bards before driven career rather

Viari

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

and earnest debate, he demonstrates an equal flair for planning and forethought, mad combat moves (involving leaping off high places whenever possible), and dark vengeance. Viari's career as an

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

College of Lore Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or

elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation

still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer

Ruined

Backgrounds The Book of Many Things

successful life even more glorious—only to draw a destructive card that changed your destiny forever. Your desperation has driven you to the career of adventurer. You don’t seek out dark dungeons

, and career. Maybe a rampaging dragon or another monster wiped out everything you had in a single calamitous afternoon. Or you might have sought out a Deck of Many Things, hoping to make your

Investigator

Backgrounds Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

the mysteries you’re embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you’re driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would

did it set you on the path to investigating other mysteries? Roll on or choose details from the First Case table to develop the mystery that started your career as an investigator. First Case

Kas the Betrayer

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

blood to sow terror rather than for sustenance. If destroyed, Kas revives in 1d100;{"diceNotation":"1d100", "rollType":"roll", "rollAction":"Strength of the Night"} nights in an unoccupied space in

Tovag, his Domain of Dread. He can be permanently destroyed only by having a stake driven through his heart and then being beheaded. The stake must be cut from a tree growing in soil from Oerth, Kas&rsquo

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever

tasty, refined metal their victim carries, they quickly flee—and will flee before that rather than risk death. Stealthy Couriers. A number of clans among the dwarves, duergar, and azers have trained

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

wide and wonder-filled world. For them, adventuring is less a career than an opportunity or sometimes a necessity. Halfling Names A halfling has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname

Soldier Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

, work with your DM to determine which military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a

bearer 8 Support staff (cook, blacksmith, or the like) FEATURE: MILITARY RANK You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

No career criminal in Baldur’s Gate operates without being aware of the Guild. Some studiously keep a low profile, carrying just the occasional smuggled load in with legitimate merchandise, or

Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

demands of the Nine Hells and the impulsive hedonism of the Feywild. Driven by dramatic and unpredictable emotions, these feral creatures wreak havoc wherever they go. Corrupted Essence. The devils

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

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and

organization, but who serve as its hands, head, and heart. As a prelude to your adventuring career (and in preparation for it), you served as an agent of a particular faction in Faerûn. You might have

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for

was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the

Learning from Experience

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

Learning from Experience True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires

hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent

Bavlorna Blightstraw

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Trait. “I detest chores and would rather have other creatures do them for me.” Ideal. “I don’t care about the past or the future. I live in the present. What I do now, this very

time: one reflects the past, another reflects the present, and the third reflects the future. These hags are utter wickedness distilled into corporeal forms, driven by a lust for secrets that can be

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

are comfortable in light armor and know how to use simple weapons. Delvers into Secrets Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

Learning from Experience

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

Learning from Experience True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires

hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent

Kalashtar Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar

are strongly influenced by the emotions of those around you. 8 You prefer to find nonviolent solutions to problems whenever possible. 9 You are driven by a warrior spirit and will fight

Music and Magic

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

. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of

bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the

Music and Magic

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

. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of

bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a standing army, a town guard, or a village

, blacksmith, or the like) FEATURE: MILITARY RANK You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

survive—or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

. 2 I’m a stickler when it comes to observing proper etiquette and local customs. 3 I would rather observe than meddle. 4 By living among violent people, I have become

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

inheritance that no one cares what you do, as long as you don’t embarrass the family? How does the head of your family feel about your adventuring career? Are you in your family’s good graces, or

wish to use the background’s standard feature might have gained their standing in Baldur’s Gate from business rather than inheritance. Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion Tool

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

to begin your career as a mere attendant, you can aspire to become a skilled mage or alchemist, a laboratory supervisor, or even a flamethrower-wielding scorchbringer tasked with defending Izzet

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

Elf Rangers

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

Elf Rangers Elf rangers are usually associated with a particular community such as Evereska or the tribes in the Misty Forest. Rather than being wandering explorers, elf rangers typically act as

scouts and guardians of elven realms. Such elves usually devote themselves to Rillifane Rallathil or Solonor Thelandria. Elf rangers driven to roam might instead favor Fenmarel Mestarine, god of lone wanderers, or Shevarash, elven god of vengeance.

College of Lore

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

College of Lore Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads

in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning

Tortured Earth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

the area’s radius is 1,000 feet. The saving throw DC is 15. As the tremor ends, a young purple worm with 184 hit points (challenge rating 13) burrows out of the ground. Driven into a frenzy by the quake, it attacks other living creatures nearby. It retreats rather than perishing in combat.

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, wandering tabaxi are catlike humanoids driven by curiosity to collect interesting artifacts, gather tales and stories, and lay eyes on all the world’s wonders. Ultimate travelers, the inquisitive

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

College of Lore

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

College of Lore Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads

in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts, these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down, the audience members might find themselves questioning

Halflings of the Five Nations

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

Halflings of the Five Nations Halflings can be found in every city in Khorvaire. Quick and charming, halflings are often found as merchants, politicians, barristers, and bards. Of course, these same

, who occasionally pulls you into their problems. Or you could even be the reluctant heir of a powerful Boromar leader; you’ve gone on the run rather than taking your place in this criminal empire, but someday your past may catch up with you.

Personal Goal

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

paladins are driven by a personal goal that either complements or transcends the dictates of their oaths. Paladins who swear different oaths might have the same personal goal, differing only in how they

sworn to do, or die trying. 4 Leadership. You will win a great battle that bards will sing about, and in so doing, you will become an example to inspire others. 5 Faith. You know your path is righteous

D&D Beyond

Search Results