before broad defend concept rather

Water Weird Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

those its summoner declares as off limits. When slain, a water weird becomes an inanimate pool of water. Good and Evil Weirds. Like most elementals, a water weird has no concept of good or evil

interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might turn against its summoner. A water weird loses its evil alignment if its waters are cleansed

Jammer Leech

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

that of a snail. It has a single watery eye at one end and a spiked tentacle protruding from just below the eye, which it uses to defend itself. A mated pair of leeches produces 1d6;{"diceNotation

defensive measure. If the crew of a ship becomes aware of leeches that have become attached, it’s customary for them to try to scrape the leeches off the hull rather than attack them with weapons

Kelubar Demodand

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

farastu minions—rather than fight directly. Demodands Demodands, also called gehreleths, are Fiends from the Tarterian Depths of Carceri. Cast into the prison plane long ago for forgotten

transgressions, these bitter, wicked creatures have appointed themselves the jailers of the plane. Demodands viciously defend the few known portals that lead out of Carceri and ruthlessly torment other

Grippli Warrior

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

grasping and climbing. A grippli can move as quickly on all fours as it can on two legs. Communal Effort. Grippli rely on ambushes and guerrilla warfare to defend themselves and their settlements. They

are raised by the community rather than by a single set of parents, and all of a community’s eggs are kept in freshwater pools until they mature. Protecting their eggs is a major concern for

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

protecting their own lands, they protect us as well.” Exploring Opportunities Halflings usually set out on the adventurer’s path to defend their communities, support their friends, or explore a

Vedalken

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

external ears, their noses are broad and flat, and they are partially amphibious. Cool Rationality Despite being talkative, vedalken keep their personal lives private, and they tend to engage more

with ideas than with people. They form close friendships based on mutual interests or compelling disagreements, and their interactions dwell on their thoughts about those issues rather than their

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

better life. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure

;d rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair. 5 It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else. 6 People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve.

Tiefling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds. A Broad Spectrum With their penchant for migration

, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. Human Names and Ethnicities Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the

would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

Kalashtar Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar

manipulate the folk of Khorvaire to eliminate kalashtar whenever possible. Many kalashtar defend themselves from the Dreaming Dark by focusing on devotion to the Path of Light. Others, though, seek

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language

, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure. 3 I

from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I’d rather

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

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

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal

concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon

Using This Book

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

2 and 3. If you come across a game concept in part 1 that you don’t understand, consult the book’s index. Part 2 (chapters 7–9) details the rules of how to play the game, beyond the basics described

in this introduction. That part covers the kinds of die rolls you make to determine success or failure at the tasks your character attempts, and describes the three broad categories of activity in the

Character Names

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

names, that’s fine. If the group would rather take the characters and their names a little more seriously, urge Bob’s player to come up with a more appropriate name. Player character names should match

each other in flavor or concept, and they should also match the flavor of your campaign world — so should the nonplayer characters’ names and place names you create. Travok and Kairon don’t want to undertake a quest for Lord Cupcake, visit Gumdrop Island, or take down a crazy wizard named Ray.

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe). The main reason why kobolds depend on arcane magic rather than divine is Kurtulmak’s imprisonment, which makes it difficult for

Skill and Precision

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

Skill and Precision Rogues devote as much effort to mastering the use of a variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters

comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down

Skill and Precision

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

Skill and Precision Rogues devote as much effort to mastering the use of a variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters

comes to combat, rogues prioritize cunning over brute strength. A rogue would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down

Player's Handbook plus One

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

the characters in the campaign work. Since a DM in a shared campaign must deal with a broad range of characters, rather than the same characters each week, it can be difficult to track all the

Survival of the Fittest

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

pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to

themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk

Denizens

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

Denizens The erinyes, duergar, and salamanders that defend the hold are united by their loyalty to Vrakir, but each group otherwise disdains the others. The defenders are slow to assist or seek

, the defenders bring their reports to Jarazoun first, allowing him to deal with any trouble himself rather than risk Vrakir’s ire. While on high alert, the hold’s inhabitants can’t be surprised, and

Origin of the Ordning

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

the ordning in some mythic future. Giants on some worlds (including Eberron) have no concept of the ordning at all. Such giants might think of themselves as a single species, with the differences

among giant kinds reflecting a cultural or geographical distinction rather than an inherent one. They might live in bands composed of multiple giant kinds or family groups of a single kind. Or giants of

Animal Lord

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

they defend. They frequently change into giant, idealized versions of the animals they’re associated with—albeit with glowing eyes. When contending with people, they sometimes appear as humanlike beings

lords can summon spectral animals, channel spiritual energy, and exhibit powers associated with one of three broad groups: foragers, hunters, or sages. These powers are tied to an animal lord’s

Province Scale

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

chapter) or any location where you expect to track the adventurers’ movement in hours rather than days. The ground cover of an area this size will include broad stretches of one predominant terrain type

Character Advancement

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

taking part in a play session. A character reaches 1 checkpoint for each hour an adventure is designed to last. Note that the award is based on the adventure’s projected playing time, rather than the

designed to take 2 hours, the character reaches 3 checkpoints. Playing time might seem like an odd way to measure experience awards, but the concept is in keeping with how a shared campaign is meant to

49. Sacred Chitza-Atlan

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a3

lacquered leather, feathers, and copper wire jewelry, he faces the western entrance to this chamber. The centaur holds a bronze-hafted pike tipped with a broad, blue-gray, flame-shaped spearhead

confined there. Thus, if any character tries to exit this room by any door other than the one entered from, the centaur mummy (see appendix B) animates and attacks the characters. The mummy will also defend

Secret

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

holy symbol that represents that divinity. Some clerics, especially in a world like Eberron, serve a whole pantheon, rather than a single deity. In certain campaigns, a cleric might instead serve a

cosmic force, such as life or death, or a philosophy or concept, such as love, peace, or one of the nine alignments. Chapter 1 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide explores options like these, in the section

The God-Brain's Powers and Dominion

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

knows anything that they know. The God-Brain delegates broad goals to its most effective servants, encouraging them to indulge all manner of radical experiments. Mist Vibrations. Through the awesome

is wracked by extreme electrical storms, and alien vapors rise at the domain’s distant edges and within its hidden tunnels. Rather than barring creatures’ escape, these Mists repress memories. Any non

Darklords

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

adventures rather than saving them for distant climactic plots. Darklords Don’t Realize They’re Darklords. With a few exceptions, Darklords don’t realize they occupy a special place in the world. Their

concept of how long they’ve lived, how many times they’ve died, or why they returned to life. Should a Darklord fall, the temporary defeat lasts until they’re restored by the Dark Powers. In their

Water Weird

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

. Good and Evil Weirds. Like most elementals, a water weird has no concept of good or evil. However, a water weird bound to a sacred or befouled source of water begins to take on the nature of that site

, becoming neutral good or neutral evil. A neutral good water weird tries to frighten away interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might

Noteworthy Sites

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

are enchanted to magically rise as skeletons and defend against would-be-thieves. Trench of Love Lost This great undersea trench near Janya resonates with mystery and foreboding. It is named in memory

ships and mysterious sites. Cerulean Lyceum A center of culture in Janya, the Cerulean Lyceum is a great bardic college with a connected series of vaulted halls set around a broad quadrangle. Icicle

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