before been despite concept rather

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

interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might turn against its summoner. A water weird loses its evil alignment if its waters are cleansed

Young Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

seeing the deepest places in the ocean. 8 I find I rather enjoy the company of people—as long as they remain unaware of my true nature. Deep Dragon Ideals d6;{"diceNotation

rather than acting in haste. (Good) Deep Dragon Spellcasting Age Spell Save DC Spells Known Young Deep Dragon;Young 14 command, dissonant whispers, faerie fire

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

despite the rise and fall of empires. Many halflings live among other races, where the halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling

Vedalken

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

external ears, their noses are broad and flat, and they are partially amphibious. Cool Rationality Despite being talkative, vedalken keep their personal lives private, and they tend to engage more

with ideas than with people. They form close friendships based on mutual interests or compelling disagreements, and their interactions dwell on their thoughts about those issues rather than their

Baba Lysaga

Monsters Curse of Strahd

her beloved boy, who, in her mind, is eternally blessed. Despite the horrors Strahd has wrought, Lysaga still envisions him as the perfect child she delivered into the world. Strahd is the only thing in

that Strahd would never accept her as his true mother, nor could she bear his rejection. As a result, she has never confronted him. She would rather exist in perpetual denial, whiling away the days

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

;d rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair. 5 It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else. 6 People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve.

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Adult Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

rather enjoy the company of people—as long as they remain unaware of my true nature. Deep Dragon Ideals d6;{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Ideal"} Ideal

of my power. (Evil) 6 Patience. All creatures might teach me something, and I’m willing to wait and find out what that might be rather than acting in haste. (Good) Deep Dragon

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

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

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

from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I’d rather

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

capable of flight, and similar objects provoke a great desire for the kenku to acquire the items for themselves. Despite their lack of wings, kenku love dwelling in towers and other tall structures

. Others strike out on their own in search of the secrets of flight, to master magic, or to uncover the secret of their curse and find a method to break it. Kenku adventurers, despite their relative

Character Names

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

names, that’s fine. If the group would rather take the characters and their names a little more seriously, urge Bob’s player to come up with a more appropriate name. Player character names should match

each other in flavor or concept, and they should also match the flavor of your campaign world — so should the nonplayer characters’ names and place names you create. Travok and Kairon don’t want to undertake a quest for Lord Cupcake, visit Gumdrop Island, or take down a crazy wizard named Ray.

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

smooth-skins is far greater. Despite their alien outlook, some lizardfolk make an effort to understand and, in their own manner, befriend people of other races. Such lizardfolk make faithful and

pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome. Cold and Calculating Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in

Survival of the Fittest

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

pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to

themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk

Origin of the Ordning

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

the ordning in some mythic future. Giants on some worlds (including Eberron) have no concept of the ordning at all. Such giants might think of themselves as a single species, with the differences

among giant kinds reflecting a cultural or geographical distinction rather than an inherent one. They might live in bands composed of multiple giant kinds or family groups of a single kind. Or giants of

Character Advancement

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

taking part in a play session. A character reaches 1 checkpoint for each hour an adventure is designed to last. Note that the award is based on the adventure’s projected playing time, rather than the

designed to take 2 hours, the character reaches 3 checkpoints. Playing time might seem like an odd way to measure experience awards, but the concept is in keeping with how a shared campaign is meant to

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe). The main reason why kobolds depend on arcane magic rather than divine is Kurtulmak’s imprisonment, which makes it difficult for

Secret

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

holy symbol that represents that divinity. Some clerics, especially in a world like Eberron, serve a whole pantheon, rather than a single deity. In certain campaigns, a cleric might instead serve a

cosmic force, such as life or death, or a philosophy or concept, such as love, peace, or one of the nine alignments. Chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide explores options like these, in the section

Kenku Adventurers

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

, despite their relative independence, still have a tendency to seek out a companion to emulate and follow. A kenku loves to mimic the voice and words of its chosen companion. ROLEPLAYING A KENKU If

you’re playing a kenku, constant attempts to mimic noises can come across as confusing or irritating rather than entertaining. You can just as easily describe the sounds your character makes and what

Javenesh Stoutclaw

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

Javenesh Stoutclaw Neutral Good Owlin Second Year (Lorehold) Javenesh is an imposing and powerfully built owlin who looks permanently scruffy despite his best efforts. Contributing to his

effort to get to know him, rather than be put off by his size and rough exterior. Extracurriculars: Intramural Silkball Club Job: Bow’s End Tavern assistant manager Bond Boon: Javenesh’s

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

Darklords

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

adventures rather than saving them for distant climactic plots. Darklords Don’t Realize They’re Darklords. With a few exceptions, Darklords don’t realize they occupy a special place in the world. Their

concept of how long they’ve lived, how many times they’ve died, or why they returned to life. Should a Darklord fall, the temporary defeat lasts until they’re restored by the Dark Powers. In their

Yuan-ti Cities

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

yuan-ti content themselves with maintaining these ancient places rather than building new ones for their needs. Although these sites are hundreds or even thousands of years old, they don’t look or feel

reflects human ideas about art and beauty. Over time this perspective was skewed toward the concept that the snake is the perfect form, so serpents are a common theme in their aesthetic. The major

Eldath

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

Eldath among the First Circle. It is taboo to strike a priest of Eldath, and killing one is said to bring great misfortune. Despite the measure of protection that this belief affords them, most priests

of Eldath avoid conflicts rather than attempting to quell them. Those who serve Eldath are happy to preside over peaceful negotiations and to certify treaties, but they can’t force others to engage in harmony.

Right and Wrong

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

to do, do poorly, or do wrongly can be just as important as what they accomplish. Don’t let failure and setbacks derail an adventure or a campaign. Rather, look for ways that failure or partial

important quest goal. But if the town burns down despite the heroes’ best intentions — or because they had better things to do — let them be mistaken for local authorities come to lend a hand in the

Circles

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

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

and morality, their lives centered on living fully each day and worrying little about the future and nothing at all about the past. Despite the communal nature of their existence, they are individuals

Creating a Survivor

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

don’t possess classes as detailed in the Player’s Handbook. Despite this, you can make a survivor marginally more powerful by increasing its level. The stat blocks present the survivors as they are at

1st level. Rather than gaining experience points, a survivor increases in level whenever it makes sense for your adventure. When a survivor gains a level, it gains the benefits on the Survivor

Modifying a Class

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

, 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

traditions? Can a dwarf stumble into a warlock pact despite having no connection to a culture that normally produces warlocks? As always, it’s better to say yes and use the player’s desire as an

Breaking the Contract

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

remain bound to Zariel by the Creed Resolute. Killing Thavius. Characters hoping for a climactic battle against a worthy adversary won’t find one by fighting Thavius Kreeg. Despite the power he now

possesses, the devil Thavius is a coward who would rather grovel than fight. Killing him marks a wretched end to a wretched life. If the characters left Thavius alive in chapter 1, they must find a way

Iroas as Campaign Villain

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

handpicked army and confront the forces of a powerful and supposedly vulnerable minotaur warlord. The general loses despite Iroas’s favor, and Akros is left exposed and poorly defended before a wave of Mogis

, forms a group in support of Mogis. Iroas, rather than accepting Heliod’s aid, launches a grand campaign of his own against his brother. 3 Mogis arms one of his champions with an axe capable of

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

you receive a cancer diagnosis or a similar health news, you probably appreciate that concept a little more than other people. Watching someone you love waste away is a terrible thing. You want a

magic button to bring things back to the way they should be, this person you love so much restored to who they really are rather than what cancer is grinding them down into. It’s easy to give in to

The Lords of Dust

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

serve its own ends. The goal of the Lords of Dust is to release the overlords from their bindings and loose them upon Eberron in a new age of darkness. Despite this unified goal, the Lords of Dust

operate as an alliance of like-minded cabals rather than a single monolithic organization. Each cabal serves its particular overlord above all others, and the conditions that release one overlord could

Pharika's Influence

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

inevitable effects of aging or the petrification of her medusa children’s victims. Pharika’s Goals To Pharika, Theros is an ongoing experiment and mortals are her agents in carrying it out. Rather than

findings in novel ways. She is willing to do anything to perpetuate experimentation and discovery, even at the cost of turning her less devout followers into specimens. Divine Relationships Despite her

Appendix A: Shared Campaigns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

hard to keep a campaign going. Enter the concept of the shared campaign. In a shared campaign, more than one member of the group can take on the role of DM. A shared campaign is episodic rather than

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