been before defeat counting rather

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

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

bound to their fey lord and unable to bargain away their souls. So rather than claim them, Fierna warped and twisted them before returning them to the Feywild, content that the corruption of the satyrs

. Unfortunately, when it reaches that breaking point, its diabolical nature asserts itself, and it remains in this scheming, dominating mindset until its plans are foiled and it faces defeat. Then, overwhelmed

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter. Variant: Investigator Rarer

Investigation rather than Athletics. Suggested Characteristics Use the tables for the soldier background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to

Soldier Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it. 5 Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for. 6 I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves

mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret. 4 My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Deck of Several Things

Magic Items Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

defeat the next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter, you have advantage on ability checks made using one skill of your choice for the duration of the adventure. Otherwise, this card has no

, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. Gem. The 1,000 gp hoard of the leprechaun from the Wilderness Encounters table (see appendix A) appears at your feet. If that treasure has

Deck of Many Things Legacy

Magic Items Basic Rules (2014)

-handedly defeat the next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter, you gain experience points enough to gain one level. Otherwise, this card has no effect. Donjon. You disappear and become

, discard this card, and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. If losing that much XP would cause you to lose a level, you instead lose an amount that leaves you

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a fight and that can’t be dealt with in some other manner. They are aggressive toward prey they want to eat, creatures that want to harm them, and

pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome. Cold and Calculating Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

never leave a friend behind. 3 My honor is my life. 4 I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it. 5 Those who fight beside me are those

enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Driven Competitors

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival. Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and 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 skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind. 3 My honor is my life. 4 I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it

keep that mistake secret. 4 My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Customizing the Puzzle

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

overcome their own assumptions. An easier version of this puzzle might involve counting the letters in any type of word the guard provides and responding with that number. Alternatively, the response

to the guard’s number might be any word with the same number of letters as that number—for example, “five” has four letters, making “duck” or “smog” suitable responses. The more your puzzle plays with numbers as words rather than digits, the more challenging it’s likely to be.

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

mull over the stories and rumors they collected like a miser counting coins. Although material wealth holds little attraction for the tabaxi, they have an insatiable desire to find and inspect ancient

Barterers of Lore

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s not intrinsically interesting. In the

miser counting coins. Although material wealth holds little attraction for the tabaxi, they have an insatiable desire to find and inspect ancient relics, magical items, and other rare objects. Aside

Battle for Blingdenstone

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

defeat this threat if the settlement stands divided. That means counting the Goldwhisker wererats as allies and recognizing their right to rejoin the community. Give the characters a chance to ask

Creature Paintings

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

sketchbook found in a dusty old drawer. This counting puzzle leads to a name of a creature. Fit this into your campaign by making the name of the creature the first item on a scavenger hunt or the

defeat of all monsters within.” Characters should be free to explore the gallery and inspect the paintings and dedication to discover the parts of the puzzle.

Reaching the Tower

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Reaching the Tower Lolth’s forces surround the tower, but they are focused on the spyder-fiends below rather than on defense. Hundreds of driders, Humanoids, and demons surround the tower, but the

driders, 1d6 giant spiders, and 1d4 assassins. Characters who defeat the squad can try again to infiltrate the tower.

Returning War Band

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

heads are trophies from the hobgoblins’ recent victory over an elf hunting party. Clever characters might try to reason with Targor by urging him to think of himself as Grol’s successor rather than

) check. Awarding Experience Points Divide 500 XP equally among the characters if they defeat the hobgoblin war band or come to terms with Targor.

Khur Joins

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Khur Joins Early 349 AC The Green Dragon Army was dispatched to the steppes of Khur to subdue the tribes there. Rather than fight a protracted campaign, Ariakas allowed the cunning Khur leader Salah

-Khan to defeat the Green Dragon Army’s original highlord in battle, then offered to make Salah-Khan highlord in his place. In exchange for control over Khur and the surrounding lands, Salah-Khan

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.

Alien Minds

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

understand that a troll is a fearsome, dangerous creature and react accordingly. Lizardfolk never become angry in the way others do, but they act with aggression toward creatures that they could defeat in a

for lizardfolk. Pleasurable things should be preserved and protected, sometimes at the cost of the lizardfolk’s own safety. The most pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome.

Lord Soth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

them to defeat. Rather than presenting him as a foe to be challenged in combat, portray Soth as a terrifying example of the villains in the Dragon Queen’s service—a lurking threat to be avoided. By the

High Deck

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

High Deck The cards that compose the high deck aren’t considered to be one suit, although they are often denoted with a crown icon to mark their importance. Rather, each card is an important power in

or lurking just below the surface Broken One Defeat, failure, and despair; the loss of something or someone important, without which one feels incomplete Darklord A single, powerful individual of an

Creating a Bronze Dragon

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

lie outright, though I choose my words carefully. I will fight to the death rather than break my word or abandon a comrade. (Lawful) 4 Discipline. Disorganization breeds defeat. I demand self

strategy. A quick death in combat is its own kind of courtesy. 6 I trust my gut. I’d rather act on incomplete information than be hamstrung by indecision. 7 I’m fascinated by other species

Resolving the Mystery

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

regardless of their approach. Bloodbath It’s possible to kill or defeat the Amberdune Pack without ever hearing their side of the story. With no one to stop them, characters in this situation can

Digressions and see the book safely back to Candlekeep, if they so desire. NIDALIA The true leader of the Amberdune Pack, Nidalia is a lamia who delights in hoarding books rather than in corruption and

Attack of the Nematode

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Nematode writhing 500 feet above the town like a malevolent cloud. The creature is far too large to defeat by conventional attacks or spells, so the characters must once again explore the Nematode from

rather than lightning). Beyond the membrane in the Nematode’s head is a massive, fluid-filled chamber that serves as the Nematode’s brain. The characters must damage each of the five electroreceptors in

Re-created by the Doctor

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

. Mordenheim attack the party or their allies (at the doctor’s command or otherwise). These foes are more powerful than the characters, who might defeat the majority of the attackers before being overwhelmed

. Worse Than Death? The characters are legitimately defeated during another adventure. Rather than the campaign ending, they awake in Dr. Mordenheim’s clutches, delivered there by the Mists.

Birth of the Poleis

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

inspired and equipped two human heroes, Kynaios and Tiro, to overthrow the archon Agnomakhos. Divergent tales describe their history following the defeat of the tyrant. Some claim that they warred with each

Akros and Skophos were born from that bloodshed, inspired by the martial doctrines of Iroas and Mogis rather than the legal code of Ephara. Eventually the years of war settled into an uneasy peace with

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.

Character Levels

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

Ravenloft without first increasing their power will likely die. You can award experience points for the defeat of foes, use milestone awards, or a mixture of both. Given the fact that much of the

adventure involves social interaction and exploration, rather than combat, your work will probably be easier if you use milestone awards. Appropriate milestone awards include the following: Finding

Simple Traps

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

characters discover a trap, be open to adjudicating their ideas for defeating it. The trap’s description is a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a complete definition. To make it easier

for you to describe what happens next, the players should be specific about how they want to defeat the trap. Simply stating the desire to make a check isn’t helpful for you. Ask the players where their characters are positioned and what they intend to do to defeat the trap.

Confronting the Demon Lords

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

fight alongside them in this last battle. Most of the heroes’ allies are of limited use against the demon lords — creatures immune to many forms of attack, including nonmagical weapons. Rather than

never have to think about sacrificing their characters, but you should be prepared for the possibility of one or more of the heroes giving up their lives in order to defeat the evil that has arisen in

During the Siege

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

During the Siege Run the siege as a series of encounters rather than one extended battle. As terrible events unfold around the characters, it’s up to them to determine who and how they’ll help. Begin

horde soon begins overwhelming defenses nearby. Once the characters defeat a few zombies, roll 1d6 and consult the Zombie Siege Encounters table. The event rolled unfolds within sight of one of the

Hazlik

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

one competitor Hazlik was unable to defeat: the Red Wizard Indreficus. Hazlik gradually came to fixate on Indreficus as his true rival. Indreficus shared Hazlik’s genius and arrogance, and they spent

impress his people’s rulers and gain their patronage. Instead, the zulkirs revealed that Indreficus had not betrayed him. Rather, the zulkirs had watched the pair’s ascent and, wary of their potential

Xanthoria's Defeat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

Xanthoria’s Defeat Once Xanthoria is defeated, the characters find the last few pages of her notes among her possessions. They detail her growing obsession with undead and her success at turning

. Convincing Thunderwing to give up her life should be handled through roleplaying rather than ability checks, although you can require the characters to succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) group

Darklords

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

adventures rather than saving them for distant climactic plots. Darklords Don’t Realize They’re Darklords. With a few exceptions, Darklords don’t realize they occupy a special place in the world. Their

concept of how long they’ve lived, how many times they’ve died, or why they returned to life. Should a Darklord fall, the temporary defeat lasts until they’re restored by the Dark Powers. In their

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