both being defend clear rather

Water Weird Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

location, such as a pool or fountain. Invisible while immersed in water, its serpentine shape becomes clear only when it emerges to attack, using its coils to crush any creature other than its summoner and

interlopers rather than kill them, while a neutral evil water weird kills its victims for pleasure and might turn against its summoner. A water weird loses its evil alignment if its waters are cleansed

Shago

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

Beluarian, and although he presents himself as an independent operator, he's in league with the Flaming Fist. Shago has led many Flaming Fist expeditions into the jungle to clear out undead, despite

threat from undead but, other than hiring guards to defend Port Nyanzaru, they won't pay to take effective action against it. His mother believes she's “recruited” him to keep an eye on the Flaming

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

Strahd's armies time and again as they swept across the land. When it became clear that Strahd couldn't be stopped, the knights of the order led hundreds of refugees to Argynvost's valley, but Strahd

witnessing Strahd himself slay Vladimir's beloved, his fellow knight Sir Godfrey Gwilym. With the battle won, Strahd surrounded Argynvostholt. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and

Spectral Cloud

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

’s appearance becomes clear: a skeletal cloud giant corpse. Tales suggest cloud giants sometimes seek this fate rather than accept the end of their naturally long lives. In such stories, a

Jammer Leech

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

that of a snail. It has a single watery eye at one end and a spiked tentacle protruding from just below the eye, which it uses to defend itself. A mated pair of leeches produces 1d6;{"diceNotation

defensive measure. If the crew of a ship becomes aware of leeches that have become attached, it’s customary for them to try to scrape the leeches off the hull rather than attack them with weapons

Kelubar Demodand

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

farastu minions—rather than fight directly. Demodands Demodands, also called gehreleths, are Fiends from the Tarterian Depths of Carceri. Cast into the prison plane long ago for forgotten

transgressions, these bitter, wicked creatures have appointed themselves the jailers of the plane. Demodands viciously defend the few known portals that lead out of Carceri and ruthlessly torment other

Grippli Warrior

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

grasping and climbing. A grippli can move as quickly on all fours as it can on two legs. Communal Effort. Grippli rely on ambushes and guerrilla warfare to defend themselves and their settlements. They

are raised by the community rather than by a single set of parents, and all of a community’s eggs are kept in freshwater pools until they mature. Protecting their eggs is a major concern for

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

protecting their own lands, they protect us as well.” Exploring Opportunities Halflings usually set out on the adventurer’s path to defend their communities, support their friends, or explore a

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

better life. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure

;d rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair. 5 It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else. 6 People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve.

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

veins making it clear that they’ve been touched by death. Other reborn are marvels of magic or science, being stitched together from disparate beings or bearing mysterious minds in manufactured

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

Kalashtar Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar

manipulate the folk of Khorvaire to eliminate kalashtar whenever possible. Many kalashtar defend themselves from the Dreaming Dark by focusing on devotion to the Path of Light. Others, though, seek

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. d6 Bond 1 My town or city is my home, and I’ll fight to defend it. 2 I sponsor an orphanage to keep others from enduring what I was forced to endure. 3 I

from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I’d rather

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

Through the Tunnels

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Through the Tunnels As the characters travel between Illithinoch and Phandalin, they can clear out any dangerous areas they missed in the “Journey through the Deep” section in chapter 7. Continue to

roll on the Tunnel Encounters table in that chapter, as the route is never truly safe. However, since the characters have already faced several threats, roll every 2 hours of travel rather than every hour.

Developments

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

innocent townsfolk from being slaughtered and turn dragons away from fleeing crowds. The characters can clear burning buildings, use magic to douse flames or save the dying, and stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. Let their sacrifice during this fight mean something.

Developments

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

innocent townsfolk from being slaughtered and turn dragons away from fleeing crowds. The characters can clear burning buildings, use magic to douse flames or save the dying, and stand up for those who cannot defend themselves. Let their sacrifice during this fight mean something.

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

the gods has no clear explanation, the priests might have to meditate for hours or days to get a vision of its meaning. Every group of orcs has particular superstitions and recognizes certain omens

Denizens

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

Denizens The erinyes, duergar, and salamanders that defend the hold are united by their loyalty to Vrakir, but each group otherwise disdains the others. The defenders are slow to assist or seek

, the defenders bring their reports to Jarazoun first, allowing him to deal with any trouble himself rather than risk Vrakir’s ire. While on high alert, the hold’s inhabitants can’t be surprised, and

Types of Crime

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

Acquisitions and Retrieval. Your job is to acquire assets for the syndicate. You might steal important documents or clear out a location for use as a hideout. 2 Heists. You plan and execute elaborate

, but your goals are righteous. You help people who are powerless to defend themselves against exploitation by the rich and powerful.

Session Zero

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

characters. Reinforce Expectations Make it clear that D&D is a group storytelling game. As the DM, you have a role in crafting adventures and arbitrating rules, but you aren’t solely responsible for how

any additions to you, privately or in the moment, so you can add them to the list. When this happens, don’t refer to past survey data, defend past choices, or ask players to explain their boundaries

Province Scale

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

travel in any direction from the center of the map, assuming clear terrain. As such, province scale is a useful scale for mapping a campaign’s starting area (see “Creating a Campaign,” later in this

chapter) or any location where you expect to track the adventurers’ movement in hours rather than days. The ground cover of an area this size will include broad stretches of one predominant terrain type

Kenku Adventurers

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

you’re playing a 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 about your character’s intentions unless you’re deliberately aiming for inscrutable or mysterious. You might say, “Snapper makes the noise of a hammer slowly and rhythmically

Sigil at a Glance

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

behind observers, as if they stood in a bowl or valley, stretching upward and disappearing into an industrial haze. On a clear day, a creature that looks upward sees the other side of the city

edge are ever heard from again. Those who pass over the edge don’t end up in the Outlands; rather, they are flung to random corners of the planes.

Orders

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

special facilities in their Bastion on a given Bastion turn. The Maintain order is unusual; it is issued to the whole Bastion rather than to one or more special facilities. If a character isn’t in

hirelings focus on maintaining the Bastion rather than executing orders in special facilities. Issuing this order prohibits other orders from being issued to the Bastion on the current Bastion turn

Ashen Grotto Adventures

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

the planar fabric. Creatures from the Fiendish Incursion Encounters table (see chapter 3) defend the rune. If this rune is inscribed in the Runic Circle, it opens a gateway to Horizon’s Edge (both in

took sanctuary in the grotto but are now trapped and running out of supplies. Adventurers must disperse the horde by killing the death giant shrouded one (see chapter 6) who created it or clear a path for the villagers to escape.

Resolving the Mystery

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

gingwatzims defend Korvala’s office. Were they guarding something else as well? Characters who choose this violent path might never uncover the pack’s motives, but they can find the real Mazfroth’s Mighty

Digressions and see the book safely back to Candlekeep, if they so desire. NIDALIA The true leader of the Amberdune Pack, Nidalia is a lamia who delights in hoarding books rather than in corruption and

4. Flumph Cloister

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

to become an elder brain. Githyanki want to destroy the illithid colony and any flumphs they encounter. The mind flayers have spawned a neothelid — a worm-like behemoth — to defend their colony and

rely on the illithid colony for sustenance. The flumphs would rather feed on the psionic energy of the mind flayers, who couldn’t care less, than the energy of the githyanki, who abhor the flumphs and attack them on sight.

Natural Druids

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

every action the tribe takes, the druids weigh not only the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry

’ magical heritage also expresses itself in other ways; those who become bards preserve the clan’s lore, and firbolg sorcerers defend their communities. Firbolg wizards arise when a clan becomes

Jacqueline's Powers and Dominion

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

Jacqueline’s Powers and Dominion Although Jacqueline Renier has statistics similar to those of a wererat, she assumes her hybrid or rat form only when forced to defend herself or when pushed to the

Chateau Delanuit and enforce her quarantines across Richemulot. Rather than the soldiers they appear to be, these troops are animated armor filled with rats that mindlessly and mercilessly enact Jacqueline

The Attack

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

recover and regroup. Encourage tactical thinking. If one of the sides of the battle consists of savage monsters or mindless undead, give clues that they attack the nearest enemy rather than thinking

. Three-sided battles can sometimes take longer because of the number of combatants participating. Use your discretion as the DM to have the excitement of the battle build up rather than fizzle out

Dragons

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

avoid contact with those they see as lesser creatures. They are obsessed with the Draconic Prophecy, which is a map of possible futures rather than a clear-cut prediction. Its paths are revealed in

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

What's Going On?

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

to Nidalia, even though she has been dead for months. Rather than corrupting and tormenting others, Nidalia preferred to collect books and scrolls. Though she was peaceful and compassionate, she was

working on a way to resurrect Nidalia. It soon became clear that wouldn’t be a simple task. After all, the resurrection spell requires both a diamond worth at least 1,000 gp and the services of a

Darklake District

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

with drow, svirfneblin, orcs, and others — pay little attention to the characters unless they are looking to do business. Guards posted at the gates make it clear to the characters that non-duergar are

restricted to the Darklake District, and the characters have better luck asking other outsiders for directions rather than trying to engage the duergar locals. They are directed to the Blade Bazaar if

Across the Fungal Fields

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

rise up and attack the characters. Created by Araumycos to perfectly duplicate the abilities, traits, and actions of otyughs, these creatures are plants rather than aberrations. They attack until slain

defeated. The creature bursts like an overfull wineskin, releasing a clear ichor and a cloud of dusty spores. The deflating bulk of its body sinks back beneath the shimmering fungal field where you

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