composed rather grim to have race

Gray Dwarf (Duergar) Legacy

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

obliterated by Moradin’s betrayal. The duergar lead bleak, grim lives devoid of happiness or satisfaction, but they see that as their defining strength — the root of duergar pride, as it were — rather than a drawback to be corrected.

grim, ashen-skinned dwarves now take slaves of their own and are as tyrannical as their former masters. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, duergar are wiry and lean, with black eyes and

Vampirate Mage

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

use them to draw vital fluids from prey, which vampirates consider an unsavory act. Rather, a vampirate drains life energy from another creature by touching it or by siphoning off its energy from a

they’re not sleeping or marauding, a crew of vampirates whiles away the hours by drinking rum and singing grim chanteys. A ship crewed by vampirates usually has one or more Shadow;shadows aboard—the Undead remains of some of the vampirates’ victims.Cold, Necrotic, PoisonRadiant

Vampirate

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

vampire’s but doesn’t use them to draw vital fluids from prey, which vampirates consider an unsavory act. Rather, a vampirate drains life energy from another creature by touching it or by

coffin and sleep amid their cargo. When they’re not sleeping or marauding, a crew of vampirates whiles away the hours by drinking rum and singing grim chanteys. A ship crewed by vampirates usually

Vampirate Captain

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

parchment. A vampirate has fangs like a vampire’s but doesn’t use them to draw vital fluids from prey, which vampirates consider an unsavory act. Rather, a vampirate drains life energy from

ship’s hold as one big coffin and sleep amid their cargo. When they’re not sleeping or marauding, a crew of vampirates whiles away the hours by drinking rum and singing grim chanteys. A ship

Deadbark Dryad

Monsters Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Bramble Walk. Difficult terrain composed of vegetation, such as foliage or thorns, doesn’t cost the dryad extra movement. Magic Resistance. The dryad has advantage on saving throws against

, it becomes stronger and more violent, and it typically gains a renewed dedication to protecting its now-fetid domain. Most deadbark dryads would rather fight to the death than allow any intrusion into

Way of Mercy Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

bring a swift end as an act of mercy. Those who follow the Way of Mercy might be members of a religious order, administering to the needy and making grim choices rooted in reality rather than idealism

Nass Lantomir's Ghost

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

overheard her master talking to another wizard about a covert expedition to Icewind Dale being undertaken to seek out long-lost magic from a bygone empire. Rather than carry out her original plan, Nass

and headed toward the Sea of Moving Ice, hoping to find a tome called The Codicil of White, a book of magic and lore composed by servants of Auril the Frostmaiden. The Arcane Brotherhood believes that

Plasmoid

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

internal organs of the usual sort. Their bodies are composed of cells, fibers, plasma-like ooze, and clusters of nerves. These nerves enable a plasmoid to detect light, heat, texture, sound, pain, and

you create your D&D character, you decide whether your character is a member of the human race or one of the game’s fantastical races. If you create a character using a race option

Anthropologist

Backgrounds Tomb of Annihilation

and the ways of their people, who eventually treated you as one of their own. One culture had more of an influence on you than any other, shaping your beliefs and customs. Choose a race whose culture

. 2 I’m a stickler when it comes to observing proper etiquette and local customs. 3 I would rather observe than meddle. 4 By living among violent people, I have become

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

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

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

weretouched, as many believe they are the descendants of humans and lycanthropes. Whatever their origins, shifters have evolved into a unique race. They are humanoids with a bestial aspect; while they

names” with strangers. These are usually tied to a physical or personality trait. Shifter Names: Badger, Bear, Cat, Fang, Grace, Grim, Moon, Rain, Red, Scar, Stripe, Swift, Talon, Wolf

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

subterranean cities or settlements, you are probably a member of the race that occupies the place—but you might also have grown up there after being captured and brought below when you were a child

foreign land. 2 I pretend not to understand the local language in order to avoid interactions I would rather not have. 3 I have a weakness for the new intoxicants and other pleasures of this

Verdan

Species Acquisitions Incorporated

then passing through the shadow of That-Which-Endures changed them forever. Now the newest race to call Faerûn home, the verdan do their best to find their way in an unfamiliar world

. 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

Kalashtar

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

-Lashtavar. —Lakashtai, servant of the light The kalashtar are a compound race created from the union of humanity and renegade spirits from the plane of dreams — spirits called quori

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

Accursed

races

of the other typical senses of “curse” in the game. Rather, accursed reflects the grim sense of how most other folk in the campaign will view such a character, especially those who don

’s a sort of “catch-all” for unique characters who don’t fit into another heritage, but can still fit into Grim Hollow. Accursed typically don’t represent a people or a

Arisen

races

unique construct created by magic, mysterious science, or both. Arisen are never born in their current form. They are not undead, nor have they been raised from death by divine magic. Rather, each

. Their rarity among the peoples of Etharis and the grim rumors that swirl around them most often leave arisen socially isolated. But not all arisen are driven to nihilism by the bleakness of their

Giff Legacy

Monsters Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes

. Mercenaries Extraordinaire. Giff are in high demand as warriors for hire, but they insist on serving in units composed entirely of giff; a giff hiring itself out individually is unheard of. Giff

refuse to fight other giff, and will never agree to a contract unless it stipulates that they can sit out a battle rather than wage war against their kin. A giff prizes the reputation of its unit above its

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

seek adventure are the most daring and ambitious members of a daring and ambitious race. They seek to earn glory in the eyes of their fellows by amassing power, wealth, and fame. More than other people

, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. Human Names and Ethnicities Having so much more variety than other cultures, humans as a whole have no typical names. Some human parents

Shadar-kai

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

’s grim energy. Shadar-kai have ashen skin tones, and while they’re in the Shadowfell, they also become wizened, reflecting the somber nature of that gloomy plane. Like other elves

, shadar-kai can live to be over 750 years old. Creating Your Character At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

, even by the standards of his diminutive race, with the fluff of his curly brown locks barely cresting the three-foot mark, but his belly was amply thickened by his love of a good meal, or several, as

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

Character Creation

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

adventures. Lineages. Consider an origin that ties you to a grim progenitor or inexplicable experience. Lineages can serve as your character’s race or overshadow your previous race. Dark Gifts. Determine

nightmares. This chapter explores how to create a character prepared to face the horrors of Ravenloft, while also forging ties to the haunted pedigrees and grim fates common to the Domains of Dread

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rather than perform the work or confront the foe. Even when subsumed into a goblinoid host and drawn into war, bugbears must often be roused from naps and bribed to get them to do their duties. This

. 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

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

body, thought, and emotion. Freed from the limitations of their human bodies, the yuan-ti used their new abilities to conquer new lands and expand their borders. One Race, Many Forms The bodies of all

that the yuan-ti have prepared a special ambush at the end of the pursuit. Capture, Not Kill The objective of the yuan-ti as a race is to conquer and enslave others; they don’t espouse the sort

Chapter 3: Sunblight

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

Chapter 3: Sunblight Adventurers race against time to stop Xardorok Sunblight from unleashing terror upon Ten-Towns. Sequestered among the crags of the Spine of the World is a grim fortress hewn out

Duerra, who inspired Xardorok Sunblight to become the first duergar to leave the Underdark and carve out a kingdom for himself on the surface. Adventurers race against time to stop Xardorok Sunblight from unleashing terror upon Ten-Towns

Chapter 4: Salvage Operation

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

. ABOUT THE ORIGINAL Drawn from Dungeon 123, Mike Mearls’s 2005 adventure “Salvage Operation” is a rare tale that takes place entirely at sea. This grim story features an epic assault by a titanic

octopus and a race to escape a sinking, monster-infested ship. Decrepitude and decay (along with a bit of demon worship) persist throughout this unusual dungeon crawl, with the characters’ courage being tested just as much as the seaworthiness of the Emperor of the Waves!

New Race: Verdan

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

New Race: Verdan The verdan owe their existence to chaos. Descended and transformed from a large clan of goblins and hobgoblins, those who became the verdan were simply living their lives, doing

goblinoid things. But then passing through the shadow of That-Which-Endures changed them forever. Now the newest race to call Faerûn home, the verdan do their best to find their way in an unfamiliar world

Rubblebelt Stalker

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica

race), chaotic neutral Armor Class 14 (piecemeal armor) Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR 10(+0) DEX 15(+2) CON 12(+1) INT 10(+0) WIS 14

each of its turns. Ruin Dweller. The stalker has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in ruins, and its speed is not reduced in difficult terrain composed of rubble. Siege Monster

Grim Champion of Bloodshed

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

have the frightened condition until the end of its next turn. Domenico Cava Wynemar Brack Well, that’s not quite correct, either. Rather, I fear the sheer destruction those three grim champions

Grim Champion of Bloodshed Wynemar Brack was once a farmer, but mercenaries in a local war razed her fields and sacked her village. In desperation, she yielded to the clever patter of a traveling

Appendix B: Character Names

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

character race in the Player’s Handbook or a real-world ethnic or language group, with a focus on groups from antiquity and the Middle Ages. You can select from the possibilities here, or use dice to

determine a name. Even though names are associated with races in this appendix, a character might not have a name from their own race. For instance, a half-orc might have grown up among dwarves and

Gray Dwarves (Duergar)

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

their freedom, these grim, ashen-skinned dwarves now take slaves of their own and are as tyrannical as their former masters. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, duergar are wiry and

lean, with black eyes and bald heads, with the males growing long, unkempt, gray beards. Duergar value toil above all else. Showing emotions other than grim determination or wrath is frowned on in their

Names and Surnames

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

Names and Surnames The naming conventions among the people of Khorvaire tend to follow language, rather than being linked to race. A Brelish dwarf who doesn’t speak Dwarvish might also carry a name

with a human origin rather than a traditional Dwarvish name. Most citizens of Khorvaire have a given name followed by a surname. A surname associated with the Common language is usually either a family

Survival of the Fittest

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

themselves feeds into the grim inevitability of their decline and death. A goliath would much rather die in battle, at the peak of strength and skill, than endure the slow decay of old age. Few folk

Creating a Race or Subrace

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

increasing the diversity of options for a particular race, rather than replacing some options with other ones. The following example walks through the creation of an elf subrace: the eladrin. This

Creating a Race or Subrace This section teaches you how to modify existing races, as well as create new ones. The most important step in customizing or designing races for your campaign is to start

Vampirates

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Boo’s Astral Menagerie

use them to draw vital fluids from prey, which vampirates consider an unsavory act. Rather, a vampirate drains life energy from another creature by touching it or by siphoning off its energy from a

not sleeping or marauding, a crew of vampirates whiles away the hours by drinking rum and singing grim chanteys. A ship crewed by vampirates usually has one or more shadows aboard—the Undead remains of some of the vampirates’ victims.

Necromancer

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

hunters of the undead and risking their lives to save others. Necromancer Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor) Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12) Speed 30 ft

door, stoneskin 5th level (2 slots): Bigby’s hand, cloudkill 6th level (1 slot): circle of death* *Necromancy spell of 1st level or higher Grim Harvest (1/Turn). When necromancer kills a

D&D Beyond

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