bad back diffusing core resolve

Incarnation of Transience

Monsters Lorwyn: First Light

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

retains its core identity but might transform physically. An incarnation of hope in Lorwyn, for example, might resemble a giant dove with a lizard’s tail and leonine legs; in Shadowmoor, this same

Cadaver Collector

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of a conquering army on the Material Plane. These fearsome Constructs obey their summoners until they are dismissed back to Acheron, but if a summoner comes to a bad end, a cadaver collector might

Cadaver Collector Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

back to Acheron, but if a summoner comes to a bad end, a cadaver collector might wander the Material Plane for centuries, collecting corpses while searching for a way to return home. Sweeping the Dead

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

at his core, the seneschal didn’t return as a skeletal knight but rather as an intangible spirit. Caradoc’s Undead form suits him well, allowing him to possess the living and use unwilling

’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

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder. Suggested Characteristics Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an

important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back. 4 I will become the greatest thief that ever lived. 5 I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it. 6

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

of questions. 3 I like to squeeze into small places where no one else can get to me. 4 I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms. 5

I eat like a pig and have bad manners. 6 I think anyone who’s nice to me is hiding evil intent. 7 I don’t like to bathe. 8 I bluntly say what other people are hinting at

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

realizing the connection. You got the Guild to back off demands for your death by offering to make amends by working for the criminals, but even so the kingpin still plots a personal revenge. 2 The

work, do what needs to be done, and get paid. Anyone who pursues crime for thrill-seeking, to strike back at unjust authorities, or anything else are amateurs, and they’re liable to get you

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

raid just as another group returns, laden with severed heads, sacks of loot, and armfuls of food. Warriors also serve as scouts, bringing back detailed reports about the surrounding area so that the

haul as much food and booty as possible back to the tribe’s den, every tribe has a sturdy war wagon. Since orcs are poor crafters, most of their wagons are stolen from human or dwarven

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

sneak out of the closet in the middle of the night, smother the guest with a pillow, and then retreat back to the closet. The castle staff never considered that the effigy might be responsible

Ideal. “I wish I could make people happy.” Bond. “I would like to find someone—anyone—who isn't afraid of me and who enjoys my company.” Flaw. “When I'm upset, I do bad things.”Poison

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

spell gave the crab folk an insatiable love for silver. When they see it, all crab folk feel an irresistible urge to seize it and carry it back to their lairs. If necessary, they resort to violence to

bad luck a gull might happen to land near a crab folk lair and utter the right combination of cries to summon up this ancient compulsion. Driven to action, the crab folk rampage along the coast

Skabatha Nightshade

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

. Personality Trait. “When dealing with outsiders, I present myself as a kindly old grandmother.” Ideal. “Children are better off working for me than picking up lots of bad habits

eyelashes. Underneath her makeup, her flesh is textured like rotten bark and infested with wood lice and fungus. The windup key sticking out of her back is a part of her body and no easier to remove than one

Olhydra

Monsters Princes of the Apocalypse

— bad weather, strong tides, and increasing aggression from dangerous sea life. Violent downpours become frequent within 10 miles of the lair. A downpour occurs once every 2d12;{"diceNotation

mortal world to dwell near those points. If Olhydra is destroyed or banished back to her home plane, the regional effects fade over the next 1d10;{"diceNotation":"1d10","rollType":"roll"} days.Acid, Cold, PoisonLightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

conclave has a deeper connection to the Worldsoul than I do. 6 I’m trying to atone for the life of crime I led before I joined the Selesnya, but I find it hard to give up my bad habits

Dimir agent. 4 I know a disgruntled Golgari assassin who is ripe for recruitment. 5 I’m friendly with a Gruul centaur who almost joined us a few years back. 6 I once had a heated

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

indolence offers no clue to how vicious the creatures are. Bugbears are capable of bouts of incredible ferocity, using their muscular bodies to exact swift and ruthless violence. At their core

in the presence of Skiggaret. Talking about such acts might call him back. Blessings of the Bugbear Gods Bugbears have no use for priests or shamans. No one needs to tell them what their gods want

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

back into the air. Those that make it to a world in the Material Plane find it a strange place. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing but pity for those earthbound

it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring it back to their settlement to beautify it. An aarakocra who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses. Confinement terrifies the

Morkoth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

;s petrified flesh came back to life as morkoths: tentacled monstrosities brimming with malice and greed. Morkoths are driven by greed and selfishness mixed with a yearning for conflict. They hoard

fragments that make up the island’s core are also located. Sections of the lair and its center might be kept dry to better protect and preserve collected objects and creatures, but most of the lair

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

to a generous benefactor. 2 My ill-gotten gains go to support my family. 3 Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back. 4 I will become the greatest thief that

things look bad. 6 An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. 3 I like to squeeze into small places where no one else can get to me. 4 I sleep with my back to a wall or tree, with everything I own wrapped in a bundle in my arms. 5 I eat like

a pig and have bad manners. 6 I think anyone who’s nice to me is hiding evil intent. 7 I don’t like to bathe. 8 I bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding

Vistani Lore

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

prosperity, sharing their good fortune with friends and strangers alike. Vistani resolve disagreements through contests that end with reconciliatory singing, dancing, and storytelling. Vistani families can

believe that ravens carry lost souls within them. Hence, killing a raven is considered bad luck in Vistani culture.

Elemental Engines

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

the airship’s pilot, the elemental core can be suppressed, causing the elemental energy to disappear and flow back into the Khyber dragonshard core. An airship’s elemental core and connecting arcane

Elemental Engines Airships are powered by an elemental spirit bound to a core carved from a Khyber dragonshard. This core is placed into a heavily fortified containment chamber connected to an arcane

Good Wolf, Bad Wolf

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

out of sight. If Koran is unable to convince the characters to follow it back to the frost giant’s lodge, Kanan steps in and plays the “bad” wolf, baring his fangs and threatening to eat the

Good Wolf, Bad Wolf When the characters first approach the outskirts of Dougan’s Hole or shortly after they first leave town, they encounter two winter wolves named Koran and Kanan. Here’s how the

Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer

, the city can count on the other members of the Lords’ Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance’s resolve. To the east, the nations of

question, selling them at a high markup. Travelers seeking a specific book also hire mercenaries or adventurers to venture into dungeons or ruins and bring back the prize. If information can’t be

Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

, the city can count on the other members of the Lords’ Alliance to come to its defense. This arrangement infuriates Amn, which is not prepared to test the alliance’s resolve. To the east, the nations of

question, selling them at a high markup. Travelers seeking a specific book also hire mercenaries or adventurers to venture into dungeons or ruins and bring back the prize. If information can’t be

Table Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid

players wandering away from the table and back, but some players prefer planned breaks. Have snacks. Decide before a session who will bring food and drink. This is often something the players can handle.

Vorn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

deactivated shield guardian that once served as a wizard’s bodyguard. The wizard died from extreme bad luck decades ago — he fell out of a tree during a particularly bad bout of blue mist fever, hit his

finds footprints in the dirt — evidence of nomadic tribes of goblins, grungs, and vegepygmies that revere the construct as a lesser god. They trim back the jungle vines and creepers that would

Stage 3

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

for revenge against the exiles. The Red Wizards of Thay are evil to the core, though, and the delegates must tread carefully as they present their case. The Cult Strikes Back (Part 3) The Cult of the

infiltrate a cult stronghold and claim the mask, then save a nearby village from the blue dragon that means to take the relic back. Mission to Thay The ritual that will bring Tiamat to Faerûn is too complex

Stage 3

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

for revenge against the exiles. The Red Wizards of Thay are evil to the core, though, and the delegates must tread carefully as they present their case. The Cult Strikes Back (Part 3) The Cult of the

infiltrate a cult stronghold and claim the mask, then save a nearby village from the blue dragon that means to take the relic back. Mission to Thay The ritual that will bring Tiamat to Faerûn is too complex

Vladeska's Powers and Dominion

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

executions serve the greater good and impose necessary order, but make it clear that zombies aren’t the realm’s only monsters. Only Bad Decisions. There is one simple truth in Falkovnia: the dead are

about to kill everyone. This sets the stage for countless bad decisions, from leaders making terrible sacrifices or permitting amoral acts to individuals making fatalistic choices. Everyone in Falkovnia

Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

Triboar, met and defeated the cultists in the nearby hills. Not knowing what the cultists were carrying, they brought the devastation orb in its containment case back to Triboar. Shortly thereafter, it

disappeared. Nareen Dhest, a member of the Hand of Yartar operating in Triboar, pilfered the lord protector’s vaults and smuggled the orb in its case back to Yartar. The Hand of Yartar had no

Rival Explorers

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Morgrave’s bad reputation. They seek fame, wealth, and power by plundering the secrets of ancient civilizations and claiming the magic and money they find for themselves. On the other hand, if the

characters solve this problem by breaking the curse rather than killing the rivals, but either way, these foils no longer trouble the characters after they resolve this situation. (A rival group at these levels might consist of an Archmage, an Archpriest, a Spy Master, and a Warrior Commander.)

Skyreach Castle

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Skyreach Castle Eons ago, cloud giants built this flying fortress to take their ancient battle against dragonkind into the skies. The spirit of a giant enables it to fly—this ancient bond dates back

strong and impenetrable as granite, thanks to ancient cloud giant wizardry. Towers and walls surround an iceberg core that’s been hollowed out to serve as the lair of a powerful white dragon allied with

Mutual Respect

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide

aren’t always bad. It’s OK for characters (and players) to disagree about how to deal with a captured enemy or which side to back in a brewing war. If the disagreement gets too heated, take a break and

behavior is interfering with everyone else’s enjoyment, everyone has a stake in helping to resolve the issue. Setting Expectations Before you assemble a group around a game table, pitch the

Tymora

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

might say words to Tymora before any endeavor in which a little good luck would help, but not when an incidence of bad luck might occur. (On such occasions folk pray to Beshaba to spare them from bad

left with the stranger as payment for Tymora’s favor. If it’s not, the stranger can choose to keep it (and the bad luck) or return it. Those who favor Tymora — as distinct from folk who invoke her name

Shades of Gray

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

hobgoblin general, whose descendants want it back. The ways to resolve these problems aren’t always simple. Certain situations demand straightforward decisions. If Emerald Claw cultists are about to

Infernal War Machine Combat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

vehicle rules don’t cover, fall back on the core rules. For example, if a character wants to leap from one moving vehicle to another, determine whether the character succeeds or not with a Strength

D&D Beyond

Search Results