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Returning 35 results for 'bard before defeat complex rather'.
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Bard
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received. Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds
, create illusions, and even heal wounds. Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master
College of Lore
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic.
The college’s members gather in libraries and
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
bound to their fey lord and unable to bargain away their souls. So rather than claim them, Fierna warped and twisted them before returning them to the Feywild, content that the corruption of the satyrs
. Unfortunately, when it reaches that breaking point, its diabolical nature asserts itself, and it remains in this scheming, dominating mindset until its plans are foiled and it faces defeat. Then, overwhelmed
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter.
Variant: Investigator
Rarer
Investigation rather than Athletics.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the soldier background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to
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
alongside complex designs for clockwork organs.
6
You were released after being petrified for generations. Your memories have faded, though, and your body isn’t what it once was.
7
Your
Soldier
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
5
Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
6
I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves
mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.
4
My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Goliath
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their
away in the night to seek the cold will of fate.
In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in
Lizardfolk
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a fight and that can’t be dealt with in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and
pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.
Cold and Calculating
Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in
Backgrounds
Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
never leave a friend behind.
3
My honor is my life.
4
I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.
5
Those who fight beside me are those
enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
3
My honor is my life.
4
I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it
keep that mistake secret.
4
My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5
I obey the law, even if the law causes misery.
6
I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.
Tabaxi
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
of the world beyond their home.
Barterers of Lore
Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s
on a particularly interesting item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it.
Tabaxi Names
Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based on a complex formula that involves astrology
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Level 6: Lost Level The Lost Level is designed for four 9th-level characters, and characters who defeat the monsters on this level should gain enough XP to advance halfway to 10th level. This level
was a temple complex dedicated to the dwarven god Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain. Hidden inside is the tomb of Melair, king of the Melairkyn dwarves. Before running this level
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
elaborate approach — describing traps in terms of their game mechanics and offering guidance on creating traps of your own using these new rules. Rather than characterize traps as mechanical or magical, these rules separate traps into two other categories: simple and complex.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
they can profit from it. The golem appears inactive, but the party can figure out how to activate the golem from the book. By talking with the Bedine, the adventurers learn about a ruined cave complex
known as the Hall of Rainbows that could contain clues to the golem’s origin. But the Bedine also warn that the cave complex is in the territory of a deadly purple worm. The adventurers travel to the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Reaching the Tower Lolth’s forces surround the tower, but they are focused on the spyder-fiends below rather than on defense. Hundreds of driders, Humanoids, and demons surround the tower, but the
driders, 1d6 giant spiders, and 1d4 assassins. Characters who defeat the squad can try again to infiltrate the tower.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
Character Advancement If you want to use story-based level advancement, the characters receive experience points for achieving the following milestones rather than defeating monsters: Encountering a
advancement occurs only once, even if the characters later encounter another faction leader. Entering the Tomb Complex. When the characters enter the fourth tier of the ziggurat for the first time
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
Xanthoria’s Defeat Once Xanthoria is defeated, the characters find the last few pages of her notes among her possessions. They detail her growing obsession with undead and her success at turning
. Convincing Thunderwing to give up her life should be handled through roleplaying rather than ability checks, although you can require the characters to succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) group
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic. The college’s members gather in libraries and
choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know. Peerless Skill
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
heads are trophies from the hobgoblins’ recent victory over an elf hunting party. Clever characters might try to reason with Targor by urging him to think of himself as Grol’s successor rather than
) check. Awarding Experience Points Divide 500 XP equally among the characters if they defeat the hobgoblin war band or come to terms with Targor.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic. The college’s members gather in libraries and
choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know. Peerless Skill
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Cellar Complex: Spring The characters have learned that a halfling necromancer named Losser Mirklav took the Stone of Golorr. He lives in a cellar complex under a powdered wig shop in the Trades Ward
the wig shop and the characters’ point of entry into the cellar complex. Misty Sewers The dense fog from outside settles in the sewers, and areas B2, B3, and B4 are lightly obscured. Necromancer
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Khur Joins Early 349 AC The Green Dragon Army was dispatched to the steppes of Khur to subdue the tribes there. Rather than fight a protracted campaign, Ariakas allowed the cunning Khur leader Salah
-Khan to defeat the Green Dragon Army’s original highlord in battle, then offered to make Salah-Khan highlord in his place. In exchange for control over Khur and the surrounding lands, Salah-Khan
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
, measuring gold by the pound rather than by the coin. Only merchants, adventurers, and those offering professional services for hire commonly deal in coins. Starting Wealth by Class Class Funds
Barbarian 2d4 × 10 gp Bard 5d4 × 10 gp Cleric 5d4 × 10 gp Druid 2d4 × 10 gp Fighter 5d4 × 10 gp Monk 5d4 gp Paladin 5d4 × 10 gp Ranger 5d4 × 10 gp Rogue 4d4 × 10 gp Sorcerer 3d4 × 10 gp Warlock 4d4 × 10 gp Wizard 4d4 × 10 gp
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
Transferring Colleges The loose association of minstrels and masters that was your bard college helps to define your knowledge and skills. Still, no matter what your original collegiate connections
, as a bard in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, you now focus that learning into your own personal school of business. College of Glamour The lessons taught by the College of Glamour are right in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention
anyone who can rekindle its memories of its lost homeland. In the second part of this trilogy, Sleeping Dragon’s Wake, Fheralai lost her hold over the ship when the party rescued the bard Tarbin Tul from a
the bottom of the Sea of Swords.Fheralai’s failure to capture Leilon and defeat Ularan Mortus has also angered Talos, and the Stormlord means to punish them.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
take it by force (encounter 2, “Mistshore”). After the characters defeat these attackers, they learn that Grinda told her rat familiar to hide the stone in her family’s crypt in the City of the Dead
Windmill”). Fearing arrest, the grave robbers point them to a cellar complex under the Trades Ward (encounter 9, “Cellar Complex”). When the characters arrive, they find Losser surrounded by foes and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
was irrevocably insane. She fled, but Halaster dragged her back to Undermountain and trapped her in the Citadel of the Bloody Hand, a dungeon complex under Mount Waterdeep connected to Undermountain
, inhabiting the very dungeon itself. Halaster is unaware of Jhesiyra’s presence but also wonders over her disappearance following the Spellplague. Jhesiyra’s plan is to use adventurers to defeat Halaster so
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain
swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
guilds that have seized an outsized measure of power, those who need to be taken down a peg, rather than piling further humiliation onto those who are already struggling. They use masks, marionettes
save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). It knows the following bard spells:
Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, minor illusion, vicious mockery
1st level (4 slots): bane, dissonant whispers
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain
swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
understand that a troll is a fearsome, dangerous creature and react accordingly. Lizardfolk never become angry in the way others do, but they act with aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a
for lizardfolk. Pleasurable things should be preserved and protected, sometimes at the cost of the lizardfolk’s own safety. The most pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
them to defeat. Rather than presenting him as a foe to be challenged in combat, portray Soth as a terrifying example of the villains in the Dragon Queen’s service—a lurking threat to be avoided. By the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
local government or temple.
6 Defeat a champion of another god (most likely Heliod, Erebos, or Iroas).
A Phenax Campaign Phenax fits easily into the role of primary campaign villain. He also
one of the necropoleis in expanding or dealing with various threats. Plots and schemes are Phenax’s lifeblood, suggesting a complex, shifting campaign full of surprises and twists. For example, a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
two complex ones Three or four scenes involving significant exploration or social interaction Within these constraints, it can be difficult to create open-ended adventures. A time limit assumes a
dungeon presents a natural limit on character options, while still giving the players choices. The adventure could be a quest to defeat a creature or recover an item, but the path to achieving that goal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
sides, a mechanism inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks, the characters are still unsure if it's trapped. Rather than
24d10 Complex Traps Complex traps work like standard traps, except once activated they execute a series of actions each round. A complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into something more






