before bards deciding contested require

Broom of Animated Attack

Monsters Curse of Strahd

contested by the creature's Strength check. If the broom wins the contest, it flies out of the creature's grasp and makes a melee attack against it with advantage on the attack roll.Animated objects

simple instructions. Some animated objects might converse fluently or adopt a persona, but most are simple automatons. Constructed Nature. An animated object doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

operated openly or secretly, depending on the faction and its goals, as well as how those goals mesh with your own. Becoming an adventurer doesn’t necessarily require you to relinquish membership

knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and

Arcane Focuses

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

the same weight as a duelist deciding between a rapier or a maul. Do you use a wand of Fernian ash to focus your fire bolt, or do you harness defensive energies with a Risian orb? An arcane focus is a

are recognized as weapons: if guards are securing swords and bows, they’ll also require you to turn over your staff.

Dark Fantasy

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

and evil are blurred. Choices involve deciding which outcome is least bad. Corruption and suspicion flourish among organizations and individuals. Magic and magic items might be rarer or require a

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

creatures wouldn’t feel safe. Kobolds take advantage of their size by creating small-diameter tunnels that they can easily pass through, but that require larger creatures to hunch over or even

’s mother is. This practice and the communal raising of the hatchlings mean that the tribe operates like a group of cousins. Because they lay eggs, and the eggs don’t require much tending

Creating a New Item

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

several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day might be easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

party pass an item around to gain its lasting benefits would be disruptive, the item should require Attunement. Limit Stacking. If the item grants a bonus that other items also grant, it’s a good idea to require Attunement so characters don’t try to collect too many of those items.

College of Whispers

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

College of Whispers 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

Creating a New Item

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

it has several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day is easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

decide: If having all the characters in a party pass an item around to gain its lasting benefits would be disruptive, the item should require attunement. If the item grants a bonus that other items

Melee Attacks

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

making a grapple check instead of an attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). You

whenever you like (no action required). Escaping a Grapple. A grappled creature can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested

Melee Attacks

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

. Contests in Combat Battle often involves pitting your prowess against that of your foe. Such a challenge is represented by a contest. This section includes the most common contests that require an action

size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a grapple check instead of an attack roll: a Strength (Athletics) check contested

Modifying a Class

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

firmly in the world by associating the class with a particular race or culture. For example, you might decide that bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards represent the magical traditions of four

. You could break that down still further: bards of the College of Lore could be high elves, and bards of the College of War could be wood elves. Gnomes discovered the school of illusion, so all wizards

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group A head of state like Prince Oargev requires a variety of adventurers to do the range of tasks they require. Depending on the kinds of work you do, your party might include some or

Charisma to work in the service of the state. These characters often come from a noble background and bring proficiency in skills such as Intimidation and Persuasion to their work. Bards are natural fits in

4. The Alchemist

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

pilfer one with a successful Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the slaad’s Wisdom (Perception) check. Potion of Comprehension. When you drink this potion, you gain the effect of a

the next 8 hours: magic can’t put you to sleep, and you can remain awake during a long rest and still gain its benefits. This sweet, amber-colored brew has no effect on creatures that don’t require sleep, such as elves.

Mortuary Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

to expel a dybbuk† from a corpse. The exorcist asks the characters to help in dispatch the Fiend. 9 Two bards† in the Heralds of Dust approach the characters and sing a ballad honoring the dead. If the

characters interrupt or otherwise ruin the tune, 1d4 irascible specters emerge from the walls and attack, causing the bards to flee. 10 Three skeleton farmers quietly tend to corpse-white grave

Specter

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

retreat back into the darkness, where they remain until night falls again. Undead Nature. A specter doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. Specter Medium undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 12

it. A creature must be Medium or smaller to be affected by this magic, and an object can weigh up to 150 pounds. If the target is a creature, the poltergeist makes a Charisma check contested by the

Daask Excavation site

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

arrive then leap out to attack. A successful Wisdom (Perception) check contested by the goblins’ Dexterity (Stealth) check notices the goblins. Otherwise the goblins surprise the characters. The goblins

the pit doesn’t require an ability check. If the party does not intervene, the warforged laborers simply sit until release by Garra or another member of Daask. If the party frees them, the warforged

Life and Outlook

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

. Because they lay eggs, and the eggs don’t require much tending, kobold females aren’t exempted from war or work. Furthermore, kobolds can slowly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are

skirmish with each other every few days. Eventually the leader of one warring tribe realizes it is losing due to attrition and moves its tribe to another area, ceding the contested territory to its

Merchant Princes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

Jessamine (N female Chultan human assassin, her hit point maximum reduced to 58) doesn’t speak often. When the council finds itself divided on an issue, however, Jessamine usually casts the deciding vote

assigns Aazon the task of escorting the adventurers to whichever guides interest them. Jobal doesn’t require payment up front, since all guides in Port Nyanzaru are required by law to pay him a fair

Animated Objects

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

require air, food, drink, or sleep. The magic that animates an object is dispelled when the construct drops to 0 hit points. An animated object reduced to 0 hit points becomes inanimate and is too

contested by the creature’s Strength check. If the broom wins the contest, it flies out of the creature’s grasp and makes a melee attack against it with advantage on the attack roll. Guardian Portrait A

Wilderness Survival

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

is caught during that hour. If the check succeeds, the character hooks a knucklehead trout (see appendix C) and must make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the fish’s Strength check to pull it

”). But dogs are expensive and require food, water, and shelter. Unless they have more equipment than they can carry, adventurers are better off traveling on foot. The speed that characters can travel

Upper City Gazetteer

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

patriars, traveling nobles, famed bards, and socially ambitious Lower City residents hoping to rub shoulders with the elite. The inn is unfussy, but conducts its service with flawless technique and the

already prepared. This results in a certain degree of corruption, naturally, which is compounded by the proxy judge’s near-absolute discretion in deciding whether to accept a conviction or exonerate a

Headquarters Features

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

players and the DM. Group Design When selecting a feature, the characters must make decisions together — meaning the players must do the same. Deciding on the features of a headquarters should be a team

might agree that it would be fun to use some of the effects of Bigby’s hand for such an attack. Most siege weapons (whether mechanical or magical) require two characters, crew, or skilled hirelings to

Upper City Gazetteer

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer

patriars, traveling nobles, famed bards, and socially ambitious Lower City residents hoping to rub shoulders with the elite. The inn is unfussy, but conducts its service with flawless technique and the

already prepared. This results in a certain degree of corruption, naturally, which is compounded by the proxy judge’s near-absolute discretion in deciding whether to accept a conviction or exonerate a

Brimstone Hold Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

do so. Portcullises. The gatehouse’s portcullises are so large that they each require two winches to operate, one on the second floor of each adjoining tower, and the two winches must be operated

doors at each end are readily visible from inside the hallway and don’t require an ability check to find. B13: Prison Cells The door to this chamber bolts from the outside. Inside, bundles of rags have

Tomb Locations

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

ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20 before deciding to use the number, but it must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds

Nature. The golem doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. Actions Multiattack. The golem makes two attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (4d10 + 5

Metallic Dragons

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

tricks with good humor. Copper dragons are particularly fond of bards. A dragon might carve out part of its lair as a temporary abode for a bard willing to regale it with stories, riddles, and music. To

dragon has imagined into being. To escape, the creature must use its action to make a Charisma check contested by the dragon’s. If the creature wins, it escapes the dream plane. Otherwise, the effect

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