born before device concept rather

Sammaster (Dracolich Form)

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

. History Sammaster was a keenly intelligent wizard born centuries ago. A quick study throughout his itinerant apprenticeship, Sammaster primarily studied magic relating to dragons. After learning all

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

Sammaster was a keenly intelligent wizard born centuries ago. A quick study throughout his itinerant apprenticeship, Sammaster primarily studied magic relating to dragons. After learning all he could from

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

Water Weird Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

those its summoner declares as off limits. When slain, a water weird becomes an inanimate pool of water. Good and Evil Weirds. Like most elementals, a water weird has no concept of good or evil

interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might turn against its summoner. A water weird loses its evil alignment if its waters are cleansed

Kiddywidget

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

skitterwidgets that are created rather than born, kiddywidgets aren’t beholden to the wearer of a control ring, even after they grow to become skitterwidgets.Lightning, Poison

Leonin Iconoclast

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

doom than peace and bounty. Some leonin, known as iconoclasts, devote themselves to thwarting the gods by hunting down their followers and all things born of Nyx that impede on Oreskos and the safety of

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

Mighty Servant of Leuk-o

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

conjecture than fact, often referring to otherworldly beings, the mysterious Barrier Peaks in Oerth, and the supposedly related device known as the Machine of Lum the Mad. The best details on the device

’s origins and operation can be found in the Mind of Metal, a tome of artificer’s secrets that connects the device to the traditions of the lost Olman people, and which was written by Lum the

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

perfectly preserved remains. Lamordia. You awoke amid the bizarre experiments of an amoral scientist. They consider you their finest creation or have a task for you to fulfill. Mordent. You emerged from the mysterious device known as the Apparatus, your body a lifeless shell and your past a mystery.

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

City of Skilled Hands. Even if you’re not city-born or city-bred, this background can describe your early years as a member of law enforcement. Most settlements of any size have their own

easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter. Variant: Investigator Rarer

Tiefling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

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

child born of dragon and elf could become a godlike avatar of death. Illmarrow Rises. Even as dragons and elves fought to destroy the line of Vol, a child was born to the house: Erandis. A scion of elf

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

them like they were children’s books. It’s a useful talent, and one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather

a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and insults are my

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

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language

, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that

want. 4 I’m a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal

concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon

The Village of Respite

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves

is home to about fifty people, primarily humans, elves, and orcs. The veil between the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Air is thin near Respite. As a result, many born in the town possess

often ravage the nearby coast. Long ago, to protect the village, friendly djinn crafted a device called the Storm’s Eye Weather Vane and placed it in the village square. The djinn channeled their magic

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

; Suggested Characteristics Anthropologists leave behind the societies into which they were born to discover what life is like in other parts of the world. They seek to see how other races and civilizations

. 2 I’m a stickler when it comes to observing proper etiquette and local customs. 3 I would rather observe than meddle. 4 By living among violent people, I have become

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome. Cold and Calculating Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in

pity. Born into the world lacking stout scales and sharp teeth, it’s a wonder they have managed to survive for so long. The typical human would barely make it through a day in the swamps. Still

Character Names

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

names, that’s fine. If the group would rather take the characters and their names a little more seriously, urge Bob’s player to come up with a more appropriate name. Player character names should match

each other in flavor or concept, and they should also match the flavor of your campaign world — so should the nonplayer characters’ names and place names you create. Travok and Kairon don’t want to undertake a quest for Lord Cupcake, visit Gumdrop Island, or take down a crazy wizard named Ray.

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

sparkles. If you use an arcane focus, it probably takes the form of an intricate device that could include metal gauntlets, glass canisters, copper tubing, and leather straps attaching it to your body

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

Mount Makab

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

its form occupies the periphery of viewers’ attention no matter which direction they look. Mount Makab is not a natural feature, but rather part of a colossal, illithid-designed device. Its purposes

Kalashtar Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

I am kalashtar, born of two worlds. Over a thousand years ago, my ancestor bound her bloodline to the spirit Kashtai, and I am a child of that union. Kashtai moves within me. Her memories come to

with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar

Inhabitants

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

ruling over its domain. Long ago, the beholder heard rumors of an arcane device known as the Maze Engine, capable of shifting the gears of reality. During the last Great Modron March, Karazikar

captured a pentadrone and afterward became convinced the Maze Engine existed in the Underdark. Unfortunately, the modron’s axiomatic mind couldn’t be broken, and it perished rather than reveal anything

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

nature, coming face to face with a giant eagle or dire wolf and surviving the experience. Maybe your character was born during an epic storm or a volcanic eruption, which was interpreted as a sign that

Arrival in the Outlands

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel

, but rather by a large magical device or machine. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes the stone spire in the distance as the Spire that marks the center of the

another direction. CoupleOfKooks “I am a mimir, a magical device designed to provide information. I can be, be, be–” Cacophonous gibberish and overlapping voices ensue. “Infinite unlikelihood error: data not found.” –The Mosaic Mimir

Survival of the Fittest

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

pity for adults who can’t take care of themselves, though a sick or injured individual is treated, as a result of the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to

themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk

Draconians

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

Draconians As early as the preludes later in this chapter, the characters will face the Dragon Army’s secret weapon: draconians. These dragon-like monstrosities are unnatural creatures born of the

god’s name. In the course of the adventure, present draconians as magical, monstrous, fanatical, and unknowable. They aren’t creatures with their own goals and ambitions. Rather, they are magical

Zodiac Signs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

Zodiac Signs A zodiac sign is a mythological entity associated with a constellation in a zodiac. For the Sky of Many Things, a creature is said to be “born under” a zodiac sign if its birthday occurs

description of the sign’s constellation, common myths and beliefs about it, and omens associated with creatures born under that sign. The signs are presented in their order within the zodiac. Skull The

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

few miles from where they were born. You aren’t one of those folk. You are from a distant place, one so remote that few of the common folk in the North realize that it exists, and chances are

foreign land. 2 I pretend not to understand the local language in order to avoid interactions I would rather not have. 3 I have a weakness for the new intoxicants and other pleasures of this

Legend of the Tomb

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a7

, they must be prepared to fail. Any expedition must have magical protections and weapons, and must be equipped with every sort of device possible to ensure survival. ABOUT THE ORIGINAL Tomb of

Horrors was born in Gary Gygax’s home campaign and introduced to the world at the first Origins game convention in 1975. Since its original publication in 1978, Tomb of Horrors has risen to legendary

Origin of the Ordning

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

the ordning in some mythic future. Giants on some worlds (including Eberron) have no concept of the ordning at all. Such giants might think of themselves as a single species, with the differences

among giant kinds reflecting a cultural or geographical distinction rather than an inherent one. They might live in bands composed of multiple giant kinds or family groups of a single kind. Or giants of

Character Advancement

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

taking part in a play session. A character reaches 1 checkpoint for each hour an adventure is designed to last. Note that the award is based on the adventure’s projected playing time, rather than the

designed to take 2 hours, the character reaches 3 checkpoints. Playing time might seem like an odd way to measure experience awards, but the concept is in keeping with how a shared campaign is meant to

Tragic Flaws

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

exploit or punish, with hubris being the classic example. The gods of Theros aren’t so concerned about “ordinary” flaws like addiction or laziness. Rather, consider a tragic flaw involving something you

. NATAL OMENS The birth of a hero is often accompanied by signs in Nyx and Theros alike. You can use the Omens table in chapter 4 to randomly determine an omen that appeared when you were born. It’s up to you and your DM to determine the omen’s meaning.

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