before barely dealing concept reason

Vertebrae Sword

Equipment

The jagged vertebrae sword of a fishfolk warrior can barely be called a sword. Locals would say it’s better described as a makeshift weapon crafted from a fish skeleton and sea trash. Its poor

construction is the reason it’s not often a weapon seen on land, though when used by a skilled fighter, it most certainly can be a formidable tool. When you successfully hit a creature with a

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

Reason for Adventuring 1 Outcast for murder 2 Outcast for severely damaging home territory 3 Clan slain by invading humanoids 4 Clan slain by a dragon or demon 5

adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names, and instead identify the

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

personality to any great degree. Years of dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the wicked stereotype, but others

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

pity. Born into the world lacking stout scales and sharp teeth, it’s a wonder they have managed to survive for so long. The typical human would barely make it through a day in the swamps. Still

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

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

. 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

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

Firbolg Names

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

Firbolg Names Firbolg adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names

, and instead identify the forest’s children by their deeds, habits, and other actions. By the same token, their tribe names merely refer to their homes. When dealing with other races, firbolgs refer

Creating a Monster

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

new monsters and customizing existing ones, if for no other reason than to surprise and delight your players with something they’ve never faced before. The first step in the process is coming up with

the concept for your monster. What makes it unique? Where does it live? What role do you want it to serve in your adventure, your campaign, or your world? What does it look like? Does it have any

Strong Room Burglary

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

Strong Room Burglary While everyone is dealing with Kendrin, Inglor takes the opportunity to find out what’s hidden in Nalaskur’s strong room. To discredit Chalaska, for allowing the burglary, and

usually act in a suspicious way. He’s a handyman, and he has a reason to be just about anywhere in the inn.

Secret Doors

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

spotting those clues in the first place. See “Perception” in chapter 2 for more advice. Secret Doors Secret Door DC to Detect Barely hidden secret door 10 Standard secret door 15 Well-hidden secret

door 20 Secret Door Etiquette Adventurers often fail to locate secret doors. For this reason, don’t hide important treasures or locations behind secret doors unless you’re comfortable with the

Evil Inchoate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

absolute evil, demons have no concept of empathy. Each demon believes that only its needs and desires matter. This self-centeredness applies even with regard to other demons. These fiends have no

particular affinity for their own kind, which is the biggest reason why they seldom cooperate with one another unless they are forced to submit to a demon lord or other leader. Going even farther, every

Dealing with Uldrak

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

Dealing with Uldrak Uldrak is a bitter creature who barely remembers his past. Long ago, he learned how to remove his curse, but the solution was so beyond him that he consigned himself to failure

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

interest of maintaining the strength of their personal bloodline. The yuan-ti have abandoned their humanity and consider non-serpentine humanoids to be lesser creatures, barely more civilized than

get into places their normal forms couldn’t enter. Their immunity to poison gives all yuan-ti a tactical advantage in dealing with other creatures. A pureblood serving as a food taster for a

Gracklstugh

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

forge, to pump bellows, heft ingots, and carry barrels of quenching oil. The place is called the City of Blades, for good reason: the fine steel of the duergar is impressive, considering the quality of

places it is barely ten feet above the water’s surface. The whole of the great cavern glows, and the continuous flow of hot iron through the city gives the illumination a yellow cast at all times. It

Orog

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

terrifying presence on the battlefield. They form no attachments, even to their parents and siblings, and have no concept of love or dedication. They worship the orc pantheon of gods — Gruumsh and Luthic

foremost — because they believe that the gods have strength beyond reason, and physical might is all they respect. Servants of Darkness. Mistrusted by orcs, some orogs form independent mercenary war

The Returned

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

. There’s no rhyme or reason to what the Gray Merchants seek, and the merchants themselves never speak. They conduct business through gestures, making their unusual trades and plodding off into the shadows

, pseudammas turn tragedy into horror by snatching mortal children and attempting to raise them. However, the Returned have forgotten the needs of the living and they have no concept of how to care for a child.

Preparing for Battle

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

, if for no other reason than to honor Ispin Greenshield’s last wishes. If a character refuses, Mayor Raven offers to pay them 5 gp to be a judge during the battle, making sure no one uses real weapons

are given wooden spears with padded tips to prevent them from dealing damage. The mayor reminds everyone not to use real weapons during the reenactment so nobody gets hurt. Mercenaries of the Ironclad

The Lords of Dust

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

to conquer the world already. The reason is that they have no interest in ruling this world; they want to return it to the state of unnatural glory that existed before. Their only interest in humanoids

races is in directing them and their affairs down the paths necessary to release their overlords; aside from that, dealing with mortals is a tedious chore.

Getting the Quest

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

Getting the Quest The town sits quietly at the foot of Kelvin’s Cairn. A few bundled-up people shuffle between snow-battered houses, keeping their heads down, barely bothering to give you a look as

the characters inquire about a reward for dealing with the thieves, Trovus explains that the town doesn’t have the coin to pay someone to investigate the matter. Most of the valuables in the village have disappeared already, so there’s little left to use as compensation.

Chapter 2: Raiders' Camp

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

midst of all this tragedy, there’s no reason you would have heard about the fate of my master, Leosin Erlanthar, but it’s important you know. He is a monk from Berdusk. He disappeared last night

, after we fought a particularly savage battle against raiders. A few others and I fought our way to the keep, barely. Leosin didn’t make it at all. We went back this morning to look for him, but all we

Vaeve's Offer

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

the battlefield for some reason. Vaeve asks the characters to escort Naxa from the citadel back to Carapace Ridge. There’s significant treasure in the citadel, Vaeve says, and Vaeve would be grateful

Camlash’s forces, and the lower entrance is guarded by spyder-fiends. Vaeve points out both entrances to the cliffside redoubt, two miles distant and barely visible through the blowing fog. If the

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium

things they don’t. In a typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game

running. There are times, though, when the design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to contradict another. Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice comes in. This column

The Role of Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

typical D&D session, a DM makes numerous rules decisions—some barely noticeable and others quite obvious. Players also interpret the rules, and the whole group keeps the game running. There are times

, though, when the design intent of a rule isn’t clear or when one rule seems to contradict another. Dealing with those situations is where Sage Advice comes in. It doesn’t replace a DM’s adjudication

Chapter 2: Raiders' Camp

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

midst of all this tragedy, there’s no reason you would have heard about the fate of my master, Leosin Erlanthar, but it’s important you know. He is a monk from Berdusk. He disappeared last night, after

we fought a particularly savage battle against raiders. A few others and I fought our way to the keep, barely. Leosin didn’t make it at all. We went back this morning to look for him, but all we

Heroes of Destiny

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

choose the entries that speak to you or randomly pull cards from The Deck of Many Things card set. One of the most important steps of a warrior’s journey is discovering the reason why you fight. Glory

path of the warrior. Fates A fortune teller foresaw that you would find your calling in a life of battle. Flames When the heat of battle takes over, you barely recognize yourself. This scares you. Fool

Nobility

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

charitable actions such as burial of the unknown dead. Their motives are manifold, but their actions — no matter the reason — earn them loyalty and high regard from those who benefit from their largesse

guarantee of ultimate success; much time and coin can be wasted trying to curry favor with an acquaintance of a noble who turns out to be unscrupulous or of little help for some other reason. My advice

13. Giants' Living Quarters

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

from the piles around the room, instructs Obsidia and Rhodos (see area 13a) to do the same, and sets out to destroy the invaders. Attempting to reason with Speleosa while she’s hurling rocks is no

simple matter, and she isn’t receptive to bribes. If one or more of her children are imperiled, Speleosa becomes calm and begins negotiating for their safe release. While the characters are dealing with

Overkill Attacks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

of goblin minions (each with 6 hit points). She hits a goblin minion with her longsword and uses Divine Smite, dealing 8 slashing damage and 11 radiant damage to the target for a total of 19 damage

rogue is hidden and takes aim at a group of zombie minions (each with 6 hit points) with his light crossbow (which has a short range of 80 feet). He hits a zombie minion with his crossbow, dealing

Hvalspyd

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

dealing with frost giants. The giants’ next step will be to push farther south. At some point (determined by you), they’ll return to the Hvalspyd, sail south to Refuge Bay, and start the search afresh from

there. Obviously, this is a very inefficient way to search an area as large and as dense as Chult, but Drufi has no better idea. Drufi has no reason to attack or kill the characters, should they meet

Giants and Other Ancients

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

thousand years for good reason: neither giants nor dragons were ever particularly numerous, and actual skirmishes between giants and dragons were rare. For this reason, you could run a campaign where battles

spend months or even years dealing with the aftereffects of the cataclysmic battle, then send your campaign in a new direction with a second battle. Maybe a third, truly cataclysmic battle—in which the

Personal Characteristics

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

against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What’s the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified

very personal reason to hate them with a fiery passion. Her bond might be phrased as “I will do whatever it takes to punish the dragonarmies for the destruction of the Inn of the Last Home.” Artemis

Detention Bog Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

magic here D3. Lonely Crate At the far end of a broken bridge is a mound of earth barely large enough for one person to stand on. A dented metal crate is partially embedded in the mound. One of the

) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Dealing with the Crate. A character who realizes the crate’s orange glow is a bad sign can gently shake the crate to rearrange

Harbor Ward

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

veteran), a hulking man whose face is almost hidden by a heavy beard streaked with gray. Other than shouting orders at the crew and conversing in low tones with Captain Ortimay, Ruddell barely speaks

guides (see “Finding a Guide”). The harbormaster is a half-gold dragon named Zindar (see appendix D). He’s seldom in this sturdy, airy building, however; most of his time is spent dealing with the

Astral Dreadnought

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

antimagic field. The dreadnought can shut off the effect by simply closing its eye, though it seldom has reason to do so. Astral Predator. A remorseless, indiscriminate hunter, an astral dreadnought employs

reason: hubris. Not the hubris of mortals, but the hubris of gods who deem themselves too mighty to be approached and looked upon. Astral Dreadnought Gargantuan monstrosity (titan), unaligned

Unwelcome Party

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

how long that process will take.) The only reason the city is not already under the control of devilish forces is the demon attacks. Stemming that abyssal tide is taking all the devils’ resources. The

forget about those NPCs, assuming that the most capable among them are dealing with minor threats in the background while the adventurers handle the potent foes. You can also have combat-worthy NPCs

D&D Beyond

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