conflicted ritual great to her reason

Barovian Witch

Monsters Curse of Strahd

attack. Brothers and Sisters of Strahd. Barovian witches have no scruples. They will deal with anyone in return for power. They will also betray anyone for the same reason. The only thing they fear is

spell component, a ritual object, or a potion ingredient. Barovian witches use the find familiar spell to call forth familiars. They are particularly fond of cats, though snakes and toads are also common. These animals lurk amid the clutter of the witches' lairs, seldom wandering far from their vile masters.

Daemogoth

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Pact of Pain. Using a 10-minute ritual, the daemogoth can forge a magical bond with a willing creature it touches throughout the ritual. The creature becomes bound by the pact until it dies, the

the fiends’ tendency to lurk near battlefields and other sites of great tragedy to consume the anguish saturating the area. Daemogoths are creatures of forbidden knowledge and magic, all fueled

Uthgardt Shaman

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

require some sort of blood sacrifice, and their effects are usually transformative. For example, some Black Raven shamans know a ritual that allows them to hatch giant ravens from normal raven eggs, and

some shamans of the Griffon tribe can transform themselves into griffons by performing a ritual that requires them to drink copious amounts of horse blood. UTHGARDT SHAMAN TRIBAL SPELLS Depending

Nagpa

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, fly, hold person, suggestion, wall of fire 1/day each: dominate person, etherealness, feeblemindLong ago, the Raven Queen cursed a cabal of powerful wizards for meddling in a ritual that would have

fallen civilizations and great calamities. Nagpas still fear the Raven Queen and do their best to avoid her and her agents. When it’s impossible to do so, they become cringing, fawning things, eager

Waterdhavian Noble

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You are a scion of one of the great noble families of Waterdeep. Human families who jealously guard their privilege and place in the City of Splendors, Waterdhavian nobles have a reputation across

Faerûn for being eccentric, spoiled, venal, and, above all else, rich. Whether you are a shining example of the reason for this reputation or one who proves the rule by being an exception, people

Warforged Colossus

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

otherwise intact. “Karrnslayer” (Colossus WX-31) lost its legs but crawls through the Mournland, using its arms to drag its great bulk across the ground. It is always prone and can’t

is built to carry wizards, artificers, magewrights, and elite troops. For this reason, these constructs are largely hollow on the inside, with tunnels, ladders, storage areas, and observation decks

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

provided. The following section, discussing possible homelands, includes some suggested reasons that are appropriate for each location. d6 Reason d6 Reason 1 Emissary 4 Pilgrim

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

using her magic. Casting such great magic night after night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined

time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is incapable of showing mercy or compassion. Play her as a supremely cold and

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

realm in the far north and, after a time, plunged it into frigid darkness using her magic. Casting such great magic night after night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril

can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals’ demands. As the embodiment of winter’s cruelty, she is

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

research, often at the expense of my own health and safety. 5 I’m convinced there’s not a soul in Ravnica, except maybe the great Niv-Mizzet, who can match my boundless intellect. 6

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Frostmaiden could not stay away for long. Auril returned to her icy realm in the far north and, after a time, plunged it into frigid darkness using her magic. Casting such great magic night after

might prove helpful: So long as she has mortal worshipers, Auril can’t truly die (although the characters can rid the world of her for a time). Thus, she has no reason to capitulate to mortals

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

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

past that could rewrite history. It might be information that would be damaging to the people who consigned you to exile, and hence the reason for your return to society. Work with your DM to

Darkling Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

speak of a seelie fey who betrayed the Summer Queen. His true name has been stricken from history, but the stories call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath

, and doing so wizens the creature, much like the effect of rapid aging. For this reason, darklings cover every part of their body with clothing when exposure to light is a risk. The light a darkling

Aarakocra Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

. Great Purpose Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an

Book of Vile Darkness (Variant)

Magic Items Keys from the Golden Vault

great evil claims your soul. You can’t be restored to life by any means while your soul remains imprisoned. The Book of Vile Darkness has the following properties: Circle of Death. While attuned

choose: Vile Apotheosis. The book could hold a ritual that allows a character to become a lich or death knight. True Names. The true names of any number of fiends might be in the book. Dark Magic

Darkling Elder Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

call him Dubh Catha ("Dark Crow" in Common). So great was the Summer Queen's wrath that she cursed every member of his house. Other fey refer to the descendants of Dubh Catha's house as the dubh sith-or

. The Killing Light. The Summer Queen's curse causes a darkling's body to absorb light, and doing so wizens the creature, much like the effect of rapid aging. For this reason, darklings cover every

Norker

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

and his followers the initial, unwilling recruits into his crusade. Today, hobgoblins chafe at the suggestion that creatures as lazy and untamed as norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason

' strength and ferocity.. For this reason, norkers are likely encountered away from their brethren. Their natural armor and weapons make them dangerous foes even when relegated to menial labor. Only

Norker War Leader

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries. Nasty, Brutish

defeat goblinoids that underestimate the norkers' strength and ferocity.. For this reason, norkers are likely encountered away from their brethren. Their natural armor and weapons make them dangerous

Nyarlathotep

monsters

following actions. Nyarlathotep regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns. If Nyarlathotep is unable to use legendary actions for any reason, it automatically uses Relentless Horror

ritual said to call forth the Mythos deities includes a reference to Nyarlathotep, ranging from pleas for him to bring a cultist’s message to the gods to strident commands that he fulfill his role

Great Race of Yith

monsters

terminated in an irregular yellowish globe some two feet in diameter and having three great dark eyes ranged along its central circumference... Surmounting this head were four slender grey stalks bearing

flowerlike appendages, whilst from its nether side dangled eight greenish antennae or tentacles. The great base of the central cone was ringed with a rubbery grey substance which moved the whole entity

Hermit Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

case stuffed full of notes from your studies or prayers, a winter blanket, a set of common clothes, an herbalism kit, and 5 gp Life of Seclusion What was the reason for your isolation, and what

changed to allow you to end your solitude? You can work with your DM to determine the exact nature of your seclusion, or you can choose or roll on the table below to determine the reason behind your

Shub-Niggurath

monsters

expend a use to take one of the following actions. Shub-Niggurath regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns. If Shub-Niggurath is unable to use legendary actions for any reason, it

great numbers, tapping into the magic of this Mythos entity to multiply and thrive. Twisted Promises. Cults of Shub-Niggurath begin innocently enough. A village deep in a primal forest, or a group

Formless Spawn

monsters

their great atom-power searchlights, they found living things—living things that oozed along stone channels and worshipped onyx and basalt images of Tsathoggua. But they were not toads like

. Relentless Guardians. Sometimes, despite a formless spawn’s best efforts, an intruder steals a valuable relic. Often, a formless spawn keeps watch over a ritual object, such as a dagger used to

Laneshi

races

. Using a powerful necromantic ritual, the second twin is sacrificed, its soul bound within the body of the other. Each member of the mystic caste is therefore possessed of two souls—one living

warfare but diplomacy, farming, and the raising and educating of children. The warrior caste is roughly double the size of the mystic caste, structured as a meritocracy, with great deeds leading to

Flying Polyp

monsters

the stars, driven by some unknowable urge to leave the terrestrial realms behind. Abandoned Domains. The flying polyps once gathered in great cities. They constructed vaults deep within the earth

conjure howling wind storms that scour an entire region of life. It takes an hour for three or more polyps working together to create a storm. When they finish their ritual, a terrible storm rips

Hunting Horror

monsters

great viperine creatures, which had curiously distorted heads, and grotesquely great clawed appendages, supporting themselves with ease by the aid of black rubbery wings of singularly monstrous

service by spellcasters who uncover ritual sites and who unlock secret tomes, though, invariably, such a discovery is the first step on the road to becoming Nyarlathotep’s pawn. Hunting

Disembodied

races

sanctuary within its walls. The Great College dedicated to magical study in the city quickly became a sanctum for mages of all disciplines from across Etharis, creating a golden age of magic within its

walls. That golden age came crashing down in a single night, when the founding mages of Ulmyr’s Gate attempted an ambitious ritual intended to part the veil and create a permanent portal to the

Dimensional Shambler

monsters

survived these horrors. They are capable of walking between the realms of the universe, and they constantly move, spending little time at a location. These entities occasionally serve a god or a Great

quarry with its nominal allies, but, other times, it carries off its victim to an unknown destination for an unknown reason. Cosmic Detritus. Before her disappearance, the sage Lemetra of the

Book of Vile Darkness Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

great evil claims your soul. You can’t be restored to life by any means while your soul remains imprisoned. Random Properties. The Book of Vile Darkness has the following random properties: 3

, plus whatever else you choose: Vile Apotheosis. The book could hold a ritual that allows a character to become a lich or death knight. True Names. The true names of any number of fiends might be in

Grung

Species One Grung Above

caste for life. On rare occasions, an individual that distinguishes itself with great deeds can earn an invitation to join a higher caste. Through a combination of herbal tonics and ritual magic, an

Demilich (Variant) Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

its existence. Few liches seek to become demiliches, for it means an end to the existence they hoped to preserve by becoming undead. However, time can erode the lich’s reason and memory, causing

Nature. A demilich doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. So great is a demilich’s will to survive that it always has the maximum number of hit points for its Hit Dice, instead of average

Moonblade Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

, some blades have faded from the world, their magic lost as family lines have become extinct. Other blades have vanished with their bearers during great quests. Thus, only a few of these weapons remain

special ritual in the throne room of an elven regent or in a temple dedicated to the elven gods. A moonblade won’t serve anyone it regards as craven, erratic, corrupt, or at odds with

Eye and Hand of Vecna Legacy

Magic Items Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

power, Vecna couldn’t escape his own mortality. He began to fear death and take steps to prevent his end from ever coming about. Orcus, the demon prince of undeath, taught Vecna a ritual that

’s lieutenant Kas coveted the Spider Throne for himself, or that the sword his lord made for him seduced him into rebellion. Whatever the reason, Kas brought the Undying King’s rule to an

Dragonborn Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear

DRACONIANS In the Dragonlance setting, the followers of the evil goddess Takhisis learned a vile ritual that let them corrupt the eggs of metallic dragons, producing evil dragonborn called draconians

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

cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in

D&D Beyond

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