best before driven concept resist

Shalvus Martholio

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

entrusted the shepherd Shalvus with an important assignment: to figure out the best way by which Goldenfields can be brought under the Black Network’s control. Shalvus believes that success will ensure

his swift rise through the Zhentarim ranks. Ideal: “I’ll do what it takes to prove myself to the Zhentarim.” Bond: “I love animals, and I’m very protective of them.” Flaw: “I can’t resist taking risks to feed my ambitions.”

Valenar High Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

to Khorvaire over the years and have integrated with the cultures of the Five Nations. As a whole, elves are driven by tradition and respect for the past. Where humans value innovation, elves strive

or clever? Whatever their nature, it’s your duty to follow their example. Is this something you proudly embrace, or do you resist it? Each patron ancestor is tied to many Valenar: do you have a

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

cloud giants in the ordning—the set of values and expectations that determines their rank in giant society—is driven by wealth. Those cloud giants foolish or unlucky enough to have their

work with ambitious humans, renegade elves, and greedy dwarves—all folk they see as properly civilized. They treat orcs, goblinoids, and other “barbarian” types as pesky vermin, best

Valenar Wood Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

to Khorvaire over the years and have integrated with the cultures of the Five Nations. As a whole, elves are driven by tradition and respect for the past. Where humans value innovation, elves strive

or clever? Whatever their nature, it’s your duty to follow their example. Is this something you proudly embrace, or do you resist it? Each patron ancestor is tied to many Valenar: do you have a

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

Demogorgon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

by a skull-shaped minaret. There, Demogorgon’s heads contemplate the mysteries of the arcane while arguing about how best to obliterate their rivals. The bulk of this palace extends deep

Demogorgon’s followers are typically lone killers driven by the whispering voice of their master. His most blessed followers gain the Two Minds of Chaos trait. Two Minds of Chaos. This creature

Satyr

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of the fey realm has given them an innate ability to perform, to delight, and to resist magical intrusion. While they’re usually found in the Feywild, satyrs do wander to other planes of

, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Star Spawn Hulk

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

seer nearby. A hulk appears to have little will of its own and is driven to protect its master. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best

Satyr Legacy

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Satyrs have a well-earned reputation for their good spirits, gregarious personalities, and love of revels. Most satyrs are driven by simple desires, to see the world and to sample its every pleasure

importantly—it feels really good. Driven by instinct and intuition, most satyrs prove unpredictable, following their sense of wonder wherever it leads. Very Odd Indeed Satyrs are known for their

Ancient Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

cannot resist a game of dragonchess—which, I will have you know, my ancestors probably invented. 8 The sight of blood makes me queasy. Sapphire Dragon Ideals d6

honeycombs of hidden passages, deceptively thin walls, and secret chambers that allow them to traverse the entire lair without ever being seen by intruders. The best-defended sapphire dragon lairs have no

Orzhov Representative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

concentrates the spoils at the top of the hierarchy. As a functionary in that system, your best hope is to claim as much as possible of the money that passes through your hands on its way up, so that

and wealth. (Evil) 5 Stability. The economy functions best when chaos is kept under control and everyone knows their place. (Lawful) 6 Eternity. I want to live forever — in

Hobgoblin

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Hobgoblins trace their origins to the ancient courts of the Feywild, where they first appeared with their goblin and bugbear kin. Many of them were driven from the Feywild by the conquering god

the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

, Dragons of Autumn Twilight Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither, half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity

, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in

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

; but what you learn you pass on to the Guild. 4 The inequality of Baldur’s Gate has driven you to take matters into your own hands. You steal from patriars and rich Lower City residents

Flaws Legacy

Rules

Your character's flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness—in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests

. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What's the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices?

Archaeologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

century old. Suggested Characteristics Few archaeologists can resist the lure of an unexplored ruin or dungeon, particularly if such a site is the source of legends or is rumored to contain

disappeared on an expedition some time ago. 3 I have a friendly rival. Only one of us can be the best, and I aim to prove it’s me. 4 I won’t sell an art object or other treasure that

A Bard's Muse

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

versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse — a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience. A bard who

follows a muse generally does so to gain a deeper understanding of what that muse represents and how to best convey that understanding to others through performance. If your bard character has a muse, it

Adult Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

they do, they obviously cheated. 6 Any creature that can hold their own against me must teach me how—whether they want to or not. 7 I cannot resist a game of dragonchess—which

, and secret chambers that allow them to traverse the entire lair without ever being seen by intruders. The best-defended sapphire dragon lairs have no easily accessible entrances or exits at all, and

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Introduction Dragon fire threatens to consume Faerûn! Do you dare oppose the Cult of the Dragon and resist the might of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons? Welcome to Tyranny of Dragons. This book collects

coming of Tiamat. As events unfold, dragons rampage across the Sword Coast, serving at the vanguard of a legion of cultists, fiends, and worse. To oppose these forces, new heroes must rise and resist

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Introduction Dragon fire threatens to consume Faerûn! Do you dare oppose the Cult of the Dragon and resist the might of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons? Welcome to Tyranny of Dragons. This book collects two

coming of Tiamat. As events unfold, dragons rampage across the Sword Coast, serving at the vanguard of a legion of cultists, fiends, and worse. To oppose these forces, new heroes must rise and resist them

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

Introduction Dragon fire threatens to consume Faerûn! Do you dare oppose the Cult of the Dragon and resist the might of Tiamat, Queen of Dragons? Welcome to Tyranny of Dragons. This book collects

coming of Tiamat. As events unfold, dragons rampage across the Sword Coast, serving at the vanguard of a legion of cultists, fiends, and worse. To oppose these forces, new heroes must rise and resist

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; animosity, gnomes tend to avoid or abandon settlements that have a severe infestation of kobolds, and conversely kobolds are usually driven out of communities that have a large gnome population

actions contribute to the survival of the group. The tribe practices for the eventuality of defending the lair against intruders, and their plans always include knowing the best escape routes and who is

Treasure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

Treasure Just as they must ensure sufficient supplies for all the NPCs, the characters need to think about how best to share the spoils of encounters and adventures with their followers. Although the

, whether NPCs stealing from spoils not yet divided, stealing from the adventurers, or stealing from each other. Such theft might be driven by sheer greed, or it could be a manifestation of madness. A

Nymmurh

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

potential of humanoids is partly driven by his affection for and protection of the noble Silmerhelve human family in Waterdeep (including Dala Silmerhelve; see “Chapter 9:Council of Waterdeep”). Desire

. Nymmurh would like to help the factions, looking to the Harpers and the Order of the Gauntlet as epitomizing the best traits of humanoid aspiration. Attitude. Unless the party has engaged in

Cosmic Horror

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

emerges through imagination and the indescribable, not details. At its best, cosmic horror makes characters feel gradually unmoored from their familiar reality. Cosmic horror is about ineffable forces

driven by motivations humans can’t understand. Cults, forbidden books, and strange symbols form the cornerstones of cosmic horror. The genre has a history of framing marginalized demographics as monstrous and stigmatizing mental illness. Be aware and avoid those tropes.

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all. Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership

time. People there tend to be less accepting of differences. Sometimes a cold shoulder and a suspicious glare are the best genasi can hope for; in more backward places, they face ostracism and even

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

portable! 2 You sleep best while mostly submerged in water. 3 Money is meaningless to you. 4 You think there are only two species of humanoid: lizardfolk and meat. 5 You have

Epic Fantasy

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

and evil as a prominent element of the game, with the adventurers more or less squarely on the side of good. These characters are heroes in the best sense, driven by a higher purpose than selfish

Nymmurh

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

potential of humanoids is partly driven by his affection for and protection of the noble Silmerhelve human family in Waterdeep (including Dala Silmerhelve; see “Chapter 9: Council of Waterdeep

”). Desire. Nymmurh would like to help the factions, looking to the Harpers and the Order of the Gauntlet as epitomizing the best traits of humanoid aspiration. Attitude. Unless the party has engaged in

Kas the Betrayer

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

made for him (the Sword of Kas, described in chapter 7) by his liege. But the evil sword convinced Kas to betray Vecna, and now Kas is driven primarily by his hatred for his former lord. Keraptis

figure best known as the Worm That Walks. Kyuss manifests on the Material Plane as a colossal mass of maggots and worms animated by a single evil will. HELGE C. BALZER Kyuss

Evil Inchoate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

absolute evil, demons have no concept of empathy. Each demon believes that only its needs and desires matter. This self-centeredness applies even with regard to other demons. These fiends have no

demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the cosmos. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. In due time, the laws of the universe will

Personal Characteristics

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What’s the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified

background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character’s

The Caer

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

that they were unable to resist when the orcs scaled the castle walls. Thus, the Dinev family’s brief rule in Icewind Dale came to a bloody end. The Caer remained in the orcs’ possession for several

years, until they were driven out by a small army of human settlers from other parts of the dale who banded together. The victors claimed the castle and its lands, and those with families brought them

Circles

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

with this new and unusual concept, swayed by Phylo’s claims that a higher level of communal harmony will be achieved. Basidia believes that Phylo’s separation of the circles is contrary to the unity and

, with many blissfully welcoming her madness, while others bravely try to resist it. Myconids affected by Zuggtmoy abandon the growth of life as the core of their being in favor of decay and death. More

Shar

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

drawn to serve Shar often nurture their own deep wounds or dark secrets, which in their minds makes them best suited to console those who suffer from a similar ill. Throughout the world’s history, many

followers have caused many places to outlaw her worship and thus driven most of her priests into secrecy, but such prohibitions only heighten the priests’ umbrage at authorities and make the faithful a focal point for rebellion and revenge against whoever rules.

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