before been define creatures reason

Norker

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

and his followers the initial, unwilling recruits into his crusade. Today, hobgoblins chafe at the suggestion that creatures as lazy and untamed as norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason

alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish, and Short. Even goblins bully and harass norkers

Norker War Leader

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish

","rollDamageType":"slashing"} slashing damage. Fight On, You Slugs. The norker war leader picks up to three allied goblinoids within 60 feet that can see it. The chosen creatures can each use their reactions to

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

B'rohg

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

heads. They wear simple garb and like to hurl heavy rocks. A b’rohg can wield a weapon with each of its four arms, but it prefers to pound enemies with its fists and rip smaller creatures apart with

its bare hands. B’rohgs communicate with one another using grunts and basic hand signals; they have no spoken or written language. They prefer to be left alone and for that reason don’t

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

Howler

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

enough to stand up against them. These nightmare creatures are native to Pandemonium, but they can be found on most of the Lower Planes, where they are trained as war hounds. Howlers can be domesticated

around the battlefield in a search for safety. Fiends especially prize howlers for this reason, because for a few crucial moments in a battle, their howls can neutralize an enemy.Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or vanish and reappear in an unoccupied space within the keep. Incorporeal Movement. Caradoc can move through other creatures and objects as if they were

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

Ancient Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or

’s lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing creatures of elemental fire into the world to dwell nearby. If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10;{"diceNotation":"1d10","rollAction":"Days","rollType":"roll"} days.Fire

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

metal with ease, organic matter and gems are repugnant to them. If a khargra eats such morsels for whatever reason, they remain lodged in its gullet for a few days of indigestion before the offending

material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever

Stone Giant Dreamwalker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

themselves become lost in the dream. Other stone giants are banished to the surface as punishment. Regardless of the reason they ended up on the surface, if they don’t take shelter under stone

surroundings, and this delirium leaches out into the world around them, affecting other creatures that get too close. Believing that they’re living in a dream and that their actions have no real

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Adult Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or hills

lair form portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire, allowing creatures of elemental fire into the world to dwell nearby. If the dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10;{"diceNotation":"1d10","rollAction":"Days","rollType":"roll"} days.Fire

Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

16 Constitution saving throw or drop to 0 hit points. On a successful save, the creature is frightened until the end of its next turn. Life Drain. The demilich targets up to three creatures that it

its existence. Few liches seek to become demiliches, for it means an end to the existence they hoped to preserve by becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

basic principles than those of warm-blooded creatures. Their dismal swamp homes might lie hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement, but the gap between their way of thinking and that of the

other humanoids. Like most reptiles, their feelings largely revolve around fear, aggression, and pleasure. Lizardfolk experience most feelings as detached descriptions of creatures and situations

Hutijin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

other creatures in that area must each make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8);{"diceNotation":"4d8","rollType":"damage","rollDamageType":"lightning storm"} lightning damage on a failed

figure, known only to the most learned infernal scholars. He has no cults of his own, and his servants are few in number. The reason is simple: Hutijin hates mortals. When summoned from the Hells, he

Mahadi the Rakshasa

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

rank most highly in his esteem. Of course, guests leaving Infernal Rapture are expected to pay their bills in full prior to departure. If a guest cannot pay for whatever reason, the contract they

at Infernal Rapture. If they possess a talent for sales, they might eventually obtain a business to run within the Wandering Emporium.Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical AttacksPiercing from Magic Weapons Wielded by Good Creatures

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

Yondalla relate to tortles most of all. Tortles believe that night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the

regard these settlements as places worth defending with their lives, and they will abandon a settlement when it no longer serves their needs. Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

Kobolds are a lot less cute when they learn how to cast fireballs. — Volo Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak, but these little reptilian creatures actually have a

a perfect world, the creatures would be left alone to dig their tunnels and raise the next generation of kobolds, all the while seeking the magic that will free their imprisoned god (see the &ldquo

Klauth

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

damage and be knocked prone. Klauth can then fly up to half his flying speed.The odor of sulfur and pumice surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its

about the deeds and whereabouts of surface-world creatures in the North and along the Sword Coast than any other being alive today. Old Snarl obeys strange whims that prompt him to perform acts of

Chapter 7: Using Ability Scores

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

? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define these qualities — a creature’s assets as well as weaknesses. The three main rolls of the game — the ability check, the saving throw

compare the total to a target number. This chapter focuses on how to use ability checks and saving throws, covering the fundamental activities that creatures attempt in the game. Rules for attack rolls appear in chapter 9, “Combat.”

Monsters and Motivations

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

adventurers. Characters might be able to appease a hungry beast by offering it food, and smarter creatures have complex motivations. The Monster Motivation table lets you use a monster’s goals to define its

with a few coins from its hoard. Not all monsters are automatically hostile. When placing monsters in your dungeon, consider their relationships to nearby creatures and their attitudes toward

The Long View

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

humans to comprehend. An elf seldom becomes sentimentally attached to physical objects such as manufactured structures and furnishings, except those of personal significance, for the simple reason that

can appear cold and emotionless in the face of tragedy. They do feel the same pain that others feel, and they do mourn their losses. But they also understand, in a way that other creatures can’t, that

Druids of Khorvaire

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

help each understand the other. All druids look after the natural world, but they act in different ways. Five well-established paths define most of Khorvaire’s druids. In creating a druid character

, consider whether you have ties to one of these traditions, and what led you to leave your order. Are you on a mission? Are you exploring the world? Have you been banished, with good reason or otherwise?

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

to be invincible. They see the principles that define them and their deities at work every day in the world around them — nature rewards the strong and mercilessly eliminates the weak and the

, orcs breed prodigiously (and they aren’t choosy about what they breed with, which is why such creatures as half-orcs and ogrillons are found in the world). Females that are about to give birth are

Lizardfolk Names

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

always literal. They might pick up idioms, but only with some difficulty. Names confuse them, unless they are descriptive. They tend to apply their own naming conventions to other creatures using

Common words. Lizardfolk use active verbs to describe the world. A lizardfolk in cold weather might say, “This wind brings cold” rather than “I feel cold.” Lizardfolk tend to define things in terms of actions, rather than effects.

Alignment

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

Alignment A creature’s alignment provides a clue to its disposition. For example, a chaotic evil creature might be difficult to reason with and might attack characters on sight, whereas a neutral

creature might be willing to negotiate. Alignment indicates whether a creature leans toward law or chaos and good or evil or whether a creature is neutral. Any Alignment. Some creatures, such as the

Gravity Planes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

Gravity Planes The reason everything pulls its own atmosphere along through space is the force of gravity. It’s also the reason why creatures can stand on a spacefaring ship without falling off the

moon, gravity pulls everything toward the center of the body, meaning that creatures can stand upright anywhere on the surface, and dropped objects fall perpendicular to the surface they land on. For

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

a talent for learning and memorizing details. Thus, ambitious kenku can excel as superb spies and scouts. A kenku who learns of clever schemes and plans devised by other creatures can put them to use

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

Setessa's Surroundings

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

and Akros, no villages or military outposts mark Setessan territory, but a few key features in the Nessian Wood define the area under Setessan control. Amatrophon The Amatrophon encompasses a large

the earth, and some say they drink from the Rivers That Ring the World, the waters of the Underworld. All manner of wild and magical creatures dwell in the Nessian Wood, far from the reach of human

Using Enclaves

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

adventure hooks that might attract characters to the enclave or give them a reason to draw on its magic. The adventure hooks also suggest specific creatures or encounter tables appearing in the “Encounters

your imagination run wild. Mix and match different encounter tables to see what can arise. Consider how randomly determining the attitude of the creatures generated can shift the tone of a story. If

Alignment

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

Alignment A monster's alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation. For example, a chaotic evil monster might be difficult to reason with and

monster's alignment to suit the needs of your campaign. If you want a good-aligned green dragon or an evil storm giant, there's nothing stopping you. Some creatures can have any alignment. In other words

Actions

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

Actions When a creature takes its action, it can choose from the options in the “Actions” section of its stat block. the Basic Rules describes other actions available to all creatures. Melee and

this reason, both the average damage and the die expression are presented. For example, a monster might deal 4 (1d8) slashing damage with its longsword. That notation means you can have the monster deal 4 damage, or you can roll 1d8 to determine the damage.

Fazrian the Planetar

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

no apparent reason. (The blood might attract ravenous, blood-drinking creatures such as stirges or vampire spawn.) The song of an unholy choir echoes through an area whenever a fight breaks out, then fades away when combat ends.

before it. Those who lack the willingness to sacrifice themselves for a greater end (such as greedy treasure-seekers drawn to Undermountain for no other reason) are found guilty and executed. A mote of

Alignment

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

, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, nine distinct alignments define the possible combinations. These brief summaries of the

faithful to the precepts of their alignment. Lawful Good. (LG) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society. Gold dragons and paladins are typically lawful good. Neutral Good. (NG

Alignment

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

Alignment A monster’s alignment provides a clue to its disposition and how it behaves in a roleplaying or combat situation. For example, a chaotic evil monster might be difficult to reason with and

nothing stopping you. Some creatures can have any alignment. In other words, you choose the monster’s alignment. Some monster’s alignment entry indicates a tendency or aversion toward law, chaos, good

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