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Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

roof of a merchant’s home, seizing what they seek, and stalking away before the town watch can rally. Intricate Networks. Clever, ambitious, and greedy, many fog giants build up whole networks of

bandits, raiders, spies, and criminals. In some cases, such a network might grow large enough that minions in the lower ranks are ignorant of their leader’s true nature. Fog giants who amass

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

Ability Checks

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

used for. The Ability Checks table summarizes that material for easy reference. Multiple Ability Checks Sometimes a character fails an ability check and wants to try again. In some cases, a character is

successful one. In other cases, failing an ability check makes it impossible to make the same check to do the same thing again. For example, a rogue might try to trick a town guard into thinking the

Wearing and Wielding Items

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

hands, hats and helmets on the head, and rings on the finger. Magic armor must be donned, a shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a

magic item that's meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

Wearing and Wielding Items

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

cases, a magic item that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare

exceptions exist. If the story suggests a good reason for an item to fit only creatures of a certain size or shape, you can rule that it doesn’t adjust. For example, armor made by the drow might fit

Chapter 1: This Is Your Life

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

experience before deciding to become an adventurer? What were the circumstances of your birth? How large is your family, and what sorts of relationships do you have with your relatives? Which people

backstory for your character — an autobiography of sorts — that you can use to inform how you roleplay the character. Your DM can draw from this material as the campaign proceeds, creating situations and scenarios that build off your previous life experiences.

Wearing and Wielding Items

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

, hats and helmets on a head, and rings on a finger. Magic armor must be donned, a Shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a magic item

that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Multiple Items of the Same

Wearing and Wielding Items

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

, hats and helmets on a head, and rings on a finger. Magic armor must be donned, a Shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a magic item

that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Multiple Items of the Same

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Naturally, a large portion of the Boromar Clan’s members come from a criminal background. There’s no reason characters with other backgrounds can’t be part of the syndicate, though

secret doors. Many Safecrackers also boast a high Strength for those cases where lockpicks fail. Safecrackers often come from criminal backgrounds, but characters with experience using other tools and

The Darklake

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

The Darklake To move their expeditionary force across the Darklake, the characters must build rafts or coracles from Underdark materials, or seek out duergar or kuo-toa ferries for hire. Each ferry

chapter 1) was not killed in a previous chapter of the adventure, the characters find him among Sloobludop’s survivors. He is the sole point of calm and reason in the ruined settlement, and the various

The Dark Powers

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

villains to add to their terrifying menagerie. To what end, no one knows. The Dark Powers don’t move in the shadows of Ravenloft; they are the shadows. They’re the Mists and the darkness. They’re the reason

. These diminished vestiges manipulate their realm to create negative forces that sustain their essence and build toward renewed apotheosis. Rudolph, I write you in the throes of a most perplexing

Asphodel and the Despair Lands

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

leaders listen to cases brought before them and decide on the few matters of importance to the city. Trespassers caught within the city are often brought before the Aphonai for judgment. The elder

studying arcane mysteries that could never be unraveled in a single life. Like all Returned, though, they have difficulty remembering what they learn. For this reason, the rooms of their order’s

Able Scavengers

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

give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and other useful items, but if they

hatred of gnomes, city kobolds often go out of their way to target gnomes’ houses and shops. Even in such cases, the kobolds’ fear of retaliation usually prevents them from trying to directly harm

Survival Skills

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

sacrifice when it presents itself. This practice contributes to the reason why most common folk (and adventurers) think kobolds are stupid as well as weak; they’ve seen or heard of a lone kobold trying to

usually the oldest and smartest kobold; the other kobolds respect the old one’s ability to survive so long, and they assume the leader will use that knowledge to help the tribe survive. In some cases, the

One for All: The Stronghold

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

at the touch of a child when they are unlocked. While some other races erect statues or build special structures to honor their heroes or commemorate momentous events, the dwarves live and work within

of art makes any stronghold a prime target for thieves and raiders. For that reason, the entrance to a stronghold doesn’t broadcast its presence by being a stellar example of dwarven stonework. The

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

character’s skill or tool proficiencies applies. Trying Again Sometimes a character fails an ability check and the player wants to try again. In many cases, failing an ability check makes it impossible to

Minions and Pets

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

beholder can kill them whenever it wants and it is in their best interest to stop resisting and just obey the beholder’s orders. Minions build walls in the beholder’s lair, distribute food to other

last line of defense against foes that threaten the inner sanctum. Pets A beholder often has one or more pets in its lair, mainly because (for whatever reason) it enjoys the company of such creatures

Inside the Cult

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

fear that any other guild might gain enough power to overwhelm all the others and impose its own values on everyone. For this reason, they focus their efforts on subverting other guilds’ schemes, by

undermining popular and powerful leaders and interfering — often violently — with any effort to build a centralized concentration of authority. The Azorius Senate currently stands as the greatest

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Newspapers employ a wide range of adventurers to bring news back to the home office. Consider some or all of these roles for the characters in your party: Voice of BRELAND

’ wealth and influence. Whose interest, then, does the Chronicle serve? All the more reason, loyal readers, to rely on the Voice of Breland for unbiased news you can use. Civilian. Some groups include

Giants and Other Ancients

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

. You could build an entire campaign in the shadow of such a conflict, which is basically taking the ideas described under “Clash of Titans” earlier in this chapter and extending them through many

thousand years for good reason: neither giants nor dragons were ever particularly numerous, and actual skirmishes between giants and dragons were rare. For this reason, you could run a campaign where battles

Designing Simple Traps

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

and damage values as shown below. Purpose Before diving into the details of your trap, think about its reason for being. Why would someone build such a trap? What is its purpose? Consider the trap’s

creator (in the adventure), the creator’s purpose, and the location the trap protects. Traps have context in the world — they aren’t created for no reason — and that context drives the trap’s nature

Racial Traits

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

races—a reason for the monstrous races to be used in a campaign with care. Bugbear Traits Your bugbear character has the following racial traits. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by

discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Long-Limbed. When you make a melee attack on your turn, your reach for it is 5 feet greater than normal. Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when

Hopene'er Asylum

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

to one of concern for a lost patient. Trantor describes Jarme as a quiet sort who was resolute in his claims of innocence. Though the physician has no reason to doubt the evidence suggesting that the

locked door, at which she offers a word of caution. “This wing is where the worst of our cases are kept. I beg you not to look into any of the other cells. We’ve given succor to many folk over the years

Eladrin and the Feywild

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

, which is a plane of good, the Feywild leans toward neither good nor evil; both are equally prevalent and powerful there. For that reason, parts of the Feywild where evil holds sway are substantially

when they are reincarnated. They believe that an eladrin who excels in life throughout a series of incarnations can eventually come back as a member of the Seelie or Unseelie court or, in extreme cases

Giant, Fog

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

they seek, and stalking away before the town watch can rally. Intricate Networks. Clever, ambitious, and greedy, many fog giants build up whole networks of bandits, raiders, spies, and criminals. In some

cases, such a network might grow large enough that minions in the lower ranks are ignorant of their leader’s true nature. Fog giants who amass such organizations think of themselves as exiled nobles

Mages of High Sorcery

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

ambitions, then pursue the goals of their order, and then support the continued well-being of the Conclave. Towers of High Sorcery Thousands of years ago, the Mages of High Sorcery cooperated to build

some cases, the test has lasting consequences for an applicant’s life beyond the order. Renegade Mages If a spellcaster leaves or is thrown out of the Mages of High Sorcery, or they fail the Test of

High Moor

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

attention or ire. Travelers who leave the inhabitants of the Misty Forest alone, and who build their campfires small and solely of fallen branches, are usually permitted to pass, so long as the folk of the

forest aren’t in a foul mood or stirred up against outsiders for some other reason. Secomber Just off the High Moor, on the north bank of the Delimbiyr near the Unicorn Run, is the small town of

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

methods the rival can bring to bear against the characters. Goals. An effective rival has a clear reason for interfering with the characters’ lives. Think about what the rival wants, how and why the

Index of Stat Blocks — Monsters and NPCs

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

, and other peoples, as some of them rise to greet the morning and others retire after a hard night of work or play. They are the reason she is here: sworn to protect them, she leads a flight of roc

because the world’s ten guilds strongly support the way players build Magic decks. As it turns out, Ravnica’s ten guilds also provide a great framework for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They offer

Obviator

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

, you might undertake a deep study of conflicts and rival organizations, working carefully to stay three steps ahead of the opposition. In all cases, though, you help advance your franchise by

. Obviators are cautious because they know precisely how dangerous any moment can be — and they are dangerous for the same reason. An obviator is like a lethal walking library. And if you were to face

Adventure Models

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

,” both in chapter 2). The Against the Giants table offers suggestions for adventure hooks you can use to build an adventure following this theme. On the world I call home, three linked mountain ranges

of bystanders while the giant deals with (or holds back) the greater threat. The Clash of Titans table provides a sampling of adventure hooks you can use to build an adventure along these lines

Glasya

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

overwhelming odds with an audacious plan attract her attention and could win her respect and patronage. The reason behind Glasya’s rise to lordship is the subject of much whispered debate in the Nine Hells

Material Plane. They have one critical advantage compared to their mortal contemporaries: Glasya’s knowledge of the law. She knew that in many cases, procedures that devils observed and obeyed as laws

Building a Dungeon

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

creatures that typically build dungeons. You can choose a creator from the table or roll randomly, or choose some other dungeon builder appropriate for your campaign. Dungeon Creator d20 Creator

magic items and great material wealth, treasure vault dungeons are heavily guarded by monsters and traps. History In most cases, the original architects of a dungeon are long gone, and the question of

Monster Behavior

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

course of combat. Brian Valeza Kobolds build a barricade to keep adventurers at bay Initial Attitudes A published adventure typically notes or implies whether a creature’s initial attitude toward the

have reason to believe their lair is likely to be invaded might set up a defense. Reasons to set up a defense include the following: Adventurers invaded the lair recently and retreated. Scouts

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