build before dread could relatively

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Shadar-kai are the elves of the Shadowfell, originally drawn to that dread realm by the Raven Queen. Over the centuries, some of them have continued to serve her, while others have ventured into the

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

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

combatants on battlefields and in dungeons alike. Trained for Danger Not every member of the city watch, the village militia, or the queen’s army is a fighter. Most of these troops are relatively

Fighter As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife

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

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

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

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

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

provoke awe and dread, lay curses of plague or poison, and even call down flames from heaven to consume their enemies. For those evildoers who will benefit most from a mace to the head, clerics depend on

a troublemaker? What are your ultimate goals? Does your deity have a special task in mind for you? Or are you striving to prove yourself worthy of a great quest? QUICK BUILD You can make a cleric

Monk Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

important mission beyond the cloister? Perhaps you were cast out because of some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to

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

Variety in All Things

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

settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they 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

Variety in All Things

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

settled. When they settle, though, they stay: they 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

The Dark Powers

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

The Dark Powers Unfathomable, hidden forces manipulate life, death, and reality within Ravenloft. These mysterious, deathless beings are the architects of the Domains of Dread, and have secreted

hint at ways to escape the Domains of Dread. Consider the following possibilities when developing your perspective on the Dark Powers: Amoral Guardians. The Dark Powers are a group of powerful beings

Prepare to Be Scared

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

rules every time something frightening occurs, but your group might use them as a way to highlight individual fears and build an adventure’s overarching sense of dread. FROM THE MISTS OR BEYOND

atmosphere of the adventure. Don’t consider fear a tactical disadvantage or something to be avoided. As part of playing a frightening game, you’re a participant in building and reinforcing a sense of dread

Notorious Monsters

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

Notorious Monsters Every monster tells a story. The more you treat monsters as unique individuals and foreshadow their threat, the larger they’ll loom in characters’ minds. Build dread by giving

Using an Overarching Story

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

Nine Dread Princes reside, with each of these dungeons stocked with enough monsters and hazards to advance the adventurers two or three levels. The adventurers spend their whole careers fighting the

Nine Dread Princes before finally pursuing an epic quest to destroy the princes’ monstrous progenitor. As long as every dungeon is unique and interesting, your players will appreciate the tight focus

Life in the Domains of Dread

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

Life in the Domains of Dread The realities of the Domains of Dread seem strange or impossible to individuals from other worlds, but for those who live among the Mists, they’re facts of life. With no

Dread, some more pervasively than others. The same language spoken in multiple domains might bear subtle differences or unique words. Speakers from different domains might also have distinct accents

Creating a Monk

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

some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to accomplish outside the monastery? Are you eager to return to your home? As a

result of the structured life of a monastic community and the discipline required to harness ki, monks are almost always lawful in alignment. Quick Build You can make a monk quickly by following these

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

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

fortune through such questionable means. Allies. The academic world is relatively small, and people at any one university tend to have connections at others. You might parlay such relationships into

Small and Practical

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

relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. They are inclined to be stout, weighing between 40 and 45 pounds

, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of halfling

The Dead Three

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

place in Baldurians’ fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result, their numbers remain

relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities’ ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down

The Dead Three

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

place in Baldurians’ fears, their faiths currently have only the shallowest roots in the city. Followers of the Dead Three have done more to incite dread than faith. As a result, their numbers remain

relatively small. Their sinister reputations outstrip their actual influence, though, with gossip spreading quickly whenever the deities’ ominous symbols appear in graffiti or the Flaming Fist cracks down

People of Akros

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

the vast majority of Akros’s population, the serfs largely reside outside the protection of the Kolophon, laboring to grow the staple crops that support Akros’s citizens and its trade. A relatively

small number of serfs are skilled artisans who manage to build a more prosperous life for themselves with their crafts. But even these wealthier serfs can’t own the land they live on, and they enjoy few

Glory of the Giants

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

, and the relatively small stature of present-day humans is a mark of their degeneracy. Others imagine remote realms—cloud castles or lost continents—where Brobdingnagian people dwell, set apart from

ideas about giants’ organizations and societies. Chapter 3 presents tools to help Dungeon Masters build encounters, adventures, and whole campaigns around giants. The chapter includes tables you can

Horror Atmosphere

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

Horror Atmosphere Atmosphere is the overall mood of your game. It’s the sense of levity, excitement, or dread that stems from a story’s content and players’ perception of it. Atmosphere can be

challenging to build and easy to disrupt, but any D&D game—particularly scary games—benefit from your work to cultivate an atmosphere consistent with the experience you’re trying to create. Consider the

Battle Balloon

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

Battle Balloon Through the winter clouds that surround the castle on this desolate hill, you see a shape emerge. Something so gigantic, you can’t believe it can actually fly. Airships are relatively

the Dragon has been seen with flying ships of its own. Still, among the small number of factions and organizations known to possess or build airships, Acquisitions Incorporated might be the best known

Renown

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

Master of the Wild Lioncrown Dread Lord Benefits of Renown The benefits of increasing renown within an organization can include rank and authority, friendly attitudes from members of the organization

network that seeks to expand its influence and power throughout the Forgotten Realms. The public face of the Black Network appears relatively benign. It offers the best and cheapest goods and services

Waterdeep

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

neighborhood of many winding streets, where folk are comfortable making deals that might in other places provoke the displeasure of the law. Field Ward. Of relatively recent vintage, the Field Ward stands

city. North Ward. Home to many noble villas, townhouses, and a great many inns, North Ward is the neighborhood of the respectably wealthy. Sea Ward. Those whose fortunes are on the rise build their

The Knucklebones Gang

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

build, fix, and drive infernal machines. At some point during their visit, the characters see the kenku angrily hammering on a nonfunctional Demon Grinder. It isn’t working, and they can’t figure out

Infernal War Machines Fort Knucklebone contains the hulks of infernal war machines in varying states of disrepair and cannibalization. Of the lot, two appear relatively intact. The smaller one is a Devil’s

E: Wakenreth

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

relatively intact lower levels, but as it climbs toward its eighty-foot height, the upper levels deteriorate. Rather than falling, the crumbling stone hangs in the air, the tower’s disintegration frozen

source of magic to the north. He asks the characters to escort him there, not knowing the location is Dread Wolf Cove (area J on map 5.1). If they do, he promises to reward them with whatever they find there and a future favor.

Roleplaying a Giant

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

overt displays of it. 6 Ancient dragons fill me with dread. My knees grow weak in their presence. Cloud Giants Cloud giants are aptly named, or at least were at one time. Few of them live literally on

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

Haven Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

in this area. The furniture here is of similar construction to that seen in area H3, surviving for centuries in the relatively dry environment of the haven but eventually succumbing to rot. The room is

invoke all of the princess’s names: Nintra Siotta, the Princess of the Shadow Glass, Lady of Dread Omens, and Seeker of the Three Crowns. The marked character must use the parchment and ink found in the

Getting Around

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

few wealthy estates. Upper Dura Hope’s Peak A relatively new temple district, with shrines and churches that have relocated from Fallen in Lower Dura. Hope’s Peak includes several monasteries and a

Northedge Holdfast Holdfast is the heart of Sharn’s native dwarf population. The ancestors of the Holdfast dwarves helped build Sharn, and many of its people are stonemasons, architects, and smiths. Holdfast

Ascendant Factions

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

destruction. Trees must be felled and stone cut to build a house, and the house must eventually burn, rot, or wither away. The highest-ranking Doomguard members aside from the factol are the doom lords, who

state of superior being. Factol Saladryn (neutral, elf archmage) guides the relatively young faction. She rarely sojourns beyond Sigil anymore, sacrificing her own journey of personal discovery to lead

Tier 1 Locations

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves

to humans conscripted to help the githyanki build and maintain the gardens. The yuan-ti were humans themselves only a few years ago, when Ginder Nanik in Arborean Springs hired them to scout the

figure, pointing a withered finger as four githyanki depart from her presence, their heads dropped in shame. In this shrine, the githyanki paid penitent homage to Vlaakith, the dread githyanki ruler they

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