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Returning 35 results for 'both before directly clever rival'.
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both before direct cover rivals
Species
Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
or clever? Whatever their nature, it’s your duty to follow their example. Is this something you proudly embrace, or do you resist it? Each patron ancestor is tied to many Valenar: do you have a
particular rival who channels the same ancestor, or one who channels a rival of your ancestor?
It’s also important to think about why you are traveling with a group of player characters
Species
Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
or clever? Whatever their nature, it’s your duty to follow their example. Is this something you proudly embrace, or do you resist it? Each patron ancestor is tied to many Valenar: do you have a
particular rival who channels the same ancestor, or one who channels a rival of your ancestor?
It’s also important to think about why you are traveling with a group of player characters
Monsters
The Book of Many Things
turn.Wynemar Brack was once a farmer, but mercenaries in a local war razed her fields and sacked her village. In desperation, she yielded to the clever patter of a traveling fortune teller and drew from a
, Grim Champion of Bloodshed, and Aleron, Grim Champion of Pestilence—rival Jyn for power and together can oppose her. The fact that the three champions rarely agree on anything is a major check on
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
and tail to mirror the dragon’s mood.
Clever Concealment
The shyest of the gem dragons, emerald dragons are also the most curious. They love to observe local settlements and peoples, using
must be convinced to defend the school in a contest against a rival college.
7
An emerald dragon invisibly tails a party of adventurers, causing trouble for the heroes so the dragon can watch how
Backgrounds
Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
draw the blood of your enemies, or even directly touch their souls.
Suggested Characteristics
Members of the Orzhov Syndicate range from the decadent nobility at the top of the oligarchy to the debt
activities in crime, banking, or debt collection could tie you to members of other guilds.
Roll twice on the Orzhov Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Orzhov Contacts table
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
the back and tail to mirror the dragon’s mood.
Clever Concealment
The shyest of the gem dragons, emerald dragons are also the most curious. They love to observe local settlements and peoples
and must be convinced to defend the school in a contest against a rival college.
7
An emerald dragon invisibly tails a party of adventurers, causing trouble for the heroes so the dragon can
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
to mirror the dragon’s mood.
Clever Concealment
The shyest of the gem dragons, emerald dragons are also the most curious. They love to observe local settlements and peoples, using their psionic
convinced to defend the school in a contest against a rival college.
7
An emerald dragon invisibly tails a party of adventurers, causing trouble for the heroes so the dragon can watch how they respond
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
dragon’s mood.
Clever Concealment
The shyest of the gem dragons, emerald dragons are also the most curious. They love to observe local settlements and peoples, using their psionic abilities to
the school in a contest against a rival college.
7
An emerald dragon invisibly tails a party of adventurers, causing trouble for the heroes so the dragon can watch how they respond.
8
An
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
characters stand in the way, and how the conflict could be resolved. Ideally, a rival’s goal directly involves the characters or something they care about. Assets. Think about the resources the rival can
Creating a Rival In essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your current cast of
Kobold
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
strong social structure that stresses devotion to the tribe, are clever with their hands, and viciously work together in order to overcome their physical limitations.
In the kobolds’ version of
retaliation usually prevents them from trying to directly harm the gnomes, but they might spit in the milk, balance dishes on tables so they’re easily knocked over and broken, or scatter sewing
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
suggest that when the gods came to the First World and tried to populate it with their Humanoid followers, a clever dragon fled to the Feywild to hide a clutch of eggs. The magic of that faerie realm
of an arcanaloth seeking a powerful Feywild artifact.
5
An adult moonstone dragon attempts to help a beholder worried that its dreams will soon give birth to a rival beholder.
6
Members of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
research grant or an academic award. Or they might be conspicuously spending ill-gotten wealth, boasting of their accomplishments, or directly taunting the characters. (A rival group at these levels might
Rival Explorers Morgrave University teems with unscrupulous adventurers and researchers driven by avarice. Additionally, the university itself has academic rivals—the University of Wynarn in Aundair
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
rival groups. As the characters explore the ziggurat, they slowly uncover clues of the tragedy that befell Cynidicea and its people. While braving clever traps, evil cultists, and restless Undead, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
dungeon, a pall of smoke and the sound of its heavy breathing filling the chambers near its lair. Clever characters will do their utmost to avoid the dragon, even as the party’s brave thief makes off
d20 Goals 1–2 Find a sanctuary 3–5 Conquer the dungeon 6–8 Seek an item in the dungeon 9–11 Slay a rival 12–13 Hide from enemies 14–15 Recover from a battle 16–17 Avoid danger 18–20 Seek wealth
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
problems. He doesn’t tolerate the company (or the worship) of fools, and he despises vapidity and indecision. Keranos rarely appears directly to mortals, preferring to communicate through an epiphany or a
a clasp in the form of a dragon’s skull. His bearing is upright and stern, with a clipped, brusque way of speaking. Particularly clever plans and observations bring a hint of a smile to his face
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
clever but hasty, and prone to sulking when things do not go his way. The fortress and the forthcoming sahuagin invasion on the coastal area represent his opportunity to make history. High Priestess
priestesses have summoned an avatar of their god, who swims inside the temple. Blademaster Makaht Makaht is a hulking brute responsible for leading the sahuagin army in the impending campaign. He takes orders directly from the baroness and the baron, though he prefers the former over the latter.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
(Silver Flame)
7 A clever doppelganger (Tyrants)
8 A vengeful warforged (Lord of Blades)
9 A possessed innocent (Dreaming Dark)
10 An oni mastermind (Daask)
11 An enigmatic
magical weapon.
4 Defeat a rival.
5 Open a planar portal.
6 Summon fiends or undead.
7 Overthrow a peer or superior.
8 Cause a riot in the Cogs.
9 Start a war
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
you’re a ranger, was your ancestor a famous blademaster, or a stealthy hunter? Was your ancestor chivalrous or merciless? Bold or clever? Whatever their nature, it’s your duty to follow their example
. Is this something you proudly embrace, or do you resist it? Each patron ancestor is tied to many Valenar: do you have a particular rival who channels the same ancestor, or one who channels a rival of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild
enhanced medusa for Lynx, or the brains in iron for Sir Ursas (see below for more information on both). Each expedition also has its own mechanical guide. You might use the members of the rival expedition
missing components, whether they steal them out from under the characters or take them directly in combat. Any stolen components will be delivered to their respective agents before the characters return from the past.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
likely a legendary archmage. Was your ancestor a famous blademaster, a stealthy hunter, or a war chanter? Were they chivalrous or merciless? Bold or clever? Whatever their path, it is your duty to follow
whose patron ancestor was a bitter rival of yours? Also consider why you are traveling with a group of player characters (who are presumably not also members of your war band) instead of serving with the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
eternal honor directly caused the destruction of Manivarsha. Having lived a cursed life as a pride-obsessed fiend in the depths of the swamps for centuries, Jijibisha has recently heard of a rival that
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Rival Princes When the characters arrive at the square, read or paraphrase the following: Locals crowd a shaded square, listening to a fervent argument between two well-dressed human men wearing dark
come directly from King Diara. Personality Trait. “I’m happiest when I’m working with my hands.” Ideal. “Though I might have more responsibility, I’m no better than anyone else who works in the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
the blasted landscape and flows directly beneath the city. Floating on the river are demonic barges being assailed by squadrons of winged devils under the command of a terrifying pit fiend wearing an
themselves off as fiends of a sort. Particularly clever plans should be allowed to automatically succeed. Otherwise, you can call for ability checks to determine how well a plan is executed; use the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
important common values and work toward the same end: the destruction of slavery. They fulfill something like the role of the Order of the Gauntlet in Athas. The Free are not directly concerned with
Alluvial Sand Wastes is Tyr, struggling to find its way after the death of King Kalak. The templars of Tyr can’t allow a new threat to grow on their doorstep — or allow the templars of a rival city such
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
. Contests A contest is a kind of ability check that matches two creatures against each other. Use a contest if a character attempts something that either directly foils or is directly opposed by another
.
In contrast, a character with high Intelligence and low Wisdom is probably oblivious but clever. The character might not spot the clean section of wall but, if asked about it, could immediately
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
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
sides, playing demon and devil against each other.
Lolth’s plan, as far as those who study the Abyss understand it, is to tempt her rival demon lords into venturing onto other planes or to send them
Orc
Legacy
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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
rival orcs first and foremost as competitors for food and victims.
On some occasions, though, tribes that have a common concern band together. The result is an orc horde — a sea of slavering
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
offering so she can examine it more closely, even if this makes it obvious she is interested. If she doesn’t have anything else like it, or can think of a use for it, or if having it means a rival
with a rival of similar power and status. 3 My house holds everything that I hold dear. I can’t abide visitors who threaten my hearth and home. 4 I owe a great favor to a hag grandmother. 5 I traded
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
contact other plane spells or similar magic. Bel Bel rankles at Zariel’s rulership of the layer of the Nine Hells that was once his, but he won’t challenge her directly as long as he thinks Asmodeus
to tear the adventurers limb from limb. Clever adventurers can subvert the pit fiend’s betrayal by ensuring Zariel’s capture, banishment, or some other nonlethal defeat. In that event, though
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
exile as an unbeliever in Lolth. Ironically, this might have saved Vizeran’s life, as House DeVir was wiped out not long thereafter by its rival, House Do’Urden. Consigned to solitude in the Underdark
centuries, Vizeran now believes that time has come. Vizeran harbors a thirst for vengeance against his only living rival — Gromph Baenre, the drow Archmage of Menzoberranzan. As a follower of the Elder
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
(Medium Noble Prodigy) descends directly from Lareth ir’Morgrave, founder of the university, and serves as its current master. Though his job involves more administration than scholarship, he
nevertheless finds time to publish more papers on giant-made pottery than any other scholar, past or present. If you use rival explorers in your campaign who are connected to Morgrave University, they work
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War
. Charismatic and clever, she is an accomplished illusionist and shapeshifter who rarely wears the same face twice. Stories say that she weaves curses on her loom, and that she loves to match wits with heroes
the whole thing and still be hungry. She binds the souls of her victims to their skulls, which she keeps in her lair. Though many stories depict her as merely a brute, she is a clever strategist and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
particularly sapphires. Green Dragons. Dwarves and green dragons don’t often interact, and when they do, the dragon doesn’t usually threaten them directly. A typical green dragon has no burning desire
by creatures it can catch in the open, including the travelers that enter and exit the place. On occasion, this state of (relatively) peaceful coexistence is shattered when a devious rival dragon with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
their knowledge, they seem genuinely eager to shepherd your work. 3 Hidden Benefactor. Whoever your contact is, they don’t communicate directly. They send messages via couriers or letters. No one in
a professional who works directly toward the guild’s specialty or whose fortunes align with the guild’s interests. Alternatively, you could provide the guild with services to which their members
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
resources, goals, and leaders—directly sponsors and guides your adventures. Types of Religious Orders Not every religious order represents an alliance of worshipers devoted to godly ideals. Perhaps your
your group as the adventuring arm of the organization, or perhaps a legion of paladins who call on your group’s finesse where swords and shields fail. You might receive orders directly from the immortal