before better defeated continue rather

Snow Sphinx

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

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

witnessing Strahd himself slay Vladimir's beloved, his fellow knight Sir Godfrey Gwilym. With the battle won, Strahd surrounded Argynvostholt. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and

memory shrouded by his hate. Were Vladimir to let go of his hatred, his spirit would find peace and could remember the warmth of love. Were Strahd to be defeated, even temporarily, the mists surrounding

Vampiric Mist

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

without squeezing. Each foot of movement in water costs it 2 extra feet, rather than 1 extra foot. The mist can’t manipulate objects in any way that requires fingers or manual dexterity. Sunlight

undetected to bleed their victims dry. Vampiric mists, sometimes called crimson mists, are all that remain of vampires who couldn’t return to their burial places after being defeated or suffering

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

, heroes must reduce each of her forms to 0 hit points one after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final form, Auril dies. As long as she has mortal followers who worship her, however

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

current weakened state, Auril can assume three different forms. To destroy her, heroes must reduce each of her forms to 0 hit points one after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rather than perform the work or confront the foe. Even when subsumed into a goblinoid host and drawn into war, bugbears must often be roused from naps and bribed to get them to do their duties. This

natural state. Thanks to Grankhul, they can use their size and strength to work as stealthy assassins rather than blundering around like ogres. Bullying, murder, and engaging in battle are all holy

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

":"1d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Ideal"} Ideal 1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours

Lesser Star Spawn Emissary

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

and just as readily appear as people, animals, or other creatures—the more unassuming, the better. Should it reveal its true form, an emissary appears as a roughly bipedal mass of agitated organs

slurry. It then instantly returns in its greater form. Only if the emissary is defeated in its greater form does the star spawn die. After finishing a long rest, a greater star spawn emissary regains

Deep Dragon Wyrmling Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

I 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 1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours. (Any) 2 Kindred. All dragons are kin to one

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. Standing, Flint drew back into the shadow of a tall pine to see better. The man’s walk was

friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

odds aren’t in their favor. A short retreat might be just the thing to reach a better tactical position, find allies, or to allow the yuan-ti the opportunity to study their opponents and

implement better tactics. Any enemy who chases a group of fleeing yuan-ti might be on the victorious side of a rout or could be heading into a trap; if the enemy has been encountered before, it is likely

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale from the rest of the world, and a shroud of mist

after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final form, Auril dies. As long as she has mortal followers who worship her, however, Auril is reborn at full strength during the next winter

Alustriel Silverhand

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Alustriel and her deeds better known than in the Silver Marches and its capital, Silverymoon. Alustriel ruled Silverymoon for centuries, once disguised as a wizard named Elué Dualen and then later

in her true form. She helped create Silverymoon’s famous Moonbridge and cofounded the Lady’s College, the first school in Faerûn for mages as students rather than as apprentices in

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

learned to laugh. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades. 6 You still don’t understand how metaphors work. That doesn’t stop

Ringlerun

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

","rollDamageType":"lightning"} lightning damage; 5 charges), magic missile (1 charge), ray of enfeeblement (1 charge), or wall of force (5 charges).Ringlerun became an adventurer to better satisfy his craving for

made him the envy of many rival spellcasters. Ringlerun has a good heart, but he’s easily distracted by intellectual pursuits. He would rather spend time in quiet contemplation or reading than in

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

them like they were children’s books. It’s a useful talent, and one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather

there, I have a child who doesn’t know me. I’m making the world better for him or her. 4 I come from a noble family, and one day I’ll reclaim my lands and title from those who

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

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

for one last chance to win back the goodwill you’ve drunk away. 5 You once defeated a raging bugbear with a hand mirror, a mounted deer’s head, and two kicks to the groin. Later, you

; Suggested Characteristics A folk hero is one of the common people, for better or for worse. Most folk heroes look on their humble origins as a virtue, not a shortcoming, and their home communities

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, StealthTool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, thieves’ toolsEquipment: A small knife, a map of the city you grew up

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

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

1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours. (Any) 2 Kindred. All dragons are kin to one another

Ancient 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

1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours. (Any) 2 Kindred. All dragons are kin to one another, and

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Guild. My guild is all that really matters. (Any) 2 Stoicism. All of us are part of the cyclical march of nature, which will continue with

bother to couch my opinions in flattering words. 5 I can’t help but pocket any trinket or coin I come across, no matter how worthless. 6 I’m convinced that I’m better and

Across the Fungal Fields

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

rise up and attack the characters. Created by Araumycos to perfectly duplicate the abilities, traits, and actions of otyughs, these creatures are plants rather than aberrations. They attack until slain

defeated. The creature bursts like an overfull wineskin, releasing a clear ichor and a cloud of dusty spores. The deflating bulk of its body sinks back beneath the shimmering fungal field where you

Hadozee Resilience (p. 13)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

Hadozee Resilience (p. 13) The name of this trait has changed to “Hadozee Dodge” to better reflect that hadozee player characters are great at avoiding damage rather than great at absorbing it.

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret

city, especially hard drink. 5 Secretly, I believe that things would be better if I were a tyrant lording over the land. 6 I have trouble trusting in my allies.

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

who study its ebb and flow to expect the stalemate to continue. A different view is put forth by the archmage Tzunk, who notes that Maglubiyet has never faced a foe as ferocious and protective as

they are more interested in grabbing plunder and food rather than in wanton slaughter. The elderly, children, and any who seem weak or meek enough might escape death. If they leave the population more

Re-created by the Doctor

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

. Worse Than Death? The characters are legitimately defeated during another adventure. Rather than the campaign ending, they awake in Dr. Mordenheim’s clutches, delivered there by the Mists.

such possibilities. It’s better to tip your hand about the plot than to lose a player’s investment in the game. When delivering characters into the Darklord’s clutches, employ scenarios where the

Through the Tunnels

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Through the Tunnels As the characters travel between Illithinoch and Phandalin, they can clear out any dangerous areas they missed in the “Journey through the Deep” section in chapter 7. Continue to

roll on the Tunnel Encounters table in that chapter, as the route is never truly safe. However, since the characters have already faced several threats, roll every 2 hours of travel rather than every hour.

Githzerai

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

sooner had the gith defeated their sworn enemies than they were plunged into a bitter civil war. In the ensuing conflict, Zerthimon was killed and his followers, naming themselves githzerai

, relocated their civilization to the plane of Limbo. Today, under the leadership of the Great Githzerai, Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith, the githzerai continue to stand fast against the githyanki, as well as taking

Interesting Things About the Shadow Marches

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

druidic shrines. The Marches are the birthplace of the druidic tradition of the Gatekeepers. Long ago, this sect defeated the vile daelkyr; today, its last champions continue to protect Eberron from

What Happens Next?

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

What Happens Next? Once the characters have defeated Murgaxor’s guardians, they might be tempted to run into the fortress’s basement immediately. Taking a short rest beforehand might be the wiser

course of action, but doing so kills the narrative momentum and might not feel right to your players. To give the characters a better chance of success, provide them with the benefits of a short rest

Nib Addlespur

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention

. Use the Spellcaster sidekick stat block to represent her. Personality. “I can’t resist a sure bet or a friendly wager.” Ideal. “The more complicated the scheme, the better.” Bond. “I love

birds and will do what I can to look after them.” Flaw. “Deep water terrifies me. I would rather be swallowed by a dragon than get in a boat or go for a swim.”

First Blood

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

First Blood After the last veteran is defeated or once the veterans stand down, read the following: A tall elf woman wearing a sumptuous gown appears at the mouth of the alley, shaking her head

their overzealousness. Seeing how you handle yourselves, though, I might be able to better apologize with an offer of employment.” The woman introduces herself as Madame Samira Arah, the newest member of Zinda’s ruling council, the Kings of Coin (see the “Zinda Gazetteer” section).

Nib Addlespur

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

. Use the Spellcaster sidekick stat block to represent her. Personality. “I can’t resist a sure bet or a friendly wager.” Ideal. “The more complicated the scheme, the better.” Bond. “I love

birds and will do what I can to look after them.” Flaw. “Deep water terrifies me. I would rather be swallowed by a dragon than get in a boat or go for a swim.”

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