both build diffusing clever rewards

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

roof of a merchant’s home, seizing what they seek, and stalking away before the town watch can rally. Intricate Networks. Clever, ambitious, and greedy, many fog giants build up whole networks of

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

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

despite the rise and fall of empires. Many halflings live among other races, where the halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

left behind. There are greater risks, perhaps, but also much greater rewards—few fighters in the city watch have the opportunity to discover a magic flame tongue sword, for example. Creating a

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

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal? What

. 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

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

populate it with their Humanoid followers, a clever dragon fled to the Feywild to hide a clutch of eggs. The magic of that faerie realm suffused the eggs, which hatched into the first moonstone

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

Zox Clammersham

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Zox Clammersham A clever rock gnome, Zox Clammersham is the sole survivor of his former party’s failed Undermountain expedition. Since the demise of his friends, Zox has managed to secure a ring that

it. Zox’s intentions are not malevolent; he simply needs more scaladar in order to build all the things he has it in his head to build.

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

for your patron, or did your patron find and choose you? Do you chafe under the obligations of your pact or serve joyfully in anticipation of the rewards promised to you? Work with your DM to

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

Hobgoblin Raiders

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Hobgoblin Raiders The bounty of salvage on this level has not gone unnoticed by the fire giants on level 14. They send hobgoblin minions to steal scrap metal, which the giants are using to build a

great construct of their own. The hobgoblins raid in small bands, using trained rust monsters to distract Zox’s constructs. These raiders are naturally violent but can be parlayed with by clever

Part 2: Master of Adventures

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

some free time to exercise your creativity as you invent compelling plots, create new NPCs, craft encounters, and think of clever ways to foreshadow story events yet to come. Part 2 of these rules is

for running adventures set in dungeons, the wilderness, and other locales, and chapter 6 covers the time between adventures. Chapter 7 is all about treasure, magic items, and special rewards that help keep the players invested in your campaign.

Pastoral Pleasantries

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

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 land beyond their quiet

empires. Many halflings live among other races, where the halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and maintaining no permanent home.

Why Use Riddles?

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

an opportunity for the characters to engage with a creature that’s too strong to defeat in combat Reward clever characters who overcome a challenge with brains instead of brawn Make a villain, an

area, or an object seem more interesting or mysterious However, using too many riddles can slow gameplay. Use them thoughtfully and sparingly. Especially tricky riddles should entail worthwhile rewards

Journey Spread

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

journey you expect to last at least as many days as you have players. You can improvise encounters, other challenges, and rewards based on cards as they’re revealed, or you can build a small deck in

advance with fewer cards, then prepare notes on possible encounters and rewards based on your chosen cards. For each day of the journey, lay out two cards face down, one overlapping the other, to form a

Adventure Summary

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

encounter three bickering factions of Cynidiceans who seek to reinstate their once-proud kingdom. Characters can align with one or more factions, reaping the rewards of membership at the risk of ostracizing

rival groups. As the characters explore the ziggurat, they slowly uncover clues of the tragedy that befell Cynidicea and its people. While braving clever traps, evil cultists, and restless Undead, the

General Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

cloaks of the Redbrands and claim to be emissaries sent by Iarno “Glasstaff” Albrek, the Redbrand leader, to meet with King Grol. A good DM rewards this kind of clever thinking by giving the

“Cover” in the Basic Rules). DISGUISED CHARACTERS Rather than storm Cragmaw Castle with weapons in hand, clever characters might try to talk their way inside. For example, they might don the scarlet

G11. Inventors' Workshop

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

Gnomengarde’s foremost inventors, they are trying to dream up an invention that will cure King Korboz’s madness. Fibblestib’s proposal is a “sanity ray.” Dabbledob thinks that’s dumb, and wants to build

. They focus on Korboz and Gnerkli to the exclusion of all else, promising magical rewards in exchange for aid (see “Gnome-Made Magic Items”). The workshop is cluttered with half-completed gnomish

Parcels of Land

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

. A character who receives a parcel of land is free to build on it and is expected to safeguard it. He or she may yield the land as part of an inheritance, but can’t sell or trade it without permission

from the local ruler or ruling body. Parcels of land make fine rewards for adventurers who are looking for a place to settle or who have family or some kind of personal investment in the region where the land is located.

Parcels of Land

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

parcel of land are free to build on it and are expected to safeguard it. They may yield the land as part of an inheritance, but they can’t sell or trade it without permission from the local ruler or

ruling body. If a character already has a Bastion (see chapter 8), the parcel of land might surround the Bastion or be close to it. Parcels of land make fine rewards for adventurers who are looking for a place to settle or who have family or a personal investment in the region where the land is located.

Orcs

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

Orcs The characters come across 2d6 + 2 orcs. There is a 75 percent chance that the orcs are friendly and looking for a suitable place to build a homestead. Otherwise, the orcs are hostile and have

stick. Treasure. If the characters escort the Woodhews back to their torched homestead, the halflings are reunited with the members of their family who avoided capture. One of them rewards the party

To the Lighthouse

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

own rewards, in the form of additional encounters and side treks that can help build a fun story. This episode provides one side trek that sees the characters stop in Neverwinter on their way to the

Character Advancement

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

Character Advancement In a shared campaign, characters gain levels not by accumulating experience points but by reaching experience checkpoints. This system rewards every character (and player) for

player’s preferred style is neither penalized nor rewarded. Whether someone focuses on roleplaying and social interaction, defeating monsters in combat, or finding clever ways to avoid battles, this system

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

strong social structure that stresses devotion to the tribe, are clever with their hands, and viciously work together in order to overcome their physical limitations. In the kobolds’ version of

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

Creating a Silver Dragon

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

new disguises to use among small folk. It makes me feel clever! 5 Violence is the provenance of uncouth beings, and I will do my best to avoid its use. 6 I don’t understand why anyone would

fight when they could talk instead and build on this ecosystem of wondrous cultures and fascinating traditions. 7 I owe the short-lived mortals I become friends with the responsibility of

Mogis's Villains

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

Mogis’s Villains Unquestionably, Mogis makes an excellent villain. His lust for bloodshed and willingness to fight all comers makes him easy to build a campaign around if you want a straightforward

be at least partially blinded by dark emotions, a state that might make them easy to manipulate by the followers of clever deities. The servants of the god of slaughter aren’t all mindless brutes

Using Your Journal

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

in a game session that hearkens to some event from an earlier session. Foreshadowing is about planting seeds early so you can reap the rewards later. Having an up-to-date campaign journal makes

whatever your players throw at you, and you can even borrow pieces of various ideas to incorporate into future adventures. Not every adventure needs to build on earlier plots; a good stand-alone

Creating a Rogue

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal? What was the trigger that

support. Or maybe you made a new friend — another member of your adventuring party — who showed you new possibilities for earning a living and employing your particular talents. Quick Build You can make a

Seek the Keep

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

. If the group contains six kobolds, one is a winged kobold (urd). Characters can fight these enemies, sneak past them, retreat to avoid them entirely, or try something clever such as bluffing. If they

gate before it is closed and barred. After characters enter the keep, raiders encircle it in increasing numbers. Rewards Besides earning experience points (XP) for raiders fought on the way to the

Seek the Keep

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

cultists. If the group contains six kobolds, one is a winged kobold (urd). Characters can fight these enemies, sneak past them, retreat to avoid them entirely, or try something clever such as bluffing. If

characters are the last group through the gate before it is closed and barred. After characters enter the keep, raiders encircle it in increasing numbers. Rewards Besides earning experience points

City Government

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

restrictions on who can govern; if you build up a strong base of support in a ward, you could hold the position yourself! The members of the City Council are quite diverse. Some are crooked, others are

who can assume human form. A former aerial racer, he’s a clever negotiator who fights for the good of the Bazaar and Middle Dura, often opposing the Boromar Clan and its allies. 10 Ilyra Boromar

Empty Bridge

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

journal’s author didn’t build the bridge or the tower. The bridge bears a magical ward, but the writer is far too clever to be taken in by a mere magical trap and hasn’t studied it in detail. Godlet’s

K75. South Dungeon

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

. Emil Toranescu In truth, Strahd locked Emil here as punishment for causing a schism in his werewolf pack (see chapter 15). Anxious to prove his worth to Strahd, Emil rewards the characters for

is a man, flabby and stout of build, in tight-fitting leather armor. His boots are bound with rope just below the pulley, his fleshy hands are tied behind his back, and his head is underwater. He

Small and Practical

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of halfling

halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and

Creating a Warlock

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

did your patron find and choose you? Do you chafe under the obligations of your pact or serve joyfully in anticipation of the rewards promised to you? Work with your DM to determine how big a part

with intermediaries. Quick Build You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second, choose the

Combat Encounters

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

challenging: Changes in Elevation. Terrain features that provide a change of elevation (such as stacks of empty crates, ledges, and balconies) reward clever positioning and encourage characters to jump, climb

below: Example 1. A low-difficulty encounter for four level 1 characters has an XP budget of 50 × 4, for a total of 200 XP. With that, you could build any of the following encounters: 1 Bugbear Warrior

Sanctuary

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

citizens of Greenest slip out the back and race for the keep or for the old tunnel—if characters have opened it already. That’s only one possibility; clever players can come up with different solutions

into the smoke outside, they can close and brace the back door, then sprint for the keep or the tunnel in the stream bank with enough of a head start to get away safely. Rewards Rescuing people from

Casino Pit Masters

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

, Khai challenges them to combat; if the characters reduce Khai to 50 hit points or fewer without killing him, the abishai rewards them with access to Dragon’s Pride. See the “Scarlet Coliseum” section

extremely clever and observant. See the “Cerulean Hall” section later in this chapter for more information about gaining favor with her. Rezran “Snake Eyes” Agrodro Master of the Viridian Den Rezran, a greedy

D&D Beyond

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