born before driven conquer retain

Needle Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

implacable foe. Driven only by a desire to conquer and rule, it wages endless war with its army of mobile dead against all creatures it views as a threat to its domination. It might even forge treaties with

fancies itself a conquering general, wandering in search of a forest to conquer and claim. When it sets its sights on a forest, it first focuses on spreading the seed pods that give rise to its needle

Deathlock Mastermind

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

door, dispel magic, fly, invisibilityThough deathlocks exist to serve their patrons, they retain some freedom when it comes to devising tactics and carrying out plans. Powerful deathlocks recruit

to live up to a bargain with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from the dead as a deathlock, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron. An powerful necromancer might also discover

Sahuagin Baron Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As worshipers of Sekolah, they also have a special kinship with sharks, which they train as attack animals. Even untrained sharks recognize sahuagin

devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near enough to an aquatic elf community can enter the world as a malenti — a sahuagin that physically resembles an aquatic elf in

Sahuagin Priestess Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

female sahuagin are deemed worthy of channeling the god's power, and priestesses hold tremendous sway in sahuagin communities. Sahuagin are driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As

maritime trade and drawing other races into the bloody conflict. So intense is sahuagin hatred for the aquatic elves that the sea devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near

Mongrelfolk

Monsters Curse of Strahd

whose ancestors underwent, horrific magical transformations, to the extent that they retain only a fraction of their original being. Their humanoid bodies incorporate the features of various beasts. For

original forms. Mongrelfolk that are born are true mongrelfolk and not the subjects of a spell or an effect that can be undone. Mongrelfolk can breed with other humanoids, but nearly all children born to

Humanoid Mutate

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

as smooth as a salamander’s. Some intelligent Humanoid mutates retain their personalities from before they were exposed to the Far Realm. Some, driven by the allure of otherworldly powers, seek

Skull Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

their own worst enemies; each is a combined being born from three hateful individuals, and they constantly plot against themselves. Infighting and treachery brought skull lords into existence. The

first of them appeared in the aftermath of Vecna’s bid to conquer the world of Greyhawk, after the vampire Kas betrayed Vecna and took his eye and hand. In the confusion resulting from this turn

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

body, thought, and emotion. Freed from the limitations of their human bodies, the yuan-ti used their new abilities to conquer new lands and expand their borders. One Race, Many Forms The bodies of all

— yuan-ti make perfect courtiers. And, worse for the rest of us, rulers. — Elminster The physical and magical prowess of the yuan-ti empire allowed the former humans to retain their

Satyr Legacy

Species Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Satyrs have a well-earned reputation for their good spirits, gregarious personalities, and love of revels. Most satyrs are driven by simple desires, to see the world and to sample its every pleasure

all, and the proper response to such a gift, as far as most satyrs are concerned, is to accept it with relish. Born of the Wild In their physical forms, satyrs embody a fusion of humanoid

Star Spawn Hulk

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

seer nearby. A hulk appears to have little will of its own and is driven to protect its master. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best

only one. Cult of Atropus, the World Born Dead Gaze of Corruption (Recharge 6);{"diceNotation":"1d6", "rollType":"recharge", "rollAction":"Gaze of Corruption"}. The cultist targets one creature it

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while a shifter with a lupine spirit might be drawn to find and protect a pack. When a shifter fully embraces this beast

also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey. While the beast within certainly has a physical impact on a shifter, it has a

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

survive—or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

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

are strongly influenced by the emotions of those around you. 8 You prefer to find nonviolent solutions to problems whenever possible. 9 You are driven by a warrior spirit and will fight

Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

, creating dangerous hybrids and a spreading corruption. Opposing the hags’ evil is a female unicorn named Banrion. After years of skirmishes, the hags have driven Banrion to an isolated pinnacle of

rock. This pinnacle stands among the ruins of an ancient city that once housed the Infernal Machine, until Baron Lum the Mad discovered and claimed it for himself. A fallen clock tower still holds some of the machine’s components, which retain enough power to manipulate time.

Wight

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

them beyond death. Unlike mere zombies, they retain the memories and evil agendas they harbored in life. After dying and returning from the grave, a wight continues its villainous ways, but it is now

driven by a hunger for life. A wight drains living essence through its attacks. Humanoids slain by a wight’s life-sapping grip reanimate a day later and serve the wight as obedient zombies. Valera

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

ties to two worlds, yet belonging to neither. Some genasi are born of mortal–genie unions, others have two genasi as parents, and a rare few have a genie further up their family tree, manifesting

a planar convergence. Elemental energy saturates any creatures in the area and might alter their nature enough that their offspring with other mortals are born as genasi. Heirs to Elemental Power

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

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

Tieflings

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

Tieflings Tieflings are rarely seen in Eberron, but there are a few paths for a tiefling characters. Many tieflings are born to the Carrion Tribes, the barbarians who live in the Demon Wastes. Such

, but by the influence of the planes. Such tieflings may be born in manifest zones when planes are coterminous. Planar tieflings are isolated oddities, often seen as exotic and strange, but not

Shadow Dragon Template

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

Shadow Dragon Template Only a true dragon can transform into a shadow dragon, and only if it is born in the Shadowfell or remains there for several years. A dracolich can’t be turned into a shadow

dragon, since it loses its draconic nature when it becomes undead. When a dragon becomes a shadow dragon, it retains its statistics except as described below. The shadow dragon might retain or lose any

Tieflings

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

at the fringes of civilization. Many tieflings are born to the Carrion Tribes, the barbarians who live in the Demon Wastes. Such tieflings are touched by the fiendish forces bound beneath the Wastes

avatar for an imprisoned Overlord — and you are fleeing that destiny. Other tieflings are shaped not by fiendish powers, but by the influence of the fiend-tainted planes. Such tieflings might be born in

Humanoid Mutate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

. Its skin becomes clammy and as smooth as a salamander’s. Some intelligent Humanoid mutates retain their personalities from before they were exposed to the Far Realm. Some, driven by the allure of

Hobgoblin

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

rank-and-file foot soldiers, to the goblins that find themselves driven into the front lines at spear point. A legion is headed by a warlord with several captains serving under its command. A hobgoblin

damage. Conquer and Control. Hobgoblins claim lands with abundant resources, and they can be found in forests and mountains, near mines and humanoid settlements, and anywhere else that wood, metal, and

The Beast Within

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while

with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey

Slaadi

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

. While slaadi aren’t inherently evil, their impulses are wild and often destructive. Many are driven to propagate through supernatural processes. Unfortunately, these processes typically are fatal for

multiverse. Slaad Control Gems A slaad born from the Spawning Stone has a magical control gem embedded in its head. If a creature claims the gem, the slaad has the Charmed condition and obeys the

Roleplaying a Yuan-ti

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

than among other creatures, including my own kind. 4 I sometimes become consumed by philosophy. 5 I believe I am superior to others of my caste. 6 I am driven by wanderlust and want to explore lands

far from our cities. 7 I am interested in modern human culture, even as primitive as it is. 8 I await the day when we again conquer lands by force, as we did in the old times. Yuan-ti Ideals d6 Ideal

Raggadragga Attacks!

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

and defeat the creatures inside. If they do so, they can claim the Demon Grinder for themselves. The Demon Grinder is driven by the warlord Raggadragga, a wereboar with 120 hit points. He leads the

he uses to fuel the Demon Grinder. He also carries a circlet of blasting, which he can don and use to make ranged attacks. The other members of the Goreguts Gang have no treasure. The warlords of Avernus conquer the hellish wastelands in infernal war machines powered by souls

The Beast Within

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

personality takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts

traits and prefer to run with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature

Mongrelfolk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

Mongrelfolk Mongrelfolk are humanoids that have undergone, or whose ancestors underwent, horrific magical transformations, to the extent that they retain only a fraction of their original being

original forms. Mongrelfolk that are born are true mongrelfolk and not the subjects of a spell or an effect that can be undone. Mongrelfolk can breed with other humanoids, but nearly all children

Suggested Characteristics

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->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 survive — or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

Path of Light

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

light. Violence is never the answer, and the only way to defeat evil is to redeem it. Lightbringers seek to inspire those who live in fear and enlighten those whose evil is driven by ignorance. The

in Khorvaire, it is largely unknown outside kalashtar communities. The shadow watchers champion a sect born in Khorvaire, and the elders of Adar have condemned its methods. If you follow the Path of

Needle Spawn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

implacable foe. Driven only by a desire to conquer and rule, it wages endless war with its army of mobile dead against all creatures it views as a threat to its domination. It might even forge

lord fancies itself a conquering general, wandering in search of a forest to conquer and claim. When it sets its sights on a forest, it first focuses on spreading the seed pods that give rise to its

Skull Lord

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

establish dominance. Yet skull lords always prove to be their own worst enemies; each is a combined being born from three hateful individuals, and they constantly plot against themselves. Infighting and

treachery brought skull lords into existence. The first of them appeared in the aftermath of Vecna’s bid to conquer the world of Greyhawk, after the vampire Kas betrayed Vecna and took his eye and hand

Skull Lord

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

establish dominance. Yet skull lords always prove to be their own worst enemies; as a combined being born from three hateful individuals, they constantly plot against themselves. Creatures of Betrayal

. Infighting and treachery brought the skull lords into existence. The first of them appeared in the aftermath of Vecna’s bid to conquer the world of Greyhawk, after the vampire Kas betrayed Vecna and took

Meeting Eldemere

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

Haskasori. If they are money-driven, she informs them that Haskasori was once a city of great riches and culture; they are welcome to keep any relics or treasure they find. Eldemere can provide the

? “He’s a tyrant who seeks to resurrect and bind his dead ancestor dragons, then use them to conquer the region. His depravities focus on Haskasori, which he’s made his temporary lair. But he often

Sahuagin

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

, and priestesses hold tremendous sway in sahuagin communities. Sahuagin are driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As worshipers of Sekolah, they also have a special kinship with sharks

ancient foes. A sahuagin born near enough to an aquatic elf community can enter the world as a malenti — a sahuagin that physically resembles an aquatic elf in every way. Sahuagin are prone to mutation

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