both before driven cunning risk

Narth Tezrin

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Narth can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4;{"diceNotation":"1d20+4","rollType":"to hit

ran off and never returned. Ideal: “The bigger the risk, the greater the reward.” Bond: “I adore my colleague Alaestra, and I’d like to do something to impress her.” Flaw: “I’ll risk life and limb to become a legend.”

Deathlock

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

warlock. The consequences of breaking that pact can be dire and, in some cases, lethal. A warlock who fails to live up to a bargain with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from the dead as a deathlock

, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron. An powerful necromancer might also discover the wicked methods of creating a deathlock and then subjugate it, acting as the deathlock’s patron.PoisonNecrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

Deathlock Mastermind

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

to live up to a bargain with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from the dead as a deathlock, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron. An powerful necromancer might also discover

Deathlock Wight

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

with an evil patron runs the risk of rising from the dead as a deathlock, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron. An powerful necromancer might also discover the wicked methods of

Blue Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, wall of forceSeekers of forgotten lore and lost relics, blue abishais are the most cunning and learned of their kind. Their research into occult subjects gleaned from tomes plundered from across the

;s. There is inherent risk in countermanding an order given by Tiamat, but interfering with Asmodeus’s plans invites certain destruction.Fire, Lightning, PoisonCold; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever

tasty, refined metal their victim carries, they quickly flee—and will flee before that rather than risk death. Stealthy Couriers. A number of clans among the dwarves, duergar, and azers have trained

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

cloud giants in the ordning—the set of values and expectations that determines their rank in giant society—is driven by wealth. Those cloud giants foolish or unlucky enough to have their

reward once they return to their proper station, a fog giant lures desperate criminals, cunning bandits, and other raiders into their service in the dismal wilds they inhabit. These giants prefer to

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

, their lack of cunning foiled her plans. Many tumbled into the sea and drowned, too simpleminded and impatient to learn how to swim. Others smashed caravans and crushed their defenders most effectively

bad luck a gull might happen to land near a crab folk lair and utter the right combination of cries to summon up this ancient compulsion. Driven to action, the crab folk rampage along the coast

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

demands of the Nine Hells and the impulsive hedonism of the Feywild. Driven by dramatic and unpredictable emotions, these feral creatures wreak havoc wherever they go. Corrupted Essence. The devils

, chaotic, and temperamental nature they all share. When its diabolical aspect shines through, a forlarren is a cunning, calculating, and brutal enemy. It might use its natural charm to worm its way

Arasta

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

it a risk, though, for those who Klothys finds unworthy might be driven mad. There, within Enorasi’s hollow trunk, Arasta awaits the next would-be prophet to make her meal. Her webs stretch

; petty rivalries, Arasta was once one of Nylea’s most beloved dryad companions. Phenax’s bitterness saw her transformed into an arachnid monstrosity and driven into the darkest depths of the

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while a shifter with a lupine spirit might be drawn to find and protect a pack. When a shifter fully embraces this beast

also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey. While the beast within certainly has a physical impact on a shifter, it has a

Orzhov Representative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

the flesh as long as possible, and as a spirit afterward. (Any) Bonds d6 Bond 1 The unbearable weight of my debt has driven me to desperation. 2 I’m duty-bound

convinced that everyone I know is plotting against me. 3 I’ll brave any risk if the monetary reward is great enough. 4 I am convinced that I am far more important than anyone else is

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

survive—or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

desensitized to violence. 5 I would risk life and limb to discover a new culture or unravel the secrets of a dead one. 6 When I arrive at a new settlement for the first time, I must learn all its

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

, seeing them as accidents. Many feel nothing for their genasi children at all. Some genasi live as outcasts, driven into exile for their unsettling appearance and strange magic, or assuming leadership

self-assurance in one genasi and as arrogance in another. Such self- confidence can sometimes blind genasi to risk, and their great plans often get them and others into trouble. Too much failure can

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

where the townsfolk would try to hunt down all kobolds and put the tribe’s survival at risk. Some aggressive individual kobolds and tribes do exist, but in general kobolds don’t purposely

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

created the orcs and continues to direct their destiny. He is aided and abetted by the other warrior deities, Bahgtru and Ilneval, who bring strength and cunning to the battlefield. The followers of all

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

Able Scavengers

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

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 where the townsfolk would try to

hunt down all kobolds and put the tribe’s survival at risk. Some aggressive individual kobolds and tribes do exist, but in general kobolds don’t purposely provoke retaliatory attacks from the creatures

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated in his coffin, he is paralyzed until the stake is removed. Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While

intelligently and do everything you can to make him a terrifying and cunning adversary for the player characters. When you run an encounter with Strahd, keep the following facts in mind: Strahd

The Ghaal'dar

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

Lhesh Haruuc remains as the ruler of Darguun, and many fear that his death could throw the region into chaos. As a Ghaal’dar goblinoid, you hold your place through cunning and strength. You may have

been a former mercenary now seeking adventure. You could be working as an emissary for one of the Ghaal’dar tribes or even Lhesh Haruuc himself. Or you could have been driven from your tribe by the actions of a rival; perhaps you’re seeking allies to reclaim your birthright.

The Beast Within

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while

with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey

Eldritch Master

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

Boon option produces a special creature or an object that reflects your patron’s nature. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a

iron, holding spells of conjuration and a wealth of forbidden lore about the sinister regions of the cosmos, a gift of the Fiend. Or it could be the tattered diary of a lunatic driven mad by contact

The Beast Within

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

personality takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts

traits and prefer to run with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature

Dracolich

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

, driven to rule over all. A dracolich is a fiendishly intelligent tyrant that crafts complex webs of foul schemes, attracting servants motivated by greed and a lust for power. Acting from the shadows

and actively plotting to keep its existence a secret, a dracolich is a cunning and challenging foe. Dracolich Phylacteries. Creating a dracolich requires the cooperation of the dragon and a group of

Khyber

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

this valuable mineral resource—though such journeys rarely risk delving into the weirdest depths of Khyber. Increasingly, House Tharashk prospectors seek partnerships with academic expeditions into

substantial profits. Aside from assisting in such profit-driven expeditions, Morgrave University doesn’t often sponsor independent missions into Khyber. Such missions rarely bring back physical objects of any

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

they don’t believe they have a reasonable chance of success. This reaction isn’t out of cowardice, but practicality—yuan-ti value their own lives much too highly to risk them when the

rather than among other creatures, including my own kind. 4 I sometimes become consumed by philosophy. 5 I believe I am superior to others of my caste. 6 I am driven by wanderlust

Mad Maggie

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

combat, carving out vicious fiefdoms for themselves. Mad Maggie is one such warlord. Mad Maggie is a night hag with the demeanor of a kindly grandmother, but her warm smile masks a cruel cunning. In

crucible of the Avernian wastelands, Mad Maggie has risen to become a respected warlord. Mad Maggie and Mickey Maggie’s Goals Driven by her lust for misery and her delight in the corruption of the

Evil Inchoate

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

demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the cosmos. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. In due time, the laws of the universe will

. Such a site is usually protected with intricate traps, mindless servants, and other defenses that bring no risk of subversion or betrayal. If an archdevil were ever to acquire a demonic amulet

Suggested Characteristics

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

civilizations survive — or why they did not. Some anthropologists are driven by intellectual curiosity, while others want the fame and recognition that comes with being the first to discover a new people, a

to observing proper etiquette and local customs. 3 I would rather observe than meddle. 4 By living among violent people, I have become desensitized to violence. 5 I would risk life and limb to

Blingdenstone Factions

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

lurking, any elemental brought to the battle runs the risk of being driven insane. Nomi and Gurnik agree that if the Steadfast Stone is cleansed and Ogrémoch’s Bane is banished, the Stoneheart Enclave

Harpy

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

have no interest in a fair fight, and they never attack unless they have a clear advantage. If a fight turns against a harpy, it lacks the cunning to adapt and will flee and go hungry rather than risk

presence stole her heart as he fled, vanishing into the woods as if he was never there. Though the elf searched the woods and called for her stranger, she found no sign of his passage. Driven to

Phenax's Champions

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

because they want to emulate him. Phenax’s Favor Phenax expects his champions to be cunning and self-sufficient, much as he was when he escaped the Underworld. He has great respect for a sound plan

he hadn’t. Devotion to Phenax Following Phenax means devoting yourself to a life of trickery and guile. To a champion of Phenax, a life without risk is no life at all. Some rules are meant to be

Black Dragon Adventures

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

secretly being driven to war by the machinations of a black dragon, who hopes to revel in the resulting carnage. 4 When swamplands shrink due to a prolonged drought, two black dragons form a temporary

Connected Creatures 1 After breaking free from captivity at the hands of a cocky mage, a cunning black dragon wyrmling claimed the mage’s amulet—and the suits of animated armor the amulet controls

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