beyond bards down cunning ranks

Zhentarim Mercenary

Backgrounds Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

;s leaders insist the organization is more like a family than a shadowy syndicate, few families exhibit as much dishonesty, nepotism, and corruption as this one. You’ve honed your cunning, reflexes, and blade to climb the guild’s ranks.

Adult Deep Dragon

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

ferocious might, cunning ambushes, or fungal poisons. Some adult deep dragons plunder the surface for treasures and lore. Deep Dragons Deep dragons slither through the wet and lightless places of the

dragon lairs beyond treasure hunting; they might contain the only surviving copies of forgotten lore, fungal ingredients for cures or plagues, or maps to lost Underdark locales.Deep Dragon Lairs Deep

Fist of Bane

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

right gauntlet of their armor black in honor of their patron. Bane’s clerics wield black maces with heads shaped to look like a closed fist. Cult Ranks. Bane’s cultists operate according

to strict military hierarchies. The lowest rank consists of the fist of Bane;fists of Bane, foot soldiers who obey all orders without hesitation. They are led by iron consul;iron consuls, cunning

Iron Consul

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

maces with heads shaped to look like a closed fist. Cult Ranks. Bane’s cultists operate according to strict military hierarchies. The lowest rank consists of the fist of Bane;fists of Bane, foot

soldiers who obey all orders without hesitation. They are led by iron consul;iron consuls, cunning field officers who excel at coordinating the fists in combat. The black gauntlet of bane;black gauntlets are the priests who command the consuls.

Night Blade

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

cause terrible pain and bleeding. Killers from the Shadows. Bhaal’s followers are cunning murderers who kill to strike fear and thrive on sowing terror in the cities they inhabit. They can call

upon their god’s power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blade;night blades, whom Bhaal

Mev Flintknapper

Monsters Out of the Abyss

Stone Camouflage. The gnome has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain. Gnome Cunning. The gnome has advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws

professional fighters that take up arms for pay or to protect something they believe in or value. Their ranks include soldiers retired from long service and warriors who never served anyone but themselves.

Viari

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

quickly rising in the ranks of Acquisitions Incorporated since joining that august team, Viari has come to head what's known as the organization's Stabbing Department. A potent threat in both dueling

adventurer was nearly cut short during a battle of which the bards still sing. Unleashing a devastating attack with the aptly named Apocalypse Dagger, the rogue destroyed a giant single-handedly — and lost

Death's Head of Bhaal

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

terrible pain and bleeding. Killers from the Shadows. Bhaal's followers are cunning murderers who kill to strike fear and thrive on sowing terror in the cities they inhabit. They can call upon their god's

power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blade;night blades, whom Bhaal blesses with

Kakkuu Spyder-Fiend

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey. Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher

-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against one another if treachery can improve their position

Reaper of Bhaal

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

wounds plunge deep into a victim's body and cause terrible pain and bleeding. Killers from the Shadows. Bhaal's followers are cunning murderers who kill to strike fear and thrive on sowing terror in

the cities they inhabit. They can call upon their god's power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night

Oath of the Watchers

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

battle. TENETS OF THE WATCHERS A paladin who assumes the Oath of the Watchers swears to safeguard mortal realms from otherworldly threats. Vigilance. The threats you face are cunning, powerful, and

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.

Oath of the Watchers (TCoE)

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

battle. TENETS OF THE WATCHERS A paladin who assumes the Oath of the Watchers swears to safeguard mortal realms from otherworldly threats. Vigilance. The threats you face are cunning, powerful, and

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.

Half-Orc Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

orc comrades didn’t last long among the Bloody Skulls or any other orc tribe for that matter. But it was often true that a bit of human blood gave a warrior just the right mix of cunning

exult along with him or shiver with fear and loathing. Beyond the rage of Gruumsh, half-orcs feel emotion powerfully. Rage doesn’t just quicken their pulse, it makes their bodies burn. An insult

Quavilithku Spyder-Fiend

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

brutal killing is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey. Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning

, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against one another if treachery can improve their

Raklupis Spyder-Fiend

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey. Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends

dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against one another if treachery can improve their position. Spyder-fiends loyally

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

Phisarazu Spyder-Fiend

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against

College of Swords

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

troupes are happy to accept a blade’s talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust a blade in their ranks. Blades who abandon their lives as entertainers

College of Swords (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Bards of the College of Swords are called blades, and they entertain through daring feats of weapon prowess. Blades perform stunts such as sword swallowing, knife throwing and juggling, and mock

troupes are happy to accept a blade’s talent for the excitement it adds to a performance, but few entertainers fully trust a blade in their ranks. Blades who abandon their lives as entertainers

Boss Delour

Monsters The Book of Many Things

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

hybrid, a Medium giant rat, or his humanoid form. His statistics, other than his size and speed, are the same in each form. Any equipment he is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. He reverts to his humanoid form if he dies. Cunning Action. Delour takes the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

reward once they return to their proper station, a fog giant lures desperate criminals, cunning bandits, and other raiders into their service in the dismal wilds they inhabit. These giants prefer to

bandits, raiders, spies, and criminals. In some cases, such a network might grow large enough that minions in the lower ranks are ignorant of their leader’s true nature. Fog giants who amass

Titivilus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

archdevils, he compensates with cunning. A shrewd politician, he has clawed his way up through the ranks to become the second-most powerful devil in Dis, entirely by saying the right thing at the right time

Adult Oblex

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

drained beyond the first, the die size increases by one: the d4 becomes a d6, the d6 becomes a d8, and so on until the die becomes a d20, at which point the target becomes unconscious for 1 hour. The effect

flayers created a special breed of Ooze, the oblex—a slime capable of assaulting the minds of other creatures. These pools of jelly are cunning hunters that feed on thoughts and memories. The

Elder Oblex

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

memory drained beyond the first, the die size increases by one: the d4 becomes a d6, the d6 becomes a d8, and so on until the die becomes a d20, at which point the target becomes unconscious for 1 hour

jelly are cunning hunters that feed on thoughts and memories. The sharper the mind, the better the meal, so oblexes hunt targets more likely to be intelligent, such as wizards and other spellcasters. When

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

Her fists a blur as they deflect an incoming hail of arrows, a half-elf springs over a barricade and throws herself into the massed ranks of hobgoblins on the other side. She whirls among them

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

Cloistered Scholar

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

of knowledge. The most well known of Faerûn’s fonts of knowledge is Candlekeep. The great library is always in need of workers and attendants, some of whom rise through the ranks to

. d6 Ideal 1 Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral) 2 Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good

Greensingers

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

Greensingers The Greensingers are devoted to the fey, and serve as mediators between the fey and mortals. The ranks of the Greensingers include bards as well as warlocks with Archfey patrons; a druid or ranger might also serve a specific archfey.

Learning from Experience

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

Learning from Experience True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires

hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent

Wizard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

spell and launches a tiny bead of fire toward the enemy ranks, where it erupts into a conflagration that engulfs the soldiers. Checking and rechecking his work, a human scribes an intricate magic

circle, bringing a whiff of brimstone from the otherworldly plane beyond. Crouching on the floor in a dungeon intersection, a gnome tosses a handful of small bones inscribed with mystic symbols

Learning from Experience

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

Learning from Experience True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires

hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards, though. A bard’s life is spent

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

(Costs 2 Actions). Strahd makes one bite attack.With his mind sharp and his heart dark, Strahd von Zarovich is a formidable foe. Courage and lives beyond measure have been lost to him. Reread chapter 1

intelligently and do everything you can to make him a terrifying and cunning adversary for the player characters. When you run an encounter with Strahd, keep the following facts in mind: Strahd

Spyder-Fiends

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

based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against one another if

Khur Joins

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Khur Joins Early 349 AC The Green Dragon Army was dispatched to the steppes of Khur to subdue the tribes there. Rather than fight a protracted campaign, Ariakas allowed the cunning Khur leader Salah

accepted and pledged his people to Takhisis, adding to the Dragon Armies’ ranks. Few can say whether he did so to further his own ambitions or to spare Khur a long, bloody conflict, but many Khur view Salah-Khan as a traitor to his people and fiercely resist the Green Dragon Army’s occupation.

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

created the orcs and continues to direct their destiny. He is aided and abetted by the other warrior deities, Bahgtru and Ilneval, who bring strength and cunning to the battlefield. The followers of all

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

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

undead, and to protect the innocent and those who join them in the fight for justice. Beyond the Mundane Life Almost by definition, the life of a paladin is an adventuring life. Unless a lasting injury

has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies

D&D Beyond

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