better both down contain reason

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

Vertebrae Sword

Equipment

The jagged vertebrae sword of a fishfolk warrior can barely be called a sword. Locals would say it’s better described as a makeshift weapon crafted from a fish skeleton and sea trash. Its poor

construction is the reason it’s not often a weapon seen on land, though when used by a skilled fighter, it most certainly can be a formidable tool. When you successfully hit a creature with a

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and insults are my

there, I have a child who doesn’t know me. I’m making the world better for him or her. 4 I come from a noble family, and one day I’ll reclaim my lands and title from those who

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

put to use when building forts to contain their offspring. Although they spend a considerable portion of their lives in isolation, tortles are social creatures that like to form meaningful

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

’ presence is marked by an absence of animals and a strange quiet, as if the forest wishes to avoid attracting attention to itself. The faster travelers decide to move on, the better. If these

Reason for Adventuring 1 Outcast for murder 2 Outcast for severely damaging home territory 3 Clan slain by invading humanoids 4 Clan slain by a dragon or demon 5

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. d6 Reason d6 Reason 1 Emissary 4 Pilgrim

hundreds of miles of the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. No one from your nation makes the effort to cross such colossal barriers without a convincing reason. You must fear something truly

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

learned to laugh. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades. 6 You still don’t understand how metaphors work. That doesn’t stop

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

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

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

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale from the rest of the world, and a shroud of mist

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

want. 4 I’m a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and

. 3 Somewhere out there, I have a child who doesn’t know me. I’m making the world better for him or her. 4 I come from a noble family, and one day I’ll reclaim my lands and

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

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

, consider what circumstances brought you into the wider world. The Leaving the Shadow Marches table offers some inspiration. Leaving the Shadow Marches d8 Reason for Leaving 1 You’re associated with

Lizardfolk Personality

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

waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and 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 learned to laugh. You use this talent in response to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades. 6 You still don’t understand how

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

Beginning the Adventure

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

. Although magic has proven effective at ridding individuals of the spore infection, the plague is spreading too quickly to contain. Creatures that become infected fall ill with a fever and sprout disgusting

foodstuffs to puddles of ooze. Humanoids infected with the plague drone the word “Xanthoria” over and over for no discernible reason before death finally claims them. You have determined that there’s a

Using the Golden Vault

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

profane entity. Four adventurers hired to retrieve the book from Delphi Mansion have disappeared without a trace. We have good reason to believe they’re dead. This quest, should you choose to undertake

it, requires you to travel to Delphi Mansion and retrieve The Celestial Codex. May you fare better than the last group. Good luck, operatives.” Closing the music box causes the golden key to vanish.

Breaking the Law

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

, and murder are severe, regardless of the reason for the crime. If the characters express interest in knowing more about crimes and punishments in Waterdeep, give them the Code Legal handout in

could end with one or more of the characters being exiled, sentenced to several years of hard labor, imprisoned, or put to death. If that’s how their adventure ends, so be it. Hopefully, your next group will fare better.

Old Sharn

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

Halas Tarkanan and his consort, the Lady of the Plague. It is said that vile powers still linger in these ruins, and for this reason King Galifar I had all the passages to this undercity sealed with

secrets of the past. No one knows exactly what lurks in Old Sharn. The ruins could contain ghosts or other undead, the vengeful spirits of the aberrant-marked people who took refuge in the fallen city

Chapter 5: Spring Madness

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Chapter 5: Spring Madness Xanathar has let its paranoia get the better of it, and the beholder trusts no one. The Stone of Golorr disappeared from its lair while it was brokering a deal that would

has access to lair actions, and characters might encounter the beholder’s regional effects as well. Characters who don’t visit Xanathar’s lair in the course of this adventure might have reason to do

Personalities

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and portable! 2 You sleep best while mostly submerged in water

to all emotional situations, to better fit in with your comrades. 6 You still don’t understand how metaphors work. This doesn’t stop you from trying to use them at every opportunity. 7 You appreciate

The Codicil and the Orb

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

. Vellynne has every reason to believe that both items are currently on an island in the Sea of Moving Ice. The Codicil Vellynne describes this book as follows: “Written and guarded by Auril’s followers

, The Codicil of White is rumored to contain a spell or ritual that can carve a passage through the Reghed Glacier, under which the lost city Ythryn is buried. Divination magic has revealed that the book

The Long Road

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

unknown organization seems to be at work in Yartar. None of the reports that reach the Bargewright Inn contain any hint of the truth, but the troublemakers are members of the Kraken Society, trying to

a rich target to anyone in this part of the North. For the same reason, the Zhents dare not hire the retired bodyguards, adventurers, and mercenaries who live in and around Beliard, for fear rumors might spread all over the Dessarin Valley about a pay caravan.

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

Chapter 2: Raiders' Camp

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

heavily on his bandaged left leg. “I hear that you intend to follow the raiders and see where they’ve gone. I’d like nothing better than to come with you, but in this condition, I’d slow you down. In the

midst of all this tragedy, there’s no reason you would have heard about the fate of my master, Leosin Erlanthar, but it’s important you know. He is a monk from Berdusk. He disappeared last night

Traversing Wreck Segments

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

between the segments contain a multitude of hungry astral predators. The creatures trapped in the segments don’t traverse the wreck for this reason. When the characters enter one of these areas, roll on

Templars of the Silver Flame

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

knights are operating and what they are doing, but this system works better in some places—and between some commanders—than others. Allies. The other two orders of the Church of the Silver Flame’s clergy

regardless of order. You can count on these clergy to help you secure spellcasting services, and to offer you other material aid within reason. Enemies. Since the order of knights templar is sworn to

Chapter 2: Raiders' Camp

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

heavily on his bandaged left leg. “I hear that you intend to follow the raiders and see where they’ve gone. I’d like nothing better than to come with you, but in this condition, I’d slow you down. In the

midst of all this tragedy, there’s no reason you would have heard about the fate of my master, Leosin Erlanthar, but it’s important you know. He is a monk from Berdusk. He disappeared last night, after

Able Scavengers

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

give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and other useful items, but if they

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 abandon this careful approach. First, because of their

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

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.

D&D Beyond

Search Results