concept run group to have recently

Ruxithid the Chosen

Monsters Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

, but the goblins remained, sequestered from the rest of the world until recently when the mind flayer fanatics called on them. Some of these goblins’ descendants possess psionic powers, as

gemstone. Unknown to Ruxithid the Chosen, a new group of mind flayer fanatics that draw power from the Far Realm planted it for him to find. The gemstone lets Ruxithid telepathically communicate with the

Bavlorna Blightstraw

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

within 10 feet of Bavlorna uses at least 10 feet of movement to run in place counterclockwise, Bavlorna is overcome by a fit of sneezing and can’t cast spells until the end of her next turn. In

moment, is all that matters.” Bond. “I’m safe in my cottage. Why should I leave it when I can make others come to me?" Flaw. “Watching someone run widdershins makes me sneeze

Centaur Legacy

Species Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

freedom to travel. As much as they can, centaurs run — in wide plazas, spacious parks, and expanses of rubble and ruin. They race the wind, hooves thundering and tails streaming behind them

Centaurs’ given names are passed down through family lines. The name bestowed on a new foal is typically the name of the most recently deceased family member of the same gender, keeping alive the

Baba Lysaga

Monsters Curse of Strahd

witches, Lysaga recently uncovered a potential threat to Strahd: a secret society of wereravens called the Keepers of the Feather, a group that uses ordinary ravens as their spies. Strahd doesn’t

Tromokratis

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

buried it under a stone near the palace of Erebos. Tromokratis as a Mythic Encounter Tromokratis numbers among the most powerful creatures a group of adventurers might face. If you wish to make an

: The titanic monster’s carapace cracks, revealing a pulsing, red-purple heart buried amid heaps of blubber and muscle. Fissures run across the beast’s ancient shell, revealing three

Urban Bounty Hunter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

it more difficult to pursue a personal agenda that doesn’t fit with the group’s objectives — but on the other hand, you can take down much more formidable targets with the help of

If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it. 4 I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. 5 I turn tail and run when

Charlatan - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Everybody’s always trying to get a leg up on somebody in Baldur’s Gate. One group’s con artist might be another’s revolutionary. Or maybe you’re just in it for yourself

. 5 I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners. 6 I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard-earned money. FEATURE: FALSE IDENTITY You have created a second

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Bloodaxes. Founded in Sundabar nearly two centuries ago, the Bloodaxes were originally a group of dwarves outcast from their clans for crimes against the teachings of Moradin Soulforger. They began

company, including the names and reputations of its commanders and leaders, and who has hired them recently. You can find the taverns and festhalls where mercenaries abide in any area, as long as you speak

Uthgardt Tribe Member

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Though you might have only recently arrived in civilized lands, you are no stranger to the values of cooperation and group effort when striving for supremacy. You learned these principles, and much

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

single mistake can bring doom to an entire tribe, while an individual’s heroic effort can ensure the entire group’s survival. Goliaths thus place a premium on self-sufficiency and

the goliath concept of fair play. A permanently injured goliath is still expected to pull his or her weight in the tribe. Typically, such a goliath dies attempting to keep up, or the goliath slips

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

lies on the slopes of the Star Mounts’ southernmost mountains. At the headwaters of the Unicorn Run, the Last Aerie is home to several dozen aarakocra. Recently, aarakocra elders detected

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

clade — a diverse group of individuals combining disparate talents in pursuit of a common goal — or a researcher on a specialized, short-term project focused on addressing an immediate

fungus field. 5 I can’t fathom what could have made my childhood friend run off and join the Gruul. 6 I love comparing notes with my friend in the Izzet, though our fields of research are

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

other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation

Firbolg Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

the group’s needs, but the effect each action will have on the forest and the rest of the natural world. Firbolg tribes would rather go hungry than strain the land during a famine. Hidden

adopt elven names when they must deal with outsiders, although the concept of names strikes them as strange. They know the animals and plants of the forest without formal names, and instead identify the

Character Names

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

Character Names Part of your campaign style has to do with naming characters. It’s a good idea to establish some ground rules with your players at the start of a new campaign. In a group consisting

names, that’s fine. If the group would rather take the characters and their names a little more seriously, urge Bob’s player to come up with a more appropriate name. Player character names should match

Goblin Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

traps, snares, and nets to catch the unwary, and when their hunting patrols encounter other beings, they always look for ways to capture their foes instead of killing them. Goblins that run up against

two hunters viciously attack. A captured group of invaders might hang in a net while dozens of goblins pass by and pay them no heed until a group of gatherers shows up. Lashers. The closest thing a

Running Preludes

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

you’re using: Focus on Specific Characters. Run the prelude with a spotlight on the focus characters. Consider running it with a single player or a small group of players before the adventure begins. The

“Broken Silence” and “Eye in the Sky” preludes lend themselves to this. Focus on the Group. Run the prelude for a group of characters. These characters meet during their travels and participate in

Servitor Thrull

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

Servitor Thrull The most wretched of thrulls are the servitors, small and slender, that serve as playthings for their Orzhov masters. They run trivial errands, transport small items, caper and dance

, and keep their masters’ expensive robes from trailing on the dirty street. They are utterly loyal, lacking any concept of thinking for themselves. Servitor Thrull Small construct, unaligned Armor

Approaching Death House

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

screams inside the house, followed by terrible howls coming from the basement. Recently, a group of robed adults (priests of Osybus) arrived and entered the house without a word. If calmed with a

the party explore the house separately. This way, you can focus on the characters without having to run Sarusanda alongside them. The characters will have several opportunities to run into Sarusanda

Day of Dread

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

progresses, run the following encounters, using the Dread in the Streets table to set the mood as the characters venture across the city. Dread in the Streets d6 Event 1 A makeshift aid camp has taken

over an alley, providing help to refugees recently arrived in the city. 2 A baker stands outside their bakery, handing out free bread to all passersby. 3 A lost child calls for their parents on a

Inquisitive Agency

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

Inquisitive Agency Your party works for an agency offering investigative services, or you might run your own firm as a group. Inquisitives put their keen minds and dogged determination to use

unraveling mysteries. Inquisitive agencies run the gamut from private investigators to networks of detectives supported by dragonmarked houses.

Tournament Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth

characters against one another, adventuring parties are scored as a group. These rules are optional. You don’t need to score your players to run this adventure. The scoring system included in this supplement is meant to spark joy, not contention.

Tournament Rules If you wish to emulate the competitive adventures of old, you can run this adventure as a tournament-style scenario by following the guidance in this section. Rather than pitting

Phandalin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm Lord’s Wrath

Phandalin Nestled in the foothills of the Sword Mountains, Phandalin is a nondescript mining settlement that recently had dealings with a white dragon named Cryovain. The dragon was dispatched by a

group of adventurers. For more information, see Dragon of Icespire Peak in the D&D Essentials Kit and “Aid from Phandalin” in this adventure.

Phandalin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Divine Contention

Phandalin Nestled in the foothills of the Sword Mountains, Phandalin is a sleepy mining settlement that recently had dealings with a white dragon named Cryovain. The dragon was dispatched by a group of adventurers. For more information, see Dragon of Icespire Peak in the D&D Essentials Kit.

Morale

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

Morale Some combatants might run away when a fight turns against them. You can use this optional rule to help determine when monsters and NPCs flee. A creature might flee under any of the following

group of creatures might flee under any of the following circumstances: All the creatures in the group are surprised. The group’s leader is reduced to 0 hit points, incapacitated, taken prisoner, or

Frost Giant Factions

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

Frost Giant Factions The characters aren’t the only ones interested in the frozen corpse. A group of frost giants, led by Elakdras’s descendants, recently arrived in Challidax’s lair. They hope the

. However, the giants have recently split into two factions, as described below. Ralvald’s Giants Ralvald was the giants’ leader but was recently betrayed by his sister, Aerstigga, who seeks to ally with

Phandalin

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sleeping Dragon’s Wake

Phandalin Nestled in the foothills of the Sword Mountains, Phandalin is a nondescript mining settlement that recently had dealings with a white dragon named Cryovain. The dragon was dispatched by a group of adventurers. For more information see Dragon of Icespire Peak in the D&D Essentials Kit.

Appendix A: Shared Campaigns

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

hard to keep a campaign going. Enter the concept of the shared campaign. In a shared campaign, more than one member of the group can take on the role of DM. A shared campaign is episodic rather than

take part. In order to be successful, a shared campaign needs a champion — someone who takes on the responsibility of organizing and maintaining the group. If you’re interested in learning more about

Level 4: Twisted Caverns

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

Level 4: Twisted Caverns Designed for four 8th-level characters, this level of Undermountain contains enough XP to advance such a group halfway to 9th level. The Twisted Caverns feature an aboleth

, which is a legendary monster. Review the “Aboleth” entry in the Monster Manual before running this level of the dungeon to help you run the monster effectively.

Staff

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

band of ex-soldiers or reformed criminals) can add personality to the group. Consider using the rules in chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, applying the results of a single set of rolls to the

entire group. Those hirelings could all shave their heads zealously, be brawny but absentminded, play various musical instruments, use colorful oaths and exclamations, and so on. Group ideals, bonds

Session Zero

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

zero.” Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything outlines how to run session zero discussions, but in general, use this session to discuss the game’s content, social contract, and house rules, and to create

characters. Reinforce Expectations Make it clear that D&D is a group storytelling game. As the DM, you have a role in crafting adventures and arbitrating rules, but you aren’t solely responsible for how

Level 16: Crystal Labyrinth

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

Level 16: Crystal Labyrinth Githyanki recently turned the Crystal Labyrinth into an outpost of their interplanar empire. It houses a gate to Stardock, a hollowed-out asteroid in orbit around the

information that will help you roleplay githyanki effectively. Additional information about githyanki society can be found in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, although that resource is not required to run the Crystal Labyrinth.

Preparing for Horror

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

Preparing for Horror Before you run a horror game, consider the following steps to ensure the willingness and full engagement of your players. If a group gathers to play a fun, low-stakes adventure

Masterpiece Imbroglio

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

Masterpiece Imbroglio An Adventure for 5th-Level Characters A group of scholars and sages known as the Cognoscenti Esoterica recently purchased a painting of Constantori, a famous courtier rumored to

Shared World

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

Shared World Some groups take a large, established campaign setting and divide it up geographically so different DMs can run separate campaigns in the same setting. In theory, characters can travel

the other DMs in your group could divide it thematically. Using the setting in chapter 5 of this book as an example, each DM could focus their campaign on one of the three overarching conflicts of that

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