before becoming defusing concept races

Water Weird Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

those its summoner declares as off limits. When slain, a water weird becomes an inanimate pool of water. Good and Evil Weirds. Like most elementals, a water weird has no concept of good or evil

. However, a water weird bound to a sacred or befouled source of water begins to take on the nature of that site, becoming neutral good or neutral evil. A neutral good water weird tries to frighten away

Variant Aasimar

Species Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

This aasimar variant originally appeared in the Dungeon Master's Guide as an example for creating your own races. Whereas tieflings have fiendish blood in their veins, aasimar are the descendants of

goodness on the Material Plane without drawing undue attention to their celestial heritage. They strive to fit into society, although they usually rise to the top, becoming revered leaders and honorable heroes.

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

; Cultural Chameleon Before becoming an adventurer, you spent much of your adult life away from your homeland, living among people different from your kin. You came to understand these foreign cultures

; Suggested Characteristics Anthropologists leave behind the societies into which they were born to discover what life is like in other parts of the world. They seek to see how other races and civilizations

Lineages

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

In the Land of the Mists, power and dread lie in the simple question “What happened to me?” The following lineages are races that characters might gain through remarkable events. These

overshadow their original race, if any, becoming their new race. A character might choose a lineage during character creation, their transformation having occurred before play begins. Or, events might

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

Using This Book

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

the game. It includes information on the various races, classes, backgrounds, equipment, and other customization options that you can choose from. Many of the rules in part 1 rely on material in parts

2 and 3. If you come across a game concept in part 1 that you don’t understand, consult the book’s index. Part 2 (chapters 7–9) details the rules of how to play the game, beyond the basics described

Character Options

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

in the group, encourage them to choose different classes so that the party has a range of abilities. It’s less important that the party include multiple races or backgrounds, as sometimes it’s fun to

play an all-dwarf party or a troupe of adventuring entertainers. Character Options Races Classes Backgrounds Dwarf Bard Acolyte Elf Cleric Criminal Halfling Fighter Entertainer Human Rogue Sage

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

, committed by the goliath. Goliaths assign and use nicknames with their friends of other races, and change them to refer to an individual’s notable deeds. Goliaths present all three names when

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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 to their lands by

Chapter 1: Character Creation

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

Chapter 1: Character Creation The skyscrapers of Sharn rise up before you, the spires glimmering with magical lights. Or wind rushes through your hair as the airship you’re riding races toward

the following choices: Race. Choose one of the playable races detailed in this chapter, or pick a race from the Player’s Handbook and learn here how Eberron has affected that species’ development

Background

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

Background There exists an underwater abyss known as the Endless Nadir — a haunted place shunned by the aquatic races of the region, for this realm is the site of a submerged city of aboleths. For

aboleth mulled over the concept of Tharizdun in idle moments, and eventually those thoughts flowered into something alien and repulsive to most aboleths: religious faith.

Mind Flayer Magic

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

. Eventually, a mind flayer thus separated from the hive turns to the path of lichdom. Just as the elder brain offers immortality to its faithful illithids, so does becoming a lich ensure life everlasting

power. Since they are capable of planar travel, illithids don’t view the afterlife and the Outer Planes in the mythic way that most other races do. Illithids don’t believe they possess souls whose

Lineages

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

Lineages In the Land of the Mists, power and dread lie in the simple question “What happened to me?” The following lineages are races that characters might gain through remarkable events. These

overshadow their original race, if any, becoming their new race. A character might choose a lineage during character creation, their transformation having occurred before play begins. Or, events might

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Realms

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

varied cultures and races, Faerûn is dominated by human lands, be they kingdoms, city-states, or carefully maintained alliances of rural communities. Interspersed among the lands of humans are old dwarven

extraplanar exploration, “Faerûn” is more than large enough of a concept for them to comprehend. Except in the most remote or insular places, Faerûnians are accustomed to seeing people of different

Deal Breakers

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

view. There is no longer a chance of Saltmarsh becoming allied with the lizardfolk, and if the shamans succeed in their takeover they will withdraw the tribe from any discussions of alliance with other races as well.

Water Weird

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

. Good and Evil Weirds. Like most elementals, a water weird has no concept of good or evil. However, a water weird bound to a sacred or befouled source of water begins to take on the nature of that site

, becoming neutral good or neutral evil. A neutral good water weird tries to frighten away interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might

Modifying a Class

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

different races or cultures. The bardic colleges might be closed to everyone except elves, dragonborn might be the only creatures capable of becoming sorcerers, and all warlocks in your world might be human

, paladins might not swear their oaths to ideals, but instead swear fealty to powerful sorcerers. To capture this story concept, you could build a new paladin spell list with spells meant to protect

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

races have little good to say about kobolds, but they do admit that the little reptilians do respectable tunnel work using simple tools. If a band of kobolds is enslaved by more powerful creatures

lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one

Creating a Race or Subrace

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

society, although they usually rise to the top, becoming revered leaders and honorable heroes. You might decide to use the aasimar as a counterpoint to the tiefling race. The two races could even be

Creating a Race or Subrace This section teaches you how to modify existing races, as well as create new ones. The most important step in customizing or designing races for your campaign is to start

22. Frictionless Trap

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

other methods. Ingenuity is required. Super-Tetanus. A creature that contracts the disease of super-tetanus is wracked with pain as its heart races and its muscles spasm hard enough to break its bones

. The creature takes 11 (2d10) damage at the start of each of its turns. If a victim is not cured by other means, it can repeat the saving throw at the end of every minute after becoming exposed, ending the effect on itself with a successful save.

Circles

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

and sleep. After becoming enthralled by Zuggtmoy, Phylo decided the myconids would meld exclusively within their own circle, and only the circle leaders would meld with the other circle leaders and the

with this new and unusual concept, swayed by Phylo’s claims that a higher level of communal harmony will be achieved. Basidia believes that Phylo’s separation of the circles is contrary to the unity and

The Revered Queen

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

fit. The Astral Plane would be their home domain, because in that timeless realm they could ignore the need for food, water, and other mundane concerns that plague lesser races. Vlaakith also

innermost court — the wondrous realm that Gith discovered in her journeys, and where she awaits those who have proven themselves worthy. Imagine you lack any concept of family. You’re constantly told that

Life and Outlook

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

blows over their differences. Kobolds choose mates primarily for convenience. Their lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are

other humanoid races. At 6 years old a kobold is considered an adult. Most succumb to violence, accidents, or disease by age 20, but a kobold can live for up to 120 years — a longevity they attribute to

Sloobludop

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

trade with various races of the Underdark near the Darklake, in addition to providing ferry service and navigation. Organizations: Two major shrines and several other minor ones. Sloobludop is a kuo

few spots of dim light from phosphorescent fungus and coral, or from glowing cave-fish glands. The kuo-toa recoil from areas of bright illumination, becoming hostile if bright light is brought among

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