before border deciding call rarely

Leonin

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

The leonin guard the shining lands of Oreskos, a golden plain where even the gods rarely trespass. Prides of these nomadic, lion-like humanoids rarely interact with other peoples, having all they

need in their shimmering homeland and knowing the treachery of strangers. Still, some leonin wonder what lies beyond Oreskos’s border mountains and seek to test themselves in a wider world

Colossus of Akros

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

the effect ends on a successful one.An enormous golem of bronze and iron overlooks the path leading to the polis of Akros. Though it is rarely called on to defend the polis, the sight of its towering

form is enough to ease the minds of the populace. In truly desperate times, priests of Purphoros work their magic to call the colossus to life, whereupon the earth rumbles as it steps down from its twin

Duergar Warlord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.Multiattack. The duergar makes three Psychic-Attuned Hammer or Javelin attacks and uses Call to Attack. Psychic-Attuned

", "rollAction":"Javelin", "rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage while under the effect of Enlarge. Call to Attack. Up to three allies within 120 feet of this duergar that can hear it can each

Wand of Orcus Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

The ghastly Wand of Orcus rarely leaves Orcus’s side. The device, as evil as its creator, shares the demon lord’s aims to snuff out the lives of all living things and bind the Material

spells using 2 fewer charges (minimum of 0). Call Undead. While you are holding the wand, you can use an action to conjure skeleton;skeletons and zombie;zombies, calling forth as many of them as you

Moonblade Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

. 97–98 The moonblade functions as a ring of spell storing. 99 You can use an action to call forth an elfshadow, provided that you don’t already have one serving you. The elfshadow

this creature, deciding how it acts and moves. It remains until it drops to 0 hit points or you dismiss it as an action. 00 The moonblade functions as a vorpal sword. Sentience A

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes

, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, Dol Arrah, the Silver Flame, Bahamut, Athena, Re-Horakhty, and Heimdall. How did you experience your call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel

Using Ability Scores

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

doesn’t normally need to make a Dexterity check to walk across an empty room or a Charisma check to order a mug of ale. Only call for a roll if there is a meaningful consequence for failure. When

deciding whether to use a roll, ask yourself two questions: Is a task so easy and so free of conflict and stress that there should be no chance of failure? Is a task so inappropriate or impossible — such

Ether Cyclones

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

. Less often, a group is blown into the Border Ethereal of a random plane. Rarely, the cyclone tears a hole in the fabric of the plane and hurls the party into the Astral Plane.

the Border Ethereal of a random plane (roll on the Ethereal Curtains table) 20 Hurled into the Astral Plane The most common effect of an ether cyclone is to extend the duration of a journey. Each

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

kenku make an easy living serving as messengers, spies, and lookouts for thieves’ guilds, bandits, and other criminal cartels. A network of kenku can relay a bird call or similar noise across the

city, alerting their allies to the approach of a guard patrol or signaling a prime opportunity for a robbery. Since kenku can precisely reproduce any sound, the messages they carry rarely suffer

Dark Fantasy

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

keep in mind the role of heroes and ensure places for light in your dark fantasy domain. If a domain holds no place for hope, there’s also little call for resistance and meaningful plots. In addition

and evil are blurred. Choices involve deciding which outcome is least bad. Corruption and suspicion flourish among organizations and individuals. Magic and magic items might be rarer or require a

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

hatred of the civilized races of the world and their need to satisfy the demands of their deities, the orcs know that if they fight well and bring glory to their tribe, Gruumsh will call them home to

. It is also not unheard of for an exceptionally strong and charismatic evil human to lead stray orcs that no longer have a tribe to call their own. When Tribes Team Up An orc tribe typically has no

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

terrifying to them as bugbears are in the eyes of many other races. His name is rarely spoken, and never above a whisper. Skiggaret’s influence manifests at times when bugbears are forced to act

in the presence of Skiggaret. Talking about such acts might call him back. Blessings of the Bugbear Gods Bugbears have no use for priests or shamans. No one needs to tell them what their gods want

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.

Ability Checks

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

crowd, lie to someone convincingly INTELLIGENCE CHECK VS. WISDOM CHECK If you have trouble deciding whether to call for an Intelligence or a Wisdom check to determine whether a character notices

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.

Language

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

approaching prey or a call to their allies to join the fray. When gnolls fight among themselves, they rarely bother with threats or words before leaping at each other’s throats. When gnoll leaders must

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

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

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

changes in the prevailing winds that they regarded as a bad omen. Unlike the aarakocra of other worlds on the Material Plane, the aarakocra of the Realms rarely travel to the Elemental Plane of Air

, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path. Two other circumstances might call an aarakocra to adventure. First, aarakocra

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

Ideal Minions

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

. For this reason, many kenku make an easy living serving as messengers, spies, and lookouts for thieves’ guilds, bandits, and other criminal cartels. A network of kenku can relay a bird call or similar

rarely suffer degradation or shifts in meaning. Human messengers might switch words or phrases and garble a message inadvertently, but the kenku produce perfect copies of whatever they hear.

Ranger

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

thankless job, since their efforts are rarely understood and almost never rewarded. Yet rangers persist in their duties, never doubting that their work makes the world a safer place. A relationship

enhancing your roleplaying experience. I’m a monster. Are you going to try to kill me? Didn’t think so. Go kill some goblins or something. On second thought, goblins aren’t monsters — they’re people. So maybe you should call yourself a people killer.

Leonin

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

Leonin The leonin guard the shining lands of Oreskos, a golden plain where even the gods rarely trespass. Prides of these nomadic, lion-like humanoids rarely interact with other peoples, having all

they need in their shimmering homeland and knowing the treachery of strangers. Still, some leonin wonder what lies beyond Oreskos’s border mountains and seek to test themselves in a wider world. Noble

Sea of Sorrows

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

corpses. When Pietra sought to speak with them, her voice emerged from their mouths. The Relentless sails a domain that can overlap any body of water in any other domain. Some domains border the Sea of

that the light doesn’t call out to the sea, but down to what lurks in the pit hidden within. Vigilant’s Bluff. An undead paladin holds vigil atop this drowned island. Weary travelers can find refuge

Kraken

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

have vanished beneath the waves to slumber until the gods call on them again. Some krakens serve divine masters still, protecting deep sea treasures or entire oceans. Others have forsaken their divine

creators and pursue their own agendas, manipulating forces beneath the sea and beyond. Krakens rarely appear on the surface, but when they do, they herald times of change and doom. When roused to action

Tieflings

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

demon?” “I don’t think so. The Ghaash’kala call him a sak’vanarrak — it translates as something like ‘fiend-touched.’ A Karrn scholar coined the word tiefling. I think he’s some mixture of fiend and

mortal, more like a savior than a god.” Thuel frowned. “Their savior, our damnation.” — James Wyatt, Dragon Forge Tieflings rarely appear in the cities and towns of Khorvaire, with most dwelling

Actions in Exploration

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

assist each other in these actions. Other actions come up only rarely. It’s seldom necessary to rely on the action rules during exploration, except to remember that a character can do only one thing at a

something during exploration, you decide whether that action requires an ability check to determine success (as described in the earlier “Resolving Outcomes” section). Certain situations might call

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

Cloaker

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

. What cloakers call themselves is unknown, if they refer to themselves at all. Though they’re undeniably intelligent, their behavior is often inscrutable. Alex Stone Cloakers sometimes gather in

Underdark enclaves, but they rarely build settlements or form social structures. Most operate as solitary predators, lurking in dismal subterranean reaches or abandoned dungeons—sometimes for months at a

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 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

Magic and Metaphysics

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

life and death to escape these realms. Beyond that, who does and doesn’t have a soul among the domains rarely matters unless an adventure explores themes of life, death, and reincarnation. Players

another plane. These restrictions apply to all other effects, including magic items and artifacts that transport or banish creatures to other planes. Magic that allows transit to the Border Ethereal, such

Creating a Paladin

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

call to serve as a paladin? Did you hear a whisper from an unseen god or angel while you were at prayer? Did another paladin sense the potential within you and decide to train you as a squire? Or did

your soul. As guardians against the forces of wickedness, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you

Rakdos

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

performances only rarely. He often retreats into his lair below the cult’s guildhall for months or years at a time, but his followers know that he might emerge at any time to witness the latest spectacle

Curtain-Call Scythe or his claws. Curtain-Call Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 24 (3d10 + 8) slashing damage plus 13 (3d8) fire damage. Claw. Melee Weapon

Initiative Variants

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

example, a fighter wants to turn a winch to raise a portcullis. This is a complex, difficult action. You could rule that it incurs a -5 initiative penalty. Rolling Initiative. After deciding on an action

, everyone rolls initiative and applies modifiers, keeping the result secret. You then announce an initiative number, starting with 30 and working down (it helps to call out ranges of numbers at the

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