build before derived continue rarely

Troglodyte Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

secretions, and the debris of their foul feasting. Single-Minded Brutes. Troglodytes are devoted almost entirely to procuring food. They rarely plan more than a few days into the future, instead

in a frenzy. Troglodytes make little and build less, scavenging their possessions from their prey. They understand the value of metal weapons and armor, and fight among one another for the right to

Returned Kakomantis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), the Returned lose their identities

’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

Returned Drifter

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4

long-term memories, they generally can’t build meaningful relationships or establish new lives. Instead, most experience fleeting emotions and follow hollow routines, their existences reduced to

Returned Sentry

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), the Returned lose their identities

’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

Vegepygmy

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, vegepygmies can absorb nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go hungry. A vegepygmy can hiss and make other noises by forcing air through its mouth, but it can’t

speak in a conventional sense. Among themselves, vegepygmies communicate by hissing, gestures, and tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built

Half-Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as

, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely. Like elves, they are driven by the wanderlust that comes of their longevity. Others, in

Thorny Vegepygmy

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go hungry. A vegepygmy can hiss and make other noises by forcing air through its mouth, but it can’t speak in a conventional sense

. Among themselves, vegepygmies communicate by hissing, gestures, and tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built by copying simple

Vegepygmy Chief

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

fungi (all appear in the Monster Manual). Although they prefer to eat fresh meat, bone, and blood, vegepygmies can absorb nutrients from soil and many sorts of organic matter, so they rarely go

tapping. Vegepygmies build and craft little; any gear they have is acquired from other creatures or built by copying simple construction they have witnessed. Russet Mold Few know for sure where

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

, where they serve the vicious will of Tymaret the Murder King (see chapter 3). Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they

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

Red Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

abishais when it comes to leadership ability and raw power. Red abishais lead other devils into battle or take charge of troublesome cults to ensure that they continue to carry out Tiamat’s commands

to Tiamat (and Asmodeus, when he chooses to use them). Other archdevils can command abishais to work for them, but most archdevils do so rarely, since it is never clear whether an abishai follows

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

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

dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century. Variety in All Things Humans are the most

Hobgoblin

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Maglubiyet, who marshaled them as soldiers, but the fey realm left its mark; wherever they are in the multiverse, they continue to channel an aspect of the Feywild’s rule of reciprocity, which

;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

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

communities are threatened. Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

and companions you lead can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow. The paths of the undercity are haunted by dangers that rarely brave the

. Ideals d6 Ideal 1 Guild. My guild is all that really matters. (Any) 2 Stoicism. All of us are part of the cyclical march of nature, which will continue with

Giff

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

blossom into hard feelings, loud arguments, and head-butting contests, but they rarely escalate beyond that. Creating Your Character When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your

. 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

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

tabaxi rarely stay in one place for long. Their innate nature pushes them to leave no secrets uncovered, no treasures or legends lost. Wandering Outcasts Most tabaxi remain in their distant

, prophecy, clan history, and other esoteric factors. Tabaxi names can apply to both males and females, and most use nicknames derived from or inspired by their full names. Clan names are usually based

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Creatures Topaz dragons rarely tolerate any company but their own, and they are usually indifferent at best even toward their own kind. Moreover, their unpredictability means that even if a creature

proves itself useful to a topaz dragon, it shouldn’t count on being safe from the dragon the next time they meet. Topaz dragons rarely go out of their way to fight other creatures, however, with

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

set bards apart from their fellows. Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries

, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost? QUICK BUILD You can make a bard quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

instead of killing them, he showed mercy and even honored them in a way by setting them free — under his control — so that bugbears could continue to employ their talents against his enemies

terrifying to them as bugbears are in the eyes of many other races. His name is rarely spoken, and never above a whisper. Skiggaret’s influence manifests at times when bugbears are forced to act

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct

yourself before gods and mortals. Your oath and alignment might be in harmony, or your oath might represent standards of behavior that you have not yet attained. QUICK BUILD You can make a paladin

Hobgoblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

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

Tower of Traitors

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

of Arijani and Reeva. Ramya’s skeletal soldiers continue to build the tower as part of her plan to rid Kalakeri of evil and receive the gods’ blessings.

Pastoral Pleasantries

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

Pastoral Pleasantries Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet

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

First Session: Character Creation

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

First Session: Character Creation Dungeons & Dragons is a game that requires several hours to play, but you can stop the game at any time and continue it later. The first session should focus on

, congratulate them on building their characters and begin the adventure with the next session. During character creation, your role as the DM is to let your players build the characters they want, and to help

Adult Amethyst Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

and rarely cultivating connections with other creatures. When they do connect with others, it is most often for intellectual and philosophical pursuits or to fulfill some arcane purpose involving the

connect the main caves to the three chambers above. Each chimney appears to continue up through the ceiling of the upper level and down through the floor of the lower level, but the dragon’s

Roleplaying Vellynne

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

Roleplaying Vellynne Vellynne is a pragmatist who tries to stay one step ahead of her competition, in particular her rivals in the Arcane Brotherhood (of whom she rarely speaks). To continue her

Ancient Amethyst Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

godhood, perhaps recreating or replacing Sardior. Connected Creatures Amethyst dragons are generally aloof creatures, dwelling in isolation for long periods of time and rarely cultivating

ceiling, casting dim light in a 30-foot radius. Chimneys. Two chimneys connect the main caves to the three chambers above. Each chimney appears to continue up through the ceiling of the upper level and

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. Connected Creatures Topaz dragons rarely tolerate any company but their own, and they are usually indifferent at best even toward their own kind. Moreover, their unpredictability means that

even if a creature proves itself useful to a topaz dragon, it shouldn’t count on being safe from the dragon the next time they meet. Topaz dragons rarely go out of their way to fight other

Gnolls

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

will survive a rampaging gnoll horde unscathed, even as the towns, villages, and farms that surround the castle are ablaze, their people slaughtered and devoured. Gnolls rarely build permanent

Merfolk

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

their people are as varied in color, culture, and outlook as the human races of the surface. Land folk and merfolk rarely meet except by chance, though starry-eyed mariners tell tales of romance with

face a common threat or to complete a conquest. Such unifications can be the beginning of undersea kingdoms with dynasties lasting hundreds of years. Merfolk Settlements. Merfolk build their settlements

Reghed Tribe Camp

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

the same tribe to commingle and build their camps close to one another, the four tribes avoid contact with one another. Members of one tribe are rarely found in another tribe’s camp unless some sort of diplomacy is taking place.

Recurring NPCs

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

Recurring NPCs NPCs who keep showing up over the course of a campaign build the sense that the world of the game is a living, breathing place. Whether these NPCs are allies, patrons, friends, or

at least coming up with a plausible way for the villain to return from death. After all, death is rarely the final word for adventurers, so it needn’t be for their opponents. Don’t Go Overboard

Aftermath of the Last War

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

Karrnath. High King Shaeras Vadallia has promised to rein in his warriors, but many believe that the elves will continue their provocation. Their main interest is conflict with a worthy foe—and they

Valenar are rarely cruel overlords. As long as a village can meet its quotas, the elves leave it alone, though villages that fall below expectations are more likely to receive assistance from druidic advisors than punishment.

D&D Beyond

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