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Returning 35 results for 'bad before dark compelled relate'.
Monsters
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
are captivated by music, though they can’t distinguish a well-played performance from a bad one. If anyone plays an instrument or sings in the campestris’ vicinity, the little creatures will
a song or a piece of music three or four times, the creature remembers it forever.
Campestris vary widely in color, from white to tan to dark brown, but they always have red or purple caps and
Monsters
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
distinguish a well-played performance from a bad one. If anyone plays an instrument or sings in the campestris’ vicinity, the little creatures will happily sing along, each in an obnoxiously nasal
creature remembers it forever.
Campestris vary widely in color, from white to tan to dark brown, but they always have red or purple caps and speckles. A campestri moves by manipulating the mycelium that
Monsters
The Book of Many Things
inhabitants of the world.
Living portents seek out beings who will play a part in the prophecies they serve, and as the living portents search, they relate fragments of the prophecies to those they
Whisperer. A purple star whose guidance and minions seem to help for a time but whose influence inevitably leads to disaster.
Hadar, the Dark Hunger. A cinder-red dying star that siphons life from its
Species
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
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
Memories table to inspire its details.
Lost Memories
d6
Memory
1
You recall a physically painful moment. What mark or scar on your body does it relate to?
2
A memory brings
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
.
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch
.
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.
Genasi
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
into the mortal world. They adapt well to the mingled elements of the Material Plane, and they sometimes visit—whether of their own volition or compelled by magic. Some genies can adopt mortal
accustomed to a variety of different people.
GENASI ON ATHAS
Although any world that includes one or more elemental planes can feature genasi, on Athas, the world of the Dark Sun campaign setting
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp
Criminal Origins
Criminals are pervasive in Baldur
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.
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
who serve Yurtrus and Shargaas. Some are sent forth into the cities dominated by humans, on dark missions. Beware them.
— Elminster
Search, Destroy, Repeat
When a tribe is on the move, orc
everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Dark fantasy is as much a genre of fantasy as it is a genre of horror. Generally, any tale featuring both supernatural elements and horror themes might be considered dark fantasy
, whether it’s a fantasy story steeped in horror elements or an otherwise realistic world that features a supernatural terror. Dark fantasy refers to fantasy worlds where grim themes, nihilistic plots, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
bell. The Dark Powers have created a false image of Strahd’s ancestral home within the fog, just beyond reach. Strahd comes to the hill on occasion to gaze upon the city, even though he knows it can’t
this part of the wall of fog, that person might relate an ancient legend about it. According to the mountain folk of Barovia, there was always a wall of mist near Yester Hill, even before the deadly
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Hag Names Hags have whimsical names, often with a dark twist. A hag gives her newborn daughter a name that the girl keeps during her childhood, but upon gaining her full hag powers the daughter
chooses her own name, which might or might not relate to her birth name. Some hags use different names in different guises, but still prefer their original name as their favorite. The Hag Names table
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
. 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, silent stretches. Occasionally, though, in a moment of
Memory
1 You recall a physically painful moment. What mark or scar on your body does it relate to?
2 A memory brings tears to your eyes. Is it a bitter or cheerful memory? Does recalling
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
Bad Dreams The characters’ sleep in the slave pen is troubled and fitful, filled with strange dreams and disturbing images. Dark shadows seem to move and reach out toward them as the characters
crawling masses of maggots or insects. At least one or more of the characters should wake in a cold sweat from these nightmares after every rest, feeling as though something is out there in the dark
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
Domains of Dread, where creatures born in darkness dwell. This “gift” was thrust upon them by mysterious entities called the Dark Powers, as a boon for their kindness toward strangers. The Vistani
believe that ravens carry lost souls within them. Hence, killing a raven is considered bad luck in Vistani culture.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
unless magically compelled to do so.) “Zord has a cabin aboard the Eyecatcher and spends a lot of time there with Margo Verida and Khafeyta Murzan, two of the Faire’s star performers.” “A year ago, the Sea
.” (A sailor won’t divulge Zord’s true identity unless magically compelled to do so.) “The Sea Maidens Faire is based out of Luskan.” Carnies Most of the carnival performers and workers are human
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
mortality, whether embodied in undead monsters or expressed through the death of loved ones. A campaign revolving around an insidious evil, whether dark gods, monstrous races such as the yuan-ti, or
revealed to relate to a larger plot in the campaign. If most of your adventures are dungeon expeditions, shift gears with a tense urban mystery that eventually leads the party into a dungeon crawl in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
Quest Goals To complete the Axeholm Quest, adventurers must kill or drive out all the monsters in the fortress. AXEHOLM FEATURES
In the dwarves’ absence, Axeholm has become a dark, sullen tomb
, full of dust and bad memories. It’s quiet most of the time, except when the sorrowful wails of the banshee fill the place. The following features are common throughout.
Arrow Slits. When using an arrow
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Chapter 3: Classes Adventurers are extraordinary people, driven by a thirst for excitement into a life that others would never dare lead. They are heroes, compelled to explore the dark places of the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
alleys of the Styes that no one will miss. At the same time, the aboleth transformed the underwater pit where the kraken rests into a conduit for dark magic, fashioned to capture the plentiful negative
effect of that emotional darkness, the aboleth chose a local human fisher named Jarme Loveage to be an instrument of murder and fear. Sgothgah enslaved the young man and has compelled him to commit
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
eternal torment as victims of malign forces known as the Dark Powers. Ravenloft is a fundamentally magical realm, one that takes its name from its most infamous haunted location, the dreaded Castle
domains’ secrets. Though few in number, such adventurers represent defiant lights that shine like beacons through the darkness, and characters from all lands and worlds may be eager—or compelled—to
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
, invisibility, or some other magic, a beholder can lurk in the dark and shoot any creature it can see within the range of its darkvision. A dark room with a 120-foot ceiling allows it to use this tactic
magical effects is useful to a beholder for determining if a minion has been charmed or compelled to act against its master; the creature might change its behavior when inside the cone, or it might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
from a fat, black cauldron in the center of this dark, oppressive room. Surrounding the cauldron are several gaunt women in soiled black robes. These witches sit hunched on tall wooden stools, their
, read the following text instead: Green-glowing wisps of steam bubble up from a fat, black cauldron in the center of this dark, oppressive room. Surrounding the cauldron are seven tall wooden stools
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild
Sir Ursas The warrior Sir Ursas strikes an imposing figure—a massive, muscular warrior with one arm replaced with a grizzly bear’s paw grafted at the elbow. He grows his dark hair long and shaggy
temple. Ursas is aware that Lynx has knowledge of other missing components that might relate to the Tomb of Horrors. Mechanical Guide Sir Ursas offers the characters the services of a magical construct
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
world. Living portents seek out beings who will play a part in the prophecies they serve, and as the living portents search, they relate fragments of the prophecies to those they encounter. Variant
guidance and minions seem to help for a time but whose influence inevitably leads to disaster.
Hadar, the Dark Hunger. A cinder-red dying star that siphons life from its minions to avert its own
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
Death Knight When a paladin that falls from grace dies without seeking atonement, dark powers can transform the once-mortal knight into a hateful undead creature. A death knight is a skeletal warrior
-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following paladin spells prepared:
1st level (4 slots): command, compelled duel
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
minions. A paladin might have no qualms about putting a hag coven to the sword, but her conviction falters if she must first fight through a crowd of innocent farmers that the hag has compelled to defend
presence, becoming twisted versions of their former selves (in a dark fey sort of way), but still recognizable as what they once were. She might alter them with magic, making them tireless, resistant
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
lavishly decorated, with many halls used by government officials, guildmasters, and nobles for meetings and court proceedings. If you have reason to be invited (not compelled, I should hope!) to meet with
parted ways. Mirt kept on with a life of adventure, while Durnan built the tavern called the Yawning Portal over the Well and now, almost two centuries later, charges coin to descend into it. Not a bad
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
whole creature and still be hungry. If you’re bad, she’ll come in the night and carry you away. She’ll make a lantern of your skull and torment you until the end of time. And she’s the least
grow larger and more organized every day, and the rest of Khorvaire is uneasy with the potential power of a fully realized Droaam. The monsters that inhabit Droaam retain their racial subcultures. Most worship the Dark Six, but other religious traditions flourish as well.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) slashing damage.
Grumink the Renegade Grumink is a dwarf gone bad. He is a chaotic evil gold dwarf assassin with dwarf racial traits. Bloodthirsty, callous, and mercenary
careful not to emerge from his hiding place beneath the docks unless it’s dark and rainy, and even then he hides under a bulky cloak. He and Unferth serve as the Kraken Society’s top operatives in this
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
against the winery, antagonizing the wereravens like a bad neighbor. Five days ago, evil druids stole the third and final gem and bore it to Yester Hill (chapter 14). The wereravens launched a
the Martikovs reclaim the winery, wine production in the valley will eventually stop as the vineyard dies off. Only by recovering the magic gems and replanting them in the soil can the characters ensure that the Barovians aren’t without wine to comfort them on dark, wretched nights.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
bureaucracy of a specific city-state can serve a similar role in a Dark Sun conversion of this adventure. The city-state most immediately concerned with the rise of a dangerous magical cult in the Great
destruction is bad for business, even by House Tsalaxa’s standards. If the house’s agents can seize the cult’s secrets in the process of eliminating the threat, so much the better.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
knows that demons at large in the world are bad for business. The organization thus views the possible presence of the demon lords in the Underdark with the same concern as any other external threat
to Mantol-Derith. Davra is an assassin. In addition to her weapons, she carries dust of disappearance and wears goggles of night while roaming the dark halls of Gauntlgrym.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
defy their parents when they’re not around but cower in the corner when their parents return, terrified of having their bad behavior found out. Reverence for Lolth touches every aspect of drow life
. All dark elves constantly watch for signs of her favor. Any incident or physical feature can be interpreted as such a sign, and priestesses are quick to attach meanings to obscure omens that benefit
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
following snippets of conversation from the crowd: A halfling woman complains, “I thought the Redbrands were bad, but at least they never smashed the bar. Who does that?” A human miner shouts, “The
inside. Harbin is frazzled, with flushed cheeks and dark bags heavy beneath his eyes. Harbin tells the characters the following: “I understand that they’re angry, but do they expect me to take care