before building detail continue reflection

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

knowledge of anatomy to use by narrating the injuries my enemies suffer in grisly detail. 8 Like a wild animal, I lash out viciously when I’m provoked — and I’m easily provoked

. Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Guild. My guild is all that really matters. (Any) 2 Stoicism. All of us are part of the cyclical march of nature, which will continue with

Passages

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

, but the width of the passage must be at least 5 feet smaller than the longest dimension of the chamber. Passage d20 Detail 1–2 Continue straight 30 ft., no doors or side passages 3 Continue

straight 20 ft., door to the right, then an additional 10 ft. ahead 4 Continue straight 20 ft., door to the left, then an additional 10 ft. ahead 5 Continue straight 20 ft.; passage ends in a door 6–7

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. 3 I’m eager to explain every detail of my most intricate experiments and theories to anyone who shows the least bit of interest. 4 I assume that everyone needs even the most basic

1 I helped create a krasis that I love like a pet and would carry with me everywhere … except it’s the size of a building, and it might eat me. 2 In my laboratory, I

Starting Location

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

Free City of Greyhawk, described later in this chapter, is an ideal starting location and illustrates the kinds of things to consider as you detail a starting location. If you’re building your own

Starting Location Begin your campaign in a location you can detail, such as a village, a neighborhood in a larger city, an outpost, or a roadside tavern. Be prepared to give players enough

Random Buildings

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

, roll on the Building Type table. Then roll on the table corresponding to that building to add further detail. If a roll makes no sense considering where the characters are (such as a lavish mansion

Random Buildings Pulse-pounding chases and harrowing escapes within the confines of a town or city can sometimes force characters to dash into buildings. When you need to flesh out a building quickly

First Session: Character Creation

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

First Session: Character Creation Dungeons & Dragons is a game that requires several hours to play, but you can stop the game at any time and continue it later. The first session should focus on

, congratulate them on building their characters and begin the adventure with the next session. During character creation, your role as the DM is to let your players build the characters they want, and to help

Purpose

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

Purpose A settlement exists primarily to facilitate the story and fun of your campaign. Other than that point, the settlement’s purpose determines the amount of detail you put into it. Create only

of the inn where the characters spend the night, the mannerisms of the shopkeeper they buy supplies from — you can add this level of detail, but you don’t have to. If the characters return to the same

1. Create a Home Base

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

1. Create a Home Base See the “Settlements” section earlier in this chapter for guidance on building this settlement. A small town or village at the edge of the wilderness serves as a fine home base

reasons (legitimate or otherwise), throwing them into the midst of the adventure. For each of these steps, give the locations only as much detail as they need. You don’t need to identify every

The Enemy of My Enemy

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

MARAUDERS ARE ATTACKING PATRONS FLEAING THE BURNING BUILDING! Will the Sharn Watch investigate this vicious assault not just upon our city, but upon the dragonmarked houses themselves? Or will they

continue to ignore the crime running rampant in our lower wards? Or, as too often seems to happen these days, will some disreputable inquisitives, working for a private agency, accomplish more than the

Hungry Ogres

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

PHANDALIN Since this adventure and the ones that follow were designed to continue the story of Dragon of Icespire Peak, there’s a good chance your players have already interacted with the NPCs in the town

learn more about the town in the D&D Starter Set or D&D Essentials Kit. If you do not wish to purchase any products that detail Phandalin, you can create your own Phandalin based on the areas described in this adventure.

What Caused the Mourning?

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

the result of a century of extensive use of war magic. If the nations continue to use these magics, the Mourning will expand. The dragonmarked House Cannith made a fortune selling magical weapons to

Mournland and building its power, but soon it will be ready to act. As a DM, the question you need to ask is whether you want the mystery of the Mourning to be solved, and what the consequences would be

Making a Plan

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

the ground. (This tower is detailed in the “Threshold of the Heavens” section.) Occupied Mansion. Small patrols come and go from a ruined mansion a third of the way across the city. (This building is

Spire at the city’s center and find the Dragon Army’s leaders (see “Threshold of the Heavens”). Use the following sections to further detail the ruins as much as you please. This chapter concludes at

Approaching the Vineyard

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

trail, which skirts north of a sprawling vineyard before bending south toward a stately building. The fog takes on ghostly forms as it swirls between the neatly tended rows of grapevines. Here and

beckoning figure is one of nine wereravens (LG male and female humans) hiding in the grove north of the vineyard. If the characters ignore the cloaked figure and continue on to the winery, the wereravens keep their distance and wait to see what happens.

Approaching the Winery

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

Approaching the Winery If the characters continue toward the winery, read: Situated in the midst of the vineyard, the winery is an old, two-story stone building with multiple entrances, thick ivy

Golems

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

the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The comprehensive illustrations and instructions in a manual detail the process for creating a golem of a particular type. “Beyond the unopenable doors lay a grand hall

.” — Mordenkainen the Archmage, chronicling his party’s harrowing exploits in the dungeons below Maure Castle Elemental Spirit in Material Form. The construction of a golem begins with the building

Xanthoria's Defeat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

Xanthoria’s Defeat Once Xanthoria is defeated, the characters find the last few pages of her notes among her possessions. They detail her growing obsession with undead and her success at turning

the final rest that she deserves. The destruction of Xanthoria and her phylactery halts the spread of the saprophytic plague. Creatures infected by the plague continue to suffer its effects but no

DM Tips

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

something, correct yourself and move on. No one expects you to memorize every rule or detail. Even if you don’t realize your mistake until after a game session is over, it’s OK to acknowledge the mistake

game and keep track of your campaign. These sheets are also available for download in appendix C. Encounter-Building Assistance. The rules for estimating the difficulty of combat encounters have

Puzzle Features

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

Puzzle Features Even after observing the building from all angles, characters only see members entering through the one door after speaking to the guard. Door The door is made of oak reinforced with

unauthorized people try to open or bypass the door, calling six more guards to help defend the entrance. Members If the characters continue watching the door, they see up to four more visitors approach

20. Drow Town

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

be empty rooms. The rest are described below. 20a. Kitchen Odor. The smell of meat stew wafts from this building. Servants and Guards. Inside, a manacled bugbear and three goblins shackled together

Quarters Two male drow guards named Krivven and Yazdriirn stand outside the door. They deny entry to all but T’rissa and immediately attack intruders. The building holds the following features: Stuffed

Event-Based Adventures

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

importance. Building an event-based adventure is more work than building a location-based one, but the process can be simplified by following a number of straightforward steps. Several steps include tables

steps the villain takes to achieve its goals. Create a timeline showing what the villain does and when, assuming no interference from the adventurers. Building on the previous example, you might

Campaign Characters

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

from a character’s backstory. As characters continue to adventure, they’ll find different goals to pursue, such as finding a lost relic, honoring an ancestor, avenging a fallen mentor, or defeating a

might appear in the campaign. Should these background characters become important to the campaign, work with the player to develop them in detail. Revealing a character’s lost sibling or childhood

Getting Players Invested

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

back favorites from earlier in the campaign for the occasional cameo. Player Favorites It’s often easier to describe people and places that are hostile or frightening than it is to detail a feature

a character’s player directly, but instead consider handing over your narrative reins and letting a player describe the perfect detail. For example, say you have a peaceful village you plan to feature

Caves of Hunger Locations (H22-H31)

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

here that they are no longer on track to find Ythryn. Their only options are to return to the Caves of Hunger or continue exploring the Underdark. The latter option is beyond the scope of this

-high ceiling of this cavern is a forest of icicles, some of which have grown to a length of five feet or more. Embedded in the south wall is a cylindrical, domed building made of seamless black stone

Escape from Vogler

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

crewed by four baaz draconians (see appendix B). This battle takes place in front of Vogler’s wharf, depicted on map 3.3. The “Vogler Battlefield Features” and “Vogler Battlefield Events” sections detail

load, aim, and fire the boilerdrak at the Wharfinger’s Office—the structure at the north of the map. The building rapidly catches fire. Characters who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check or

M10. Treasury

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

M10. Treasury This solitary building is set atop a small floating islet within an area of open space punched down through the main body of the monastery’s island. It is held aloft on its own

with any creatures still inside it. The journal can be safely opened by the brain in a jar, or with a successful DC 18 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools. Its pages detail how Kwalish continued his

Aftermath of War

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

Aftermath of War Far from the front lines, Sharn never fell under siege during the Last War. Regardless, the war’s impacts affected the city’s citizens and continue to even today. Physical Damage

form of a shattered bridge, a building collapsed by an arcane explosion, or an area some say is haunted because of the large number of people killed there during the war. Psychological Scars There are

The Mourning

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

vast open grave. In that horrific landscape, vile magical effects linger, and monsters mutate into even more foul and horrible creatures. Magical effects continue to rain upon the land as storms that

never dissipate. Stories speak of living spells—war magic that has taken physical form, sentient fireballs and vile cloudkills that endlessly search for new victims. And angry ghosts continue to fight

Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

first laboratory, building planar gates of his own design. Testing one such gate as it forged a connection to the Nine Hells attracted the attention of a bone devil. Trailing Kwalish back across the

originally sought. The site’s isolation made it a suitable place for him to continue his research. However, its populace turned out not to be creatures of glass as the legends suggested, but clans of kenku

More Downtime Activities

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

particular backgrounds and interests of the adventurers, you can make some or all of the following additional activities available as options. Building a Stronghold A character can spend time between

adventures building a stronghold. Before work can begin, the character must acquire a plot of land. If the estate lies within a kingdom or similar domain, the character will need a royal charter (a legal

Adventure Setting

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

Yourself When you’re preparing an adventure to run for your friends, you don’t need to write hundreds of pages describing each location in exhaustive detail. You can run a game with no more written

of the location you have in mind. Map Inspiration. The internet is a great place to find adventure maps that have been made available, as well as real-world building floor plans and city maps and other

Horror Pacing

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

of calm. The best horror adventures are like roller coasters, ratcheting up suspense and releasing it before building toward the next harrowing moment. Also, mix up social interaction, exploration

characters are thinking, feeling, or fixating on. Detail the ways objects could be used violently, words could be lies, and shadows could hide monsters. Ask players what they think is the worst possible

Running the Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a6

Running the Adventure As with the previous adventures in this series, it is up to you to add to the considerable detail given herein, filling in any needed information to color the whole and bring it

to life. You, as Dungeon Master, must continue to improvise and create, for your players will certainly desire more specifics, seek to do things not provided for herein, and generally defy

6. Moa's Shrine

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

god Moa (represented by a jaculi) contains one of nine puzzle cubes needed to enter the Tomb of the Nine Gods. 6A. Shrine Entrance Palm trees grow in front of this squat building, and worn steps ascend

the surrounding walls, aiming bows at the pedestal. The floor in front of the pedestal bears a mosaic depicting a monstrous serpent constricting a furious monkey. Moss obscures much of the detail

Inner Circles

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

having an agent of the Harpers approach the party and suggest that they visit Moongleam Tower, particularly if they’re looking for a faster mode of travel. Moongleam Tower is described in more detail

of Yartar that was about to be torn down. Behind the dilapidated building is a 40-foot-square garden patio enclosed by an 8-foot-high wall of ivy-covered stone. A hallucinatory terrain spell conceals

Dragon's Flight Path

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

building unharmed. The Eastside is only partially damaged and remains open for business after the dragon’s attack. The Blue Clam is destroyed, as are most of Termalaine’s docks and boats. Casualties

five hundred people flee to Targos and continue to Bryn Shander, while the rest (including Speaker Masthew) remain holed up in the mines. Dragon Damage. The attack on Termalaine reduces the dragon’s

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