both before deeds call reason

Orc

Species Player’s Handbook

ancestors’ great travels and travails. Inspired by those tales, many of those orcs wonder when Gruumsh will call on them to match the heroic deeds of old and if they will prove worthy of his favor

Dwarf

Species Player’s Handbook

subterranean horrors. Inspired by those tales, dwarves of any culture often sing of valorous deeds—especially of the little overcoming the mighty. On some worlds in the multiverse, the first settlements

of dwarves were built in hills or mountains, and the families who trace their ancestry to those settlements call themselves hill dwarves or mountain dwarves, respectively. The Greyhawk and Dragonlance

Norker

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

and his followers the initial, unwilling recruits into his crusade. Today, hobgoblins chafe at the suggestion that creatures as lazy and untamed as norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason

' strength and ferocity.. For this reason, norkers are likely encountered away from their brethren. Their natural armor and weapons make them dangerous foes even when relegated to menial labor. Only

Norker War Leader

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish

defeat goblinoids that underestimate the norkers' strength and ferocity.. For this reason, norkers are likely encountered away from their brethren. Their natural armor and weapons make them dangerous

Barovian Witch

Monsters Curse of Strahd

attack. Brothers and Sisters of Strahd. Barovian witches have no scruples. They will deal with anyone in return for power. They will also betray anyone for the same reason. The only thing they fear is

spell component, a ritual object, or a potion ingredient. Barovian witches use the find familiar spell to call forth familiars. They are particularly fond of cats, though snakes and toads are also common. These animals lurk amid the clutter of the witches' lairs, seldom wandering far from their vile masters.

The Fathomless (TCoE)

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

might have been shipwrecked and on the brink of drowning when your patron’s grasp offered you a chance at life. Whatever the reason for your pact, the sea and its unknown depths call to you

Darkling Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

speak of a seelie fey who betrayed the Summer Queen. His true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath

, and doing so wizens the creature, much like the effect of rapid aging. For this reason, darklings cover every part of their body with clothing when exposure to light is a risk. The light a darkling

Darkling Elder Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath that she cursed every member of his house. Other fey refer to the descendants of Dubh Catha's house as the dubh sith-or

. The Killing Light. The Summer Queen's curse causes a darkling's body to absorb light, and doing so wizens the creature, much like the effect of rapid aging. For this reason, darklings cover every

Hobgoblin Devastator

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

spellcasters who call down fireballs and other destructive magic in the defense of the court they serve, whether that court is in the Feywild or the Material Plane. A hobgoblin devastator on the

of the magical arts, they learn the basics of weapon use, and they measure their deeds by the enemies defeated though their magic. They have the respect of other members of the host and receive

The Fathomless

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

might have been shipwrecked and on the brink of drowning when your patron’s grasp offered you a chance at life. Whatever the reason for your pact, the sea and its unknown depths call to you

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

call home. Orphaned firbolgs are those whose clans or homelands have been destroyed. They become crusaders for nature, seeking to avenge their loss and prevent the further destruction of the natural

Reason for Adventuring 1 Outcast for murder 2 Outcast for severely damaging home territory 3 Clan slain by invading humanoids 4 Clan slain by a dragon or demon 5

Acolyte Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

, from the Forgotten Realms setting. Were you a lesser functionary in a temple, raised from childhood to assist the priests in the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call

near your temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not hazardous and you remain in good standing with your temple. Suggested

Hutijin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

figure, known only to the most learned infernal scholars. He has no cults of his own, and his servants are few in number. The reason is simple: Hutijin hates mortals. When summoned from the Hells, he

rivals. Other archdevils know how much Hutijin despises mortals and have secretly disseminated the means to call him from the Nine Hells in the hope of distracting the archdevil long enough for them to

Minotaur Legacy

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

’s Kamen Fortress is a prominent member of the Ordruun line, he would never call himself Grozdan Ordruun the way a human would. Minotaur Names The legends that recount the deeds of ancient

Acolyte - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the sacred rites? Or were you a high priest who suddenly experienced a call to serve your god in a different way? Perhaps you were the leader of a small cult outside of any established temple structure

, if you remain on good terms with it, or a temple where you have found a new home. While near your temple, you can call upon the priests for assistance, provided the assistance you ask for is not

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

I caught a big fish. Now I search for a good friend To share my lunch with. — Tortle haiku What many tortles consider a simple life, others might call a life of adventure. Tortles are

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

notable deeds or actions. For example, Garurt translates as “axe,” a name given to a lizardfolk warrior who defeated an orc and claimed his foe’s weapon. A lizardfolk who likes to

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

, giving each individual and every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

kenku make an easy living serving as messengers, spies, and lookouts for thieves’ guilds, bandits, and other criminal cartels. A network of kenku can relay a bird call or similar noise across the

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

. Great Purpose Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an

, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path. Two other circumstances might call an aarakocra to adventure. First, aarakocra

Firbolg Names

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

, and instead identify the forest’s children by their deeds, habits, and other actions. By the same token, their tribe names merely refer to their homes. When dealing with other races, firbolgs refer

to their lands by whatever name the surrounding folk use, as a matter of tact and hospitality, but among their own kind they simply call it “home.” Sometimes firbolgs adopt the nicknames or titles outsiders give them under the assumption that those who need names can call them whatever they wish.

Existing Characters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Lord Neverember’s call for help in solving the disappearance of several nobles. The reason might range from the magical (an unexpected magical backlash transports them to the city) to the mundane (a

Realms campaign setting). If a character is from a different world or is from somewhere else in that setting, work with the player to devise a reason why that character is in Neverwinter and answers

Hierarchy

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

, some members are highly respected while others are seen as dangerous for one reason or another. What is your relationship to the hierarchy you’re a part of? Is your entire order held in particularly

high or low esteem? Or does your adventuring party stand out from the larger order for some reason? Is your behavior in line with the expectations of your religion, or is it unorthodox in some way

New Characters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

, the characters need a reason for Lord Neverember to request their help in chapter 1, even if it’s simply because their heroics are widely known. Regardless, 10th-level characters have already had long

careers and earned their abilities through experience. These characters have likely accomplished impressive deeds, so encourage your players to describe how the characters reached 10th level. The 10th

Order of the Gauntlet

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

sentient beings must come to the light of reason and goodness of their own volition. That is why it is not interested in controlling minds: it focuses only on deeds, setting an example to the world in hopes

to strike only when evil deeds are being committed. Thus, the Order of the Gauntlet is hypervigilant, using every resource at their disposal—both divine and mundane—to know where and when dark deeds

High Forest

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

trees that is an important meeting-place for the Emerald Enclave. Foes of the enclave have to fight to reach it, but members can readily find aid, healing, and advice in the grove. Reason to Visit

. Shadowtop Cathedral is a key base for the Emerald Enclave. Also, characters from the Tree Ghost Uthgardt tribe call the High Forest home.

The God-Brain

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

The God-Brain The scope of what mind flayers call history exists on a cosmic scale. Through ages of empire and conflict, the illithid elder brains indulged experiments without comparison or reference

upon its peers, consuming their discoveries and their physical forms to fuel an impossible apotheosis. Ultimately, though, the weight of the elder brain’s deeds caused its own physicality to rebel

Intelligence

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

Intelligence Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education

it, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence

Intelligence

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

Intelligence Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence Checks An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education

dealt it, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence

Arriving in Anauroch

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

sand. Intent on their investigation of the golem, they don’t notice your arrival. The two desert nomads (use the bandit stat block) and a camel they call Old Stink (for good reason) hail from a Bedine

Dwarf

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

subterranean horrors. Inspired by those tales, dwarves of any culture often sing of valorous deeds—especially of the little overcoming the mighty. On some worlds in the multiverse, the first settlements of

dwarves were built in hills or mountains, and the families who trace their ancestry to those settlements call themselves hill dwarves or mountain dwarves, respectively. The Greyhawk and Dragonlance

Secret Doors

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

, as shown in the Secret Doors table. You can instead call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check if the challenge involves deducing that a door is present from noticeable clues, rather than

door 20 Secret Door Etiquette Adventurers often fail to locate secret doors. For this reason, don’t hide important treasures or locations behind secret doors unless you’re comfortable with the

Occult Detective Stories

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

? What crime is it committing, or how is it a problem? Who wants the villain stopped? Do they have a personal reason for this? What evidence has the villain left behind? How is the evidence initially

misleading? What clarifying evidence will the characters discover in the course of their investigation? How are the villain’s deeds terrifying or suggestive of a larger plot? Are the characters threatened? How might the characters trap the villain, draw them out, or predict their next move?

Laleh's Plea

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Laleh’s Plea Regardless of the characters’ reason for coming to the theater, Laleh commends the characters for finding her, saying their industriousness makes it clear that they’re the best suited to

. Laleh expects this diversion will lead members of the Brightguard in the city to call upon those at the Pedestal of Judgment for support. This will leave the site where Afsoun is being held only lightly

Ideal Minions

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

. For this reason, many kenku make an easy living serving as messengers, spies, and lookouts for thieves’ guilds, bandits, and other criminal cartels. A network of kenku can relay a bird call or similar

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