build before desert calling rivals

Tlincalli

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

and the lower body of an enormous scorpion, complete with a stinger at the end of a long tail. These desert creatures range across arid lands, hunting at dawn and dusk. In the hours between, they wait

tlincalli parents come to investigate. Tlincallis eat what they kill, whether their hunt nets desert animals or a caravan, but when they have new mouths to feed, they are careful to take some of their prey

Aruk Thundercaller Thuunlakalaga

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Mountain Born. Aruk is acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. Powerful Build. Aruk counts as one size larger when determining his carrying capacity and the weight he can

, ice troll;ice trolls, young white dragon;young white dragons, the treacherous mountain terrain, and the cruel indifference of nature. Bitter Rivals. Skytower Shelter and Wyrmdoom Crag are two

Goliath Warrior

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Mountain Born. The goliath is acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. Powerful Build. The goliath counts as one size larger when determining its carrying capacity and

giant;frost giants, remorhaz;remorhazes, ice troll;ice trolls, young white dragon;young white dragons, the treacherous mountain terrain, and the cruel indifference of nature. Bitter Rivals. Skytower

Dunbarrow Witch

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

or otters scurrying through the undergrowth, to deliver messages to allies or rivals across the marsh. Some witches animate bundles of sticks and roots to do their errands about the marsh for them

, 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.

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

down the gate of a backwater duke’s castle, slaying a dozen or more guards, then calling for parley is a typical fog giant strategy—followed by an offer to leave the duke alive in return

roof of a merchant’s home, seizing what they seek, and stalking away before the town watch can rally. Intricate Networks. Clever, ambitious, and greedy, many fog giants build up whole networks of

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

his axe in wide swaths to cut through the ranks of orcs arrayed against him, shouting praise to the gods with every foe’s fall. Calling down a curse upon the forces of undeath, a human lifts

to those chosen to fulfill a high calling. Harnessing divine magic doesn’t rely on study or training. A cleric might learn formulaic prayers and ancient rites, but the ability to cast cleric

Changeling Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Long ago there was a woman named Jes, and she had one hundred children. Her rivals conspired against her and swore to kill her children. Jes begged the Sovereigns for help, but their only answer

specific purpose and then might never be used again. However, many changelings develop identities that have more depth. They build an identity over time, crafting a persona with a history and beliefs. This

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

. Whether calling on the elemental forces of nature or emulating the creatures of the animal world, druids are an embodiment of nature’s resilience, cunning, and fury. They claim no mastery over

becoming a druid was part of your character’s destiny. Have you always been an adventurer as part of your druidic calling, or did you first spend time as a caretaker of a sacred grove or spring

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

the latest challenger to her authority over their tribe, ready to break his neck with her bare hands as she did to the last six rivals. Frothing at the mouth, a dwarf slams his helmet into the face

violated, or a coup that removed you from a position of authority. QUICK BUILD You can make a barbarian quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Strength

Ranger Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

whistles to the hawk that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to the owlbear he’s been tracking and sends the hawk to distract

ranger’s true calling is to defend the outskirts of civilization from the ravages of monsters that press in from the wild. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of the world, but even fewer people can claim the true calling of a paladin. When they do receive the call, these warriors turn from their former occupations and take up arms to fight evil. Sometimes

earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on your soul. As guardians against the forces of wickedness

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

beyond the horizon—makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn, practice a variety of skills, enter long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic

, 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

Netheril Returned

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Netheril’s Fall: Tales of Terror, Treasure, and Time Travel

Netheril Returned In 1372 DR, the flying city of Thultanthar, also called the City of Shade, emerged from the Shadowfell, where it had lain hidden for centuries. The city’s rulers, calling themselves

Shadovar, began rebuilding the long-lost Netherese empire, even returning life and growth to the desert. They dubbed this reborn empire the Empire of Shade. Thultanthar crashed to the ground in 1487

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

unpredictability. 6 It takes true artistry to maintain a warm, desert-like dwelling under the water. 7 I soothe myself to sleep by imagining the perfect insults for bronze dragons; while I wait

sun and have no desire to get wet, beyond enjoying a bit of sea spray in the air. But they love being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect

Interesting Things About Valenar

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

Interesting Things About Valenar The dragonmarked House Lyrandar has helped the elves build the infrastructure of their kingdom. The half-elves have no homeland, and some believe that the half-elves

still be found scattered across Valenar and the Blade Desert: ruins, haunted fortresses, battlefields that have slipped out of alignment with time.

Downtime Activities

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

Downtime Activities Saltmarsh provides a haven for adventurers between expeditions, and the characters can spend that time engaged in various tasks around town. The following options build on the

the ones presented in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. If you have that supplement, consider using the guidelines for rivals and the complications attached to some of the activities given in that book. You can also offer other activities as you see fit. The ones detailed below are specific to Saltmarsh.

Interesting Things About Valenar

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

Interesting Things About Valenar The dragonmarked House Lyrandar helped the Valenar elves build the infrastructure of their kingdom. The half-elves have no homeland, but House Lyrandar hopes to make

Blade Desert: ruins, haunted fortresses, and battlefields that have slipped out of alignment with time. Valenar warbands include druids and rangers, and druidic magic bolsters the military arsenal of the

Harkon Lukas's Torment

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

, styling, or inspiration to finally cement him in the hearts of Kartakass’s people—and from there, take control of the nation. Although Harkon is unable to build his own fame, he has a peerless eye for

talent. His protégés swiftly attain stardom, and with it, Harkon’s resentment. Harkon’s frustration eventually gives way to indulgences of his lycanthropic hungers. Bloody slaughters of his students and rivals often precede him moving on to another town.

Start Here

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

all begin in the Free City of Greyhawk. Bastion Friendly There are ample places within the city and on the city’s outskirts where adventurers can build Bastions (see chapter 8). Key Conflicts Two of

dragons, is a looming threat nearby, particularly in the Mistmarsh, the hills of the Abbor-Alz, and the Bright Desert. Local Hurly-Burly Greyhawk has a frontier spirit atypical for a settlement of its

Adventure Background

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

rivals made a good pair. Vidorant was skilled with picking locks and deftly getting into tough places, and Goldenbeard used his connections and quick thinking to research targets and talk the pair’s way

—until thirty guards suddenly surrounded the pair of thieves. Vidorant nimbly escaped via the roof with the diadem in hand, but Goldenbeard was caught. He avoided imprisonment by calling in favors

A Subterranean Threat

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Netheril’s Fall: Tales of Terror, Treasure, and Time Travel

A Subterranean Threat During the Shadowed Age, as the Netherese’s overuse of magic began to affect the Weave, an outside threat against Netheril emerged. Deep underground, where the Anauroch desert

Anauroch’s desertification, further contributing to the underclass’s unrest. The phaerimm, once they’d dispatched Netheril, planned to build their own empire built on suffering and dominance over all

Story Overview

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

, Castle Laventz, as his own. Months later, the relentless knight Mara Silvra received word of her father’s defeat. Calling in debts and intimidating mercenaries, Mara forged a small army during her grueling

march home. Upon arriving, she expected to find her homeland’s nobility ready to rise to her cause, but they’d been cowed and terrified by reports of Dranzorg entombing captives and rivals in his

Tyrant's Escape

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

described in area 5a. If the party doesn’t release him, he breaks free himself after an hour. Dranzorg torments the party and rampages through the house, calling for Mara to face him. Once freed, he

can help them defeat Dranzorg. Eternal Rivals. Dranzorg focuses his attacks on the character wearing Mara’s armor. If a character wearing Mara’s armor is reduced to fewer than half their hit points

The Guild

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer

, calling them in when it suits them — often with interest. Rivalries exist between kingpins, and their territorial borders shift constantly. As long as these internal feuds don’t disrupt Guild

business or draw the attention of the authorities, no one interferes. Recent rumors claim that an Outer City kingpin known as Straightstick is calling in all his favors to make a move on a Lower City turf

The Guild

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

, calling them in when it suits them — often with interest. Rivalries exist between kingpins, and their territorial borders shift constantly. As long as these internal feuds don’t disrupt Guild

business or draw the attention of the authorities, no one interferes. Recent rumors claim that an Outer City kingpin known as Straightstick is calling in all his favors to make a move on a Lower City turf

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

predictable only in my unpredictability. 6 It takes true artistry to maintain a warm, desert-like dwelling under the water. 7 I soothe myself to sleep by imagining the perfect insults for

, beyond enjoying a bit of sea spray in the air. But they love being able to see the water, so they build their lairs on the heights of seaside cliffs or near perfect sunbathing beaches where they can

Thundering Observatory Adventures

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

their favor, and they hire adventurers to secure it. Final Key A storm giant offers the characters a stunning reward if the characters can use the Star Forge (in this chapter) to build him a machine

the observatory’s Death Ray to destroy her rivals in Hiatea’s Hearth (in this chapter). The current ruler of Hiatea’s Hearth has learned of the giant’s plan and implores the characters to thwart it

Creating a Rival

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

Creating a Rival In essence, a rival is a somewhat specialized NPC. You can use chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to build a new NPC for this purpose, or pick one from your current cast of

supporting characters and embellish that NPC as described below. It’s possible for the characters to have two or three rivals at a time, each with a separate agenda. At least one should be a villain, but

Tlincalli

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

. These desert creatures range across arid lands, hunting at dawn and dusk. In the hours between, they wait out the day’s heat or the night’s cold by burying themselves in loose sand or earth or, if

leaves most would-be predators that dare to break an egg defenseless when the tlincalli parents come to investigate. Tlincallis eat what they kill, whether their hunt nets desert animals or a caravan

Morgrave University

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

founding: Lord Morgrave himself is said to have made his fortune selling Dhakaani artifacts on the black market, and some have claimed that the true purpose of the university was to help him build his

rivals. Despite the friendly ties among academic institutions, Morgrave occupies the low end of the prestige scale among academic bodies, so its faculty tends to look for opportunities to steal glory

Creating a Druid

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

an adventurer as part of your druidic calling, or did you first spend time as a caretaker of a sacred grove or spring? Perhaps your homeland was befouled by evil, and you took up an adventuring life in

hopes of finding a new home or purpose. Quick Build You can make a druid quickly by following these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your highest ability score, followed by Constitution. Second

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

Factions in Athas

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

power. The Order of the Gauntlet The Free The desert wilds are dotted with the hidden camps and strongholds of Athas’s slave tribes — bands of people who have managed to escape from slavery in one or

fiercely competitive and seek out any advantage to use against their rivals, but House Tsalaxa of Draj is widely regarded as the most ruthless of them all. Agents of House Tsalaxa do not hesitate to

Blue Dragon Lairs

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

find ways to adapt. Instead of seeking out lofty domiciles, blue dragons build their lairs underground, burrowing beneath sand or using magic to hew rock into an intricate warren of rooms and tunnels

swallowed by desert sands. Some of the lair’s chambers still contain the remnants of temples and other structures. The traces of this metropolis suggest that it was of significant size, but very little of

Creating a Paladin

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

refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on

have not yet attained. Quick Build You can make a paladin quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the noble

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