before build deciding changed rarely

Troglodyte Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

secretions, and the debris of their foul feasting. Single-Minded Brutes. Troglodytes are devoted almost entirely to procuring food. They rarely plan more than a few days into the future, instead

in a frenzy. Troglodytes make little and build less, scavenging their possessions from their prey. They understand the value of metal weapons and armor, and fight among one another for the right to

Chitine

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

her worshipers’ rituals. The process usually transformed subjects into the spindly creatures her devotees expected, but occasionally, an elf changed into a choldrith: an arachnid Monstrosity able

with duties related to that rank, and all are expected to sacrifice themselves to protect the colony’s choldriths. Every chitine has spinnerets and slowly produces webbing that is used to build

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), the Returned lose their identities

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

Tlincalli

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

powerful hunter, such as a blue dragon, they carefully weigh whether to serve the superior hunter, move on, or fight to the death to remove it as competition. Tlincallis rarely build cities, make

Returned Drifter

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4

long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to

Returned Sentry

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), the Returned lose their identities

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

Vegepygmy

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, vegepygmies can absorb nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go hungry. A vegepygmy can hiss and make other noises by forcing air through its mouth, but it can’t

speak in a conventional sense. Among themselves, vegepygmies communicate by hissing, gestures, and tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built

Thorny Vegepygmy

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go hungry. A vegepygmy can hiss and make other noises by forcing air through its mouth, but it can’t speak in a conventional sense

. Among themselves, vegepygmies communicate by hissing, gestures, and tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built by copying simple

Vegepygmy Chief

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

fungi (all appear in the Monster Manual). Although they prefer to eat fresh meat, bone, and blood, vegepygmies can absorb nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go

tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built by copying simple construction they have witnessed. Russet Mold Few know for sure where

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

, where they serve the vicious will of Tymaret the Murder King (see chapter 3). Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they

they cover with distinctive golden masks. Returned reenter the world blank and undead. No longer possessing the ability to form long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that’s why they build their mighty

dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century. Variety in All Things Humans are the most

Quick Build (p. 106)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

Quick Build (p. 106) “Ray of sickness” has been changed to “charm person.”

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

communities are threatened. Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much

Giff

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

blossom into hard feelings, loud arguments, and head-butting contests, but they rarely escalate beyond that. Creating Your Character When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your

. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Creatures Topaz dragons rarely tolerate any company but their own, and they are usually indifferent at best even toward their own kind. Moreover, their unpredictability means that even if a creature

proves itself useful to a topaz dragon, it shouldn’t count on being safe from the dragon the next time they meet. Topaz dragons rarely go out of their way to fight other creatures, however, with

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

set bards apart from their fellows. Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries

, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost? QUICK BUILD You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct

yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained. QUICK BUILD You can make a paladin

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.

Pastoral Pleasantries

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

Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet

Revel's End

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Prisoner 13

representative to Revel’s End, and together the representatives form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of

comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tiebreaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote.

Revel's End

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

representative to Revel’s End, and together the representatives form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of

comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tiebreaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote.

Gnolls

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

will survive a rampaging gnoll horde unscathed, even as the towns, villages, and farms that surround the castle are ablaze, their people slaughtered and devoured. Gnolls rarely build permanent

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. Connected Creatures Topaz dragons rarely tolerate any company but their own, and they are usually indifferent at best even toward their own kind. Moreover, their unpredictability means that

even if a creature proves itself useful to a topaz dragon, it shouldn’t count on being safe from the dragon the next time they meet. Topaz dragons rarely go out of their way to fight other

Creating a New Item

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

several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day might be easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

character kill whatever they hit with it, that item will likely unbalance your game. On the other hand, an item whose benefit rarely comes into play isn’t much of a reward. Use the Magic Item Power by

Recurring NPCs

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

Recurring NPCs NPCs who keep showing up over the course of a campaign build the sense that the world of the game is a living, breathing place. Whether these NPCs are allies, patrons, friends, or

at least coming up with a plausible way for the villain to return from death. After all, death is rarely the final word for adventurers, so it needn’t be for their opponents. Don’t Go Overboard

Revel's End

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

representative to Revel’s End, and together they form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Revel’s End offers little in the way of comfort and

amenities. If the council needs a tie-breaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote. The remote prison of Revel’s End contains many of the Sword Coast’s most dangerous criminals

Reghed Tribe Camp

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

the same tribe to commingle and build their camps close to one another, the four tribes avoid contact with one another. Members of one tribe are rarely found in another tribe’s camp unless some sort of diplomacy is taking place.

Merfolk

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

their people are as varied in color, culture, and outlook as the human races of the surface. Land folk and merfolk rarely meet except by chance, though starry-eyed mariners tell tales of romance with

face a common threat or to complete a conquest. Such unifications can be the beginning of undersea kingdoms with dynasties lasting hundreds of years. Merfolk Settlements. Merfolk build their settlements

Creating a New Item

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

it has several different abilities, but simply deciding that an item is always active or can be used a fixed number of times per day is easier to manage. Power Level If you make an item that lets a

character kill whatever he or she hits with it, that item will likely unbalance your game. On the other hand, an item whose benefit rarely comes into play isn’t much of a reward and probably not worth

Actions in Exploration

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

assist each other in these actions. Other actions come up only rarely. It’s seldom necessary to rely on the action rules during exploration, except to remember that a character can do only one thing at a

to the next. There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how long to spend on each character’s activity, but make sure no one is waiting for their turn for too long. You can build tension in an exploration

DM Tips

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

changed, as you’ll see in chapter 4. Ready-Made Elements. Sample adventures in chapter 4, a campaign setting in chapter 5, and new maps in appendix B make it easier to run a game right away

. Expanded and Revised Magic Items. Chapter 7 is packed with new magic items and old ones that have been revised. Bastions. Chapter 8 has rules that allow player characters to build, maintain, and enjoy

Cloaker

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

Underdark enclaves, but they rarely build settlements or form social structures. Most operate as solitary predators, lurking in dismal subterranean reaches or abandoned dungeons—sometimes for months at a

-cloakers find terrifying in unexplainable, primal ways. Cloakers might antagonize explorers lost in the Underdark for days, terrorizing and scattering them before attacking. They rarely converse with other

Oracle

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

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

rarely believe the answers I give them. 3 I’m haunted by nightmares foretelling the deaths of people I’ve never met. 4 I’m often distracted by the sights and sounds of things that other

Shield Dwarves

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

famous of the old shield dwarf cities is Citadel Adbar, north and east of Silverymoon. Many of these dwarfholds have changed hands over the centuries in a cycle of invasion by enemies, followed by

by their gold dwarf cousins. Shield dwarf crafters build to last, and each one’s signature mark placed upon an enduring masterpiece serves as a way of gaining immortality. DWARF CLANS OF THE NORTH

Ephara as Campaign Villain

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

to be working together. 2 Ephara attempts to strip Phenax of his “stolen” divinity, outraged by his influence over criminals. 3 A recent earthquake has changed the coastline, exposing a

new island with a verdant and lush landscape. Ephara and Nylea are locked in a battle for control over the island, with Nylea wanting it to remain wilderness and Ephara seeking to build a city on the

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