back beings define craft reason

Book of Vile Darkness

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

, foul rites that allow one to transform into a death knight or lich, or long-lost spells crafted by beings so evil their names ought never to be spoken aloud. Vile Speech. While the book is on your

damage unless the creature is a Fiend or an Undead. Destroying the Book. The Book of Vile Darkness allows pages to be torn from it, but any evil lore contained on those pages finds its way back into the

Incarnation of Transience

Monsters Lorwyn: First Light

condition. Success: Half damage only.The incarnations of transience represent all that is fleeting or ephemeral. Despite their apparent bulk, these incarnations are actually ephemeral beings with only a

spectral existence in material reality. Each incarnation resembles a saurian behemoth with an axolotl face, a many-frilled tail, and a hulking back covered in bright-orange pustules. In Lorwyn

Red Dragon Wyrmling Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.Fire

Young Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

","rollAction":"Fire Breath","rollDamageType":"fire"} fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.The odor of sulfur and pumice surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back horns

and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.Fire

Gingerbrute

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

gingerbrutes, these cookie Constructs are notoriously difficult to pin down. When an unfortunate baker accidentally creates a gingerbrute, the cookie causes mayhem throughout the kitchen before running back to

the wilds where its ingredients originated. Many witches of Dunbarrow craft gingerbrutes intentionally, whipping them into shape (sometimes with actual whipped cream) as soldiers to defend their

Hermit Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, and 5 gp Life of Seclusion What was the reason for your isolation, and what

changed to allow you to end your solitude? You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose or roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your

Kolyarut

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

their questions have been satisfied, they report back to their creator, allowing the Kolyarut to impose accurate judgments. Kolyaruts are four-armed beings of magic and machinery. Like maruts, they

judges the needs of planar beings seeking uniquely binding terms and forges ironclad agreements. Those who break these contracts are pursued by marut;maruts (detailed in Mordenkainen Presents

Quasit (familiar variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

Shapechanger. The quasit can use its action to polymorph into a beast form that resembles a bat (speed 10 ft. fly 40 ft.), a centipede (40 ft., climb 40 ft.), or a toad (40 ft., swim 40 ft.), or back

shares the quasit’s Magic Resistance trait. At any time and for any reason, the quasit can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.Claws (Bite in Beast Form). Melee Weapon Attack

Thanoi Hunter

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 2: Dragonlance Creatures

beings who dwell in the frozen wastelands of Krynn. They sport thick, ivory tusks, which they use both to defend themselves and to poke breathing holes in sea ice as they swim. Often at odds with the

monstrous creatures that live in the frozen wastes, thanoi are adept hunters. In addition to their tusks, they use harpoons on long ropes that they can quickly reel back. Groups of thanoi hunters work

Astyrranthor

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

, whose swept-back horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry. Fire

Mercane

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

portfolios revolve around fair commerce. Standing 12 feet tall, they are lanky blue beings who dress in elegant robes and have elongated heads and long, spindly fingers. Mercanes conduct most of their

unreliable. Once a mercane has been offended by someone, getting back into their good graces is next to impossible.

Turlang

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

takes a bonus action to turn it back into an inanimate tree. The tree then takes root if possible. Spellcasting. Turlang casts one of the following spells, requiring no material spell components and

, pass without trace, speak with animals 1/day each: commune with nature (cast as 1 action), conjure woodland beings, hallucinatory terrain (cast as 1 action)A xenophobic, moss-covered treant named Turlang.Bludgeoning, PiercingFire

Izek Strazni

Monsters Curse of Strahd

fishing on Lake Zarovich. On the way back to town, a dire wolf attacked Izek and bit off his right arm. His father carried Izek back to town while his uncle distracted the beast. His sister ran and hid in

bedroom in the burgomaster’s mansion. Izek often has dreams of a beautiful young woman, and for years he has forced a local toymaker named Gadof Blinsky to craft dolls in her likeness. The woman is

Ancient Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.The odor of sulfur and pumice surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back

horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

Equinal Guardinal

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

powerful, hocked legs carry them over great distances. These good-natured, boisterous Celestials boast their might in contests of strength and rarely back down from a challenge. Tough and courageous

supernatural virtue puts them at odds with the evil beings of the Lower Planes. Guardinals abhor wickedness and strike out against injustice and villainy without hesitation, determined to eradicate forces that threaten beauty and peace.Radiant

Ulder Ravengard

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. Following the deaths of two council members amid a cloud of corruption and scandal, he persuaded the Parliament of Peers to back his election to grand duke. Upon ascending to the highest position in the

struggled in performing his duties, finding his hands tied at every turn by both overt and invisible bureaucracy. Despite this, he's been a voice of reason and common sense on the Council of Four — if

Hederan

races

Hederans are living embodiments of alpine trees, sentient beings of bark and leaf whose bodies host moss, holly and fungi. Their outer skin is made of thick bark that toughens with age, and beneath

its body release pollen and a single silver seed forms upon its back. The seed must be planted within a week, or it will wither away, but from it a new hederan sapling will grow. Once planted by their

Adult Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half its flying speed.The odor of sulfur and pumice surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back horns and

spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or hills

Guild Artisan / Guild Merchant Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

connections might require the donation of money or magic items to the guild’s coffers. You must pay dues of 5 gp per month to the guild. If you miss payments, you must make up back dues to remain

;t craft items yourself but earn a living by buying and selling the works of others (or the raw materials artisans need to practice their craft). Your guild might be a large merchant consortium (or

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their own flaws. It’s appropriate for Auril to act as though she’s

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

at the burned-out building, a sudden cacophony erupted around us. Birds squawked, cats hissed, and dogs growled. Lidda hustled us back to the city’s safer avenues. Only when we were back within

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

Returned Sentry

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

work well together, sharing the unified goals of overcoming their foes and getting back to the task at hand. Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their

, which manifest as separate beings known as eidolons. The experience of escaping the Underworld also causes them to lose their faces, which become expressionless surfaces with empty eye sockets and gaping

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

chip away at even a genasi’s sense of self, so they constantly push themselves to improve, honing their talents and perfecting their craft. Genasi Lands As rare beings, genasi might go their

Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth

Entertainer Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

routines or roll on the table below to define your expertise as an entertainer. d10 Entertainer Routine 1 Actor 2 Dancer 3 Fire-eater 4 Jester 5 Juggler

) d6 Bond 1 My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love. 2 Someone stole my precious instrument, and someday I’ll get it back

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; Instead, aggressive, stronger creatures register to the lizardfolk as fearsome beings to be avoided if possible. If such creatures attack, lizardfolk flee, fighting only if cornered. Lizardfolk aren

, if other creatures prove useful to lizardfolk, those creatures can trigger a protective response made all the stronger by their apparent weakness. The lizardfolk assess such beings as hatchlings

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

watch a frog croaking on a lily pad, or to stand in a crowded human marketplace. Tortles like to learn new skills. They craft their own tools and weapons, and they are good at building structures and

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

veins making it clear that they’ve been touched by death. Other reborn are marvels of magic or science, being stitched together from disparate beings or bearing mysterious minds in manufactured

sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back. Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark

Kasimir Velikov

Monsters Curse of Strahd

led her down a path of evil and deceit. For that reason, Kasimir wants to see the vampire destroyed so that his sister can be rescued from her eternal damnation. Secrets of the Amber Temple. Patrina

more important, he believes that the Amber Temple holds the secret to bringing the ancient dead back to life. With the characters' help, Kasimir thinks he might be able to find out how to restore

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have uncovered a fact that has long been forgotten, or unearthed some relic of the

past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society. Work with your DM to

Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

assume a wraithlike form. The skull then emits a terrifying howl that can slay the weak-hearted and leave others trembling with fear. Left alone, it sinks back down and returns to the empty peace of

its existence. Few liches seek to become demiliches, for it means an end to the existence they hoped to preserve by becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

, giving each individual and every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger

Guild Artisan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

money or magic items to the guild’s coffers. You must pay dues of 5 gp per month to the guild. If you miss payments, you must make up back dues to remain in the guild’s good graces. Baldur

your district. Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant Instead of an artisans’ guild, you might belong to a guild of traders, caravan masters, or shopkeepers. You don’t craft items yourself

Cradle of the Hill Scion

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

standing stones, a village, or a city on a scion’s back, unaware of the mighty power beneath them. Such settlements can thrive for centuries, as the scion’s magic causes crops to flourish

Myth” in chapter 3 for additional inspiration.) Scions of giants’ gods are enormously powerful beings who infuse the world around them with primeval magic. In many worlds, they slumber

D&D Beyond

Search Results