bad bards diffusing constructed run

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

creatures for eventual impalement. Although these specters are individually weak, a cadaver collector can call up an almost endless supply of them, if given time. Constructed Nature. A cadaver collector

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

—knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts. A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail, setting the tempo for his war chant

of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation

College of Swords

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their

College of Swords (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

have often run into trouble that makes maintaining their secret activities impossible. A blade caught stealing or engaging in vigilante justice is too great a liability for most troupes. With their

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

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

will run away from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I&rsquo

Pirate Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? You spent your youth

you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Feature: Bad Reputation No matter where

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Skill

more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. Variant Feature: Bad

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

. 4 I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. 5 I turn tail and run when things look bad. 6 An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

fellows, or on the run? Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water) Equipment: A belaying pin (club), 50 feet of silk rope, a lucky

. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. Variant Feature: Bad Reputation If your character has a sailor

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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

important person, and I’m wanted for it. 6 No one else should have to endure the hardships I’ve been through. d6 Flaw 1 If I’m outnumbered, I will run away

The Middle Path

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

between relying on their bonuses and abilities and paying attention to the game and immersing themselves in its world. Remember that dice don’t run your game — you do. Dice are like rules. They’re

bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.

Instrument

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

critical factor, of course; the best ones make the best music, and some bards are continually on the lookout for an improvement. Perhaps just as important, though, is the instrument’s own entertainment

value; those that are bizarrely constructed or made of exotic materials are likely to leave a lasting impression on an audience. You might have an “off the rack” instrument, perhaps because it’s all you

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

lies on the slopes of the Star Mounts’ southernmost mountains. At the headwaters of the Unicorn Run, the Last Aerie is home to several dozen aarakocra. Recently, aarakocra elders detected

changes in the prevailing winds that they regarded as a bad omen. Unlike the aarakocra of other worlds on the Material Plane, the aarakocra of the Realms rarely travel to the Elemental Plane of Air

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it. 4 I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. 5 I turn tail and run when

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

Halflings of the Five Nations

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

Halflings of the Five Nations Quick and charming, many halflings put their natural talents to use as bards, barristers, merchants, and politicians throughout Khorvaire. Of course, these same talents

prove equally useful for burglars, grifters, and other criminals. Of particular note is the halfling-run criminal enterprise of the Boromar Clan, the most powerful crime syndicate in Breland. The

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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

Umizu

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Umizu Residents of the city-state of Umizu enjoy their fair share of luck, but good fortune comes at a cost: a season of bad luck that arrives with the yearly monsoon. During this time, locals pray

-simmering tension. Daimyo Hogishi Takemi does his best to rein in crime, but the city’s lackluster bureaucracy is run by complacent samurai administrators and riddled with corruption. Crime syndicates

Lords' Alliance

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

agents include sophisticated bards, zealous paladins, talented mages, and grizzled warriors. They are chosen primarily for their loyalty and are experts in observation, stealth, innuendo, and combat

’ Alliance fights the things that the shopkeeper in his bed has never even heard of. We remove threats before the town mayor even knows about it. We make bad things go away. That’s what we’re good at.” Rameel Jos

Halflings of the Five Nations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

Halflings of the Five Nations Halflings can be found in every city in Khorvaire. Quick and charming, halflings are often found as merchants, politicians, barristers, and bards. Of course, these same

, who occasionally pulls you into their problems. Or you could even be the reluctant heir of a powerful Boromar leader; you’ve gone on the run rather than taking your place in this criminal empire, but someday your past may catch up with you.

Caer-Dineval

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

because they have not received deliveries of mead from the town of Good Mead, and the taverns have run dry. As if things weren’t bad enough, the town’s harbor has frozen over, and the town’s speaker

Umber Hulk's Shell Inn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sleeping Dragon’s Wake

Umber Hulk’s Shell Inn Alion Malwyn, a kind-hearted, nonbinary Illuskan human, runs this newly constructed two-story inn. A bed for the night costs 5 sp, while a meal costs 1 sp. If the characters

hear of Claugiyliamatar? She’s a great green dragon with a lair somewhere in Kryptgarden Forest. Folks around here call her Old Gnawbone because she loves devouring people like us. Be careful if you’re going in that place. You don’t want to run into her.”

Setting

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

introduce the player characters to the region and its people. Combine the settlements of Womford and nearby Bargewright Inn into the corrupt town of Nulb. The small river known as Imeryds Run serves as

. Instead, the huge underground stronghold the player characters explore in chapter 4 is the subterranean fortress constructed by an older incarnation of the Cult of Elemental Evil, which has now been reoccupied by the current group of elemental prophets and their followers.

The Central Market

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

cloudy blue eyes. They run a flower stall in the market. Friendly and a bit wistful, Astra chats with anyone who stops at their stall, as happy to hear the recent news as to make a sale. Astra was a

. “Gossip nourishes me like a spring rain, but I hate to hear or pass on bad news.” Ideal. “People are like flowers: Some grow best when left alone, others must be carefully cultivated—and some need to be

Build Your Group

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

sideways, sometimes innocents get unwillingly caught in the action. The common artisan who hired the party to find her missing partner might find herself and her hired inquisitives on the run when

in both Persuasion and Intimidation prove helpful in this role. Bards, paladins, and sorcerers have both the requisite talents and the ability to supplement their interrogations with magic

Mapping a Dungeon

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

make interesting obstacles. Incorporate natural features into even a constructed dungeon. An underground stream might run through the middle of a dwarven stronghold, causing variation in the shapes

Interesting Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

a lively debate on the current state of the Race of Eight Winds. Detention is run by a halfling who calls herself Brandy. She claims to be a excoriate, driven from House Ghallanda after refusing to

large meeting rooms, and a small concert hall. Rumors say that this is an outpost of the secret Circle of Song, a society of bards and entertainers spread across Khorvaire; others swear that House

Redcloak Battalion

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

Battalion. This elite unit fought at the forefront of the Last War, and Brelish bards still sing of the exploits of Khandan the Hammer and Meira the Huntress. At the end of the war, the battalion was split

run both ways. Among the Redcloaks, tensions still run hot regarding their former rivals, particularly those from the following nations: Darguun. The hobgoblins of Darguun fought alongside Brelish

It's Just Business

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

. What better way to think of the big bad monster at the center of a web of even bigger and badder plans than as the CEO of a megacorporation, using every resource to dominate the market? What is an

present them with even more hurdles to overcome. The often bizarre, unfeeling, and surreal elements of corporate and business life can add a degree of danger or absurdity to even the most run-of-the

Zombie

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

was fun for a while, but the zombie started to smell real bad, so we doused it in oil and set it on fire. Beek would’ve found that hilarious.” — Fonkin Hoddypeak, on friendship Hideous Forms

. Zombies appear as they did in life, showing the wounds that killed them. However, the magic that creates these vile creatures often takes time to run its course. Dead warriors might rise from a

Caer-Konig

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

that keeps the townsfolk from leaving is the beer at the local tavern, which never seems to run out. As if things weren’t bad enough, the town has suffered several mysterious break-ins recently, with

Cadaver Collector

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

evil warlord to bolster the ranks of a conquering army. These fearsome constructs obey their summoners until being dismissed back to Acheron, but if a summoner comes to a bad end, a cadaver collector

, a cadaver collector can call up an almost endless supply of them, if given time. Constructed Nature. A cadaver collector doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. Cadaver collectors cannot summon

Boareskyr Bridge

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

shed there, the river’s waters run black and foul for miles west of the bridge. Adding to the location’s sacred nature, Cyric, the man who killed Bhaal, was himself elevated to godhood. Although he

time, with the soldiers of Elturgard making frequent patrols of the road and surrounding lands while Fort Tamal was being constructed. Today things are fairly quiet at the bridge. The tradition of

Halflings

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Scholars, wizards, druids, and bards of other races have different ideas about how halflings escape peril, suggesting that by virtue of something in their nature, they occupy a special place in the

off bad luck or to bring good fortune. Villages or even families might have superstitions observed by no one else, such as the following: For a safe journey through a forest, leave a few seeds or a

Sailor

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

on board — boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Skill Proficiencies

the Bad Reputation feature (see sidebar) instead of the Ship’s Passage feature. Variant Feature: Bad Reputation If your character has a sailor background, you may select this background feature

Research

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

character astray, especially if the object of the research is known to the rival. The rival might plant false information, bribe sages to give bad advice, or steal key tomes needed to find the truth. In

addition, a character might run into other complications during research. Every workweek spent in research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication, examples of which are on the Research

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