branches before down complex 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

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

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

The Great Wheel

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

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

Configurations For your campaign, you can use a different model of the planes. Here are several examples: Planes situated among the roots and branches of a great cosmic tree (literally or figuratively) Material

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.

The Houses in the War

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

, resulting in the house being fragmented into three semi-independent branches. In another major development, House Thuranni broke away from House Phiarlan during the war, in part because of the

conflicts of interest that arose within an espionage organization that was being called on to serve multiple sides in a complex conflict.

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

Mire of Doubt

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

Mire of Doubt This location is presented on map 8.4. Mike Schley Map 8.4: Mire of Doubt View Player Version This floating nodule is covered with trees with sheets of moss hanging from the branches

. The spirit naga Valsyx lurks here, composing abstruse riddles unless the characters encountered him elsewhere. He knows confusion rather than blight. Valsyx is at home in the mire and isn’t slowed

Traps in Play

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

sides, a mechanism inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks, the characters are still unsure if it's trapped. Rather than

24d10 Complex Traps Complex traps work like standard traps, except once activated they execute a series of actions each round. A complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into something more

Traps in Play

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

sides, a mechanism inside fires a hail of poison needles toward anyone in front of it. After inspecting the chest and making a few checks, the characters are still unsure if it’s trapped. Rather than

18d10 24d10 Complex Traps Complex traps work like standard traps, except once activated they execute a series of actions each round. A complex trap turns the process of dealing with a trap into something

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe). The main reason why kobolds depend on arcane magic rather than divine is Kurtulmak’s imprisonment, which makes it difficult for

Keep Features

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

Keep Features The water cultists are busy repairing Rivergard, but parts of the complex remain inaccessible. For example, the upper floors of the north tower and the water tower are filled with

. He leads bandits, who work for money rather than ideology, and water cultists. Only some of the commoner servants lack loyalty to Grimjaw and the cult. Doors. Interior doors are made of wood. It

Communication and Disposition

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

refusal to do so automatically prompts an attack. In such an attack, the lizardfolk’s first priority is the expulsion, rather than the death, of the intruders, but they fight to the death if provoked. Once

. Lizardfolk rarely use metaphors or complex sentences. Their speech is almost always literal — halting, but not primitive. They might pick up the meaning of an idiom, but only with some difficulty. Names

Forest Gnomes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

are small folk, and that they fashion their homes by digging down and living within rather than building up and living above. Like the badgers and raccoons that are often their companions, they live

tree branches, which carry smoke from their small fires high into the treetops, reducing it to little more than a haze before it disperses. Animal Helpers Forest gnomes can communicate with many of

Iroas as Campaign Villain

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

victory or by cleaving to stubbornly held ideas. Although a campaign against Iroas might be straightforward in how the action plays out, the underlying causes of conflict could be quite complex

, forms a group in support of Mogis. Iroas, rather than accepting Heliod’s aid, launches a grand campaign of his own against his brother. 3 Mogis arms one of his champions with an axe capable of

Pharika's Influence

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

inevitable effects of aging or the petrification of her medusa children’s victims. Pharika’s Goals To Pharika, Theros is an ongoing experiment and mortals are her agents in carrying it out. Rather than

Pharika’s medicinal virtues, and she is always seeking subtle ways to use city-states in her experiments without provoking her peers. She disdains Ephara’s and Karametra’s desire to tame the world rather

Skeleton

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

complex tasks. A skeleton can fight with weapons and wear armor, can load and fire a catapult or trebuchet, scale a siege ladder, form a shield wall, or dump boiling oil. However, it must receive

careful instructions explaining how such tasks are accomplished. Although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren’t mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its

Speakers for the Ancestors

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

complex relationship with her homeland. While she loves Akharin Sangar, she refuses to bend to the will of its angelic ruler, Atash. Rather than oppose him directly, she plays a delicate political game

under the law. Simultaneously, they manage a complex relationship with the founding civilizations. The Speakers’ first duty is to the Radiant Citadel, which sometimes puts them at odds with the

Xanthoria's Defeat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

. Convincing Thunderwing to give up her life should be handled through roleplaying rather than ability checks, although you can require the characters to succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) group

brought back to life by any means. If the adventurers fail to convince Thunderwing to give up her life, she turns invisible and leaves the cave complex, taking refuge in the surrounding forest. Xanthoria re

Studies and Philosophy

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

view celebrates the diversity and adaptability of life-forms, from the tiniest cells to the most complex networks of living things. The growth philosophy asserts that the urge to survive and

philosophy of Witherbloom. The decay philosophy sees life energy as a resource to be consumed, rather than a good to be nourished for its own sake. Mages who adopt this view wield negative energy and

Speakers for the Ancestors

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Radiant Citadel

complex relationship with her homeland. While she loves Akharin Sangar, she refuses to bend to the will of its angelic ruler, Atash. Rather than oppose him directly, she plays a delicate political game

under the law. Simultaneously, they manage a complex relationship with the founding civilizations. The Speakers’ first duty is to the Radiant Citadel, which sometimes puts them at odds with the

Faerie Dragon Lairs

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

½ feet per square, the hollow spaces tucked inside a massive tree trunk, and the passages running inside major branches rather than underground. A typical lair has the following features: Trapped Entrance

Dragon Lair Features An example complex faerie dragon lair is built around several hollowed-out chambers inside a large dead tree. The tree is decorated with the dragon’s lesser treasures, its limbs

Kenku

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

bodies, shrouding their bare arms and legs. They tread lightly when they walk, on talons made for grasping the branches of trees and seizing prey from the lofty skies. Soft as the wind they move, so as

at interpreting one another’s glances and gestures, the sounds they make to communicate complex ideas or emotions can be succinct. Groups of kenku also develop secret codes. For example, a cat’s meow

Areas of the Cellar Complex

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

Areas of the Cellar Complex The following locations are keyed to map 4.7. The complex has three distinct sections: the sewer tunnels (areas B1–B3), the southern cellars (areas B4–B9), and the

chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Where the tunnel branches, a stone bridge spans the sewage pouring out of an eastern artery. There’s no walkway in this arterial passage that leads to areas

Inside the Senate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

Inside the Senate The Azorius Senate is supported by three branches, called columns, each led by an arbiter (also called a capital). The capitals of the three columns form the Triumvirate, which

surveillance and precognition. Most adventuring characters, by their nature and because of their capabilities, are associated with the active work of the Lyev Column rather than the behind-the-scenes

The Rank and File

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

capabilities. Imps are used as spies and messengers rather than combatants, and they are the infernal agents most often encountered on the Material Plane. Lesser devils rarely command other devils, aside

law that “prevents” it from offering help. Three Paths to Power Rank-and-file devils have three ways of ascending through the ranks. The Nine Hells uses a complex system of rules to quantify and

Starting the Adventure

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

, though, the beast’s legs give way. Both mount and rider topple, crashing into the dust with a piercing whinny and a sound like snapping branches. Give the characters a moment to react, encouraging

black blood. His mask is clearly a funerary mask, though it’s cast of gold rather than clay. Characters who succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence check recognize the strange individual as one of the

Topaz Dragon Lairs

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

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

. Her desire is born not of greed, though, but rather from her study of the Material Plane, its magic, and dragons’ interconnection with both. Dragons on many worlds acknowledge Astilabor as they establish new lairs to host their hoards, linking them to the magic of the surrounding region.

Copper Dragon Adventures

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

copper dragon working through various intermediaries. 5 An adult copper dragon wants griffons nesting near the dragon’s lair gone but hopes to have the griffons—and their eggs—relocated rather than

animals. A group of druids wants the wyrmling captured and relocated, rather than killed. 4 A ruined manor house being reclaimed by a newly titled noble is the lair of a copper dragon wyrmling

Never Alone

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

characters on their toes. In addition to those potential encounters, two unusual monsters also patrol the temple complex, and can be encountered at any time, wandering through any corridors or rooms—a

. Accustomed to inspiring fear, and having grown somewhat lazy in its guardian role, it is usually content to let foes flee from it rather than pursuing. Each time the characters finish a long rest in

Life in the City of Blades

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

, the duergar have a culture as rich and complex as any other, and nowhere is this so evident as in Gracklstugh. Work never stops in the City of Blades, and the gray dwarves take pride in efficiency

. Rather, they roll up their sleeves and work harder to increase their prestige through the fruits of their labor. All the honor and honesty the duergar apply among themselves doesn’t apply to

Gnome Adventurers

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

rock gnome rogue on a dungeon expedition, if not lost in thought, can steer a party clear of many obstacles. Even the most complex magical or mechanical traps can be disarmed by a rock gnome who takes

cautious, brings a sense of duty rather than a sense of humor to an adventuring group. With their grit and iron will, deep gnomes meet adversity with hammers, picks, and their dour, dry wit — or no wit at all — as their weapons of choice.

The Twelve

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

The Twelve Rather than working for one single house, your group could work for an organization that serves them all: the Twelve. This is a good option if you want to be involved in the intrigue among

functionally similar to a dragonmarked house. Rather than advancing one house’s interests, though, the Twelve seeks to advance magical developments that have practical value to society as well as potential for

Hartsvale

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

often come down out of the mountains. Castle Hartwick and Stagwick Between two branches of the Clear Whirl River lies a great island on which Hartkiller built his castle. Stagwick, on the east bank of

seem to live like bears, near Hartsvale they act more like orcs. Thankfully the brutes are still too stupid for such complex tasks as working metal, but from what I heard in my time in the vale their

Religious Institutions

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

both. Temples and Shrines The core religious institutions of Faerûn are temples and shrines. Whether a small, out-of-the-way building, or a complex made up of multiple structures and tracts of land

to its favored deity, perhaps a set of wind chimes consecrated to Akadi hung from the high branches of a tree in the garden, or a wooden symbol shaped like the hand of Azuth in miniature displayed on a

Alley: Autumn

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

a refuge fairly close by, in a cellar complex under the Southern Ward. “Laeral” suggests that the characters search for the stone there. (Jarlaxle doesn’t want Nar’l to know that he’s onto him, which

is why he would rather send a small group of adventurers than call upon a Bregan D’aerthe attack force.) Characters who are suspicious of Laeral’s intentions can ascertain that she’s hiding something

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