collective role great to have recluse

Uthgardt Shaman

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

resentful of most kinds of magic. Seldom do they choose to become shamans. Instead, the role is thrust upon those who are born with a strong connection to the spirit world. To be a shaman is to stand

Wolf: beast sense (wolf or dire wolf only), moonbeam, speak with animals (wolf or dire wolf only) Great Worm: crusader's mantle, hypnotic pattern Griffon: beast sense (birds only), fly Red Tiger

Malaxxix

Monsters The Book of Many Things

patrols the vilest swaths of the multiverse from atop its unholy vehicle, the Unborn Palanquin. This shambling collective is made up of thousands of mezzoloths devoted to their liege, who roams the Lower

Planes as a tyrannical marauder. Roleplaying Malaxxix Malaxxix is a being of great cunning, terrible rage, and insatiable bloodlust who regards any opportunity to inflict misery on others as

Mark of Healing Halfling

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

, Karrnath) The Healer’s Guild provides a vital service to Khorvaire, and the Last War ensured there was great need for healers. The leader of the guild, Baron Ulara d’Jorasco, is much

beloved in northwestern Khorvaire for her instrumental role in combating an epidemic in that region a decade ago, and Jorasco medics served in every nation’s army during the war. The guild runs

Ki-rin

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Outer Planes, ki-rins in service to benevolent deities take a direct role in the eternal struggle between good and evil. In the mortal world, ki-rins are celebrated far and wide as harbingers of destiny

of evil. Having one horn is most common, but a particularly fierce ki-rin might have two horns or a set of antlers like those of a great stag. In many lands, common folk view ki-rins as heralds of

Waterdhavian Noble

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You are a scion of one of the great noble families of Waterdeep. Human families who jealously guard their privilege and place in the City of Splendors, Waterdhavian nobles have a reputation across

family alone, or it could be concerned with another noble house that sides with or opposes your own. Your ideal depends to some extent on how you view your role in the family, and how you intend to

Fraz-Urb'luu Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

that of a great gargoyle, some 12 feet tall, with an extended, muscular neck and a smiling face framed by long, pointed ears and lank, dark hair, and bat-like wings are furled against his powerful

shoulders. He can assume other forms, however, from the hideous to the beautiful. Often the demon lord becomes so immersed in playing a role that he loses himself in it for a time. Many of the cultists

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

hermitage gave you access to a unique and powerful discovery. The exact nature of this revelation depends on the nature of your seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the

contemplative sort of seclusion that allows room for study and prayer. If you want to play a rugged wilderness recluse who lives off the land while shunning the company of other people, look at the outlander

Hermit Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

seclusion. It might be a great truth about the cosmos, the deities, the powerful beings of the outer planes, or the forces of nature. It could be a site that no one else has ever seen. You might have

contemplative sort of seclusion that allows room for study and prayer. If you want to play a rugged wilderness recluse who lives off the land while shunning the company of other people, look at the outlander

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

CONTACT You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances

Triton Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

to escape so easily. A great conclave of tritons chose volunteers skilled in weapons and magic as part of an expeditionary force to enter the Material Plane and seek out their enemies. Those tritons

of truth. Few know of the tritons’ great victories over dreadful undersea threats. The tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe

Splitting Loyalties

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

, preserve the city.” Beliefs. Atash has cost this once-great city-state its splendor. Goals. Remove Atash and remake the city. Character Role. After the Brightguard initially sets the characters on the

. Brightguard Before Atash, the Brightguard was a fringe collective of devout protectors who vowed to defend Akharin Sangar from evil in the name of their deity, the Sunweaver. When the angel Atash—an

Independent Realms

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

Independent Realms Interspersed among the fortresses of the dwarves and the settlements protected by the Lord’s Alliance are significant sites that have no collective character, except that they

exist largely outside the protection or purview of the great powers of the region. Even the civilized locales among these places, such as Elturgard, exist, at best, in an uneasy tension with the denizens

The Vanthampur Family

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

complex below her villa. Thalamra is a widow three times over, and each of her dead husbands was kind enough to give her a son. Her oldest boy, Thurstwell, is a pale and sullen recluse in his forties. A

. Thurstwell’s real problem is that his mother doesn’t see him as her successor, and is grooming Amrik to fill that role. Despite his jealousy, Thurstwell would never visit harm upon Amrik for fear of incurring

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

great unknown. NISHREK AND THE ETERNAL WAR Orcs believe that if they die with honor, their spirits go to the plane of Acheron, the Infinite Battlefield — specifically the layer of Nishrek

strongholds, and then decorated with uniquely orcish accessories. A war wagon is a source of great pride for a war chief, comparable to a human army’s banner or flag. Many are clad in armor and

11. Recluse

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

11. Recluse A drider lives here. The sea hags in area 10 use it to guard the “front door” of their lair. 11a. Petrified Prince Maw. This yawning cave resembles the maw of some great fish. Natural

Warlock

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

subvert folk among his enemies. He offers easy bargains and great power to those in the realms of Furyondy and Veluna who are willing to subvert those states from within. Some warlocks relish their role as turncoats, a few others turn against Iuz, and still others take his power and use it to their own ends.

, most notably Vecna and Tharizdun, also offer pacts to warlocks who dare contact them. Both Iuz and Vecna fit the Undying patron’s role. Iuz, in particular, uses offers of power to corrupt and

Order in a Sea of Chaos

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

in this effort, the tides of Limbo would overwhelm and destroy them. The githzerai have a unity of purpose that comes from their reverence for their great heroes and their desire to emulate the virtues

of those figures in their everyday lives. Menyar-Ag, the Great Githzerai Menyar-Ag led the githzerai into Limbo at the culmination of the conflict between Gith and Zerthimon. Thanks to unimaginable

Darklords

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

Darklords Central to each domain is a Darklord, the seed from which a thorny thicket blooms. The villain might be a nation’s leader, a prominent citizen, a notorious monster, a mysterious recluse, or

a seemingly innocuous character. Regardless of the Darklord’s current role, their wickedness led to the creation of their domain and their imprisonment in Ravenloft. Though these individuals vary

Haughty Nobles

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

expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference. This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the tritons’ great victories over

dreadful undersea threats. The tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them. Tritons also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation

Modrons

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

efficiency, and an absence of morality or ego. Modrons have no sense of self beyond what is necessary to fulfill their duties. They exist as a unified collective, divided by ranks, yet they always refer to

than one rank away are either too advanced or too simple to understand. Cogs of the Great Machine. If a modron is destroyed, its remains disintegrate. A replacement from the next lowest rank then

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

people who became yuan-ti were one of the original human civilizations. Their society built great temples of stone and forged metal into armor, tools, and weapons. In their ceremonies they paid homage to

common apes. Although some purebloods are able to reproduce with humans, most are disgusted by the idea and would do so only if seduction is necessary for a pureblood to preserve a role as a confidant or

March to Nowhere

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

fellows during the Great Modron March, these modrons have been wandering the Underdark for a long time. As the party travels deeper into the Labyrinth, any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception

. Under the mouth, a single arm grips a spear in its hand. Twelve monodrones and a tridrone have been wandering the Labyrinth since the last Great Modron March. The modrons became separated from their

Nontraditional Traditions

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

role in an Acq Inc franchise: that of an infiltrator. As a shadow monk, you’re likely more adept than even a rogue at moving around without being seen, slipping into dangerous places unnoticed, and

threat level under wraps. Your ability to literally spend days hanging out at the tavern and never be noticed makes you a valuable addition to any franchise that needs to keep its collective eyes and

Mogis's Champions

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

eventually allows the characters to perform acts of heroism. Perhaps this means the group swears a vow to Mogis to pursue some collective revenge, or maybe the group understands that just as Mogis watches

another god could take this opportunity to offer the party aid against their former patron. Mogis might then assume the role of campaign villain as the characters do what they must to atone.

Mission Briefing

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

training exercise has two optional roles (Captain and Shipmate) and one mandatory role (Spelljammer). A team can have multiple Shipmates, but only one Captain and only one Spelljammer. Try to limit

the players’ discussion of role assignments to a maximum of 10 minutes. Use the recommendations in the “Know Your Role” sidebar to guide them. The roles for the training exercise are as follows

Dwarves of the Five Nations

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

edifices of stonework that symbolize the permanence and stability of those places. A Brelish dwarf might feel a deep, personal connection to the towers of Sharn or the great walls of Wroat; some dwarves

love the great Cathedral of the Silver Flame in Thrane more than devout followers of the Silver Flame. Ultimately, the typical dwarf in wider Khorvaire is more patriotic than the average human of the

Bard

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

ridiculous seem sublime. Bards are preservers of ancient history, their songs and tales perpetuating the memory of great events down through time — knowledge so important that it is memorized and passed

along as oral history, to survive even when no written record remains. It is also the bard’s role to chronicle smaller and more contemporary events — the stories of today’s heroes, including their

Factions in Athas

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

bureaucracy of a specific city-state can serve a similar role in a Dark Sun conversion of this adventure. The city-state most immediately concerned with the rise of a dangerous magical cult in the Great

important common values and work toward the same end: the destruction of slavery. They fulfill something like the role of the Order of the Gauntlet in Athas. The Free are not directly concerned with

Build Your Group

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

members whose skills are great for reporting but less useful on adventures. This could be the designated writer, a political cartoonist, or a chronicler who records the party’s adventures. This might

be a challenging role for a player character to fill, but an NPC could provide services to the party, making them worth keeping around. Face. Typically gifted with a high Charisma score and skilled in

Rahadin's Prayer

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

comes to the temple on occasion to petition the dark god into releasing his master from his torment. Rahadin rides a phantom steed along Tsolenka Pass to the Amber Temple and kneels before the great

his reason for visiting the temple, or even who is he or what role he serves. Left to his own devices, he rides back to Castle Ravenloft.

Dark Fantasy

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

keep in mind the role of heroes and ensure places for light in your dark fantasy domain. If a domain holds no place for hope, there’s also little call for resistance and meaningful plots. In addition

, consider the following genre tropes when creating your dark fantasy domain: Good does not always win. Evil individuals with great power and unopposed schemes might be the norm. The lines between good

Torm's Bridges

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

Torm’s Bridges Two bridges that once spanned a ravine in the city are now all that connect the east and west sections of Elturel over the great rift that has fallen away beneath them. The north

fight, but the characters might have a trick up their collective sleeves. Holy Runes Any character trained in Arcana, History, or Religion recognizes that the runes etched into the stonework of each

Enemies Everywhere

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

powerful mind flayer that isn’t beholden to the elder brain’s whims. The appearance of an ulitharid causes a surge in the colony’s collective intelligence, creativity, and strength. As the ulitharid

ulitharid strikes out on its own. Half the mind flayers and thralls in the colony undertake a great migration, seeking a new lair at least 100 miles away from the old one. Once the ulitharid finds a

Dwarves

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

Dwarves The dwarf god Moradin forged the first dwarves in his great workshop, causing them to spring to life from inert metal when he cooled the heated castings with his breath. Since then, the

raw materials around them and thereby unlock the beauty that hides within. Moradin is also worshiped as the All-Father, in acknowledgment of his role as the progenitor of the dwarven race. In this

Recovering from Defeat

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

active role in thwarting Elemental Evil. Reports from characters who survived the first battle carry great weight with them, and it’s possible that a faction was scrying near the node at just the right

D&D Beyond

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