bards being defined core rather

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

at his core, the seneschal didn’t return as a skeletal knight but rather as an intangible spirit. Caradoc’s Undead form suits him well, allowing him to possess the living and use unwilling

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

use by the faction’s operatives), haven keepers, and message drop minders, to name a few. At the core of every faction are those who don’t merely fulfill a small function for that

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder. Suggested Characteristics Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an

new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rather than perform the work or confront the foe. Even when subsumed into a goblinoid host and drawn into war, bugbears must often be roused from naps and bribed to get them to do their duties. This

indolence offers no clue to how vicious the creatures are. Bugbears are capable of bouts of incredible ferocity, using their muscular bodies to exact swift and ruthless violence. At their core

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

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Characteristics Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor

could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay

Rogue

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

Rogue AURORE FOLNY A Dexterous Expert in Stealth and Subterfuge Core Rogue Traits Primary Ability Dexterity Hit Point Die D8 per Rogue level Saving Throw Proficiencies Dexterity and

them in a dungeon environment, such as climbing, finding and disarming traps, and opening locks. In combat, Rogues prioritize subtle strikes over brute strength. They would rather make one precise

Wizard

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

Wizard BILLY CHRISTIAN A Scholarly Magic-User of Arcane Power Core Wizard Traits Primary Ability Intelligence Hit Point Die D6 per Wizard level Saving Throw Proficiencies Intelligence and

Daggers, Arcane Focus (Quarterstaff), Robe, Spellbook, Scholar’s Pack, and 5 GP; or (B) 55 GP Wizards are defined by their exhaustive study of magic’s inner workings. They cast spells of explosive

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

The Shape of the District

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

The Shape of the District The heart of Callestan is the plaza called the Bridge. This central square serves as an open market and speaker’s corner. It’s not on a bridge; rather, the center of the

here. Callestan is an inner district, which means that it’s largely enclosed in one of the massive core towers of Dura Quarter. However, it’s large enough that it extends out to the walls of the tower. Many people live in or on the walls, in tenements or shops carved into the thick stone.

The Planes of Eberron

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

experiences of dreamers. There is a dark core at the heart of the plane, shaped by the nightmare force known as the Dreaming Dark. For reasons unknown to the general populace, Dal Quor is always remote

and only touched in dreams. Dolurrh: The Realm of the Dead. When a mortal soul dies, it is drawn to Dolurrh. It is a place defined by despair and apathy; over time, memories are leached out of the

Modifying a Class

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

firmly in the world by associating the class with a particular race or culture. For example, you might decide that bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards represent the magical traditions of four

. You could break that down still further: bards of the College of Lore could be high elves, and bards of the College of War could be wood elves. Gnomes discovered the school of illusion, so all wizards

Peryton

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

humanoid rather than reflecting the creature’s physical form. Sages postulate that the first perytons were humans transformed by a hideous curse or magical experiment, but bards tell a different tale

The Harpers

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

unable to locate an elusive foe, or have been captured by the cult and need inside help to escape, a Harper can offer up a secure hideout, a whispered clue, or a smuggled knife. Bards, rogues, and wizards

are always dissatisfied if the characters kill important cultists rather than capturing them—or at least trying to extract information from them beforehand.

Outline

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

Outline The events of Hoard of the Dragon Queen lead directly into The Rise of Tiamat. The shape of this adventure is defined by the meetings of the Council of Waterdeep, which divide the adventure

Thay to forge an alliance with the Red Wizards, whose lich lord Szass Tam hungers for revenge against the exiles. The Red Wizards of Thay are evil to the core, though, and the delegates must tread

Church of the Silver Flame

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

Khorvaire. In contrast to the Sovereign Host, the church maintains a defined structure and creed. Archbishops monitor regions; cardinals lead the church; and the ultimate authority is the Keeper of the

to form in the foundation. In Breland, some priests fell prey to greed or forged ties to criminal organizations. In Aundair, a zealous faction known as the Pure Flame advocates using violence rather

Size

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

are easily identified by the expansion of the walls beyond the central core. These internal walls naturally divide the city into wards (neighborhoods defined by specific features), which have their own

Bugbears

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

. They bully weaker creatures into doing their bidding, so they can take it easy. When a superior force tries to intimidate bugbears into service, they will try to escape rather than perform the work or

vicious the creatures are. Bugbears are capable of bouts of incredible ferocity, using their muscular bodies to exact swift and ruthless violence. At their core, bugbears are ambush predators

Citadel Adbar

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

, but given the extent of the losses against the orcs, it would be little surprise if their newer recruits were more smiths than warriors, serving their realm out of a sense of duty rather than a desire

known written copies have ever been reported. Only a privileged few non-dwarves have ever heard the Dirge in its entirety, and dwarf bards who want to perform this epic must demonstrate great skill in

Future Quests

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

particularly stout dwarf wearing a helm shaped like a boar’s head. He says the gemstone is a spherical emerald roughly three inches in diameter, with a small imperfection in its core shaped vaguely like

, one of the Masked Lords of Waterdeep. Mirt himself delivers the luck blade once the Runestone fragment is in Laeral’s hands, but looks rather put out at the thought of parting with it. “Perhaps you

Other Religious Systems

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

opposing forces must remain in balance, always pulling away from each other but remaining bound together in creative tension. In a cosmology defined by an eternal conflict between good and evil, mortals are

rather than from a specific nature deity, some clerics devote themselves to ideals rather than to a god. Paladins might serve a philosophy of justice and chivalry rather than a specific deity. Forces and

Life in the Tribe

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

plunder and food rather than in wanton slaughter. The elderly, children, and any who seem weak or meek enough might escape death. If they leave the population more or less intact, the orcs leave

themselves the option of returning to raid the community over and over. When orcs fight elves, all of that changes. The enmity between the two races cuts to the core, and no orc will leave an elf alive. Orcs

The Seldarine

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

core of divine entities remained loyal. Because they rejected Lolth’s treacherous ways, they retained their primal power and their immortality. Surface elves, and other elves who dwell in the light

choose, as long as their way of contributing combines with the others to form a grand display of reverence. Such a gathering has the atmosphere of a festival rather than of an organized worship service

Tour of the Planes

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

and experiences of dreamers. The dark core at the heart of the plane is shaped by the nightmare force known as the Dreaming Dark. The primary inhabitants of Dal Quor are the quori, enigmatic master

mortal soul dies, it is drawn to Dolurrh, a place defined by despair and apathy. Over time, memories are leached out of these trapped spirits until only husks remain. Although this seems a bleak fate

City Celebrations

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

. Although some of the dancing is wanton and performed for show, large-scale ring dances in the street for all ages are also popular. All the dancing ends at dusk, after which bards and minstrels perform at

, on his statue in the City of the Dead, and atop the altars of the House of Wonder. Bards perform songs in honor of the wizard all over the city. The Open Lord visits taverns and inns throughout

Outer City Gazetteer

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

extol the virtues of meditation and whatever calm faiths visitors might bring with them. Few seek the church’s services on their own. Rather, most who come to dwell at the church either have a room

Generations ago, a fleet of Calishite refugees fleeing war in the south came sailing into Gray Harbor. Rather than opening their doors to the foreigners, the people of Baldur’s Gate quickly hustled them

Upper Palace Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

. If all three hags are present, they are mocking the helmed knight as they avoid talking about their present troubles. “He seems to be taking his present situation rather lightly,” says Skabatha

. “Time has been rather cruel to him,” gloats Endelyn. “If we still had the unicorn horn, we could make him plunge to his doom,” bemoans Bavlorna. If Endelyn Moongrave is encountered here, she tells the

Spaceship Locations, Level 1

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

little of value to the creatures aboard the ship. As a result, it hasn’t been looted and is in relatively good condition. Kiosks. Rather than traveling the stars with thousands of hefty books

clean up the ship in exchange for technological rewards and the supercomputer’s assistance during their exploration. It explains that with its core systems damaged by the crash and few robots remaining

Metallic Dragons

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

treasure as do their evil chromatic kin, but they aren’t driven as much by greed in their pursuit of wealth. Rather, metallic dragons are driven to investigate and collect, taking unclaimed relics and

god, he has the power to grant divine spells. Brass Dragon The most gregarious of the true dragons, brass dragons crave conversation, sunlight, and hot, dry climates. A brass dragon’s head is defined

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