break before down call rather

Mercion

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry

against what I hold dear.” Ideal. “Truth begets art and beauty, while deceit does nothing but tear the fabric of our souls.” Bond. “Evildoers beware! Valor’s Call is

Elkhorn

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

destruction of evil in all its forms. He’s not especially bright, so he fights with his heart rather than his wits. Age has drained much of the strength from Elkhorn’s body. Strongheart

dead.” Combat Notes Elkhorn’s challenge rating is based on him using Feint to improve his rather weak sword attack. Having been trained in his youth to fight ogres and trolls, he&rsquo

Ringlerun

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

made him the envy of many rival spellcasters. Ringlerun has a good heart, but he’s easily distracted by intellectual pursuits. He would rather spend time in quiet contemplation or reading than in

attack at range using his staff’s formidable spells (cone of cold being his favorite). Valor's Call The noble adventuring party known as Valor’s Call was founded by Strongheart, a

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

kenku make an easy living serving as messengers, spies, and lookouts for thieves’ guilds, bandits, and other criminal cartels. A network of kenku can relay a bird call or similar noise across the

. Others strike out on their own in search of the secrets of flight, to master magic, or to uncover the secret of their curse and find a method to break it. Kenku adventurers, despite their relative

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

Shepherds As caretakers of the land, firbolgs prefer to remain out of sight and out of mind. They don’t try to dominate nature, but rather seek to ensure that it prospers and survives according to its

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate circumstances and embark on a better life? Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of

;d rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair. 5 It’s not stealing if I need it more than someone else. 6 People who can’t take care of themselves get what they deserve.

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but securely for at least ten days. How did you come by that money? What allowed you to break free of your desperate

from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I’d rather

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

coin you needed to escape the squalor of your life. Did wanderlust finally call you away from your home? Perhaps you suddenly found yourself cut off from your family or your mentor, and you had to find

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rather than perform the work or confront the foe. Even when subsumed into a goblinoid host and drawn into war, bugbears must often be roused from naps and bribed to get them to do their duties. This

natural state. Thanks to Grankhul, they can use their size and strength to work as stealthy assassins rather than blundering around like ogres. Bullying, murder, and engaging in battle are all holy

Hierophant Medusa

Monsters The Book of Many Things

Devotion’s Call (1/Day). The medusa can cast the Resurrection spell, requiring no material components and using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability. Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If the medusa

entrance to a slumbering titan’s tomb for any sign the titan might awaken, and repel the forces that seek to break the tomb’s seal. A Medusa’s Lair A medusa’s lair is

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

ice with which to combat foes. These weapons are supernaturally resilient until Auril discards them, whereupon they break and melt like normal ice. Auril the Frostmaiden Auril the Frostmaiden is a

forms. These descriptions do not reflect Auril at full power, but rather Auril as she is encountered in this adventure.Lair Actions Auril dwells on Solstice, a frozen island hidden among the titanic

Verdan

Species Acquisitions Incorporated

then passing through the shadow of That-Which-Endures changed them forever. Now the newest race to call Faerûn home, the verdan do their best to find their way in an unfamiliar world

. Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

one city-state were killed and eaten to create the first yuan-ti, and once the news of how to perform these rituals spread to other leaders, the call for slaves to fuel the process increased. As the

of evil that calls for them to butcher or eradicate all who oppose them. In keeping with their goal of domination, the yuan-ti would rather capture potentially useful opponents than kill them. They use

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

Spells Cantrip produce flame, shocking grasp 1st chaos bolt, create or destroy water, unseen servant 2nd heat metal, rope trick 3rd call lightning,

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

Albino Dwarves

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

spots the dwarves, but all others are surprised. The dwarves knock characters out rather than killing them, stealing food, water, and gear from those rendered unconscious. They break off their attack if any character speaks Dwarvish to them or demonstrates peaceful intentions.

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

’t up. While outdoors, Strahd can call 3d6;{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Children of the Night"} wolf;wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4;{"diceNotation":"1d4

, provided it has at least 1 hit point remaining. Strahd can, as a bonus action on his turn, break his link to the Heart of Sorrow so that it no longer absorbs damage dealt to him. Strahd can

Breaking the Contract

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Zariel to call forth the contract takes guile, as the archdevil can’t be charmed. Destroying the original copy of Thavius Kreeg’s contract frees Elturel while leaving Zariel’s other contracts intact. The

Kreeg”). If Thavius dies in the Nine Hells as a devil, he is permanently dead — but this does not break the full terms of Zariel’s contract. Even with the primary signatory dead, the people of Elturel

Shard of the Accursed

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

must break its curse by returning the shard to the ancient tomb it came from. But a dangerous crime syndicate controls the tomb and its riches, and the criminals won’t take kindly to the characters

’ intrusion. This adventure isn’t a typical heist; rather, it’s a reverse heist. Instead of retrieving a valuable item, the characters are tasked with returning one to its proper place. An unearthed tomb holds the key to saving a nearby town, as adventurers are about to discover

Chapter 3: Danger at Dunwater

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

alarmed the Saltmarsh Town Council. Greatly troubled and filled with apprehension, the councillors call an emergency meeting. This adventure is designed for a group of four to six 3rd-level characters

challenges the characters to act as ambassadors to a colony of lizardfolk. While such roleplay-focused adventures are the norm today, at the time of its publication (in 1982) this adventure was the first to make interaction an absolute requirement for success, rather than one option among many.

New Race: Verdan

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

goblinoid things. But then passing through the shadow of That-Which-Endures changed them forever. Now the newest race to call Faerûn home, the verdan do their best to find their way in an unfamiliar world

. Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant, and the Verdan emerged. I’m sorry, was that the question? — K’thriss Drow’b

Travel-Montage Approach

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

encounter nothing of interest” is okay, but far less evocative and memorable than, “A light rain dampens the rolling plains as you travel north. Around midday, you break for lunch under a lonely tree

. There, the rogue finds a small rock that looks like a grinning face, but otherwise you encounter nothing out of the ordinary.” The trick is to focus on a few details that reinforce the desired mood rather

Demon Showdown

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

break cover to aid their allies against the demons. If they do, another demon sortie attacks them 1d4 rounds later. OPTION: PLAYING OUT THE BATTLE OPTION Rather than focusing on the adventurers

point you choose must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a failure. 5–6 Close Call. A character you choose must make a successful DC 13 Dexterity

Getting Players Invested

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

. Home Base. Give the characters a place to call home, such as a tavern, a hideout, or a ship. Bastions, as presented in chapter 8, are ideal home bases for characters. Prominent Friend. Create a

players share, and record them in your campaign journal, as these details might be useful inspiration for later adventures. Scott Murphy In the Dragonlance setting, Tanis and Tika call their local inn

Teeth of Dahlver-Nar

Magic Items Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

lasts for 24 hours or until you break it. 3 The Golden Age of Dhakaan (golden goblin bicuspid) 10 goblin;goblins, 1 goblin boss When you are hit by an attack and an ally is within 5 feet of you

levels of exhaustion. 20 Dahlver-Nar’s Tooth (dusty human molar) 1 priest As an action you can call on a divine force to come to your aid. Describe the assistance you seek, and the DM

Kenku Adventurers

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

daring than their fellows. Others strike out on their own in search of the secrets of flight, to master magic, or to uncover the secret of their curse and find a method to break it. Kenku adventurers

you’re playing a kenku, constant attempts to mimic noises can come across as confusing or irritating rather than entertaining. You can just as easily describe the sounds your character makes and what

Kenku Names

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

Kenku Names Given that kenku can duplicate any sound, their names are drawn from a staggering variety of noises and phrases. Kenku names tend to break down into three categories that make no

urban settings. In this manner, kenku can call out to each other while those who overhear them mistake them for common animals. Non-kenku use names that refer to the sound made or the animal a kenku

Aundair Spire

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

academic knowledge exceeds that of many colleagues, and students call him an excellent lecturer. But his lack of significant field experience has held him back. Word is circulating that he plans a truly

ambitious expedition to the far south of Xen’drik, which almost certainly will either make or break his career. He might hire the characters or their rivals to accompany him on this expedition. Cullen Cole

Existing Characters

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

Lord Neverember’s call for help in solving the disappearance of several nobles. The reason might range from the magical (an unexpected magical backlash transports them to the city) to the mundane (a

family connection brings them there). If a character takes a break after their previous adventure, consider rolling on or picking an option from the Purpose in Neverwinter table, expanding on it as necessary, to provide a reason the character has come to Neverwinter.

Interacting with Objects

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

open a secret door in a nearby wall. If the lever is rusted in position, though, a character might need to force it. In such a situation, the DM might call for a Strength check to see whether the

immune to effects that require other saves. When an object drops to 0 hit points, it breaks. A character can also attempt a Strength check to break an object. The DM sets the DC for any such check.

Interacting with Objects

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

open a secret door in a nearby wall. If the lever is rusted in position, though, a character might need to force it. In such a situation, the DM might call for a Strength check to see whether the

immune to effects that require other saves. When an object drops to 0 hit points, it breaks. A character can also attempt a Strength check to break an object. The DM sets the DC for any such check.

Area Information

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rrakkma

strike them repeatedly and unavoidably in the head. At first, this may seem innocent, but left for days, or even just hours for some, this form of torture could break even the most steadfast soul or

drive them completely insane. A successful DC 25 Intelligence (Investigation) check turns up a rather sizeable black pearl (pearl of power) that seems to have found its way to the bottom of one of the depressions. Treasure & Rewards The characters may find the following treasure. A pearl of power

Constitution

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

ability represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character or monster. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, however. The

DM might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: Hold your breath March or labor for hours without rest Go without sleep Survive without food or water Quaff

Constitution

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

ability represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character or monster. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, however. The

DM might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: Hold your breath March or labor for hours without rest Go without sleep Survive without food or water Quaff

Wererat

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

, wererats prefer light weapons and use ambush tactics rather than fighting as a pack. Although a wererat can deliver a nasty bite in its rat form, it favors that form for stealthy infiltration and escape

rather than combat. A wererat clan operates much like a thieves’ guild, with wererats transmitting their curse only to creatures they want to induct into the clan. Wererats that are accidentally cursed

Boromar Villains

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

Boromar Villains With few exceptions, Boromar villains shun violence and would prefer to bribe, deceive, or manipulate the characters rather than send a squad of goons to attack them. That said, any

1 A halfling dreamlily dealer (an excoriate of House Ghallanda) smooth-talks new customers into sampling her wares. If pressed, she can call in favors from a number of dangerous clients. 2 A judge

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