both before detail crawling rather - Search

Vampirate Captain

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

as a crawling claw or a Will-o'-Wisp;will-o'-wisp. Vampirate Vampirates are the walking, talking husks of dead pirates who refused to go quietly into the afterlife. They ply the void in their

parchment. A vampirate has fangs like a vampire’s but doesn’t use them to draw vital fluids from prey, which vampirates consider an unsavory act. Rather, a vampirate drains life energy from

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. 3 I’m eager to explain every detail of my most intricate experiments and theories to anyone who shows the least bit of interest. 4 I assume that everyone needs even the most basic

Everything I do is an attempt to impress someone I love. Flaws d6 Flaw 1 I have a rather embarrassing mutation that I do everything I can to keep hidden. 2 I’m more

Undead

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Morte’s Planar Parade

characters find a trapped crawling claw. Rather than attacking, the severed hand can lead the characters to the thankful immortal who lost it. 2 A banshee influenced by Acheron appears as a fallen knight

Preparing to Use the Deck

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

detail two ways to head off potential complications before the characters draw their first card. “Customizing Your Deck” suggests strategies for stacking the deck with only cards that will be fun for

your group. Meanwhile, “The Deck as Narrative” discusses having cards foreshadow future events, rather than triggering instantaneous effects, so you can incorporate the effects into your campaign when

Kianna's Farmhouse Locations

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

, they see it’s stuck through the severed hand of a young woman. The characters have no way of knowing this, but the hand was once a crawling claw and was dispatched by a farmer. Sickly Crops. Wheat

soul shaker’s evil and the excavations of the crawling claws have spoiled the land around the house. If Proclaimer Ward is with the party, the Proclaimer investigates the crops and grows concerned

28. Withers's Office

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

slots): blight, wall of fire 5th level (1 slot): telekinesis When the characters arrive, Withers is working at his desk. Seven crawling claws follow him around and obey his commands. Withers is

some regret, he finally announces that it’s time for them to die. Withers would rather escape than be destroyed or captured, so he uses his spells to retreat if the battle goes against him, saving wall

Xanthoria's Defeat

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

Xanthoria’s Defeat Once Xanthoria is defeated, the characters find the last few pages of her notes among her possessions. They detail her growing obsession with undead and her success at turning

. 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

Getting Players Invested

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

back favorites from earlier in the campaign for the occasional cameo. Player Favorites It’s often easier to describe people and places that are hostile or frightening than it is to detail a feature

a character’s player directly, but instead consider handing over your narrative reins and letting a player describe the perfect detail. For example, say you have a peaceful village you plan to feature

Rangers

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

responded with a whoo, then went off into a complicated series of chattering hoots and whoos. Montolio took it all in, weighing every detail. With the help of his friends, particularly this rather

Kinds of Treasure

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

Kinds of Treasure Use these guidelines in conjunction with the information in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to detail the treasures in a dragon’s hoard. Feel free to swap coins, gems, and art objects in

the Player’s Handbook) rather than coins 2–3 Coins from an ancient culture local to this region, ancestral to the people who live here now 4–5 Coins from an ancient culture in a distant

Baphomet

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

his personality. Baphomet studies every detail of the mazes he creates and exults in the dread that overcome those who become lost in them. He tracks them at his leisure, striking only after the

of Spiders and her brood rarely take part directly in the Blood War; rather, her agents in the Abyss contrive to lure her enemies into throwing themselves into the struggle. Her servitors spy on both

Respect for the Players

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

talking, and make sure you check in about what every character is doing, especially during periods of exploration and social interaction, rather than focusing just on one player’s character. Sometimes

seeing the people and places they care about threatened or destroyed. Other players gleefully detail a backstory full of beloved NPCs, fully expecting the DM to use those people as bait, tragic

Respect for the Players

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

talking, and make sure you check in about what every character is doing, especially during periods of exploration and social interaction, rather than focusing just on one player’s character. Sometimes

seeing the people and places they care about threatened or destroyed. Other players gleefully detail a backstory full of beloved NPCs, fully expecting the DM to use those people as bait, tragic

M10. Treasury

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

with any creatures still inside it. The journal can be safely opened by the brain in a jar, or with a successful DC 18 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools. Its pages detail how Kwalish continued his

exploration of the mountains, building an ambulatory craft capable of crawling up and down mountainous slopes to travel farther into the Barrier Peaks, and other tasks of your devising. Completing any such

Special Features

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

table entries make more sense for certain items than for others. Some magic items are made only by certain kinds of creatures, for instance; a cloak of elvenkind is made by elves, rather than dwarves. If

you roll something that doesn’t make sense, roll again, choose a more appropriate entry, or use the rolled detail as inspiration to make up your own. Who Created It or Was Intended to Use It? d20

Swarmkeeper

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

well as helpful company for the ranger. Some Swarmkeepers are outcasts or hermits, keeping to themselves and their attendant swarms rather than dealing with the discomfort of others. Other

Swarm 3rd-level Swarmkeeper feature A swarm of intangible nature spirits has bonded itself to you and can assist you in battle. While you’re alive, the swarm remains in your space, crawling on you or

Movement and Position

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

, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each explained in the rules glossary). These

space count as Difficult Terrain. Playing on a Grid If you play using a square grid and miniatures or other tokens, follow these rules. Squares. Each square represents 5 feet. Speed. Rather than

1: Outer Gatehouse

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

Guard Stat Block: Guard This gullible recruit spends more time dreaming than patrolling. Distractable. Bartho is easily distracted from his post because he’d rather be doing anything else. Sleepy

daydreaming, might involve you pretending to yawn mid-sentence or getting distracted by a butterfly. Perhaps he confides with the characters that he’d rather be doing something else. Descriptive

Movement and Position

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

Movement and Position On your turn, you can move a distance equal to your Speed or less. Or you can decide not to move. Your movement can include climbing, crawling, jumping, and swimming (each

represents 5 feet. Speed. Rather than moving foot by foot, move square by square on the grid, using your Speed in 5-foot segments. You can translate your Speed into squares by dividing it by 5. For

Staff

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

creating nonplayer characters in chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to detail the majordomo, giving this individual a vibrant personality and backstory. The majordomo’s goals should be aligned

(sailors for a seagoing franchise, engineers for a giant hollow statue, and so on). Crew do not leave a franchise and cannot perform franchise tasks. They typically run rather than fight back when attacked

Inside the League

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

the guild’s laboratories. Some vedalken are so obsessive about their work that they like to see to every detail themselves, rather than delegating any task to underlings or assistants. This attitude

Creating a Rival

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

the others might be neutral or good; conflicts with those rivals might be social or political, rather than manifesting as direct attacks. The best rivals have a connection with their adversaries on a

worried that recent misdeeds will be revealed To add the right amount of detail to a rival you want to create, give some thought to what that NPC is trying to accomplish and what resources and

Event-Based Adventures

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

repetitive in nature, rather than escalating to greater heights of depravity. The trick to catching such a villain lies in determining the pattern underlying the crimes. Though serial killers are a

characters you need to create, as well as how much detail you need to generate for each one. NPCs unlikely to become involved in combat don’t need full combat statistics, for example, just as characters

Navigating the Drought Elder

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

runes is etched into the ground. The symbols move, crawling in a circle. Above them hovers a mass of insectile limbs encompassing an alien light. Beyond it, a narrow passage opens into the vast void

of the Drought Elder’s alien consciousness. It uses the demilich stat block but is an Aberration rather than Undead. It ignores the characters unless they try to harm it or try to enter area D5—either

Tips for New Dungeon Masters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

to use one of this adventure’s random encounters, you can have a player roll to determine what the characters encounter, rather than making the roll yourself. Story Information Important information

which a creature will share what it knows. The adventure describes important creatures in detail, while creatures of little consequence get no more than a passing reference. As such, you have enough

Currency

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

coins of long-lost, legendary lands and centers of great magic are honored, though those who find them are wise to sell them to collectors rather than merely spending them in markets. The coins of the

moons of Silverymoon, provides another level of detail. As long as you keep the value of these new coins simple (in other words, don’t invent a coin worth 1.62 gp), you add local flavor to key locations in your world without adding undue complexity.

Magic Item Special Features

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

, roll again, choose a more appropriate entry, or use the rolled detail as inspiration to make up your own special feature. On the Magic Item’s Minor Property table and the Magic Item’s Quirk table, “you

exquisitely crafted from the finest materials and glows with a pale radiance in moonlight, shedding Dim Light in a 5-foot radius. Any metal in the item is silver or mithral rather than iron or steel

Recurring Villains

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

). Organizations as Villains. Rather than use an individual as a recurring villain, you could think in terms of the organization the villain belongs to or represents. For example, low-level adventurers

some depth and detail to the actions and motivations of a villain who plagues the characters on a regular basis. Villain You Know d6 Villain 1 A con artist takes advantage of people who fall for

Obviator

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

choice, it cannot be changed until the next dawn. LOK Dwarf Obviator (Cleric) Like many Obviators, “Lok” chooses to use a working name rather than her actual name out of an abundance of caution

again until the next dawn. Obviate the Opposition Also at rank 4, when you use your Read the Opposition feature and fail the check, you still learn one detail about the target creature, as chosen by

Modifying a Class

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

your world might worship a patron deity, performing secret missions in that deity’s name. To reflect this cultural detail, you could add Religion to the list of skills that a rogue character can choose

opportunity to develop the character’s story and that of your world, rather than shutting down possibilities. Substituting Class Features If one or more features of a given class don’t exactly fit the theme

Elven Tomb Locations

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

the nearby woods. The severed hand is a trickier get but needn’t come from a living humanoid (a dead crawling claw would do). Once the brazier is functioning, the heavy lid can be lifted or pushed

to the animals, this area contains three white marble statues of elves that are identical to the ones outside, except that the wind has not worn away the detail in their faces and they don’t stand on

Lower Deck and Cargo Hold

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

spear and an oblong shield lean against the wall. The shield bears the symbol of a humanoid skull with spiders crawling from its eye sockets. Two weathered humanoid skulls hang from wooden pegs on the

quarterstaff. He has the flaming sphere spell prepared rather than animal messenger. In addition to Krell, this cabin also contains two giant spiders lurking in a far corner, and Krell’s pet phase

Palace of Spires Locations

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

. The keys are metal replicas of the required leaves in lifelike detail. Unlike normal leaves, these keys aren’t consumed by the sundial and travel with the user to the destination. Treasure. The 20-foot

in lifelike detail. Unlike normal leaves, these keys aren’t consumed and travel with the user to the destination. The couple also keeps sets of spare key leaves in a secret closet (see the “Treasure

Cove Reef

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

statue. C4. Bleached Reef This small reef is stark white and covered by twenty crabs crawling over it. This reef marks Ogrorlo’s grave. The aboleth’s loyal slaves buried the remains after Lenth killed

described in detail after the table. Cove Reef Encounters d4 Encounter Level 1 Tentacle Trap 3rd 2 Worshipers of Koolooshidoop 5th 3 Coven of Wet Rot 7th 4 Elkahraal 9th Tentacle Trap Two female

Palace Garden Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

branch, a golden or silver fruit spoils after 10 minutes and loses its magical property. Streams. Two streams flow into the pool at area P8—or, rather, they used to flow before they were frozen in

crawling up and over the nearby palace wall. Chromatic Roses. Any character who explores the rose garden spots a magic rosebush growing near its center: In the heart of the rose garden, coiled around a

Search Results