bad borders diffusing close run

Two-Headed Cerberus

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

of the dead. Such isn’t the case for mortals, though, and they eagerly set upon those who tread too close to the Underworld’s borders. Feared by the living and the dead, cerberi patrol

both banks of the Tartyx River. These multiheaded hounds of the Underworld breathe gouts of molten rock that sear and imprison those who trespass upon the borders of life and death. Most cerberi have a

Deep Crow

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

, echoing from the darkness like a death knell. For by the time those glowing red eyes fix on you, it's far too late to run … Some adventurers and sages whisper that deep crows were first spawned as

resembles a massive version of its namesake bird, this creature is a unique form of avian insect. Seen up close, it can easily be discerned from any other giant bird by its insectoid maw, its four-clawed

Living Demiplane

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

, an unfurnished stone chamber 30 feet in every dimension. A creature too big to fit in this space succeeds on the saving throw automatically. Creatures in the chamber never run out of breathable air

extradimensional chamber are expelled, appearing as close to the living spell's previous location as possible. Each expelled creature appears in a randomly determined unoccupied space, along with whatever it is

Catoblepas

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of carrion, and wallowing in mire. A catoblepas might be found with the one mate it chooses for life and, on occasion, with a calf. A catoblepas attacks anyone that moves too close, especially if

the creature has such a feared reputation that stories about it are ingrained in the popular culture. Any rumor of a catoblepas taking up residence nearby is taken to be a bad omen, even if the rumor is

Mister Witch

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

company of their eldest son, Urmius Umbrage—a brooding shadar-kai ne’er do-well with a cruel sense of humor. Naeryx and Urmius were close in age and got along well in all respects. Years later

, without informing the rest of his family, Urmius bought a run-down carnival and persuaded Naeryx to help him operate it. Naeryx and Urmius—now calling themselves Mister Witch and Mister Light

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

claim the metal. Brutal Raiders. Each year, when the warm summer gives way to the chill of autumn, the crab folk look to the sky for omens. In ancient days, the green hag kept close watch on the fishing

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

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

Centaur Legacy

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

freedom to travel. As much as they can, centaurs run — in wide plazas, spacious parks, and expanses of rubble and ruin. They race the wind, hooves thundering and tails streaming behind them

the Gruul and the Selesnya they are voices of memory and history, preserving old ways and keeping alive the legends of ancestral heroes. They feel a close kinship with wild animals, perhaps because of

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

, empathetic, and generally peaceful — unless roused to action. Their flaws and bonds alike grow naturally from their close ties to the community. Personality Traits d8 Personality Trait

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

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.

Guild. If either of them ever finds out, your life as you know it will be over. 6 A close friend or relative joined the Guild and vanished mysteriously. You’ve worked your way into the lower

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.

Closing the Borders

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

Closing the Borders Nepenthe can close the borders of its domain, as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of this chapter. With the sword’s consent, Isolde can do the same. When the Carnival’s

borders close, the Mists are filled with eerie, colorful lights and distant music, echoing memories of past carnivals.

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

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

serve as a battering ram if a settlement dares to close its gates, blocking the way to the treasures and tasty food that lie within. A heavily laden wagon that requires the strongest orcs to return it to

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

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, designed to collapse under the weight of any creature heavier than a kobold. On occasion, the route through a kobold lair runs along a ledge that borders a cavern or a crevasse, and the kobolds might

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

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

Misty Borders

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

the Mists? Do they ascribe a personality to them? Where do the Mists appear besides the domain’s borders? How does a Darklord use the Mists to close their domain’s borders (detailed in chapter 3)?

Misty Borders In a few sentences, describe how the Mists of Ravenloft operate in your domain. This might largely be the same as detailed at the beginning of chapter 3, or they too might reflect the

Ivana's Powers and Dominion

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

seeks political and financial control over all Borca, and casually manipulates the domain’s noble families into destroying one another. Closing the Borders. Ivana can close or open Borca’s borders once

per day. She rarely closes the borders, as her manipulations typically prevent her victims from leaving. She might open or close the borders to confound the whims of her co-Darklord, Ivan, though. When

Escaping the House

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

Escaping the House After the house is awakened, the domain’s borders close and the house’s spirits set their full attention on the party. Escaping the house requires disrupting the house’s spirits in one of three ways, each encouraged by the spirit the characters communed with during their séances.

Inheritors of Darkon

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

Inheritors of Darkon Since the disappearance of Azalin Rex, Darkon has been without a Darklord. Three individuals strive to claim Azalin’s place as the domain’s ruler, though none know what that entails. Additionally, these individuals cannot open or close the domain’s borders.

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

Saidra's Powers and Dominion

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

crimson-tinged shadow. Closing the Borders. When Duchess Saidra wants to close the borders of her domain, the Mists don’t rise. Rather, those who try to leave find themselves roaming the lands of

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.

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

The Mists

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

wherever these wicked forces desire. The Dark Powers also grant Darklords limited ability to manipulate the Mists surrounding their domains, allowing most to open or close their domains’ borders to

Handbook for details). Most Darklords can keep their domains’ borders closed indefinitely and can reopen them at will. For some Darklords, slightly varied effects manifest when they close their domains

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.

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

intelligently and do everything you can to make him a terrifying and cunning adversary for the player characters. When you run an encounter with Strahd, keep the following facts in mind: Strahd

close as he wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (needing a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until Strahd chooses to end the effect, or until Strahd uses this lair action again

Ramya's Powers and Dominion

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

with her siblings Arijani and Reeva. She constantly struggles to quell the rebellion they lead, as detailed in “Treachery in Kalakeri” later in this domain. Closing the Borders. Ramya can close or open

Kalakeri’s borders as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of this chapter, but she can do so only while she controls the Sapphire Throne. If her faction is driven out of Jadurai, the domain’s borders remain in their current state until she regains control.

Ivan's Powers and Dominion

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

. Those unable to escape are eventually forced to don the ludicrous livery of the Dilisnya household staff and become Ivan’s new servants. Closing the Borders. Ivan can close or open Borca’s borders

once per day. He closes them to prevent those he’s obsessing over from escaping. When he closes Borca’s borders, the Mists rise as detailed in “The Mists” section at the start of this chapter. Additionally, the fog is filled with Ivan’s taunting voice and patrolled by grim clockwork toys.

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

Jacqueline's Powers and Dominion

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

the Borders. When Jacqueline Renier wishes to close her domain’s borders, the Mists rise at the edge of the lands, as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of this chapter. Additionally, the Mists are filled with swarms of rats; endless waves of them attack any creatures that enter the Mists.

Chakuna's Powers and Dominion

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

the Borders. When Chakuna chooses to close the borders of her domain, the seas grow rough and the Mists rise. In addition to their normal effects (see “Influence of the Mists” at the start of this

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

body, thought, and emotion. Freed from the limitations of their human bodies, the yuan-ti used their new abilities to conquer new lands and expand their borders. One Race, Many Forms The bodies of all

human society, so they gain influence by controlling enemy rulers — and those close to them — through blackmail, drugs, magic, and the subterfuge of disguised purebloods. From Calimshan and

D&D Beyond

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