both before descent come reason

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.

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

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

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

flowing through their veins manifests differently in each genasi, often as magical power. Seen in silhouette, a genasi can usually pass for human. Those of earth or water descent tend to be heavier

tracing their own lineage, and bloodlines occasionally skip a generation or two. Many earth genasi originated in the North and spread out from there. Water genasi come from coastal areas, the largest

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

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

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

Nine Hells or Bust

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

rule of that level, or Bel is able to reclaim the level using the machine’s power. What happens as a result is entirely up to you, and might come into play if you are running Baldur’s Gate: Descent into

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

Dragon Servitors

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

legend of the creatures’ origin is passed down from elder to hatchling, giving each individual and every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to

dragons. Kobolds willingly serve chromatic dragons and worship them as if they were demigods — mighty beings of divine descent. This isn’t a casual sort of worship or lip service; kobolds are awed in the

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.

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

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

the character has saved children from hungry monsters, thwarted rampaging monsters in villages, and protected the poor from greedy overlords. Purpose in Neverwinter d6 Reason 1 The character is

L1. Stele Forest

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

approach, read: “Very few people would dare to come here,” says a voice from above. Perched twenty feet above you is a man balanced with his legs braced between two of the larger stone columns. He has

the attack is reduced by 1d10 + 10. If the damage is reduced to 0, Steel Crane catches the missile if it’s small enough to hold in one hand and Steel Crane has a hand free. Slow Descent (3/Day). When Steel Crane falls, he can slow his descent, taking no damage from the fall.

Arriving in Anauroch

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

their lust for magical power. When the characters come through the portal, read the following: The desert sun blinds your eyes, and you feel the heat trying to pull every bit of moisture from your

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

Waterdhavian Noble

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

reputation across 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

come up with the family you are part of —there are around seventy-five lineages in Waterdeep, each with its own financial interests, specialties, and schemes. You might be part of the main line of

A Typical Evening

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal

ambitious souls might launch impromptu expeditions into the dungeon. Few such ill-prepared parties ever return. Groups seeking to enter Undermountain for a specific reason generally come to the tavern

Treasure

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

and divine power, they discount most magic items as trivial baubles, unless they are useful to the colony for a particular reason. A mind flayer might ignore a bag of diamonds it is offered as a bribe

primitive creatures love shiny baubles and mysterious devices. They might use such objects they come across the way a rat catcher uses a lump of cheese — a lure to draw quarry into a trap.

Roleplaying Phandalin NPCs

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

, flutter your eyelashes, pout, cross your eyes, rub your hands together—whatever it takes to make your NPCs come to life. Try different voices. Borrow distinctive speech patterns from real life, movies

have no reason to fight ordinary townsfolk. Hence, no game statistics are provided for them. If statistics become necessary, use the commoner stat block to represent an adult NPC of any race.

Westbridge

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

Earth). Reason to Visit. Westbridge is a target when the cultists take revenge for the characters’ actions. The characters probably come to Westbridge in the aftermath of the “Dire Tidings” counterattack in chapter 4, or after the “Counsel of Despair” event in chapter 5.

Leaving the Chasm

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

Leaving the Chasm Once the characters get what they came for, there’s little reason to stay. In fact, characters who stay too long run the risk of encountering six gnolls returning from a hunt

chasm) to feast on the fresh kill. If the characters turn the gnolls’ animus toward Chyzka to their advantage, they can come and go without having to kill every gnoll in the chasm. Even so, any gnolls

20. Pillared Hall

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

new arrivals. Characters must present a plausible reason for their presence and succeed on a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check to convince the will-o’-wisps not to attack them. If they

. If the characters attack the nothics, any will-o’-wisps in area 20a come to the nothics’ aid. 20c. East Atrium This side chamber is unoccupied.

Deathly Interludes

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

. Hero’s Epilogue Most adventurers hope their lives come to an end with some worthy conclusion. Sometimes in the heat of battle, though, that end can be abrupt and without real resolution. An epilogue

moments from the character’s story and how they can be reflected in the events of their final descent. Maybe they see the souls of friends, allies, or loved ones who perished, whether their fates are

Vale of Dancing Waters

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

became a sacred place where dwarves come to worship their gods. Some legends among the Stout Folk say the cellars of the ancient palace hide riches of the royal treasury of Besilmer. (Actually, the

that enemies might find the way to the hidden vale. Reason to Visit. The Order of the Gauntlet has allies among the dwarves here, and the characters might be asked to check on them in the “Vale of Dancing Waters” side trek (see chapter 6).

D&D Beyond

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