before building diffusing come run

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

Charity. I distribute the money I acquire to the people who really need it. (Good) 4 Creativity. I never run the same con twice. (Chaotic) 5 Friendship. Material goods come and go. Bonds of

weakness and secure their fortunes. 4 I put on new identities like clothes. 5 I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners. 6 I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard

Bavlorna Blightstraw

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

moment, is all that matters.” Bond. “I’m safe in my cottage. Why should I leave it when I can make others come to me?" Flaw. “Watching someone run widdershins makes me sneeze

within 10 feet of Bavlorna uses at least 10 feet of movement to run in place counterclockwise, Bavlorna is overcome by a fit of sneezing and can’t cast spells until the end of her next turn. In

Spring Eladrin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

dinner, come with an empty stomach. Their goodwill extends to heaping portions. Note to self: send some of my spring eladrin friends to visit Mordenkainen. That’ll teach him to lighten up. TASHA

others run through the emotional spectrum each week. Changeable Natures Whenever one of the eladrin presented here finishes a long rest, they can associate themself with a different season, provided

Autumn Eladrin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

by feelings of goodwill. In this aspect, they defuse conflicts and alleviate suffering by using their magic to relieve any ailments that afflict the people who come to them for aid. They tolerate no

violence in their presence and move quickly to settle disputes, to ensure that peace continues to reign. If an autumn eladrin invites you over for dinner, come with an empty stomach. Their goodwill

Rahadin

Monsters Curse of Strahd

his attention to building Castle Ravenloft, Rahadin saw to it that wizards and artisans were brought to Barovia. Years later, Strahd appointed Rahadin his castle chamberlain. Rahadin was pleased to do

never love her. Rahadin assumed that Patrina would suffer the same fate as those women who had come before her. He was proven wrong when Patrina's own people stoned her to death to keep Strahd from

Topaz Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

visibly in the gem-like spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back, dancing and shifting with the dragon

, their favorite food is giant squid, so these dragons have ample opportunity to complain bitterly about being wet after diving deep into the ocean in search of prey. Topaz dragons often come into

Young Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back, dancing and shifting with the dragon’s mood. Embodiment of

squid, so these dragons have ample opportunity to complain bitterly about being wet after diving deep into the ocean in search of prey. Topaz dragons often come into conflict with bronze dragons when

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

bear or boar: stoic, stubborn, and thick-skinned. Longtooth shifters typically have lupine traits and prefer to run with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could

. The Journey Yet to Come Shifters have a strong presence in the Eldeen Reaches but can be found in rural areas across Khorvaire, where they often live among humans. While they form powerful bonds

Eladrin Legacy

Species Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

Everything dies eventually. Why bother building anything that is supposedly meant to last? 2 Nothing matters to you, and you allow others to guide your actions. 3 Your needs come first. In

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

basic knowledge of the structure of buildings, including the stuff behind the walls. You can also find blueprints of a specific building in order to learn the details of its construction. Such

suspension. 7 Great ideas are fine, but great results are what counts. 8 If you can guess what I’m about to do, that means I’ve run out of imagination. Ideals d6

Pirate Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? You spent your youth

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of

will run away from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I&rsquo

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When kobolds sense an opportunity to separate a magic item from its

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

board—boatswain, captain, navigator, cook, or some other position? Who were the captain and first mate? Did you leave your ship on good terms with your fellows, or on the run? Skill

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. 5 I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners. 6 I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard-earned money. FEATURE: FALSE IDENTITY You have created a second

insults are my weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

and worse, so you know you can count on them in a fight. — Brego Stoneheart, sea captain Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the

remote even merfolk and sea elves rarely encounter them. Haughty Nobles As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the Material Plane, tritons can come across as haughty and

Creating Encounters

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

to run. Beyond that, a well-crafted encounter usually has a straightforward objective as well as some connection to the overarching story of your campaign, building on the encounters that precede it

while foreshadowing encounters yet to come. An encounter has one of three possible outcomes: the characters succeed, the characters partly succeed, or the characters fail. The encounter needs to

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

power manifests visibly in the gem-like spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back, dancing and shifting with

come into conflict with bronze dragons when their coastal territories overlap, and they can nurture an inexplicably intense hatred of these metallic dragons. They can also draw the ire of druids and

Haunted One

Backgrounds Curse of Strahd: Character Options

You are haunted by something so terrible that you dare not speak of it. You’ve tried to bury it and run away from it, to no avail. Whatever this thing is that haunts you can’t be slain

with a sword or banished with a spell. It might come to you as a shadow on the wall, a bloodcurdling nightmare, a memory that refuses to die, or a demonic whisper in the dark. The burden has taken its

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your

fellows, or on the run? Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception Tool Proficiencies: Navigator’s tools, vehicles (water) Equipment: A belaying pin (club), 50 feet of silk rope, a lucky

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

dragon’s psionic power manifests visibly in the gem-like spines that run in a ridge from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. These spines hover above a living topaz dragon’s back

. Topaz dragons often come into conflict with bronze dragons when their coastal territories overlap, and they can nurture an inexplicably intense hatred of these metallic dragons. They can also draw

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

the moss-covered building where I took part in my first reclamation mission. 5 I found something in the sewer that must never come to light. 6 I am forever grateful to the reclaimer who

bother to couch my opinions in flattering words. 5 I can’t help but pocket any trinket or coin I come across, no matter how worthless. 6 I’m convinced that I’m better and

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

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

fungus field. 5 I can’t fathom what could have made my childhood friend run off and join the Gruul. 6 I love comparing notes with my friend in the Izzet, though our fields of research are

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take

tail and run when things look bad. 6 An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

at the burned-out building, a sudden cacophony erupted around us. Birds squawked, cats hissed, and dogs growled. Lidda hustled us back to the city’s safer avenues. Only when we were back within

kenku, constant attempts to mimic noises can come across as confusing or irritating rather than entertaining. You can just as easily describe the sounds your character makes and what they mean. Be clear

Joint DMs

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

characters step out of the action when their players take their turns as DM. Joint DMs can also team up to run each session of a campaign, with each DM focusing on the aspects of the game they most

enjoy or the DMs trading focus from session to session. One DM might run combat description and keep a battle moving while the other focuses on miniatures and music. The two DMs can play two different

Redbrand Ruffians Appear

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

the townsfolk, they might decide to confront the Redbrands. When they do, run the “Redbrand Ruffians” encounter. Alternatively, if the characters are reluctant to seek out the ruffians, the Redbrands can come looking for them at a time of your choosing.

Redbrand Ruffians Appear You can decide when the characters run into the Redbrands, the criminal gang that runs Phandalin. After the characters have visited several locations in town and talked to

Session Zero

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

run a special session—colloquially called session zero—to establish expectations, outline the terms of a social contract, and share house rules. Making and sticking to these rules can help ensure

that the game is a fun experience for everyone involved. Often a session zero includes building characters together. As the DM, you can help players during the character creation process by advising them to select options that will serve the adventure or campaign that awaits.

Campaign Models

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

Campaign Models Chapters 4, 5, and 6 provide tools to help DMs start an Eberron campaign quickly and easily. Each chapter describes one flavor of campaign you might run in Eberron—the gritty life of

an inquisitive on the mean streets of Sharn, high-stakes intrigue among the dragonmarked houses, and the rollicking adventures of scholarly explorers from Morgrave University. Building on the tools

Play Style

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

Play Style By building a new world (or adopting an existing one) and creating the key events that launch your campaign, you determined what your campaign is about. Next, you have to decide how you

want to run your campaign. What’s the right way to run a campaign? That depends on your play style and the motivations of your players. Consider your players’ tastes, your strengths as a DM, table

Arrival at the Bathhouse

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

Arrival at the Bathhouse When the characters arrive at the bathhouse, read the following boxed text aloud to the players: The bathhouse is a one-story stuccoed building with stained-glass windows and

clay roof tiles. Ten-foot-tall walls enclose a large courtyard outside the southeast corner of the building. The closed wooden doors to the courtyard are engraved with images of smiling nymphs

23. Desecrated Sanctuary

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

23. Desecrated Sanctuary This windowless stone building was set aside for cult initiates. The building has lighting and plumbing (see the “Lighting and Plumbing” sidebar). 23a. Hall of Prayer Boars

on a tapestry restores its value (25 gp). 23b. Initiates’ Quarters Furnishings. Eight rows of bunk beds stacked four high run the length of this room. Wreckage. Along the walls are piles of

Undead Attack

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

zombie per player character, and 1 wraith per every two characters (rounded down), excluding sidekicks. The zombies are the only ones attacking the building. The wraiths come out of the darkness after

Undead Attack This encounter occurs at night. As the characters approach the junction of the Triboar Trail and the High Road, set the scene: An oddly shaped building sits at the juncture of the

Chapter 2: Dungeon Master's Tools

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

. The chapter opens with optional rules meant to help you run certain parts of the game more smoothly. The chapter then goes into greater depth on several topics — encounter building, random encounters

doesn’t help you, and don’t hesitate to customize the things that you do use. The game’s rules exist to serve you and the games you run. As always, make them your own.

Vault Guards

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

interior guards, the party has the run of the building until the next shift’s guards show up. However, the three guards outside the building remain alert to loud noises inside the vault and enter the

guards are posted on the balcony and one guard patrols around the outside of the building at ground level. A character can avoid the notice of the exterior guards with a successful DC 12 Dexterity

D&D Beyond

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