blades better diffusing contingency resolve

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

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

thin cloak of mist forms around her. Blades of ice grow out of her body at odd angles, breaking off before they get too long. When she moves, her body crackles. In this form, Auril creates weapons of

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Studies and Philosophy

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

centers on the purpose of communication. Is it to help others or further a personal agenda? Does literature selflessly better society or selfishly advance one’s own goals? The college’s perspective of

expose stinging truths, and to obfuscate secrets. The magic of shadow mages often manifests as bolts or blades of darkness or blotches of flowing ink, and its effects range from a sting of shame to an

When Clans Collapse

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

individuals in a clan to fall prey to occasional bickering and infighting. Abbathor’s influence affects some dwarves more than others, and even those with the strongest resolve can be tempted to

for their home. But the clan must survive, even if only as a shell of its former self, and so every clan has a contingency plan to secure a safe escape for the stronghold’s children and enough adults

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

Fierna and Belial

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

Belial, but his contingency plans rescue him from possible disaster. Other devils might gain a brief advantage over the two lords because of their infighting, but whenever any true threat to their rule

mortal’s emotions to her will, as a way to better understand the workings of mortal hearts and minds. What she or Belial intends to do with their accumulated knowledge none can definitively say, but

Ranger

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

ranger makes the difference between forlorn failure and fabulous success. Even when a franchise engages in commerce in the cities and towns of the realm, a ranger’s keen senses, sharp blades, and flesh

members of your franchise might panic when that crate of figurines of wondrous power you acquired turns out to all be self-activating obsidian steeds. But you have the steady nerves and earnest resolve

Hoplites

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Wolves 6 Defenders of the Grove 7 Bronze Blades 8 The Jackals Akroan Hoplite Akroan hoplites, also called stratians, number among the fiercest soldiers on Theros. They train

relentlessly and possess unflinching resolve. In the annals of Akros, tales abound of squads of stratians that defended a key location against a much larger force or crept behind enemy lines and wreaked havoc

Silverquill Scholars

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

-white uniforms, these budding mages practice bolstering speeches and wield inky blades. Some Silverquill students prefer the benevolent side of language, using their words to uplift their friends and

and debilitating inky shadow. Whether weaving their magic through spoken incantations and scathing insults or through shadows, these teachers break down the resolve of their foes. The professors strive

Anatomy of a War Band

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

battle, the better to imbue their victims with the magic needed to spawn more gnolls. Gnoll Warriors Common gnolls comprise the bulk of a war band. They fight mainly with spears fashioned from wood and

springs into action, its blades and teeth turn it into a whirling dealer of death, able to dash from one target to the next as though it had been shot from a bow. Gnoll Witherlings A war band might go for

Orcs

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

Orcs To the common folk of the world, an orc is an orc. They know that any one of these savages can tear an ordinary person to pieces, so no further distinction is necessary. Orcs know better

blades, tactical experts who advise their chief in matters of war. Blades lead from the front, wading into combat fearlessly while barking orders at lesser soldiers. A blade knows how to use orcish

Other Nonplayer Characters

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

before everyone in the caravan knows to steer clear of Tyjit Skesh. She is quick to anger and quicker to resort to her blades when something sets her off. She is honest to a fault and never fails to let

team of horses or mules better than anyone on the Trade Way. She has an uncanny knack for making animals understand what she wants from them with only a twitch on the reins, a whistle, and a snap of her

Quandrix Scholars

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

professors tweak 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

Other Nonplayer Characters

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

long before everyone in the caravan knows to steer clear of Tyjit Skesh. She is quick to anger and quicker to resort to her blades when something sets her off. She is honest to a fault and never fails to

handle a team of horses or mules better than anyone on the Trade Way. She has an uncanny knack for making animals understand what she wants from them with only a twitch on the reins, a whistle, and a snap

Gnome Gods

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

taken lightly, and that a good laugh will serve them better than a grim attitude. When Garl cavorts with mischief on his mind, Moradin’s beard might end up woven with giggling flowers, and Gruumsh’s axe

send an omen to nudge a group of gnomes in a certain direction, or even manifest an avatar in the middle of a gnome burrow. When Garl makes one of these rare appearances, it is to resolve a dispute that

Lady's Ward

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

, lamenting, “May your luck be better than mine.” 2 A deluxe sedan chair carried by four veterans stops in front of the characters. A gloved Humanoid hand parts its privacy curtain, extending them an

adventure Turn of Fortune’s Wheel. Heart’s Fire Sparkling rays converge on the stained-glass windows of Heart’s Fire, a luminous temple devoted to gods of fire, truth, and light. Golden, wavy blades

Cultists of the Dead Three

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Tablets of Fate from the overgod Ao and use them to rule over Faerûn and its gods. They failed and were slain during the Time of Troubles. Since then, a variety of contingency plans they had in place

into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment. Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blades, whom Bhaal blesses with darkvision and superior stealth

Wyrmheart Mine

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

, the tracks are set to bypass all the sidings and run straight through to the bottom. Some carts’ brakes are in better condition than others. If a brake fails, the cart races out of control round and

, which serves as the kobolds’ egg nursery. These kobolds protect their eggs with flinty resolve. The mossy niches in the walls contain a total of thirty eggs. 6C. Rolling Stone Trap A tripwire

Auril the Frostmaiden

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

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 conceals her

. Blades of ice grow out of her body at odd angles, breaking off before they get too long. When she moves, her body crackles. In this form, Auril creates weapons of ice with which to combat foes

Necropolis Locations (Y1-Y9)

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

team is on offense. Resolve a tie with a Strength (Athletics) contest. Step 2. To simulate the ball being passed around, every player makes a DC 15 Dexterity (Athletics) check. If the team on

. Secret Effect: When this charm vanishes from you, one NPC who doesn’t like you (determined by the DM) now thinks better of you. 5 Charm of the Evoker. This charm allows you to cast the dancing

Maelstrom Level 2

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

room. The coral fountain spouts fresh water (see “Treasure”), which the giants drink from their conch shells. The giant visitors know better than to start a fight in here. They have no interest in

back of her pet killer whale. Dealing with the Giant Lords Ordning or no, Count Vaal, Duchess Tartha, Jarl Hellenhild, and Thane Braxow know better than to defy the storm giants in their own stronghold

Locations in Triboar

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

in profit than quality. Lacking the carpentry skills of his ancestors, he relies on underpaid apprentices to assemble wagons that are little better than ordinary, yet they cost five times as much. The

warns armed guests to keep their blades sheathed during their stay. Urgala has three mastiffs (hunting dogs) that sleep in the ground floor common room, and she employs a staff of six loyal, well-paid

Neverdeath Catacomb Locations

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

14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The trap activates when more than 10 pounds of pressure is placed on the grate. Poisoned blades extend from grooves in the grate, dealing 14 (4d6) slashing

indicate that these magical gateways connect to a plane populated by Undead, but it’s clear Jerot doesn’t know much more than that. His notes indicate his resolve to learn more after he finishes his

Areas of the Earth Temple

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

the temple, they need to talk fast, because Nartham craves an excuse to kill. The cooking fire and bedrolls belong to the hobgoblins, who have not yet been allocated better quarters in the temple. They

hang from the walls and fiendish hooks, blades, and clamps hang on the back wall. Four cramped iron cages stand in the room’s western alcove, occupied by gaunt, dirty humans with blank gazes. In the

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