Search Results
All Results
Characters
Compendium
Spells
Items
Monsters
Vehicles
Forums
Returning 35 results for 'before before designed compared rather'.
Other Suggestions:
before before design compared rather
before before designs compare rather
monsters
whips around a feline face, revealing piercing blue eyes that can freeze foes with a single glance. Compared to its desert-dwelling cousins, this sphinx is far less likely to be defeated with reason or
logic. Although a snow sphinx can speak, it generally greets its prey with claws and teeth rather than riddles or philosophical conversation.
Physically, this fearsome creature is well adapted to harsh
Human
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Basic Rules (2014)
xenophobic, in general their societies are inclusive. Human lands welcome large numbers of nonhumans compared to the proportion of humans who live in nonhuman lands.
Exemplars of Ambition
Humans who
, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups.
Human Names and Ethnicities
Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents
Species
Acquisitions Incorporated
.
Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant
— especially those designed to protect the power and wealth of the elite. When living among enlightened folk, verdan are still the first to speak out against cultural restraints on individuals
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
actual time spent at the table. The reward for completing an adventure designed for 2 hours of play is 2 checkpoints, even if a group spends more than 2 hours playing through it. If a character
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Espionage Agency Contacts Your assignments come from a superior in the agency who typically works at a desk rather than in the field—compiling intelligence into reports for their superiors and
kindly bureau chief who views you as a truly special team with invaluable skills 4 A crotchety middle-manager on the cusp of retirement who constantly bemoans the state of today’s agents compared to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
its form occupies the periphery of viewers’ attention no matter which direction they look. Mount Makab is not a natural feature, but rather part of a colossal, illithid-designed device. Its purposes
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
Character Advancement If you want to use story-based level advancement, the characters receive experience points for achieving the following milestones rather than defeating monsters: Entering the
method, the characters should reach 13th level by the adventure’s conclusion.
About the Original
Published in 1980, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks was designed by Gary Gygax to introduce D&D
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
alarmed the Saltmarsh Town Council. Greatly troubled and filled with apprehension, the councillors call an emergency meeting. This adventure is designed for a group of four to six 3rd-level characters
challenges the characters to act as ambassadors to a colony of lizardfolk.
While such roleplay-focused adventures are the norm today, at the time of its publication (in 1982) this adventure was the first to make interaction an absolute requirement for success, rather than one option among many.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
provides guidance for using survivors, characters designed for one- to three-session adventures focused on survival rather than saving the day. Using survivors helps create horror experiences focused on
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Radiant Citadel
Trade Discal Encircling the Auroral Diamond, the Trade Discal is a massive marketplace designed so that the founding civilizations could trade on equitable terms. It serves the needs of cities and
nations or major trading companies, rather than individual sellers or producers, which is enforced by its high taxes and fees. Large quantities of goods, such as entire herds of animals or tons of metal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Trade Discal Encircling the Auroral Diamond, the Trade Discal is a massive marketplace designed so that the founding civilizations could trade on equitable terms. It serves the needs of cities and
nations or major trading companies, rather than individual sellers or producers, which is enforced by its high taxes and fees. Large quantities of goods, such as entire herds of animals or tons of metal
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
Action-Oriented Creatures The solo and leader creatures presented in this book are designed to be bosses: enemies who can take on an entire party by themselves or with a handful of underlings. Rather
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
creature’s efforts. In a contest, the ability checks are compared to each other, rather than to a target number. When you call for a contest, you pick the ability that each side must use, deciding
interpreting what things mean. The character might spot that one section of a wall is clean and dusty compared to the others, but he or she wouldn’t necessarily make the deduction that a secret door is there
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Appendix B: Character Names Some players and DMs have a knack for coming up with character names on the fly, while others find that task more of a challenge. The tables in this appendix are designed
have a dwarven name. Or, as DM, you might decide that dragonborn in your campaign have a culture reminiscent of ancient Rome and therefore use Roman names, rather than the dragonborn names suggested here.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
fiercely partisan news that seems designed to fan the flames of resentment that linger after the Last War. Running Your Own. Rather than work for an existing outlet, you can run your own newspaper. You
Kobold
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
, designed to collapse under the weight of any creature heavier than a kobold. On occasion, the route through a kobold lair runs along a ledge that borders a cavern or a crevasse, and the kobolds might
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
with Dragonmarks?
Compared to the rules in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, here’s what’s different about dragonmarks in this chapter:
The benefits of each dragonmark now derive from feats
rather than species options. These feats belong to a special category, Dragonmark feats.
Dragonmark magic works a little differently than before: now you can use any spell slots you have to cast the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak
airtight. The gnomes built these crablike contraptions to grip and move other objects, rather like crude forklifts. However, the contraptions are so clumsy that they are useless for delicate work. They are
is designed to hold a single Small humanoid, though a Medium humanoid can fit inside with some discomfort. While in the barrel with the hatch closed, a creature has total cover against attacks from
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
Appendix B: Death House You can run Curse of Strahd for 1st-level characters with the help of this optional mini-adventure, which is designed to advance characters to 3rd level. Players creating 1st
block their path. LEVEL ADVANCEMENT
In this mini-adventure, the characters gain levels by accomplishing specific goals, rather than by slaying monsters. These milestones are as follows
compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->One-Shot Wonders: Holiday Adventure Pack
single glance. Compared to its desert-dwelling cousins, this sphinx is far less likely to be defeated with reason or logic. Although a snow sphinx can speak, it generally greets its prey with claws and
teeth rather than riddles or philosophical conversation. Physically, this fearsome creature is well adapted to harsh habitats, such as ice-covered mountains or arctic plains. It has wide paws to stop
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
within 30 feet of you, rather than within 5 feet of you, if the target can see or hear you. Insightful Manipulator Starting at 9th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with
another creature outside combat, you can learn certain information about its capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
bonus action. Additionally, when you use the Help action to aid an ally in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the target can see
capabilities compared to your own. The DM tells you if the creature is your equal, superior, or inferior in regard to two of the following characteristics of your choice: Intelligence score Wisdom score
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
, but rather by a large magical device or machine. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes the stone spire in the distance as the Spire that marks the center of the
another direction. CoupleOfKooks “I am a mimir, a magical device designed to provide information. I can be, be, be–” Cacophonous gibberish and overlapping voices ensue. “Infinite unlikelihood error: data not found.”
–The Mosaic Mimir
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
it. An adventure usually can include a number of items that’s 25 percent higher than the number in the Magic Items Awarded by Level table (round up). For example, an adventure designed to take
characters from level 1 to 4 might include fourteen items rather than eleven, in the expectation that three items won’t be found. Magic Items Awarded by Level Character Level (Tier of Play) Common Items
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
guards, all designed to make the entrance to a settlement uninviting. But inside its borders, a deep gnome settlement is a warren shaped and decorated by the svirfneblin to make the place welcoming and
is marked by smooth, curving shapes rather than straight lines and hard edges. Svirfneblin are intensely community-minded and have little concern about privacy among themselves. Thus, they don’t
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
Encounters with Hulgaz Hulgaz makes a good adversary for players who especially enjoy roleplaying. If your players prefer to talk to enemies they encounter rather than fight them, consider using
Hulgaz in your campaign. You can run the following encounters to introduce Hulgaz to the party. These encounters are designed to occur in the order presented over the course of several game sessions, as
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
combatants, and lesser kuo-toa live in fear of them. Kuo-toa Gear. Many weapons of the kuo-toa are designed to capture rather than kill. Nets are common, though some carry pincer staffs (also called
mancatchers) designed to trap and immobilize foes. Kuo-toa warriors also treat their shields with a sticky goo that catches incoming weapons. In general, kuo-toa don’t like the weight of armor on their
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
humanoids and taken over by yuan-ti), stairs and humanoid architecture are the norm. Each of these sites resembles the headquarters of a spy ring, a thieves’ guild, or a hedonistic cult rather than the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
What I lack in stature compared to giants, I make up for with sheer spite. 2 I insist on being taken seriously as a full-grown adult. Nobody talks down to me! 3 Crowded spaces make me uncomfortable. I’d
much rather be in an open field than a bustling tavern. 4 I embrace my shorter stature. It helps me stay unnoticed—and underestimated. 5 Every avalanche begins as a single pebble. 6 The world always feels too big, and I’m afraid I’ll never find my place in it.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Compared to the other gods, Nylea’s goals are modest. She wants only to keep the natural world free and healthy, shepherd the seasons through their yearly cycle, and enjoy the beauty of the land. But
, blaming her fellow gods for the spread of civilization rather than the mortals themselves. Divine Relationships Nylea seldom comes into open conflict with the other gods, and she would say that all her
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
where, everything is. Every hag is infallible when it comes to keeping track of her treasures and other possessions. Her organization and labeling, if such a system exists, is designed to foil thieves
and serve as a final, vexing puzzle for anyone who tries to make use of an item without her consent. A hag’s treasure — like a gift from a fey being — should be doubted and even feared rather than
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Variant Abilities When a beholder’s dream-imagination runs wild, the result can be an offspring that has an unusual or unique set of abilities. Rather than the standard powers of a beholder’s central
alternative spell effects for a beholder’s eye. Each of these effects is designed to be of the same power level as the one it replaces, enabling you to create a custom beholder without altering the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
Adventure Structure Waterdeep: Dragon Heist consists of an introductory adventure designed to familiarize player characters with the city of Waterdeep and provide them with a base of operations
unconscious rather than killed. Such characters might awaken in an alley, a sewer tunnel, or a prison cell, with or without their gear. Conversely, they might awaken safe and sound with all their gear in a private residence, being cared for by friendly NPCs who took them in.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Domains of Dread. They don’t always claim their victims bodily, though. Rather, the Mists might steal characters’ minds, placing them into survivors involved in specific terrifying scenarios. Perhaps
survivors are designed to engage with terrifying circumstances, but their triumph over such threats is not assured. Players’ decisions will certainly impact the survivors’ fates, but if it seems like doom
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
, they thrive in their role as attendants to researchers.
Vedalken tend to be more focused, organized, and astute compared to their Izzet compatriots, and thus they often serve as leaders of projects in
the guild’s laboratories. Some vedalken are so obsessive about their work that they like to see to every detail themselves, rather than delegating any task to underlings or assistants. This attitude






