build broad diffusing concept relies

Vedalken

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

external ears, their noses are broad and flat, and they are partially amphibious. Cool Rationality Despite being talkative, vedalken keep their personal lives private, and they tend to engage more

skilled at not displaying it. Cool rationality guides their actions, they make and follow careful plans, and they are patient enough to do nothing when the ideal outcome relies on such inaction

Tiefling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

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

empires on the foundation of conquest and trade. Whatever drives them, humans are the innovators, the achievers, and the pioneers of the worlds. A Broad Spectrum With their penchant for migration

Fighter Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, some on fighting with two weapons at once, and some on augmenting their martial skills with magic. This combination of broad general ability and extensive specialization makes fighters superior

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

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

elements that can tip the balance one way or the other. Goliaths happily rely on such benefits, but they are careful to remember that such an advantage can always be lost. A goliath who relies too

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

Cleric Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

spells relies on devotion and an intuitive sense of a deity’s wishes. Clerics combine the helpful magic of healing and inspiring their allies with spells that harm and hinder foes. They can

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

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language, passed down through generations, that

reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and then try to embody that concept. For some

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal language

, passed down through generations, that reflect their fiendish heritage. And some younger tieflings, striving to find a place in the world, adopt a name that signifies a virtue or other concept and

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

variety of skills as they do to perfecting their combat abilities, giving them a broad expertise that few other characters can match. Many rogues focus on stealth and deception, while others refine the

. 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

Warforged Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

and crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of a warforged vary based on the purpose for which it was

deeper meaning. The typical warforged has a sexless body shape. Some warforged ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity. The more a warforged develops its

Giff

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

Giff are tall, broad-shouldered folk with hippo-like features. Some have smooth skin, while others have short bristles on their faces and the tops of their heads. As beings of impressive size and

. 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 character’s class offers suggestions on which

Tiefling Names

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

Tiefling Names Tiefling names fall into three broad categories. Tieflings born into another culture typically have names reflective of that culture. Some have names derived from the Infernal

concept and then try to embody that concept. For some, the chosen name is a noble quest. For others, it’s a grim destiny. Male Infernal Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon

Battle Master Builds

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

combined with a fighting style and feats, allows you to create a broad range of fighters, each with its own flavor and play style. Below are recommendations for how you might build a Battle Master to

Using This Book

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

2 and 3. If you come across a game concept in part 1 that you don’t understand, consult the book’s index. Part 2 (chapters 7–9) details the rules of how to play the game, beyond the basics described

in this introduction. That part covers the kinds of die rolls you make to determine success or failure at the tasks your character attempts, and describes the three broad categories of activity in the

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

presence. Plenty of Bruisers have a criminal past, but former soldiers are often recruited into this role as well. Fighters and rogues make natural Bruisers. Burglar. Agile and nimble, the Burglar relies

Origin of the Ordning

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

the ordning in some mythic future. Giants on some worlds (including Eberron) have no concept of the ordning at all. Such giants might think of themselves as a single species, with the differences

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.

Foreward

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

hard part was deciding how exactly to do that. We faced an important decision early on in creating the concept for this campaign. In addition to the original 1985 adventure, there was a sequel released

in 2001 a novelization, a computer game, and a variety of supporting articles and mentions strewn across docens of books. We could build another sequel or simply reprint the original adventure with

It's Your World

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

, but they’re not the only set of assumptions that can do so. You can build an interesting campaign concept by altering one or more of those core assumptions, just as well-established D&D worlds have done

Intrigue

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

Intrigue Stories in the noir tradition tend to start slowly and build gradually as the mystery gets deeper and more convoluted, until the situation erupts in a climactic confrontation. In contrast to

the pulse-pounding action of a pulp adventure, noir typically relies on intrigue — in every sense of the word — to keep the protagonists engaged as they move deeper into the story. Setting the Stage

33. Doomcrown's Quarters

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

inches wide, 4 inches long, and 1 inch thick) and using them to build odd, tower-like structures resembling stalagmites. The endeavor has helped alleviate his boredom, even if he doesn’t know exactly why

flumph’s home — the Underdark — out of building blocks. The flumph knows that its longing to return home is affecting the hobgoblin’s behavior, but it relies on Doomcrown for protection. If the two

Welcome to Eberron

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

Eberron has a rich history built on heroic deeds, evolving magic, and the wounds of a long, devastating war. Action, adventure, good, evil, and a thousand shades of gray paint the landscape in broad

families controls much of the world’s economy thanks to the edge given them by the mysterious and rare dragonmarks. Its people harness magic as a tool—to build cities, to sail ships through the skies

Using This Source

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

’ travel from the great city of Waterdeep. A handful of small towns and outposts are scattered through the region, linked to more populous lands by ancient roads and the broad river. The heart of this

area, the Sumber Hills, has become the stronghold where the elemental cults build their bases of power. Chapter 3 begins the adventure in earnest. In this chapter, the characters learn that trouble

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

Vedalken

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

blue or violet. They lack external ears, their noses are broad and flat, and they are partially amphibious. Cool Rationality Despite being talkative, vedalken keep their personal lives private, and they

they are skilled at not displaying it. Cool rationality guides their actions, they make and follow careful plans, and they are patient enough to do nothing when the ideal outcome relies on such

Sloobludop

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

approach, a series of rickety towers can be seen, lashed together by rope and plank bridges set in haphazard patterns. Even above ground, the kuo-toa build in line with their three-dimensional aquatic

rocky shore of the waters of a broad cavern lake, with high fences of woven netting to the north and south of the village boundaries. Light. Sloobludop’s cavern is almost entirely dark except for a

Order of the Emerald Claw

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

. An Emerald Claw Arc The conflict between adventurers and the Order of the Emerald Claw might follow this broad outline. Levels 1–4. At low levels, the characters can clash with skeletons and zombies

under the Emerald Claw’s control. At the same time, they might build a relationship—professional or personal—with an Emerald Claw spy within the Morgrave University faculty, such as Dala Arand (see

Horror in Your Game

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

suspense and mystery with familiar features of D&D, creating gloom so your heroes’ light shines all the brighter. Genres of Horror. Horror comes in broad varieties. You and your players decide what

how to bring it to life through your adventures. Creating Atmosphere. Threatening traps and monsters alone don’t create exciting D&D adventures. This book provides techniques to help you build

Types of Hags

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

hag appear in chapter 3 of this book. Green hags inhabit dismal forests, swamps, and moors. A green hag’s body, whether broad, narrow, fat, or thin, is topped with a tangled mane of hair. A green hag

, and most are stout or have a medium build rather than being thin or emaciated. Night hags enjoy corrupting the dreams of good people, compromising the ideals of their victims to get them to

Points of Interest

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

allowed inside the gates without supervision. The mine is a broad shaft dug into a steep hillside near the shore. Stone walls encompass it, with two guard towers overlooking the main gate and three other

amounts of stone became available for building. The laborers also took the time to build a tavern, the Miner’s Respite, and spend their off hours there drinking, swapping tales, and gambling. The game

Rejecting the Ordning

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

same crafting skill. These efforts rarely have any lasting impact, but some have managed to upset the ordning at a local level for a few centuries. Because their sense of the ordning relies on physical

otherwise enjoy in the ordning. When giants join the cults of demon lords, they reject the entire concept of the ordning—the idea that there is any kind of order to the multiverse at all, which is the

Modifying a Class

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

, paladins might not swear their oaths to ideals, but instead swear fealty to powerful sorcerers. To capture this story concept, you could build a new paladin spell list with spells meant to protect

to help a player express a particular character concept, and any class feature you replace is also removing an aspect of that character. Substituting a class feature should be done only to fit a

The Revered Queen

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

innermost court — the wondrous realm that Gith discovered in her journeys, and where she awaits those who have proven themselves worthy. Imagine you lack any concept of family. You’re constantly told that

Vlaakith: she knows how to build fanatics. But alas, fanatics are good for nothing of lasting consequence. The Bitter Truth In the time since Vlaakith made this promise to her people, she has called

Greyhawk Conflicts

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

between adventurers and chromatic dragons might follow this broad outline: Levels 1–4. Consider introducing this conflict as the adventurers reach level 3 or 4, with the adventurers confronting an

elemental prince, or an elder god trapped in a dungeon; build a stronghold above or near the dungeon; drive other inhabitants out of the region; and use a special magic item or ritual to free

Creating Quick Monster Stats

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

Raise or lower the monster’s Armor Class, hit points, attack bonus, damage output per round, and save DC as you see fit, based on whatever concept you have in mind for the monster. For example, if you

by its damage output up or down by 1 for every 2 points of difference. If the monster relies more on effects with saving throws than on attacks, use the monster’s save DC instead of its attack bonus

Arbor Watchtower

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

god favors towers and hanging gardens that lift the verdant natural world up toward Nyx in her honor. In the Nessian Wood, Setessans build watchtowers that serve the dual purpose of military defense

enclosed portion with space for storage, food supplies, and kitchens. A broad balcony features gardens of trees, vines, and food-bearing plants. The third floor looks much like the second, but has barracks

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