before borders dread come rules

Wizard

Classes Player’s Handbook

used across the multiverse. The closest a Wizard is likely to come to an ordinary life is working as a sage or lecturer. Other Wizards sell their services as advisers, serve in military forces, or

Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots. Wizard Features ——Spell Slots per Spell Level—— Level Proficiency Bonus

Hexblood

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

might come to accept over the course of centuries. Once a hexblood undergoes this irreversible ritual, they emerge as a hag NPC no longer under the control of the hexblood’s player, unless the DM rules otherwise.

mark of the bargain between hag and hexblood, a debt owed, or a change to come. Hexblood Origins A bargain with a hag or other eerie forces transformed your character into a magical being. Roll on

Yuan-ti Nightmare Speaker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

exchange for power in the mortal world. These priests receive nightmarish visions from Dendar that they interpret as prophecies, and they then use their magic and influence to make these visions come true

. Nightmare speakers revel in torturing others, keeping their victims in a constant state of fear and dread. They prefer to terrify rather than kill their opponents. They manipulate communities for

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back. Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark

resurrected, but something went wrong. 2 Stitches bind your body’s mismatched pieces, and your memories come from multiple different lives. 3 After clawing free from your grave, you realized

High Fae Noble

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

been given dominion over a small aspect of the natural world; there are dukes and duchesses for each of the seasons, and noble archivists track every promise made and broken within the borders of

untamed wilderness. High fae have no regard for mortal values of honor and law, but they nonetheless operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Shadar-kai are the elves of the Shadowfell, originally drawn to that dread realm by the Raven Queen. Over the centuries, some of them have continued to serve her, while others have ventured into the

race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score

Pirate Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and lawlessness. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Distant kin of giant owls from the Feywild, owlin come in many shapes and sizes, from petite and fluffy to wide-winged and majestic. Owlin have arms and legs like other Humanoids, as well as wings

additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent

Crystal Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace. Crystal dragons’ connection to

) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers suggestions for stories and adventures

Young Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace. Crystal dragons&rsquo

. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers suggestions for stories

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

, emulating their dread master. Orcus is a bestial creature of corruption with a diseased, decaying look. He has the lower torso of a goat, and a humanoid upper body with a corpulent belly swollen with rot

chapter 7, "Treasure” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.Orcus’s Lair Orcus makes his lair in the fortress city of Naratyr, which is on Thanatos, the layer of the Abyss that he rules

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the dead, emulating their dread master. Orcus is a bestial creature of corruption with a diseased, decaying look. He has the lower body of a goat and a humanlike upper body with a belly swollen with

Dungeon Master’s Guide.Orcus’s Lair Orcus makes his lair in the fortress city of Naratyr, which is on Thanatos, the layer of the Abyss that he rules. Surrounded by a moat fed by the

Folk Hero Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as their champion, and your destiny calls you to stand against the

leadership and was commended for my heroism. FEATURE: RUSTIC HOSPITALITY Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

important mission beyond the cloister? Perhaps you were cast out because of some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to

Fairy

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a special physical characteristic that sets the fairy apart. For your fairy, roll on the Fey Characteristics table or choose an option from it. You’re also free to come up with your own

member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race such as the fairy or the harengon in this section, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your

dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave

The Mists

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

The Mists Known throughout Ravenloft, the Mists are manifestations of the Dark Powers’ will. They divide, surround, and isolate every domain, creating fog-shrouded borders that imprison Darklords

within their territories. The Mists slip through the Domains of Dread, rising to claim unwitting travelers or releasing terrors upon unsuspecting villagers. Most infamously, the Mists slither into other

Freedom of the Mists

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

Freedom of the Mists The Carnival travels through the Mists and between other Domains of Dread as Isolde pleases—though the Dark Powers occasionally send it off course. The Carnival provides one of

the few means of escaping from another Darklord’s domain, since it ignores the closed borders of other domains. Other Darklords cannot travel with the Carnival to escape their own domains, however.

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You are the heir to something of great value — not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a

, and might have set you on the path to adventure, but it could also come with many dangers, including those who covet your gift and want to take it from you — by force, if need be. Skill

Adult Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the signs written in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace

without the boredom. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers

Ancient Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

sky and tracking the signs written in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to

is learning, but without the boredom. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks

Seven Secrets of Ravenloft

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

Certain. The Domains of Dread provide malleable settings for any kind of horror adventure. As domains are unmoored from conventional reality, anything can happen within their borders. Normal people

Seven Secrets of Ravenloft Countless mysteries pervade the Domains of Dread, but these strange truths underpin the setting: Ez d’Avenir braves the Mists, her path haunted by past and future terrors

Scarecrows

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lorwyn: First Light

borders of Lorwyn, scarecrows are portents of dread and doom. No two scarecrows look alike, but many share a suite of common abilities. To represent a Shadowmoor scarecrow in your game, use the Scarecrow stat block.

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

imagination can turn on such champions almost as quickly as it anoints them. You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as

Origins table for an event that started you down your heroic path.. d10 Origin 1 You helped get healing for a sick child. Now the sick come to you, knowing you’ll help them

The Mists

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

The Mists The Mists can always be found at a domain’s borders but can also appear in dense banks that rise wherever adventures demand. Such banks might veil strangers or hidden foes, or they can

transport those who enter them to distant lands, other domains, or even beyond the Domains of Dread. The Mists are inscrutable, but they ever serve the schemes of the Dark Powers, delivering creatures

Prepare to Be Scared

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

rules every time something frightening occurs, but your group might use them as a way to highlight individual fears and build an adventure’s overarching sense of dread. FROM THE MISTS OR BEYOND

atmosphere of the adventure. Don’t consider fear a tactical disadvantage or something to be avoided. As part of playing a frightening game, you’re a participant in building and reinforcing a sense of dread

Horror Adventures

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

adventures benefit from an atmosphere of dread, conceived through a combination of terrifying narratives, dramatic presentation, and game elements encouraging fear. Drawing out the anxiety and anticipation

toolbox of horror-focused rules also provides options for what sort of grim adventures you might create. At the end of this chapter, a horror adventure puts these methods to use and leads characters on

Rules of the Trial

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

Valachan. Losers rot where they fall in the jungle. Violations of the rules are punishable by death. Chakuna closes her domain’s borders while the trial is underway and can change the hunt’s rules on a

Rules of the Trial On the night of certain full moons, Chakuna selects fifteen souls within her domain who she considers worthy prey. She leads the participants to Pantara Lodge, shows them every

Kobold Legacy

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

magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When kobolds sense an opportunity to separate a magic item from its

The House's Domain

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

within the house’s walls. The House of Lament is capable of imposing itself over other lands and can appear in other Domains of Dread. A version of the house stands in western Borca (see chapter 3

of Lament closes the borders of its domain, a powerful thunderstorm surrounds it, bringing with it strong wind and heavy precipitation (detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Anyone who braves the

Noble

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Noble The folk of Saltmarsh care little for nobles and their titles. Although the king technically rules the land, the south has long been left to its own devices. Are you a local noble turning to a

life of adventure, or did you come here in search of fame and fortune? Regardless of your origin, your Position of Privilege feature allows you to request an audience with any official in town

Creating Domains of Dread

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

Creating Domains of Dread Ravenloft is a place where your nightmares can run wild, where anything you can imagine in moments of dread or despair can come to frightful life among the Mists. The

Domains

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

haze. Domains share neither borders nor common geography, and you can’t peer from one domain into another. The environments, cultures, and residents of one domain don’t influence those of other domains

the most notorious Domains of Dread. CULTIVATING HOPE In Ravenloft, the Dark Powers control reality, the Mists foil escape attempts, and terrifying Darklords can appear at any moment. What hope do

Dark Fantasy

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

full of creatures that perfectly suit a storyline of supernatural horror. The most important element of such a campaign, though, isn’t covered by the rules. A dark-fantasy setting requires an

atmosphere of building dread, created through careful pacing and evocative description. Your players contribute too; they have to be willing to embrace the mood you’re trying to evoke. Whether you want to run

D&D Beyond

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