bad bleak diffusing clanging rules

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

. 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.

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great

mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power. Survival of the Fittest Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth Tool Proficiencies: One

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.

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. They settle in places that accept them, usually bleak cities that have fallen on hard times and are overrun with crime. Dreams of Flight Above all else, kenku wish to regain their ability to fly

legitimate trades. These kenku adopt noises made as part of their craft. A sailor duplicates the sound of a fluttering sail, while a smith mimics the clanging of a hammer on metal. Non-kenku describe these folk by their trade sounds, such as Sail Snap, Hammerer, and Cutter.

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.

Table Rules

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

Table Rules Ideally, players come to the gaming table with the same goal: to have a fun time together. This section gives recommendations for table rules you can establish to help meet that goal

. 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

Game Customization

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to

discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session

Introducing the Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble

Introducing the Game Once the players have familiarized themselves with their characters, you’re ready to introduce the game. Now that you’re familiar with your characters and the basics of the rules

, we’re going to play a short adventure to introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons. As the Dungeon Master, I tell you what’s going on in the world around you, and I use the rules and dice rolls to

Rules of Conduct

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Rules of Conduct Although Zybilna is indisposed, three of the rules she put into place when she created her Feywild domain continue to hold weight: the rule of hospitality, the rule of ownership, and

the rule of reciprocity. These three rules are common knowledge in Prismeer, and both natives and visitors would do well to abide by them: Rule of Hospitality. When a friend, an enemy, or a stranger

Ascendant Factions

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

members of the Mind’s Eye as allies. Bleak Cabal Who Find No Sense in the Multiverse Factol: Lhar Headquarters: Gatehouse Aligned Plane: Pandemonium Members: Consolers, healers, nihilists Epithet

: Bleakers To the Bleak Cabal, the quest for cosmic meaning is futile—the multiverse doesn’t make sense, and it isn’t supposed to. With no greater truth, individuals must derive their own meaning from the

Foreword

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

. We’ve visited Waterdeep before, but not like this. Clever heroes will respect the city’s rules. Those who get on the city’s bad side are in for a rough time, as the City of Splendors is home to some of

Horror in Your Game

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

threat. Use this book to help you and your players communicate about a game’s rules, plots, and other content, assuring it includes only the elements you all enjoy. Focus on Fun. Suspenseful stories don’t

attention for both of us. We’ve found no trace of Vhorishkova since arriving, but I feel her watching. It’s like she’s everywhere. It’s bad here, Uncle. Not snake-headed hogs bad. Like, full Delmunster

Quest Goals

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

, 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

slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover (see the Basic Rules) against outside threats. A Medium character can’t squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small character can with a

The Abyss

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

covered in dense jungle, surrounded by a seemingly endless expanse of ocean and brine flats. The Prince of Demons rules his layer from two serpentine towers, which emerge from a turbid sea. Each tower

resemble his dead realm of Thanatos, and all creatures would become undead under his control. Under its black sky, Thanatos is a land of bleak mountains, barren moors, ruined cities, and forests of

Introduction: Multiversal Menagerie

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Morte’s Planar Parade

of the Monster Manual before proceeding. That book explains stat block terminology and gives rules for various monster traits—information that isn’t repeated here. The Stat Blocks by Challenge Rating

Sunfly Celestial 1 Swarm of sunflies Celestial 1 Vargouille reflection Fiend 2 Dabus Celestial 2 Lantern archon Celestial 2 Musteval guardinal Celestial 3 Bariaur wanderer Celestial 3 Bleak Cabal void

Narration in Combat

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

Narration in Combat Although it’s important that the players understand what’s going on in terms of the rules, the game can get dull if everyone uses only “gamespeak”: “That’s an 18 to hit,” “You hit

; now roll damage,” “11 points,” and “OK, now we’re to Initiative count 13.” Instead, use the rules and your knowledge of the scene to help your narration. If 18 is barely a hit, but the 11 points of

Air Envelopes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

is humid and smells bad. Any creature that breathes foul air becomes poisoned until it breathes fresh air again. The air aboard a ship with a normal crew complement degrades from fresh to foul on day

121, and the foul air turns deadly 120 days later. Deadly air is unbreathable. Any creature that tries to breathe deadly air begins to suffocate (see the rules on suffocation in the Player’s Handbook

Droaam

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

frightening member of the Daughters of Sora Kell! When I could set aside my sheer terror, I was learning a great deal about this strange nation. The Daughters invested power in warlords, each of whom rules a

Nib's Cave

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

these riches by exploiting my tenants’ misery, buying up condemned property and renting it out for an exorbitant fee. Granny Nightshade is helping me to make amends. I told her I wanted to put my bad

hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” in chapter 2), Nib offers to craft a gift for each character. Taking up a pair of knitting needles, he swiftly knits his gold yarn into an object that retains a golden

Difficulty Class

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

Nearly impossible 30 The numbers associated with these categories of difficulty are meant to be easy to keep in your head, so that you don’t have to refer to these rules every time you decide on a

say a door requires a successful DC 15 Strength check to be battered down. A fighter with a Strength of 20 might helplessly flail against the door because of bad die rolls. Meanwhile, the rogue with a

D6. His Royal Majesty Gullop XIX

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

treats visitors as honored guests in accordance with the rule of hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” earlier in the chapter), but he expects a measure of kindness in return. If a fight breaks out

lap—Bavlorna’s Big Book of Bad Blood—in which the hag’s displeasure with her enemies is spelled out in detail. He procured the book from a darkling merchant (see area B10), who stole it from Bavlorna

What You Need

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

, either in physical form or on DnDBeyond.com: Player’s Handbook. This book is your essential reference for the game’s rules, and it guides you through making an adventurer of your own. Dungeon Master’s

useful: DM Screen. Many DMs like to use a screen to shield their notes and dice rolls from players. It’s bad manners to peek over the screen! Miniatures and Battle Grid. Some DMs use a battle grid and

Consequences

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

rules cover what happens on a natural 20 (it’s a Critical Hit) or a natural 1 (it always misses). Resist the temptation to add additional negative consequences to a natural 1 on an attack roll: the

automatic failure is bad enough. And characters typically make so many attack rolls that they’re bound to roll dozens of natural 1s over time. What might seem like an interesting consequence, like breaking the weapon used for the attack, will quickly get tiresome.

NPCs as Party Members

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

to complain humorously about the characters’ terrible choices and bad planning. You can occasionally use this NPC to suggest legitimate courses of action or share insights. Dutiful Assistant. A dutiful

life debt to the characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them. You can simply decide on an NPC’s loyalty, or you can track a Loyalty Score using the following rules. Loyalty

Abyss

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

days at least. Layers 45–47: Azzagrat The demon lord Graz’zt embodies manipulation and cruelty, tempting mortals with the promise of appalling delights and decadent luxuries. He rules over the realm of

, surrounded by a seemingly endless expanse of ocean and brine flats. The Prince of Demons rules his layer from two serpentine towers, which emerge from a turbid sea. Each tower is topped with an enormous

Approaching the Prison

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

Approaching the Prison When the characters approach the prison, read the following text: Perched on a high cliff overlooking the Sea of Moving Ice is a bleak stone fortress carved from a gigantic

posing as guards are taken to the barracks (area R19), where they meet with head guard Yula Dargeria, a no-nonsense stickler for the prison’s rules. Characters posing as cooks are delivered to the kitchen

Divine Relationships

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

-dwelling Thassa, bleak-hearted Erebos, bronze-blooded Purphoros, and keen-eyed Nylea. These gods are known to refer to each other as “brother” and “sister,” though they never speak of parents and

example, while Heliod stands for universal moral precepts, Ephara is the god of laws, the rules and structures that govern mortal societies. Nylea is the god of wild nature, predatory animals, and the

Approaching the Prison

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Prisoner 13

Approaching the Prison When the characters approach the prison, read the following text: Perched on a high cliff overlooking the Sea of Moving Ice is a bleak stone fortress carved from a gigantic

posing as guards are taken to the barracks (area R19), where they meet with head guard Yula Dargeria, a no-nonsense stickler for the prison’s rules. Characters posing as cooks are delivered to the kitchen

Battle Balloon

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

power and detonate with formidable explosive force wherever they hit. VEHICLE RULES Battle balloons and mechanical beholders are vehicles, and as such, they have special rules associated with them

franchises. The versatility of an airship allows for the rapid shipping of goods, mercenaries, and loot. Such a vessel also allows a quick escape from sticky developments and deals gone bad. Battle

Reality Dawns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

. Alustriel correctly supposes that Kas plans to find Vecna and co-opt the lich-god’s ritual to become the most powerful being in existence. This outcome is as bad as Vecna ruling the multiverse, as far as

late. Regardless of the characters’ reaction to this revelation, learning it counts as a secret for the purposes of the rules in the “Power of Secrets” section in this book’s introduction.

Criminal

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

closer than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

money. 3 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

Complications and Rivals

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

a piece of the franchise’s action. Rival NPCs can be worked up using the rules in chapter 4, “Creating Nonplayer Characters” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, incorporating schemes, methods, and

campaign story unfolds. Perhaps the characters were forced to slay an evil guard in a raid gone bad. Later, their majordomo engages in a little gambling as part of a franchise task … and finds the

Franchise Downtime

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

downtime activities and undertake some of the franchise tasks that operate alongside the downtime rules. All the activities mentioned in this section are introduced or talked about in the “Franchise Tasks

-work miners. Doing so makes acquiring ongoing concessions or information from townsfolk much easier, but puts the characters in the bad graces of Sharna Quirstiron at the Miner’s Exchange. Leads to the

Criminal

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

closer than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

money. 3 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

Overkill Attacks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

damage other minions with this attack. Outnumbered? Switch to area-of-effect powers. Otherwise you’re gonna have a bad day, which will probably last the rest of your life. The Sun, Senior

creatures succeeding on their saving throw. By contrast, under this book’s minion rules, spellcasters still have a good reason to use high-level spells against minions.

D&D Beyond

Search Results