before birth defusing certain races

Red Slaad (control gem variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

point. Control Gem. Implanted in the slaad's brain is a magic control gem. The slaad must obey whoever possesses the gem and is immune to being charmed while so controlled. Certain spells can be used to

egg. A humanoid host can carry only one slaad egg to term at a time. Over three months, the egg moves to the chest cavity, gestates, and forms a slaad tadpole. In the 24-hour period before giving birth

Relentless Juggernaut

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

a certain area its territory and visits destruction upon all trespassers. Relentless killers are hateful, revenge-obsessed creatures that enter into pacts with fiends or other nefarious entities

its birth, and its wicked nature emerged over time. 4 A wicked place or magic relic seeped into its being, turning it into a monster. 5 The killer used its body to contain an evil entity

The Abbot

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, inbred lepers—came to the abbey seeking salvation. The deva rid them of their diseases, an act for which they were eternally grateful, but could not cure them of certain human defects that had been

present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange ideas of what it

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age. Goliath Names Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname

assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel. Birth names are rarely linked to gender

Dragonborn Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods. Dragonborn Names Dragonborn have personal names given at birth, but they put their clan names first as a

give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn. Though

Vedalken

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

feelings about them. To members of other races, vedalken often seem cold, even emotionless. That assessment isn’t fair—they feel emotion every bit as intensely as other folk do, but they are

bioengineering or through extensive study, and others concentrate on perfecting society through the careful drafting and application of laws. Vedalken Names Vedalken are given names at birth, but

Ki-rin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

good fortune. They consider seeing a ki-rin fly overhead a blessing and events that happen on such a day especially auspicious. If a ki-rin alights during a ceremony such as a birth announcement or a

to inspire and strengthen the side of good or to rescue heroes from certain death. Ki-rins are attracted to the worship of deities of courage, loyalty, selflessness, and truth, as well as to the

Courtier

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

circumstances of your birth, could have secured you this position. You might have been one of the many functionaries, attendants, and other hangers-on in the Court of Silverymoon, or perhaps you

(which could pertain to certain individuals in the group, such as your sponsor or mentor). Your ideal might be concerned with the prevailing philosophy of your court or organization. Guild

Knight of the Order

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You belong to an order of knights who have sworn oaths to achieve a certain goal. The nature of this goal depends on the order you serve, but in your eyes it is without question a vital and honorable

again in ruins, Dove Falconhand decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

member of your family, by right of birth, or it could have been left to you by a friend, a mentor, a teacher, or someone else important in your life. The revelation of your inheritance changed your life

ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met. When you begin

Metallic Dragonborn

Species Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

character is a member of the human race or one of the game’s fantastical races. If you select one of the dragonborn races in this chapter, follow these additional rules during character creation

affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Dwarf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Male

them into an exile that lasted over 250 years. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack. Dwarves are solid and enduring like the

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

and its siblings inherit whatever tools, weapons, and gifts their parents left behind. Each young tortle is expected to fend for itself. It leaves the place of its birth and finds its own corner of the

set out on their own. Beliefs Tortles don’t have their own pantheon of gods, but they often worship the gods of other races. It’s not unusual for a tortle to hear stories or legends

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

advisor in human society. The very rare offspring of such a union are always purebloods, although they may appear fully human at birth and for several years afterward. The yuan-ti know rituals that

royal family could poison a meal and declare it “safe” after taking a bite. There are legends of certain yuan-ti infiltrating human cities and forming deadly covert societies that sell

Goliath Names

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

Goliath Names Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname assigned by the tribal chief, and a family or clan name. A birth name is up to three

syllables long. Clan names are five syllables or more and end in a vowel. Birth names are rarely linked to gender. Goliaths see females and males as equal in all things, and they find societies with

Size

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

Size Characters of most races are Medium, a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. Members of a few races are Small (between 2 and 4 feet tall), which means that certain

Racial Traits

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

Characters of most races are Medium, a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. Members of a few races are Small (between 2 and 4 feet tall), which means that certain rules

Racial Traits The description of each race includes racial traits that are common to members of that race. The following entries appear among the traits of most races. Ability Score Increase A race

1. Choose a Race

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

1. Choose a Race Every character belongs to a race, one of the many intelligent humanoid species in the D&D world. The most common player character races are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans

. Some races also have subraces, such as mountain dwarf or wood elf. The Races section provides more information about these races. The race you choose contributes to your character’s identity in an

1. Choose a Race

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

1. Choose a Race Every character belongs to a race, one of the many intelligent humanoid species in the D&D world. The most common player character races are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans

. Some races also have subraces, such as mountain dwarf or wood elf, as well as the less widespread races of dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings. Chapter 2 provides more information

Character Creation

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

makes a hero? Is it a quality of birth that sets some mortals above others? Is it a blessing from the gods? Is it a matter of fate, spun out in the strands of a divine tapestry, charting the course of a

hero’s life from miraculous birth to glorious end? If you’re reading this, the answer is that you make a hero, of course. In Theros, player characters and heroes are synonymous, being rare

Draconic Races

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Draconic Races It’s all too easy to prefer a certain color of dragonborn, but what’s inside is what really matters—which is to say, the sort of damage their breath can do to you. -Fizban The

section offers three variant dragonborn race options that can be used to create a character with clear connections to a specific draconic ancestry. When you’re making a new character using one of these races, use the rules under “Creating Your Character” to fill out the details.

Races

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

Races The people of Ravnica include members of many different races. Aside from humans, elves, and a smattering of half-elves, the races from the Player’s Handbook are unknown on Ravnica, unless

they’re visiting from other worlds. This chapter provides information about the following common races of Ravnica, as well as racial traits for all of them but humans and elves: Humans on Ravnica are like

Chromatic Dragonborn

Species Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

forest, toxic and corrosive. Creating Your Character When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your character is a member of the human race or one of the game’s fantastical races

. If you select one of the dragonborn races in this chapter, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores

Gem Dragonborn

Species Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the game’s fantastical races. If you select one of the dragonborn races in this chapter, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your

, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Race and Class

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

Race and Class Each guild description in chapter 2 provides suggested races and classes for characters belonging to that guild. Some races have strong traditions that direct them toward certain

the guild. This chapter describes new races you can choose from: centaurs, goblins, loxodons, minotaurs, Simic hybrids, and vedalken. It also presents two new subclass options: the cleric’s Order

Harengon