.

Fenrikyn are warped worgs and winter wolves, altered by the influence of Fenris, the Great Wolf. Fenrikyn roam the cold forests and the hills of the Northlands, devouring all that they encounter. Generally solitary, fenrikyn have been known to gather into small packs or to take over a pack of wolves or worgs. Though they despise most living things, they reserve their greatest enmity for…

Designers’ Note If you use these tables to create innuendos, the consequences that follow are your own fault.

The game uses actions to govern how much you can do at one time. You can take only one action at a time. This principle is most important in combat, as explained in “ Combat ” later in this chapter. Actions can come up in other situations, too: in a social interaction, you can try to Influence a creature or use the Search action to read the creature’s body language, but you can’t do both at the…

Coming out ahead, whether in games of chance or in life-or-death contention, fills you with resolve and vigor. You gain the following benefits. Bet Big. If you don't already have it, you gain Heroic Inspiration whenever you succeed on an ability check made against another creature, when you reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points, or when a creature fails a saving throw you forced it to make. If, in…

From glacial mountain heights and vast tundras rise the homes of frost giants. These giants have skin and hair of icy hues. Their natural immunity to cold allows them to flourish in places inhospitable to most other creatures. They use this resilience to aid them when hunting and in combat, bolstering their allies with chilling war cries. Frost giants often travel far to find food and goods. This…

Houses of horror are living houses, often angry or bitter due to the circumstances of their awakening. They were once mundane buildings or dwellings where powerful magics of life and death took place and infused the stones and timber. Houses of horror jealously covet the true life that its former inhabitants enjoyed, or they carry echoes of the suffering that bodies and souls experienced within…

Oversized furniture, certainly intended for rooms larger than this one, has been jammed into this small room. An acrid smell, like burning paint, fills the air. Shadow Malice’s members hang out in this room when not on stage. The smell comes from a cracked and barely functioning hookah, which the band nevertheless uses to smoke whatever substances they can find. Kragala Creatures: The four…

Try removing the flying swords. You could only have two drummers and six Cultists, including Mr Meville.

Ettins are physically powerful Giants with two heads. While many ettins have features similar to hill giants, others have more bestial or unusual traits, such as tusks, short horns, or a single eye on each head. Ettins frequently ally with other Giants or groups that value their strength, such as hill giants, bandits, or ogres. Some ettins possess mystical ties to the lands they inhabit, and they…

Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires Attunement) This electrum coin has a smiling human woman’s face on one side (heads) and a scowling fiendish woman’s face on the other (tails). While you’re within 30 feet of the coin, you can take a Bonus Action and use a command word to magically summon it to either your hand or pocket. Despite its unique appearance, this coin can be spent like a normal Electrum…

† See the appendix.

Level 3 - 4 Adventure. Mysterious. Rescue. Toy Factory. All that Freylie Hipsberry wants for Winterfest is to spend time with her family. However, her parents have been working non-stop in the toy factory and haven’t been home in days. Can the party figure out what’s keeping Freylie’s family so entranced by their work?

You suggest a course of activity—described in no more than 25 words—to one creature you can see within range that can hear and understand you. The suggestion must sound achievable and not involve anything that would obviously deal damage to the target or its allies. For example, you could say, “Fetch the key to the cult’s treasure vault, and give the key to me.” Or you could say, “Stop fighting,…

Weapon (dart), very rare You have a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Proficiency with a Dart allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it. This weapon has the following mastery property. To use this property, you must have a feature that lets you use it. Vex. If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to…

Often whispered of in folk tales and legends, most frequently as a warning to children regarding the gruesome consequences awaiting those who recklessly indulge, the Bloated Gastromorph is an incarnation of gluttony and selfishness. This horrific creature has been transformed and twisted by the final stages of a Curse of Ravenous Hunger. Those afflicted become an enormous, slug-like monster…

The bare minimum of space you need to play D&D; is room for everyone in your group to gather and participate. When choosing the space you’ll be playing in, enlist your players’ help. Think about any accessibility needs you or they might have. Some players might have difficulty with low light, background music, strong odors, cramped spaces, or specific allergens. Accommodate what you can;…

Ketgrinn are catlike Fey spirits who delight in puzzles, riddles, and bargains. They have large, bright eyes and too-wide grins that gleam starkly even in shadows. Ketgrinn are tricksters and spies, often sent by those they serve to steal the voices of a rival’s minions to sow chaos and confusion. Secret. Ketgrinn can’t resist a puzzle or riddle, and a difficult one can send a ketgrinn’s mind…

Flesh golems are roughly human-shaped collections of body parts bound together by misused magic or strange science. They serve their reckless creators, but many possess disjointed memories and instincts from their component parts. If wounded, these golems might go berserk and vent their confusion on anything in their sight, including their creators. Flesh golems appear in varied forms. Roll on or…

Fifteen feet below the ceiling, this gallery traverses all but the east side of a large, bloodstained room with a floor five feet lower than the gallery. A window made of cloudy, transparent stone provides an excellent view of the nearby room while blocking direct access to it. Two rounded observation areas overlook the room from the north; a small room to the south has a small table, an old…

While you’re swimming, each foot of movement costs 1 extra foot (2 extra feet in Difficult Terrain). You ignore this extra cost if you have a Swim Speed and use it to swim. At the DM’s option, moving any distance in rough water might require a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

Huge Undead (Wizard), Neutral Evil AC 18 Initiative +17 (27) HP 225 (18d12 + 108) Speed None (see the Incorporeal Tether trait)

You magically compel a creature within range that can hear and understand you to a nonmagical game with vital consequences. An unwilling creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to join you in the game. The loser of the game takes 6d6 Psychic damage. If no player has won or lost by the end of the spell’s duration, both you and the target take this damage. If you or one of…

This adventure uses map 2.7: Castle Avernus. Before starting, consult the “ Azalin’s Fate ” section and develop the details behind the Darklord’s disappearance. The floors of Castle Avernus are disconnected, allowing characters to access them in any order. Lychgate Encounters. While traveling through Lychgate or between floors of Castle Avernus, roll on the following table to determine what the…