build before down case rather

Cradle of the Cloud Scion

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

feet tall and wields a morningstar made from magically dense clouds. It tends to regard other creatures as toys rather than serious threats, and it uses its illusion magic to manipulate creatures into

this case, each scion is enclosed in stasis inside a powerful Elemental called a cradle. The cradle protects the slumbering scion and follows its subconscious wishes, including driving off intruders

Moloch

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

there is nowhere to move, in which case it needn’t take the Dash action. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn’t have line of sight to Moloch, the creature can repeat

him win back his title. Rumors suggest that he can often be found in Sigil, where he bargains with yugoloths to build yet another army with which he might invade Malbolge and wrest the throne from

Scion of Memnor

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

made from magically dense clouds. It tends to regard other creatures as toys rather than serious threats, and it uses its illusion magic to manipulate creatures into fighting each other. If seriously

’ gods are enormously powerful beings who infuse the world around them with primeval magic. In many worlds, they slumber and have become part of the landscape. In this case, each scion is enclosed in

Pidlwick II

Monsters Curse of Strahd

return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Although the duchess's heart was in the right

, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep. But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have

Young Moonstone Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

… oh my goodness, is that circlet made of silver? 7 I find the waking world tedious and mundane and would much rather spend my time asleep, in the realm of dreams. 8 I find the

1 A young moonstone dragon on the cusp of adulthood refuses to settle down and build a lair. To protect the local populace from the dragon’s chaotic activities, a minor deity sends a deva

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

build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

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

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for

. 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

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A scroll case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, and 5 gp Hermit Origins Any

a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your kin. 6 You aren’t originally from Baldur

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

necessary, using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide-ranging knowledge of many

, 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

Warlock Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

gained. Rather, the vast majority of warlocks spend their days in active pursuit of their goals, which typically means some kind of adventuring. Furthermore, the demands of their patrons drive

their patrons in dreams or waking visions, or deal only with intermediaries. QUICK BUILD You can make a warlock quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

. In any case, characters with this background have a plan to hit the big time; all they need is audacity and a little time. You have always had a way with people. You know what makes them tick, you

one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage. You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that

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

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

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

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

of nature itself or from a nature deity. Many druids pursue a mystic spirituality of transcendent union with nature rather than devotion to a divine entity, while others serve gods of wild nature

? 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

Dwarf Rangers

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

Dwarf Rangers Most dwarves prefer to hunker down under a mountain, rather than roam the wilderness of the surface or the Underdark. Most often, a dwarf ranger is either a shield dwarf cast out of a

clanhold or a clanless dwarf seeking a place in the world. Sometimes dwarf rangers are prospectors who explore the world seeking new veins of ore. In any case, there are two deities who appeal to such dwarves: Marthammor Duin and Dumathoin.

Survivors

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

lives transformed into waking nightmares. In most horror adventures, your players will employ familiar, adventure-ready characters. That doesn’t need to be the case, though. Instead, for short, low

provides guidance for using survivors, characters designed for one- to three-session adventures focused on survival rather than saving the day. Using survivors helps create horror experiences focused on

Letters of Recommendation

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

Letters of Recommendation A benefactor might provide adventurers with a letter of recommendation rather than payment. Such a letter is usually enclosed in a handsome folio, case, or scroll tube for

Parcels of Land

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

sufficiently large, might have one or more farms or villages on it already, in which case the recipient is pronounced lord or lady of the land and is expected to collect taxes, along with any other duties

. A character who receives a parcel of land is free to build on it and is expected to safeguard it. He or she may yield the land as part of an inheritance, but can’t sell or trade it without permission

Marks of Mystery

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

related to the other dragonmarked heirs of the house. In this case, you have much in common with the NPC heirs of your house. The actions of your house influence you, although you and your DM can

determine to what extent you become drawn into house politics. Taking the background associated with your house (such as House Jorasco Heir) is the best way to build your character as a dragonmarked heir

Topaz Dragon Lairs

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

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

topaz Astilabor is often mistakenly identified as a dragon god—in this case, the god of greed. In many ways, she is an archetype for all dragonkind, embodying the desire to acquire and hoard wealth

D2. Shrine Entrance

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

the mountain rather than built from fitted stonework. Two dwarf guards stand watch atop this stony shelf. Instead of spears and shields, they carry warhammers that they wield with two hands (1d10 + 1

to be stealthy, the guards are here, talking quietly in Dwarvish. In the latter case, the faint sound of hammering can be heard from somewhere beyond the courtyard (see area D7).

Capture

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

hit points, those characters are knocked out rather than dying (see “Knocking a Creature Out” in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook). Even if one or more of the characters are accidentally killed

gagged. The drow march them back to Velkynvelve unless Menzoberranzan is closer, in which case Ilvara takes them there instead. The characters will need to come up with a new plan of escape, ideally

4. Elite Barracks

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

quaggoth is also present, carrying out chores such as cleaning up or delivering water. Either reacts hostilely to intruders, but they might choose to flee and warn the outpost rather than attack, depending

on the odds. Treasure The equipment of the resting drow warrior is stowed beneath his pallet: a shortsword, a hand crossbow with a case of 20 bolts, a chain shirt, and a 100-foot coil of silk rope

Ignoring the Dice

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

DM decides whether an action or a plan succeeds or fails based on how well the players make their case, how thorough or creative they are, or other factors. For example, the players might describe how

make an ability check to do so. This approach rewards creativity by encouraging players to look to the situation you’ve described for an answer, rather than looking to their character sheet or their

Origin of the Ordning

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

among giant kinds reflecting a cultural or geographical distinction rather than an inherent one. They might live in bands composed of multiple giant kinds or family groups of a single kind. Or giants of

different kinds might not recognize each other as kindred at all. All these giants build a range of social structures in the same manifold ways other peoples do, without regard to an overarching ordning.

Eladrin

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

statue, or a glittering jewel. When they encounter people of comely form or luminous spirit, they use their magic to delight those folk or, in the case of evil eladrin, to abduct them. CHANGEABLE

stat block of the new season, rather than its old stat block. Any damage the eladrin sustained in its original form applies to the new form, as do any conditions or other ongoing effects affecting it.

Communication and Disposition

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

refusal to do so automatically prompts an attack. In such an attack, the lizardfolk’s first priority is the expulsion, rather than the death, of the intruders, but they fight to the death if provoked. Once

in cold weather might say, “This wind brings cold” rather than “I feel cold.” Lizardfolk tend to express concepts in terms of actions, rather than effects. Parley and Surrender The lizardfolk are

The Noble Knife

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

for the greater good. The organization doesn’t “take jobs” as such. Rather, its leadership assesses the moral and political landscape of the realm and selects targets thusly. The Noble Knife is named

faction, you’d almost never see two teams in the same place at the same time — unless they had been given opposite tasks for some reason. If that’s the case, get out of there quick, because whatever happens next isn’t going to be pleasant. — Omin Dran

30. Natural Cavern

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

30. Natural Cavern House Auvryndar keeps a large force stationed here in case the forces of House Freth launch an attack from level 11. This cavern provides most of the food that sustains House

Monster Manual). The flying spiders are giant spiders that have wings and a flying speed of 40 feet. They zip around the cavern and build web nests in the caps of zurkhwood mushrooms. The drow cut down

Droaam

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

Droaam are learning to work together and finding ways to use their supernatural gifts to help build and sustain society. A medusa might use its petrifying gaze to preserve the life of an injured ally

until medical attention can be obtained. Harpies in the taverns of Droaam use their hypnotic songs to entertain rather than to harm. When you bring creatures from Droaam into the campaign, consider how

Life in the Sensa Empire

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

and craftspeople to build social and professional connections, better their craft, and organize for improved labor conditions. Each city-state has its own chapter of the guild that pushes back when

. Historically, rather than a single imperial line controlling the throne, each empress or emperor selects an heir from among the eldest children of each city-state’s monarch. While no law prevents rulers

Fort Knucklebone

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

Knucklebones, serving as a garage where they build and repair infernal war machines. The Knucklebones answer to Mad Maggie, a night hag warlord who has an agreement with Zariel: the archduke of Avernus leaves

pushed in front of the entryway to seal it in case of attack. Within the rampart, surrounding the hill, are hovels made of junk and scrap metal. These quarters are mostly empty except for a few cots

A Note about Size

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

A Note about Size As described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, magic items meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. If your campaign features a lot of magic items made by

giants made magic items to be used exclusively by giants. In this case, giant-made items don't resize. Smaller creatures might be able to adapt these items in various ways. A giant-made ring can be

Mogis's Villains

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Mogis’s Villains Unquestionably, Mogis makes an excellent villain. His lust for bloodshed and willingness to fight all comers makes him easy to build a campaign around if you want a straightforward

associated with vicious monsters bent on wholesale destruction. He isn’t at all concerned with subtlety, but rather with creating mayhem. Adventures that bring characters into conflict with agents of

D&D Beyond

Search Results