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Returning 35 results for 'both brutal down cunning rare'.
Monsters
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
. Cultists of Bhaal sometimes form cabals of assassins or mercenaries, but they perform their brutal slaughter for the perverse love of bloodshed and honor to their sinister god rather than for
financial recompense. These cunning serial killers and mass murderers remain a step ahead of investigators, at least until the cultists’ zealous bloodlust overwhelms their senses.
Cultists
The
Backgrounds
Lorwyn: First Light
, chaotic place perpetually lit by pale moonlight. You might survive Shadowmoor’s merciless conditions thanks to your wit and cunning, or you might keep threats at bay with your brawn and bravery
. Regardless of where you tread, you keenly understand that friendship is a rare commodity. You believe that knowing who to trust and who to keep at arm’s length isn’t just practical— it’s often a matter of life or death.
Monsters
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
combine the worst attributes of wolves and spiders, spyder-fiends scuttle about with bloated, spiderlike bodies and gnash with wolflike heads. Spyder-fiends are usually coated with gore, as brutal killing
is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey.
Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
. Long ago, a green hag gathered a small army of ogres to serve as her enforcers along the desolate coast she had claimed. The hag found the ogres' simple minds and brutal strength useful, but too often
, 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
Monsters
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
. Spyder-fiends are usually coated with gore, as brutal killing is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey.
Spyder-fiends are organized
into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against
Monsters
The Book of Many Things
few words. He shares leadership of the guild with Boss Delour and has a knack for planning heists. Guild members consider him a brutal but fair leader. Some perceptive guild members—like Kathra
transformed. He reverts to his humanoid form if he dies.
Cunning Action. Augustus takes the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Monsters
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
brutal killing is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey.
Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning
Monsters
Vecna: Eve of Ruin
of wolves and spiders, spyder-fiends scuttle about with bloated, spiderlike bodies and gnash with wolflike heads. Spyder-fiends are usually coated with gore, as brutal killing is their favorite
pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey.
Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
, 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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
usually coated with gore, as brutal killing is their favorite pursuit. They spin durable webs and are ingenious in how they employ their webs against prey. Spyder-fiends are organized into a hierarchy
based on might and cunning, with higher-ranked spyder-fiends dominating lower ranks. Spyder-fiends of equivalent rank scheme against each other for advancement and eagerly turn against one another if
Orc
Legacy
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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
killers that washes over the countryside and leaves vast tracts of devastation in its wake. Such an event is rare in the extreme, but its consequences can lay low entire nations that are unable to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
beholder is nearly unassailable thanks to the combination of its peerless intellect and the brutal effects of its eye rays. Some of the behaviors and motivations that beholders exhibit are analogous to
beholder’s mind remains semiconscious even as it dreams. As a result, on rare occasions when a beholder dreams of another beholder, the dream-reality becomes warped and takes on physical form, becoming
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
conflict is a great war of attrition — the combatants don’t often gain or lose territory as the result of battle. But on a personal scale, combat is brutal, with no quarter given or expected. The duergar
fight a persistent guerrilla war of sudden raids and brutal attacks against isolated groups of dwarves. Duergar often begin an attack by burrowing into a dwarf settlement from below, then bursting out
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
using more energy than you need. 2 Brutal. Your attacks rain down like hammer blows, meant to splinter bone or send blood flying. 3 Cunning. You dart in to attack at just the right moment and use small
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
lairs to track down magic items or rare spellbooks. Nagas never feel the ravages of time or succumb to sickness. Even if it is struck down, a naga’s immortal spirit reforms in a new body in a matter of
days, ready to continue its eternal work. Benevolent Dictators and Brutal Tyrants. A naga rules its domain with absolute authority. Whether it rules with compassion or by terrorizing its subjects, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
Gnoll Pack Lord The alpha of a gnoll pack is the pack lord, ruling by might and cunning. A pack lord earns the best of a gnoll pack’s spoils, food, valuable trinkets, and magic items. It ornaments
its body with brutal piercings and grotesque trophies, dyeing its fur with demonic sigils, hoping Yeenoghu will make it invulnerable. Gnoll Pack Lord
Medium humanoid (gnoll), chaotic evil
Armor
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
, scrying, flame strike, legend lore, and raise dead can have a significant impact on their adventures. They start acquiring more permanent magic items (uncommon and rare ones) as well, which will serve them
they confront brutal giants, ferocious hydras, fearless golems, evil yuan-ti, scheming devils, bloodthirsty demons, crafty mind flayers, and drow assassins. They might have a chance of defeating a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lorwyn: First Light
a gloomy, chaotic place perpetually lit by pale moonlight. You might survive Shadowmoor’s merciless conditions thanks to your wit and cunning, or you might keep threats at bay with your brawn and
bravery. Regardless of where you tread, you keenly understand that friendship is a rare commodity. You believe that knowing who to trust and who to keep at arm’s length isn’t just practical—it’s often a matter of life or death. AURORE FOLNY
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
mimics have only predatory intelligence, a rare few evolve greater cunning and the ability to carry on simple conversations in Common or Undercommon. Such mimics might allow safe passage through their
Mimic Mimics are shapeshifting predators able to take on the form of inanimate objects to lure creatures to their doom. In dungeons, these cunning creatures most often take the form of doors and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves
soldier from Adarath, Rubert is well aware of Sablewing and the threat he poses. The dragon is cunning and brutal. Sablewing is known to keep a trio of Darkmantles close by, allowing the dragon to strike
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
Mad Maggie While Zariel’s attention is focused on the Blood War, power-hungry warlords of the Avernian wastes cobble together heavily armed gangs and lead packs of infernal war machines in brutal
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
equally large impact. The adventurers find rare magic items (and very rare ones) that bestow similarly powerful abilities. The fate of a nation or even the world depends on momentous quests that such
characters undertake. Adventurers explore uncharted regions and delve into long-forgotten dungeons, where they confront terrible masterminds of the lower planes, cunning rakshasas and beholders, and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
the situation calls for, Phenax is a consummate actor. His incisive wit and cunning enable him to read the desires of his marks, adjusting his approach to suit the moment. In his rare moments of candor
Goblin
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
appreciation for the finer things!
— Volo
Goblins occupy an uneasy place in a dangerous world, and they react by lashing out at any creatures they believe they can bully. Cunning in battle and
made from dead darkmantles
20
Cloaks made of scraps from an elven tapestry
Booyahgs
Spellcasters of any sort among the goblins are rare. Goblins typically lack the intelligence and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
inquisitors’ zealous and sometimes brutal methods inspire terror in many communities throughout the multiverse. Each Ulmist inquisitor belongs to one of three orders that harness the power of psionics
, strength, or intellect, respectively, to achieve the inquisition’s goals. Members of the Order of Tristian, which is represented by a tome, endeavor to use knowledge and cunning to alter their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
among orcs react to this stigma by being more brutal than others of their tribe, which can put them in roles of leadership, but outsider half-orcs aren’t welcomed into orc society because they aren’t of
they live, half-orcs usually find themselves defined by others in terms of their usefulness as heavy laborers and soldiers. It is the rare and fortunate few who are judged by their character and their deeds rather than their ancestry.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
claimed. The hag found the ogres’ simple minds and brutal strength useful, but too often, their lack of cunning foiled her plans. Many tumbled into the sea and drowned, too simpleminded and impatient to
seize it and carry it back to their lairs. If necessary, they resort to violence to claim the metal. Brutal Raiders. Each year, when the warm summer gives way to the chill of autumn, the crab folk look
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
all gnolls. It’s also possible, though quite rare, for a war band to include cultists — other humanoids that have dedicated themselves to Yeenoghu and attached themselves to the war band to prove
behind a war band, making quick work of wounded gnolls and those who can’t keep up the pace. Gnoll Flesh Gnawers All gnolls are ruthless and brutal, but the flesh gnawers in a war band use their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
tribes known as the Ice Hunters, because of the many enemies Arauthator has frozen into the icy walls of the berg’s hollowed interior. In addition to his size, cunning, and ferocity, Arauthator wields
and power, including at least three tomes of rare spells. The possibility of recovering those books is part of what drew Maccath the Crimson to the Sea of Moving Ice. Arauthator’s iceberg lair serves
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
. Unlike many of their kin, green dragons use the transformative power of nature to turn those valuables into truly unique treasures. By wrapping and threading treasures with rare vegetation and
Cyan Bloodbane—is a deeply cunning ancient green dragon with an exacting sense of malice. He is a charismatic creature, but flattery is only one of his many weapons.
During the War of the Lance on the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
tribes known as the Ice Hunters, because of the many enemies Arauthator has frozen into the icy walls of the berg’s hollowed interior. In addition to his size, cunning, and ferocity, Arauthator wields
and power, including at least three tomes of rare spells. The possibility of recovering those books is part of what drew Maccath the Crimson to the Sea of Moving Ice. Arauthator’s iceberg lair serves
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron
cunning drow in the depths of a primordial jungle. In the distant past, Xen’drik was home to the civilizations of the giants. Now it is a place of mysteries and ruins. The giants were destroyed by the
rare Siberys dragonshards. In addition to savage giants, Xen’drik is home to the enigmatic drow and many other races and creatures never seen in Khorvaire. The port city of Stormreach serves as the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
, and the cult of scientific advancement at any cost. The harsh landscape feeds into this with both brutal cold and deadly creatures. Are the “whales” the mighty steamships of Ludendorf hunt for food
daughter and sole surviving heir, Varissa Schaller, wants to avenge her brother’s murder and begs the party to help destroy her father.
7 Prospectors seeking rare gas pockets discover numerous
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer
turbulent dangers of the sea, but also the rich rewards it can bring. The crimson flags of the ship referenced the brutal life of a pirate, blood spilled on the deck or in the water. The crisscrossing
desire to remain a peaceful power and the clear skies symbolize a prosperous future. But those who know the city’s history see the cunning and violence underpinning the emblem. For many, the contradictory interpretations make the city’s coat of arms all the more fitting.
Mike Schley Map: Sword Coast
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
diabolical aspect shines through, a forlarren is a cunning, calculating, and brutal enemy. It might use its natural charm to worm its way into earning trust from those it encounters, casting itself as a