both before defeated come reason

Snow Sphinx

monsters

whips around a feline face, revealing piercing blue eyes that can freeze foes with a single glance. Compared to its desert-dwelling cousins, this sphinx is far less likely to be defeated with reason or

Sage Arol's Beetle

Equipment

use the beetles for potion crafting when a witch from the Fish Head Coven began to see the rare bug in her dreams. Sage Arol’s Beetles live deep underground, fleeing even the dimmest light. On rare occasions, they come to the surface, though the reason remains a mystery.

"The Demogorgon"

Monsters Infernal Machine Rebuild

. At one time, he was told that he was a statue of Demogorgon brought to life by Thessalar’s experiments. He has since come to believe that he is now the actual Demogorgon, with his two heads

stewards. If the ettin is defeated, examining the pouches around his necks reveals a collection of eyeballs and still-beating dragon hearts. The silver wires connect those living tissues to the ettin

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

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

weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some value. d6

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

utility and importance. Nowhere does this come through as strongly as when lizardfolk deal with the dead. To a lizardfolk, a comrade who dies becomes a potential source of food. That companion might have

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

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

feelings fueled the spirits of many of his fellow knights—including Godfrey—to come back as revenants as well. Vladimir continued to wage the hopeless war, even as Strahd tightened his grip on the valley

memory shrouded by his hate. Were Vladimir to let go of his hatred, his spirit would find peace and could remember the warmth of love. Were Strahd to be defeated, even temporarily, the mists surrounding

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

crafting simple tools and hunting and gathering food, and gangs sometimes come together peacefully to exchange members and goods between them. Malevolent Worship of Malign Gods Bugbears worship two

deities who are brothers, Hruggek and Grankhul. Hruggek is the fearsome elder sibling, possessed of legendary might and prowess in battle. Bugbears believe their strength and bravery come from him

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

, heroes must reduce each of her forms to 0 hit points one after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final form, Auril dies. As long as she has mortal followers who worship her, however

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

current weakened state, Auril can assume three different forms. To destroy her, heroes must reduce each of her forms to 0 hit points one after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

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

provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. d6 Reason d6 Reason 1 Emissary 4 Pilgrim

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. You can choose your secondary guild or roll to determine it randomly. This secondary guild membership determines a portion of your starting equipment and is also where most of your contacts come from

guildless masses of the city. Consider why you’re embedded in the secondary guild. Create a story with your DM, inspired by rolling on the following table or choosing a reason that suits you

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

after another. After she’s defeated in her third and final form, Auril dies. As long as she has mortal followers who worship her, however, Auril is reborn at full strength during the next winter

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

imagination can turn on such champions almost as quickly as it anoints them. You come from a humble social rank, but you are destined for so much more. Already the people of your home village regard you as

Origins table for an event that started you down your heroic path.. d10 Origin 1 You helped get healing for a sick child. Now the sick come to you, knowing you’ll help them

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

magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When kobolds sense an opportunity to separate a magic item from its

Waterdhavian Noble

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Faerûn for being eccentric, spoiled, venal, and, above all else, rich. Whether you are a shining example of the reason for this reputation or one who proves the rule by being an exception, people

filthy dungeons to sipping zzar at a ball? Or have you taken up sword or spell on your family’s behalf, ensuring that they have someone of renown to see to their legacy? Work with your DM to come

Uthgardt Tribe Member

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

abandoned that path, you find yourself adrift. Or you might come from a segment of the Uthgardt that adheres to tradition, but you seek to bring glory to your tribe by achieving great things as a

totem spirits were defeated by Uthgar and where the heroes of the tribes are interred—are sacred to you. Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your tribe or some aspect of Uthgardt philosophy or

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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

insults are my weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some

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

character fought the cultists and defeated the cult’s archmage leader. 2 As a bodyguard for a high-ranking political or business figure, the character has staved off attacks from assassins and demons. 3

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

spread across the world’s oceans and established protectorates to watch over deep sea trenches, portals, undersea caves, and other locations where their enemies might lurk. They defeated their

remote even merfolk and sea elves rarely encounter them. Haughty Nobles As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the Material Plane, tritons can come across as haughty and

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them. Work with your DM to come up with an appropriate title and determine how much

visit prosperous Bloomridge to try a fashionable restaurant or boutique, or watch a spectacle at the Oasis Theater, the patriars have little reason to venture into the dirtier, more dangerous parts of the

Ancient Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

discuss how they might reunite and restore Sardior, the Ruby Dragon. 2 A horde of revenant;revenants led by a death knight has one goal—destroying the ancient sapphire dragon who defeated

stone to come and go. The challenge rating of a legendary sapphire dragon increases by 1 when it’s encountered in its lair. Lair Actions On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the

Umber Hulks

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

come stomping down a corridor toward them at any time, smashing through any doors in its path. Or it could burrow through a wall to reach the characters, exploding forth in a hail of stone fragments. If

a wandering umber hulk is defeated, remove it from area 26 or have only one umber hulk in area 34. If the characters have already defeated the three umber hulks in those areas, assume this wandering one is a new arrival.

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, constant attempts to mimic noises can come across as confusing or irritating rather than entertaining. You can just as easily describe the sounds your character makes and what they mean. Be clear

Auril's Everlasting Rime

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

nightly quest to hold the sun at bay stems from a need to preserve the beauty of things by freezing them. There is no way to reason with a being so bereft of compassion as Auril, but in her weakened

state, she can be defeated or forced to reckon with her cruel indifference toward life. Anyone who hopes to reach the Netherese city buried in the ice must first visit Auril’s island and obtain The

The Bent Pyramid

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

The Bent Pyramid In the northern desert stands a small pyramid that has a curious design: the sides rise from the earth at a steep angle until halfway up, then come together at a shallower angle. The

Bent Pyramid, which is encased in black granite, has no interior, no temple, and no obvious reason for existing. Sute’s Chosen, however, know it sits atop a well of immense magical power that can be tapped by manipulating sound waves.

Chapter 1: Dragon's Rest

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

Chapter 1: Dragon’s Rest The adventure begins at a tiny cloister called Dragon’s Rest, a haven where world-weary people come to seek peace, reconciliation, and enlightenment. There, the characters

learn about the dangers facing Stormwreck Isle. Each character has a specific reason for coming to the cloister, as shown on the character sheets. You can also let players invent their own reasons for their characters to seek out Runara’s wisdom and assistance.

Existing Characters

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

family connection brings them there). If a character takes a break after their previous adventure, consider rolling on or picking an option from the Purpose in Neverwinter table, expanding on it as necessary, to provide a reason the character has come to Neverwinter.

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

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; their loyalty by turning them into slaves. If a tribe is defeated and driven from its lair, the survivors might come under the sway of a strong but dimwitted creature, such as a hill giant or an ogre

area is at risk. If orcs come upon a target that is too large to assault directly, they will lurk along supply routes, taking out their frustration on caravans and travelers. Left unchecked, a tribe can

Chapter 4: Clifftop Observatory

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

Chapter 4: Clifftop Observatory This chapter assumes the characters visit the observatory after exploring Seagrow Caves and the wreck of Compass Rose, and thus have reached 3rd level. If they come

here before visiting the other adventure sites, the combat encounters are probably too difficult for them. That’s the reason Runara won’t give the characters the moonstone key or information about the

Westwood

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

) have come to Westwood. They forcibly evicted bandits from the innermost woodcutters’ camps, then camped there themselves to explore and hunt in Westwood. Reason to Visit. The Elk tribe and the

Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

come down for them to embark on a retrieval mission. While confidence in the cadets’ abilities is high, the recent discovery of a spy in their midst has the academy’s faculty on high alert. For this

reason, a staff member is coming along to supervise and make sure nothing prevents the character-recruits from completing their mission. That staff member is Petty Officer Winston Ryeback. The spy is

Returning War Band

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

heads are trophies from the hobgoblins’ recent victory over an elf hunting party. Clever characters might try to reason with Targor by urging him to think of himself as Grol’s successor rather than

) check. Awarding Experience Points Divide 500 XP equally among the characters if they defeat the hobgoblin war band or come to terms with Targor.

Bakaris Defects

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

. One of the knights turns a winch, raising the portcullis outside. Lord Bakaris is defecting to the Dragon Army and has convinced these knights to come with him. The cowardly lord is terrified of the

. Desperate, he might try to climb over the city wall or employ another reckless scheme. He surrenders if he takes any damage or if his knights are defeated. Once Bakaris is defeated, a character who

Death Tyrant

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

be perfect beings. No matter how death tyrants come into being, bizarre impulses drive their deathless existences. Their motivations tend to be extreme or beyond the reason of living creatures.

Adversary

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

deal with than the average member of the city watch. If your character’s backstory doesn’t already include a personage of this sort, you could work with your DM to come up with a reason why an

Adversary Naturally, those who enforce the law are bound to come up against those who break it, and it’s the rare rogue who isn’t featured on at least one wanted poster. Beyond that, it’s in the

D&D Beyond

Search Results