building before death cities rules

Ranger

Classes Player’s Handbook

; or (B) 150 GP Far from bustling cities, amid the trees of trackless forests and across wide plains, Rangers keep their unending watch in the wilderness. Rangers learn to track their quarry as a

. Gain the Ranger’s level 1 features, which are listed in the Ranger Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots. Ranger Features

Wizard

Classes Player’s Handbook

pursue lives of crime or domination. But the lure of knowledge calls even the most unadventurous Wizards from the safety of their libraries and laboratories and into crumbling ruins and lost cities. Most

Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots. Wizard Features ——Spell Slots per Spell Level—— Level Proficiency Bonus

Night Blade

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

cause terrible pain and bleeding. Killers from the Shadows. Bhaal’s followers are cunning murderers who kill to strike fear and thrive on sowing terror in the cities they inhabit. They can call

rank are the death’s heads, who can take on the skull-faced guise of their deity to terrify their prey. In combat, they intimidate foes by shrugging off the deadliest attacks with ease, showing that resisting Bhaal’s schemes is futile.

Cultist (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the confines of an ice prison from which he cannot escape. Most of the cultists are Icewind Dale natives who would

have perished in the wilderness had Levistus not intervened on their behalf. The cultists’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death

Cult Fanatic (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.The Knights of the Black Sword are a secret society of cultists devoted to Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the

’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death, offering a second chance at life in exchange for their absolute devotion. After they

Ythryn Mythallar

Magic Items Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Weave that can be harnessed for various purposes. For example, Netherese mages used mythallars to keep their cities aloft and empower their magic items. The bigger the mythallar, the more magic it can

rest within 30 feet of it, meditating on the mythallar. Up to eight creatures can be attuned to it at one time; otherwise, the Ythryn mythallar follows the attunement rules in the Dungeon Master&rsquo

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

will: animate dead (as an action), blight, speak with dead 1 charge each: circle of death, finger of death 2 charges: power word killOrcus can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options

Tail or Necrotic Bolt attack. Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling necrotic energy 60 feet tall and

Golgari Agent

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

You are a member of a teeming horde — one small part of a sprawling organism. Just as you are part of the swarm, the swarm is part of a larger ecosystem, a never-ending cycle of life, death

Golgari, no fear of death or taboo about the dead, just a fierce affirmation of the cycle. Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival Tool Proficiencies: Poisoner’s kit Languages

Rahadin

Monsters Curse of Strahd

his attention to building Castle Ravenloft, Rahadin saw to it that wizards and artisans were brought to Barovia. Years later, Strahd appointed Rahadin his castle chamberlain. Rahadin was pleased to do

Tatyana's death and Strahd's curse. The ageless Patrina returned to Ravenloft in the hope of winning Strahd's love. This time, it was clear that Patrina craved Strahd's power and that Strahd would

Tlincalli

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

powerful hunter, such as a blue dragon, they carefully weigh whether to serve the superior hunter, move on, or fight to the death to remove it as competition. Tlincallis rarely build cities, make

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

with dead. Alternatively, he can expend 1 or more of the wand’s charges to cast one of the following spells from it: circle of death (1 charge), finger of death (1 charge), or power word kill (2

. A Taste of Undeath. Orcus casts chill touch (17th level). Creeping Death (Costs 2 Actions). Orcus chooses a point on the ground that he can see within 100 feet of him. A cylinder of swirling

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

test, and make new acquaintances. Life of a Tortle A tortle hatches from a thick-shelled egg and spends the first few weeks of its life crawling on all fours. Its parents, old and near death, spend

watch a frog croaking on a lily pad, or to stand in a crowded human marketplace. Tortles like to learn new skills. They craft their own tools and weapons, and they are good at building structures and

Shadar-kai

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Material Plane to forge their own destinies. Once shadar-kai were Fey like the rest of their elven kin; now they exist in a state between life and death, thanks to being transformed by the Shadowfell

race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth Tool Proficiencies: One

realizing the connection. You got the Guild to back off demands for your death by offering to make amends by working for the criminals, but even so the kingpin still plots a personal revenge. 2 The

Giff Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

of giff society is organized along military lines. From birth until death, every giff has a military rank. It must follow orders from those of superior rank, and it can give orders to those of lower

building a bomb big enough to level a fortification. They gladly accept payment in kegs of gunpowder in preference to gold, gems, or other currency. No Honor in Magic. Some giff become wizards

Urchin Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

, and a pouch containing 10 gp FEATURE: CITY SECRETS You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you

. (Lawful) 3 Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic) 4 Retribution. The rich need to be shown what life and death

Rak Tulkhesh

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

death until the children of Eberron and Siberys rose up against them. Armies of dragons fought against the fiends of Khyber. And though the overlords couldn't be destroyed, the couatl sacrificed

can't die permanently. Upon its death, it reforms elsewhere in the multiverse and becomes active again at a time set by the DM. Rak Tulkhesh Called the Rage of War, Rak Tulkhesh is the incarnation of

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp FEATURE: CITY SECRETS You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and

) 3 Change. The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things. (Chaotic) 4 Retribution. The rich need to be shown what life and death are like in

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

at the burned-out building, a sudden cacophony erupted around us. Birds squawked, cats hissed, and dogs growled. Lidda hustled us back to the city’s safer avenues. Only when we were back within

the area patrolled by the guard did she explain that the noises indicated that the wingless folk had claimed that area, and that to trespass would be to court death. — Gimble, Notes from a

Archaeologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

practice archaeology travel to the far corners of the world to root through crumbled cities and lost dungeons, digging in search of artifacts that might tell the stories of monarchs and high priests, wars

Preservation. That artifact belongs in a museum. (Good) 2 Greed. I won’t risk my life for nothing. I expect some kind of payment. (Any) 3 Death Wish. Nothing is more

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

(except for those few who seek undeath or divine ascension to escape death’s clutches) they achieve it by ensuring that they will be remembered when they are gone. Although some humans can be

Topaz Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

creations are ultimately doomed to death and decomposition, and the dragons’ demeanor is typically morbid and curmudgeonly as a result. Gleaming Gold Upon hatching, topaz dragon wyrmlings&rsquo

, but the dragon is too proud to ask for help getting home. 6 A topaz dragon is building a tableau of desiccated creatures and has grown obsessed with catching one treasure hunter who escaped the

Young Topaz Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

the necrotic energy of the Negative Plane that suffuses them. Their psionic power manifests the fundamental entropic principle that mortal beings and their creations are ultimately doomed to death and

to ask for help getting home. 6 A topaz dragon is building a tableau of desiccated creatures and has grown obsessed with catching one treasure hunter who escaped the dragon’s clutches

Ancient Deep Dragon Legacy

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

, they use local settlements—and any competent visitors—as pawns in their struggle. 4 An ancient deep dragon has put the folk of a city to work building the dragon a metropolis to rule

alliances or enmities. Their lairs are highly individual. Some are woven from networks of living fungus. Others are built upon the ruins of ancient cities or carved into caves near underground lakes. Deep

Noteworthy Features

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

family died of the plague. Mademoiselle Jacqueline Renier, the nation’s most prestigious aristocrat, rules as temporary warden. When the plague swells to epidemic proportions, the state police, the

Casques Silencieux, enacts martial law and quarantines whole cities. The government organizes no food or medical aid for quarantined communities, leaving residents to contend as best they can. Richemulot’s

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

mock folk who rely on society’s structures or rules to maintain power. Survival of the Fittest Among goliaths, any adult who can’t contribute to the tribe is expelled. A lone goliath has

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

Encounter Building

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

Encounter Building This section introduces new guidelines on building combat encounters for an adventure. They are an alternative to the rules in “Creating Encounters” in chapter 3 of the Dungeon

Master’s Guide. This approach uses the same math that underlies the rules presented in that book, but it makes a few adjustments to the way that math is presented to produce a more flexible system. This

Settlements (Towns, Villages, Cities)

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

Settlements (Towns, Villages, Cities) A village, town, or city makes an excellent backdrop for an adventure. The adventurers might be called on to track down a criminal who’s gone into hiding, solve

a murder, take out a gang of wererats or doppelgangers, or protect a settlement under siege. When creating a settlement for your campaign, focus on the locations that are most relevant to the adventure. Don’t worry about naming every street and identifying the inhabitants of every building.

Mapping a Settlement

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

Mapping a Settlement When you draw a map for a settlement in your game, don’t worry about the placement of every building, and concentrate instead on the major features. For a village, sketch out

places in the village, mark those spots on your map. For towns and cities, note major roads and waterways as well as surrounding terrain. Outline the walls and mark the locations of features you know will

Scaling Lethality

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

your players agree to avoid character death in your game, you might consider an alternative: a character who would otherwise die is instead “defeated.” The following rules apply to a defeated character

Scaling Lethality You can adjust the lethality of your campaign using the encounter-building guidelines in chapter 4. If your players enjoy games that test their characters to the utmost and are

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

gather and celebrate, dwell the followers of Yurtrus, the god of disease and death, and Shargaas, the god of darkness and the unknown. Orcs too weak for battle (because of bodily weakness, malformation

, injury, or age) often join these cults instead of facing daily humiliation, exile, or death. Serving as the bridge between the two parts of the tribe are the priestesses of Luthic, the orc goddess who

Death House Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

the characters arrive. The cultists take oil lamps into the ritual chamber (area D38) when they gather there. The Mists When the characters enter Death House, the Mists surround the building and prevent

Death House Features The locations in Death House have the following features. Ceilings Ceilings vary in height by floor. The first floor has 10-foot-high ceilings, the second floor has 12-foot-high

Session Zero

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

run a special session—colloquially called session zero—to establish expectations, outline the terms of a social contract, and share house rules. Making and sticking to these rules can help ensure

that the game is a fun experience for everyone involved. Often a session zero includes building characters together. As the DM, you can help players during the character creation process by advising them to select options that will serve the adventure or campaign that awaits.

General Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver

General Features Many of Thundertree’s buildings have crumbled in the years since the town was abandoned, even as nature threatens to swallow what remains. Buildings. A building in Thundertree is

terrain (see “Difficult Terrain” in the Basic Rules). Intact buildings are rundown, ramshackle stone cottages that are otherwise still standing. Their wooden doors are swollen and require a successful

Moonstalker Guildhall

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

descend a stone staircase to the guildhall’s crescent antechamber. Wanewort has also created four magical doors that connect to other cities during different phases of the moon. Each leads to a Moonstalker-owned building in that city.

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