collective role great to her ritual

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

require some sort of blood sacrifice, and their effects are usually transformative. For example, some Black Raven shamans know a ritual that allows them to hatch giant ravens from normal raven eggs, and

Draegloth

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

priest of Lolth in an unholy, dangerous ritual in which it is infused with the fey essence of the creator and the fiendish essence of a glabrezu. This ritual rarely succeeds, but Lolth’s

to strike at its rivals when the draegloth is fully grown. These plans use the draegloth in a significant role, because its abilities can turn the tide in a battle against a house that doesn’t

Daemogoth

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Pact of Pain. Using a 10-minute ritual, the daemogoth can forge a magical bond with a willing creature it touches throughout the ritual. The creature becomes bound by the pact until it dies, the

the fiends’ tendency to lurk near battlefields and other sites of great tragedy to consume the anguish saturating the area. Daemogoths are creatures of forbidden knowledge and magic, all fueled

Nightmare Haunt

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

haunts appear as horrifying shadow creatures with forms evocative of their victims’ deepest fears. Due to the collective trauma experienced by the people of Eldraine during the Phyrexian

Slumber. The Wicked Slumber During the Phyrexian invasion of Eldraine, the high fae monarch Talion, the Kindly Lord, and a trio of witch sisters performed a grand ritual to create a sleeping

Alhoon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

minds are never accepted as part of the collective. For them, death means oblivion. Lichdom offers salvation and the prospect of being able to pursue knowledge indefinitely. Yet learning the secret of

amethyst. The process requires at least three mind flayer arcanists and the sacrifice of an equal number of souls from living victims in a three-day-long ritual of spellcasting and psionic communion. Upon

Deep Scion

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

by an undersea power: surrender, body and soul, or drown. Those who submit are subjected to an ancient ritual widespread among evil aquatic creatures. Its methods are painful and the result never

, a lover, the perfect candidate for a job, or some other role that enables the minion to carry out their master’s commands. The training to which a deep scion is subjected rids it of empathy for

Drow Shadowblade (Summoner Variant)

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. In communities free of Lolth’s sway, they serve as spies tasked with foiling the plots of that demon lord’s cult. In any role they take on, they move undetected until the moment they

attack—and then they are the last thing their victims see. A shadowblade gains their powers over shadow via a ritual in which they kill a shadow demon and mystically prevent it from re-forming in

Drow Shadowblade

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

other houses. In communities free of Lolth’s sway, they serve as spies tasked with foiling the plots of that demon lord’s cult. In any role they take on, they move undetected until the

moment they attack—and then they are the last thing their victims see. A shadowblade gains their powers over shadow via a ritual in which they kill a shadow demon and mystically prevent it from re

Nagpa

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, fly, hold person, suggestion, wall of fire 1/day each: dominate person, etherealness, feeblemindLong ago, the Raven Queen cursed a cabal of powerful wizards for meddling in a ritual that would have

fallen civilizations and great calamities. Nagpas still fear the Raven Queen and do their best to avoid her and her agents. When it’s impossible to do so, they become cringing, fawning things, eager

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

Book of Vile Darkness (Variant)

Magic Items Keys from the Golden Vault

great evil claims your soul. You can’t be restored to life by any means while your soul remains imprisoned. The Book of Vile Darkness has the following properties: Circle of Death. While attuned

choose: Vile Apotheosis. The book could hold a ritual that allows a character to become a lich or death knight. True Names. The true names of any number of fiends might be in the book. Dark Magic

Darkling Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

speak of a seelie fey who betrayed the Summer Queen. His true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath

qualify to undergo a ritual to become an elder. Other elders mark the supplicant with glowing tattoos, channeling some of the darkling's absorbed light away from its body. If the ritual succeeds, the

Darkling Elder Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath that she cursed every member of his house. Other fey refer to the descendants of Dubh Catha's house as the dubh sith-or

the colors in a painting or a jewel. Elder Transformation. A wise and respected darkling can qualify to undergo a ritual to become an elder. Other elders mark the supplicant with glowing tattoos

College of Drama

classes

who adopt this specialization are particularly adept at infiltrating evil organizations. Their magic allows their entire party to take on a role, giving the group the opportunity to blend in during a ritual or take part in a large gathering.

Lesser Crawling One

monsters

very worm that gnaws; till out of corruption horrid life springs, and the dull scavengers of earth wax crafty to vex it and swell monstrous to plague it. Great holes secretly are digged where earth

individually alive and constantly squirms, though, together, they generally hold the shape of a human body. The collective mass of wriggling creatures possesses the mind of a dead spellcaster, long

Greater Crawling One

monsters

scavengers of earth wax crafty to vex it and swell monstrous to plague it. Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl

shape of a human body. The collective mass of wriggling creatures possesses the mind of a dead spellcaster, long since devoured by the maggoty horde. The ingested “will” of the mage

College of Drama

classes

who adopt this specialization are particularly adept at infiltrating evil organizations. Their magic allows their entire party to take on a role, giving the group the opportunity to blend in during a ritual or take part in a large gathering.

Great Race of Yith

monsters

terminated in an irregular yellowish globe some two feet in diameter and having three great dark eyes ranged along its central circumference... Surmounting this head were four slender grey stalks bearing

flowerlike appendages, whilst from its nether side dangled eight greenish antennae or tentacles. The great base of the central cone was ringed with a rubbery grey substance which moved the whole entity

Nyarlathotep

monsters

ritual said to call forth the Mythos deities includes a reference to Nyarlathotep, ranging from pleas for him to bring a cultist’s message to the gods to strident commands that he fulfill his role

as messenger and herald. When a Mythos deity enters the world or a cult is on the verge of enacting a powerful ritual, Nyarlathotep might lurk close by in human form. He takes pleasure in finding a

Formless Spawn

monsters

their great atom-power searchlights, they found living things—living things that oozed along stone channels and worshipped onyx and basalt images of Tsathoggua. But they were not toads like

. Relentless Guardians. Sometimes, despite a formless spawn’s best efforts, an intruder steals a valuable relic. Often, a formless spawn keeps watch over a ritual object, such as a dagger used to

Hunting Horror

monsters

great viperine creatures, which had curiously distorted heads, and grotesquely great clawed appendages, supporting themselves with ease by the aid of black rubbery wings of singularly monstrous

service by spellcasters who uncover ritual sites and who unlock secret tomes, though, invariably, such a discovery is the first step on the road to becoming Nyarlathotep’s pawn. Hunting

Laneshi

races

. Using a powerful necromantic ritual, the second twin is sacrificed, its soul bound within the body of the other. Each member of the mystic caste is therefore possessed of two souls—one living

warfare but diplomacy, farming, and the raising and educating of children. The warrior caste is roughly double the size of the mystic caste, structured as a meritocracy, with great deeds leading to

Flying Polyp

monsters

the stars, driven by some unknowable urge to leave the terrestrial realms behind. Abandoned Domains. The flying polyps once gathered in great cities. They constructed vaults deep within the earth

conjure howling wind storms that scour an entire region of life. It takes an hour for three or more polyps working together to create a storm. When they finish their ritual, a terrible storm rips

Disembodied

races

sanctuary within its walls. The Great College dedicated to magical study in the city quickly became a sanctum for mages of all disciplines from across Etharis, creating a golden age of magic within its

walls. That golden age came crashing down in a single night, when the founding mages of Ulmyr’s Gate attempted an ambitious ritual intended to part the veil and create a permanent portal to the

Book of Vile Darkness Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

great evil claims your soul. You can’t be restored to life by any means while your soul remains imprisoned. Random Properties. The Book of Vile Darkness has the following random properties: 3

, plus whatever else you choose: Vile Apotheosis. The book could hold a ritual that allows a character to become a lich or death knight. True Names. The true names of any number of fiends might be in

Grung

Species One Grung Above

caste for life. On rare occasions, an individual that distinguishes itself with great deeds can earn an invitation to join a higher caste. Through a combination of herbal tonics and ritual magic, an

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

cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in

Moonblade Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

, some blades have faded from the world, their magic lost as family lines have become extinct. Other blades have vanished with their bearers during great quests. Thus, only a few of these weapons remain

special ritual in the throne room of an elven regent or in a temple dedicated to the elven gods. A moonblade won’t serve anyone it regards as craven, erratic, corrupt, or at odds with

Dragonborn Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear

DRACONIANS In the Dragonlance setting, the followers of the evil goddess Takhisis learned a vile ritual that let them corrupt the eggs of metallic dragons, producing evil dragonborn called draconians

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

Shub-Niggurath

monsters

great numbers, tapping into the magic of this Mythos entity to multiply and thrive. Twisted Promises. Cults of Shub-Niggurath begin innocently enough. A village deep in a primal forest, or a group

shelter. A visitor may be told they have been chosen as an honored guest for a local ceremony, one that ends with the guest ritual slaughtered and their blood poured upon an altar to Shub-Niggurath to

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