build before define cautious relate

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale

, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their own flaws. It’s appropriate for Auril to act as though she’s

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her. Auril’s worshipers know better than to

demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also fallible and blind to their

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures

. The less she talks, the less risk you have of unintentionally demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are

Warforged Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

and crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of a warforged vary based on the purpose for which it was

of Thronehold gave them freedom, but many still struggle both to find a place in the post-war world and to relate to the creatures who created them. The typical warforged shows little emotion. Many

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn’t have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound

Yondalla relate to tortles most of all. Tortles believe that night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the

Attitudes

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

Attitudes Each dragon councilor has one of four attitudes in this chapter, ranging from unfriendly to cautious, neutral, and friendly. To secure the cooperation of the metallic dragons as a whole

dragon, they gain a two-step improvement in the attitude of that dragon (for example, from unfriendly to neutral, or from cautious to friendly). A general concession grants a one-step improvement to a

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

Settlements

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

Settlements The places where people live — bustling cities, prosperous towns, and tiny villages nestled among miles of farmland — help define the nature of civilization in your world. A single

characters care about the settlement? The guidelines in this section are here to help you build the settlement you want for whatever purpose you have in mind. Disregard any advice here that runs counter to your vision for a settlement.

Chapter 1: This Is Your Life

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

Chapter 1: This Is Your Life The character creation rules in the Player’s Handbook provide all the information you need to define your character in preparation for a life of adventuring. What they

backstory for your character — an autobiography of sorts — that you can use to inform how you roleplay the character. Your DM can draw from this material as the campaign proceeds, creating situations and scenarios that build off your previous life experiences.

2. Choose a Class

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

: armor, weapons, skills, saving throws, and sometimes tools. Your proficiencies define many of the things your character can do particularly well, from using certain weapons to telling a convincing lie

required to reach that level (see “Beyond 1st Level” later in this section). QUICK BUILD Each class description in the Classes section includes a section offering suggestions to quickly build a

Character and Party Creation

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

include multiple backgrounds, as sometimes it’s fun to play an all-soldier party or a troupe of adventuring entertainers. The backgrounds they choose define who their characters were before becoming

character’s bond is, “I’m trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor.” If that’s the character’s bond, you should work with the player to decide who that generous benefactor is and build

Ironmaster

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

Gauntlgrym. His descriptions of life in Ironmaster confirm much of what I’ve heard of the place, and so what I relate to you now is truth as solid as Moradin’s anvil. The dwarves of Ironmaster don’t want

Shaengarne River. There the dwarf leader died, and his heir demanded that the folk that followed him build a settlement in tribute to Clanmaster Sstar’s grand vision of a dwarven empire. The dwarves found

Loose Pantheons

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

religious rites and festivals. Priests at such sites relate stories of the gods, teach the ethics of their patron deities, offer advice and blessings, perform religious rites, and provide training in

gods the locals revere. To quickly build a pantheon for your world, create a single god for each of the eight domains available to clerics: Death, Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery

Neo-Noir Intrigue

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

pieces of gold out of Khorvaire. There are spies who will do anything to protect their nations and petty criminals trying to build empires. There’s a place in Eberron for selfless heroes and truly vile

for your character, something that helps define your motivations. But if you want to add a little hard-boiled flavor to your character, you might consider a few additional aspects: Do you have a debt

Battle Balloon

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

the Dragon has been seen with flying ships of its own. Still, among the small number of factions and organizations known to possess or build airships, Acquisitions Incorporated might be the best known

privately financed or loaned out by Head Office under extraordinarily cautious terms, battle balloons can be customized with unique equipment — different siege weapons, lifting and cargo gear, and so forth

Tresendar Manor

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

sure the characters understand the unpredictable nature of the components’ magic, you give them good incentive to be cautious about using them. And if the power of the components threatens to derail

, although she doesn’t know it. If captured, she can relate that a short, cloaked humanoid came to her in Neverwinter Wood two days ago, hiring her to bring her pack of jackals to Phandalin and search

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

their masters, drawn from the sorcerer or wizard lists. Suddenly, the paladin feels like a different class. Be cautious when changing the warlock spell list. Since warlocks regain their spell slots

Uthgardt

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

more information on Uthgardt shamans.) Uthgardt hunt and forage for food. With one notable exception among the tribes, they don’t build houses or permanent settlements, preferring a nomadic lifestyle

the tribe’s great chief. She is ruthless yet cautious. Sky Pony Tribe During the War of the Silver Marches, Sky Pony warriors harried and attacked orcs that spilled out of the mountains. Great Chief

World-Shaking Events

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

. What are the ongoing effects of this cataclysm? The following points can help you define the nature and consequences of the disaster: Decide what caused this cataclysm and where it originated. An omen

scale of your campaign, the area might be as small as a section of a city or as large as a continent, world, or plane of existence. Define the aggressor and whether it represents a known enemy or a

Gods of the Orcs

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

Gods of the Orcs Orcs believe their gods to be invincible. They see the principles that define them and their deities at work every day in the world around them — nature rewards the strong and

have typically already been taken into Yurtrus’s fold, and their bones are used to build furnishings and structures in the area of the lair dedicated to the worship of Yurtrus. Chosen of Yurtrus. Orcs

Auril the Frostmaiden

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that

you have of unintentionally demystifying her in the eyes of your players. Let her actions, not her words, define her. Lesser gods in the D&D multiverse are extremely powerful and arrogant, but also

Ascendant Factions

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

destruction. Trees must be felled and stone cut to build a house, and the house must eventually burn, rot, or wither away. The highest-ranking Doomguard members aside from the factol are the doom lords, who

Fraternity of Order both relate to the Seekers, while the Bleak Cabal and Heralds of Dust oppose them. Society of Sensation Who Find Truth Only in Experience Factol: Erin Darkflame Montgomery

Fortress Level 1

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

Emaciated Elmo is the sole survivor of a party of adventurers that penetrated the lair weeks ago. In a weak and raspy voice, he tells his story. Relate the following details: He is a wizard and the

ritual, though Elmo does not know this.) Elmo’s Secret. If the word “secret” is used in conversation, it triggers a memory and Elmo relates that he helped build a secret door (leading to area 18). He

Monastery Locations

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

looking over the garden appears to be solidly barred to prevent egress. However, a catch below the sill releases the bars and lets them swing open, so that a person with a slight build can easily

characters are here to fight the cultists, they eagerly relate everything they know about the layout of the mines and the guards in area M18. The commoners also know where the crypt (area M20) and the Hall of

The Fissure

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

important to allow them to take rests. However, if the players become overly cautious and attempt to take a long rest after every encounter, have wandering monsters interrupt their attempts to sleep

from decades ago. After locating a gate to a demiplane of filth, the Masked Lord attempted to build a sewer system that could empty the city’s waste into that plane. It worked well, and plans were made

D&D Beyond

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