both build defenses complex rather

Ancient Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. 3 I secretly look forward to adventurers trying to infiltrate my lair. How else could I try out new defenses? 4 Give me a storied helmet or scimitar over a pile of gold any day. 5 No

creature can outsmart my defenses—if they do, they obviously cheated. 6 Any creature that can hold their own against me must teach me how—whether they want to or not. 7 I

War Magic

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wizards for war. The tradition of War Magic blends principles of evocation and abjuration, rather than specializing in either of those schools. It

teaches techniques that empower a caster’s spells, while also providing methods for wizards to bolster their own defenses. Followers of this tradition are known as war mages. They see their

War Magic (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wizards for war. The tradition of War Magic blends principles of evocation and abjuration, rather than specializing in either of those schools. It

teaches techniques that empower a caster’s spells, while also providing methods for wizards to bolster their own defenses. Followers of this tradition are known as war mages. They see their

Adult Sapphire Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

adventurers trying to infiltrate my lair. How else could I try out new defenses? 4 Give me a storied helmet or scimitar over a pile of gold any day. 5 No creature can outsmart my defenses—if

who will undoubtedly terrorize the area if they win. 8 A sapphire dragon’s lair is so well protected that its inner defenses have never been tested. The dragon spreads rumors of the

Reborn

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

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

alongside complex designs for clockwork organs. 6 You were released after being petrified for generations. Your memories have faded, though, and your body isn’t what it once was. 7 Your

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Although the duchess's heart was in the right

, 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

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

and his companion, knocking the deadly blow aside. His companion, a half-elf in scale armor, swings two scimitars in a blinding whirl as she circles the ogre, looking for a blind spot in its defenses

Fighter As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

… 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

1 A young moonstone dragon on the cusp of adulthood refuses to settle down and build a lair. To protect the local populace from the dragon’s chaotic activities, a minor deity sends a deva

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that’s why they build their mighty

build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves

Lizardfolk

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

have lived on the worlds of the Material Plane since the worlds’ creation. Gifted by the gods with remarkable physical defenses and a mystical connection to the natural world, lizardfolk can

the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can

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

communities are threatened. Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for

. QUICK BUILD You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score. Make Intelligence your next-highest if you want to excel at

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, the kobolds are usually put to work enlarging their masters’ living area and protecting vital areas of the lair with traps and other defenses. Some human communities hire kobolds to dig their

sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

on a particularly interesting item when an owner refuses to sell or trade it. Tabaxi Names Each tabaxi has a single name, determined by clan and based on a complex formula that involves astrology

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many

, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost? QUICK BUILD You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries. QUICK BUILD You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability

Temple of Black Earth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

Tyar-Besil’s main entrance, a well-fortified gate complex with barracks, guardrooms, armories, and stables. Enemies that managed to fight their way down the Ancient Stair from the surface above were

stopped in their tracks by the daunting defenses of the gate quarter. More than one reckless attack by orcs, trolls, or giants was driven back from the gate. In time, those savage foes found other ways

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

sun and have no desire to get wet, beyond enjoying a bit of sea spray in the air. But they love being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect

sea spray in the air. But they love being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect sunbathing beaches where they can best accomplish this

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

advancing civilization, nature needs some help from biomancers and terraformers. If, along the way, you happen to create super-soldiers and mutant monsters that can bolster the combine’s defenses

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

Chapter 2: Traps Revisited

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

elaborate approach — describing traps in terms of their game mechanics and offering guidance on creating traps of your own using these new rules. Rather than characterize traps as mechanical or magical, these rules separate traps into two other categories: simple and complex.

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature

? Perhaps your homeland was befouled by evil, and you took up an adventuring life in hopes of finding a new home or purpose. QUICK BUILD You can make a druid quickly by following these suggestions

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

it was sabotage that destroyed my first laboratory and killed many of my friends, and I seek revenge against whoever did it. 4 I have the schematics for an invention that I hope to build one day

Archaeologist Camp

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

hanging from their necks, and their hands glow with divine magic. On the opposite side of camp, a human woman pores over a spellbook. The archaeologists are investigating the ancient complex in

which a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts waits. The characters can chat with the archaeologists to learn about the complex and ask to borrow magic items to aid their quest. Laysa’s Goals At camp, Laysa is

Basidia's Aid

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

Basidia’s Aid As the characters approach the center of Araumycos’s great cavern complex, Basidia meets them with a small detachment of loyal myconids. The myconid sovereign explains that it can

Araumycos. Basidia’s rapport spores help facilitate the process, but Araumycos’s sleeping mind isn’t in full control of the defenses of its body, and might interpret the characters’ presence as an

Artificer Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Masters of invention, artificers use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in objects. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and then harnessed in their spells

look at the Artificer table to see which features you get at each level. The descriptions of those features appear in the “Artificer Features” section. QUICK BUILD You can make an

Settlements

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

does it serve in your game? How big is it? Who lives there? What does it look, smell, and sound like? Who governs it? Who else holds power? Is it part of a larger state? What are its defenses? Where

characters care about the settlement? The guidelines in this section are here to help you build the settlement you want for whatever purpose you have in mind. Disregard any advice here that runs counter to your vision for a settlement.

Character Advancement

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Character Advancement If you want to use story-based level advancement, the characters receive experience points for achieving the following milestones rather than defeating monsters: Encountering a

advancement occurs only once, even if the characters later encounter another faction leader. Entering the Tomb Complex. When the characters enter the fourth tier of the ziggurat for the first time

Fate of the Hourglass Coven

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

one of the hags is still alive. The surviving hags can sense when Zybilna is released from temporal stasis—or, rather, they can sense when their hold over Prismeer is lost. The instant Zybilna regains

is beyond the scope of this adventure; flesh out its occupants and defenses as you see fit if the characters decide to pay the hags a visit. Zybilna takes no immediate action against the surviving hags

40. Dragon Breath

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a3

40. Dragon Breath When the party reaches the bottom of the stairs, read: A staircase leads upward into the gloom. It seems as though you have found the entrance to another layer within the complex

head of the steps. The statue has the statistics, defenses, and traits of a stone golem, but it has no action options. As soon as it stops after emerging, it opens its mouth and breathes a gust of

Using This Source

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

area, the Sumber Hills, has become the stronghold where the elemental cults build their bases of power. Chapter 3 begins the adventure in earnest. In this chapter, the characters learn that trouble

, the characters discover that the four cults occupy a sprawling dungeon complex beneath the Sumber Hills. The temples serve as the base for the cultists’ insidious attacks against the Dessarin Valley

Across the Fungal Fields

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

. Unfortunately, they have no means of assuring the slumbering fungal entity of their intentions, and the growing threat posed by Zuggtmoy and the demon lords has roused Araumycos’s defenses. The pastel

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

Topaz Dragon Lairs

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

being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect sunbathing beaches where they can best accomplish this. Their preference for lair sites

Features The topaz dragon lair shown in map 5.14 is situated among the rocky cliffs and beaches of a rugged coastline. The lair is set in a cavern complex near the top of the cliffs, 50 feet above the

Expert Tunnelers

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

’ living area and protecting vital areas of the lair with traps and other defenses. Some human communities hire kobolds to dig their sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t

have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a network of passages beneath the streets, connecting them to a nearby

17. Sauna

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

playing them off against each other. If his bodyguards are defeated and he is facing death, Yahru offers small bits of information for the promise of freedom. In addition to the layout and defenses of the

an obelisk. (Yahru can provide directions.) Acererak slew the nine gods of Omu before enslaving the city’s human and minotaur inhabitants, which he used to build his tomb.

Welcome to Leilon

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

of Leilon were content to leave his tower and the monsters within alone. The Spellplague, a divine phenomenon that twisted Faerûn’s magic, corrupted the tower’s defenses. The creatures sealed within

attempt to build docks for barges, made to cross the marsh and meet merchant ships in the sea. Outside of town, a settler camp nestles under the trees alongside the High Road. At the center of town, the

D&D Beyond

Search Results