both birth dealing certain rather

Alter Self

Spells Player’s Handbook

), horns (Piercing), or hooves (Bludgeoning). When you use your Unarmed Strike to deal damage with that new growth, it deals 1d6 damage of the type in parentheses instead of dealing the normal damage for

your Unarmed Strike, and you use your spellcasting ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls rather than using Strength.

Kiddywidget

Monsters Candlekeep Mysteries

","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Tail","rollDamageType":"lightning"} lightning damage.A skitterwidget that gives birth to a kiddywidget can’t procreate for 3d6 days afterward. Still, given that

":"roll","rollAction":"Hours"} hours for an impregnated skitterwidget to give birth to one kiddywidget. A newborn kiddywidget magically grows into a full-sized skitterwidget in 10 days. Autonomous. Unlike

Red Slaad (control gem variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

point. Control Gem. Implanted in the slaad's brain is a magic control gem. The slaad must obey whoever possesses the gem and is immune to being charmed while so controlled. Certain spells can be used to

egg. A humanoid host can carry only one slaad egg to term at a time. Over three months, the egg moves to the chest cavity, gestates, and forms a slaad tadpole. In the 24-hour period before giving birth

Swarmkeeper

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

force in battle, as 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

Mercion

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry

coming for you.” Flaw. “My friends would say I’m inflexible. The truth is, I like things done a certain way.” Combat Notes Mercion counts on her armor to protect her as she

Vladimir Horngaard

Monsters Curse of Strahd

","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, Vladimir can grapple the target (escape DC 14) provided the target is Large or smaller. +2 Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack

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

Jammer Leech

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

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

. The leech attaches itself to a ship’s hull in its space, dealing 2 (1d4);{"diceNotation":"1d4","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Attach to Hull","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage to

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

can more easily pronounce the name in this altered form. An adopted name of this sort is recognized as a variant of the birth name, rather than a unique name unto itself. A yuan-ti might refer to

advisor in human society. The very rare offspring of such a union are always purebloods, although they may appear fully human at birth and for several years afterward. The yuan-ti know rituals that

Vedalken

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

with ideas than with people. They form close friendships based on mutual interests or compelling disagreements, and their interactions dwell on their thoughts about those issues rather than their

bioengineering or through extensive study, and others concentrate on perfecting society through the careful drafting and application of laws. Vedalken Names Vedalken are given names at birth, but

Swarmkeeper (TCoE)

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

force in battle, as 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

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age. Goliath Names Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname

Relentless Juggernaut

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

a certain area its territory and visits destruction upon all trespassers. Relentless killers are hateful, revenge-obsessed creatures that enter into pacts with fiends or other nefarious entities

its birth, and its wicked nature emerged over time. 4 A wicked place or magic relic seeped into its being, turning it into a monster. 5 The killer used its body to contain an evil entity

Baba Lysaga

Monsters Curse of Strahd

that Strahd would never accept her as his true mother, nor could she bear his rejection. As a result, she has never confronted him. She would rather exist in perpetual denial, whiling away the days

winery (chapter 12), and she has begun to wage war against it. In addition, she has forged an alliance with the mad druids that haunt Yester Hill (chapter 14), convincing them that she gave birth to

The Abbot

Monsters Curse of Strahd

, inbred lepers—came to the abbey seeking salvation. The deva rid them of their diseases, an act for which they were eternally grateful, but could not cure them of certain human defects that had been

present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange ideas of what it

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

circumstances of your birth, could have secured you this position. You might have been one of the many functionaries, attendants, and other hangers-on in the Court of Silverymoon, or perhaps you

Giff Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those of lower

refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

member of your family, by right of birth, or it could have been left to you by a friend, a mentor, a teacher, or someone else important in your life. The revelation of your inheritance changed your life

ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met. When you begin

Fractine

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures

surfaces substituting for the mirror needed to cast certain divination spells. While being used in this way, the fractine siphons magical energy from the spellcaster—not enough to cause harm

of itself behind. The destruction of a fractine is accompanied by a loud sound reminiscent of shattering glass. A fractine attacks by falling on its targets, dealing damage as it passes through them

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

bound to their fey lord and unable to bargain away their souls. So rather than claim them, Fierna warped and twisted them before returning them to the Feywild, content that the corruption of the satyrs

peppered with a parental attitude toward strangers. Another is a mirthful sybarite with an unfettered love of food, drink, and romance. When dealing with the forlarren, the only constant is the malleable

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

experience in enforcing the law, and dealing with lawbreakers, gives you a feel for local laws and criminals. You can easily find the local outpost of the watch or a similar organization, and just as

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

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below

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

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

wish to use the background’s standard feature might have gained their standing in Baldur’s Gate from business rather than inheritance. Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion Tool

Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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 than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Ki-rin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

good fortune. They consider seeing a ki-rin fly overhead a blessing and events that happen on such a day especially auspicious. If a ki-rin alights during a ceremony such as a birth announcement or a

to inspire and strengthen the side of good or to rescue heroes from certain death. Ki-rins are attracted to the worship of deities of courage, loyalty, selflessness, and truth, as well as to the

Amethyst Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

collecting knowledge and magic dealing with the nature of the planes of existence, cosmic forces, and distant worlds. They prize treasures drawn from different worlds of the Material Plane, especially

an end to the restriction. 4 An amethyst dragon recruits a group of adventurers to psychically trade bodies with adventurers from another world, so that each can carry out certain tasks before

Adult Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

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 time asleep

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

Keresta Delvingstone

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

);{"diceNotation":"1d8+4","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Unarmed Strike","rollDamageType":"bludgeoning"} bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, Keresta can grapple the target (escape DC 18). Bite

(god of birth and renewal) in Waterdeep. She also has her sights set on destroying the House of the Moon — Waterdeep's temple of Selûne, whom she blames for the destruction of Vanrak Moonstar.A Vampire's

Young Amethyst Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

allies can be found in the strangest places. Hoarded Arcana In addition to material wealth, amethyst dragons delight in collecting knowledge and magic dealing with the nature of the planes of

adventurers to psychically trade bodies with adventurers from another world, so that each can carry out certain tasks before swapping back. 5 A cult devoted to a Great Old One of the Far Realm

Azorius Functionary

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

-minted 1-zino coins) Feature: Legal Authority You have the authority to enforce the laws of Ravnica, and that status inspires a certain amount of respect and even fear in the populace. People mind

(though it might cause more problems than it solves when you’re dealing with incorrigible lawbreakers). If you abuse this privilege, though, you can get in serious trouble with your superiors and

Priest of Osybus (Blazing)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they devoted themselves to the same Dark Powers with whom

so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon 1 Priest of Osybus (Dread);Dread. Eerie whispers can now be

Priest of Osybus (Deathly)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they

before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon 1 Priest of

Priest of Osybus (Ectoplasmic)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they devoted themselves to the same Dark Powers with whom their master had communed. They were

revive with a benefit from the Boons of Undeath table. You can give a priest one or more of these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than

Priest of Osybus (Spectral)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

;that their immortality would fail them when they least expected it and that he himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they

the Boons of Undeath table. You can give a priest one or more of these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest

Priest of Osybus (Vampiric)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

and that he himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves

these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon

Tragic Flaws

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

exploit or punish, with hubris being the classic example. The gods of Theros aren’t so concerned about “ordinary” flaws like addiction or laziness. Rather, consider a tragic flaw involving something you

don’t want a god to learn or certain to provoke a god’s anger. For example, some of the flaws listed for the outlander background in the Player’s Handbook could put a character into conflict with a god

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