became bards diffusing came royal

Madam Eva

Monsters Curse of Strahd

in her seventies, but she is, in fact, much older. Royal Blood. Madam Eva is Strahd’s half-sister, though Strahd is unaware of this fact. Her real name is Katarina, and she is the daughter of a

Vistani woman whom King Barov, Strahd’s father, took to his bed during one of his many crusades. Madam Eva knows she is Strahd’s half-sister but has told no one of the royal blood flowing

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

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

Seeing the peril his people faced, a young dwarf prince came to believe that his people needed something to unite them. Thus, he set out to forge a weapon that would be such a symbol. Venturing deep

under the mountains, deeper than any dwarf had ever delved, the young prince came to the blazing heart of a great volcano. With the aid of Moradin, the dwarven god of creation, he first crafted four

Rahadin

Monsters Curse of Strahd

conquer them. The elf kingdom's royal line was obliterated, the dusk elves hunted like rabbits. The few that survived were either subjugated or forced to live among the Vistani. So pleased was Barov with

came knocking on Strahd's door, Rahadin could see that she intrigued Strahd, but Rahadin was suspicious of her motives. Patrina tried to seduce Strahd with the prospect of immortality—something Strahd

Charmayne Daymore

Monsters Keys from the Golden Vault

far as to murder her fellow councilor, Regine, while she slept. As she came to realize the people of Ghalasine didn’t love her as they did the king, Charmayne became filled with rage. She used

vitality and charm, and to funnel these qualities into herself. However, the magic only enhanced her greed and jealousy; the more she took from Jhaeros, the hungrier for power Charmayne became, going so

Viari

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

thinking of his older brother as the successful one.) But he can be quick to show self-consciousness when talking of where he came from, and he never speaks of the name he bore in that former life. After

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

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

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 hard study

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

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

Valenar High Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

they came to Khorvaire, they battled the champions of the goblin empire. The greatest heroes of those struggles live on after death, known as the patron ancestors. When you became an adult, one of

Caerys held her double blade in the falcon guard, level with her shoulders and spreading out like wings. “I came in search of legends. Ten thousand years ago Daealyth of Taeri stood this

College of Lore Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

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 everything they held

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

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back. Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark

, silent stretches. Occasionally, though, in a moment of peace, stress, or excitement, a reborn gains a glimpse of what came before. When you desire to have such a dreamlike vision, roll on the Lost

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

failed to amuse Strahd, he delighted Tatyana and Sergei with his jokes and gambols. As a result, Strahd didn't object whenever Pidlwick and the duchess came to visit. Eager to please and desiring to

, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep. But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have

Smiler the Defiler

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the Feywild in Avernus: a beautiful woodland glade in which to lose himself for a few hours while he meditates and plots. This eladrin adventurer from the Feywild became stranded in Avernus after his

nycaloth warlord named Yarrasto. Smiler took control of the nycaloth’s warband and their infernal war machines. Smiler’s gang came to be known as Smiler’s Defilers, and their ferocity

Gremorly's Ghost

Monsters The Book of Many Things

came to investigate the seemingly abandoned keep, Gremorly murdered them and trapped their ghosts. But fortune recently turned against Gremorly when a behir entered the keep seeking a nest. It slew

Gremorly, who became a victim of his own ritual. Gremorly is now one of the many ghosts that haunt the keep. Locals have renamed the keep Harrowhall, as they dread the spectral figures moving through the

Valenar Wood Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

they came to Khorvaire, they battled the champions of the goblin empire. The greatest heroes of those struggles live on after death, known as the patron ancestors. When you became an adult, one of

Caerys held her double blade in the falcon guard, level with her shoulders and spreading out like wings. “I came in search of legends. Ten thousand years ago Daealyth of Taeri stood this

Axe of the Dwarvish Lords

magic-items Dungeon Master’s Guide

A young dwarf prince set out to forge a weapon that would be regarded as a symbol of unity among his people. Venturing deep under the mountains, deeper than any dwarf had ever delved, the prince came

Hammer. With these tools, he forged the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. Armed with the Artifact, the prince brought peace to the dwarf clans, ending grudges and answering slights. The clans became allies

Background Legacy

Rules

Every story has a beginning. Your character's background reveals where you came from, how you became an adventurer, and your place in the world. Your fighter might have been a courageous knight or a

Crystal Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerous display. Rumors quickly spread that a crystal dragon is responsible. 3 A crystal dragon invites the greatest bards and philosophers to partake in

A royal heir goes missing while secretly visiting a crystal dragon. The heir’s family, the heir’s friends, and the dragon all want to find the heir, but no faction trusts the others

The Abbot

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, inbred lepers—came to the abbey seeking salvation. The deva rid them of their diseases, an act for which they were eternally grateful, but could not cure them of certain human defects that had been

present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange ideas of what it

Young Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Prismatic shards rain from the sky in a beautiful but dangerous display. Rumors quickly spread that a crystal dragon is responsible. 3 A crystal dragon invites the greatest bards and philosophers

return. 6 A royal heir goes missing while secretly visiting a crystal dragon. The heir’s family, the heir’s friends, and the dragon all want to find the heir, but no faction trusts

Learning from Experience

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

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