before build draining conceal rather

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

dragonkind. Personality Sammaster presents a charming and handsome facade, but he can’t conceal his morbid fascination with undead dragonkind for long. His only true allies are the inner

efficiently as he can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence. Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps

Sammaster (Lich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

. Personality Sammaster presents a charming and handsome facade, but he can’t conceal his morbid fascination with undead dragonkind for long. His only true allies are the inner circle of the Cult of

can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence. Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps a magical soul

Way of Mercy Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

bring a swift end as an act of mercy. Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism

. Some might be gentle-voiced healers, beloved by their communities, while others might be masked bringers of macabre mercies. The walkers of this way usually don robes with deep cowls, and they often conceal their faces with masks, presenting themselves as the faceless bringers of life and death.

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Although the duchess's heart was in the right

, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep. But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

them like they were children’s books. It’s a useful talent, and one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather

Characteristics Charlatans are colorful characters who conceal their true selves behind the masks they construct. They reflect what people want to see, what they want to believe, and how they see the

Changeling Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

with people around them. Does the character conceal their true changeling nature? Do they embrace it? Do they have connections to other changelings or are they alone and in search of companions

specific purpose and then might never be used again. However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona with a history and beliefs. This

Aasimar Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the chance. When traveling, aasimar prefer hoods, closed helms, and other gear that allows them to conceal their identities. They nevertheless have no compunction about striking openly at evil. The

deadly foes. The radiant power they once commanded becomes corrupted into a horrid, draining magic. And their angelic guides abandon them. Even aasimar wholly dedicated to good sometimes feel torn

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

… oh my goodness, is that circlet made of silver? 7 I find the waking world tedious and mundane and would much rather spend my time asleep, in the realm of dreams. 8 I find the

1 A young moonstone dragon on the cusp of adulthood refuses to settle down and build a lair. To protect the local populace from the dragon’s chaotic activities, a minor deity sends a deva

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

build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves

Adult Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

illusions, allowing them to better conceal their treasures from prying eyes and divinations. Creating an Emerald Dragon Use the Emerald Dragon Personality Traits and Emerald Dragon Ideals tables to

pool that connects to the caldera lake via an underwater channel. When the volcano is active, the waters here bubble up into the caves before draining down nearby lava tubes. During especially active

Ancient Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

, allowing them to better conceal their treasures from prying eyes and divinations. Creating an Emerald Dragon Use the Emerald Dragon Personality Traits and Emerald Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your

before draining down nearby lava tubes. During especially active periods, the waters surge up into the nearest halls and corridors before draining away. Underwater Cache. The dragon stashes gold and

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

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

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

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

. QUICK BUILD You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score. Make Intelligence your next-highest if you want to excel at

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that

. Suggested Characteristics Charlatans are colorful characters who conceal their true selves behind the masks they construct. They reflect what people want to see, what they want to believe

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

journals or hidden away in someone’s mind. Even you might not be aware of all the reasons behind the missions you carry out. Sometimes a mission’s sole purpose is to conceal the

d6 Flaw 1 I like secrets so much that I’m reluctant to share details of a plan even with those who need to know. 2 I would let my friends die rather than reveal my true

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many

, 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

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries. QUICK BUILD You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability

A Threat Returns

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

year and before. Dean Tullus makes sure the rest of the faculty knows about Murgaxor’s threat to the university—a threat every professor takes seriously. Although the faculty is inclined to conceal this

student named Murgaxor was expelled long ago for using life-draining magic on his fellow students. Murgaxor was thought defeated, but clearly, he has somehow returned. The university staff doesn’t

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

to keep the knowledge fresh for new generations. When hobgoblins aren’t waging war, they farm, they build, and they practice both martial and arcane arts. These trappings of civil society do

little to conceal an underlying brutality that hobgoblins practice on each other and perfect upon other races. Punishment for infractions of hobgoblin law are swift and merciless. Beauty is something

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature

? Perhaps your homeland was befouled by evil, and you took up an adventuring life in hopes of finding a new home or purpose. QUICK BUILD You can make a druid quickly by following these suggestions

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

it was sabotage that destroyed my first laboratory and killed many of my friends, and I seek revenge against whoever did it. 4 I have the schematics for an invention that I hope to build one day

Encounter Pace and Tension

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

that structure in an adventure where the players control their characters’ actions, but you can use the encounters you plan to build tension toward a climax. Each encounter in an adventure is an

limited resources. Variety also contributes to a sense of escalating tension. Build variety into your encounters in three ways: Vary Encounter Type. Use a mix of social interaction, exploration, and

Studies and Philosophy

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

and decay. Its traditional name comes from the prominence of vampires within the college, whose conceptions of draining life through the vein have long proven an important counterweight to the growth

philosophy of Witherbloom. The decay philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than a good to be nourished for its own sake. Mages who adopt this view wield negative energy and

Origin of the Ordning

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

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

different kinds might not recognize each other as kindred at all. All these giants build a range of social structures in the same manifold ways other peoples do, without regard to an overarching ordning.

General Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

. It takes a successful DC 15 Strength check to break down a door that is barricaded shut. Floors. Cracked and uneven flagstones conceal a dirt floor underneath. Light. A small amount of natural light

“Cover” in the Basic Rules). DISGUISED CHARACTERS Rather than storm Cragmaw Castle with weapons in hand, clever characters might try to talk their way inside. For example, they might don the scarlet

Way of the Drunken Master

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

present what seems like an incompetent combatant who proves frustrating to engage. The drunken master’s erratic stumbles conceal a carefully executed dance of blocks, parries, advances, attacks, and

, you can move in sudden, swaying ways. You gain the following benefits. Leap to Your Feet. When you’re prone, you can stand up by spending 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed. Redirect

Siberys Dragonmarks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

doesn’t conceal the dragonmark’s ability or remain firmly aligned with the dragonmarked house is likely to become the target of assassins. The Boon of Siberys, described in the “Feats” section later

rather than species options. These feats belong to a special category, Dragonmark feats. Dragonmark magic works a little differently than before: now you can use any spell slots you have to cast the

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

Droaam

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

Droaam are learning to work together and finding ways to use their supernatural gifts to help build and sustain society. A medusa might use its petrifying gaze to preserve the life of an injured ally

until medical attention can be obtained. Harpies in the taverns of Droaam use their hypnotic songs to entertain rather than to harm. When you bring creatures from Droaam into the campaign, consider how

6. Captive Balor

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

black sphere holds the demon in place, and appears to be slowly draining away its essence. The balor Tarnhem is bound here by the magic of Acererak, who has fashioned a device from a sphere of

and is unmoored. It travels throughout the tomb at random, though is confined by the tomb’s magic to stay within its rooms and corridors rather than boring through the walls. This sphere can be

Life in the Sensa Empire

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

and craftspeople to build social and professional connections, better their craft, and organize for improved labor conditions. Each city-state has its own chapter of the guild that pushes back when

. Historically, rather than a single imperial line controlling the throne, each empress or emperor selects an heir from among the eldest children of each city-state’s monarch. While no law prevents rulers

Copper Dragon Lairs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Copper Dragon Lairs Copper dragons prefer dry uplands, hilltops, or mountainous foothills, where they build their lairs in caves, crags, or tunnels. Although sometimes natural, the passages and

walls in the lair can conceal cunning hidden passages or might be stone or clay thin enough for the dragon to burst through them. The narrowest tunnels in a copper dragon’s lair are just barely wide

50. Mirror of Life Trapping

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

the Dungeon Master’s Guide for the mirror’s statistics.) Rather than running combat with so many creatures, assume that only the invisible stalker and the troll attack the party initially. The other

invisible stalker and the troll. The stirge attacks A’tan, killing him in 1 round. After draining A’tan’s blood, the stirge flies away to digest its meal. The doppelganger tries to flee but doesn’t go far

NPC Stat Blocks

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

can build the NPC as you would a player character, as discussed in the Player’s Handbook. If you decide to build an NPC the same way you build a player character, you can skip choosing a background and

affect a monster’s challenge rating are listed in the Monster Features table. The NPC’s proficiency bonus is determined by its level, just like a character, rather than by its challenge rating. If the

Mogis's Villains

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

Mogis’s Villains Unquestionably, Mogis makes an excellent villain. His lust for bloodshed and willingness to fight all comers makes him easy to build a campaign around if you want a straightforward

associated with vicious monsters bent on wholesale destruction. He isn’t at all concerned with subtlety, but rather with creating mayhem. Adventures that bring characters into conflict with agents of

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