borders bad diffusing conquest rarely

Troglodyte Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

in the shallow depths of the Underdark in a constant state of war against their neighbors and one another. They mark the borders of their territories with cracked bones and skulls, or with

secretions, and the debris of their foul feasting. Single-Minded Brutes. Troglodytes are devoted almost entirely to procuring food. They rarely plan more than a few days into the future, instead

Gambler

Backgrounds Acquisitions Incorporated

All you need to make a lot of gold is a little gold. Except at those times when all you need to have no gold at all is a little gold. Whether you’re a good gambler or a bad one rarely matters

Catoblepas

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Degenerate creatures are likely to take up residence near a catoblepas’s territory, as are those seeking to avoid notice. Catoblepases in Folklore Ordinary folk rarely see a catoblepas, but

the creature has such a feared reputation that stories about it are ingrained in the popular culture. Any rumor of a catoblepas taking up residence nearby is taken to be a bad omen, even if the rumor is

Leonin

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

The leonin guard the shining lands of Oreskos, a golden plain where even the gods rarely trespass. Prides of these nomadic, lion-like humanoids rarely interact with other peoples, having all they

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

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds. A Broad Spectrum With their penchant for migration

and conquest, humans are more physically diverse than other common races. There is no typical human. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little over 6 feet tall and weigh from 125 to 250 pounds

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority. d8 Personality Trait 1 I

. 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.

Satyr Legacy

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

. While their spontaneity and whimsy sometimes put them at odds with more stoic peoples, satyrs rarely let the moodiness of others hinder their own happiness. Life is a blessing from the gods, after

amazing things ever. I want to pick them, wear them, and discover their silent secrets. 2 There isn’t a tree or statue that isn’t fun to climb. 3 Nothing wards off bad luck like a

Strahd's Torment

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

borders of his domain. His desire for novelty, passion, and conquest matches his thirst for blood. Strahd considers Barovia’s people dull inferiors, even as he resents them for the simple pleasures of hope and companionship they possess.

Vladeska's Powers and Dominion

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

executions serve the greater good and impose necessary order, but make it clear that zombies aren’t the realm’s only monsters. Only Bad Decisions. There is one simple truth in Falkovnia: the dead are

about to kill everyone. This sets the stage for countless bad decisions, from leaders making terrible sacrifices or permitting amoral acts to individuals making fatalistic choices. Everyone in Falkovnia

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

ward off diseases if they are worn. Don’t stand inside a ring of stones, mushrooms, or any other kind of circle. Seeing a shooting star before a battle is bad luck. To ward it off, you must

A Broad Spectrum

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

A Broad Spectrum With their penchant for migration and conquest, humans are more physically diverse than other common races. There is no typical human. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little

hair that is sparse or thick. A lot of humans have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century.

A Broad Spectrum

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

A Broad Spectrum With their penchant for migration and conquest, humans are more physically diverse than other common races. There is no typical human. An individual can stand from 5 feet to a little

hair that is sparse or thick. A lot of humans have a dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century.

Orc Culture and Beliefs

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

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 react to them. As a race, orcs

stones, mushrooms, or any other kind of circle. Seeing a shooting star before a battle is bad luck. To ward it off, you must swallow a stone. A tribute of elf ears brings favor from Gruumsh. If you bury

Akros

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

warriors produced by a culture that centers around perfecting the mind and body for war. Their armies have rarely tasted defeat as they expand the borders of Akros, seizing new lands and bounty.

Ivana's Powers and Dominion

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

per day. She rarely closes the borders, as her manipulations typically prevent her victims from leaving. She might open or close the borders to confound the whims of her co-Darklord, Ivan, though. When

. Ivana’s genius and cynicism, in combination with the Dark Powers’ aid, grant her insight into the nature of Borca’s people that borders on precognition. She’s always one step ahead of her rivals and has

Devil Traits

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

devil as it plots its conquest or corruption of a soul. This allows for winding schemes that are rarely what they seem on the surface. For minor devils, a simple acceptance of an evil gift is enough

, speaking in measured sentences or noticing pleasant details about the environment or a character’s clothing. Patience. Devils are rarely in a rush to make a deal or sign a contract. As masters of the

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority. d8 Personality Trait 1 I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. 2 I am always calm, no

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.

Jacqueline's Powers and Dominion

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

brink of rage. She is rarely without guards, be they members of the Casques Silencieux, wererat bodyguards, or hidden swarms of rats. Casques Silencieux. The Darklord’s silent state police guard

the Borders. When Jacqueline Renier wishes to close her domain’s borders, the Mists rise at the edge of the lands, as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of this chapter. Additionally, the Mists are filled with swarms of rats; endless waves of them attack any creatures that enter the Mists.

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

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

Merfolk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

their people are as varied in color, culture, and outlook as the human races of the surface. Land folk and merfolk rarely meet except by chance, though starry-eyed mariners tell tales of romance with

face a common threat or to complete a conquest. Such unifications can be the beginning of undersea kingdoms with dynasties lasting hundreds of years. Merfolk Settlements. Merfolk build their settlements

Harkon's Powers and Dominion

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

shape, either by the moon or by other external factors. He prefers his human form, but explores different physical details as the mood strikes him. He’s rarely seen without his signature wide-brimmed

, becomes their mentor, traps them within the bond of lycanthropy, and then uses them as tools (see the “Insatiable Hungers” section later in this domain for details). Such alliances rarely last for more

Half-Orc Deities

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Ilneval, who is thought of as a patron of half-orcs and other orc crossbreeds. Faerûnian Gods Half-orcs trying to fit in with human society often adopt a human deity out of expediency (though rarely

brutal and cruel gods, dominated by their father and chieftain, Gruumsh One-Eye. This god of conquest, strength, and survival is the hated rival of the elven deity Corellon Larethian. It is said that

Drinking Deeply of Life

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

Drinking Deeply of Life A gnome is rarely bored and tries to savor every minute, for life is full of opportunities to learn, to help others, and to have fun. Gnomes are born with a fascination for

are recurring obstacles on the path to discovery, gnomes revel in the search. They savor the acquisition of new knowledge, realizing it might come at a cost, and even a series of bad results in experiments doesn’t dissuade a gnome from following their chosen path.

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, designed to collapse under the weight of any creature heavier than a kobold. On occasion, the route through a kobold lair runs along a ledge that borders a cavern or a crevasse, and the kobolds might

responsible for blocking tunnels to deter pursuit. Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds

Godefroy's Powers and Dominion

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

eldest spirits fear. Any spirits capable of possessing the living are permitted to do so only when Lord Godefroy commands it. The Darklord rarely allows the dead to experience life like this, and when he

, hostage. Closing the Borders. When Godefroy wishes to close his domain, fog rolls in off the sea and blankets the land. Everything in the domain that’s outdoors is heavily obscured by the fog (see the

It's Your World

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

the “Here there be dragons” notations? What if great empires cover huge stretches of countryside, with clearly defined borders between them? The Five Nations of the Eberron setting were once part of

by monstrous rulers. The populace lives in perpetual terror of these darklords and their evil minions, but other monsters rarely trouble people’s daily lives. Magic Is Everywhere. What if every town is

Elves

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

elves of Ansalon largely keep to themselves, half-elves are few and are rarely seen outside the elven nations. Silvanesti High Elves Silvanesti, the original elven kingdom, lies in southern Ansalon. For

relationships with people other than your kin. Qualinesti High Elves In Qualinesti, a scout warns of threats encroaching on the elven city’s borders Long ago, a group of high elves left Silvanesti, desiring

Centaur

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

the wild, centaurs avoid conflict but fight fiercely when pressed. They roam the vast wilderness, keeping far from borders, laws, and the company of other creatures. Wilderness Nomads. Centaur tribes

range across lands with mild to hot climates, where a centaur requires only light furs or oiled skins to deal with inclement weather. They are hunter-gatherers and rarely build shelters or even use

Lizardfolk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

of the world. Their hut villages thrive in forbidding grottoes, half-sunken ruins, and watery caverns. Territorial Xenophobes. Lizardfolk deal and trade with other races only rarely. Fiercely

creatures, they kill when it is expedient and do whatever it takes to survive. Lizardfolk rarely stray beyond their claimed hunting grounds. Any creature that enters their territory is fair game to be

The Age of Humanity

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

in the Underdark, the drow fought wars of survival and conquest in their new domain. The Rise and Fall of Netheril More than five thousand years ago, a group of human fishing villages on the shores

Sword Coast, forming a chain along the Trade Way from Illusk in the far north to Baldur’s Gate in the south, near the borders of Amn. Like their elven and dwarven predecessors, they fought off attacks by

Gambler

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

Gambler All you need to make a lot of gold is a little gold. Except at those times when all you need to have no gold at all is a little gold. Whether you’re a good gambler or a bad one rarely matters

when everyone else is telling me to. 2 I save my sympathy for my friends, and I have no friends. 3 You think we’re in trouble now? Let me tell you how bad things are likely to get! 4

The Darkening

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Locathah Rising

see the “darkening” up ahead. It’s difficult to see anything clearly within its borders, though you can vaguely make out the outline of a mountain of sunken ships resting on the sea floor, grown over

he opened (Umberlee’s Maw) have created an area in the ocean that acts like a beacon for strong, irregular currents and bad weather. Underwater, the effect manifests as a general darkness in an oddly

Fensirs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

the outer plane of Ysgard. The campaign’s aspirations of conquest quickly failed, but the raiders discovered a key feature of Ysgard: creatures slain on that plane return to life the next dawn. Thus

seems like a transparently bad idea. What were those giants thinking? —Bigby And yet, can we fairly say that the existence of fensirs is “transparently bad”? Some might argue they are a

Burly's Plan

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

expression. “Bad things have been happening at the carnival for a while. People and things have been going missing. My bosses know more than they’re telling, but their hands are tied somehow. You’re the first

Witchlight vane instead of the Witchlight watch, Burly asserts that the watch is easier to steal because it’s smaller and often tucked in Mister Witch’s pocket, whereas Mister Light is rarely seen without

Adventure Structure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

goal is to prevent the gold from falling into the hands of the bad guys. If all goes well, some of the gold will find its way into the characters’ pockets. Characters will have a hard time claiming it

encounters easier. It also bears remembering that the villains are meant to be thwarted, not killed, and they are rarely spoiling for a fight. Adventurers who get in over their heads can be knocked

D&D Beyond

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