build before death common rule

Symbol

Spells Player’s Handbook

symbol bears: Death, Discord, Fear, Pain, Sleep, or Stunning. Each one is explained below. Set the Trigger. You decide what triggers the glyph when you cast the spell. For glyphs inscribed on a

surface, common triggers include touching or stepping on the glyph, removing another object covering it, or approaching within a certain distance of it. For glyphs inscribed within an object, common

Eye and Hand of Vecna

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

Vecna the Archlich;Vecna was a mighty wizard who, through magic and conquest, forged a terrible empire. For all his power, however, Vecna feared death and took steps to prevent his demise by becoming

a lich. A treacherous lieutenant named Kas the Betrayer;Kas brought Vecna’s rule to an end in a terrible battle. Of Vecna, all that remained were one hand and one eye, grisly Artifacts that

Wand of Orcus

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

from it (save DC 18). The table indicates how many charges you must expend to cast the spell. Spell Charge Cost Animate Dead 1 Blight 2 Circle of Death 3 Finger of

Death 3 Power Word Kill 4 Speak with Dead 1 While attuned to the wand, Orcus or a follower blessed by him can cast each of the wand’s spells using 2 fewer charges (minimum of 0

Book of Vile Darkness

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

divined. Nature can’t abide the book’s presence. Ordinary plants wither in its presence, common animals are unwilling to approach it, and the book gradually destroys whatever it touches. Even

attuned to the book, you can cast the following spells (save DC 18) from it: Animate Dead Circle of Death Dominate Monster Finger of Death Once you use the book to cast a spell, you can’t

Fighter

Classes Player’s Handbook

Armor, Scimitar, Shortsword, Longbow, 20 Arrows, Quiver, Dungeoneer's Pack, and 11 GP; or (C) 155 GP Fighters rule many battlefields. Questing knights, royal champions, elite soldiers, and hardened

mercenaries—as Fighters, they all share an unparalleled prowess with weapons and armor. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and defying it. Fighters master various

Sword of Kas

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide

detrimental property Spells. While the sword is on your person, you can cast the following spells (save DC 18) from it: Call Lightning Divine Word Finger of Death Once you use the sword to

of 13, and a Charisma of 16. It has hearing and Darkvision out to 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and speaks Common. Personality. The sword’s purpose is to

Genie Touched

Backgrounds Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

Hammer, Glassblower's Tools, Fine Clothes, Lamp, Oil (3 flasks), Waterskin, 2 GP; or (B) 50 GP Although genies no longer rule Calimshan, genie magic is still common in your homeland. Perhaps you

Scion of the Three

Classes Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn

and murder; and Myrkul, a god of death. While some Rogues of this subclass pledge themselves ardently to those three macabre gods, others are thrust on this path by a curse. Either way, a scion’s

power manifests as various occult gifts, as well as an uncanny talent for striking and terrifying foes. Scions of the Three are most common in Baldur’s Gate, where the Dead Three lived as

Valindra Shadowmantle

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

, Prestidigitation 2/Day Each: Animate Dead, Plane Shift 1/Day Each: Cone of Cold (level 8 version), Finger of Death, Power Word Kill, ScryingProtective Magic. Valindra casts Counterspell or Shield in response

pallor common to liches, she prefers to maintain a magical disguise that allows her to appear as the high elf she was in life. Ever the schemer, Valindra doesn’t use this disguise out of nostalgia

Spirit Statue Mascot

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Death Burst. When the spirit statue is reduced to 0 hit points, the statue crumbles, and the spirit returns to the afterlife in a burst of ghostly white flame. Each creature within 5 feet of it must

succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 3 (1d6);{"diceNotation":"1d6","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Death Burst","rollDamageType":"radiant"} radiant damage.Slam. Melee Weapon Attack

Syndra Silvane

Monsters Tomb of Annihilation

spells on herself before combat. Death Curse. Syndra’s hit point maximum has been reduced to 79 by the Soulmonger’s death curse, and it decreases by 1 every midnight. If her hit point

maximum drops to 0, Syndra dies and can’t be brought back from the dead until the death curse has ended (and if her soul hasn’t been devoured). Destroying the Soulmonger is the only way to halt

Darkling Elder Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Death Burn. When the darkling elder dies, magical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area

must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 7 (2d6);{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Death Burn","rollDamageType":"radiant"} radiant damage and

Darkling Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

Death Flash. When the darkling dies, nonmagical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area

speak of a seelie fey who betrayed the Summer Queen. His true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath

Death Kiss

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Lacking the egotism of their stronger kin, a death kiss usually submits to the rule of its creator or any other beholder it encounters, but it tries to escape as soon as the beholder is preoccupied. A

Lightning Blood. A creature within 5 feet of the death kiss takes 5 (1d10);{"diceNotation":"1d10", "rollType":"damage", "rollAction":"Lightning Blood", "rollDamageType":"lightning"} lightning damage

Darkling

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Death Flash. When the darkling dies, nonmagical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area

’ wrath, she cursed every member of his house. The seelie fey’s true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Dubh Catha (“Dark Crow” in Common), and other Fey

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your

Material Plane to forge their own destinies. Once shadar-kai were Fey like the rest of their elven kin; now they exist in a state between life and death, thanks to being transformed by the Shadowfell

Dunbarrow Witch

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

/day each: animal messenger, charm person, Tasha's hideous laughter 1/day each: bestow curse, dispel magic “Taste the sweetness, breath for breath. Keep the balance, death for death.&rdquo

, while others animate furniture, weapons, or other objects. Feel free to build encounters with witches that include additional creatures such as animated armor, a flying sword, a rug of smothering, or a Tiny Beast acting as a spy.

Sword of Kas Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

power grew, so did his hubris. His sword urged him to supplant Vecna, so that they could rule the lich’s empire in Vecna’s stead. Legend says Vecna’s destruction came at Kas’s

) from it: call lightning, divine word, or finger of death. Once you use the sword to cast a spell, you can’t cast that spell again from it until the next dawn. Sentience. The Sword of Kas is a

Black Rose Bearer

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

. Suffer not their presence; destroy rose bearers on sight.” —Common saying among the Knights of Solamnia A black rose bearer is a rotting corpse animated by necromancers on Krynn to serve

black rose bearer bursts into furious violence, attacking indiscriminately. A bearer’s black rose is an homage to the tyrannical Lord Soth, the most powerful death knight on Krynn, who was once a Solamnic Knight of the Order of the Rose.Poison

Ziraj the Hunter

Monsters Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Ziraj's prey, or Ziraj might come to their aid to eliminate a common enemy. He's the strong, silent type. The City Watch has received reports of a figure who haunts the rooftops of Waterdeep — a

hulking shadow that glares from its perch, rains down death in the form of long black arrows, and slinks off without so much as a whisper. Where he comes from — if he even has a home — remains a mystery, as

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your

character might be nocturnal. Or perhaps your character is simply prone to rise later, embodying the common nickname of night owl. Creating Your Character If you create an owlin character, follow these

Eye and Hand of Vecna Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

power, Vecna couldn’t escape his own mortality. He began to fear death and take steps to prevent his end from ever coming about. Orcus, the demon prince of undeath, taught Vecna a ritual that

would allow him to live on as a lich. Beyond death, he became the greatest of all liches. Even though his body gradually withered and decayed, Vecna continued to expand his evil dominion. So formidable

Flitterstep Eidolon

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

death. They care nothing for morbid reunions with their lost bodies or Returned remnants. Of the various types of eidolons, flitterstep eidolons are the most common and wander without purpose. Undead

Boneless

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

them to death in their full-body grip. Boneless arise in a variety of forms. While the animate skins of specific creatures are the most common, foul spellcasters might create these horrors from the

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Bolt","rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage.Although the dead typically recall little of their lives, some have an obsession with magic that survives both death and rebirth as a Returned. These

’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to shadow plays without weight or substance

Tlincalli

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

powerful hunter, such as a blue dragon, they carefully weigh whether to serve the superior hunter, move on, or fight to the death to remove it as competition. Tlincallis rarely build cities, make

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

them. Your armaments are now among your most important possessions—the only things that stand between you and death’s embrace. QUICK BUILD You can make a fighter quickly by following

mastery with weapons and armor, and a thorough knowledge of the skills of combat. And they are well acquainted with death, both meting it out and staring it defiantly in the face. Well-Rounded

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

reckonings of most worlds, humans are the youngest of the common races, late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their

shorter lives that they strive to achieve as much as they can in the years they are given. Or maybe they feel they have something to prove to the elder races, and that’s why they build their mighty

Leucrotta

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

cover up the stink of death. The first leucrottas came into being alongside some gnolls during the rampages of Yeenoghu on the Material Plane. While many of the hyenas that ate Yeenoghu’s

of common deer. Second, it can duplicate the call or the vocal expressions of just about any creature it has heard. The monster uses its mimicry to lure in potential victims, then attacks while they

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

You are a member of a teeming horde — one small part of a sprawling organism. Just as you are part of the swarm, the swarm is part of a larger ecosystem, a never-ending cycle of life, death

Golgari, no fear of death or taboo about the dead, just a fierce affirmation of the cycle. Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner’s kit Languages

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

(3d6);{"diceNotation":"3d6","rollType":"damage","rollAction":"Shortsword","rollDamageType":"poison"} poison damage.Even death and the loss of their identities can’t erase the rage that inspires

they cover with distinctive golden masks. Returned reenter the world blank and undead. No longer possessing the ability to form long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful

Harengon

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick

Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores

Aarakocra

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule

regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to

Satyr

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores

, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them

Water Genasi

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to

determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those

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