both best distant contacts rather

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

Order of the Silver Dragon at a young age and quickly earned the friendship of its founder, the silver dragon Argynvost. When he became a knight of the order, he traveled to distant lands to wage war

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

Rictavio

Monsters Curse of Strahd

in search of new actors, he began regaling locals with tales of distant lands. Monster Hunter. The half-elf ringmaster is, in fact, a legendary human vampire hunter named Rudolph van Richten. Van

, the greatest vampire of them all. Van Richten has studied Strahd for years and knows he can’t hope to best the vampire in a straight-up confrontation: he must wait for the right moment to strike

Eater of Hope

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

’ greed to turn them against one another and their own best interests. Some foul souls can’t let go of the miserable lives they had. Having been despicable in life, these spirits fester in

” or “devils” interchangeably, having no understanding of the difference between fiendish species or distant nightmarish planes. A pit fiend might be interpreted by Theros’s

Outlander Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

Origin You’ve been to strange places and seen things that others cannot begin to fathom. Consider some of the distant lands you have visited, and how they impacted you. You can roll on the following

table to determine your occupation during your time in the wild, or choose one that best fits your character. d10 Origin 1 Forester 2 Trapper 3 Homesteader 4 Guide

Orzhov Representative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

concentrates the spoils at the top of the hierarchy. As a functionary in that system, your best hope is to claim as much as possible of the money that passes through your hands on its way up, so that

and wealth. (Evil) 5 Stability. The economy functions best when chaos is kept under control and everyone knows their place. (Lawful) 6 Eternity. I want to live forever — in

Young Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

seeing the deepest places in the ocean. 8 I find I rather enjoy the company of people—as long as they remain unaware of my true nature. Deep Dragon Ideals d6;{"diceNotation

rather than acting in haste. (Good) Deep Dragon Spellcasting Age Spell Save DC Spells Known Young Deep Dragon;Young 14 command, dissonant whispers, faerie fire

Isolde

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

archfey named Zybilna, who had forged secret pacts with some of the fiends Isolde and her companions had slain. Rather than be angry at Isolde, Zybilna was impressed by her. She enlisted a powerful fiend

comfort to Isolde and quelled her thirst for vengeance. Zybilna and Isolde enjoyed a strong partnership for years, but as time wore on, they grew distant until their relationship finally soured

Star Spawn Larva Mage

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

or Kezef—usually a warlock or other spellcaster—contacts the comet-borne emissary of an Elder Evil, the emissary can merge with a mortal consciousness to create a larva mage. None of the

original cultist’s personality survives the transformation; what emerges is wholly alien. Star Spawn The Material Plane represents only one small part of the multiverse. Beyond the best-known

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

pages were tales of bold heroes, strange and fierce animals, mighty primitive gods, and a magic that was part and fabric of that distant land. — Elaine Cunningham, Daughter of the Drow In the

, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics. EVERYONE’S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

You are an experienced criminal with a history of breaking the law. You have spent a lot of time among other criminals and still have contacts within the criminal underworld. You’re far closer

new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those

Gruul Anarch

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

manipulated by people I find attractive. 6 I’m not actually all that angry. Contacts The members of the Gruul Clans rely on each other even as they vie for territory and glory. Their

encounters with members of other guilds are more often violent than friendly, but occasional bonds do form. Roll twice on the Gruul Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Gruul

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

1 I never raise my voice or lose my temper. 2 I feel the pains and joys of everyone around me, friend or foe. 3 I would rather make a friend than thwart an enemy. 4 I’m

. Contacts The Selesnya Conclave is all about connections, so its members cultivate contacts throughout the guild. The guild also engages in energetic recruitment to draw converts from other

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

few miles from where they were born. You aren’t one of those folk. You are from a distant place, one so remote that few of the common folk in the North realize that it exists, and chances are

discussed here are all sufficiently distant from the North and the Sword Coast to justify the use of this background. Evermeet. The fabled elven islands far to the west are home to elves who have never

Rival Intern

Backgrounds Acquisitions Incorporated

Acquisitions Incorporated goes about its business. Why deal with the rest, when you can work for the best? Perhaps the rival did not treat you as well as you were hoping, or you washed out of that organization

employer or other groups you dealt with during your previous employment. You can communicate with your contacts, gaining information at the DM’s discretion.

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

d6 Flaw 1 I like secrets so much that I’m reluctant to share details of a plan even with those who need to know. 2 I would let my friends die rather than reveal my true

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

thought it was an accident. In the days that followed, Pidlwick II tried its best to fill its namesake's shoes, but the effigy's mere presence was upsetting to Tatyana, and it was never called on to perform

, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep. But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

. What’s more, you aren’t alone, as a bounty hunter in the wild would be: you routinely interact with both the criminal subculture and other bounty hunters, maintaining contacts in both

. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay attention to the risks

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Distant kin of giant owls from the Feywild, owlin come in many shapes and sizes, from petite and fluffy to wide-winged and majestic. Owlin have arms and legs like other Humanoids, as well as wings

, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Moonstone Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

together form a shape that’s reminiscent of a slender crescent moon. Moonstone dragons are playful and impetuous forces of mischief in their early years, but the best of them mature into wise

others is often difficult because I’m so easily distr… oh my goodness, is that circlet made of silver? 7 I find the waking world tedious and mundane and would much rather spend my

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. 2 I like to remind people of their inevitable demise. 3 Sometimes I give voice to the whispers of the rot, which I hear but no one else does. 4 I do my best to discourage anyone from

stronger than members of other guilds, isolated as they are from the realities of life and death. RYAN PANCOAST Contacts To the extent that the Golgari Swarm acts like a single organism

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

crescent moon. Moonstone dragons are playful and impetuous forces of mischief in their early years, but the best of them mature into wise teachers and storytellers who anchor Feywild communities. The

… oh my goodness, is that circlet made of silver? 7 I find the waking world tedious and mundane and would much rather spend my time asleep, in the realm of dreams. 8 I find the

Mighty Servant of Leuk-o

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

conjecture than fact, often referring to otherworldly beings, the mysterious Barrier Peaks in Oerth, and the supposedly related device known as the Machine of Lum the Mad. The best details on the device

instantly and leave behind no remains. This does not destroy the servant permanently. Rather, 2d6 days later, its parts—left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg, lower torso, and upper torso&mdash

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

I’m incapable of admitting a flaw in my logic. Contacts The laboratories of the Izzet League are constantly starting up new projects and dissolving old ones, so it’s easy for

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

easily pick out the dens of criminal activity in a community, although you’re more likely to be welcome in the former locations rather than the latter. Variant: Investigator Rarer

Investigation rather than Athletics. Suggested Characteristics Use the tables for the soldier background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

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

my research and any other tasks I have to complete. Contacts The fluid nature of clades, whose rosters span different laboratories and change as researchers discover new interests, creates

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome. Cold and Calculating Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in

emotion and empathy. The same label serves as an apt depiction of lizardfolk. Lacking any internal emotional reactions, lizardfolk behave in a distant manner. They don’t mourn fallen comrades or

Soldier Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

solution is the best path to success. d6 Ideal 1 Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good) 2 Responsibility. I do what I must and obey just

mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret. 4 My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Courtier

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

In your earlier days, you were a personage of some significance in a noble court or a bureaucratic organization. You might or might not come from an upper-class family; your talents, rather than the

tirelessly to get the best deal possible. 8 I’m well known for my work, and I want to make sure everyone appreciates it. I’m always taken aback when people haven’t heard of me

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

lazy, but when Linene came around looking for a missing broach, she was out the door before I could blink an eye. — Toblen Stonehill, innkeeper Hailing from a strange and distant land

tabaxi rarely stay in one place for long. Their innate nature pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or legends lost. Wandering Outcasts Most tabaxi remain in their distant

Verdan

Species Acquisitions Incorporated

. Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant

then passing through the shadow of That-Which-Endures changed them forever. Now the newest race to call Faerûn home, the verdan do their best to find their way in an unfamiliar world

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth

time. People there tend to be less accepting of differences. Sometimes a cold shoulder and a suspicious glare are the best genasi can hope for; in more backward places, they face ostracism and even

Azorius Functionary

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

was traumatized by witnessing a crime as a child. 5 I’m incapable of deception. 6 I wish I had joined the Boros, but I fear they’d never accept me. Contacts The Azorius

the entire city, your place in the Azorius can easily bring you into contact with members of other guilds, for good or ill. Roll twice on the Azorius Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and

Boros Legionnaire

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

important to me than my life. 6 Dangerous work is best accomplished by an orderly group working with common purpose. 7 I treat my weapons, uniform, and insignia with reverence, for they

. Contacts The ordered structure of the Boros Legion offers abundant opportunities to make friends — and rivals — in higher places. You might have close friends in other guilds that share the

Changeling

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

physician. Personas can even be passed down through a family, allowing a younger changeling to take advantage of contacts established by the persona’s previous users. Creating Your Character At 1st

character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Gnome Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

habitations in Oeble, that particular tenement had been built for humans, and smaller residents coped with the resulting awkwardness as best they could. But at least the relative largeness of the apartment

over time. Gnome names are typically variants on the names of ancestors or distant relatives, though some are purely new inventions. When dealing with humans and others who are “stuffy” about

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