battle blades diffusing connection reason

Barbarian

Classes Player’s Handbook

personify their Rage as a fierce spirit or revered forebear. Others see it as a connection to the pain and anguish of the world, as an impersonal tangle of wild magic, or as an expression of their own

deepest self. For every Barbarian, their Rage is a power that fuels not just battle prowess, but also uncanny reflexes and heightened senses. Barbarians often serve as protectors and leaders in their

Noggle Wild Mage

Monsters Lorwyn: First Light

":"Befuddling Ray"} from the next saving throw it makes before the end of the noggle's next turn.Some noggles have a powerful connection to the strange magic that suffuses the realm of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor

. Such wild mages exist on the peripheries of noggle society as pariahs and vagabonds. Their innate magic becomes strongest when they are most desperate, such as in the heat of battle. Noggles Noggles

Kadroth

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

in cult affairs because he fears her spellcasting ability and her connection to the Arcane Brotherhood. She could take over the cult anytime she wanted, and Kadroth doesn't want to give her any reason

Skeletal Knight

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

free to pursue its own ends. Skeletal knights are relentless in battle and difficult to destroy. They cling to the sins that curse them, and they fight until their skulls are reduced to shards. Their

blades deal lingering wounds that sap their victims’ life force and leave blackened scars even after magical healing.Poison

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

within the Celestial hierarchy. When faced in battle, archons radiate the full fury of the Upper Planes, bolstering their allies and cowing their foes.LightningChange Shape. The archon magically

College of Whispers

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

against others through extortion and threats. Many other bards hate the College of Whispers, viewing it as a parasite that uses a bard’s reputation to acquire wealth and power. For this reason

other settings of power. College of Whispers Features Bard Level Feature 3rd Psychic Blades, Words of Terror 6th Mantle of Whispers 14th Shadow Lore

Howler

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

around the battlefield in a search for safety. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy.Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Flind

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a demonic warrior known as a flind. A war band of demon-worshiping gnolls typically contains only one flind, and that creature sets the war band’s path. Because of its special connection to

Yeenoghu, a flind uses demonic insight to guide the gnolls toward weak prey ripe for slaughter. Unlike other leaders who might skulk behind their minions, a flind leads the charge in battle. Its flail causes wracking pain, paralysis, and disorientation in those it strikes.

College of Whispers (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

against others through extortion and threats. Many other bards hate the College of Whispers, viewing it as a parasite that uses a bard’s reputation to acquire wealth and power. For this reason

other settings of power. College of Whispers Features Bard Level Feature 3rd Psychic Blades, Words of Terror 6th Mantle of Whispers 14th Shadow Lore

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

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

possibilities.) Now you’re looking for something else, perhaps greater reward for the risks you take, or the freedom to choose your own activities. For whatever reason, you’re leaving

behind the life of a soldier for hire, but your skills are undeniably suited for battle, so now you fight on in a different way. MERCENARIES OF THE NORTH Countless mercenary companies

Swarmkeeper (TCoE)

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Feeling a deep connection to the environment around them, some rangers reach out through their magical connection to the world and bond with a swarm of nature spirits. The swarm becomes a potent

force in battle, as well as helpful company for the ranger. Some Swarmkeepers are outcasts or hermits, keeping to themselves and their attendant swarms rather than dealing with the discomfort of others

Lunar Sorcery

Classes Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

;ne uses the light of the moon to battle darkness. On Eberron, scholars of the Draconic Prophecy decipher ancient secrets from the waxing and waning of that world’s twelve moons. You or someone

eclipse, or maybe a mystical fragment of a moon crashed near you. However you came to have your magic, your connection to the moon is obvious when you cast sorcerer spells—perhaps making your pupils

Choldrith

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

spiderlike creatures originally created to serve Lolth. They rule colonies of chitine;chitines and lead them into battle in Lolth’s war against her enemies. When devotees of Lolth created the first

connection to Lolth, which gives them divine magic. They also make up the ruling caste of most chitine colonies. A colony can support numerous choldriths, who serve as commanders, priests, and

Swarmkeeper

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Feeling a deep connection to the environment around them, some rangers reach out through their magical connection to the world and bond with a swarm of nature spirits. The swarm becomes a potent

force in battle, as well as helpful company for the ranger. Some Swarmkeepers are outcasts or hermits, keeping to themselves and their attendant swarms rather than dealing with the discomfort of others

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

in the other humanoids and makes them less helpful in battle. Utility and Survival The lizardfolk mindset might seem unnecessarily cruel, but it helps them survive in a hostile environment. The

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

, giving each individual and every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger

Giff Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its

brighter the flash, and the thicker the smoke it produces, the more giff love a weapon. Their skill with gunpowder is another reason for their popularity as mercenaries. Giff revel in the challenge of

Lunar Sorcery (SotDQ)

Classes Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

;ne uses the light of the moon to battle darkness. On Eberron, scholars of the Draconic Prophecy decipher ancient secrets from the waxing and waning of that world’s twelve moons. You or someone

eclipse, or maybe a mystical fragment of a moon crashed near you. However you came to have your magic, your connection to the moon is obvious when you cast sorcerer spells—perhaps making your pupils

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

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

letting the thermals hold them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying

. Great Purpose Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an

Eye and Hand of Vecna Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

’s lieutenant Kas coveted the Spider Throne for himself, or that the sword his lord made for him seduced him into rebellion. Whatever the reason, Kas brought the Undying King’s rule to an

end in a terrible battle that left Vecna’s tower a heap of ash. Of Vecna, all that remained were one hand and one eye, grisly artifacts that still seek to work the Whispered One’s will in

Mournland Villains