beyond bad diffusing content rules - Search

Mark of Handling Human

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

were born to rule it. —Dalin d’Vadalis The Mark of Handling gives its bearer a primal connection to beasts and the natural world, granting the power to calm and coax. This extends beyond

content; they’re more interested in discovering new monstrosities than engaging in politics. The current head of the house, Dalin d’Vadalis, disdains the use of a title and has no aspirations

Boss Delour

Monsters The Book of Many Things

"} poison damage.Delour the wererat is a sly trickster and consummate thief who rules the Moonstalkers alongside his friend Boss Augustus;Augustus. Delour’s honeyed words and calculating mind make

him dangerous. He can smile and shake someone’s hand while simultaneously plotting to ruin that person. Expanding the guild’s activities beyond thievery was Delour’s idea. He

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

are content to lead peaceful lives as hunters and gatherers, the magic that created the crab folk sometimes compels them to lash out in fearsome raids when the conditions are right. Aquatic Vassals

bad luck a gull might happen to land near a crab folk lair and utter the right combination of cries to summon up this ancient compulsion. Driven to action, the crab folk rampage along the coast

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

. 4 I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. 5 I turn 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.

Olhydra

Monsters Princes of the Apocalypse

round. Creatures and objects within or beyond the fog are heavily obscured. A creature that enters the freezing cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 10 (3d6);{"diceNotation

— bad weather, strong tides, and increasing aggression from dangerous sea life. Violent downpours become frequent within 10 miles of the lair. A downpour occurs once every 2d12;{"diceNotation

Duergar

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Underdark and beyond. Like other dwarves, duergar typically have a life span of 350 years. Creating Your Character At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a

fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase

Leonin

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

need in their shimmering homeland and knowing the treachery of strangers. Still, some leonin wonder what lies beyond Oreskos’s border mountains and seek to test themselves in a wider world

adversaries—incredibly clever and well-prepared to play a long game but ultimately doomed to lose their games. 4 I’m certain every bad thing that happens can ultimately be blamed on the

Artus Cimber

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

Chult, where he also met his wife, Alisanda. The ring halts its wearer’s natural aging and has allowed Artus to survive well beyond his natural lifespan. The ring also defies magical attempts to

city of Mezro during the Spellplague. No longer content to wait for Alisanda and Mezro to return on their own, Artus has been seeking the means to bring them back. He believes that Saja N’baza, an

Ancient Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply

those rules to these aquatic dragons.) Dragon Turtle Personality Traits d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"} Trait 1 I speak slowly and deliberately

Giff

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

blossom into hard feelings, loud arguments, and head-butting contests, but they rarely escalate beyond that. Creating Your Character When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your

character is a member of the human race or one of the game’s fantastical races. If you create a character using a race option presented here, follow these additional rules during character creation

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

important mission beyond the cloister? Perhaps you were cast out because of some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

always straining to peer into another reality that seems to be just beyond my senses. 5 I’m uneasy if I can’t see plants growing or feel soil beneath my feet. 6 Seeing illness

conclave has a deeper connection to the Worldsoul than I do. 6 I’m trying to atone for the life of crime I led before I joined the Selesnya, but I find it hard to give up my bad habits

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

homeland, content to dwell in small, tight clans. These tabaxi hunt for food, craft goods, and largely keep to themselves. However, not all tabaxi are satisfied with such a life. The Cat Lord, the divine

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

Session Zero

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

zero.” Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything outlines how to run session zero discussions, but in general, use this session to discuss the game’s content, social contract, and house rules, and to create

characters. Reinforce Expectations Make it clear that D&D is a group storytelling game. As the DM, you have a role in crafting adventures and arbitrating rules, but you aren’t solely responsible for how

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth Tool Proficiencies: One

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.

Horror Gameplay

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

says no, consider other options. Beyond rules considerations, some actions also require special consideration before they occur in game, such as these examples: romance between characters, violence

traditionally nullifies heroes’ strengths, doing so can remove the players’ agency and undercut their enjoyment. Beyond the Dungeon Master’s Guide advice for creating dangerous encounters, consider the

Horror in Your Game

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

threat. Use this book to help you and your players communicate about a game’s rules, plots, and other content, assuring it includes only the elements you all enjoy. Focus on Fun. Suspenseful stories don’t

Horror in Your Game Ominous shadows rise beyond the campfire’s light. Steps echo through the halls of a supposedly empty house. Something whispers from under the stairs. Such details fill horror

Invidia

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

Invidia Darklord: Gabrielle Aderre Hallmarks: Bad parents, possessed children Gabrielle Aderre is convinced that her son, Malocchio, is destined for greatness. From her estate outside the village of

expectations or the deadly tricks and accidents that frequently occur around the child. Gabrielle isn’t content to leave her son’s grand destiny to chance, though. Using her precious bone spirit

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

Introduction This content is written for the Dungeon Master. It contains a complete Dungeons & Dragons adventure, as well as descriptions for every creature and magic item that appears in the

adventure. It also introduces the world of the Forgotten Realms, one of the game’s most enduring settings, and it teaches you how to run a D&D game. The Basic Rules contain the rules you need to adjudicate situations that arise during the adventure.

Arcane Subclasses June 26, 2025

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Unearthed Arcana

Arcane Subclasses June 26, 2025 Get ready to be enchanted by the latest Unearthed Arcana content! This document presents nine subclasses: revised subclasses for the Cleric (Arcana Domain), Fighter

(Arcane Archer), Warlock (Hexblade Patron), and Wizard (Conjurer, Enchanter, Necromancer, and Transmuter) and new subclasses for the Monk (Tattooed Warrior) and Sorcerer (Ancestral Sorcery). The material uses the rules in the Player's Handbook.

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

beyond — from the boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air. They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as footholds in a world both strange and alien

changes in the prevailing winds that they regarded as a bad omen. Unlike the aarakocra of other worlds on the Material Plane, the aarakocra of the Realms rarely travel to the Elemental Plane of Air

The Middle Path

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

between relying on their bonuses and abilities and paying attention to the game and immersing themselves in its world. Remember that dice don’t run your game — you do. Dice are like rules. They’re

bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.

Table Rules

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

Table Rules Ideally, players come to the gaming table with the same goal: to have a fun time together. This section gives recommendations for table rules you can establish to help meet that goal

. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

special significance beyond that is imparted to it. At 4 years old an orc is considered a juvenile, and by age 12 it is a fully functioning adult. Most orcs don’t live past the age of 25 due to

everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should

Horror Content Survey

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

Horror Content Survey Take advantage of the time before your first game session to learn about your players’ thoughts related to horror adventures. To do this, create a brief list of questions

use them to guide what sort of adventures you’ll create. Content and Themes Questions Start your survey by listing common story and horror elements to determine your players’ comfort with them. The

Game Customization

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

Rules House rules include optional rules, such as those presented in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and rules you create. If you plan to use any house rules, session zero is a good time to

discuss those rules with the players and solicit their input. House rules are best presented as experiments, and time will tell if they’re good for your game. If you introduce a house rule in session

Introducing the Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Borderlands Quest: Goblin Trouble

Introducing the Game Once the players have familiarized themselves with their characters, you’re ready to introduce the game. Now that you’re familiar with your characters and the basics of the rules

, we’re going to play a short adventure to introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons. As the Dungeon Master, I tell you what’s going on in the world around you, and I use the rules and dice rolls to

Rules of Conduct

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Rules of Conduct Although Zybilna is indisposed, three of the rules she put into place when she created her Feywild domain continue to hold weight: the rule of hospitality, the rule of ownership, and

the rule of reciprocity. These three rules are common knowledge in Prismeer, and both natives and visitors would do well to abide by them: Rule of Hospitality. When a friend, an enemy, or a stranger

Wandering Outcasts

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

Wandering Outcasts Most tabaxi remain in their distant homeland, content to dwell in small, tight clans. These tabaxi hunt for food, craft goods, and largely keep to themselves. However, not all

curiosity are compelled to wander far and wide. They seek out stories, artifacts, and lore. Those who survive this period of wanderlust return home in their elder years to share news of the outside world. In this manner, the tabaxi remain isolated but never ignorant of the world beyond their home.

Mood of the Town

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

d20 Result 1–6 Poor Catch. The townsfolk are frustrated and prone to bickering; everyone is in a bad mood. 7–12 Bountiful Catch. Music and merriment echo through town as everyone celebrates. 13–20

Typical Catch. Overall, the fishers are content with their recent results. Here and there, crews boast of good pickings or bemoan their poor haul.

Useful Additions

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

Sourcebooks Beyond the three core rulebooks, a plethora of additional content is available from Wizards of the Coast and other publishers. Adventures provide hooks, plots, maps, and encounters you can use

and why you might want to hide die rolls.) Most DM screens have art on the outward-facing panels and handy rules information on the inside-facing panels. Others might be made of fancy wood or sculpted

Social Interaction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

Social Interaction The keep offers ample opportunities for characters to socialize with its inhabitants. All NPCs in the keep are initially Indifferent toward the characters. For more about NPC attitudes, see the D&D Beyond Basic Rules.

Resting

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

Resting Unlike in the other two adventure settings, the keep is a safe place to rest and resupply. The characters can freely take Long Rests in the keep. For more on resting, see the D&D Beyond Basic Rules.

Soldier

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

Watch by a group of corrupt officers. You still have friends among the guards, but there’s a lot of bad apples in the barrel. Do you want to clean up the Watch, or are you content to enforce justice on your own?

Resting

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

Resting Threats abound within the caves. The characters can take only Short Rests within them. To take a Long Rest, they must first exit any cave they’re in. For more on resting, see the D&D Beyond Basic Rules.

Search Results