conduct revealing groups to have rather

Circle of Stars Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

revealing and understanding these secrets, the Circle of the Stars seeks to harness the powers of the cosmos. Many druids of this circle keep records of the constellations and the stars’ effects on the

world. Some groups document these observations at megalithic sites, which serve as enigmatic libraries of lore. These repositories might take the form of stone circles, pyramids, petroglyphs, and

Mercion

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

natural leader and a protective caregiver. She has a direct manner that reassures and inspires those around her. Mercion does not worship a deity, but rather an ideal: that truth gives life to artistry

administers healing. She uses Radiant Fire against groups of foes when there’s no chance of harming allies or innocent lives, otherwise resorting to hold person spells and Divine Radiance attacks

Soulknife Legacy

Classes Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

; guilds, though they are often mistrusted by rogues who are leery of anyone using strange mind powers to conduct their business. Most governments would also be happy to employ a Soulknife as a spy. Amid

revealing their full potential as you experienced the stress of adventure. Or you might have sought out a reclusive order of psychic adepts and spent years learning how to manifest your power.

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

, and their members operate anywhere the organization deems necessary. These groups employ listeners, rumormongers, smugglers, sellswords, cache-holders (people who guard caches of wealth or magic for

knowledge, rather than brute force. Harper agents are often proficient in Investigation, enabling them to be adept at snooping and spying. They often seek aid from other Harpers, sympathetic bards and

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

Traits d8 Personality Trait 1 I’m good at hiding my true thoughts and feelings. 2 When I’m in doubt about revealing something, I assume it’s a secret, and I

d6 Flaw 1 I like secrets so much that I’m reluctant to share details of a plan even with those who need to know. 2 I would let my friends die rather than reveal my true

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

;re always welcome at the Three Old Kegs, where the Three Old Toads are glad to greet you with a smile and a mug of ale. The Watch. If you serve in the Watch, you’re required to conduct a

keep that mistake secret. 4 My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

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

enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

, 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

dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century. Variety in All Things Humans are the most

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

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

their oaths lead them into the service of the crown as leaders of elite groups of knights, but even then their loyalty is first to the cause of righteousness, not to crown and country. Adventuring

, paladins are rarely of any evil alignment. Most of them walk the paths of charity and justice. Consider how your alignment colors the way you pursue your holy quest and the manner in which you conduct

Martira Bay

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

Martirans indifferent to miraculous sights. This unflappability helps residents avoid standing out or drawing the attention of the Kargat, Darkon’s secret police, who conduct their domain-spanning

conspiracies from the city’s notorious fortress, the Black Tower (see “Other Groups” later in this chapter for details). An unprecedented number of serial killers prey on Martira Bay, most infamously the

Paladin

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

Paladin The Oath of the Crown’s utility for your campaign comes from its ability to capture neutral paladins, those whose code of conduct is focused on the law rather than on moral principles. Its

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

kenku, constant attempts to mimic noises can come across as confusing or irritating rather than entertaining. You can just as easily describe the sounds your character makes and what they mean. Be clear

Levkarest

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

government. The true rulers of the nation conduct business in the offices of faceless mercantile ventures and the back rooms of avant-garde clubs. The commoners of Levkarest glimpse this world of toxic

souls before it comes to fruition. Yet despite its ties to heroes and vast lore, the society finds its numbers dwindling. (See “Other Groups” later in this chapter for details.)

Loyalty

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

can track the loyalty scores of groups of NPCs, such as those belonging to each faction, rather than having to track NPCs individually. The characters must balance the goals and bonds of their followers in order to maintain and improve their loyalty.

Purphoros's Villains

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

rise to deadly rivalries. Resistance to lawful authority can become tyranny of another sort. And when passions become inflamed, giving in to them can lead to tragedy rather than triumph. Purphoros’s

general hands-off attitude toward his champions means that groups of his followers could easily find themselves on opposite sides in a conflict, and in extreme cases Purphoros himself sends heroes to

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

how to run a shared campaign and seeing how the Adventurers League handles certain issues, then the rest of this appendix is meant for you. CODE OF CONDUCT Time and time again, the core rulebooks

Artus and the Ring of Winter

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

for the Ring of Winter. If the characters make their way back to civilization with Artus in tow, they should encounter one or more of these groups along the way. Valindra Shadowmantle and the Red

displaced city. Nothing matters to him more than reuniting with his wife. Characters interested in helping Artus can use divination spells or downtime to conduct research. They might also consult with the

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

from one DM’s region of the world to another’s, creating continuity in the campaign even as characters might be involved in several plotlines. Rather than dividing a campaign geographically, you and

Flumph

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

to strangers. These tentacled, telepathic creatures jet through the air in short bursts, venting gases with a sound that gives them their name. Rather than speaking, flumphs communicate

Performing a psychic song or “smell poem.” 3 Recovering and nursing fallen adventurers. 4 Revealing the location of helpful magic items. 5 Serving as a guide to a foe’s hidden lair. 6 Sharing excessive encouragement and praise.

Adventure Background

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

destroy evil in the multiverse, rather than stand back and watch demons and devils annihilate one another, destroying vast swaths of the multiverse in the process. In defiance of her superiors, Zariel

behind them and never revealing their shameful retreat and betrayal. The Hellriders, as they were called, would wear this badge of shame to the grave.

Exemplars of Ambition

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

, wealth, and fame. More than other people, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. EVERYONE’S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle with members

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

owner, they are often willing to take the chance of revealing themselves because the potential reward is worth the risk. Dragon Servitors Kobolds believe that they were created by Tiamat from the blood

Exemplars of Ambition

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

, wealth, and fame. More than other people, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. EVERYONE'S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle with members

Staff

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

the party on adventures. The DM should name at least one hireling who acts as a leader for any interactions with groups of untrained laborers. Providing hirelings with a similar background (such as a

up as part of the characters’ adventures time and time again, revealing aspects of their past and creating story continuity. JOB TITLE AND BENEFITS What the Player’s Handbook calls untrained

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

have a dwarven name. Or, as DM, you might decide that dragonborn in your campaign have a culture reminiscent of ancient Rome and therefore use Roman names, rather than the dragonborn names suggested here.

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

coordinating the activities of multiple groups. Use the Agency Contacts table to determine the character of your superior, which can shape the kinds of missions you undertake and the degree of support you

Travel in Anauroch

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

roads and paths that crisscross Anauroch. Some of these paths are invisible on the ground, and the Bedine navigate by using the stars at night. Groups of Bedine might be traders carrying goods

, scouts looking for food, or bandits hoping to raid merchant caravans that try to shortcut their way across the desert rather than circumnavigate it. The Bedine nomads can act as guides for lost characters, offer clues for stuck players, and provide food and water for adventurers in desperate need.

Inhabitants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

City of Doors. Some sages track the existence and spread of humans back to Sigil itself, rather than to a deity or its creations. Various factions handle the day-to-day governance of Sigil, enforcement

of laws, and maintenance of civic infrastructure. These groups each follow a philosophy inspired by a cosmic aspect of the multiverse, and they actively recruit visitors and citizens into their ranks

Right and Wrong

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

to do, do poorly, or do wrongly can be just as important as what they accomplish. Don’t let failure and setbacks derail an adventure or a campaign. Rather, look for ways that failure or partial

larger or smaller groups, you can adjust the encounters using the guidelines given in chapter 3, “Creating Adventures,” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Or maybe you’ll adjust them anyway to keep things

Life in the Tayyib Empire

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

Life in the Tayyib Empire The Tayyib Empire is a cosmopolitan mix of the native peoples of Suristhanam, immigrants, and various invading groups. Nearly half the population are brown-skinned humans

worshiping the source of divinity rather than its fallible manifestations. Its adherents are called Muwahhid. Some erudite worshipers join the Imperial Ulema, an order of Muwahhid scholars sponsored by

Tracking Monsters' Hit Points

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

Points a monster has remaining. It helps to have a system to track damage for groups of monsters. If you aren’t using miniatures or other visual aids, one way to track your monsters is to assign them

list of Initiative (such as a whiteboard) without revealing to the players how many Hit Points the monsters have. The tracking might look like this: Ogre A: Crossed-out:9 Crossed-out:15 Crossed-out:23 Crossed-out:44 Crossed-out:54 Crossed-out:59 dead Ogre B: Crossed-out:9 Crossed-out:17 38 Ogre C:

19. Obo'laka's Shrine

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

the perimeter of the shrine. They investigate the sound of the squealing doors but won’t attack large groups, preferring to pick off loners and stragglers. 19B. Gallery of Carvings The walls of this

sun carving, but rather a moon carving. The pool is a magic portal that connects to the pool in area 19D. Characters who immerse themselves in the pool surface in area 19D. 19D. Moon Pool If the

The Sally Port

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

immediate threat from raiders loose in the keep, since it’s more a probe that got out of hand rather than a full-scale assault. Escobert is most concerned about resealing the sally port, and he seeks out

the characters for that job. To secure the sally port, characters must battle through two groups of foes. The first fight occurs against three acolytes, three kobolds, and one ambush drake (see

Meeting the Queen

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

knows about the outside world but feigns ignorance in an attempt to catch the characters in a lie. She respects those who show her respect and treat her people as their equals, rather than as primitive

characters give it back. If the mission isn’t ruined by how they conduct themselves prior to this first audience, the queen allows the characters to circulate through the lair for a brief time to give

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