build before deterred conceal resolve

Changeling Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

with people around them. Does the character conceal their true changeling nature? Do they embrace it? Do they have connections to other changelings or are they alone and in search of companions

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

Kobold

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a scale color more akin to that of a chromatic or a metallic dragon. A kobold’s cry can express a range of emotion: anger, resolve, elation, fear, and more. Regardless of the emotion expressed

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

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

little to conceal an underlying brutality that hobgoblins practice on each other and perfect upon other races. Punishment for infractions of hobgoblin law are swift and merciless. Beauty is something

Vistani

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

Vistani The Vistani (singular: Vistana) are wanderers, traveling about in horse-drawn, barrel-topped wagons, which they build themselves. Compared to Barovians, they are flamboyant, dressing in

are closely knit. They resolve disagreements through contests that end with reconciliatory singing, dancing, and storytelling. The Vistani are quick to act when their lives or traditions are threatened and are merciless when they believe they must be.

Actions in Exploration

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

in action.) In such situations, have the characters take turns, though it’s usually not necessary to roll Initiative as you would in a combat encounter. Resolve one character’s actions before moving

to the next. There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how long to spend on each character’s activity, but make sure no one is waiting for their turn for too long. You can build tension in an exploration

Using Your Journal

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

cameo to this halfling? This halfling could be tied to a bigger plot or have information that could help the characters resolve some conflict. Suddenly, a minor trinket foreshadows bigger events to come

whatever your players throw at you, and you can even borrow pieces of various ideas to incorporate into future adventures. Not every adventure needs to build on earlier plots; a good stand-alone

2. Vast Cavern

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

four articulated metal legs. Zox Clammersham is using the scaladar under his control to build the Simulacrux and to defend it, should it come under attack. The Simulacrux is designed to replicate

, and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that aren’t made of adamantine. Destroying the arch all but dooms the project, since Zox lacks the resolve to start

Neo-Noir Intrigue

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

. There are ways to resolve these problems, but the answers aren’t always simple or obvious. There can certainly be times when decisions are straightforward. If the Emerald Claw is about to detonate a

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

Copper Dragon Lairs

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

Copper Dragon Lairs Copper dragons prefer dry uplands, hilltops, or mountainous foothills, where they build their lairs in caves, crags, or tunnels. Although sometimes natural, the passages and

walls in the lair can conceal cunning hidden passages or might be stone or clay thin enough for the dragon to burst through them. The narrowest tunnels in a copper dragon’s lair are just barely wide

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

you resolve one or more workweeks of downtime, pick one of the ways a rival’s plans might be advanced and introduce it into play. Think about how a rival might operate in order to bring specific

Hobgoblins

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

history of shared traditions, recorded and retold 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 little to conceal an underlying brutality that hobgoblins practice on each other and perfect upon other races. Punishment for infractions of hobgoblin law are

Villains

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

pawn in a position of power 3 Magic (d6) 1 Obtain an ancient artifact 2 Build a construct or magical device 3 Carry out a deity’s wishes 4 Offer sacrifices to a deity 5 Contact a lost deity or power

Terrorism Villain’s Secret Weakness Finding and exploiting a villain’s weakness can be very gratifying for players, although a smart villain tries to conceal its weakness. A lich, for example, has a

Acererak

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

necromantic device called the Soulmonger, then hid it in the heart of the tomb. ACERERAK’S TRAITS Ideal. “Why be a god when I can be a creator of gods?” Bond. “I build dungeons to trap and slay

powerful adventurers. Their deaths and souls are my nourishment.” Flaw. “I underestimate the resolve of my enemies.” Acererak Medium undead, neutral evil Armor Class 21 (natural armor) Hit Points

Encounters (F-H)

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

emit dim light in a 10-foot radius 4 Awakened walrus (see appendix C) Frost Giant Riding a Mammoth Frost Giant Riding a Mammoth Even a raging blizzard can’t conceal the presence of a frost

possible. The contest ends when the majority of one team can’t hold their handstands and either give up or fall over. Resolve the contest using DC 10 Strength (Athletics) group checks: each team

Abyss

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

passageways and cocoonlike chambers. Structures, ships, and other objects are caught in the webbing. The webs conceal random portals that snare objects from demiplanes and Material Plane worlds that

figure into the schemes of the Spider Queen. Lolth’s servants also build dungeons amid the webbing, trapping and hunting Lolth’s hated enemies within crisscrossing corridors of web-mortared stone. Far

Factions of Gracklstugh

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

Deepking. The lairds hold council to resolve disputes and discuss future plans. Each clan has its own holdings in Gracklstugh and specializes in a certain craft or service. Duergar Clans Smithing Clan

efficiency, stoicism, and hard work, and these values are exemplified in their capital. Everything the duergar make or build has a purpose and function; the only aesthetic they value in architecture is

Designing Simple Traps

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

and damage values as shown below. Purpose Before diving into the details of your trap, think about its reason for being. Why would someone build such a trap? What is its purpose? Consider the trap’s

is obvious. Understanding its nature is not. The DC of the check, regardless of its type, depends on the skill and care taken to conceal the trap. Most traps can be detected with a successful DC 20

Gnome Gods

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

send an omen to nudge a group of gnomes in a certain direction, or even manifest an avatar in the middle of a gnome burrow. When Garl makes one of these rare appearances, it is to resolve a dispute that

worked together to replace it with a stronger one made of iron, but her resentment over the mishap lingers. Gnomes build their homes in hidden and defensible places because Gaerdal teaches them these

Halfling Gods and Myths

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

most adept at the skills halflings needed to survive. Those legendary halflings comprise the rest of the pantheon. Yondalla created the first halfling villages and showed the people how to build

, plant, and harvest. She knew that the bounty of a halfling village would be tempting plunder for any brigand or monster, so she used her powers to conceal their homes from easy discovery, blending them

Where to Start?

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Domains of Delight: A Feywild Accessory

be left alone and seldom, if ever, leaves their domain. They might adopt disguises or turn invisible when they travel, and they might use magic to conceal their lair. 8 Wild. The archfey has the

stories told by creatures from faraway places. They love to gather lore so they can build their own internal world of imagination or transform their domain with ideas from other worlds. Their lair is

Tool Descriptions

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

Spot forged text 15 Forge a signature 20 Carpenter’s Tools Skill at carpentry enables a character to construct wooden structures. A carpenter can build a house, a shack, a wooden cabinet, or similar

conceal areas from discovery. Perception. You can spot irregularities in wooden walls or floors, making it easier to find trap doors and secret passages. Stealth. You can quickly assess the weak

Roleplaying a Giant

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

castles that still drift across the sky. No one can build those majestic structures any longer. The methods of their construction were lost (along with much other knowledge) when Ostoria fell. Some

instead wear exquisite masks made of precious materials adorned with gemstones. Each noble has a collection of these masks that it wears to conceal its face but still reflect its current mood; an

Locations A - D

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

to their lairs to rest. If the characters take no steps to conceal themselves and enter the city while the dragons are in the sky, the dragons spot the party and attack. The ships that the dragons have

summon them to their throne hall for an audience. King Morinn and Queen Tithmel tell the characters about their suspicions concerning Ironslag and ask them to investigate. In return, they offer to build

Lower City Gazetteer

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

Keene to conceal contraband in corpses’ funeral wrappings, which the guards and toll collectors never check. Even less savory is the harvesting and sale of corpses or their parts for the city’s

-good faiths, or excessive withdrawals from the stores of painkilling narcotics. It perhaps says something about Baldur’s Gate that city officials decided to build the hospital right next to Cliffgate

Lower City Gazetteer

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

Nine-Fingers Keene to conceal contraband in corpses’ funeral wrappings, which the guards and toll collectors never check. Even less savory is the harvesting and sale of corpses or their parts for the

that city officials decided to build the hospital right next to Cliffgate, convenient to the graveyard and as far as possible from the wealthy neighborhoods. Hissing Stones This low stone bathhouse in

Necropolis Locations (Y1-Y9)

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

team is on offense. Resolve a tie with a Strength (Athletics) contest. Step 2. To simulate the ball being passed around, every player makes a DC 15 Dexterity (Athletics) check. If the team on

, they learn three facts from the Ythryn Lore table, which Xerophon shares to build trust. The doppelganger also knows that to bypass the force field around the Spire of Iriolarthas, one must perform the

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

red wax. The Sacred Stone monks have little use for brandy, but Hellenrae recognizes that innocuous activities like producing liquor for visitors might help to conceal the true nature of the Black

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