bards battle diffusing created rewards

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

he could from other archmages, including Elminster and Alustriel Silverhand, Sammaster delved into new frontiers of necromancy and enchantment. He created the process to transform dragons into

rule Faerûn. His Cult of the Dragon devotes itself to helping evil dragons become dracoliches to bring this evil new age to fruition. Sammaster was killed in battle, but had prepared contingencies

Sammaster (Lich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

other archmages, including Elminster and Alustriel Silverhand, Sammaster delved into new frontiers of necromancy and enchantment. He created the process to transform dragons into dracoliches, magically

. His Cult of the Dragon devotes itself to helping evil dragons become dracoliches to bring this evil new age to fruition. Sammaster was killed in battle, but had prepared contingencies for his demise

Storm Crab

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

water to crush foes. Giants on some worlds claim Stronmaus or one of his children created storm crabs in the early years of an ancient empire. Just as behir;behirs were created to fight dragons on land

and roc;rocs to challenge dragons’ mastery of the sky, storm crabs were meant to battle dragon turtles, bronze dragons, and other aquatic foes. On many worlds, these creatures fiercely guard the

Fensir Skirmisher

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

in the eternal battle. The transformation that created fensirs left them with an odd quirk to their regenerative powers: their regeneration doesn’t function in sunlight, and in fact, sunlight can turn these creatures to stone.

skirmishers boast great skill in battle, honed over centuries of endless conflict on the battlefields of Ysgard. They also wield elemental magic of earth and stone. True to their giant heritage, they

Viari

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

adventurer was nearly cut short during a battle of which the bards still sing. Unleashing a devastating attack with the aptly named Apocalypse Dagger, the rogue destroyed a giant single-handedly — and lost

Fensir Devourer

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

use in the eternal battle. The transformation that created fensirs left them with an odd quirk to their regenerative powers: their regeneration doesn’t function in sunlight, and in fact, sunlight can turn these creatures to stone.

Ysgard: creatures slain on that plane return to life the next dawn. Thus, the giants’ incursion became a part of the eternal battle that rages across the plane. The trolls, whose fundamental

Steel Predator

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

obstacles. Steel predators are created by a unique modron, using a machine located in the city of Sigil. It wasn’t always headquartered in the City of Doors, however. On its original home, the plane of

predator locates its prey by sight and smell. Once battle is joined, the predator ignores every other threat to attack its target, unless other creatures prevent it from reaching the target. In that

Traag Draconian

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 2: Dragonlance Creatures

, the Dragon Armies created traag draconians, the precursor to what would become baaz draconian foot soldiers. Unlike their draconian brethren, traag draconians are little more than bloodthirsty

engines of carnage. Few commanders have successfully used a traag draconian’s reckless violence to their advantage in battle; for most, a traag draconian is as much of a danger to its allies as it is

Hound Archon

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

inconspicuously guard peaceable communities as dogs and wolves. Archons Archons are denizens of the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia. Created by the powers of order and benevolence, archons defend their home

within the Celestial hierarchy. When faced in battle, archons radiate the full fury of the Upper Planes, bolstering their allies and cowing their foes.LightningChange Shape. The archon magically

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

greater rewards as an adventurer. Your experience makes you familiar with the ins and outs of mercenary life, and you likely have harrowing stories of events on the battlefield. You might have served with

behind the life of a soldier for hire, but your skills are undeniably suited for battle, so now you fight on in a different way. MERCENARIES OF THE NORTH Countless mercenary companies

Choldrith

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

spiderlike creatures originally created to serve Lolth. They rule colonies of chitine;chitines and lead them into battle in Lolth’s war against her enemies. When devotees of Lolth created the first

dedicated solely to her, but the devotees performed no such ritual. As revenge for the devotees’ betrayal, the Spider Queen manipulated the creation rituals so that they sometimes created

Sahuagin Claw of Sha'argon

monsters

Each: Dispel Magic,Freedom of Movement,HarmThe aboleths created the lobster-like chuuls as living weapons and unleashed them against the sahuagin. The high priests of the Eternal Dominion responded by

sahuagin into battle, the Claws of Sha’argon are the spiritual leaders of the Eternal Dominion who lead its inquisitions and crush its enemies with claw and spell. Claw and Tentacle. The powerful

Half-Orc Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

shared elements among these folk. Orcs regard battle scars as tokens of pride and ornamental scars as things of beauty. Other scars, though, mark an orc or half-orc as a former prisoner or a disgraced

Gruumsh—lord of war and fury—created the first orcs, and even those orcs who turn away from his worship carry his blessings of might and endurance. The same is true of half-orcs. Some half

Draegloth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 11): At will: dancing lights, darkness 1/day each: confusion, faerie fireA draegloth is a demon created by an elf

to strike at its rivals when the draegloth is fully grown. These plans use the draegloth in a significant role, because its abilities can turn the tide in a battle against a house that doesn’t

Lantern Archon

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

from place to place between blasts to confound their foes. Archons Archons are denizens of the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia. Created by the powers of order and benevolence, archons defend their

place within the Celestial hierarchy. When faced in battle, archons radiate the full fury of the Upper Planes, bolstering their allies and cowing their foes.Lightning, RadiantBludgeoning, Piercing

Warden Archon

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

pursues relentlessly. Archons Archons are denizens of the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia. Created by the powers of order and benevolence, archons defend their home from fiendish incursions and

. When faced in battle, archons radiate the full fury of the Upper Planes, bolstering their allies and cowing their foes.Lightning

Needle Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

damage.A wise ranger knows that the sight of a needle spawn is an ill omen, for it heralds the rise of a dreaded needle lord and a war for the soul of a forest. Roving Corpses. Needle spawn are created

wrap around the corpse to animate it, causing it to rise and lurch about like a zombie. Invasive Species. When a great battle is fought in a fey woodland, the plants of the wood sometimes take on the

Catoblepas

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

pestilence and rot created catoblepases as embodiments of their influence, while other stories link them to misfortune. Some such tales claim that swamp-dwelling hags tend catoblepases like cattle

, drinking the monsters’ milk and using them as guardians or pets. Other legends say that those of impure heart can tame a catoblepas and whisper of malevolent warlocks and wicked knights who ride them into battle.

Whelm Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

. It has hearing and darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Dwarvish, Giant, and Goblin. It shouts battle

to destroy goblins and giants or to protect dwarves. Whelm has ties to the dwarf clan that created it, variously called the Dankil or the Mightyhammer clan. It longs to be returned to that clan. It

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the plane of Acheron. It is there in the afterlife where the chosen ones will join Gruumsh and his armies in their endless extraplanar battle for supremacy. Gods of the Orcs Orcs believe their gods

to be invincible. They see the principles that define them and their deities at work every day in the world around them — nature rewards the strong and mercilessly eliminates the weak and the

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

. Master of Undeath. When Orcus casts animate dead or create undead, he chooses the level at which the spell is cast, and the creatures created by the spells remain under his control indefinitely

multiverse transformed into a vast necropolis populated solely by undead creatures under his command. Orcus rewards those who spread death in his name by granting them a small portion of his power

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Master of Undeath. Orcus can cast animate dead (at will) and create undead (3/day). He chooses the level at which the spells are cast, and the creatures created by them remain under his control

into a vast necropolis populated solely by Undead creatures under his command. Orcus rewards those who spread death in his name by granting them a small portion of his power. The least of these

Minotaur

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

were first created by the Lady of Pain to patrol the magical mazes that she uses to trap her foes. Minotaur horns range in size from about 1 foot long to easily three times that length. Minotaurs often

carve their horns to sharpen their edges, etch symbols of power into them, or sheathe them in bronze to prevent them from shattering during battle. Thick hair extends down minotaurs’ necks and

Nafas

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

to the extradimensional realm that created him. From the steps of the staircase, Nafas hears the wishes of creatures across the multiverse but cannot act on them. Moved by their stories but barred by

this role, Nafas sends adventurers to distant worlds to fulfill the wishes of creatures beyond his reach. Adventurers who return to Nafas successful receive gifts as rewards. As a noble genie, Nafas

Bards

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Bards Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being

living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it. The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion

Bards

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Bards Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being

living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it. The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion

Lords' Alliance

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

cold and rain, waiting for battle while hunger gnaws at their bellies? Many wish to reap the rewards of a good harvest, but few care to remove the stones and till the fields for planting. “The Lords

agents include sophisticated bards, zealous paladins, talented mages, and grizzled warriors. They are chosen primarily for their loyalty and are experts in observation, stealth, innuendo, and combat

Lords' Alliance

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

cold and rain, waiting for battle while hunger gnaws at their bellies? Many wish to reap the rewards of a good harvest, but few care to remove the stones and till the fields for planting. “The Lords

agents include sophisticated bards, zealous paladins, talented mages, and grizzled warriors. They are chosen primarily for their loyalty and are experts in observation, stealth, innuendo, and combat

Bards

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Bards Bards hold a special place of responsibility and respect in the Forgotten Realms. They are bearers of news, gossip, and messages in their travels from place to place, in addition to being

living storehouses of history and folklore. Bards know a great deal, and they tend to be willing to share what they know, or at least barter for it. The arrival of a renowned bard is a special occasion

Lords' Alliance

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

cold and rain, waiting for battle while hunger gnaws at their bellies? Many wish to reap the rewards of a good harvest, but few care to remove the stones and till the fields for planting. “The Lords

agents include sophisticated bards, zealous paladins, talented mages, and grizzled warriors. They are chosen primarily for their loyalty and are experts in observation, stealth, innuendo, and combat

Redcloak Battalion

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

Battalion. This elite unit fought at the forefront of the Last War, and Brelish bards still sing of the exploits of Khandan the Hammer and Meira the Huntress. At the end of the war, the battalion was split

snarling displacer beast surrounded by the words, “First in battle, last to fall”—the Redcloak insignia and motto—on the right. Allies. As part of Breland’s military forces, the Redcloaks can count on

Redcloak Battalion

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

Battalion. This elite unit fought at the forefront of the Last War, and Brelish bards still sing of the exploits of Khandan the Hammer and Meira the Huntress. At the end of the war, the battalion was split

snarling displacer beast surrounded by the words, “First in battle, last to fall”—the Redcloak insignia and motto—on the right. Allies. As part of Breland’s military forces, the Redcloaks can count on

Redcloak Battalion

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

Battalion. This elite unit fought at the forefront of the Last War, and Brelish bards still sing of the exploits of Khandan the Hammer and Meira the Huntress. At the end of the war, the battalion was split

snarling displacer beast surrounded by the words, “First in battle, last to fall”—the Redcloak insignia and motto—on the right. Allies. As part of Breland’s military forces, the Redcloaks can count on

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

owner, they are often willing to take the chance of revealing themselves because the potential reward is worth the risk. Dragon Servitors Kobolds believe that they were created by Tiamat from the blood

populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat. In any case, kobolds that eat humanoids don’t simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle

Mythic Monsters

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

encounters. Each monster features an “As a Mythic Encounter” section that highlights its mythic trait, notes how using it changes the difficulty of the encounter and the rewards, and includes read-aloud text you can use mid-battle to signal a terrifying shift in the conflict. (SAM ROWAN)

monsters. If you so choose, you may simply ignore a monster’s mythic trait and mythic actions. If you wish to increase a battle’s stakes, though, using a monster’s mythic trait results in some mid-battle

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