brings before driven cunning reason

Slithering Tracker

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

the same time, a slithering tracker flows into places where a normal creature can’t go and brings its own brand of watery death down on its quarry. The ritual for creating a slithering tracker

driven by the desire for blood; after fulfilling its duty, the overwhelmed creature attacks indiscriminately until it is destroyed.Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical AttacksCold

Ygorl, Lord of Entropy

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

entropy, delighting and furthering the destruction it brings. Cycles of Chaos. As a personification of entropy, Ygorl is cursed to see things as they will become—broken and consumed by the march

of eternity. It has no sense of empathy or compassion, driven only to unmake so that the resulting base elements of reality can fuel the multiverse’s endless cycles of creation and destruction

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

metal with ease, organic matter and gems are repugnant to them. If a khargra eats such morsels for whatever reason, they remain lodged in its gullet for a few days of indigestion before the offending

material is coughed up. Reluctant Predators. Khargras find living flesh disgusting, and they attack creatures only when driven by hunger and a lack of safer options. After securing a meal of whatever

Zhentarim Mercenary

backgrounds Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

you’re just good at getting the job done by any means necessary. Whatever your reason, you enlisted with the Zhentarim, the most notorious mercenary guild in the Realms. Though the Zhentarim&rsquo

;s leaders insist the organization is more like a family than a shadowy syndicate, few families exhibit as much dishonesty, nepotism, and corruption as this one. You’ve honed your cunning, reflexes, and blade to climb the guild’s ranks.

Gray Render

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

protect that creature. Great strength and a ferocious nature make gray renders fierce guardians, but they lack a shred of cunning. Gray renders reproduce by forming nodules on their bodies that, on

creature 3 Likes to snuggle 4 Uproots and chews on trees 5 Has terrific and eye-watering flatulence 6 Brings offerings of meat to its bonded creature 7 Compulsively digs up the

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

cloud giants in the ordning—the set of values and expectations that determines their rank in giant society—is driven by wealth. Those cloud giants foolish or unlucky enough to have their

reward once they return to their proper station, a fog giant lures desperate criminals, cunning bandits, and other raiders into their service in the dismal wilds they inhabit. These giants prefer to

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each. You begin your adventuring career with enough money to live modestly but

shaped by lives of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better

Demogorgon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

named Aameul and Hathradiah. Their gaze brings bewilderment and confusion to any who confront them. Similarly, the spiraling Y sign of Demogorgon’s cult drives those who contemplate it for too

Demogorgon’s followers are typically lone killers driven by the whispering voice of their master. His most blessed followers gain the Two Minds of Chaos trait. Two Minds of Chaos. This creature

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

Arasta

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

; petty rivalries, Arasta was once one of Nylea’s most beloved dryad companions. Phenax’s bitterness saw her transformed into an arachnid monstrosity and driven into the darkest depths of the

in an enormous, gnarled olive tree called Enorasi, which was planted millennia ago by Klothys. It is said that those who eat of its fruit can see glimpses of the future. Eating the fruit brings with

Crab Folk

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

, their lack of cunning foiled her plans. Many tumbled into the sea and drowned, too simpleminded and impatient to learn how to swim. Others smashed caravans and crushed their defenders most effectively

bad luck a gull might happen to land near a crab folk lair and utter the right combination of cries to summon up this ancient compulsion. Driven to action, the crab folk rampage along the coast

Forlarren

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

demands of the Nine Hells and the impulsive hedonism of the Feywild. Driven by dramatic and unpredictable emotions, these feral creatures wreak havoc wherever they go. Corrupted Essence. The devils

, chaotic, and temperamental nature they all share. When its diabolical aspect shines through, a forlarren is a cunning, calculating, and brutal enemy. It might use its natural charm to worm its way

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

created the orcs and continues to direct their destiny. He is aided and abetted by the other warrior deities, Bahgtru and Ilneval, who bring strength and cunning to the battlefield. The followers of all

; their loyalty by turning them into slaves. If a tribe is defeated and driven from its lair, the survivors might come under the sway of a strong but dimwitted creature, such as a hill giant or an ogre

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

elements, and endured sickness without the advantage of medicine or a place to recuperate. You’ve survived despite all odds, and did so through cunning, strength, speed, or some combination of each

of desperate poverty, for good and for ill. They tend to be driven either by a commitment to the people with whom they shared life on the street or by a burning desire to find a better life &mdash

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while a shifter with a lupine spirit might be drawn to find and protect a pack. When a shifter fully embraces this beast

also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey. While the beast within certainly has a physical impact on a shifter, it has a

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. d6 Reason d6 Reason 1 Emissary 4 Pilgrim

hundreds of miles of the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. No one from your nation makes the effort to cross such colossal barriers without a convincing reason. You must fear something truly

Dwarf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure—for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other dwarves are driven by the

has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and

Strahd von Zarovich

Monsters Curse of Strahd

. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated in his coffin, he is paralyzed until the stake is removed. Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While

intelligently and do everything you can to make him a terrifying and cunning adversary for the player characters. When you run an encounter with Strahd, keep the following facts in mind: Strahd

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

Driven Competitors

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

Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an

competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might seek out a larger, more powerful wyrm to battle. Few goliath adventurers reach old age, as most die attempting to surpass their past accomplishments.

Existing Characters

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

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.

Realms campaign setting). If a character is from a different world or is from somewhere else in that setting, work with the player to devise a reason why that character is in Neverwinter and answers

Orog

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

of food often brings them to the surface to hunt. Orcs respect an orog’s strength and cunning, and a lone orog might command an orc war band. Stronger and Smarter. An orog uses its strength to bully

foremost — because they believe that the gods have strength beyond reason, and physical might is all they respect. Servants of Darkness. Mistrusted by orcs, some orogs form independent mercenary war

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

; animosity, gnomes tend to avoid or abandon settlements that have a severe infestation of kobolds, and conversely kobolds are usually driven out of communities that have a large gnome population

Dark Sun

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

planes — and they lost. The gods were slain or driven into exile, leaving Athas under the dominion of elemental beings who took little interest in the affairs of mortals. In the grim age that

only the strongest survive. One of the hallmarks of the Dark Sun setting is that the heroes don’t need to seek out forgotten dungeons to find adventure — mere survival is adventure enough. But there is no reason you can’t successfully adapt Princes of the Apocalypse to your Dark Sun campaign.

The Ghaal'dar

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

Lhesh Haruuc remains as the ruler of Darguun, and many fear that his death could throw the region into chaos. As a Ghaal’dar goblinoid, you hold your place through cunning and strength. You may have

been a former mercenary now seeking adventure. You could be working as an emissary for one of the Ghaal’dar tribes or even Lhesh Haruuc himself. Or you could have been driven from your tribe by the actions of a rival; perhaps you’re seeking allies to reclaim your birthright.

Yartar

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

). Reason to Visit. The “Dark Dealings in Yartar” side trek (chapter 6) brings the characters here. More broadly, characters affiliated with the Lords’ Alliance can readily receive support in Yartar, and Harpers and Zhentarim can get aid, too, if they’re discreet and know how to contact an agent in town.

The Oases

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

. Har’Akir’s people say this oasis’s waters are poison, as the oasis was given by the gods to the beasts of the land. Prides of cunning lions hunt nearby, frequently washing their kills here. Sek’s Tears

to die soon, for one reason or another, and seek to cleanse themselves with the White Oasis’s waters before meeting their end.

Beliard

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

horses or oxen can be driven through the water to bathe them, drive off flies, and let them drink. It’s also home to a tanner, a smith, some horse dealers and trainers who keep extensive stables, and an

aside from a sack of gold coins found walled away behind stones in a chimney, nothing has yet been found — nothing that has become public knowledge, at least. Reason to Visit. Beliard was the last place anyone saw the missing delegation from Mirabar (described in chapter 3).

Helmed Horror

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

Helmed Horror This construct possesses intelligence, the ability to reason and adjust its tactics, and an unswerving devotion to its maker that persists even after its maker’s demise. Resembling an

understand the difference between an order’s intent and its exact wording. Unlike many constructs, it seeks to fulfill the former rather than slavishly follow the latter. Tactical Cunning. A helmed horror

Temple of Black Earth

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

stopped in their tracks by the daunting defenses of the gate quarter. More than one reckless attack by orcs, trolls, or giants was driven back from the gate. In time, those savage foes found other ways

Urnrayle, the Prophet of Earth, chose the long-wrecked fortifications of Tyar-Besil as the headquarters of his cult for this very reason.

The Beast Within

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts, while

with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature that tracks its prey

Eldritch Master

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

Boon option produces a special creature or an object that reflects your patron’s nature. Pact of the Chain. Your familiar is more cunning than a typical familiar. Its default form can be a

iron, holding spells of conjuration and a wealth of forbidden lore about the sinister regions of the cosmos, a gift of the Fiend. Or it could be the tattered diary of a lunatic driven mad by contact

The Beast Within

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

personality takes shape. The beast within is a pool of powerful instincts, and its influence is revealed by a shifter’s personality: a feline shifter may be cool and distant, driven by predatory instincts

traits and prefer to run with a pack. Swiftstride are often predatory and feline, but a swiftstride could also be a cunning rat who darts through the shadows. Wildhunt shifters are born from any creature

Evil Inchoate

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

particular affinity for their own kind, which is the biggest reason why they seldom cooperate with one another unless they are forced to submit to a demon lord or other leader. Going even farther, every

demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the cosmos. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. In due time, the laws of the universe will

Adventure Hooks

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

diplomatically, but the marids are deceptive and proud, concealing the reason they left their estate and refusing to negotiate with Asteria or Euryale, who turn to the characters for help. Guest in Need

. Euryale discovers a wounded traveler in the Outlands and brings them to Cair Ophidian to recover. This guest remembers nothing from before Euryale found them, not even their name. Euryale asks the

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