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Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

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

bandits, raiders, spies, and criminals. In some cases, such a network might grow large enough that minions in the lower ranks are ignorant of their leader’s true nature. Fog giants who amass

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

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

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

Wearing and Wielding Items

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

, hats and helmets on a head, and rings on a finger. Magic armor must be donned, a Shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a magic item

that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Multiple Items of the Same

Wearing and Wielding Items

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

hands, hats and helmets on the head, and rings on the finger. Magic armor must be donned, a shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a

magic item that's meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare

Wearing and Wielding Items

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

, hats and helmets on a head, and rings on a finger. Magic armor must be donned, a Shield strapped to the arm, a cloak fastened about the shoulders. A weapon must be held. In most cases, a magic item

that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Multiple Items of the Same

Tracking Time

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

bandit ambush interrupts their journey. The exploration rules in the Player’s Handbook give guidelines for determining travel time based on the characters’ pace. In most cases, it’s fine to estimate

that time rather than calculating it down to the minute. Exceptions include situations like these: Spell Timer. The characters might need to go somewhere or accomplish something before the duration of a

Pharika's Influence

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

, whether that phenomenon takes the form of a disease, a venom, a drug, or the passage of years. Her cures are reliable but come at a cost. In some cases, that cost is pain as the medicine courses

through the imbiber’s body. In other cases, she demands years of life, either from the patient’s lifetime or the researcher’s labor. In her oversight of life and death, Pharika acts as a patron of

Wearing and Wielding Items

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

cases, a magic item that’s meant to be worn can fit a creature regardless of size or build. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they magically adjust themselves to the wearer. Rare

Right and Wrong

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

Right and Wrong Even the most heroic heroes sometimes fall short. And in many cases, adventurers aren’t even within longbow range of “virtuous” in their motivations. As such, what the characters fail

to do, do poorly, or do wrongly can be just as important as what they accomplish. Don’t let failure and setbacks derail an adventure or a campaign. Rather, look for ways that failure or partial

Ability Checks

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

used for. The Ability Checks table summarizes that material for easy reference. Multiple Ability Checks Sometimes a character fails an ability check and wants to try again. In some cases, a character is

successful one. In other cases, failing an ability check makes it impossible to make the same check to do the same thing again. For example, a rogue might try to trick a town guard into thinking the

Keeper Societies

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

don’t reveal themselves to those not of their kind. Rather, they infiltrate Keeper societies as reclusive members, traveling experts, or foreign scholars. Some Keepers also tell of sightings or

organization, incorporating members who operate alone or in small groups, as well as elite social clubs or secretive societies. In all cases, Keepers identify each other by the Mark of the Raven, a sunburst

Caregiver

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer

crawl. If every player wants to get in on the companion action, it’s simpler for the characters to take turns as a creature’s caregiver, rather than running around adventuring with a menagerie. For

cases where a caregiver and their companion are physically separated, such as when a companion is captured, the GM might wish to take control of the companion to keep the player in suspense about the

Crimes and Punishment

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

. Justice in such cases is geared toward their benefit rather than toward avenging the individual whose life was ended. Punishment for the murderer depends to some extent on the nature of the crime and

Able Scavengers

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

are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation where the townsfolk would try to

hatred of gnomes, city kobolds often go out of their way to target gnomes’ houses and shops. Even in such cases, the kobolds’ fear of retaliation usually prevents them from trying to directly harm

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.

Siberys Dragonmarks

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

rather than species options. These feats belong to a special category, Dragonmark feats. Dragonmark magic works a little differently than before: now you can use any spell slots you have to cast the

spells your dragonmark grants you. In a few cases, this change called for adjustments to the Spells of the Mark feature of a dragonmark; see the “Dragonmark Feats” section of this chapter. In

Purphoros's Villains

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

rise to deadly rivalries. Resistance to lawful authority can become tyranny of another sort. And when passions become inflamed, giving in to them can lead to tragedy rather than triumph. Purphoros’s

general hands-off attitude toward his champions means that groups of his followers could easily find themselves on opposite sides in a conflict, and in extreme cases Purphoros himself sends heroes to

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

Build Your Group

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

Build Your Group Naturally, a large portion of the Boromar Clan’s members come from a criminal background. There’s no reason characters with other backgrounds can’t be part of the syndicate, though

secret doors. Many Safecrackers also boast a high Strength for those cases where lockpicks fail. Safecrackers often come from criminal backgrounds, but characters with experience using other tools and

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

Fire Snake

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

emerges as a fire snake. A fire snake matures into a salamander adult within a year. Enslaved by the Efreet. Long ago, the efreet hired azer to build the fabled City of Brass, but then failed in

salamanders dedicated to the cults of Elemental Evil, they slay them rather than enslaving them. Domineering Nobles. Although salamanders follow the destructive impulses of their fiery nature

The Attack

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

. Three-sided battles can sometimes take longer because of the number of combatants participating. Use your discretion as the DM to have the excitement of the battle build up rather than fizzle out

recover and regroup. Encourage tactical thinking. If one of the sides of the battle consists of savage monsters or mindless undead, give clues that they attack the nearest enemy rather than thinking

NPC Stat Blocks

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

can build the NPC as you would a player character, as discussed in the Player’s Handbook. If you decide to build an NPC the same way you build a player character, you can skip choosing a background and

affect a monster’s challenge rating are listed in the Monster Features table. The NPC’s proficiency bonus is determined by its level, just like a character, rather than by its challenge rating. If the

The Rank and File

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

devil has a unique name to ensure that no cases of mistaken identity occur when a devil is called to account for its actions. A devil’s form usually corresponds to its status, but circumstances can

ranks. A devil of a higher rank can potentially compel those beneath it to obey its orders, but it must still abide by the law when exercising its authority. In most cases, a devil can demand the

Lyrandar Airship

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

Works A standard airship (at least as far as standards have been defined for this relatively new creation) looks similar to an oceangoing ship but is rigged with control fins and rudders rather than

smaller stations, in open terrain, or in cases of dire emergency. A typical airship can reach a speed of 20 miles per hour in clear skies carrying up to 30 tons of cargo. Airships are most often

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