branch before defenses called reality

The Great Old One Legacy

Classes Player’s Handbook (2014)

Your patron is a mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality. It might come from the Far Realm, the space beyond reality, or it could be one of the elder gods known

might be unaware of your existence or entirely indifferent to you, but the secrets you have learned allow you to draw your magic from it. Entities of this type include Ghaunadar, called That Which

Sinensa

Monsters Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

adult;Adult myconids live and work together in colonies and practice a form of communal meditation called a meld, in which they seek to transcend mundane reality through shared hallucination. Myconid leaders like Sinensa use their Hallucination Spores to help myconids create melds.

K'thriss Drow'b

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

and purpose in the structures of so-called “reality.” Still, all things considered, he is most often polite and affable. Because after a long adventuring career, he understands that he can't afford

largely indifferent elder entity from beyond reality. Tapped into this dark power, the “C” Team's hoardsperson sees all existence as a puzzle to unlock, and he is obsessed by the essential lack of meaning

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

Crown of Lies

Magic Items Vecna: Eve of Ruin

After betraying and nearly destroying the lich Vecna, the warrior Kas found himself trapped in the Shadowfell, imprisoned in a Domain of Dread called Tovag. There, he languished as a vampire. In time

the chosen creature for the purposes of spells, traps, and other defenses that wouldn’t target the chosen creature. While in your disguised form, any lies you tell always seem to be true, no

Demogorgon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

long to delirium. As a result, all followers of the Prince of Demons break with reality sooner or later.Demogorgon’s Lair Demogorgon makes his lair in a palace called Abysm, found on a layer

Aarakocra

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

;and were imbued with a measure of their masters’ power over winds. Their descendants still command echoes of that power. From below, aarakocra look like large birds and thus are sometimes called

birdfolk. Only when they roost on a branch or walk across the ground is their Humanoid nature clear. Standing upright, aarakocra are typically about 5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that

Zuggtmoy Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

infected by these spores for 24 hours. On a failed save, the creature is infected with a disease called the spores of Zuggtmoy and also gains a random form of madness (determined by rolling on the Madness

save, the creature is infected with a disease called the influence of Zuggtmoy for 24 hours. While infected, the creature is charmed by her and can’t be reinfected by these spores.Protective

Graz'zt

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

provoked. He wields the greatsword Angdrelve, also called Wave of Sorrow, whose wavy, razor-edged blade drips acid at his command.Graz’zt’s Lair Graz’zt’s principal lair is his

Argent Palace, a grandiose structure in the city of Zelatar, found within his abyssal domain of Azzagrat. Graz’zt’s demonic influence radiates outward in a tangible ripple, warping reality

Nafas

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

typically reserves the Wish spell for creatures he deems worthy of its gifts, he isn’t above leveraging that power against formidable threats, rewriting reality to forcibly tilt the scales in his

melodious chimes dance in the shutterless windows of its vaulted halls. Held aloft by genie magic and the staircases that branch from it, the palace is a pit stop for planar travelers and a haven for

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the aarakocra, sometimes called birdfolk, evoke fear and wonder. Many aarakocra aren’t even native to the Material Plane. They hail from a world

. Beak and Feather From below, aarakocra look much like large birds. Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walk across the ground does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing

Iggwilv's Cauldron

Magic Items The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

can’t be used again until the next dawn. Tying a dead frog or toad to the end of an ordinary branch and dipping it in the water-filled cauldron transforms the branch into a wand of polymorph

minute touching the cauldron with a unicorn’s horn while reciting the poem called “The Witch Queen’s Cauldron” (see the accompanying sidebar), all creatures within 1,000 feet of

Sorcerer Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

chaos of Limbo, or a glimpse into the inner workings of reality. Sorcerers have no use for the spellbooks and ancient tomes of magic lore that wizards rely on, nor do they rely on a patron to grant

like to stay quiet. A sorcerer’s magic wants to be wielded, and it has a tendency to spill out in unpredictable ways if it isn’t called on. Sorcerers often have obscure or quixotic

Alhoon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

reality, a group of nine mind flayer arcanists used their arcane magic and psionics to weave a new truth. These nine called themselves the Alhoon, and those who follow in their footsteps are referred to by

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

out of sight on a high tree branch in the form of a leopard, a human peers out of the jungle at the strange construction of a temple of Evil Elemental Air, keeping a close eye on the cultists&rsquo

, animals, or elemental forces. The ancient druidic traditions are sometimes called the Old Faith, in contrast to the worship of gods in temples and shrines. Druid spells are oriented toward nature and

Zargon the Returner

Monsters Quests from the Infinite Staircase

another plane—or another reality entirely. When Asmodeus ascended the infernal hierarchy, he and his legions wiped out most of the plane’s earlier inhabitants, but Zargon proved beyond even

, sacrificing their own to appease their so-called god. Appeased by these living offerings, Zargon returned to the tunnels beneath Cynidicea, where its cult grew.Zargon’s Lair Zargon’s lair

Running This Chapter

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

lurks in a vast, empty pocket of psychic quasi-reality called the Endless Void. The characters must navigate the Briny Maze—overcoming its dangers and negotiating with potential allies—before reaching the Endless Void and confronting the fanatics as well as a psychic refraction of Ilvaash.

Running This Chapter The fanatics have already begun their lengthy ritual. They believe themselves safely ensconced in Ilvaash’s domain, called the Briny Maze. At the heart of the Briny Maze, Ilvaash

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

abundant connections among the Simic. The guild members live in watery sinkholes called zonots, and their isolation shelters them from much contact with outsiders. Nonetheless, a fair number of Simic

Aarakocra

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

were imbued with a measure of their masters’ power over winds. Their descendants still command echoes of that power. From below, aarakocra look like large birds and thus are sometimes called birdfolk

. Only when they roost on a branch or walk across the ground is their Humanoid nature clear. Standing upright, aarakocra are typically about 5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to

Chapter 7: Rifts in Reality

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

Chapter 7: Rifts in Reality While hunting obelisk fragments in the previous chapter, the characters learned of the fanatics’ headquarters: a mind flayer enclave called Illithinoch deep in the

Mind Flayers

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

most loyal vassal, an ulitharid called Extremiton, to establish a splinter colony somewhere safe from githyanki incursions. Extremiton made its way to Undermountain with a group of mind flayers, laid

feed on, while Undermountain’s existing defenses offered an unprecedented level of security. Enemies at the Gates Through methods unknown to the illithids, the githyanki vanguard force tracked the

Gods of Theros

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

Gods of Theros A bird shrieked as it took flight from a branch above her. Through the gaps in the rustling canopy, she could see the god-forms shift in and out of focus. The night sky was known as

higher reality, perhaps Nyx itself. And other people, particularly leonin, believe that the gods are undeserving of mortal reverence.

Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse

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

Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse When adventurers reach higher levels, their path extends to other dimensions of reality: the planes of existence that form the multiverse. The characters might be

called on to rescue a friend from the horrific depths of the Abyss or to sail the shining waters of the River Oceanus. They can hoist a tankard with the friendly giants of Ysgard or face the chaos of

Appendix D: The Planes of Existence

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

Appendix D: The Planes of Existence The cosmos teems with a multitude of worlds as well as myriad alternate dimensions of reality, called the planes of existence. It encompasses every world where DMs

Zhentarim

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

receive aid from the Zhents who are opposed to him. The leaders of this branch of the Black Network are retired adventurers who have become business entrepreneurs. Their adventuring party was called

the Doom Raiders because their specialty was plundering lich lairs (which are called “dooms”). They are desperately trying to gain a legitimate economic foothold in Waterdeep, which requires making

Reunion in Sigil

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

Reunion in Sigil At the end of chapter 10, the characters learned that Vecna is performing his ritual at a site in Pandesmos called the Cave of Shattered Reflection. At some point after this

potent secrets he has collected. Vecna has already used these secrets to create three demiplanes that are reachable from a small cave network in Pandesmos called Vecna’s Grasp. To reach the Cave of

House Cannith

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

control. Cannith East Headquartered in Korth (in Karrnath) and led by Zorlan d’Cannith, Cannith East enjoys close ties to the government of Karrnath and the faith of the Blood of Vol. This branch of

the house specializes in siege weaponry and defenses, though its most innovative experiments explore the creation of constructed undead—a hybrid of warforged and zombie. In addition to Karrnath, Cannith

House Thuranni

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

the new political powers of Khorvaire, and the division of Thuranni from Phiarlan embodies that new reality. From his enclave in Regalport (in the Lhazaar Principalities), Baron Elar d’Thuranni rules a

house that is a shadow of its united predecessor, similar in many ways to House Phiarlan. But while spies and assassins are contained within a secret sixth branch of House Phiarlan, separate from the

Cache of Dragons

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Cache of Dragons In Waterdeep, a gold coin is called a dragon. Before he was ousted from his position as the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Dagult Neverember embezzled half a million dragons and hid them

in a secret vault. As a security precaution, he arranged for all knowledge of the vault’s location and defenses to be magically erased from his mind and the minds of his subordinates. The wizard who

Lay of the Land

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

Barovians built a walled village named Krezk. Between Vallaki and Krezk lie the ruins of Argynvostholt, the fallen bastion of a knightly order called the Order of the Silver Dragon, wiped out by Strahd and

his army. East of the mountains lies the village of Barovia, shrouded in mist and bereft of walls and defenses. The dark silhouette of Castle Ravenloft looks down on this village from its perch atop a 1,000-foot-high column of rock known as the Pillarstone of Ravenloft.

Ancient Blue Dragon

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

inhabitants. If world domination seems too tedious or cliché, these dragons might seek to seize control of extraplanar realms, multiworld empires, or forces of reality—like life, storms, or time itself

. Antonio José manzanedo Shattering the enemy’s defenses, an ancient blue dragon leads its armies in conquest Ancient Blue Dragon Gargantuan Dragon (Chromatic), Lawful Evil AC 22 Initiative +14 (24) HP

Netherese Obelisks

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

have the same powers. The earliest extant examples of these magical obelisks can rewrite reality on a grand scale. A mysterious group called the Weavers created the obelisks to undo great calamities

Appendix C: The Planes of Existence

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

Appendix C: The Planes of Existence Incredibly vast is the cosmos of the Dungeons & Dragons game, which teems with a multitude of worlds as well as myriad alternate dimensions of reality, called the

History

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

first iteration of physical reality, which was subsequently sundered into the innumerable realities that now make up the Material Plane. The first inhabitant of this First World was Sardior, a ruby

with Asmodeus, the ruler of the Nine Hells, and commands draconic devils called abishais as her agents. Each type of abishai bears the coloring of one of Tiamat’s five heads. Across many worlds, Tiamat

Goblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the fringes of a society first test its defenses by stealing objects, and if these crimes go unpunished, they begin stealing people. Enslaved creatures receive the worst treatment the goblins can dish

called out as a traitor. Status Symbols Goblins love symbols of authority, and thus the tribe’s boss often has such trappings wherever he or she goes. Such a symbol can take a typical form

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