concept run group to have reports

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

Baba Lysaga

Monsters Curse of Strahd

received several disturbing reports, Queen Ravenovia was forced to banish the midwife from the kingdom. Lysaga never saw Strahd again, but she has succeeded in staying alive to witness the triumphs of

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

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

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

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

raid just as another group returns, laden with severed heads, sacks of loot, and armfuls of food. Warriors also serve as scouts, bringing back detailed reports about the surrounding area so that the

warriors are commanded to scour the surrounding landscape for any opportunity to spill blood and bring glory to their gods. Often, bands of warriors work on a rotation, with one group heading out on a

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

Denizens

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

Denizens The erinyes, duergar, and salamanders that defend the hold are united by their loyalty to Vrakir, but each group otherwise disdains the others. The defenders are slow to assist or seek

assistance from members outside their own group. Any fights or suspicious activities in the hold are reported to the efreeti Jarazoun, who places the defenders on high alert. Even if Vrakir is at the hold

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

Travel to the Inn

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

reports that when the group got within a mile of the inn, the weather became so violent they couldn’t continue. The driving rain, fierce winds, and hailstones the size of apples impeded progress to a

the shape of three swirling lightning bolts. The town council sees this strange phenomenon and becomes concerned. Earlier that morning a group of settlers left to pick up supplies at the inn. The

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.

Learning More

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries

them excavate the location. One of the last people from Candlekeep to depart from the grippli trading post reports that the place has been overrun by frogfolk fleeing their village, which was invaded by

a second group of yuan-ti. These monsters are vicious and cruel, the exact opposite of the earlier visitors.

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

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

The Returned

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

them joy. Palamnites burn villages, slaughter innocents, and steal wealth only to discard it later. Most stories of vengeful Returned stem from reports of these tortured souls. Pseudammas Pseudammas

, pseudammas turn tragedy into horror by snatching mortal children and attempting to raise them. However, the Returned have forgotten the needs of the living and they have no concept of how to care for a child.

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.

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

Shrine of Luck

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

who advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power. The Harpers gather information throughout the land to thwart tyrants and any leader, government, or group that grows too strong. They aid

the weak, the poor, and the oppressed. Sister Garaele regularly reports to her superiors on events in and around Phandalin. Quest: The Banshee’s Bargain. Recently, Garaele’s superiors asked her to

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

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

Glossary

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

to the adventurers run by the players. They are the protagonists in any D&D adventure. A group of characters or adventurers is called a party. Nonplayer Characters (NPCs). This term refers to

characters run by the DM. How an NPC behaves is dictated by the adventure and by the DM. Boxed Text. At various places, the adventure presents descriptive text that’s meant to be read or paraphrased aloud to

Absent Players

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

reporting back to the party’s patron. Substitute Player. With the absent player’s consent, have another player run the missing player’s character, or run the character yourself if you feel you can do so

same XP that the other characters earned each session, keeping the group at the same level. Some groups like to work out a policy regarding how many missing players is too many to proceed. For example

The Enemy Sighted

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

The Enemy Sighted After Cudgel has returned and the characters have organized Vogler’s evacuation, a local farmer rides into the village circle. The farmer reports seeing hundreds of soldiers on the

, Darrett is reeling from Becklin’s defeat and returns with the characters to Vogler. You can run any encounters from the “Invasion of Vogler” section as the characters escape the village, or you can skip ahead to “The Final Boat” section.

Using This Book

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

a new class, the artificer, that reflect the flavor of the world. It also presents group patrons, a new concept that adds a shared purpose to your party of adventurers. You can use this material in

Seek the Keep

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hoard of the Dragon Queen

they fight, run the combat normally. When enemies must make a check to notice sneaking or bluffing, make a check with advantage for the group. Each time the characters retreat from an enemy group to

avoid it, they run into 1d6 more townsfolk who are trying to reach the keep. For every four additional townsfolk in tow, the group must move past one more enemy group to reach the keep. At the keep, the

Seek the Keep

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

fight, run the combat normally. When enemies must make a check to notice sneaking or bluffing, make a check with advantage for the group. Each time the party retreats from an enemy group, they run

, so it’s still possible to move through the front gate—but not for long. To reach the keep, the characters must make it past three groups of raiders. A group consists of 1d6 kobolds and 1d4 cultists

Murder

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Baldur’s Gate. In the Outer City, murder is practically a way of life. With neither the Watch nor the Flaming Fist to look after residents, criminals run free in the sprawling district. Criminals use

sometimes — it is rumored — slice flesh from the corpses to stave off starvation. Recent reports of ghoul activity in the Outer City likely have their origins in these snuff streets. In the Lower City

Character Advancement

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

actual time spent at the table. The reward for completing an adventure designed for 2 hours of play is 2 checkpoints, even if a group spends more than 2 hours playing through it. If a character

designed to take 2 hours, the character reaches 3 checkpoints. Playing time might seem like an odd way to measure experience awards, but the concept is in keeping with how a shared campaign is meant to

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