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Returning 35 results for 'bards beings driven concerns renown'.
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
, it always reflects the patron’s interests, ranging from small-scale concerns to matters of cosmic scope. A deathlock in the thrall of a Fiend might work to destroy a specific temple dedicated to
, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron.
An powerful necromancer might also discover the wicked methods of creating a deathlock and then subjugate it, acting as the deathlock’s patron.PoisonNecrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered
Classes
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
beings, time and morality are fleeting things, the concerns of those for whom grains of sand still rush through life’s hourglass. Having once been mortal themselves, these ancient undead know
firsthand the paths of ambition and the routes past the doors of death. They eagerly share this profane knowledge, along with other secrets, with those who work their will among the living.
Beings of this
Classes
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
beings, time and morality are fleeting things, the concerns of those for whom grains of sand still rush through life’s hourglass. Having once been mortal themselves, these ancient undead know
firsthand the paths of ambition and the routes past the doors of death. They eagerly share this profane knowledge, along with other secrets, with those who work their will among the living.
Beings of this
Bard
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves
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
Warlock
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
pacts made with mysterious beings of supernatural power, warlocks unlock magical effects both subtle and spectacular. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as fey nobles, demons, devils
relationship between warlock and patron is like that of a cleric and a deity, though the beings that serve as patrons for warlocks are not gods. A warlock might lead a cult dedicated to a demon
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
seer nearby. A hulk appears to have little will of its own and is driven to protect its master.
Star Spawn
The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best
-known planes of existence lie realms alien to mortal life. Some are so hostile that even a moment’s contact is enough to break a mortal’s mind. Yet beings do exist that are native to these
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed, after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds, many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.
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
Genasi
Legacy
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Species
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth
, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all.
Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership
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
with interests and concerns that transcend local politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre of individuals who work on behalf of the organizations, wider agenda. Alliance agents are required
Lizardfolk
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of
; Instead, aggressive, stronger creatures register to the lizardfolk as fearsome beings to be avoided if possible. If such creatures attack, lizardfolk flee, fighting only if cornered. Lizardfolk aren
Paladin
Legacy
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Classes
Basic Rules (2014)
sacred glade before nature spirits and fey beings, or in a moment of desperation and grief with the dead as the only witness, a paladin’s oath is a powerful bond. It is a source of power that
paladins take their work seriously. A delve into an ancient ruin or dusty crypt can be a quest driven by a higher purpose than the acquisition of treasure. Evil lurks in dungeons and primeval forests
Triton
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
the depths revealed that krakens, sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane.
The tritons, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes
. The tritons’ limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Tritons readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
. The renown system requires the characters to become active participants in the horrors of Kalakeri, encouraging them to ally with evil beings or make uncomfortable concessions to win greater victories
Renown in Kalakeri Judgment follows everything the characters do in Kalakeri. Those who support either of the domain’s factions earn enemies and allies. Those who don’t support a faction draw
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
like these exist in your world. Wizards (and bards and druids) might be so rare that a player character learns from a single mentor and never meets another character of the same class, in which case
for organizations presented earlier in this chapter. A player character necromancer might cultivate renown within the Cabal of Thar-Zad, while a bard seeks increasing renown within the College of Mac-Fuirmidh.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Radiant Citadel
Court of Whispers The denizens of the Court of Whispers barter for current knowledge. Heralds, criers, bards, and griots buy and sell information from the fifteen founding civilizations active in the
of major concerns in their people’s homelands, as well as potential threats to the Citadel, while the Shieldbearers of the Citadel (see the “Palace of Exile” section) seek information so they can
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Court of Whispers The denizens of the Court of Whispers barter for current knowledge. Heralds, criers, bards, and griots buy and sell information from the fifteen founding civilizations active in the
of major concerns in their people’s homelands, as well as potential threats to the Citadel, while the Shieldbearers of the Citadel (see the “Palace of Exile” section) seek information so they can
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
planes — and they lost. The gods were slain or driven into exile, leaving Athas under the dominion of elemental beings who took little interest in the affairs of mortals. In the grim age that
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
Archpriest By forging connections with divine beings and mastering mystical truths, archpriests become conduits for godly intentions and other supernatural forces. Their magic allows them to work
spiritual journeys and seek to transcend mortal concerns. Shining One, light my hours. Enkindle my soul, and inspire my deeds. Chase the shadows from my path, and let me walk in your brilliance.
—Morning
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
completely reasonable and plausible explanation. Singing songs and strumming lutes might be fine for most bards. Who doesn’t like a rousing shanty now and then? But standing in a crowded tavern playing for
copper pieces tossed by commoners isn’t for everyone — and it certainly isn’t for bards in the Acq Inc world. The power and magic tied up in the voice of a franchise bard is meant for greater things
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
’ magical heritage also expresses itself in other ways; those who become bards preserve the clan’s lore, and firbolg sorcerers defend their communities. Firbolg wizards arise when a clan becomes
enforcers of that god’s will.
Firbolg warlocks are rare, but some clans forge alliances and arcane pacts with powerful fey beings.
Firbolg monks are almost entirely unheard of, though a monastery might take in the young survivors of a devastated firbolg clan.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
Delvers into Secrets Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and
student’s mind is opened to realities beyond the material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void. Once a pact is made, a warlock’s thirst for knowledge and power can’t be slaked with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
their mortal offspring, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all. Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic
, or assuming leadership of savage humanoids and weird cults in untamed lands. Others gain positions of great influence, especially where elemental beings are revered. A few genasi leave the Material Plane to find refuge in the households of their genie parents.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
Delvers into Secrets Warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power, which compels them into their pacts and shapes their lives. This thirst drives warlocks into their pacts and
is opened to realities beyond the material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void. Once a pact is made, a warlock’s thirst for knowledge and power can’t be slaked with mere study
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse — a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience. A bard who
A Bard’s Muse Naturally, every bard has a repertoire of songs and stories. Some bards are generalists who can draw from a wide range of topics for each performance, and who take pride in their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
Rival Explorers Morgrave University teems with unscrupulous adventurers and researchers driven by avarice. Additionally, the university itself has academic rivals—the University of Wynarn in Aundair
university deserves more renown than the “institute of relic hunting and grave robbing” that is Morgrave University. A Rival Explorers Arc The rivalry between the characters and their foils might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Chamber. A dragon in Khorvaire that isn’t part of the Chamber could be an exile driven from Argonnessen for some crime or a scholar pursuing independent research. Some orphaned dragons grow up in
don’t consider the impact of their actions on lesser beings; if a Chamber dragon must destroy a human village to foil the plans of a demon, it will do so without hesitation.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
of Limbo
Unpredictable slaadi devour and multiply across the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo. These toad-like, extraplanar beings embody the endless potentiality of their home plane of existence
. While slaadi aren’t inherently evil, their impulses are wild and often destructive. Many are driven to propagate through supernatural processes. Unfortunately, these processes typically are fatal for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and innkeepers, rangers, and the clergy of gods that are
representatives of the cities and other governments that constitute the alliance. But, as a faction with interests and concerns that transcend local politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
a lively debate on the current state of the Race of Eight Winds. Detention is run by a halfling who calls herself Brandy. She claims to be a excoriate, driven from House Ghallanda after refusing to
large meeting rooms, and a small concert hall. Rumors say that this is an outpost of the secret Circle of Song, a society of bards and entertainers spread across Khorvaire; others swear that House
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
persuasive than facts. These bards wield a blend of logic and theatrical wordplay, winning over skeptics and detractors with logical arguments and plucking at heartstrings to appeal to the emotions of
next saving throw it makes before the start of your next turn. Unfailing Inspiration 6th-level College of Eloquence feature Your inspiring words are so persuasive that others feel driven to succeed. When
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Evil Inchoate I will be the last creature when I am done. The cosmos will then be perfect, free of the braying abominations that are all other living things.
— Orcus
As beings of utter chaos and
demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the cosmos. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. In due time, the laws of the universe will
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
warlock who fails to live up to a bargain with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from the dead as a deathlock, a foul undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron from beyond the grave. An
in gathering servants of its own. Whatever the goal, it always reflects the patron’s interests, ranging from small-scale concerns to matters of cosmic scope. A deathlock in the thrall of a fiend might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
villains are handled and how the characters can gain influence. Villains Some intrigue adventures are driven by the actions of a single villain, such as a noble plotting the assassination of a monarch
to spend influence to gain advantage on a roll relevant to that influence. Another way to handle influence is to treat it like renown (see chapter 1), allowing characters to gain renown at court and within various key factions.