causing received groups to her rarely

Lampad

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

Lampads guard the shadowed paths of the world, depths typically trod by souls destined for the Underworld. These rarely seen nymphs assist Athreos in guiding the dead, moving among the spirits that

mind the cycles of nature, the daily interplay of wild animals, or other cosmic forces. Occasionally, though, groups of the same kind of nymphs congregate in a place of natural power or beauty. In times

Green Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

responsibilities, such as leading large groups, assassinating targets, and serving in armies. In all cases, abishais are fanatically loyal to Tiamat, ready to lay down their lives if needed. Abishais stand

work for them, but most archdevils do so rarely, since it is never clear whether an abishai follows Tiamat’s orders or Asmodeus’s. There is inherent risk in countermanding an order given by

Black Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

and across the multiverse. Some have simple tasks, such as delivering a message to cultists. Others have greater responsibilities, such as leading large groups, assassinating targets, and serving in

and ultimately answering to Tiamat (and Asmodeus, when he chooses to use them). Other archdevils can command abishais to work for them, but most archdevils do so rarely, since it is never clear

Blue Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

delivering a message to cultists. Others have greater responsibilities, such as leading large groups, assassinating targets, and serving in armies. In all cases, abishais are fanatically loyal to Tiamat

chooses to use them). Other archdevils can command abishais to work for them, but most archdevils do so rarely, since it is never clear whether an abishai follows Tiamat’s orders or Asmodeus&rsquo

Vargouille

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

or a dretch, fears vargouilles only if they appear in great numbers. In the Lower Planes, vargouilles rarely get the chance to eat live prey other than vermin. More often, they lap up the ichor left

vargouille along for the ride, attached like a tick. The precautions a mortal takes to control a summoned demon rarely account for a stowaway, enabling the vargouille to escape into the world. Vargouilles

Returned Sentry

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

tirelessness, which makes them exceptional guards. In the necropoleis, this sees many Returned employed as sentries, though they might also be messengers or laborers. If threatened, groups of these Returned

second lives are rarely what they expected—not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax (see chapter 4), the Returned lose their identities

White Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

groups, assassinating targets, and serving in armies. In all cases, abishais are fanatically loyal to Tiamat, ready to lay down their lives if needed. Abishais stand outside the normal hierarchy of the

do so rarely, since it is never clear whether an abishai follows Tiamat’s orders or Asmodeus’s. There is inherent risk in countermanding an order given by Tiamat, but interfering with

Dire Troll

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

on a successful one.Trolls kill and eat almost anything—including, in rare cases, other trolls. This cannibalism has the effect of causing a troll to grow to an unusually large size. The

shaped by the ritual magic of evil spellcasters or by trolls’ own practices, as is the case for dire trolls. Vaprak the Destroyer Although trolls are rarely devout and seldom ponder spiritual

Marine

Backgrounds Ghosts of Saltmarsh

, marines tend to operate best in groups, valuing camaraderie and the companionship of like-minded individuals. D8 PERSONALITY TRAIT 1 I speak rarely but mean every word I say

who rarely lose composure on the battlefield. Marines who leave the service tend to work as mercenaries, but their combat experience also makes them excellent adventurers. Though they are self-reliant

Red Abishai

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Some have simple tasks, such as delivering a message to cultists. Others have greater responsibilities, such as leading large groups, assassinating targets, and serving in armies. In all cases

to Tiamat (and Asmodeus, when he chooses to use them). Other archdevils can command abishais to work for them, but most archdevils do so rarely, since it is never clear whether an abishai follows

Ulitharid

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, plane shift (self only), project image, scrying, telekinesisVery rarely, when a tadpole from the brine pool of an elder brain is implanted into a creature, that creature transforms into an ulitharid

are then planted in the ulitharid’s corpse, causing it to dissolve into ichor. This psionically potent slime helps to fuel the transformation of the area into a brine pool for the embryonic elder brain.

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century. Variety in All Things Humans are the most

, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. Human Names and Ethnicities Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents

Bard Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

, ensuring that her companions’ words will be well received. Whether scholar, skald, or scoundrel, a bard weaves magic through words and music to inspire allies, demoralize foes, manipulate minds

set bards apart from their fellows. Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long, and their natural desire to travel—to find new tales to tell, new skills to learn, and new discoveries

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

. Gang Mentality Since bugbears aren’t a particularly fecund race, their overall population is small and spread over a wide area. Bugbears live in family groups that operate much like gangs. The

terrifying to them as bugbears are in the eyes of many other races. His name is rarely spoken, and never above a whisper. Skiggaret’s influence manifests at times when bugbears are forced to act

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

groups called flocks. A flock is led by the oldest and most experienced kenku with the widest store of knowledge to draw on, often called Master. Although kenku can’t create new things, they have

city, alerting their allies to the approach of a guard patrol or signaling a prime opportunity for a robbery. Since kenku can precisely reproduce any sound, the messages they carry rarely suffer

Falling Star

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

Falling Star After the characters have a moment to process the memories they’ve received, they witness the foretold falling star. Read or paraphrase the following text: Your surroundings momentarily

brighten as a brilliant light streaks across the heavens and plummets to the earth. As the falling star lands in the mountains ahead, a distant rumble accompanies the impact, causing flocks of birds

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country. Adventuring

, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct

Recent Events

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

clandestine deals. The pirates grumbled about the poor treatment they received, but they issued no ultimatums to alter the arrangements. Although the two groups had their differences, the clerics never

Darcalus Rex

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

Darcalus Rex During her annual midnight submergence in the deepest of Nevuchar Springs’s miraculous baths, Cardinna Artazas—the community’s thrice-reincarnated elder mystic—received an apocalyptic

manipulation, Cardinna summoned the spirit of Darcalus Rex, the tyrannical wizard-king who ruled prior to Azalin. Cardinna’s magic worked, causing a mysterious entity to inhabit her order’s sacred pools

Loviatar

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

their victims. She is favored by sadists and masochists, and some of her followers form cultish cells of secret adherents. Each of these groups is led by someone who takes pleasure in administering pain

and dominating others, supported and backed up by a number of submissive sycophants. Worshipers of Loviatar rarely gather in numbers except in the more populous cities. When small cadres of faithful

Gibbet Crossing

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

mind flayers attacked the area long ago, the groups didn’t fight alongside one another and were individually annihilated. Only monsters live in the crossroads region today. Humanoids rarely travel

security in exchange for inclusion in svirfneblin trade contracts, while the drow simultaneously negotiated fair prices for duergar goods. Tensions between the three groups were always present. When

Ideal Minions

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

Ideal Minions Kenku gather in groups called flocks. A flock is led by the oldest and most experienced kenku with the widest store of knowledge to draw on, often called Master. Although kenku can’t

rarely suffer degradation or shifts in meaning. Human messengers might switch words or phrases and garble a message inadvertently, but the kenku produce perfect copies of whatever they hear.

Goat Check

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

a large group of people could prove dangerous to them. The goats, however, panic at the sight of these large predators, causing them to flee in every direction. The characters must do everything in

could make from the merchant. They can split up and each go after one of the groups of goats that split off. That means, however, that half the group must fight one wyvern, and the other half must fight the other, and they are 3000 feet away from each other, likely unable to help each other.

Animal Lord

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

animal lords make their homes in the Beastlands, but they occasionally journey to the Feywild or other idyllic realms. They rarely travel to the Material Plane, making exceptions only when a world

lords can summon spectral animals, channel spiritual energy, and exhibit powers associated with one of three broad groups: foragers, hunters, or sages. These powers are tied to an animal lord’s

Elves

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

, they have deep bonds with the sea and all life within. Both groups of sea elves are rarely seen by the peoples of Ansalon and keep to their own aquatic communities. Though sea elves are exceptionally

years ago, the Kinslayer War divided the high elves of Ansalon into two groups, Silvanesti in the east and Qualinesti in the west. Through the intervening millennia, neither group has sought

Blood Will Tell

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

anger and inclined to lash out at those who treat them unfairly. Having grown up among orcs or under the shadow of their heritage, half-orcs rarely have experience with pleasant society, and they often

come off as coarse, blunt, or rude in dealings with other people. With the directness of an orc, they speak their minds with no apparent concern for how their opinions are received. No matter where

Quest: Chaos Unfurls

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Heroes of the Borderlands

Quest: Chaos Unfurls Once Toryn learns the characters are adventurers, she tries to hire them. Read the following aloud: “I recently received a shipment of tempestuous magical scrolls. I need them

character bullies a scroll, causing it to flee into a case. Case Closed If the characters encase all the scrolls, Toryn pays them 20 GP as promised. If the scrolls knock out all the characters, Toryn

Sarlona's Influence in Khorvaire

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

during the Last War. Karrnath relied on Riedran aid to survive a wave of terrible famines, and Aundair also received support from Riedra. King Sebastes of Q’barra has used Riedran troops to maintain

order in Newthrone. Riedrans rarely appear on the streets of Khorvaire, but Inspired ambassadors attend every court. Although the Inspired present themselves as generous and kind, a darker force followed

Wizardly Groups

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

Wizardly Groups Many wizardly groups exist in the Forgotten Realms, but two, in particular, stand out. The Red Wizards The most infamous group of wizards in the Realms are the Red Wizards of Thay

wealth that can flow back to Thay. The power the Red Wizards hold in Thay gives them a measure of diplomatic legitimacy in the lands of the Sword Coast and the North, but their presence is rarely welcome

Vargouille

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

vargouilles only if they appear in great numbers. In the Lower Planes, vargouilles rarely get the chance to eat live prey other than vermin. More often, they lap up the ichor left behind when one Fiend kills

, attached like a tick. The precautions a mortal takes to control a summoned demon rarely account for a stowaway, enabling the vargouille to escape into the world. Vargouilles that roam free on the

Inside the Swarm

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

Jarad’s sister, Savra, took control of the guild before him. Various groups of people and monsters coexist within the swarm, their relative power waxing and waning with the years, and through it all

, the guild goes on. The three most important power groups within the Golgari are the Devkarin elves, the medusas (also called gorgons in Ravnica), and the insectile kraul. Jarad is an undead

Action!

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

market, sending things flying. 3 A vehicle crashes near the party: people are hurt and need help, and whatever caused the crash is still around somewhere. 4 Two groups of people start fighting each other

, blood is drawn, and bystanders are getting hurt. 5 Chanting words of the Draconic Prophecy, a dragon appears and starts causing mayhem. 6 A tavern patron suddenly leaps up and attacks one of the

Adjusting for Party Level

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

. Conversely, increase the challenge for groups with more than four characters, with characters higher than 8th level, or that revisit the keep over multiple sessions. Decreasing the Challenge If

know his plan and inform the characters of it. If the characters can’t free the spirits in 3 hours, the new ritual fails disastrously, causing the entire castle to collapse. More Behirs. The behir has

Ettercap

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

groups alongside giant spiders and mundane spider swarms. Ettercaps frequently overhunt their environment. Left unchecked, ettercaps might fill whole woodlands with their webs and the cocooned

sprites. They rarely devour other sapient creatures swiftly, preferring to cocoon their captives and terrorize them for days. Ettercaps avoid fire, which can quickly burn through their webs and the dead

Wilderness Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a1

Goblin), once patrolled the area around the ravine to rob passersby. But now, with the Old Road having fallen out of use, the goblins rarely pay much attention to this entrance anymore. Also, a tribe

of kobolds has recently moved in to challenge the goblins’ ownership of the fortress. Both groups are skirmishing as they vie for control, and they’re not overly concerned about the possibility of

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