certain respond glared to her rather

Mercion

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry

coming for you.” Flaw. “My friends would say I’m inflexible. The truth is, I like things done a certain way.” Combat Notes Mercion counts on her armor to protect her as she

Feral Tiefling

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

haven’t heard that rubbish before?” “I know you have.” When she glared at him, he added, “It’s not as if I’m plumbing the depths of your mind, dear girl. That

personality to any great degree. Years of dealing with mistrust does leave its mark on most tieflings, and they respond to it in different ways. Some choose to live up to the wicked stereotype, but others

Courtier

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

In your earlier days, you were a personage of some significance in a noble court or a bureaucratic organization. You might or might not come from an upper-class family; your talents, rather than the

(which could pertain to certain individuals in the group, such as your sponsor or mentor). Your ideal might be concerned with the prevailing philosophy of your court or organization. Guild

Priest of Osybus (Ectoplasmic)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they devoted themselves to the same Dark Powers with whom their master had communed. They were

revive with a benefit from the Boons of Undeath table. You can give a priest one or more of these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than

Priest of Osybus (Spectral)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

;that their immortality would fail them when they least expected it and that he himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they

the Boons of Undeath table. You can give a priest one or more of these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest

Priest of Osybus (Vampiric)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

and that he himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves

these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon

Priest of Osybus (Blazing)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they devoted themselves to the same Dark Powers with whom

so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon 1 Priest of Osybus (Dread);Dread. Eerie whispers can now be

Priest of Osybus (Deathly)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this curse, they

before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon 1 Priest of

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

ability and increases in potency with the passage of time. Or, the true nature of your inheritance might not be apparent at first and is revealed only when certain conditions are met. When you begin

your adventuring career, you can decide whether to tell your companions about your inheritance right away. Rather than attracting attention to yourself, you might want to keep your inheritance a secret

Priest of Osybus (Dread)

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

immortality would fail them when they least expected it and that he himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be

Boons of Undeath table. You can give a priest one or more of these boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can

Priest of Osybus

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

himself would become one of the Dark Powers. As a result of that curse, a priest of Osybus can’t be certain that they will be reborn when they perish. In an effort to rid themselves of this

boons of your choice before the priest faces adventurers. If you do so, the priest is Undead, rather than Humanoid, and a priest can receive each boon only once. Boons of Undeath d6 Boon

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

unmasked and killed. My revenge on the killers will be thorough and painful. 4 I spend as much time as I can in the Ismeri Library because I’m certain an information hub operates behind its

d6 Flaw 1 I like secrets so much that I’m reluctant to share details of a plan even with those who need to know. 2 I would let my friends die rather than reveal my true

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

spellcasting, forming spirals that reflect the mathematical perfection of nature. Suggested Characteristics The bizarre science of the Simic Combine attracts a certain type of personality and encompasses

Everything I do is an attempt to impress someone I love. Flaws d6 Flaw 1 I have a rather embarrassing mutation that I do everything I can to keep hidden. 2 I’m more

Verdan

Species Acquisitions Incorporated

. Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant

When a verdan character gains an ability score improvement at certain levels, that increase can be tied to a physical mutation at the player’s determination. A boost to Strength might be

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below

new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those

Ranger Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

grouse and whine about the hardships of the wild, rangers respond with some mixture of amusement, frustration, and compassion. But they quickly learn that other adventurers who can carry their own weight

a magical connection to nature through the necessity of surviving in the wilds. What’s the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of enemy? Did a monster kill someone you loved or

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of evil that calls for them to butcher or eradicate all who oppose them. In keeping with their goal of domination, the yuan-ti would rather capture potentially useful opponents than kill them. They use

royal family could poison a meal and declare it “safe” after taking a bite. There are legends of certain yuan-ti infiltrating human cities and forming deadly covert societies that sell

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

20th +6 Archdruid 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 SACRED PLANTS AND WOOD A druid holds certain plants to be sacred, particularly alder, ash

Yuan-ti Cities

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

yuan-ti content themselves with maintaining these ancient places rather than building new ones for their needs. Although these sites are hundreds or even thousands of years old, they don’t look or feel

or Large snake could pass through, allowing the yuan-ti’s serpentine pets, as well as abominations and malisons in snake form, to bypass human-style doors for convenience or in order to respond

Boromar Villains

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

Boromar Villains With few exceptions, Boromar villains shun violence and would prefer to bribe, deceive, or manipulate the characters rather than send a squad of goons to attack them. That said, any

of these villains and their minions will respond in kind if they are attacked or threatened. Examples of Boromar Clan villains appear on the Boromar Clan Villains table. Boromar Villains d6 Villain

Mount Makab

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

its form occupies the periphery of viewers’ attention no matter which direction they look. Mount Makab is not a natural feature, but rather part of a colossal, illithid-designed device. Its purposes

remain largely mysterious to outsiders, but one thing is certain: it amplifies psionic energy, allowing Bluetspur’s mind flayers to project their thoughts into other Domains of Dread.

Temple of the Immortal Lotus

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

Immortal Lotus. A gravel footpath extends up to the entrance of each structure. Clever characters can avoid certain encounters by moving through the forest rather than the clearing.

General Features

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Skant If the characters have Professor Skant with them, the professor orb can provide educational commentary on certain features found in the Caves of Hunger, as noted in the text, provided the orb

is in a position where it can view its surroundings. Psychic Hauntings The Caves of Hunger have a way of capturing and holding on to psychic trauma. In certain locations, the text will ask you to check

Alignment in the Multiverse (p. 122)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

part of the nature of celestials and fiends. Both types of creatures are associated with metaphysical planes of existence—specifically the Outer Planes—that embody certain alignments. For example

, most devils hail from the Nine Hells, a plane of lawful evil. A devil does not choose to be lawful evil or tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in its essence. If it somehow ceases to be lawful evil, it changes into something new—a transformation worthy of legend.

Plan Adventures

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

grow organically, rather than having all their elements set in stone from the get-go. From time to time, the characters’ decisions will require you to improvise and create new campaign elements on the

fly. For example, a new location might need to be developed to address the needs of the unfolding story, or certain NPCs might need fleshing out at a moment’s notice. Other parts of this book, such as

Communication and Disposition

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

refusal to do so automatically prompts an attack. In such an attack, the lizardfolk’s first priority is the expulsion, rather than the death, of the intruders, but they fight to the death if provoked. Once

to mount a mass attack against the party, the characters would be quickly overwhelmed. Your job here is to find a balance and respond to the party’s actions accordingly. If the characters try to

Assignments

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

. Your group’s patron might occasionally come to you and give you an assignment. This can be an easy way to get into an adventure. Of course, it’s up to you how you respond to your patron’s demands, and

you assignments or reward you for achieving certain objectives, but it doesn’t dictate your activities. Adventurers’ guilds, heads of state, immortal beings, inquisitive agencies, religious orders

Keeping Combat Moving

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

respond by putting things back to the way they were before. For example, if a character takes the Disengage action to move away from a group of monsters, don’t respond by having those same monsters

chase the character. Move the monsters somewhere else. Hasten a Monster’s Demise If a combat has gone on long enough and the characters’ victory is almost certain, you can simply have the monster drop

Otaaryliakkarnos

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

guidance, and should be shown Bahamut’s righteous way of living rather than ignored and treated as children. If the dragons refuse to engage the humanoids and focus only on their own advancement, the

all parties, but the dragons must be certain of the intentions of the factions and their leaders. Concession. Otaaryliakkarnos knows that the skin of her slain kin was used to make armor for the dwarf

Being Your Own Patron

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

Being Your Own Patron For certain kinds of organizations, you can either join an existing group or found your own. For some players, the idea of running a crime syndicate, inquisitive agency

to worry about; when you run your own mercenary company, for example, you need to stock your own armory rather than drawing on an existing organization’s stockpile. The organization brings in income

Roleplaying Vishtai

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

Roleplaying Vishtai Vishtai is Alden’s confidant and knows all about the situation with Daask. He hates bullies and pushes for Alden to try to rescue his son rather than to keep giving in to Daask’s

use has been modified in some way to reach Old Sharn. If the characters rescue Caden, Vishtai is certain that he and Alden can help them track down the kidnapper.

Otaaryliakkarnos

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

guidance, and should be shown Bahamut’s righteous way of living rather than ignored and treated as children. If the dragons refuse to engage the humanoids and focus only on their own advancement, the

parties, but the dragons must be certain of the intentions of the factions and their leaders. Concession. Otaaryliakkarnos knows that the skin of her slain kin was used to make armor for the dwarf

Appendix B: Death House

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

block their path. LEVEL ADVANCEMENT In this mini-adventure, the characters gain levels by accomplishing specific goals, rather than by slaying monsters. These milestones are as follows

: Characters who gain access to the secret stairs in the attic (area 21) advance to 2nd level. The stairs appear only under certain circumstances. Characters advance to 3rd level once they escape from the house (see the “Endings” section).

Ignoring the Dice

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

make an ability check to do so. This approach rewards creativity by encouraging players to look to the situation you’ve described for an answer, rather than looking to their character sheet or their

character’s special abilities. A downside is that no DM is completely neutral. A DM might come to favor certain players or approaches, or even work against good ideas if they send the game in a direction

The Signaling System

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

characters to make a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to determine how the system works — although certain facts are not written on the parchment. Alternatively, you can allow the

: Long–short–short–short: “Is it safe?” (The ship initiates the exchange with this signal.) Short–long–short–long: “Everything safe.” (The smugglers respond with this signal.) Long–long–long: “Ready to

D&D Beyond

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