before bringing death creating rival

Creating a Rival

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

Creating a Rival In essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your current cast of

created for themselves. Example Rivals d20 Rival 1 Tax collector who is convinced the characters are dodging fees 2 Politician who is concerned that the characters are causing more trouble than they

Death Tyrant

Monsters Monster Manual

region containing a death tyrant’s lair is warped by its presence, creating the following effects: Negative Energy Suffusion. Whenever a creature within 1 mile of the lair regains Hit Points from

Legendary Resistance (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair). If the death tyrant fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.Multiattack. The death tyrant uses Eye Rays three times. Bite. Melee Attack

Dracolich

Monsters Monster Manual

turn.Dracolich Lairs A dracolich lurks in a corrupted version of the lair it had in life. The region containing a dracolich’s lair is warped by its presence, creating the following effects: Sapping Mist

Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level. Soul Drain. Creatures within 1 mile of the lair have Disadvantage on Death Saving Throws. If the dracolich is destroyed or moves its lair elsewhere

Beholder

Monsters Monster Manual

or Success: If the target is a creature and this damage reduces it to 0 Hit Points, it disintegrates into dust. 10: Death Ray. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 16. Failure: 55 (10d10);{"diceNotation":"10d10

", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Death Ray", "rollDamageType":"Necrotic"} Necrotic damage. Success: Half damage. Failure or Success: The target dies if the ray reduces it to 0 Hit

Zlan

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

liches, creating an amalgamated form. Zlan is the foremost mind among the liches and controls the body, The other liches rage and scheme about being subsidiary to someone they once considered both a

rival and an equal. The Zlan Liches table gives a brief description of each component. Zlan Liches Name History Argent Black Emerged from the Negative Plane, fed on hate and

Valindra Shadowmantle

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Prestidigitation 2/Day Each: Animate Dead, Plane Shift 1/Day Each: Cone of Cold (level 8 version), Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, ScryingProtective Magic. Valindra casts Counterspell or Shield in response

. The region containing Valindra’s lair is warped by her presence, creating the following effects: All-Seeing. While in her lair, Valindra can cast Clairvoyance, requiring no spell components

Karas Chembryl

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

can’t take this action again until the start of her next turn. Stealth Attack. Karas makes one Dread Dagger attack and uses Withdraw.Assassin Heir to a Sinister Legacy After the death of

Dead Three into the region she inhabits, creating the following effects: Creeping Dread. Terror runs rampant in Karas’s domain. Within 1 mile of the lair, creatures other than members of the

Valenar High Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

they came to Khorvaire, they battled the champions of the goblin empire. The greatest heroes of those struggles live on after death, known as the patron ancestors. When you became an adult, one of

is why your people constantly seek out conflict; you need to find challenges worthy of a hero. In creating a Valenar, think about your patron ancestor. Your class should reflect their class; if you

Valenar Wood Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

they came to Khorvaire, they battled the champions of the goblin empire. The greatest heroes of those struggles live on after death, known as the patron ancestors. When you became an adult, one of

is why your people constantly seek out conflict; you need to find challenges worthy of a hero. In creating a Valenar, think about your patron ancestor. Your class should reflect their class; if you

Ygorl, Lord of Entropy

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

each: circle of death, enervation,* phantasmal killer,symbol;symbol (discord only)2/day each: finger of death, harm, mental prison,*power word pain*1/day each: power word kill, power word stun, symbol

;symbol (death only), weird* Spell from Xanathar’s Guide to EverythingMultiattack. Ygorl makes three attacks: two with its scythe, and one with its Entropic Touch. Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +14

Rival Intern

Backgrounds Acquisitions Incorporated

You were an intern at a rival of Acquisitions Incorporated, and you gained a healthy respect for not just the job and the franchising opportunities, but for the ruthless and efficient way

Acquisitions Incorporated goes about its business. Why deal with the rest, when you can work for the best? Perhaps the rival did not treat you as well as you were hoping, or you washed out of that organization

Grim Champion of Pestilence

Monsters The Book of Many Things

Spellcasting.Aleron was once a tiefling adventurer, but unlike so many victims of the Deck of Many Things, he never drew the Skull card. Instead, when one of his allies drew the card and faced the avatar of death

, Aleron came to his ally’s aid. A second avatar of death appeared, and Aleron was slain; soon after, his Undead corpse crawled from Withered Vineyard, tainted with plague. Aleron resents his fellow

Cairnwight

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

exclusion of all other tasks, retreating into a spacious cavern and blocking out all distractions. Creating a masterwork can become such a driving obsession that death can’t stop it: a giant who dies

while creating art might rise as a cairnwight and continue the work. Once the artwork is completed, the cairnwight remains as its undying guardian. A cairnwight looks much like an emaciated stone

Eyedrake

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

effect on itself on a success. 6: Death Ray. The target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6);{"diceNotation":"8d6", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"", "rollDamageType":"necrotic

thoughts of its dragon rival can become deeply obsessive, eventually pervading the beholder;beholder's dreams. If the rivalry lasts long enough, these fevered dreams can manifest as an eyedrake—a

Lady Illmarrow

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

, polymorph 5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, cone of cold, hold monster, scrying 6th level (2 slot): chain lightning, circle of death, create undead 7th level (2 slot): finger of death, forcecage

Emerald Claw, but her motives for founding the order are buried in her past. Lady Illmarrow has no interest in ruling the living. Rather, she seeks to become Queen of the Dead. The Mark of Death

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

You are a member of a teeming horde — one small part of a sprawling organism. Just as you are part of the swarm, the swarm is part of a larger ecosystem, a never-ending cycle of life, death

Golgari, no fear of death or taboo about the dead, just a fierce affirmation of the cycle. Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner’s kit Languages

Orzhov Representative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

command, illusory script 2nd enthrall, ray of enfeeblement, zone of truth 3rd bestow curse, speak with dead, spirit guardians 4th blight, death ward

activities in crime, banking, or debt collection could tie you to members of other guilds. Roll twice on the Orzhov Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Orzhov Contacts table

Ulitharid

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

potential rival and manipulates or quashes the ulitharid’s ambitions accordingly. When an ulitharid finds sharing leadership with an elder brain insufferable, it breaks off from the colony

, taking a group of mind flayers with it, and moves to another location to form a new colony. After the death of the ulitharid’s body, a special process transforms its brain into a new elder brain for

Grim Champion of Desolation

Monsters The Book of Many Things

, might have been the first person to draw the Skull card from a Deck of Many Things and be slain by the avatar of death. Even Jyn doesn’t know for sure, as that was so long ago that she’s

. The Grim Champions The Grim Harrow is led by three powerful entities with the title of grim champion. Each champion embodies a terrible facet of death. Jyn Corvis, Grim Champion of Desolation, is

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

will: animate dead (as an action), blight, speak with dead 1 charge each: circle of death, finger of death 2 charges: power word killOrcus can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options

Tail or Necrotic Bolt attack. Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling necrotic energy 60 feet tall and

Gith Legacy

Species Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

distanced themselves from one another to pursue their separate agendas. They remain bitter enemies today, each side willing to fight to the death whenever they cross paths. The githyanki were motivated

to plunder the Material Plane and other worlds, bringing treasures and slaves back to their ageless realm. At the same time, they hunt down and kill mind flayers whenever possible, as recompense for

Grim Champion of Bloodshed

Monsters The Book of Many Things

Deck of Many Things. The avatar of death slew her in a flash. That was many centuries ago, and Wynemar is now a powerful and bloodthirsty Undead commander of the Grim Harrow. Wreathed in searing

three powerful entities with the title of grim champion. Each champion embodies a terrible facet of death. Jyn Corvis, Grim Champion of Desolation, is the oldest and most powerful of the three and

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

with dead. Alternatively, he can expend 1 or more of the wand’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it: circle of death (1 charge), finger of death (1 charge), or power word kill (2

. A Taste of Undeath. Orcus casts chill touch (17th level). Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling

Wizard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

circle, bringing a whiff of brimstone from the otherworldly plane beyond. Crouching on the floor in a dungeon intersection, a gnome tosses a handful of small bones inscribed with mystic symbols

. Creating a Wizard Creating a wizard character demands a backstory dominated by at least one extraordinary event. How did your character first come into contact with magic? How did you discover you had

Murgaxor

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

, Murgaxor was expelled for using life-draining magic when it resulted in another student’s death. Murgaxor fled before he could be handed over to authorities. For a few years after his expulsion

commands, take their turns on initiative count 15 (losing initiative ties), and fight until destroyed. Regional Effects Murgaxor’s ritual wreaks havoc on the equilibrium of life and death

Hutijin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

command, Hutijin can easily crush any rival who gets in his way while also defending Mephistopheles against armies seeking to contest his dominion. Hutijin has amassed enough power to challenge the

repays the instigator with a long and agonizing death. Mephistopheles forbids Hutijin from making too many forays into the Material Plane, since the duke’s absence leaves him vulnerable to his

Kasimir Velikov

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, Kasimir and his fellow dusk elves stoned Patrina to death. As punishment for depriving him of his bride, Strahd butchered all the women in the dusk elf tribe, and Kasimir's ears were cut off to punish him

more important, he believes that the Amber Temple holds the secret to bringing the ancient dead back to life. With the characters' help, Kasimir thinks he might be able to find out how to restore

Dracolich (Gargantuan)

monsters Monster Manual

turn.Dracolich Lairs A dracolich lurks in a corrupted version of the lair it had in life. The region containing a dracolich’s lair is warped by its presence, creating the following effects: Sapping Mist

Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level. Soul Drain. Creatures within 1 mile of the lair have Disadvantage on Death Saving Throws. If the dracolich is destroyed or moves its lair elsewhere

Slithering Tracker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the same time, a slithering tracker flows into places where a normal creature can’t go and brings its own brand of watery death down on its quarry. The ritual for creating a slithering tracker

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to. Their courage in the face of danger makes

the closeknit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties. Creating a Barbarian When creating a barbarian

Spawn of Kyuss

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Orcus who plundered corpses from necropolises to create the first spawn of Kyuss. Even centuries after Kyuss’s death, his malign disciples continue performing the horrific rites he perfected

solitary spawn of Kyuss travels aimlessly. If it stumbles across a living creature, the spawn attacks with the sole intent of creating more spawn. Whether spawn are dispersed or clustered, they reproduce exponentially if nothing stops them.Poison

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Death isn’t always the end. The reborn exemplify this, being individuals who have died yet, somehow, still live. Some reborn exhibit the scars of fatal ends, their ashen flesh or bloodless

veins making it clear that they’ve been touched by death. Other reborn are marvels of magic or science, being stitched together from disparate beings or bearing mysterious minds in manufactured

Endelyn Moongrave

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

waste my time.” Bond. “My world is the stage, and my theater is of paramount importance to me.” Flaw. “My death will occur during an eclipse. That is my doom, and I can

visit another to plot against the third sister, creating a vicious circle in which Bavlorna and Endelyn plot against Skabatha, Endelyn and Skabatha conspire against Bavlorna, and Skabatha and Bavlorna

Yeenoghu Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

atrocities in his name. Yeenoghu takes pleasure in causing fear before death, and he sows sorrow and despair through destroying beloved things. He doesn’t parlay; to meet him is to do battle with him

hands before ripping out its throat with his teeth.Yeenoghu’s Lair Yeenoghu’s lair in the Abyss is called the Death Dells, its barren hills and ravines serving as one great hunting ground

Yeenoghu

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

them into flind;flinds. Yeenoghu takes pleasure in causing fear before death, and he sows sorrow and despair through destroying beloved things. He doesn’t parlay; to meet him is to do battle with

at will, although he is as likely to tear his prey apart with his teeth.Yeenoghu’s Lair Yeenoghu’s lair in the Abyss is called the Death Dells. Its barren hills and ravines serve as a

D&D Beyond

Search Results