bad build diffusing currently relatively

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Although the duchess's heart was in the right

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

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

combatants on battlefields and in dungeons alike. Trained for Danger Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively

Fighter As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife

communities are threatened. Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves

shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that’s why they build their mighty

Dragonmarked Characters

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

Dragonmarked Characters Here are examples of characters with the Mark of Warding. Artificer House Agent. Some people want to build a better mousetrap. Better isn’t enough for you — you want to build

. Criminal Rogue. It’s not that you’re a bad person. You’ve just never met a lock you didn’t want to open. It’s like they speak to you, whispering “Free me! Free me!” You’re not even in it for the gold

Variety in All Things

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

settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span

Variety in All Things

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

settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span

Vladeska's Powers and Dominion

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

, the Talons are terrifying. Their numbers are relatively few, but they’re organized enough to oppress Lekar’s ragged survivors and enforce Drakov’s totalitarian laws. In the face of zombie hordes

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

Horror in Your Game

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

how to bring it to life through your adventures. Creating Atmosphere. Threatening traps and monsters alone don’t create exciting D&D adventures. This book provides techniques to help you build

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

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

these hired helpers to prominence for their importance to the campaign story. And, of course, for comic effect. When the characters are relatively low level, an Acquisitions Incorporated style of play can

Attitudes

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

adventurers to secure the metallic dragons’ allegiance. HAVE WE MET BEFORE? The dragons on the council have lived for centuries. Given how quickly humanoids build up progeny, it is possible that one of the

cleric. Or perhaps Tazmikella’s stolen magic item is not something currently possessed by one of the adventurers, but she recognizes an ancestor of a party member as the sweet-talking bard who stole

Whorlstone Tunnels

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

relatively regular dimensions. They are known for their unusual rock formations and abundant patches of fungi, and for being suffused with faerzress (see chapter 2). There are currently two factions

Ephara's Influence

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

build a city. Ephara and Nylea are almost polar opposites, and there is no shortage of bad blood between the god of the cities and the god of the hunt. Nylea resents the construction of every

those who build new cities and those who free others from tyranny. Ephara knows that not all threats to a city come from outside it, and she encourages her followers to watch out for tyranny and

Around the Market

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

Vi has a zest for life, Kasem is reserved and calculating. He’s also the one behind the sabotage currently afflicting the Tyenmo and Xungoon stalls. Several weeks ago, Vi told his brother he’s

them as a vapid tradition created to provide cheap thrills. Kasem encourages the characters to enjoy their evening, avoid the Market Games, and stay away from vendors who give the market a bad name. Any

Story Overview

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

, a rival goblin gang that often deals in illicit arms. Rumors swirled that Krenko killed Dargig, the youngest of the three brothers, after a weapons drop went bad. The remaining two brothers, Rikkig

Krenko’s freedom, and are desperate to make him pay. GUILDLESS VILLAINS Not every villain in a Ravnica campaign is a member of a guild, and not every scheme originates in the guildhalls. As you build

People of Akros

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

throne by besting the heir in single combat. Currently, the monarchy is in a state of turmoil. King Anax has died, and his wife, Queen Cymede, has disappeared. An oracle of Keranos, the queen is said

the vast majority of Akros’s population, the serfs largely reside outside the protection of the Kolophon, laboring to grow the staple crops that support Akros’s citizens and its trade. A relatively

Old Owl Well

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

the Triboar Trail. The site is relatively easy to find, and any NPC in Phandalin can provide directions to the ruins. Recently, prospectors in the area have noted that someone has set up a campsite at

Old Owl Well, and that undead guardians have been posted to keep intruders out. The ruins are currently occupied by a wizard who is exploring the site in the hope of gleaning arcane lore left by its

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

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

the monstrous nation can’t last—that even the Daughters can’t hold the disparate alliance together—but Droaam is currently thriving and stronger than ever. Droaam works closely with House Tharashk

Fensirs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

resemble relatively small frost or stone giants. They use armor and weapons similar to what other combatants on Ysgard use in the eternal battle. The transformation that created fensirs left them with an

seems like a transparently bad idea. What were those giants thinking? —Bigby And yet, can we fairly say that the existence of fensirs is “transparently bad”? Some might argue they are a

Morgrave University

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

founding: Lord Morgrave himself is said to have made his fortune selling Dhakaani artifacts on the black market, and some have claimed that the true purpose of the university was to help him build his

fortune through such questionable means. Allies. The academic world is relatively small, and people at any one university tend to have connections at others. You might parlay such relationships into

Small and Practical

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

relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. They are inclined to be stout, weighing between 40 and 45 pounds

, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of halfling

Battle Balloon

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

Battle Balloon Through the winter clouds that surround the castle on this desolate hill, you see a shape emerge. Something so gigantic, you can’t believe it can actually fly. Airships are relatively

the Dragon has been seen with flying ships of its own. Still, among the small number of factions and organizations known to possess or build airships, Acquisitions Incorporated might be the best known

Meeting Rookledust

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

dangerous, she doesn’t build them with violence in mind. She’s particularly interested in devices for long-distance communication and inventions that mechanize the work of farm animals. Personality Trait

Army, but she got distracted and instead created this long-distance communication device. She currently has one paired set of fargabs, which she gives to the characters—and, by extension, Kalaman’s defenders.

Inside the Cult

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

undermining popular and powerful leaders and interfering — often violently — with any effort to build a centralized concentration of authority. The Azorius Senate currently stands as the greatest

The Dead Three

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

place in Baldurians’ fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result, their numbers remain

relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities’ ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down

The Dead Three

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

place in Baldurians’ fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result, their numbers remain

relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities’ ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down

Old Owl Well

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

. In the tower’s courtyard stands an old well that still delivers clean, fresh water. Old Owl Well lies in the wild and rugged hills south of the Triboar Trail. The site is relatively easy to find, and

courtyard of sorts, adjacent to the broken stump of an old tower. A colorful tent has been set up in the middle of the courtyard, but no one is in sight. The ruins are currently occupied by a mage

Franchise Downtime

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

, skimming from the coffers of either temple, running illegal gambling at the Sleeping Giant — any of these activities could net a nice profit with relatively limited risk. Staying on the Good Side If

-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

Glory of the Giants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

, and the relatively small stature of present-day humans is a mark of their degeneracy. Others imagine remote realms—cloud castles or lost continents—where Brobdingnagian people dwell, set apart from

ideas about giants’ organizations and societies. Chapter 3 presents tools to help Dungeon Masters build encounters, adventures, and whole campaigns around giants. The chapter includes tables you can

Meeting Volo

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

Baldur’s Gate! But now I fear I have misplaced a friend amid this odious malevolence. “My friend’s name is Floon Blagmaar. He’s got more beauty than brains, and I worry he took a bad way home a couple

(Insight) check. On a success, a character discerns that Volo is honest but might be stretching the truth about how much he can pay. (Currently low on cash, Volo is awaiting royalty payments from Volo’s

Sorcerer

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

attention to themselves if things go bad. Focusing with Flair All sorcerers rely on an arcane focus through which they channel their magic, but traditional focuses lack a singular style. Staffs, orbs, wands

Personal Magic When you cast a spell, you go all in, channeling that magic through body and soul. Often, leftover magic from a casting manifests as a residual effect that can build up over

Elements of a Great Adventure

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

with Clever Twists It might seem stereotypical to build an adventure around dragons, orcs, and wizards in towers, but these are staples of fantasy storytelling. It might also seem trite to begin an

describing the present situation, what the bad guys are up to, and how the adventurers become involved in the story. Heroes Who Matter An adventure should allow the adventurers’ actions and decisions to

Pidlwick II

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd’s family. Although the duchess’s heart was in the right place, the effigy didn’t have

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.” Pidlwick II Small construct, neutral evil Armor Class 14

The Knucklebones Gang

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

build, fix, and drive infernal machines. At some point during their visit, the characters see the kenku angrily hammering on a nonfunctional Demon Grinder. It isn’t working, and they can’t figure out

Redcaps are murderous fey creatures that soak their caps in fresh blood. Madcaps are redcaps that drench their caps in demon ichor instead. Mad Maggie currently commands sixty redcaps and thirty madcaps

D&D Beyond

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