compared rather great to her refuges

Cloistered Scholar

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

As a child, you were inquisitive when your playmates were possessive or raucous. In your formative years, you found your way to one of Faerûn’s great institutes of learning , where you

of knowledge. The most well known of Faerûn’s fonts of knowledge is Candlekeep. The great library is always in need of workers and attendants, some of whom rise through the ranks to

War Magic (XGtE)

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wizards for war. The tradition of War Magic blends principles of evocation and abjuration, rather than specializing in either of those schools. It

their defensive skills foil their opponents’ attempts to counterattack. War mages are also adept at turning other spellcasters’ magical energy against them. In great battles, a war mage

War Magic

Classes Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A variety of arcane colleges specialize in training wizards for war. The tradition of War Magic blends principles of evocation and abjuration, rather than specializing in either of those schools. It

their defensive skills foil their opponents’ attempts to counterattack. War mages are also adept at turning other spellcasters’ magical energy against them. In great battles, a war mage

Sage - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

published in Baldur’s Mouth, you can surmise a great deal about Baldurians’ secrets — who’s practicing necromancy, who’s involved in spying or smuggling, who would purchase or

convey the impression of great erudition. 2 I’ve read every book in the world’s greatest libraries—or I like to boast that I have. 3 I’m used to helping out those who

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

1 The workshop where I learned my trade is the most important place in the world to me. 2 I created a great work for someone, and then found them unworthy to receive it. I’m still

Izzet Engineer

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

suspension. 7 Great ideas are fine, but great results are what counts. 8 If you can guess what I’m about to do, that means I’ve run out of imagination. Ideals d6

protocols will lead us toward progress more surely than any belief system. (Lawful) 5 Fun. I love my job! Despite the dangerous working conditions, there’s nothing I’d rather do

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great

away in the night to seek the cold will of fate. In some ways, the goliath drive to outdo themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in

Kalashtar

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

. Kalashtar are often seen as wise, spiritual people with great compassion for others. But there is an unmistakable alien quality to the kalashtar, as they are haunted by the conflicts of their otherworldly

with their quori spirits. Rather, they might experience this relationship as a sense of instinct and inspiration, drawing on the memories of the spirit when they dream. This connection grants kalashtar

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

hundreds of miles of the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. No one from your nation makes the effort to cross such colossal barriers without a convincing reason. You must fear something truly

locations discussed here, it is far more unnatural. You hail from one of the settlements in the Underdark, each of which has its own strange customs and laws. If you are a native of one of the great

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

prey on the rich, whether pickpockets or con artists. The community where you plied your trade might have been one of Faerûn’s great metropolises, such as Waterdeep or Baldur’s Gate

. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay attention to the risks

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You are the heir to something of great value — not mere coin or wealth, but an object that has been entrusted to you and you alone. Your inheritance might have come directly to you from a

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

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

a patriar’s scion in an illegal duel. The family swore revenge, and you fled to the slums rather than risk bringing their wrath down on your kin. 6 You aren’t originally from Baldur

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

Urchin - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

their torch-based code. From the lighting, placement, and type of torch arranged on or near a structure, you can gather a great deal of information about those who live or do business there, particularly

from a fight. 2 Gold seems like a lot of money to me, and I’ll do just about anything for more of it. 3 I will never fully trust anyone other than myself. 4 I’d rather

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you. BALDUR’S GATE

could be hidden. 4 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. 5 I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. 6 I don’t pay

Disgraced Raider

backgrounds

struck within sailing distance of your homeland was massive and palpable. The risks were great, but the respect was undeniable. You lost that respect, however, when something went wrong. Perhaps you lost

your nerve and fled the battlefield. Perhaps you lost your mind and killed when you were only supposed to capture. Perhaps you saw the terror you inspired in others as a moral failing rather than a

Sage Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

, sometimes as a means toward other ideals. d8 Personality Trait 1 I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition. 2 I’ve read every book in the

; slowly … when talking … to idiots, … which … almost … everyone … is … compared … to me. 7 I am horribly, horribly awkward in social

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

build cities to last for the ages, and great kingdoms that can persist for long centuries. An individual human might have a relatively short life span, but a human nation or culture preserves

xenophobic, in general their societies are inclusive. Human lands welcome large numbers of nonhumans compared to the proportion of humans who live in nonhuman lands. Exemplars of Ambition Humans who

Dwarves

races

Empire. The dwarven kingdom of Stehlenwald endured. Rather than share the fate of their northern cousins, the Stehlenwald dwarves dug deeper into the heart of the mountain. There, miners laid eyes upon

great cost. The population of Stehlenwald was decimated by war and famine. Isolation within the mountains was the only option for survival for those who remained. By the time of the rise of human

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

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

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

Human

races

homelands. The period written in history as the Era of Expansion is often portrayed as an endless eruption of violence that lasted centuries as humans spread to every corner of Etharis. Rather, the

homes. They journeyed to the reaches of Valika to escape their own kingdoms in the south. When they claimed the lands already populated by other folk, war became inevitable. By the time the great

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; Elminster Bugbears feature in the nightmare tales of many races — great, hairy beasts that creep through the shadows as quiet as cats. If you walk alone in the woods, a bugbear will reach out

. Shiftless, Savage Layabouts When they’re not in battle, bugbears spend much of their time resting or dozing. They don’t engage in crafting or agriculture to any great extent, or

Rogue Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

would rather make one precise strike, placing it exactly where the attack will hurt the target most, than wear an opponent down with a barrage of attacks. Rogues have an almost supernatural knack for

was the trigger that led you away from your previous life? Did a great con or heist gone terribly wrong cause you to reevaluate your career? Maybe you were lucky and a successful robbery gave you the

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

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

Dayawlongon Gazetteer

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

Dayawlongon Gazetteer For any first-time visitor to the archipelago of Dayawlongon, the skybridges are a stunning sight. Both roadways and refuges, with whole communities dwelling along some of the

miles-long spans, these structures were built centuries ago with the help of great bakunawa—massive, serpentine dragons endemic to Dayawlongon’s five main islands and dozens of smaller islands, which

Dayawlongon Gazetteer

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

Dayawlongon Gazetteer For any first-time visitor to the archipelago of Dayawlongon, the skybridges are a stunning sight. Both roadways and refuges, with whole communities dwelling along some of the

miles-long spans, these structures were built centuries ago with the help of great bakunawa—massive, serpentine dragons endemic to Dayawlongon’s five main islands and dozens of smaller islands, which

Espionage Agency Contacts

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

Espionage Agency Contacts Your assignments come from a superior in the agency who typically works at a desk rather than in the field—compiling intelligence into reports for their superiors and

kindly bureau chief who views you as a truly special team with invaluable skills 4 A crotchety middle-manager on the cusp of retirement who constantly bemoans the state of today’s agents compared to

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

against the shadow, a knight whose oath descends from traditions older than many of the gods? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an

your quests? Perhaps you stumbled into a sacred grove or a hidden elven enclave and found yourself called to protect all such refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your

Espionage Agency Contacts

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

Espionage Agency Contacts Your assignments come from a superior in the agency who typically works at a desk rather than in the field—compiling intelligence into reports for their superiors and

kindly bureau chief who views you as a truly special team with invaluable skills 4 A crotchety middle-manager on the cusp of retirement who constantly bemoans the state of today’s agents compared to

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

relics, magical items, and other rare objects. Aside from the power such items might confer, a tabaxi takes great joy in unraveling the stories behind their creation and the history of their use

Creating a Paladin

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

? Or are you an embittered loner sworn to take vengeance on those who have done great evil, sent as an angel of death by the gods or driven by your need for revenge? Appendix B lists many deities

refuges of goodness and beauty. Or you might have known from your earliest memories that the paladin’s life was your calling, almost as if you had been sent into the world with that purpose stamped on

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

Guiding Aspect

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

great span of the world. You seek to act with the long-term interests of nature in mind. 4 The sea is a constant, churning cauldron of power and chaos. It reminds you that accepting change is necessary

to sustain yourself in the world. 5 The birds in the sky are evidence that even the smallest creatures can survive if they remain above the fray. 6 As demonstrated by the actions of the wolf, an individual’s strength is nothing compared to the power of the pack.

Guiding Aspect

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

great span of the world. You seek to act with the long-term interests of nature in mind. 4 The sea is a constant, churning cauldron of power and chaos. It reminds you that accepting change is necessary

to sustain yourself in the world. 5 The birds in the sky are evidence that even the smallest creatures can survive if they remain above the fray. 6 As demonstrated by the actions of the wolf, an individual’s strength is nothing compared to the power of the pack.

Elysium

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

great river splits into myriad smaller flows, recombines, and splits again. Layers of Elysium Layer Description Amoria Small towns on the banks of the River Oceanus, surrounded by lush meadows

, are among the most hospitable refuges on the Outer Planes. Eronia Steep hills, craggy mountains, and white granite valleys offer a rugged home for hardy souls. Belierin Lighthouses pierce the fog and

Ability Checks

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

creature’s efforts. In a contest, the ability checks are compared to each other, rather than to a target number. When you call for a contest, you pick the ability that each side must use, deciding

interpreting what things mean. The character might spot that one section of a wall is clean and dusty compared to the others, but he or she wouldn’t necessarily make the deduction that a secret door is there

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