better bards down contain resolve

Zlan

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

Crenshinibon, better known as the Crystal Shard. Zlan Clervish was one of those seven liches, and that lich’s will predominates in the fused entity. All seven bodies are frozen together with ice and

direct action when an oblique or hidden action will suffice. Its plans always contain fallbacks and contingencies. One of these contingencies—one the other liches who constitute its new form failed

Quandrix Professor of Theory

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

probability to impede attacks and strike at the minds of their foes with lancing equations that disrupt the opponent’s resolve. Professors of theory hold that altering the way a person

interacts with the world can change the world. They impress upon their students to use magic as a tool to shape the overall experience of reality, and in turn make the world a better place. Quandrix

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation

still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

odds aren’t in their favor. A short retreat might be just the thing to reach a better tactical position, find allies, or to allow the yuan-ti the opportunity to study their opponents and

implement better tactics. Any enemy who chases a group of fleeing yuan-ti might be on the victorious side of a rout or could be heading into a trap; if the enemy has been encountered before, it is likely

Falthrax's Resolve

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

focusing on the positive aspects of his life and his service to knowledge. Though his struggles aren’t over, a new inner resolve promises to leave him in a better position to face those struggles.

Falthrax’s Resolve With the curse lifted, Falthrax Loderr is ready to return to Candlekeep. The experience of having sought and then rejected a magical return to youth has taught him much about

Music and Magic

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

Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain

. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of

Music and Magic

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

Music and Magic In the worlds of D&D, words and music are not just vibrations of air, but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song, speech, and the magic they contain

. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of

Adult Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours. (Any) 2 Kindred. All dragons are kin to one another

treasures with significant financial or sentimental value to the host dragon are stored away in the protected hoard, these tastefully appointed visitors’ chambers contain lesser treasures from

Ancient Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

1 Understanding. True power comes from the ability to discern other creatures’ motivations better than they can discern yours. (Any) 2 Kindred. All dragons are kin to one another, and

financial or sentimental value to the host dragon are stored away in the protected hoard, these tastefully appointed visitors’ chambers contain lesser treasures from inaccessible or storied locales

Ghost Stories

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

hauntings have a deep story, and the smallest details tell it. A simple locket or portrait might contain clues that explain a haunting. Personal ties give ghost stories weight. Consider tying the

heroes to spirits in ways they won’t predict, such as revealing that a phantasmal villain was a hero’s ancestor. Heroes are pure-hearted or unsuspecting individuals whose resolve is shaken by the story’s

Tiers of Play

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

hopes of striking a useful alliance. The tiers of play represent the ideal milestones for introducing new world-shaking events to the campaign. As the characters resolve one event, a new danger arises

about the details of the next tier as the characters approach it. Even better, as the campaign takes unexpected turns in response to the players’ choices, you don’t have to worry about redoing much work.

Frequency of Bastion Turns

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

in your Bastions. Go ahead and resolve six Bastion turns.” The characters return to their Bastions in the midst of an adventure. You might say, “You have just enough time to take a Bastion turn

take one now.” You can slow the frequency of Bastion turns to better serve the needs of your players and your campaign. For example, if the characters have months between adventures, you can call for

2. Unhappy Cultists

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

Stormlord to be forced into playing the part of glorified longshoremen. The cultists here (spies) number two per character, including sidekicks. A Better Offer? The party could avoid a fight here

if they understand the frustration of the cultists and go in immediately with a better offer. To get the dialogue started on a good note, one of the characters must approach the group and talk to them

Moral Quandaries

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

Moral Quandaries If you want to give the characters a crisis that no amount of spellcasting or swordplay can resolve, add a moral quandary to the adventure. A moral quandary is a problem of

Respect quandary Ally Quandary. The adventurers have a better chance of achieving their goal with the help of two individuals whose expertise is all but essential. However, these two NPCs hate each

Sun Elves

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

with other art forms, which produces the complex dance of the bladesingers as well as the enchanting music of their bards and the meticulous craftwork of their artisans. Sun elf adventurers often bring

a feeling of noblesse oblige to their profession: they venture out into the world to challenge its dangers because someone must, and who could be better suited?

Breaking the Archetypes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

clear why you make a great addition to any franchise. Cavalier An Acquisitions Incorporated franchise is a heady mix of adventuring and business, and both those pursuits require travel. Who better to

, providing a boon to your franchise’s standing in the community. Any franchise could do worse than having you as its public face — especially when your sense of quiet resolve is needed to quietly resolve some unexpected business disaster.

Modifying a Class

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

modify existing classes to better serve your game’s needs. Changing Proficiencies Changing a class’s proficiencies is a safe and simple way to modify a class to better reflect your world. Swapping

firmly in the world by associating the class with a particular race or culture. For example, you might decide that bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards represent the magical traditions of four

Faerie Dragon Treasures

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

cheap but sufficiently respectful tributes of food and shiny trinkets, though their tendency to “borrow” any random object that catches their eye means a faerie dragon nest might also contain items of

Fey associates. Though Nathair’s magical powers are far greater than those of most faerie dragons (thanks in part to highly developed dragonsight), Nathair still prefers to resolve conflict with

Chapter 3: Bestiary

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

; for example, the “Orcs” section contains stat blocks for various kinds of orcs, including tanarukks (demonic orcs). Immediately following this chapter are two appendices that contain additional stat

chapter, the lore and maps in chapter 1 might inspire you. Similarly, the racial traits in chapter 2 can be applied to the stat blocks in appendix B to create such memorable NPCs as goliath champions, kenku master thieves, and tabaxi bards.

11. Kitchen and Pantry

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

resolve!” A lesser restoration spell or similar magic restores Lorga’s sight. He offers no thanks to whoever rids him of the disability. As dour and pessimistic as any other duergar, he quickly finds

into the basin and mix with the blood pooling there (see “Regional Effects”). A stone plug covers the drainpipe in the bottom of the basin. 11b. Pantry Fifty gray sacks rest atop stone shelves carved into the walls of this 10-foot-high room. The sacks contain edible fungi and dried moss.

Ten-Towns Overview

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

of the towns contain trace evidence of the immigrant cultures that birthed them. This evidence is carved into houses, statues, and other fixtures. For example, the dinosaur carvings on the older

the cold wind to get the better of them. Auril’s winter spell has caused the population of Ten-Towns to dwindle and has heightened rivalries that have simmered for years, turning neighboring towns

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

earth are strong or weak, are bearing a load or are safe to excavate, or are likely to contain minerals or offer access to water. This ability enables them to fashion secure homes in places where other

provoke retaliatory attacks from the creatures they steal from. It’s better to be cautious and overlooked than to be considered dangerous and a threat. In a couple of situations, kobolds might

Immersive Storytelling

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

Immersive Storytelling Waterdeep is threatened by political turmoil. The adventurers must convince the Masked Lords, the city’s secret rulers, to resolve their differences, but can do so only after

against the player’s better judgment, because “that’s what the character would do.” Since combat isn’t the focus, game rules take a back seat to character development. Ability check modifiers and skill

Bruenor's Plan

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

what we know, and to get their backing for what it is I propose. Ye have braved the Underdark and lived to tell the tale. Ye know, better than anyone, what it is we face, but we need to know more

. He can provide ye with a map to Gravenhollow. It’s a legendary place built by the stone giants long ago, said to contain all the knowledge of the depths. If there’s answers to be found for what has

Bard

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

completely reasonable and plausible explanation. Singing songs and strumming lutes might be fine for most bards. Who doesn’t like a rousing shanty now and then? But standing in a crowded tavern playing for

copper pieces tossed by commoners isn’t for everyone — and it certainly isn’t for bards in the Acq Inc world. The power and magic tied up in the voice of a franchise bard is meant for greater things

End Simulation

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

an illusory exercise conducted in one of the academy’s simulation chambers—large circular spaces whose rune-scribed walls channel potent magical power, and which contain training versions of

has no better person to spearhead the training of raw recruits—and Tarto knows it. Never one to mince words (even when those words are directed toward those who outrank her), this old, grizzled

Orcs of the Shadow Marches

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

between these outsiders and the native orcs. Certain Marcher clans contain humans, orcs, and half-orcs in roughly equal numbers. When playing an orc or half-orc character from the Shadow Marches

. 7 The leader of your clan committed a great wrong against another clan, which has now sworn to exterminate every last member of your clan. What better time to see the world? 8 Your work as an investigator has set you upon a trail of mysteries that leads far beyond the Marches.

Gond

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

North dressed in saffron vestments, adorned with sashes that contain within their folds gears, locks, hooks, and bits of steel, tin, and wood that might prove useful in a pinch. They also wear belts of

a better paddock gate, dig a new well, or mend pots or furniture that might otherwise go to waste. All priests of Gond keep journals in which they record ideas, inventions, and innovations discovered

Roleplaying a Yuan-ti

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

Roleplaying a Yuan-ti When you’re roleplaying a yuan-ti, the following tables contain possible inspiration. They suggest characteristics that a yuan-ti might possess. Yuan-ti Personality Traits d8

I frequently overindulge in food and wine, and I am impaired and lethargic for days afterward. 4 I worship a forbidden god. 5 I secretly believe things would be better if I was in charge. 6 If I could get away with it, I would gladly kill and eat a superior yuan-ti.

Roleplaying a Beholder

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

Roleplaying a Beholder When you’re roleplaying a beholder, the following tables contain possible inspiration. They suggest characteristics that a beholder might possess. Until ye’ve come to know a

perfect as I am, I can strive to be even better. (Neutral) 6 Power. I will be secure when I rule over all. (Evil) Beholder Bonds d6 Bond 1 My followers are all spying on me, and I seek motivated

Decisionist

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

franchise party. Noteworthy Decisionists: Donaar Blit’zen (“C” Team), Kelshi Annab Essential Functions: Receive one extra vote on franchise matters; resolve interparty conflicts Position Proficiencies: In

in this capacity for years. When she leverages her coin of decisionry, glinting with its final, unswerving resolve, it is because she has heard all. The Decisonist Franchise Rank Features

Neo-Noir Intrigue

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

. There are ways to resolve these problems, but the answers aren’t always simple or obvious. There can certainly be times when decisions are straightforward. If the Emerald Claw is about to detonate a

better off under their rule. There are ancient and primordial forces at work in Eberron. But there are also misguided patriots, religious extremists, and dragonmarked houses looking to wring a few more

The Dispute

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

The Dispute By the time the characters reach Ialos, they should have met the pilgrims and the Cyran veterans. Both sides might ask the characters to intervene and resolve their dispute. Here is a

fund new, better lives for themselves. What Mercy Wants. Mercy regards Docents (and any other items intended for warforged use) as sacred. The pilgrims believe that such objects belong in the hands

Lorehold Student

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

Lorehold. Bards thrive in Lorehold, and wizards (particularly those of the School of Divination) are numerous among its students. Clerics (often with the Knowledge or Light domains) are also quite common

. The more obscure the historical references I can include in everyday conversation, the better. 2 By searching for these lost artifacts, I hope to find who I really am along the way. 3 I can barely go

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