before better driven concept reality

Quandrix Professor of Theory

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

interacts with the world can change the world. They impress upon their students to use magic as a tool to shape the overall experience of reality, and in turn make the world a better place. Quandrix

Scholars The scholars of Quandrix College focus on the mathematical principles that govern reality. Through these formulas, they can manipulate properties of matter and space, as well as abstract and conceptual space such as the mind, probability, and the flow of magic itself.Psychic

Skabatha Nightshade

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Hourglass Coven. Better known as Granny Nightshade, she offers her assistance to those who are haunted by regret. Her deals often result in cruel twists; for example, a petitioner who asks to be reunited

. Personality Trait. “When dealing with outsiders, I present myself as a kindly old grandmother.” Ideal. “Children are better off working for me than picking up lots of bad habits

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

emissaries are the fingers of alien realms, digits that tip the scales of reality toward terror. Heralded by ominous astrological events, these ravenous invaders make worlds ready for unimaginable masters or

Ygorl, Lord of Entropy

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

of eternity. It has no sense of empathy or compassion, driven only to unmake so that the resulting base elements of reality can fuel the multiverse’s endless cycles of creation and destruction

to parley with Ygorl are known to have been driven to madness in the process. Death and Destruction. Ygorl’s most notable possession is an adamantine scythe with the slaad word for death

Demogorgon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

long to delirium. As a result, all followers of the Prince of Demons break with reality sooner or later.Demogorgon’s Lair Demogorgon makes his lair in a palace called Abysm, found on a layer

Demogorgon’s followers are typically lone killers driven by the whispering voice of their master. His most blessed followers gain the Two Minds of Chaos trait. Two Minds of Chaos. This creature

Tiefling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. The reality is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect their personality. They are gifted with magic from the infernal realms but chart their own course in life.

Hellfire Engine

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

these magical-mechanical hybrids gets loose, driven berserk by its need to destroy. Hellfire engines take many forms, but all of them have one purpose: to mow down foes in waves. They are incapable of

intervene on their behalf. The archdukes of the Nine Hells would like nothing better than to modify this magic so it works against demons, too, but that discovery has eluded them so far.Fire, PoisonCold, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

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

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

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

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

, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

watch might follow a tiefling around for a while, and demagogues blame tieflings for strange happenings. The reality, though, is that a tiefling’s bloodline doesn’t affect his or her

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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

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

Morkoth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

;s petrified flesh came back to life as morkoths: tentacled monstrosities brimming with malice and greed. Morkoths are driven by greed and selfishness mixed with a yearning for conflict. They hoard

fragments that make up the island’s core are also located. Sections of the lair and its center might be kept dry to better protect and preserve collected objects and creatures, but most of the lair

Keresta Delvingstone

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

. Harmed by Running Water. Keresta takes 20 acid damage if she ends her turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into Keresta's heart while Keresta is

stranger to hardship. Hoping to make a better life for herself, she became an adventurer and sought fame and fortune in Undermountain. Keresta met her end in the lair of a vampire and became a vampire spawn

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

’ presence is marked by an absence of animals and a strange quiet, as if the forest wishes to avoid attracting attention to itself. The faster travelers decide to move on, the better. If these

adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names, and instead identify the

Zargon the Returner

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

another plane—or another reality entirely. When Asmodeus ascended the infernal hierarchy, he and his legions wiped out most of the plane’s earlier inhabitants, but Zargon proved beyond even

Hells in disgust, banishing the elder evil to the Material Plane. The horn was driven deep into the earth where it fell, entombing Zargon below. Eventually a civilization arose above Zargon’s

Tiefling Names

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

concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon

tend to be suspicious of tieflings, assuming that their infernal heritage has left its mark on their personality and morality, not just their appearance. The reality is that a tiefling’s bloodline

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

Path of Light

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

are the tool you will use to change reality. Practiced by many kalashtar, the Path of Light seeks to change reality by first bringing change within, using meditation to focus the mind and athletic

people out of darkness. Inspire people to be better than they are. Even the smallest change is a victory, yet lightbringers—the followers of this path—hope that this is merely a step on a greater journey

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

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

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

provoke retaliatory attacks from the creatures they steal from. It’s better to be cautious and overlooked than to be considered dangerous and a threat. In a couple of situations, kobolds might

; animosity, gnomes tend to avoid or abandon settlements that have a severe infestation of kobolds, and conversely kobolds are usually driven out of communities that have a large gnome population

House Tarkanan Villains

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

victims to smoldering piles of ash. 2 Driven mad by his aberrant dragonmark, a dwarf becomes obsessed with destroying Sharn in the same manner that Halas Tarkanan collapsed Old Sharn. 3 A House Tarkanan

half-elf kidnaps children with aberrant marks, believing the organization is better suited to bring up the children than their parents. 4 A House Tarkanan mage starts drinking the blood of dragonmarked nobles, believing it will increase the strength of his aberrant mark.

Personal Motives

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

Personal Motives Not every conflict involves a fight between light and darkness. The vast majority of people are driven by simple motives: greed, fear, pride, or ambition. One person just wants to

better off under their rule. Primordial forces strive to change or destroy Eberron. But more often, characters encounter misguided patriots, religious extremists, dragonmarked houses looking to wring a

Cosmic Horror

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

emerges through imagination and the indescribable, not details. At its best, cosmic horror makes characters feel gradually unmoored from their familiar reality. Cosmic horror is about ineffable forces

driven by motivations humans can’t understand. Cults, forbidden books, and strange symbols form the cornerstones of cosmic horror. The genre has a history of framing marginalized demographics as monstrous and stigmatizing mental illness. Be aware and avoid those tropes.

Developments

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

Developments If the characters defeat Arauthator, the reactions of Oyaviggaton’s other inhabitants are dependent on whether the dragon is killed or driven off. If Arauthator is killed, the ice toads

fish. The villagers then begin packing their few belongings into their hide boats and prepare to leave immediately. If Arauthator is wounded and driven off, Maccath or Marfulb know enough of the dragon

History

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

first iteration of physical reality, which was subsequently sundered into the innumerable realities that now make up the Material Plane. The first inhabitant of this First World was Sardior, a ruby

is worshiped as a god, with clerics at her disposal. Mortals who covet wealth and power pledge their lives to the dragon queen. Tiamat can send a fragment of her power to the Material Plane, which manifests as a titanic, five-headed dragon driven by rampaging greed.

2N. Library

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

better than to claim them as his own; he will forward these treasures to Tiamat’s hoard when the work at Castle Naerytar draws to a close. Until then, he keeps the written material at the castle to

, magic, and many theoretical works on alternate reality, time, and dimensional travel. This collection would be a priceless addition to any library or collector in Waterdeep if it could be removed from the castle before the cultists spirit it away or the bullywugs spoil it.

Developments

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Developments If the characters defeat Arauthator, the reactions of Oyaviggaton’s other inhabitants are dependent on whether the dragon is killed or driven off. If Arauthator is killed, the ice toads

fish. The villagers then begin packing their few belongings into their hide boats and prepare to leave immediately. If Arauthator is wounded and driven off, Maccath or Marfulb know enough of the dragon

2N. Library

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

better than to claim them as his own; he will forward these treasures to Tiamat’s hoard when the work at Castle Naerytar draws to a close. Until then, he keeps the written material at the castle to

, magic, and many theoretical works on alternate reality, time, and dimensional travel. This collection would be a priceless addition to any library or collector in Waterdeep if it could be removed from the castle before the cultists spirit it away or the bullywugs spoil it.

Domain Overview

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

, something creepy with something cute, dead with alive, threatening with welcoming. Mix details together in unexpected ways, the more unnatural or off-putting the better. Rationalize and Normalize

creations of the Dark Powers and the domain is the only reality they know, but what logical and psychological leaps might an outsider need to make to sleep at night?

Outer Planes

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

or other powerful forces that dwell on the plane, which can remake the realm completely, erasing and rebuilding existence to better fulfill those forces’ needs. Distance is a virtually meaningless

concept on the Outer Planes. A perceptible region of a plane might seem quite small on one visit, and on another trip it can stretch on to what seems like infinity. Adventurers could take a guided tour

History of Eberron

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

embodying a concept. Their final work was the Material Plane, where all ideas would become manifest: a realm that could know war and peace, life and death, order and chaos. But cruel Khyber sought ultimate

dominion over this new reality. She struck Siberys without warning and tore him apart. Eberron wrestled with Khyber and bound the traitor in her coils but could not defeat her. So Eberron became a

Gith Tables

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

Zar’ryth Githyanki Personality Traits d4 Trait 1 When I’m bored I make my own excitement, and I’m always bored. 2 I treat others as if they were animals that simply don’t know any better. 3 Violence is

a spice that makes life worth living. 4 Old age is a concept that I find fascinating. Maybe someday I too will be aged. Githyanki Ideals d4 Trait 1 Fidelity. Warriors are only as good as the vows

Adventures in I'Cath

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

Adventures in I’Cath I’Cath presents two worlds: a reality of want and desperation, and a dream of beautiful control, both dominated by Tsien Chiang. The reality of I’Cath is an inescapable ghost

about the border between dreams and reality. The characters must infiltrate the palace, find the information they need, and escape before Tsien Chiang returns at dawn. 9 A desperate veteran

Getting the Gold

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

) at a time. Getting the gold from the Vault of Dragons to Cassalanter Villa takes ten round trips (five per carriage) and the better part of a day. Three invisible imps accompany each carriage, which

is driven by a bearded devil wearing a hat and a high-collared cape to conceal its true nature. Upon arrival at Cassalanter Villa, each carriage is met by a dozen guards in House Cassalanter livery, who unload the sacks of gold and place them in area C29.

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