both before define complex rather

Ancient Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or

control. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair

Adult Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

spinal frill define its silhouette. Its beaked snout vents smoke at all times, and its eyes dance with flame when it is angry.A Red Dragon’s Lair Red dragons lair in high mountains or hills

. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair Actions On

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

sensations or visions of the past to come rushing back. Rather than sleeping, reborn regularly sit and dwell on the past, hoping for some revelation of what came before. Most of the time, these are dark

alongside complex designs for clockwork organs. 6 You were released after being petrified for generations. Your memories have faded, though, and your body isn’t what it once was. 7 Your

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their own flaws. It’s appropriate for Auril to act as though she’s

. A stat block is given for each of Auril’s three forms. These descriptions do not reflect Auril at full power, but rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their

rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril dwells on Solstice, a frozen island hidden among the titanic icebergs in the Sea of Moving Ice. Few creatures know of this

Klauth

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

damage and be knocked prone. Klauth can then fly up to half his flying speed.The odor of sulfur and pumice surrounds a red dragon, whose swept-back horns and spinal frill define its silhouette. Its

heights of the world are the throne from which it can look out to survey all it controls—and the wider world it seeks to control. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

. The less she talks, the less risk you have of unintentionally demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are

forms. These descriptions do not reflect Auril at full power, but rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril dwells on Solstice, a frozen island hidden among the titanic

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

on a particularly interesting item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it. Tabaxi Names Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based on a complex formula that involves astrology

Lizardfolk Names

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

Common words. Lizardfolk use active verbs to describe the world. A lizardfolk in cold weather might say, “This wind brings cold” rather than “I feel cold.” Lizardfolk tend to define things in terms of actions, rather than effects.

Chapter 2: Traps Revisited

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

elaborate approach — describing traps in terms of their game mechanics and offering guidance on creating traps of your own using these new rules. Rather than characterize traps as mechanical or magical, these rules separate traps into two other categories: simple and complex.

Monsters and Motivations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

adventurers. Characters might be able to appease a hungry beast by offering it food, and smarter creatures have complex motivations. The Monster Motivation table lets you use a monster’s goals to define its

Character Advancement

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Character Advancement If you want to use story-based level advancement, the characters receive experience points for achieving the following milestones rather than defeating monsters: Encountering a

advancement occurs only once, even if the characters later encounter another faction leader. Entering the Tomb Complex. When the characters enter the fourth tier of the ziggurat for the first time

Transferring Colleges

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

Transferring Colleges The loose association of minstrels and masters that was your bard college helps to define your knowledge and skills. Still, no matter what your original collegiate connections

your wheelhouse. Being able to make friends and influence people is the bread and butter of your profession. Rather than ply this trade in public squares and seedy alehouses, however, you have trained

Traps in Play

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

sides, a mechanism inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks, the characters are still unsure if it's trapped. Rather than

24d10 Complex Traps Complex traps work like standard traps, except once activated they execute a series of actions each round. A complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into something more

Traps in Play

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

sides, a mechanism inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks, the characters are still unsure if it’s trapped. Rather than

18d10 24d10 Complex Traps Complex traps work like standard traps, except once activated they execute a series of actions each round. A complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into something

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe). The main reason why kobolds depend on arcane magic rather than divine is Kurtulmak’s imprisonment, which makes it difficult for

The Great Wheel

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

between Bytopia and Arcadia; rather, this theoretical positioning is based on the philosophical shading among the three planes and the relative importance they give to law and good. Other

deities and Fiends reside Planes arranged in a complex system of orbits, with planes exerting greater influence on the Material Plane the closer they draw to it

Keep Features

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

Keep Features The water cultists are busy repairing Rivergard, but parts of the complex remain inaccessible. For example, the upper floors of the north tower and the water tower are filled with

. He leads bandits, who work for money rather than ideology, and water cultists. Only some of the commoner servants lack loyalty to Grimjaw and the cult. Doors. Interior doors are made of wood. It

Communication and Disposition

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

refusal to do so automatically prompts an attack. In such an attack, the lizardfolk’s first priority is the expulsion, rather than the death, of the intruders, but they fight to the death if provoked. Once

. Lizardfolk rarely use metaphors or complex sentences. Their speech is almost always literal — halting, but not primitive. They might pick up the meaning of an idiom, but only with some difficulty. Names

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

to be invincible. They see the principles that define them and their deities at work every day in the world around them — nature rewards the strong and mercilessly eliminates the weak and the

they are more interested in grabbing plunder and food rather than in wanton slaughter. The elderly, children, and any who seem weak or meek enough might escape death. If they leave the population more

Alignment

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

, evil, or neutral), and the other describes attitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, nine distinct alignments define the possible combinations. These brief summaries of the

lawful evil. A devil does not choose to be lawful evil or tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in its essence. If it somehow ceases to be lawful evil, it changes into something new—a

Wuxia

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

Asian martial-arts movies is a perfect match for D&D. Players can define the appearance of their characters and gear however they like for the campaign, and spells need only minor flavor changes so

character works just fine in a game inspired by medieval Asian cultures. Wuxia Weapon Names Having players refer to a tetsubo or a katana rather than a greatclub or a longsword can enhance the flavor

Iroas as Campaign Villain

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

victory or by cleaving to stubbornly held ideas. Although a campaign against Iroas might be straightforward in how the action plays out, the underlying causes of conflict could be quite complex

, forms a group in support of Mogis. Iroas, rather than accepting Heliod’s aid, launches a grand campaign of his own against his brother. 3 Mogis arms one of his champions with an axe capable of

Pharika's Influence

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

inevitable effects of aging or the petrification of her medusa children’s victims. Pharika’s Goals To Pharika, Theros is an ongoing experiment and mortals are her agents in carrying it out. Rather than

Pharika’s medicinal virtues, and she is always seeking subtle ways to use city-states in her experiments without provoking her peers. She disdains Ephara’s and Karametra’s desire to tame the world rather

Speakers for the Ancestors

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

complex relationship with her homeland. While she loves Akharin Sangar, she refuses to bend to the will of its angelic ruler, Atash. Rather than oppose him directly, she plays a delicate political game

under the law. Simultaneously, they manage a complex relationship with the founding civilizations. The Speakers’ first duty is to the Radiant Citadel, which sometimes puts them at odds with the

Roleplaying

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

that best describe the creature. Knowing the creature’s alignment can also help with your portrayal. The classic advice for writers holds true: show, don’t tell. For example, rather than describe an

facial expressions help convey a creature’s emotions. Smile, scowl, snarl, yawn, or pout, as appropriate. Use Motions and Posture. Movement and posture can help define an NPC’s personality. You might

Speakers for the Ancestors

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Radiant Citadel

complex relationship with her homeland. While she loves Akharin Sangar, she refuses to bend to the will of its angelic ruler, Atash. Rather than oppose him directly, she plays a delicate political game

under the law. Simultaneously, they manage a complex relationship with the founding civilizations. The Speakers’ first duty is to the Radiant Citadel, which sometimes puts them at odds with the

Skeleton

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

complex tasks. A skeleton can fight with weapons and wear armor, can load and fire a catapult or trebuchet, scale a siege ladder, form a shield wall, or dump boiling oil. However, it must receive

careful instructions explaining how such tasks are accomplished. Although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren’t mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its

Studies and Philosophy

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

view celebrates the diversity and adaptability of life-forms, from the tiniest cells to the most complex networks of living things. The growth philosophy asserts that the urge to survive and

philosophy of Witherbloom. The decay philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than a good to be nourished for its own sake. Mages who adopt this view wield negative energy and

Xanthoria's Defeat

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

. Convincing Thunderwing to give up her life should be handled through roleplaying rather than ability checks, although you can require the characters to succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) group

brought back to life by any means. If the adventurers fail to convince Thunderwing to give up her life, she turns invisible and leaves the cave complex, taking refuge in the surrounding forest. Xanthoria re

Life in the Domains of Dread

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

your adventures, you define what deities are worshiped in a domain and whether those deities are actual gods, manifestations of the Dark Powers, or one masquerading as the other. EZRA, GOD OF THE MISTS

players who want to create characters devoted to Ezra to define the god’s role in their domain of origin. Time and Dates The Domains of Dread don’t share a unified calendar. However, in most

The Rank and File

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

capabilities. Imps are used as spies and messengers rather than combatants, and they are the infernal agents most often encountered on the Material Plane. Lesser devils rarely command other devils, aside

law that “prevents” it from offering help. Three Paths to Power Rank-and-file devils have three ways of ascending through the ranks. The Nine Hells uses a complex system of rules to quantify and

Encounter Pace and Tension

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

opportunity to make the characters’ situation more complex and urgent, with more significant consequences. Successive encounters raise the tension in an adventure naturally, as characters spend their

that define the environment the characters are exploring. For example, an encounter table filled with bats, wraiths, giant spiders, and zombies creates a sense of horror and suggests the possibility of

Never Alone

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

characters on their toes. In addition to those potential encounters, two unusual monsters also patrol the temple complex, and can be encountered at any time, wandering through any corridors or rooms—a

. Accustomed to inspiring fear, and having grown somewhat lazy in its guardian role, it is usually content to let foes flee from it rather than pursuing. Each time the characters finish a long rest in

Topaz Dragon Lairs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Features The topaz dragon lair shown in map 5.14 is situated among the rocky cliffs and beaches of a rugged coastline. The lair is set in a cavern complex near the top of the cliffs, 50 feet above the

. Her desire is born not of greed, though, but rather from her study of the Material Plane, its magic, and dragons’ interconnection with both. Dragons on many worlds acknowledge Astilabor as they establish new lairs to host their hoards, linking them to the magic of the surrounding region.

D&D Beyond

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