before build down cornered reason

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; Instead, aggressive, stronger creatures register to the lizardfolk as fearsome beings to be avoided if possible. If such creatures attack, lizardfolk flee, fighting only if cornered. Lizardfolk aren

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

. More than a mere emotion, their anger is the ferocity of a cornered predator, the unrelenting assault of a storm, the churning turmoil of the sea. For some, their rage springs from a communion with

violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority. QUICK BUILD You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

invasion and oppression. Although individually they are timid and shy away from conflict, kobolds are dangerous if cornered, vicious when defending their eggs, and notorious for the dangerous

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

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

Breaking the Law

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

, and murder are severe, regardless of the reason for the crime. If the characters express interest in knowing more about crimes and punishments in Waterdeep, give them the Code Legal handout in

appendix C. Characters who overtly engage in criminal behavior are quickly cornered and arrested by members of the City Watch. Those charged with committing a crime are brought before a magister to be

Wandering Monsters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

regularly. Tree Believers As the heroes pass through the forest, two awakened trees interrogate them in Common, demanding to know the reason for their intrusion. If the characters are looking for

catches sight of the party, he tries to feed on a lone straggler. If captured or cornered, he apologizes for his uncontrollable blood lust and offers to make amends by serving as a faithful guide

Wearing and Wielding Items

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

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, drow-made armor might fit elves only

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Criminal Syndicate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

a greater cause. 3 Magical Arms Dealer. The syndicate has cornered the market on deadly magical devices. They offer their services and wares for a price and acquire staggering magical might for those

for that reason. 4 Bon Vivant. The boss of a local den of vice—whether gambling, narcotics, or other pleasures—aids you when they’re not distracted by their own debauchery. 5 Traitor. You know your

Guild Membership

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

contacts are — facts that you can build on by working with your DM to add some details. The table entries for contacts are written in the first person, where “I” is your character. You’ll roll twice on the

the bidding of their guild superiors. Most adventuring characters, though, prefer more independence. You can roll a d6 or choose from the options in the table below to establish a reason for the freedom

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

Najara

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

Serpent Hills, where we were taken prisoner by yuan-ti patrolling the borders of their domain. The half-elf was hauled away in slaver’s chains, but for some reason I was taken to the court of Jarant

desire to help his king build a nation whose status equals or outmatches other realms across the face of Faerûn. Jarant keeps him near, it is said, because of all the king’s courtiers, Dhosun is the

The Knucklebones Gang

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

build, fix, and drive infernal machines. At some point during their visit, the characters see the kenku angrily hammering on a nonfunctional Demon Grinder. It isn’t working, and they can’t figure out

Feywild, courtesy of powerful fey with whom she has struck bargains. For this reason, the night hag has no concern for the well-being of her redcap and madcap minions. See appendix D for more information

Waterdeep

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

Thayans and Baldurian merchants have coin enough to buy property within the city, if they choose, but that is no reason to award them noble titles and legal rights, instead of merely a mansion, for

city. North Ward. Home to many noble villas, townhouses, and a great many inns, North Ward is the neighborhood of the respectably wealthy. Sea Ward. Those whose fortunes are on the rise build their

Gods of the Orcs

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

their emotions and instincts rather than out of reason and logic. Only certain charismatic orcs, those who have been directly touched by the will and might of Gruumsh, have the capacity to control the

have typically already been taken into Yurtrus’s fold, and their bones are used to build furnishings and structures in the area of the lair dedicated to the worship of Yurtrus. Chosen of Yurtrus. Orcs

Uthgardt Lands

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

Gyrt. It was a tense meeting. I think the only reason I was not killed on sight is that I was an elf traveling alone. I think they feared I was a wizard. Uthgardt hate all magic but that of their

as elk, rothé, and deer. Young men and women looking to make a name for themselves sometimes build their reputations by hunting dangerous predators and great beasts: bears, great cats, large boar, and

Lair Locations

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

lizardfolk commoners (see appendix C) fight only if they are cornered. Otherwise, they escape to the nearest barracks (area 9), whose occupants return to the kitchen in the shortest possible time. If the

they are cornered. Otherwise, they escape to the nearest barracks (area 29), whose occupants return to the banquet hall in the shortest possible time. The cupboards contain extra mugs, platters, bowls

False Tomb

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

of the people of Bakar. The Tears of Athis arrived at the pyramid two days ago. They seek to restore the River Athis. Amun Sa built his tomb at the river’s source, so it stands to reason the secret

that I would not be cheated of my place in the great beyond. I would build a tomb to end all tombs—one that none could ever despoil.” Secret Door. The statue of Amun Sa conceals a secret door that

World-Shaking Events

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

revolutionaries. One of the rebellion’s prominent leaders — in some respects the face of the revolution — was driven by a personal reason for his or her part in events. Describe this person and state the

true reason he or she led the rebellion. What problem existed before the revolution that persists in spite of it? 6. Extinction or Depletion Something that once existed in the campaign world is gone

Roleplaying a Giant

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

castles that still drift across the sky. No one can build those majestic structures any longer. The methods of their construction were lost (along with much other knowledge) when Ostoria fell. Some

giants. Slaves: Labor-saving Devices It takes a lot of work to build and maintain a fire giant stronghold. Most of that effort comes not from the giants themselves, but from the slaves that they keep

City Celebrations

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

: Stoneshar Stoneshar is an all-faiths day during which folk strive not to be idle. Even children at play are encouraged to dig holes, build sand castles, or construct crude models. Waterdavians

reason to doubt your standing in the eyes of the law, avoid Waterdeep for at least a tenday after Howldown. With no real hunting to do of their own, the children of Waterdeep spend Howldown engaging in

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