born being driven concept reasons

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

Sea Spawn

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of their former selves. Coral encrusts them. Barnacles cling to their cold skin. Lungs that once filled with air can now breathe in water as well. Tales provide myriad reasons for these strange

the Forgotten Realms setting) might notice one curious fact about the islands’ human inhabitants: no infants or elderly are among them. This is because babies born to the Rocklanders are claimed

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

good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Faerûn for your own reasons, which

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

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

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

Waterdhavian Noble

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

expect things of you when they know your surname and what it means. Your reasons for taking up adventuring likely involve your family in some way: Are you the family rebel, who prefers delving in

background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of a Waterdhavian family. Like other nobles, you were born

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Balance

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

concept they espouse as the Balance, and they seek to maintain equilibrium across the cosmos above all. Mordenkainen and his compatriots are among its most notable devotees. Since a true appreciation of

maintain the Balance make enemies wherever they go, because their full reasons for acting as they do aren’t always apparent. The fact that some of these adherents embrace the Balance to further their

Far Traveler

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

more than a 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 good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Faerûn for your own reasons, which

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

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

Orlumbor

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

work is among the reasons Waterdeep remained so strong for so many years. Even when much of the city’s navy lay disabled in its harbor, the strong ships of Orlumbor proved sturdy enough that folk could

can find a wider berth, and any minor damage to the new visitor is happily (and cheaply) repaired by the Orlumbor dockworkers. These are folk born and bred to work on ships. The homes on Orlumbor are

Evil Inchoate

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

absolute evil, demons have no concept of empathy. Each demon believes that only its needs and desires matter. This self-centeredness applies even with regard to other demons. These fiends have no

demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the cosmos. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. In due time, the laws of the universe will

The Mourning

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

The Mourning No one knows the reason for what happened on 20 Olarune 994 YK. Though it had been battered, Cyre stood defiant; Cyran soldiers had recently driven deep into Karrnathi territory and were

. Over the last four years, people have ventured into the mist for many reasons. Some sought to plunder the abandoned treasures of the richest nation in Galifar. Others hoped to find lost loved ones, or

Wight

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

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

Lutfullina Wights might return from the dead for a multitude of sinister reasons. Roll on or choose a result from the Wight Motives table to inspire why a wight plagues the living. Wight

Elf Adventurers

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

elves are born with or develop the qualities that mark them as potential adventurers, as other races define the term. Many traditional adventuring groups are happy to count an elf among their members, and

situations. On extremely rare occasions, an elf might join an adventuring party for reasons that are based in fear. A tiny percentage of elves develop an irrational fear of the serene, contemplative

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

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; animosity, gnomes tend to avoid or abandon settlements that have a severe infestation of kobolds, and conversely kobolds are usually driven out of communities that have a large gnome population

lack of emotional bonding means they have no concept of marriage or permanent family relationships. Their eggs are placed in a common tribal hatchery with no effort to keep track of who each one

Solitary but Social

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

such a connection, and a young hag born of a grandmother begins her existence already benefiting from a greater measure of respect and status. Want to know a dark secret? Ask a hag. The trick lies in

that suggests that if a hag consumes twins or triplets, her offspring might have additional, unusual abilities; similarly, devouring the seventh-born child of a seventh-born is said to be a way to pass

A Bard's Muse

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

versatility. Others adopt a more personal approach to their art, driven by their attachment to a muse — a particular concept that inspires much of what those bards do in front of an audience. A bard who

Genies

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

of the Elements. A genie is born when the soul of a sentient living creature melds with the primordial matter of an elemental plane. Only under rare circumstances does such an elemental-infused soul

offspring, as all new genies are born out of the same mysterious fusion of spirit energy and elemental power. A genie with a stronger connection to its mortal soul might choose to sire a child with a

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