both before defend come reason

Autognome

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

: defend gnomes who are being attacked by non-gnomes, defend yourself if you are attacked, and protect infants and youngsters from harm. The last directive arose from the best intentions, but it doesn't

distinguish between species; if an autognome sees a group of adults battling a lunar dragon wyrmling, for instance, it would come to the wyrmling's defense.Poison

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.

Triton Master of Waves

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

ally, using it to defend their people or enact Thassa’s wishes. While dire threats from the land might bring them to coastal shallows, most masters of waves keep to the ocean’s depths

of the sea, tritons live rich lives unknown to most land-dwelling individuals. While the waves separate most tritons from land-dwellers, occasionally the inhabitants of the surface and the deep come

Kolyarut

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

: Monsters of the Multiverse) and punished in brutally decisive fashion. In cases where the terms of a contract or a foundational truth of an agreement come into question, the Kolyarut sends a component part

are inevitables, beings dedicated to the smooth exaction of laws across the planes. Kolyaruts wield blades with deadly efficiency, allowing them to defend themselves on their excursions and slice

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

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

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of

better life. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure

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

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

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

manipulate the folk of Khorvaire to eliminate kalashtar whenever possible. Many kalashtar defend themselves from the Dreaming Dark by focusing on devotion to the Path of Light. Others, though, seek

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

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

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

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate

. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure. 3 I

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

Ashen Grotto

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

their dead to be interred within this nexus of giants’ magic. Many giants hold strong beliefs and taboos about the grotto. Some might put aside a deadly enmity with their rivals to defend it against

intruders. Others might refuse to enter for any reason other than during funerary rites to inter a family member’s remains. Remains laid to rest within the grotto remain peaceful, and the power of the cave is anathema to Undead.

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

Adult Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

sapphire dragons. Militant and territorial, they defend their lairs fiercely, ambushing intruders and plotting assaults against their rivals. The sonic pulse of their breath weapon sows weakness, leaving

. 2 An adult sapphire dragon employs a dao to help shape and defend the dragon’s lair, and the dao maintains a portal to the Elemental Plane of Earth there. 3 An adult sapphire dragon

Ancient Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

conflict is part of the very nature of sapphire dragons. Militant and territorial, they defend their lairs fiercely, ambushing intruders and plotting assaults against their rivals. The sonic pulse of their

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

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

Dinosaurs

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

to defend their young, or if startled or harassed. Dinosaurs come in many sizes and shapes. Larger varieties often have drab coloration, while smaller dinosaurs have colorful markings akin to birds

Preparing for the Drowned Ones

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Preparing for the Drowned Ones The hermitage offers an abundance of tactical opportunities to defend against the coming attack. Invite the players to concoct a plan to reinforce the old fortress, and

to decide on a course of action for when the drowned ones breach the defenses. The survivors do not participate in combat against the drowned ones. Even if they aid in the defensive preparations, come nightfall they retreat to area 25.

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

Druids of Khorvaire

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

champions of the natural world. We defend it from anything and anyone who threatens it. We, the Children of Winter, preserve the natural cycle of life and death. Disease and decay cull the weak and

strengthen the whole. We must destroy undead and ensure that the cycle continues. We, the Gatekeepers, protect the natural world from the forces that come from outside it, from those beings that slither in

Animated Objects

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

Animated Objects Mundane Objects Come to Life Habitat: Urban; Treasure: None Simon Dominic Magic can manipulate mundane items, compelling them to perform simple tasks. Such animate objects might be

unassuming tools or decorations that can defend their creator. These objects follow simple instructions from whatever force or magic-user created them. If left unattended, they might defend an area

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.

S19. Barracks

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

S19. Barracks Bunk beds that have disintegrated with age lie in heaps along the walls of this moldy, thirty-foot-square room. Long ago, the abbey employed guards to defend its walls, and they were

” (area S13), Ezmerelda realizes the Abbot is insane. The Abbot told her that he is expecting Strahd to visit his bride-to-be. Ezmerelda has decided to wait for the vampire to come, so that she can

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

General Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

shoals. The waves crashing and splashing over the jagged rocks make it obvious, even to landlubbers, that any attempt to navigate the shoals can only end in disaster. In fact, there is no reason to pass

through the dangerous rocks, because the granite cliffs beyond them rise directly out of the water, offering no place to land or come ashore. Only the sandy area at the southernmost tip of the island

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

; 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

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