before bring deciding concept realizes

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival. Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

Flaws Legacy

Rules

Your character's flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness—in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests

. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What's the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices?

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

infirm. Orcs don’t revere their gods as much as they fear them; every tribe has superstitions about how to avert their wrath or bring their favor. This deep-seated uncertainty and fear comes forth

Council of Dragons

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

Council of Dragons Five ancient dragons make up the council charged with deciding their metallic kin’s response to the cult. Though they are not necessarily the wisest or most powerful specimens of

the factions’ battle against Tiamat. As such, if the dragons side with the humanoids, it will be as a statement of personal faith in the party—and in the party’s ability to bring all the factions into the fight.

Council of Dragons

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

Council of Dragons Five ancient dragons make up the council charged with deciding their metallic kin’s response to the cult. Though they are not necessarily the wisest or most powerful specimens of

the factions’ battle against Tiamat. As such, if the dragons side with the humanoids, it will be as a statement of personal faith in the party — and in the party’s ability to bring all the factions into the fight.

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one

neighboring tribes that want exclusive claim to a flock of mountain goats might skirmish with each other every few days. Eventually the leader of one warring tribe realizes it is losing due to attrition and

Evil Inchoate

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

absolute evil, demons have no concept of empathy. Each demon believes that only its needs and desires matter. This self-centeredness applies even with regard to other demons. These fiends have no

bend to its will, shifting to bring about its vision of a world of absolute perfection with the demon at its center. One Cosmos, Infinite Visions All demons seek to satisfy their whims and force others

The Balance

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

concept they espouse as the Balance, and they seek to maintain equilibrium across the cosmos above all. Mordenkainen and his compatriots are among its most notable devotees. Since a true appreciation of

the Material Plane from the devils’ taint, but doesn’t appreciate that it also would bring a grievous setback to the forces that had been keeping the demons from overrunning Avernus. Those who vow to

T13: Great Statue of Orcus

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves

Friendly. Nezzarum’s Commands 1d6 Command 1 “Bring me a banquet of cooked meat, steamed vegetables, and fresh fruit!” (Characters can buy the food and have it prepared in town for 3 GP.) 2 “Bring

me a wheel of cheese!” (Characters can buy the cheese in town for 5 SP.) 3 “Bring me treasure worthy of a dragon!” (Nezzarum expects at least 100 GP worth of treasure or something of historical value

Abandoned Camp

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

should be the top draw on the characters’ attention. On most mornings, hunters fan out onto the grassland to hunt for antelope and other large game. They travel on horseback and bring along an extra

horse to pack the field-dressed game back to the camp. Hunters don’t necessarily return to the camp every evening. They stay out until they have a load of meat to bring back. Hunting on the Greenfields

A Bard's Muse

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

versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse — a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience. A bard who

. You are on a quest to identify the essence of true love. Though you do not disdain the superficial love of flesh and form, the deeper form of love that can inspire thousands or bring joy to one’s

Abandoned Camp

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

should be the top draw on the characters’ attention. On most mornings, hunters fan out onto the grassland to hunt for antelope and other large game. They travel on horseback and bring along an extra

horse to pack the field-dressed game back to the camp. Hunters don’t necessarily return to the camp every evening. They stay out until they have a load of meat to bring back. Hunting on the Greenfields is

Franchise Downtime

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

Franchise Downtime During the break between episode 4 and episode 5, the characters are likely to be focused on deciding their next move. The urgency of seeking out the final orrery component at Horn

local nobles or mages who have left relics there to be safeguarded. The carousing activity can bring the characters into closer contact with merchants or nobles connected to Horn Enclave. One of those

Oracle

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

gods give you flashes of insight that help you bring your efforts to fruition. When you make an ability check, you can roll a d10 and add the number rolled to the check. You can wait until after you

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

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

you receive a cancer diagnosis or a similar health news, you probably appreciate that concept a little more than other people. Watching someone you love waste away is a terrible thing. You want a

magic button to bring things back to the way they should be, this person you love so much restored to who they really are rather than what cancer is grinding them down into. It’s easy to give in to

Ability Checks

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

involved.” Sometimes the rules allow for any one of two or more proficiencies to apply to a check. When deciding what check a character should make, be generous in determining if the character’s

occasionally you need a passive measure of how good a character is at doing a thing. Passive Perception is the most common example. (See “Perception” later in this chapter.) You can extend the concept

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Realms

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

others. News and gossip are carried between population centers by caravans and ships that bring in supplies for trade and by traveling bards and minstrels who recount (or invent) stories to inform and

extraplanar exploration, “Faerûn” is more than large enough of a concept for them to comprehend. Except in the most remote or insular places, Faerûnians are accustomed to seeing people of different

Personal Characteristics

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

Personal Characteristics Fleshing out your character’s personality — the array of traits, mannerisms, habits, beliefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity — will help you bring him or her

flaw for your character. Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness — in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act

Vaeve's Offer

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

Vaeve’s Offer A neutral drow mage named Vaeve is lurking around the battlefield, initially out of sight. Vaeve spots the fighting and realizes that the characters are her best hope for allies. She

might bring Kas out in a rage. Doing both, Vaeve suggests, could be most effective. Before the characters leave, Vaeve reiterates her wish that the characters help Naxa. Vaeve insists that it’s the

Life or Death

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis

people of Xaryxispace but for the characters, because he has seen how the desire for revenge can bring great souls low—a remark that shames Krux into silence. Grimzod Gargenhale. Grimzod heartily

three-day voyage) or via the Astral Font’s light beam (see chapter 11). It is, everyone realizes, a journey from which there is no coming back. If no characters volunteer for this mission, Grimzod

Master Manipulators

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

in a mortal’s soul, a hag wants to bring the mortal low during its life as compensation for fulfilling her end of the bargain. Devils barter with the soul as the commodity; hags barter because they

loophole or two that the mortal could exploit. Hags understand mortal desires and vices, and know how to manipulate people by preying on those qualities. A hag’s bargain might bring success and

Outer Planes

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

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

tendencies are best handled as DM suggestions and then roleplayed by the players, but you might award Heroic Inspiration to characters who bring these characteristics to life in their characters

Cleric

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

Faith in Diversification Despite their supposed wisdom, many common clerics fail to grasp the simple concept of using the best tool for the job. To the devoted priest of Tempus, every problem is just

Faith Every cleric has a uniquely personal connection to their deity. You are no exception, though you like to think you bring your own special flair to the relationship, and vice versa. Relationship

Mind Flayer Magic

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

flayer dies, other mind flayers try to salvage the dead illithid’s brain and bring it to the colony’s brine pool for the elder brain to consume. For this purpose, mind flayers craft funerary brain jars

attitude — actions that have often been misinterpreted by observers as worship. Maanzecorian. The entity/concept called Maanzecorian embodies a complete comprehension of knowledge. It is a state

Life and Outlook

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

blows over their differences. Kobolds choose mates primarily for convenience. Their lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are

skirmish with each other every few days. Eventually the leader of one warring tribe realizes it is losing due to attrition and moves its tribe to another area, ceding the contested territory to its

Theater: Autumn

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

Sign Language) to communicate with them. Speaking with Rongquan Jarlaxle has instructed the stage managers to bring all visitors to him. In the guise of Rongquan, he claims to be a member of the Lords

the Stone of Golorr and is disappointed if the characters don’t have it. If they offer up the fake stone recovered in encounter 9, “Cellar Complex,” Rongquan immediately realizes it’s a fake. If the

Sanctum Showdown

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

, little one. Collect the shards from Talhundereth, the Crypt of the Talhund, and Gibbet Crossing, and bring them to us. You shall be reborn greater than you can imagine, and Phandalin shall become ours

Intelligence (Religion) check. On a successful check, the character realizes that the message’s tone as well as the means of communication are unlike any known divine tradition—this is some other kind

5. Pagoda

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

also the dao’s magic jar (described below). With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, a character realizes that an innate ability lifted the teapot from the coals (move earth acting on a

paths curve away and bring them back here after a short walk. If the characters leave marks, items, or companions behind in this area, all the same conditions apply here as in area 1.

5. Pagoda

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

kettle is also the dao’s magic jar (described below). With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, a character realizes that an innate ability lifted the teapot from the coals (move earth

curve away and bring them back here after a short walk. If the characters leave marks, items, or companions behind in this area, all the same conditions apply here as in area 1.

3. Central Basin

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

questions they have. The sovereign describes this entity in favorable terms, using “she” and “her” as it does so. Because myconids have no concept of gender, this unusual speech is further indication of

is taking most of the carcasses the Circle of Hunters bring in, and are sending groups of myconids outside the grove without telling anybody. If Basidia rapports with Sarith or any other non-myconid

Ruinous Citadel Locations

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

on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check realizes that a magic glyph was once inscribed on this door, but the glyph’s energy has been carefully drained away. The door is now harmless. This long

troops fighting elsewhere, and Jallizanx is deciding how to give directions the dim-witted kakkuus can be reasonably expected to convey. When they see the characters, the kakkuus rush into melee while

Staff

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

concept behind the hirelings and selecting one proficiency for each. The DM can then customize the hirelings as desired, perhaps by adding additional proficiencies or adjusting their combat statistics

. Skilled hirelings can be fired and hired as needed. A franchise might bring on a couple of thugs to act as distraction during a street fair, then release those NPCs to hire a different set of skilled

Alignment

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

help you bring him or her to life as you play the game. Four categories of characteristics are presented here: personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws. Beyond those categories, think about your

exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What’s the

The Peg and Hook

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

whips out a bone saw and asks which of the characters she can help first. When she realizes the characters aren’t customers, Arla is disappointed, but she’s open to their questions. She despises Dran

1,000 gp for her information, or half as much if the characters bring her a paying customer. She can be talked down to 500 gp, or 250 gp with one customer. Velos the pirate (from the Fishbone tavern

Triton

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

pay respects to many gods, they tend to revere Thassa, god of the sea, above all other deities. Her devotees see her as the primary god of the pantheon, believing she will bring their people to

life to another, or after significant life events. Leaving a home community or transitioning to live among dryfolk might constitute such life changes. Tritons also have a fluid concept of gender and

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