before barely driven cunning return

Vampire

Monsters Monster Manual

, the vampire uses Shape-Shift to become mist (no action required). If it can’t use Shape-Shift, it is destroyed. While it has 0 Hit Points in mist form, it can’t return to its vampire form

water. Stake to the Heart. If a weapon that deals Piercing damage is driven into the vampire’s heart while the vampire has the Incapacitated condition in its resting place, the vampire has the

Vampire Infernalist

Monsters Astarion's Book of Hungers

, the vampire uses Shape-Shift to become mist (no action required). If it can’t use Shape-Shift, it is destroyed. While it has 0 Hit Points in mist form, it can’t return to its vampire form

. Running Water. The vampire takes 20 Acid damage if it ends its turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a weapon that deals Piercing damage is driven into the vampire’s heart while the

Goblin Psi Brawler

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

other Aberrations, which help them transform in return for their service as shock troops. Regardless, the result is the same: a goblin with unnatural and barely contained psychic power. Psionic goblins

Jermlaine

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

can come in tiny packages. Their tiny, foot-tall forms can barely contain the cruelty and malevolence that courses through them. Deep in the Underdark, the jermlaine lurk among the tunnels, dungeons

attempts to hunt them down and fashion cloaks and other material from their skin. Such experiments have yet to yield a functional magic item, and the jermlaine's hatred of outsiders is driven in part by

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

reward once they return to their proper station, a fog giant lures desperate criminals, cunning bandits, and other raiders into their service in the dismal wilds they inhabit. These giants prefer to

cloud giants in the ordning—the set of values and expectations that determines their rank in giant society—is driven by wealth. Those cloud giants foolish or unlucky enough to have their

Alagarthas

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if Alagarthas is incapacitated.This prince made a bargain with Endelyn Moongrave and is paying the price. He longs to return to

give up—ever.” Ideal. “The elves of the Misty Forest will lose their homes and likely perish if that green dragon isn’t slain or driven off. I shall deal with the dragon before

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

, their lack of cunning foiled her plans. Many tumbled into the sea and drowned, too simpleminded and impatient to learn how to swim. Others smashed caravans and crushed their defenders most effectively

bad luck a gull might happen to land near a crab folk lair and utter the right combination of cries to summon up this ancient compulsion. Driven to action, the crab folk rampage along the coast

Goblin Psi Commander

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

with other Aberrations, which help them transform in return for their service as shock troops. Regardless, the result is the same: a goblin with unnatural and barely contained psychic power. Psionic

Phantom Warrior

Monsters Curse of Strahd

soldier or knight who perished on the battlefield or died performing its sworn duty. It appears like a translucent version of its living self. Task Driven. Although one is often mistaken for a ghost, a

master or because it believes it must perform a task to satisfy its honor or sense of duty. For example, a guard who dies defending a wall might return as a phantom warrior and continue guarding the

Humanoid Mutate

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

as smooth as a salamander’s. Some intelligent Humanoid mutates retain their personalities from before they were exposed to the Far Realm. Some, driven by the allure of otherworldly powers, seek

this transformation to become malevolent prophets and harbingers. Others find magical ways to return to their previous forms. Mutates A creature exposed to the strange energy of the Far Realm

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

training. Many entered the monastery as children, sent to live there when their parents died, when food couldn’t be found to support them, or in return for some kindness that the monks had performed

seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

demands of the Nine Hells and the impulsive hedonism of the Feywild. Driven by dramatic and unpredictable emotions, these feral creatures wreak havoc wherever they go. Corrupted Essence. The devils

, chaotic, and temperamental nature they all share. When its diabolical aspect shines through, a forlarren is a cunning, calculating, and brutal enemy. It might use its natural charm to worm its way

Skabatha Nightshade

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

the past, another reflects the present, and the third reflects the future. These hags are utter wickedness distilled into corporeal forms, driven by a lust for secrets that can be used to manipulate

regains all of its shared spells. Alter Size. Skabatha magically shrinks herself to Tiny size (between 4 and 8 inches tall) or returns to her normal size. If Skabatha lacks the room to return

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while a shifter with a lupine spirit might be drawn to find and protect a pack. When a shifter fully embraces this beast

also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey. While the beast within certainly has a physical impact on a shifter, it has a

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. Cunning Grankhul is the younger one, and in the stories bugbears tell, he gifted them with stealth but in return he sapped their vigor, so that bugbears sleep in his stead while he remains eternally alert

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

, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in

Gnoll Vampire

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

wearing perfume or carrying an open container of it. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the vampire's heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the

normal vampires, gnoll vampires don’t have coffins where they rest, and they have no such places to return to when their corporeal bodies are destroyed. They are undeterred by running water, and

Fraz-Urb'luu Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

Deception and Demon Lord of Illusions. He uses every trick, every ounce of demonic cunning, to manipulate his enemies—mortal and fiend alike—to do his will. Fraz-Urb’luu can create

elaborate fantasies that have no bearing on reality. When I return my focus to the world, I have a hard time remembering that it was just a daydream.” 61–80 “I convince myself that

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

survive—or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

. 2 Having lived among the people of a primeval tribe or clan, I long to return and see how they are faring. 3 Years ago, tragedy struck the members of an isolated society I befriended, and

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

created the orcs and continues to direct their destiny. He is aided and abetted by the other warrior deities, Bahgtru and Ilneval, who bring strength and cunning to the battlefield. The followers of all

serve as a battering ram if a settlement dares to close its gates, blocking the way to the treasures and tasty food that lie within. A heavily laden wagon that requires the strongest orcs to return it to

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the depths revealed that krakens, sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane. The tritons, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes

foes when they found them and drove the rest into hiding. With their foes banished to the deepest reaches of the sea, tritons settled in to watch for any sign of their return. Over time, the tritons

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, wandering tabaxi are catlike humanoids driven by curiosity to collect interesting artifacts, gather tales and stories, and lay eyes on all the world’s wonders. Ultimate travelers, the inquisitive

stories, artifacts, and lore. Those who survive this period of wanderlust return home in their elder years to share news of the outside world. In this manner, the tabaxi remain isolated but never ignorant

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

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

Psionic Goblins

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

power or enter into agreements with other Aberrations, which help them transform in return for their service as shock troops. Regardless, the result is the same: a goblin with unnatural and barely

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated in his coffin, he is paralyzed until the stake is removed. Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While

intelligently and do everything you can to make him a terrifying and cunning adversary for the player characters. When you run an encounter with Strahd, keep the following facts in mind: Strahd

Buried Treasures

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

. The middle-aged innkeeper, Cora Mulphoon (neutral good human commoner), treats her guests like royalty while trying to conceal the fact that she is barely making ends meet. Cora’s Loss. Cora is

one afternoon. The speaker was brought back safe and sound, but Huarwar got separated from the others and didn’t find his way home until the following morning. He had frostbite and could barely walk

The Ghaal'dar

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

Lhesh Haruuc remains as the ruler of Darguun, and many fear that his death could throw the region into chaos. As a Ghaal’dar goblinoid, you hold your place through cunning and strength. You may have

been a former mercenary now seeking adventure. You could be working as an emissary for one of the Ghaal’dar tribes or even Lhesh Haruuc himself. Or you could have been driven from your tribe by the actions of a rival; perhaps you’re seeking allies to reclaim your birthright.

Roleplaying Strahd

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

, with barely a hint of emotion left. He is above the concerns of the living. The only event that occasionally haunts him is the death of Tatyana, but his view of the past is bereft of romance or regret

, especially if a person is clever or attractive. Men and women of beauty and cunning amuse Strahd for a time—playthings to possess or discard as he desires. If he senses a lack of cohesion in a party of

Loose Ends

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

Loose Ends If Kwalish’s knowledge was needed to oppose threats in other lands, those threats might have been permanently quelled — or they might only have been temporarily driven back. Moreover

Barrier Peaks likely shifts dramatically if the Grand Master is defeated, and a new power struggle soon ensues for control of the monastery. If Ctenmiir escapes or is freed, he might return to the

Returning to the Garden

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

Returning to the Garden When the characters leave the Palace of Spires and return to the garden, the Gardener is waiting for them in the center of the maze. How they greet the party depends on how

engulfs the creature and gracefully transports it to the mouth of the Cave of Echoes. The Gardener allows the characters, as well as Juliana and Orlando, to return to the Material Plane with their memories

31. Illithid's Assistant

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

don new apparel befitting his station. In his current state, Ellix is vacant-eyed and barely responsive, with a tendency to trip over his own feet and drool uncontrollably. He has a tenday left before

happened to his spellbook (Arcturia hid it in area 40b), but once his faculties return, he recalls the layout of this level and how to return to the surface.

The Beast Within

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

takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while

with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey

Eldritch Master

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

Boon option produces a special creature or an object that reflects your patron’s nature. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a

iron, holding spells of conjuration and a wealth of forbidden lore about the sinister regions of the cosmos, a gift of the Fiend. Or it could be the tattered diary of a lunatic driven mad by contact

D&D Beyond

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