before bad diffusing constant run

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

You grew up on the streets alone, orphaned, and poor. You had no one to watch over you or to provide for you, so you learned to provide for yourself. You fought fiercely over food and kept a constant

I eat like a pig and have bad manners. 6 I think anyone who’s nice to me is hiding evil intent. 7 I don’t like to bathe. 8 I bluntly say what other people are hinting at

Pirate Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? You spent your youth

you may roll for a random trinket on the Trinkets table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook), a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp Feature: Bad Reputation No matter where

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Skill

more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. Variant Feature: Bad

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

learned to provide for yourself. You fought fiercely over food and kept a constant watch out for other desperate souls who might steal from you. You slept on rooftops and in alleyways, exposed to the

a pig and have bad manners. 6 I think anyone who’s nice to me is hiding evil intent. 7 I don’t like to bathe. 8 I bluntly say what other people are hinting at or hiding

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

. 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.

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

fellows, or on the run? Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water) Equipment: A belaying pin (club), 50 feet of silk rope, a lucky

. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. Variant Feature: Bad Reputation If your character has a sailor

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

stand against the wave. Orc Culture and Beliefs Orcs live in constant fear of their gods, and their behavior is rooted in that mentality. They believe that they can see the influence of the gods

everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should

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.

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

lies on the slopes of the Star Mounts’ southernmost mountains. At the headwaters of the Unicorn Run, the Last Aerie is home to several dozen aarakocra. Recently, aarakocra elders detected

changes in the prevailing winds that they regarded as a bad omen. Unlike the aarakocra of other worlds on the Material Plane, the aarakocra of the Realms rarely travel to the Elemental Plane of Air

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it. 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.

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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.

Umizu

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Umizu Residents of the city-state of Umizu enjoy their fair share of luck, but good fortune comes at a cost: a season of bad luck that arrives with the yearly monsoon. During this time, locals pray

-simmering tension. Daimyo Hogishi Takemi does his best to rein in crime, but the city’s lackluster bureaucracy is run by complacent samurai administrators and riddled with corruption. Crime syndicates

Mood of the Town

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Mood of the Town Saltmarsh is a place of constant energy. Few of the common folk are so affluent that they can afford to sit idle. At sunrise, the docks bustle with fishers preparing to venture out

d20 Result 1–6 Poor Catch. The townsfolk are frustrated and prone to bickering; everyone is in a bad mood. 7–12 Bountiful Catch. Music and merriment echo through town as everyone celebrates. 13–20

Orc Culture and Beliefs

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

Orc Culture and Beliefs Orcs live in constant fear of their gods, and their behavior is rooted in that mentality. They believe that they can see the influence of the gods everywhere in the world

around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should react to them. As a race, orcs

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

attached to. Personality Traits d8 Personality Trait 1 I can’t wait to see what I become next! 2 I am convinced that everything inclines toward constant improvement

fungus field. 5 I can’t fathom what could have made my childhood friend run off and join the Gruul. 6 I love comparing notes with my friend in the Izzet, though our fields of research are

Caer-Dineval

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

because they have not received deliveries of mead from the town of Good Mead, and the taverns have run dry. As if things weren’t bad enough, the town’s harbor has frozen over, and the town’s speaker

Gehenna

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

illuminates clouds of volcanic ash and steam from the River Styx. Chamada Constant lava flows and eruptions make overland travel difficult. Iron zeppelins piloted by yugoloths drift through the constant

behave when tensions run high and they can trust no one—perhaps not even each other. (See “Environmental Effects” in chapter 3 for one way this atmosphere can manifest.) Characters might encounter

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

dragon’s psionic power manifests visibly in the gem-like spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back

plateau.A Topaz Dragon’s Lair Topaz dragons dwell where the sea meets the land, favoring sites where the constant action of the waves and tides is slowly reducing the land to gravel. They make their

The Central Market

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

cloudy blue eyes. They run a flower stall in the market. Friendly and a bit wistful, Astra chats with anyone who stops at their stall, as happy to hear the recent news as to make a sale. Astra was a

. “Gossip nourishes me like a spring rain, but I hate to hear or pass on bad news.” Ideal. “People are like flowers: Some grow best when left alone, others must be carefully cultivated—and some need to be

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

power manifests visibly in the gem-like spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back, dancing and shifting with

Lair Topaz dragons dwell where the sea meets the land, favoring sites where the constant action of the waves and tides is slowly reducing the land to gravel. They make their lairs in caves set into sea

Zombie

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

was fun for a while, but the zombie started to smell real bad, so we doused it in oil and set it on fire. Beek would’ve found that hilarious.” — Fonkin Hoddypeak, on friendship Hideous Forms

. Zombies appear as they did in life, showing the wounds that killed them. However, the magic that creates these vile creatures often takes time to run its course. Dead warriors might rise from a

Carceri

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

Payratheon. Colothys Deep chasms cut between cruel mountains make foot travel nearly impossible. Porphatys Cold, acidic oceans are fed by constant black snow. Agathys Black ice streaked with red covers this

passions and poisons, and of realm-shattering betrayals. Hatreds run like a deep, slow-moving river, and there’s no telling what the flood of treachery will consume next. It is said that prisoners can

It's Just Business

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

. What better way to think of the big bad monster at the center of a web of even bigger and badder plans than as the CEO of a megacorporation, using every resource to dominate the market? What is an

present them with even more hurdles to overcome. The often bizarre, unfeeling, and surreal elements of corporate and business life can add a degree of danger or absurdity to even the most run-of-the

Caer-Konig

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

that keeps the townsfolk from leaving is the beer at the local tavern, which never seems to run out. As if things weren’t bad enough, the town has suffered several mysterious break-ins recently, with

Fensirs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

, the giants’ incursion became a part of the eternal battle that rages across the plane. The trolls, whose fundamental nature was altered by constant regeneration and rebirth amid the energy of Ysgard

seems like a transparently bad idea. What were those giants thinking? —Bigby And yet, can we fairly say that the existence of fensirs is “transparently bad”? Some might argue they are a

Inquisitive Agencies of Sharn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Inquisitive Agencies of Sharn Inquisitive agencies run the gamut from a handful of private investigators working together to networks of detectives supported by dragonmarked houses. If the characters

constant watch over criminal activity in the city, no matter where it occurs Agency Location Depending on what levels of the City of Towers an inquisitive agency focuses on, its members might get

Keranos's Influence

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

constant, makes the ideal counter to the wise yet temperamental Keranos. Another interesting relationship exists with Purphoros. The passions of the divine blacksmith run hot, as does the need to create. The

Research

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

character astray, especially if the object of the research is known to the rival. The rival might plant false information, bribe sages to give bad advice, or steal key tomes needed to find the truth. In

addition, a character might run into other complications during research. Every workweek spent in research brings a 10 percent chance of a complication, examples of which are on the Research

Difficulty Class

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

, moderate, or hard?” If the only DCs you ever use are 10, 15, and 20, your game will run just fine. Keep in mind that a character with a 10 in the associated ability and no proficiency will succeed at an

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

Sailor

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

on board — boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Skill Proficiencies

the Bad Reputation feature (see sidebar) instead of the Ship’s Passage feature. Variant Feature: Bad Reputation If your character has a sailor background, you may select this background feature

The Zhentarim

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

knows that demons at large in the world are bad for business. The organization thus views the possible presence of the demon lords in the Underdark with the same concern as any other external threat

let them run the NPCs. The thugs’ names are Nero Kelvane, Lenora Haskur, Aligor Moonwhisper, Gorath Torn, Saliyra Dalnor, Primwin Halk, Iandro Alathar, and Lhytris Ilgarn. All of them know the route

Simple Traps

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

sown with too many traps, and if the characters are victimized over and over again as a result, they are likely to take steps to prevent further bad things from happening. Because of their recent

experience, the characters can become overly cautious, and you run the risk of the action grinding to a halt as the players search every square inch of the dungeon for trip wires and pressure plates

What You Need

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

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

miniatures to run combat encounters, since they help everyone visualize the action. A battle grid can be anything marked out in 1-inch squares, from disposable sheets of paper to poster maps. And

Consequences

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

, you can offer to let the character succeed at the cost of a complication or hindrance. Such complications can run along any of the following lines: A character gets her sword past an enemy’s defenses

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.

High Forest

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

the centaurs who make the High Forest their home, claiming the plateaus near the head of the Unicorn Run. For decades, the centaurs have been growing in number, enough so that they may soon divide

wood. Within the depths of the forest is an entire mountain range known as the Star Mounts. Constant strong winds keep weaker flying creatures from approaching the peaks of the mountains, with the

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