both build detailed compete rather

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

of Dread (detailed in chapter 3): Har’Akir. You died and endured the burial rites of this desert realm, yet somehow a soul—yours or another’s—has taken refuge in 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

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

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

Five-Tavern Center

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Five-Tavern Center Five unaffiliated taverns Five taverns stand in a semicircle around a central yard in the heart of Bremen. As the story goes, five brothers originally intended to build a tavern

together, but each had assumed he would be the one to run the business. Since none of the brothers would work for the others, each built his own tavern, and they all compete for customers. The five

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

no company other than my own, for no one else can compete with me. 2 If my offspring can’t care for themselves, I’m not sure they’re worthy of my attention. 3 The sea is

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

Humans' Deities

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Humans’ Deities The breadth and variety of the human race in Faerûn is never more evident than in the diverse collection of deities that humans worship. The Faerûnian pantheon (detailed in chapter 1

) includes gods of every stripe, and a number of deities whose spheres of influence overlap and compete, which seems to be just how humans like it. Along the Sword Coast, most human communities have

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

Downtime Activities

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Downtime Activities Saltmarsh provides a haven for adventurers between expeditions, and the characters can spend that time engaged in various tasks around town. The following options build on the

the ones presented in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. If you have that supplement, consider using the guidelines for rivals and the complications attached to some of the activities given in that book. You can also offer other activities as you see fit. The ones detailed below are specific to Saltmarsh.

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

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

"} Trait 1 I seek no company other than my own, for no one else can compete with me. 2 If my offspring can’t care for themselves, I’m not sure they’re worthy of my

, 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 sunbathing beaches where they can

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

Faction. After the characters first encounter the leader of one of Cynidicea’s three factions (detailed in the following section), everyone in the party who survives the encounter gains 1 level. This

Life in Umizu

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

marriages, typically with a clan matriarch and several spouses of any gender. Powerful clans compete for prestige through formal dueling matches every few months. Umizu has few taboos around sexuality and

gender. Titles such as “daimyo” are gender-neutral, as are most names. Clothing varies by class status rather than gender—instead, people express their gender through perfumes. Bright citrus scents

Draconians

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

god’s name. In the course of the adventure, present draconians as magical, monstrous, fanatical, and unknowable. They aren’t creatures with their own goals and ambitions. Rather, they are magical

manifestations of the Dragon Queen’s thirst for conquest, and they wreak her will with lethal efficacy. The various draconians of Krynn are detailed in appendix B.

Champions of Rock Throwing

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

boulders. Frost giants build targets out of snow and ice and compete to see who can knock down the most with a single toss. A popular one-on-one game begins with the challenger throwing a stone as

Province Scale

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

Province Scale For the most detailed areas of your world, use a province scale where each hex represents 1 mile. A full-page map at this scale represents an area that can be covered in one day’s

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

Ivana's Intrigues

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

poisons detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide as a baseline for the effects Ivana creates and combine them with the effects of enchantment and illusion spells to design custom, nonmagical toxins for her

. This poison is nonmagical, and Ivana doesn’t directly communicate with those affected during the dream. Rather, she creates the illusion of speaking with her intended target by alchemically crafting

Deck of Many More Things

Magic Items The Book of Many Things

protected by a box or pouch. The forty-four cards of the Deck of Many More Things bear similar imagery to those in the Deck of Many Things and have potent magical effects, which are detailed later in

draw the same card multiple times. The DM can use the physical cards provided in The Deck of Many Things card set to build a combined Deck of Many Things and Deck of Many More Things, including

Wicked Personality

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

you might give any NPC, as detailed in the section on creating nonplayer characters in the Dungeon Master’s Guide: Ideal. In one sentence, describe an ideal that the Darklord holds dear and that

them. 2 Others’ concerns bore me, and I would rather have my lessers handle everything possible. 3 I am always right, and anyone who doesn’t agree with me is cut out of my life. 4

Hazlik's Powers and Dominion

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

items rather than his own spells. Glory Taker. At any given time, Hazlik permits dozens of apprentices to study at his feet. His lessons are infrequent, demanding, and filled with mocking examples

surveillance are detailed in “The Eye of Hazlik” later in this domain description. Closing the Borders. Hazlik can open and close the borders of his domain at will, as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of

Seven Things to Know

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

with the trade guilds each family controls. Lands of Intrigue. The war is over, and the nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the

world needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels—over economic dominance, political influence, territory, magical power, and more—each looking to maintain or improve its status

Origin of the Ordning

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

among giant kinds reflecting a cultural or geographical distinction rather than an inherent one. They might live in bands composed of multiple giant kinds or family groups of a single kind. Or giants of

different kinds might not recognize each other as kindred at all. All these giants build a range of social structures in the same manifold ways other peoples do, without regard to an overarching ordning.

The Great Wheel

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

The Great Wheel The default D&D cosmology includes more than two dozen planes, detailed in this chapter. The most common understanding of these planes visualizes them as a group of concentric wheels

between Bytopia and Arcadia; rather, this theoretical positioning is based on the philosophical shading among the three planes and the relative importance they give to law and good. Other

Shadow of Soth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

passive Wisdom (Perception) score recognizes the Undead dragon’s rider from Kalaman’s catacombs—this is the knight Lord Soth, whose image they saw there. The temple the characters see is detailed in the

get at whoever’s in charge in there!” Rookledust encourages the characters to find the Dragon Army’s leaders within the city rather than pursing Soth. The gnome is confident that Kalaman’s forces

Licensed Region

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated

course, non-Acquisitions Incorporated rival organizations might be present. You are expected to drive them out of business. (Or give them untimely deaths. You do you.) A franchise can build or operate

theoretically working with (and perhaps overseeing) smaller franchises rather than working against them. You can ship your goods to any destination, and can assign staff to a city to which you ship goods

Hobgoblin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

, rival legions compete constantly for reputation and status. Meetings between legions erupt in violence if troops aren’t restrained, and only exceptionally powerful leaders can force legions to

potential slaves can be found. They build and conquer strongholds in strategically advantageous locations, which they then use as staging areas to expand their territory. Hobgoblin warlords never

Jacqueline's Powers and Dominion

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

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 Borders. When Jacqueline Renier wishes to close her domain’s borders, the Mists rise at the edge of the lands, as detailed in “The Mists” at the start of this chapter. Additionally, the Mists are filled with swarms of rats; endless waves of them attack any creatures that enter the Mists.

Creating a Survivor

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

don’t possess classes as detailed in the Player’s Handbook. Despite this, you can make a survivor marginally more powerful by increasing its level. The stat blocks present the survivors as they are at

1st level. Rather than gaining experience points, a survivor increases in level whenever it makes sense for your adventure. When a survivor gains a level, it gains the benefits on the Survivor

Running a Séance

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

the investigators detailed in the following “Guests of the House” section leads each séance. Narrate the start of the séance and encourage each character to ask a question. As they do, you control how

spirits’ house, and before the dead accept the trespassers, these spirits try to build a rapport through at least three interactions. The séances described in the following sections outline the

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

Droaam

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

Droaam are learning to work together and finding ways to use their supernatural gifts to help build and sustain society. A medusa might use its petrifying gaze to preserve the life of an injured ally

until medical attention can be obtained. Harpies in the taverns of Droaam use their hypnotic songs to entertain rather than to harm. When you bring creatures from Droaam into the campaign, consider how

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