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Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

. 4 I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. 5 I turn tail and run when things look bad. 6 An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

individual skill. They have a compulsion to keep score, counting their deeds and tallying their accomplishments to compare to others. Goliaths love to win, but they see defeat as a prod to improve their

mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power. Survival of the Fittest Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth Tool Proficiencies: One

tail and run when things look bad. 6 An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

Miniatures

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

on large vinyl mats. Most virtual tabletops for online play simulate miniatures and grids in a digital environment. The following sections expand on the rules in the Player’s Handbook for depicting

while keeping the easy counting of a grid. Dungeon corridors with straight walls and right angles don’t map easily onto hexes, though. Creature Size and Space A creature’s size determines how much space

Game Customization

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to

discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session

The Middle Path

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

between relying on their bonuses and abilities and paying attention to the game and immersing themselves in its world. Remember that dice don’t run your game — you do. Dice are like rules. They’re

bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.

Table Rules

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

Table Rules Ideally, players come to the gaming table with the same goal: to have a fun time together. This section gives recommendations for table rules you can establish to help meet that goal

. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid

Introducing the Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble

Introducing the Game Once the players have familiarized themselves with their characters, you’re ready to introduce the game. Now that you’re familiar with your characters and the basics of the rules

, we’re going to play a short adventure to introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons. As the Dungeon Master, I tell you what’s going on in the world around you, and I use the rules and dice rolls to

Rules of Conduct

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

Rules of Conduct Although Zybilna is indisposed, three of the rules she put into place when she created her Feywild domain continue to hold weight: the rule of hospitality, the rule of ownership, and

the rule of reciprocity. These three rules are common knowledge in Prismeer, and both natives and visitors would do well to abide by them: Rule of Hospitality. When a friend, an enemy, or a stranger

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium

things they don’t. In a typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game

The Role of Rules Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game running. There are times

The Role of Rules Why even have Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules are meant to

Narration in Combat

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

; now roll damage,” “11 points,” and “OK, now we’re to Initiative count 13.” Instead, use the rules and your knowledge of the scene to help your narration. If 18 is barely a hit, but the 11 points of

Narration in Combat Although it’s important that the players understand what’s going on in terms of the rules, the game can get dull if everyone uses only “gamespeak”: “That’s an 18 to hit,” “You hit

Air Envelopes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

-foot cube Gargantuan 20-foot cube A creature that needs to breathe will exhaust the air in its personal envelope in 1 minute. Since this is barely enough time to get anywhere, most creatures travel

is humid and smells bad. Any creature that breathes foul air becomes poisoned until it breathes fresh air again. The air aboard a ship with a normal crew complement degrades from fresh to foul on day

Human Traits

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

their late teens and live less than a century. Size. Humans vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium

HUMAN TRAITS If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from chapter 6, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait

Creature Size

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

miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules. Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet. Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid. This means you use your speed

between two things—whether creatures or objects—start counting squares from a square adjacent to one of them and stop counting in the space of the other one. Count by the shortest route.

D6. His Royal Majesty Gullop XIX

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

treats visitors as honored guests in accordance with the rule of hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” earlier in the chapter), but he expects a measure of kindness in return. If a fight breaks out

, Gullop XIX flees to area D11 and makes his final stand there, counting on the bullywug knights to cover his escape. As the king flees, Snoodle and the unarmed bullywugs jump into the lake and swim to

Foreword

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

. We’ve visited Waterdeep before, but not like this. Clever heroes will respect the city’s rules. Those who get on the city’s bad side are in for a rough time, as the City of Splendors is home to some of

Quest Goals

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

, full of dust and bad memories. It’s quiet most of the time, except when the sorrowful wails of the banshee fill the place. The following features are common throughout. Arrow Slits. When using an arrow

slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover (see the Basic Rules) against outside threats. A Medium character can’t squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small character can with a

Movement and Position

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

explained in the Rules Glossary). These different modes of movement can be combined with your regular movement, or they can constitute your entire move. However you’re moving with your Speed, you deduct

noted in the monster’s stat block. See the Rules Glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often

Horror in Your Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

threat. Use this book to help you and your players communicate about a game’s rules, plots, and other content, assuring it includes only the elements you all enjoy. Focus on Fun. Suspenseful stories don’t

attention for both of us. We’ve found no trace of Vhorishkova since arriving, but I feel her watching. It’s like she’s everywhere. It’s bad here, Uncle. Not snake-headed hogs bad. Like, full Delmunster

Using Miniatures

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

should also consider using miniatures. The Player’s Handbook offers simple rules for depicting combat using miniature figures on a grid. This section expands on that material. Tactical Maps You can draw

hexagons (often called hexes), which combines the easy counting of a grid with the more flexible movement of using no grid. Dungeon corridors with straight walls and right angles don’t map easily onto hexes

Movement and Position

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

, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These

the rules glossary for more about Speed as well as about special speeds, such as a Climb Speed, Fly Speed, or Swim Speed. Difficult Terrain Combatants are often slowed down by Difficult Terrain. Low

Class Features

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

Class Features When you gain a new level in a class, you get its features for that level. A few features have additional rules when you’re multiclassing. Check the information about multiclassing

included in each of your classes’ descriptions. Special rules apply to Extra Attack, Spellcasting, and features (such as Unarmored Defense) that give you alternative ways to calculate your Armor Class

Approaching the Fortress

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Approaching the Fortress To get to Xardorok’s fortress, the characters need to negotiate the Spine of the World. Use the rules in the “Mountain Travel” section to simulate the perils of getting

hewn from the rock leads up along one side of the wall. The steps leading up to it are barely 5 feet wide and climb 150 feet to a frost-covered shelf that adjoins the main entrance (area X1). Difficult

Class Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

Class Features When you gain a new level in a class, you get its features for that level. A few features have additional rules when you’re multiclassing. Check the information about multiclassing

included in each of your classes’ descriptions. Special rules apply to Extra Attack, Spellcasting, and features (such as Unarmored Defense) that give you alternative ways to calculate your Armor Class

The Waters of Lyth

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

humanoid bones barely covered by the water. Outcropping Caves Three natural caves open near the top of the 30-foot-high rock formation at the far end of the pool. These crevices might be noticed by

sisters can interpret their visions. One of the harpies, Jhamp, is a particularly bad liar, snickering and casting obvious glances while her sisters attempt to dupe strangers. If someone drinks from the

Moving Around Other Creatures

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

GRID If you play out a combat using a square grid and miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules. Squares. Each square on the grid represents 5 feet. Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot

that fills its space. Ranges. To determine the range on a grid between two things—whether creatures or objects—start counting squares from a square adjacent to one of them and stop counting in the space of the other one. Count by the shortest route.

Nib's Cave

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

these riches by exploiting my tenants’ misery, buying up condemned property and renting it out for an exorbitant fee. Granny Nightshade is helping me to make amends. I told her I wanted to put my bad

hospitality (see “Rules of Conduct” in chapter 2), Nib offers to craft a gift for each character. Taking up a pair of knitting needles, he swiftly knits his gold yarn into an object that retains a golden

Difficulty Class

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

Nearly impossible 30 The numbers associated with these categories of difficulty are meant to be easy to keep in your head, so that you don’t have to refer to these rules every time you decide on a

say a door requires a successful DC 15 Strength check to be battered down. A fighter with a Strength of 20 might helplessly flail against the door because of bad die rolls. Meanwhile, the rogue with a

Droaam

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

whole creature and still be hungry. If you’re bad, she’ll come in the night and carry you away. She’ll make a lantern of your skull and torment you until the end of time. And she’s the least

frightening member of the Daughters of Sora Kell! When I could set aside my sheer terror, I was learning a great deal about this strange nation. The Daughters invested power in warlords, each of whom rules a

Madness

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

. Going Mad Various magical effects can inflict madness on an otherwise stable mind. Certain spells, such as contact other plane and symbol, can cause insanity, and you can use the madness rules here

a specific activity over and over, such as washing hands, touching things, praying, or counting coins. 11–20 The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks. 21

Detention Bog Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

magic here D3. Lonely Crate At the far end of a broken bridge is a mound of earth barely large enough for one person to stand on. A dented metal crate is partially embedded in the mound. One of the

ascertain that the orange glow around the crate is a bad sign, for it suggests the crate’s contents might have been damaged in a dangerous way. The crate explodes if it is moved or jostled. If the

NPCs as Party Members

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

to complain humorously about the characters’ terrible choices and bad planning. You can occasionally use this NPC to suggest legitimate courses of action or share insights. Dutiful Assistant. A dutiful

life debt to the characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them. You can simply decide on an NPC’s loyalty, or you can track a Loyalty Score using the following rules. Loyalty

What You Need

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

, either in physical form or on DnDBeyond.com: Player’s Handbook. This book is your essential reference for the game’s rules, and it guides you through making an adventurer of your own. Dungeon Master’s

useful: DM Screen. Many DMs like to use a screen to shield their notes and dice rolls from players. It’s bad manners to peek over the screen! Miniatures and Battle Grid. Some DMs use a battle grid and

Consequences

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

rules cover what happens on a natural 20 (it’s a Critical Hit) or a natural 1 (it always misses). Resist the temptation to add additional negative consequences to a natural 1 on an attack roll: the

automatic failure is bad enough. And characters typically make so many attack rolls that they’re bound to roll dozens of natural 1s over time. What might seem like an interesting consequence, like breaking the weapon used for the attack, will quickly get tiresome.

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