build before desire calling rival

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

Mark of Sentinel Human

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Protection is my purpose. I defend the innocent from those who would do them harm. For my siblings, this is a job; for me, it’s a calling. —Harric d’Deneith, Sentinel Marshal

Khorvaire. The Sentinel Marshals hold the honor of the house in their hands. Being a Marshal is a privilege, and it comes with high expectations. Despite its might and the desire of some house members

Dwarf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

command or inspiration of a deity, a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan

up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure—for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other dwarves are driven by the

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

Wand of Orcus Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

spells using 2 fewer charges (minimum of 0). Call Undead. While you are holding the wand, you can use an action to conjure skeleton;skeletons and zombie;zombies, calling forth as many of them as you

’s desire to slay everything in the multiverse. The wand is cold, cruel, nihilistic, and bereft of humor. In order to further its master’s goals, the wand feigns devotion to its current

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

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

Barbarian Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

fraught with peril: rival tribes, deadly weather, and terrifying monsters. Barbarians charge headlong into that danger so that their people don’t have to. Their courage in the face of danger makes

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

Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

fervent desire to share the joy you have experienced with Ravnica. Along with the rest of the conclave, you are committed to resisting the ambitions of the other guilds — with military force if

guilds, and often these new guild members maintain friendships with former guild mates. Roll twice on the Selesnya Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Selesnya Contacts table

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

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater

lawful in alignment. QUICK BUILD You can make a monk quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the hermit background

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

an angry thieves’ guild master? Or did you leave your guild in search of bigger risks and bigger rewards? Is it greed that drives you in your adventures, or some other desire or ideal? What

. QUICK BUILD You can make a rogue quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score. Make Intelligence your next-highest if you want to excel at

Adult Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

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

almost never show them to anyone else. Topaz Dragon Lairs Topaz dragons are happiest by the sea. They spend most of their time basking in the sun and have no desire to get wet, beyond enjoying a bit of

Archaeologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

the treasures and relics of wizards, warlords, or royalty. Some archaeologists plunder for wealth or fame, while others consider it their calling to illuminate the past or keep the world’s

disappeared on an expedition some time ago. 3 I have a friendly rival. Only one of us can be the best, and I aim to prove it’s me. 4 I won’t sell an art object or other treasure that

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

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

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

it was sabotage that destroyed my first laboratory and killed many of my friends, and I seek revenge against whoever did it. 4 I have the schematics for an invention that I hope to build one day

even the lowliest attendant to make friends (and enemies) in laboratories across Ravnica. Roll twice on the Izzet Contacts table (for an ally and a rival) and once on the Non-Izzet Contacts table

The Challenge

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

to participate in this challenge, the Rival tries to compel the character to participate. This could include any of the following coercions: Offering the characters something they desire or important

and challenge them. Who Are the Rivals? Determine who issues the challenge. If one or more of the characters have Rivals, pick a Rival to be the challenger. The challenger leads a group the same size

Dungeon Master's Tools

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

variety of situations. The chapter also includes a selection of ready-to-use puzzles, which you can drop into any campaign. The tools herein build on the material in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and

the Monster Manual. You may use some, all, or none of these tools, and feel free to customize how they work. Your group’s enjoyment is paramount, so make these rules your own, aiming to match your group’s tastes. Tasha prepares to win another game of wizardly chess against her rival Mordenkainen.

Gods, Gold, and Clan

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

others. Other dwarves are driven by the command or inspiration of a deity, a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A

Gods, Gold, and Clan Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure — for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help

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

created for themselves. Example Rivals d20 Rival 1 Tax collector who is convinced the characters are dodging fees 2 Politician who is concerned that the characters are causing more trouble than they

Gods, Gold, and Clan

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

others. Other dwarves are driven by the command or inspiration of a deity, a direct calling or simply a desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A

Gods, Gold, and Clan Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure — for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help

Learning from Experience

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

magic 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

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

Council of Spiders

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

priestesses. A secret cabal of noble wizards calling itself the Council of Spiders works to see wizards represented on the Ruling Council — overturning thousands of years of tradition while remaining true to

agenda. Vizeran has cultivated his role as a patron and ally of the council to gain influence among its members — while giving them no hint of his desire to destroy the drow’s obsessive worship of Lolth

Learning from Experience

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

magic 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

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

Heroes of Destiny

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

and fame are good motives, but they’re often hiding something deeper—perhaps a longing to be accepted, or a burning desire to prove your naysayers wrong. Me? I fight to protect others and to kindle

path of the warrior. Fates A fortune teller foresaw that you would find your calling in a life of battle. Flames When the heat of battle takes over, you barely recognize yourself. This scares you. Fool

Complications

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Infernal Machine Rebuild

other agent might also have sent their own operatives back to collect the missing components, the characters’ agent invites them to help break into the rival agent’s workshop to steal those components

from the rival’s version of the Infernal Machine. Reverse the general setup of this section to have the characters on the side that breaks into the workshop. There, they see the rival agent holding Lum

Star Spawn

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

dreaming. These Elder Evils are far older than most of the mortal races and always horrific to humanoid minds. However much they might desire to enter and dominate the Material Plane, the Elder Evils

calling out to Elder Evils often speak of a Far Realm from which these entities hail. In truth, there is no one place or space from which they come. There is the multiverse of things that are, and there is the multiverse of things that shouldn’t be.

Coins

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

Coins This suit symbolizes avarice and the desire for personal and material gain. It is also symbolic of gluttony, lust, and obsession. On the side of good, this suit can suggest the accumulation of

wealth for the benefit of a charity or a just cause. On the side of evil, it embodies the worst aspects of greed. It speaks to the power of gold, and how that power can build or destroy nations. Coins

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

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

Background

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

recent Shankha Trials has attracted the attention of a sinister figure from Shankhabhumi’s past. This is the ancient, fiend-tainted athlete Jijibisha Manivarshi, a wicked soul whose desire for

eternal honor directly caused the destruction of Manivarsha. Having lived a cursed life as a pride-obsessed fiend in the depths of the swamps for centuries, Jijibisha has recently heard of a rival that

Campaign Events

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

Campaign Events If you don’t want to build a world that focuses on the presence or absence of giants, you can instead build a campaign around world-shaking events that are instigated by giants. Storm

neighbors, secretly motivated by the desire to access an ancient ruin in neighboring territory. 5 Humanoids mobilize to overthrow their giant oppressors, but the Humanoids are hopelessly outmatched in

Topaz Dragon Lairs

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

Topaz Dragon Lairs Topaz dragons are happiest by the sea. They spend most of their time basking in the 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 sunbathing beaches where they can best accomplish this. Their preference for lair sites

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

Ancient Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

threatens shipping and caravans around a major city. Topaz Dragon Lairs Topaz dragons are happiest by the sea. They spend most of their time basking in the 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 sunbathing beaches where they can

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