before before deciding concept rarely

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

goliaths. If a king lacks the intelligence or leadership to lead, then clearly the most talented person in the kingdom should take his place. Goliaths rarely keep such opinions to themselves, and

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

Keeping Time from Day to Day

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

their arrangements around such expressions. The concept of hours and minutes exists mainly where wealthy people use clocks, but mechanical clocks are often unreliable, and rarely are two set to the same

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

tribes suffer from a chronic lack of the experience offered by long-term leaders. They hope for innate wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age.

Revel's End

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Prisoner 13

representative to Revel’s End, and together the representatives form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of

comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tiebreaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote.

Revel's End

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

representative to Revel’s End, and together the representatives form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of

comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tiebreaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote.

Creating a New Item

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

several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day might be easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

character kill whatever they hit with it, that item will likely unbalance your game. On the other hand, an item whose benefit rarely comes into play isn’t much of a reward. Use the Magic Item Power by

Revel's End

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

representative to Revel’s End, and together they form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of comfort and

amenities. If the council needs a tie-breaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote. The remote prison of Revel’s End contains many of the Sword Coast’s most dangerous criminals

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

responsible for blocking tunnels to deter pursuit. Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds

waking time is spent working, adversarial kobolds rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to blows over their differences. Kobolds choose mates primarily for convenience. Their

It's Your World

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

, but they’re not the only set of assumptions that can do so. You can build an interesting campaign concept by altering one or more of those core assumptions, just as well-established D&D worlds have done

by monstrous rulers. The populace lives in perpetual terror of these darklords and their evil minions, but other monsters rarely trouble people’s daily lives. Magic Is Everywhere. What if every town is

Creating a New Item

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

it has several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day is easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

character kill whatever he or she hits with it, that item will likely unbalance your game. On the other hand, an item whose benefit rarely comes into play isn’t much of a reward and probably not worth

Darklords

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

. Darklords Are Prisoners. Darklords cannot leave their domains. If a Darklord enters the Mists or uses another method to attempt an escape, the Dark Powers return them to their domain. Even death rarely

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

Oracle

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

roll the d20 before deciding to add the d10, but you must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long

rarely believe the answers I give them. 3 I’m haunted by nightmares foretelling the deaths of people I’ve never met. 4 I’m often distracted by the sights and sounds of things that other

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should

rarely keep records or write down their thoughts. When orcs need to communicate in writing, they use crude symbols to convey basic information, such as “food stored here,” “danger close

Orc Culture and Beliefs

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

around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should react to them. As a race, orcs

have a written language adapted from that of the dwarves, but they aren’t a literate culture and rarely keep records or write down their thoughts. When orcs need to communicate in writing, they use

Ability Checks

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

involved.” Sometimes the rules allow for any one of two or more proficiencies to apply to a check. When deciding what check a character should make, be generous in determining if the character’s

occasionally you need a passive measure of how good a character is at doing a thing. Passive Perception is the most common example. (See “Perception” later in this chapter.) You can extend the concept

Life and Outlook

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

other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds who’ve known each other for over a decade might consider each other friends or enemies, but the strength of

this sentiment is much fainter than any comparable human emotion. Since most of their waking time is spent working, adversarial kobolds rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to

Citadel Felbarr

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

listen to what both have to say before deciding how to act on royal edicts. Most humans know Citadel Felbarr from a distance. They see only a great raised road winding through a vale of broken rock

the South Vigil. Far beyond them, the massive Rune Gate stands at the end of the road to give entrance into Felbarr, but visitors rarely pass through it. Like most dwarven cities, Felbarr exists

Rejecting the Ordning

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

same crafting skill. These efforts rarely have any lasting impact, but some have managed to upset the ordning at a local level for a few centuries. Because their sense of the ordning relies on physical

otherwise enjoy in the ordning. When giants join the cults of demon lords, they reject the entire concept of the ordning—the idea that there is any kind of order to the multiverse at all, which is the

Uthgardt Lands

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

tribal settlements for food, plunder, and sport. The Uthgardt are spread across the North, rarely found farther south than the High Forest. There is no nation of Uthgardt to which they belong

season might come to trade during the next. They do understand the concept of belonging to a larger group, and that those groups might be in conflict. After all, each tribe of Uthgardt has its ancestral

Headquarters Features

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

players and the DM. Group Design When selecting a feature, the characters must make decisions together — meaning the players must do the same. Deciding on the features of a headquarters should be a team

malfunctioning magic, and so forth. The DM approves the headquarters concept and decides how large or small the initial structure can be, as well as any useful features. DMs and players can work together

Upper City Gazetteer

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

already prepared. This results in a certain degree of corruption, naturally, which is compounded by the proxy judge’s near-absolute discretion in deciding whether to accept a conviction or exonerate a

otherwise, clergy moved by a tale of exceptional injustice might be swayed to petition the church elders to intercede. Such happens rarely, the church being unwilling to jeopardize its standing by pitting

Red Larch Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

anything that requires no specialized alloys or treatments. They can temper swords and reinforce armor, and they often repair tools and weapons. The Tanturs rarely emerge from their smithy. They work

-dealing sort who knows almost nothing of the current mood and troubles in Red Larch, since he’s so rarely away from his forge. His wife Laefra, who orders metals via the merchants she deals with, hears

Upper City Gazetteer

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer

already prepared. This results in a certain degree of corruption, naturally, which is compounded by the proxy judge’s near-absolute discretion in deciding whether to accept a conviction or exonerate a

blessings, magical or otherwise, clergy moved by a tale of exceptional injustice might be swayed to petition the church elders to intercede. Such happens rarely, the church being unwilling to

D&D Beyond

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