come returning groups to have reason

Berbalang

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

uses its duplicate for only a short time before returning its consciousness to its body. The knowledge that berbalangs accumulate makes them great sources of information for powerful people traveling

the planes. Berbalangs ignore petitioners, however, unless they come bearing a choice secret or the bones of a particularly interesting creature. Some githyanki have been able to strike deals with the

Crystal Dragon Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. They read these signs as omens, giving them glimpses of what is to come, and they eagerly examine the potential futures of any creatures who come to them in peace. Crystal dragons’ connection to

—if only they would stop trying to kill the dragon’s guests. 6 A crystal dragon wyrmling is placed in a monastery to learn the teachings of the monks before returning home in three years. The monks don’t appreciate the wyrmling’s pranks. Cold, Radiant

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

good that even if some people you meet have heard of your homeland, they know merely the name and perhaps a few outrageous stories. You have come to this part of Faerûn for your own reasons, which

provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. d6 Reason d6 Reason 1 Emissary 4 Pilgrim

Waterdhavian Noble

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Faerûn for being eccentric, spoiled, venal, and, above all else, rich. Whether you are a shining example of the reason for this reputation or one who proves the rule by being an exception, people

filthy dungeons to sipping zzar at a ball? Or have you taken up sword or spell on your family’s behalf, ensuring that they have someone of renown to see to their legacy? Work with your DM to come

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

possibilities.) Now you’re looking for something else, perhaps greater reward for the risks you take, or the freedom to choose your own activities. For whatever reason, you’re leaving

few organizations operating in the North are described below. The Chill. The cold and mysterious Lurkwood serves as the home of numerous groups of goblinoids that have banded together into one tribe

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

. You can choose your secondary guild or roll to determine it randomly. This secondary guild membership determines a portion of your starting equipment and is also where most of your contacts come from

guildless masses of the city. Consider why you’re embedded in the secondary guild. Create a story with your DM, inspired by rolling on the following table or choosing a reason that suits you

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

want. 4 I’m a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and

insults are my weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

landowner who cares deeply about the people who live and work on your land, keenly aware of your responsibility to them. Work with your DM to come up with an appropriate title and determine how much

visit prosperous Bloomridge to try a fashionable restaurant or boutique, or watch a spectacle at the Oasis Theater, the patriars have little reason to venture into the dirtier, more dangerous parts of the

Kloth Leech

Equipment

Combat Utility Whimsy 1 1 1 Kloth leeches are approximately the size of a handkerchief and come in a variety of colors. They tend to gather in groups made up of leeches of

Sage Arol's Beetle

Equipment

use the beetles for potion crafting when a witch from the Fish Head Coven began to see the rare bug in her dreams. Sage Arol’s Beetles live deep underground, fleeing even the dimmest light. On rare occasions, they come to the surface, though the reason remains a mystery.

Berbalang Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

berbalang typically uses its duplicate for only a short time before returning its consciousness to its body. Weird Oracles. The knowledge that berbalangs accumulate makes them great sources of

information for powerful people traveling the planes. Berbalangs ignore petitioners, however, unless they come bearing a choice secret or the bones of a particularly interesting creature. Githyanki have

Inquisitor of the Faithful

backgrounds

both mundane and supernatural—tasks that come with little glory. Your home is the road, and you must travel to wherever rumors of the sinful and the deviant take you. Corruption is just as

likely to fester within as without, so you must be ever watchful of those who travel with you. Those found guilty, wherever they hail from and whatever their reason, must be faced without mercy.

Charlatan Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

a born gambler who can’t resist taking a risk for a potential payoff. 5 I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. 6 Sarcasm and insults are my

weapons of choice. 7 I keep multiple holy symbols on me and invoke whatever deity might come in useful at any given moment. 8 I pocket anything I see that might have some value. d6

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

point, a tortle feels an almost overwhelming urge to venture far away from home and see more of the world. It gathers up its possessions and heads into the wilderness, returning months or years later

prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn’t like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen

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

crafting simple tools and hunting and gathering food, and gangs sometimes come together peacefully to exchange members and goods between them. Malevolent Worship of Malign Gods Bugbears worship two

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

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

Returning War Band

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

Returning War Band You can add a complication in the form of a hobgoblin war band returning home, just as the characters are preparing to leave. This war band consists of three hobgoblins led by

heads are trophies from the hobgoblins’ recent victory over an elf hunting party. Clever characters might try to reason with Targor by urging him to think of himself as Grol’s successor rather than

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

utility and importance. Nowhere does this come through as strongly as when lizardfolk deal with the dead. To a lizardfolk, a comrade who dies becomes a potential source of food. That companion might have

quirk for a lizardfolk character or to inspire a unique mannerism. Lizardfolk Quirks d8 Quirk 1 You hate waste and see no reason not to scavenge fallen enemies. Fingers are tasty and

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When kobolds sense an opportunity to separate a magic item from its

Leaving the Chasm

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

Leaving the Chasm Once the characters get what they came for, there’s little reason to stay. In fact, characters who stay too long run the risk of encountering six gnolls returning from a hunt

chasm) to feast on the fresh kill. If the characters turn the gnolls’ animus toward Chyzka to their advantage, they can come and go without having to kill every gnoll in the chasm. Even so, any gnolls

Missing Players

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

, but don’t try to come up with any in-game explanation for this absence. Monsters don’t attack the character, who returns the favor. On returning, the player resumes playing as if he or she was never gone.

should strive to keep the character alive and use resources wisely. Run the character yourself. It’s an extra burden for you, but it can work. Decide the character isn’t there. Invent a good reason for

Absent Players

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

background. This requires everyone to step out of the game world a bit and suspend disbelief, but it might be the easiest solution. Act as if the character were absent, but don’t try to come up with any

in-game explanation. Monsters don’t attack the character, who returns the favor. On returning, the player resumes playing as if the absence never happened. Narrative Contrivance. Decide the character

Rules of the Trial

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

courtesy, and then sets out the rules of her test: Contenders may divide into small groups or choose to participate alone. Once groups are established at the trial’s start, alliances between contenders

. Later that day, at dusk, Chakuna pursues the contenders with hunting partners of her choice, attempting to slay anyone she encounters outside a shrine. Contenders may kill one another for any reason

A Typical Evening

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

ambitious souls might launch impromptu expeditions into the dungeon. Few such ill-prepared parties ever return. Groups seeking to enter Undermountain for a specific reason generally come to the tavern

Skalanthas Retreats

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon Delves

Skalanthas Retreats Should the party force Skalanthas to flee, he flies to a quiet corner of the island and takes a Long Rest there before returning to reclaim his lair. If Ronnom is nearby when

Skalanthas flees and is still on good terms with him, Ronnom mounts the dragon, and the two of them return to the monastery together. Until the dragon is fully rested, ships can come and go from the island without danger.

Benefits of Renown

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

ranks and titles for the groups in your campaign. Perks Earning renown within a group might come with certain benefits. A character with a Renown Score of 3+ might gain access to a reliable contact, a

. Other members of the group are Friendly toward the character by default and provide the character with lodging and food in dire circumstances. Rank Some groups have hierarchies that characters can ascend

Gauntlgrym Connections

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

, King Bruenor’s summons might come in the form of a personal message or a visit from her, and it’s likely Bruenor has heard all about the Underdark exploits from Eldeth. If Eldeth didn’t survive, she

might have charged the characters with returning either her remains or her warhammer and shield to her home. This errand can bring the characters to Gauntlgrym of their own volition even before Bruenor’s

Rumors of War

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

Rumors d10 Rumor 1 Warlords from Taman Busuk have united an army of mercenaries and warlike groups. (True) 2 Some claim to hear the whispers of the old gods and believe their miracles are returning to

Ergoth.) 8 Travelers report sightings of cloaked lizardfolk raiders. No one knows where they’ve come from or what they want. (Inaccurate; such rumors misidentify draconians.) 9 Members of the Mages of

Chapter 1: Dragon's Rest

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

Chapter 1: Dragon’s Rest The adventure begins at a tiny cloister called Dragon’s Rest, a haven where world-weary people come to seek peace, reconciliation, and enlightenment. There, the characters

learn about the dangers facing Stormwreck Isle. Each character has a specific reason for coming to the cloister, as shown on the character sheets. You can also let players invent their own reasons for their characters to seek out Runara’s wisdom and assistance.

The Bent Pyramid

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

The Bent Pyramid In the northern desert stands a small pyramid that has a curious design: the sides rise from the earth at a steep angle until halfway up, then come together at a shallower angle. The

Bent Pyramid, which is encased in black granite, has no interior, no temple, and no obvious reason for existing. Sute’s Chosen, however, know it sits atop a well of immense magical power that can be tapped by manipulating sound waves.

Existing Characters

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

family connection brings them there). If a character takes a break after their previous adventure, consider rolling on or picking an option from the Purpose in Neverwinter table, expanding on it as necessary, to provide a reason the character has come to Neverwinter.

Realms campaign setting). If a character is from a different world or is from somewhere else in that setting, work with the player to devise a reason why that character is in Neverwinter and answers

Adventure Summary

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

rival groups. As the characters explore the ziggurat, they slowly uncover clues of the tragedy that befell Cynidicea and its people. While braving clever traps, evil cultists, and restless Undead, the

’ underground city (see the “Extending the Adventure” section at the end of this adventure). The adventure concludes when the characters escape the ziggurat, either by returning to the desert or finding a door to the Infinite Staircase placed in a location of your choice.

Greyhawk

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

Greyhawk The gods of Greyhawk come from at least four different pantheons, representing the faiths of the various ethnic groups that populated the continent of Oerik over the ages. As a result

crescent moon Ralishaz, god of ill luck and delusion CN Trickery Three bone fate-casting sticks Rao, god of peace and reason LG Knowledge White heart St. Cuthbert, god of common sense and zeal LN

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

area is at risk. If orcs come upon a target that is too large to assault directly, they will lurk along supply routes, taking out their frustration on caravans and travelers. Left unchecked, a tribe can

or less intact, the orcs leave themselves the option of returning to raid the community over and over. When orcs fight elves, all of that changes. The enmity between the two races cuts to the core

Socializing

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

Socializing Many groups include players who come to the game primarily because they enjoy the social event and want to spend time with their friends, not because they’re especially invested in any

D&D Beyond

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