bards blades diffusing combat ritual

Thri-kreen Gladiator

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

attack that would hit it. To do so, the thri-kreen must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.Thri-kreen gladiators relish opportunities to test their mettle in combat and often paint their

, particularly the gythka (a two-handed polearm with a blade at each end) and a light thrown weapon called a chatkcha (a flat, triangular wedge with three serrated blades). Gythkas typically have shafts

Night Blade

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

charming and disarming when they wish, but in combat their true, bloodthirsty nature comes to the fore. Bloodletters. All cultists of Bhaal learn to call upon their god’s power to leave their

upon their god’s power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blade;night blades, whom Bhaal

Stone Cursed

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Cunning Opportunist. The stone cursed has advantage on the attack rolls of opportunity attack;opportunity attacks. False Appearance. If the stone cursed is motionless at the start of combat, it has

repeat the saving throw. The effect ends if the second save is successful; otherwise the target is petrified for 24 hours.Stone cursed are spawned through a foul alchemical ritual performed on a Humanoid

College of Whispers

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like other bards, sharing news, singing songs, and telling

tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them

College of Swords

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

combats. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right. Their talent with weapons inspires many blades to lead double lives. One blade

College of Swords (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

combats. Though they use their weapons to entertain, they are also highly trained and skilled warriors in their own right. Their talent with weapons inspires many blades to lead double lives. One blade

Setessan Hoplite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

military unit. In combat, hoplites typically work in groups and use coordinated tactics to win victories. The three Hoplite Unit Names tables present the sorts of titles used by hoplite contingents hailing

Nylea's Arrows 2 The Watchers 3 Fangs of Ophis 4 The Swiftswords 5 Karametra's Wolves 6 Defenders of the Grove 7 Bronze Blades 8 The Jackals

Reaper of Bhaal

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

, carrying out gruesome murders to spread fear and horror. They are charming and disarming when they wish, but in combat their true, bloodthirsty nature comes to the fore. Bloodletters. All cultists of Bhaal

blade;night blades, whom Bhaal blesses with darkvision and superior stealth. Reaper of Bhaal;Reapers are the next rank up. They gain the ability to turn invisible and can use Bhaal's magic to evade

Death's Head of Bhaal

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. They are charming and disarming when they wish, but in combat their true, bloodthirsty nature comes to the fore. Bloodletters. All cultists of Bhaal learn to call upon their god's power to leave their

power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blade;night blades, whom Bhaal blesses with

Slithering Tracker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

False Appearance. If the slithering tracker is motionless at the start of combat, it has advantage on its initiative roll. Moreover, if a creature hasn’t observed the slithering tracker move or

half.The quest for revenge sometimes leads those terribly aggrieved to undergo a ritual whereby they transform into bodies of semiliquid sentience known as slithering trackers. Innocuous and insidious at

Tanarukk

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of Gruumsh has also mastered a ritual for this purpose, and bestows it on those deemed worthy. Whatever process is used corrupts the subject, transforming them into a vicious Fiend. Although

tanarukks are valued as fearsome fighters, they are a threat to their allies off the battlefield. When not in combat, a tanarukk is destructive and volatile and is usually kept imprisoned by its allies. If

Hound Archon

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

Mount Celestia, tasked with protecting the innocent and helpless. Loyal defenders, these bipedal warriors wield blades of shining radiance and can assume canine forms, allowing them to

from fiendish incursions and safeguard those threatened by wicked forces. Archons are skilled communicators, able to speak all the languages of the multiverse. When pushed into combat, they prefer to

College of Whispers (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like other bards, sharing news, singing songs, and telling

tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover secrets and turn them

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

Faerie Pest

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

toddler, except for the black-feathered wings sprouting from the faerie’s shoulders. When engaged in combat, faerie pests wield thought-manipulating magic alongside sharp blades coated in

Mellowort

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 4 8 7 Go into any hot spring or spa and the scent of Mellowort is sure to be wafting around with its soothing aroma. There are many songs written by

bards about the benefits and relaxing properties of this flowering plant. Mellowort is a tall, slender plant that is found in the lowlands of Obojima.

Duergar Soulblade

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

invisible with it.Soulblades are duergar combatants whose mastery of psionics allows them to manifest blades of psychic energy to slice apart their foes. Duergar Duergar are dwarves of the deep

Underdark, duergar must constantly be on guard against the raids and plots of their neighbors. To this end, duergar warriors fulfill a variety of combat roles, often marrying their fury in battle with

Goblin Psi Commander

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

of their psionic abilities, goblin psi commanders wield blades of pure psychic energy. They can throw barriers of mental force while toppling foes with a single, mind-splitting burst. Psionic

goblins often struggle to handle the turbulent psychic energy within their minds and bodies. Those psionic goblins who learn how to safely tap into this psychic power are formidable forces in combat

Venom Troll

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

tissue, and poison leaks from the pores to coat the troll’s fangs and claws. These creatures are especially dangerous in close combat because poison drips off their flesh and sprays out from every

vast scale, or if their bodies were damaged by elemental forces. These unusual forms can also be produced and shaped by the ritual magic of evil spellcasters or by trolls’ own practices, as is the

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if

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

Petrified Alligator

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 15 16 13 Bards speak of the mad druid Fennistrix, who had a penchant for petrification along with a bizarre alligator obsession that resulted in almost

Moonblade Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

, some blades have faded from the world, their magic lost as family lines have become extinct. Other blades have vanished with their bearers during great quests. Thus, only a few of these weapons remain

special ritual in the throne room of an elven regent or in a temple dedicated to the elven gods. A moonblade won’t serve anyone it regards as craven, erratic, corrupt, or at odds with

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in

can transform an individual into a more powerful type. The cost and time required to perform the ritual is prohibitive, and as a result most yuan-ti never get the opportunity to undergo such a

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

stars overhead, a wild-eyed tiefling chants the mystic ritual that will open a doorway to a distant world. Warlocks are seekers of the knowledge that lies hidden in the fabric of the multiverse. Through

(such as the ability to see in darkness or to read any language) to access to powerful spells. Unlike bookish wizards, warlocks supplement their magic with some facility at hand-to-hand combat. They

Aurnozci

Monsters The Book of Many Things

down mortal souls for violent ritual sacrifice to their god. Roleplaying Aurnozci Aurnozci is a being of mindless destruction, and the Caged Worm has few dealings with mortals that don’t end

in consumption. Periodically, the Eye of Aurnozci communes with their horrifying master or leads a ceremony of propitiation in the Firehive. In combat, Aurnozci screeches horribly and attacks any

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

thin cloak of mist forms around her. Blades of ice grow out of her body at odd angles, breaking off before they get too long. When she moves, her body crackles. In this form, Auril creates weapons of

ice with which to combat foes. These weapons are supernaturally resilient until Auril discards them, whereupon they break and melt like normal ice. Auril the Frostmaiden Auril the Frostmaiden is a

Music and Magic

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

sidelines in combat, using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary, using their magic to bolster their