build bards diffusing concerns retain

Khoravar

Species Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

philosophy often become bards, diplomats, mediators, or translators. Others, fascinated by their distant connection to the Fey, seek to build bridges between the Material Plane and the Feywild of

Simic Hybrid

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

animals into humans, elves, and vedalken. The goal of the Guardian Project is to build a Simic army of soldiers perfectly adapted to a variety of combat situations. These hyper-evolved specimens are

retain their basic physical form. All are augmented with characteristics of animals, mostly aquatic, reptilian, or amphibian creatures. These include crab claws, squid tentacles, wings or fins like

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of song, speech, and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence, that the words of the gods gave it shape, and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation

still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes, subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

possibilities. (Neutral) 3 Whimsy. Why waste time on boring, ordinary concerns when the world is filled with fantastic and ludicrous wonders? (Chaotic) 4 Beauty. There is beauty to be found

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

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and

with interests and concerns that transcend local politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre of individuals who work on behalf of the organizations, wider agenda. Alliance agents are required

Adult Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

bards and philosophers to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can leave the lair

above to build their lairs. Then, like gem cutters seeking the perfect diamond, they spend much of their lives refining, polishing, and enhancing the beauty of their lairs. Crystal dragons&rsquo

Ancient Crystal Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the greatest bards and philosophers to partake in “the Great Dialogue” in the dragon’s mountaintop lair. But only the dragon knows that the Great Dialogue has no end, and no one can

seek out frigid, picturesque locations with clear views of the sky above to build their lairs. Then, like gem cutters seeking the perfect diamond, they spend much of their lives refining, polishing

Court of Whispers

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

Court of Whispers The denizens of the Court of Whispers barter for current knowledge. Heralds, criers, bards, and griots buy and sell information from the fifteen founding civilizations active in the

of major concerns in their people’s homelands, as well as potential threats to the Citadel, while the Shieldbearers of the Citadel (see the “Palace of Exile” section) seek information so they can

Court of Whispers

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

Court of Whispers The denizens of the Court of Whispers barter for current knowledge. Heralds, criers, bards, and griots buy and sell information from the fifteen founding civilizations active in the

of major concerns in their people’s homelands, as well as potential threats to the Citadel, while the Shieldbearers of the Citadel (see the “Palace of Exile” section) seek information so they can

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

Maglubiyet, the greater god allows them to retain a measure of their influence over the hobgoblins because their philosophies are in line with his own. Hobgoblins don’t build temples to their gods, lest

to keep the knowledge fresh for new generations. When hobgoblins aren’t waging war, they farm, they build, and they practice both martial and arcane arts. These trappings of civil society do

Conclusion

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Giants of the Star Forge

doesn’t return home safely, Evin and other members of the city’s royalty build a funerary pyre to honor the smith and mourn his loss. Evin thanks the characters for their efforts but cannot give them

a reward; the city must preserve all the wealth it can now that its prized smith is gone. The fate of Brimskarda has a ripple effect on the region. Should the fire giant survive and retain control of

College of Whispers

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

College of Whispers Most folk are happy to welcome a bard into their midst. Bards of the College of Whispers use this to their advantage. They appear to be like other bards, sharing news, singing

songs, and telling tales to the audiences they gather. In truth, the College of Whispers teaches its students that they are wolves among sheep. These bards use their knowledge and magic to uncover

Khoravar

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

become bards, diplomats, mediators, or translators. Others, fascinated by their distant connection to the Fey, seek to build bridges between the Material Plane and the Feywild of Thelanis. These

Bard: College of Spirits

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

Bard: College of Spirits Bards of the College of Spirits seek tales with inherent power—be they legends, histories, or fictions—and bring their subjects to life. Using occult trappings, these bards

retain the tale in mind until you bestow the tale’s effect or you finish a short or long rest. You can use an action to choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you (this can be you) to be the

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Naturally, a large portion of the Boromar Clan’s members come from a criminal background. There’s no reason characters with other backgrounds can’t be part of the syndicate, though

give them a broad range of knowledge to support their schemes. Bards, rogues, and wizards are often drawn to this role. Safecracker. The “breaking” part of “breaking and entering” is the Safecracker’s

Creating a Bard

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

Creating a Bard Bards thrive on stories, whether those stories are true or not. Your character’s background and motivations are not as important as the stories that he or she tells about them

a story. Some bards acquire their magical music through extraordinary means, including the inspiration of fey or other supernatural creatures. Did you serve an apprenticeship, studying under a master

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group A head of state like Prince Oargev requires a variety of adventurers to do the range of tasks they require. Depending on the kinds of work you do, your party might include some or

Charisma to work in the service of the state. These characters often come from a noble background and bring proficiency in skills such as Intimidation and Persuasion to their work. Bards are natural fits in

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group A wide variety of talents can be useful in the work of an inquisitive, leading the Finders’ Guild to employ specialists with diverse skill sets. Many inquisitives come from

in both Persuasion and Intimidation prove helpful in this role. Bards, paladins, and sorcerers have both the requisite talents and the ability to supplement their interrogations with magic

Creating Your Character

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

score by 1, or you increase three different scores by 1. You follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. Your class’s “Quick Build” section

campaign. If you are replacing your race with a lineage, you retain any languages you had and gain no new languages. Creature Type Every creature in D&D, including every player character, has a special

Factions of the Sword Coast

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

proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and innkeepers, rangers, and the clergy of gods that are

representatives of the cities and other governments that constitute the alliance. But, as a faction with interests and concerns that transcend local politics and geography, the Alliance has its own cadre of

Encounter Pace and Tension

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

that structure in an adventure where the players control their characters’ actions, but you can use the encounters you plan to build tension toward a climax. Each encounter in an adventure is an

limited resources. Variety also contributes to a sense of escalating tension. Build variety into your encounters in three ways: Vary Encounter Type. Use a mix of social interaction, exploration, and

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group A group sponsored by a university might look very much like any other adventuring party, with a range of diverse skills and capabilities. The only significant distinction lies

skills. Bards and rogues make natural academic Financiers, as do those with the charlatan and noble backgrounds. Research Assistant. Whether their seeking to graduate, get published, or make their

Khoravar

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

communication and cooperation between members of different cultures or species. Khoravar who follow this philosophy often become bards, diplomats, mediators, or translators. Others are fascinated by their

distant connection to the fey and seek to build bridges between the Material Plane and the Feywild of Thelanis. These Khoravar often become Greensinger druids or warlocks with Archfey patrons

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Espionage agents are typically both highly trained and tightly specialized. The type of missions you undertake can shape your group’s composition; you might be a team of hunters or

cloak or disguise one’s appearance), and proficiency with skills such as Deception, Performance, and Sleight of Hand all greatly benefit the Chameleon. Bards and rogues, as well as characters with

Mortuary Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary

to expel a dybbuk† from a corpse. The exorcist asks the characters to help in dispatch the Fiend. 9 Two bards† in the Heralds of Dust approach the characters and sing a ballad honoring the dead. If the

characters interrupt or otherwise ruin the tune, 1d4 irascible specters emerge from the walls and attack, causing the bards to flee. 10 Three skeleton farmers quietly tend to corpse-white grave

Worshiping Kruphix

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

created the divine artisan Nykthos and ordered him to build altars to the gods. Nykthos’s story isn’t widely known among mortals, but the Shrine to Nyx is still called Nykthos in his honor. Kruphix’s

are certainly those among them who might try if they could see a way to retain their own powers. The Silence. When the squabbling of the gods threatened the world once more despite Kruphix’s warning

Modifying a Class

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

, paladins might not swear their oaths to ideals, but instead swear fealty to powerful sorcerers. To capture this story concept, you could build a new paladin spell list with spells meant to protect

firmly in the world by associating the class with a particular race or culture. For example, you might decide that bards, sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards represent the magical traditions of four

Drow

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

in their subterranean realm, where they feel secure and in control. Underdark Cities. The drow build fantastic cities in enormous caverns where food and water are abundant. Their ability to sculpt

stone rivals that of the greatest dwarf artisans, yet their structures retain a decidedly elven aesthetic. Though appearing delicate, drow settlements are structurally sound and remarkably resilient

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Religious orders attract people from all walks of life. It can be fun to play against type—to make a devout character with the criminal or charlatan background, for example

Persuasion (or sometimes Intimidation) and Religion can be useful for this character. Many clerics fill this role, but devout bards can also be effective Teachers. Some Teachers bring skills from the

Simic Hybrid

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

transferring the traits of various animals into humans, elves, and vedalken. The goal of the Guardian Project is to build a Simic army of soldiers perfectly adapted to a variety of combat situations. These

, though most hybrids retain their basic physical form. All are augmented with characteristics of animals, mostly aquatic, reptilian, or amphibian creatures. These include crab claws, squid tentacles

Centaur

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

Centaur RYAN PANCOAST In the sprawling city of Ravnica, where “open road” seems like a contradiction and “open plain” is sheer nonsense, centaurs nevertheless retain a love of wide spaces and

them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. Equine Build. You count as one size larger when determining

Gauntlgrym

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

mine. When they delved too deeply, the dwarves there discovered the presence of a great being of flame, sealed the mines, and left. Only later, when the humans begged the Delzoun dwarves to build one

a dwarven city so close to the coastal powers of Neverwinter and Waterdeep brings about its own special opportunities and concerns. Surely, once they get their forges going properly, the dwarves will

People of Akros

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

. These servants lack citizenship’s full privileges but retain a position of some honor thanks to their class. Below these servants, at the bottom of Akros’s social hierarchy, are the serfs. Comprising

small number of serfs are skilled artisans who manage to build a more prosperous life for themselves with their crafts. But even these wealthier serfs can’t own the land they live on, and they enjoy few

Dragon Factions

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

to the highest standards of behavior, and wields cold magic. The Brass Order could be a loose affiliation of good-hearted scoundrels, including rogues and bards, who favor fire magic and trickery. An

unique in this system. Alternatively, you could build draconic factions around ideals and goals that aren’t specifically draconic, perhaps applying a dragon overlay to the ten guilds of Ravnica or

The Revered Queen

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

fit. The Astral Plane would be their home domain, because in that timeless realm they could ignore the need for food, water, and other mundane concerns that plague lesser races. Vlaakith also

Vlaakith: she knows how to build fanatics. But alas, fanatics are good for nothing of lasting consequence. The Bitter Truth In the time since Vlaakith made this promise to her people, she has called

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