bonds before dread come rules

Wizard

Classes Player’s Handbook

used across the multiverse. The closest a Wizard is likely to come to an ordinary life is working as a sage or lecturer. Other Wizards sell their services as advisers, serve in military forces, or

Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots. Wizard Features ——Spell Slots per Spell Level—— Level Proficiency Bonus

Hexblood

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

might come to accept over the course of centuries. Once a hexblood undergoes this irreversible ritual, they emerge as a hag NPC no longer under the control of the hexblood’s player, unless the DM rules otherwise.

mark of the bargain between hag and hexblood, a debt owed, or a change to come. Hexblood Origins A bargain with a hag or other eerie forces transformed your character into a magical being. Roll on

Yuan-ti Nightmare Speaker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

exchange for power in the mortal world. These priests receive nightmarish visions from Dendar that they interpret as prophecies, and they then use their magic and influence to make these visions come true

. Nightmare speakers revel in torturing others, keeping their victims in a constant state of fear and dread. They prefer to terrify rather than kill their opponents. They manipulate communities for

High Fae Mage

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

also form strong bonds with the elemental powers of Eldraine, allowing the mages to call on forces like the eastern wind or the fiery hearth. “The high fae are capable of magic that would make

, embodying the natural splendor and danger of the wilderness. High fae have no regard for mortal values of honor and law, but they nonetheless operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back. Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark

resurrected, but something went wrong. 2 Stitches bind your body’s mismatched pieces, and your memories come from multiple different lives. 3 After clawing free from your grave, you realized

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Shadar-kai are the elves of the Shadowfell, originally drawn to that dread realm by the Raven Queen. Over the centuries, some of them have continued to serve her, while others have ventured into the

race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

Charity. I distribute the money I acquire to the people who really need it. (Good) 4 Creativity. I never run the same con twice. (Chaotic) 5 Friendship. Material goods come and go. Bonds of

weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some value. d6

Pirate Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and lawlessness. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Distant kin of giant owls from the Feywild, owlin come in many shapes and sizes, from petite and fluffy to wide-winged and majestic. Owlin have arms and legs like other Humanoids, as well as wings

additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your Dungeon Master. Was it a merchant ship, a naval

You spent your youth under the sway of a dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent

Crystal Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace. Crystal dragons’ connection to

) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers suggestions for stories and adventures

Hobgoblin

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

creates a mystical bond between the giver and the receiver of a gift. On some worlds, such bonds lead hobgoblins to form communities with deep ties to one another. In Eberron and the Forgotten Realms, vast

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 one score

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

by walls and crowds. They thrive in the wilds of their homelands: the tundra, jungle, or grasslands where their tribes live and hunt. Barbarians come alive in the chaos of combat. They can enter a

the closeknit family structures of the tribe, but eventually find them replaced by the bonds formed among the members of their adventuring parties. Creating a Barbarian When creating a barbarian

Young Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace. Crystal dragons&rsquo

. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers suggestions for stories

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

. The Journey Yet to Come Shifters have a strong presence in the Eldeen Reaches but can be found in rural areas across Khorvaire, where they often live among humans. While they form powerful bonds

to friends and kin, shifters place great value on self-reliance and freedom. It’s a shifter proverb to “always be prepared for the journey yet to come,” and most shifters strive to be

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

, emulating their dread master. Orcus is a bestial creature of corruption with a diseased, decaying look. He has the lower torso of a goat, and a humanoid upper body with a corpulent belly swollen with rot

chapter 7, "Treasure” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.Orcus’s Lair Orcus makes his lair in the fortress city of Naratyr, which is on Thanatos, the layer of the Abyss that he rules

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the dead, emulating their dread master. Orcus is a bestial creature of corruption with a diseased, decaying look. He has the lower body of a goat and a humanlike upper body with a belly swollen with

Dungeon Master’s Guide.Orcus’s Lair Orcus makes his lair in the fortress city of Naratyr, which is on Thanatos, the layer of the Abyss that he rules. Surrounded by a moat fed by the

Folk Hero Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as their champion, and your destiny calls you to stand against the

leadership and was commended for my heroism. FEATURE: RUSTIC HOSPITALITY Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest

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

Fairy

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a special physical characteristic that sets the fairy apart. For your fairy, roll on the Fey Characteristics table or choose an option from it. You’re also free to come up with your own

member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race such as the fairy or the harengon in this section, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the bottomless depths. Your first love is the distant line of the horizon, but the time has come to try your hand at something new. Discuss the nature of the ship you previously sailed with your

dread pirate, a ruthless cutthroat who taught you how to survive in a world of sharks and savages. You’ve indulged in larceny on the high seas and sent more than one deserving soul to a briny grave

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

affairs of other guilds is a great way to get squashed like a bug. (Neutral) Bonds d6 Bond 1 I cherish the finger of a family member who was petrified by a

the moss-covered building where I took part in my first reclamation mission. 5 I found something in the sewer that must never come to light. 6 I am forever grateful to the reclaimer who

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You are the heir to something of great value — not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a

, and might have set you on the path to adventure, but it could also come with many dangers, including those who covet your gift and want to take it from you — by force, if need be. Skill

Adult Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the signs written in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace

without the boredom. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks table offers

Ancient Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

sky and tracking the signs written in starlight. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to

is learning, but without the boredom. (Chaotic) 6 Control. Everyone is welcome, as long as they follow my rules. (Lawful) Crystal Dragon Adventures The Crystal Dragon Adventure Hooks

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

come and go. Bonds of friendship last forever. (Good) 6 Aspiration. I’m determined to make something of myself. (Any) d6 Bond 1 I fleeced the wrong person and must

insults are my weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

imagination can turn on such champions almost as quickly as it anoints them. You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as

Origins table for an event that started you down your heroic path.. d10 Origin 1 You helped get healing for a sick child. Now the sick come to you, knowing you’ll help them

Relationships

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

Relationships As students, the characters have the opportunity to cement friendships, establish rivalries, deepen bonds, and otherwise develop relationships with student NPCs in this book’s

adventures. Although these pursuits could be played out entirely with roleplaying, you can use the following Relationship rules to reinforce this aspect of the adventures. These rules provide characters with

Courtier

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

In your earlier days, you were a personage of some significance in a noble court or a bureaucratic organization. You might or might not come from an upper-class family; your talents, rather than the

. d6 Ideal 1 Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful) 2 Generosity. My talents were

Adventurer NPCs

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

. Encourage players to roleplay supporting characters as true to the NPCs’ personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws as possible, so that they don’t come across as automatons. If you don’t feel that an

built (either by you or your players) using the character creation and advancement rules in the Player’s Handbook. It’s easiest on you if you let the players create and run these supporting characters

Loyalty

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

Loyalty Having the adventurers leading an expanded party gives you the opportunity to use the optional loyalty rules in chapter 4, “Creating Nonplayer Characters,” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. You

can track the loyalty scores of groups of NPCs, such as those belonging to each faction, rather than having to track NPCs individually. The characters must balance the goals and bonds of their followers in order to maintain and improve their loyalty.

Prepare to Be Scared

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

rules every time something frightening occurs, but your group might use them as a way to highlight individual fears and build an adventure’s overarching sense of dread. FROM THE MISTS OR BEYOND

atmosphere of the adventure. Don’t consider fear a tactical disadvantage or something to be avoided. As part of playing a frightening game, you’re a participant in building and reinforcing a sense of dread

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

a set of beliefs about the nature of life. Simic members’ bonds and flaws derive from their scientific research — including their creation of new life forms, which they can become very

interfere with the conclusions of logic. (Lawful) 6 Superiority. My vast intellect and strength are directed toward increasing my sway over others. (Evil) Bonds d6 Bond

Preparing for Play

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

Preparing for Play Players feel more immersed in the setting when their characters’ backgrounds, bonds, and faction choices come to life at the table. Once your players make their characters, make a

Horror Adventures

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

adventures benefit from an atmosphere of dread, conceived through a combination of terrifying narratives, dramatic presentation, and game elements encouraging fear. Drawing out the anxiety and anticipation

toolbox of horror-focused rules also provides options for what sort of grim adventures you might create. At the end of this chapter, a horror adventure puts these methods to use and leads characters on

D&D Beyond

Search Results