beyond bard down cults rather

Cultist of Bhaal

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

. Cultists of Bhaal sometimes form cabals of assassins or mercenaries, but they perform their brutal slaughter for the perverse love of bloodshed and honor to their sinister god rather than for

adventurers Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul seized divinity but were slain for their hubris. All three have been reborn and are now known as the Dead Three. Each of the Dead Three has inspired wicked cults that

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

dracoliches, magically bound dragons to his service, and learned how to drive dragons across Faerûn into a berserk rage. He considered his intellect beyond morality and became paranoid, resentful, and

efficiently as he can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence. Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps

Sammaster (Lich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

bound dragons to his service, and learned how to drive dragons across Faerûn into a berserk rage. He considered his intellect beyond morality and became paranoid, resentful, and megalomaniacal

can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult’s most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence. Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps a magical soul

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received. Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds

, create illusions, and even heal wounds. 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

Choker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

choker can keep its body deep inside the crevice where it hides, beyond the reach of most normal weapons. Chokers tend to set their ambushes alone, rather than working in concert, but where one

choker is a subterranean predator far more dangerous than its small size and spindly, rubbery limbs would suggest. Chokers have cartilage rather than a bony skeleton. This flexible internal structure

College of Lore Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic. The college’s members gather in libraries and

Oath of the Watchers

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

network of spies and informants to gather information on suspected cults. To a Watcher, keeping a healthy suspicion and awareness about one’s surroundings is as natural as wearing armor in

are the shield against the endless terrors that lie beyond the stars. Your blade must be forever sharp and your mind keen to survive what lies beyond.

Leonin Iconoclast

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

one another and the land. Only in recent times have some leonin started guardedly looking beyond their homeland and wondering what role they might take in the wider world. Most leonin hunters are tribal

warrior;tribal warriors, but those who hunt the servants of the gods rather than game are known as leonin iconoclasts.

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

at his core, the seneschal didn’t return as a skeletal knight but rather as an intangible spirit. Caradoc’s Undead form suits him well, allowing him to possess the living and use unwilling

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

Oath of the Watchers (TCoE)

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

network of spies and informants to gather information on suspected cults. To a Watcher, keeping a healthy suspicion and awareness about one’s surroundings is as natural as wearing armor in

are the shield against the endless terrors that lie beyond the stars. Your blade must be forever sharp and your mind keen to survive what lies beyond.

Nosferatu

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

their lair’s comfort. Rather than retiring to crypts, they seek filthy or inaccessible fissures, places any living soul would avoid. For a few moments after feeding, nosferatu are lucid and

capable of considering more than their next meal. In these instants, nosferatu recollect glimpses of what they once were, beings who knew pride, intention, and a world beyond the shadows. They might even

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

colors. Halfling practicality extends beyond their clothing. They’re concerned with basic needs and simple pleasures and have little use for ostentation. Even the wealthiest of halflings keep their

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

Way of Mercy Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Monks of the Way of Mercy learn to manipulate the life force of others to bring aid to those in need. They are wandering physicians to the poor and hurt. However, to those beyond their help, they

bring a swift end as an act of mercy. Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism

Star Spawn Grue

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

hopelessness. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known planes of existence lie realms alien to mortal life. Some are so hostile that even a moment

that cult, including star spawn. The following powers are unique to specific cults; typically a creature has only one. Cult of Atropus, the World Born Dead Gaze of Corruption (Recharge 6

Star Spawn Mangler

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

summon these creatures to serve as guards and assassins, two roles at which they excel. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known planes

Disciples of certain Elder Evils can bestow supernatural gifts on those who serve that cult, including star spawn. The following powers are unique to specific cults; typically a creature has only one

Star Spawn Larva Mage

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

original cultist’s personality survives the transformation; what emerges is wholly alien. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known

Blessings Disciples of certain Elder Evils can bestow supernatural gifts on those who serve that cult, including star spawn. The following powers are unique to specific cults; typically a creature has

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

Blessings Disciples of certain Elder Evils can bestow supernatural gifts on those who serve that cult, including star spawn. The following powers are unique to specific cults; typically a creature has

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

, Auril is reborn at full strength during the next winter solstice, with divine power far beyond what is reflected in the stat blocks presented here. After finishing a long rest, Auril regains any of

. A stat block is given for each of Auril’s three forms. These descriptions do not reflect Auril at full power, but rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril

Star Spawn Seer

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

other creatures. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known planes of existence lie realms alien to mortal life. Some are so hostile that

who serve that cult, including star spawn. The following powers are unique to specific cults; typically a creature has only one. Cult of Atropus, the World Born Dead Gaze of Corruption (Recharge

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

form, Auril dies. As long as she has mortal followers who worship her, however, Auril is reborn at full strength during the next winter solstice, with divine power far beyond what is reflected in the

rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril dwells on Solstice, a frozen island hidden among the titanic icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice. Few creatures know of this

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

on that plane might leave their colonies to lend aid to other humanoids committed to fighting earth cults and thwarting their efforts. Aarakocra Names As with much of their speech, aarakocra names

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature

elements. Thus, druids oppose cults of Elemental Evil and others who promote one element to the exclusion of others. Druids are also concerned with the delicate ecological balance that sustains plant

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single human’s memory. They live fully in the present—making them well suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the future

, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. Human Names and Ethnicities Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents

Lady Illmarrow

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Emerald Claw, but her motives for founding the order are buried in her past. Lady Illmarrow has no interest in ruling the living. Rather, she seeks to become Queen of the Dead. The Mark of Death

. Illmarrow is a fiefdom on the isle of Farlnen — home to a community of elves exiled from Aerenal, who have practiced necromancy for centuries. But Lady Illmarrow’s roots extend far beyond her

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

solstice, with divine power far beyond what is reflected in the stat blocks presented here. After finishing a long rest, Auril regains any of her forms that were destroyed, provided at least one

forms. These descriptions do not reflect Auril at full power, but rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril dwells on Solstice, a frozen island hidden among the titanic

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, while poring over tomes of forbidden lore, a brilliant student’s mind is opened to realities beyond the material world and to the alien beings that dwell in the outer void. Once a pact is made, a

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

1 I never raise my voice or lose my temper. 2 I feel the pains and joys of everyone around me, friend or foe. 3 I would rather make a friend than thwart an enemy. 4 I’m

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

Chapter 1: Rise of Elemental Evil

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

and unleash its destructive power everywhere. And they are further along in their plans than most people in the North realize. Four elemental cults grow in power in the Sumber Hills, claiming

four cults venerates a powerful entity of air, earth, fire, or water: a Prince of Elemental Evil. Like their princes, the four cults are rivals, yet they all serve a mysterious force they call the Elder

Cult of Baalzebul

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

(cantrip), disguise self (1st level), phantasmal force (2nd level), major image (3rd level) Baalzebul typically recruits individuals rather than cults. He offers hope to those whose failures drive them

Half-Orcs of the Shadow Marches

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

Marches have defended Eberron from aberrations and the daelkyr for thousands of years. As a druid, ranger, or barbarian, you could be a Gatekeeper initiate pursuing a quest in the wider world. The Cults of

the Dragon Below also have deep roots in Shadow Marches. While cultists are often evil, the main thing about the Cults is that their beliefs generally seem like madness to others. You could be a half

Eberron

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

four cults. Have the cults lean harder on the leadership of the communities scattered across the region, threatening, blackmailing, and corrupting them so they do the cults’ bidding. Eberron is also

communities (the Eberron map is huge, so you should have plenty of room). Have the NPCs know less about goings-on beyond their backyards, and consider giving the players a more limited map of the area with

Iriad Beyond 1st Level (p. 217)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

Iriad Beyond 1st Level (p. 217) In the 5th- and 9th-level rows, Iriad’s passive Perception score now increases by 2 rather than 1.

Orcs

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

seals and fight aberrations. However, many orcs were corrupted by the daelkyr and embraced the madness of the Cults of the Dragon Below. These cultists also live in the Shadow Marches, and battles between

Gatekeepers and the servants of the Dragon Below have diminished both sides. Beyond the Gatekeepers and the cultists, the Shadow Marches are home to orcs who have joined with humans to create mixed

College of Lore

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

monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than politic. The college’s members gather in libraries and

choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know. Peerless Skill

D&D Beyond

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