before barely defusing correct reveal

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as

. EXCELLENT AMBASSADORS Many half-elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground. As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and

Testing Phase

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

Testing Phase On the day of the Exam, each character makes two ability checks related to parts of the test: Slaad Facts. Choosing the correct multiple choice answers to questions about red, blue

, green, gray, and death slaadi requires a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check. Defusing Slaad Confrontations. Writing short essays about commonly accepted ways to keep slaadi calm during

Solution

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

painting reveals a letter. When unscrambled, the letters spell out “owlbear.” Characters are likely to reveal these letters in random order. Arranging them in the correct order is part of the puzzle

Divine Knowledge

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

Divine Knowledge The Commune spell allows its caster to ask a deity (or an agent of the god) yes-or-no questions and receive correct information, and other spells of the Divination school have

term (hence their ability to answer spells such as Augury and Divination). And some gods might be unwilling to reveal their ignorance, choosing to give an unclear answer rather than admit that they don’t know the truth.

Haunted Hallway

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

peace. Six alcoves line this hall, each one numbered from one to six. On the floor of each alcove, a lit candle gently flickers. From the hall’s far end drifts a low moan. There, barely visible, sobs

is this talking about?”), she can provide the names of individuals when prompted. For example, if a character asks directly, “What was your mother’s name?” Dolora provides the correct response. She also spells out the name, which is a clue that the spelling is important.

Customizing the Puzzle

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

puzzle that’s integrated into your adventure’s plot, using a map the characters might already possess. Your version of the puzzle can add as many digits and directions as you see fit, or it might reveal

discovered, or the characters might need to learn the directions from someone who personally explored the island. As long as the order of locations doesn’t change, the code remains correct.

The Crew of the Sea Ghost

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

possible scenarios. Correct Signal. If the characters sent a correct signal, the crew is relaxed. Two bandits await the characters in area 1. The rest of the crew can be found in their respective

ten miles or so along the coast west of the haunted house, near the mouth of a small river. For a further amount of 50 gp, they reveal the presence of the sea elf prisoner in area 14.

Boreal Ridge

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lorwyn: First Light

the Ice Forge seeks assistance in creating an item the characters need. The artisan requires materials and the collaboration of other artisans, but quarrels have emerged about correct methods. The

invasion, Sarak hires the characters to investigate. Scholar. The adventurers need information from a reclusive scholar living in Boreal Ridge. They must find and convince the scholar to reveal their secrets.

Pixie

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

Pixie “Petal gowns and acorn caps are so last summer!” — Rivergleam, pixie fashionista Standing barely a foot tall, pixies resemble diminutive elves with gossamer wings like those of dragonflies

or butterflies, bright as the clear dawn and as luminous as the full moonrise. Curious as cats and shy as deer, pixies go where they please. They like to spy on other creatures and can barely contain

3. Slanted Room

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

3. Slanted Room A secret door opens to reveal an empty 10-foot-square cubicle with a 5-foot-wide tunnel of rough-hewn stone leading away from it. The tunnel descends slightly until it reaches a room

that smells like a sewer. The room contains the following features: Flood. The floor of the room tilts — its west end is 6 feet lower than its east end. Foul sewer water covers the floor, barely

Galeb Duhr

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

mountains. They don’t experience time or perceive danger as shorter-lived species do. Galeb duhr avoid danger by hiding from other creatures. When they do reveal themselves, they speak and act ponderously

view galeb duhr as aloof allies and might entrust these long-lived beings with secrets or treasures for future generations. Others speak of galeb duhr songs, barely audible harmonizations by groups of

O3. Bedroom

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

trapdoor in the ceiling can be pushed open to reveal area O4. Each crate is 3 feet square. The top one is empty, but the middle and lower ones each contain a captive child. The outward-facing side of each

from the village of Barovia after being given to the hags by their parents in exchange for dream pastries. The boy, Freek, is seven years old. The girl, Myrtle, is barely five. Their crates are full

Whorlstone Tunnels

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

first found the tunnels didn’t reveal their discovery to anyone, and to this day only a handful among the Council of Savants and the Gray Ghosts know about them. The long, gently curving tunnels have

barely 2 feet wide at their widest points. A Tiny creature can move through these tunnels unimpeded, while a Small creature must squeeze to pass through them. Medium and larger creatures can’t fit

Other Nonplayer Characters

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

long distances. But that’s what fills Sechepol’s wagon. He will make his money on the road, selling his stock to his fellow travelers in the caravan. He is diplomatic and has a gift for defusing

silent as the grave, staring sullenly at the road ahead, barely moving on the seat of his wagon, seeming hardly to breathe. No one knows what he transports in his wagon, but it is guarded by a brooding

Rearguard

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

characters is if the outpost checks in at the correct time with an “all clear.” Frulam Mondath The rearguard consists of one veteran, six cultists, and two acolytes. The guard and cultists have spears for

any information from them. Even with that, all they reveal is that they are initiates in the Cult of the Dragon, the names of their leaders (Rezmir, Frulam Mondath, and Langdedrosa Cyanwrath), and that

Rearguard

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

result for the characters is if the outpost checks in at the correct time with an “all clear.” The rearguard consists of one veteran, six cultists, and two acolytes. The guard and cultists have spears for

(Intimidation) check can pry any information from them. Even with that, all they reveal is that they are initiates in the Cult of the Dragon, the names of their leaders (Rezmir, Frulam Mondath, and Langdedrosa

Other Nonplayer Characters

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

distances. But that’s what fills Sechepol’s wagon. He will make his money on the road, selling his stock to his fellow travelers in the caravan. He is diplomatic and has a gift for defusing arguments

as the grave, staring sullenly at the road ahead, barely moving on the seat of his wagon, seeming hardly to breathe. No one knows what he transports in his wagon, but it is guarded by a brooding

3. Entrance to the Tomb of Horrors

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a7

3. Entrance to the Tomb of Horrors Even a bit of light entering through a crawl space or provided by a torch will reveal that an unusual tunnel lies ahead. If the characters clear the passage near

studied all the way from the entrance to where the path forks toward areas 5 and 6, the individual with such perseverance will be rewarded by suddenly understanding that a message is contained in barely

Abandoned Temple

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

. 9 Find a gate to the Underworld or Nyx. 10 Consult a demon living in the temple. 11 Discover why the temple was abandoned. 12 Restore the temple to reveal the truth hidden in

ancient room with scrying pools filled with blood that has barely a trace of dust. A sturdy iron door protects the temple’s vault. Map 4.8: Abandoned Temple View Player Version Abandoned Temple

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

doesn’t replace a DM’s adjudication. Just as the rules do, the column is meant to give DMs, as well as players, tools for tuning the game according to their tastes. The column should also reveal some

Dolindar Tomb Locations

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

sealed with a puzzle that requires pushing the right letter tiles in sequence. A pushed letter makes its whole word sink into the door with a click. The door unlocks when the correct combination is input

. (Pushing a second letter in the same word doesn’t do anything.) The correct combination, which causes the wall to slide aside, is to push the letters spelling ALONE in this order: A in DOLINDAR L in

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

. The remainder of the crew consists of six sailors (N male and female bandits of various ethnicities). Characters might assume that Ortimay’s chief business is smuggling — and they’d be correct

6. Main Gate

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

gateway without speaking the correct pass-phrase (“Tiamat, Our Mother and Strength” or “Hail Blagothkus”) activates one of the golems. If another creature attempts to pass through without speaking the

. Each ballista has AC 10, hp 50, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Tower Interiors A large trapdoor in the roof of each tower can be pulled open to reveal a staircase of ice that hugs the

6. Main Gate

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

without speaking the correct pass-phrase (“Tiamat, Our Mother and Strength” or “Hail Blagothkus”) activates one of the golems. If another creature attempts to pass through without speaking the pass

damage. Each ballista has AC 10, hp 50, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Tower Interiors A large trapdoor in the roof of each tower can be pulled open to reveal a staircase of ice that hugs the

At the Brine Widow

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

in the vault. (Verity is not entirely correct. The coins are in the vault, but the statuette is on display in area A9, where the tournament takes place.) GETTING CAUGHT If one or more characters

reveal they’re working for Verity Kye, the gnome laughs and makes them a counteroffer (see area A14 for details). If the characters refuse his counteroffer, Quentin has them tossed out of the casino and sent up the river in a gondola.

Narration in Combat

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

; now roll damage,” “11 points,” and “OK, now we’re to Initiative count 13.” Instead, use the rules and your knowledge of the scene to help your narration. If 18 is barely a hit, but the 11 points of

badly!” As the characters fight monsters, you can reveal information to help the players make good choices, as described in the sections that follow. Awarding Heroic Inspiration As discussed in the

The Monastery

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

their own, Lean Meimbaol from area M1 arrives to personally escort them to the abbey. If combat breaks out, the monks all reveal their true natures, and attempt to overwhelm and capture the characters

. Prisoners of the Monastery Some thirty humanoid prisoners (commoners) are held in the monastery. All have had their faces flayed to make them barely distinguishable from the monks. Most work in the

Tips for New Dungeon Masters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

does it reveal everything that a creature might say or do. You’re expected to improvise and bring creatures to life as best you can. For example, the adventure describes Mister Light (one of the

experienced DMs make mistakes. If you overlook, forget, or misrepresent something, correct yourself and move on. This is a big adventure with lots of interconnecting elements; no one expects you to

Adventure Start

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a4

covered with several inches of fine muck. Only careful probing of the muck near the back of the cave will reveal a small trapdoor with a rusted iron ring set in it. Once the muck has been cleared away, a

barely managed to escape, accompanied only by his personal bodyguard company of fanatical evil gnomes. Keraptis fled to the cities of the south and west, but wherever he went, his reputation preceded him

Mountain Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

(250 gp total) and reveal the information in the following section. What the Gnomes Know. Saleen has heard local bats whisper about magical caves that come alive and swallow up intruders. She knows

where the caverns are located and can point the characters in the correct direction, but she and the other gnomes avoid the area. Hermit A nameless, wizened hermit (neutral good, human archmage) lives in

Zorzula's Rest Locations

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

(from left to right) “storm,” “death,” “light,” and “wind.” These runes are the key to opening the room’s hidden vault (area Z11). The runes must be tapped in the correct order to open the vault. The

correct order is the same as the runes’ order on the wall, from left to right: storm, death, light, and wind. If a creature taps the runes in the wrong order, the vault’s trap triggers, and the

71. Lair of the Sewn Sisters

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

71. Lair of the Sewn Sisters Green smoke billows out from a bronze cauldron in the middle of this twenty-foot-high vaulted hall. Barely visible through the haze are three rocking chairs, several work

the cage. If the characters take an interest in the skeleton gate, the dolls reveal what they know about it: Five skeleton keys are needed to unlock the skeleton gate. Each key looks like an animated

The Cellar

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

to point the way, someone must make a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find the secret door. The door is hidden behind some shelves that slide away to reveal the opening, which

undead within. Light spilling in from the large room behind you barely shows that the chamber is only about twelve feet across and the corners are filled with shadow. What little you can see is dingy

Adventure Models

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

the light that is barely visible far below. 2 Characters find a coded journal in a dragon’s treasure hoard, indicating a path to a hidden paradise. 3 Adventurers find a giant-sized ring inscribed with

the sigil sequence for a teleportation circle. 4 An enormous stone archway is carved with symbols that, when touched in the correct sequence, activate a portal. 5 A strange map shows a road where no

Briny Maze Locations

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

the dragon.” His bizarre certainty is, against all appearances, entirely correct. The amethyst dragon Lowarnizel currently lairs in the chamber below (area B17). By itself, Shalfi’s digging would be

Jomlus on subtle shifts in pronunciation for many weeks, believing his understanding to be just barely out of reach. Klaudel eventually died and was absorbed into the walls of the Briny Maze. Jomlus

D&D Beyond

Search Results