constantly read guarding to have require

Gem Stalker

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Spider Climb. The gem stalker can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Unusual Nature. The gem stalker doesn’t require food or

Underdark, hunting Aberrations, and guarding its creator’s lair. A gem stalker is imbued with life, sapience, and purpose by the mystical energy of the gem dragon’s breath, and it is dedicated to

Phantom Warrior

Monsters Curse of Strahd

master or because it believes it must perform a task to satisfy its honor or sense of duty. For example, a guard who dies defending a wall might return as a phantom warrior and continue guarding the

Nature. A phantom warrior doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.Cold, Necrotic, PoisonBludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Mouth of Grolantor

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, often trapping them in a cage or tying them to a post. A priest of Grolantor visits the famished giant daily, trying to read portents in the puddles of bile the hill giant retches up. If the sickness

of Grolantor is revered as a holy embodiment of Grolantor’s aching hunger. Unlike a typical sluggish hill giant, a mouth of Grolantor is thin as a whippet, alert like a bird, and constantly

Archaic

Monsters Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

Enigmatic Mind. The archaic’s mind can’t be read, creatures can communicate telepathically with the archaic only if it allows, and magic can’t determine whether the archaic is lying

. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the archaic fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Unusual Nature. The archaic doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The

Skull Lord

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

":"Master of the Grave"} hit points whenever it starts its turn there. Unusual Nature. The skull lord doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The skull lord makes three Bone Staff or

their own worst enemies; each is a combined being born from three hateful individuals, and they constantly plot against themselves. Infighting and treachery brought skull lords into existence. The

Greater Death Dragon

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Unusual Nature. The dragon doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The

of their former selves, albeit twisted by their state of being. These greater death dragons scheme to achieve their ends, all the while amassing and jealously guarding treasure hoards as they did in

Thri-kreen

Species Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

. Although thri-kreen don’t sleep, they do require periods of inactivity to revitalize themselves. During these periods, they are fully aware of what’s happening around them. Thri-kreen

increase. You’re free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised above 20. Languages Your character can speak, read

Ancient Solar Dragon

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

choose to succeed instead. Nebulous Thoughts. Magical attempts to read the dragon’s mind or glean its thoughts fail automatically. Siege Monster. The dragon deals double damage to objects and

structures. Unusual Nature. The dragon doesn’t require air.Multiattack. The dragon makes one Bite attack and one Tail attack. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16;{"diceNotation":"1d20+16","rollType

Sage - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign. BALDUR’S GATE FEATURE: RUMOR MONGER Via your personal rumor mill and articles

convey the impression of great erudition. 2 I’ve read every book in the world’s greatest libraries—or I like to boast that I have. 3 I’m used to helping out those who

Faction Agent

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

operated openly or secretly, depending on the faction and its goals, as well as how those goals mesh with your own. Becoming an adventurer doesn’t necessarily require you to relinquish membership

Personality Trait 1 I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example. 2 I can find common ground between the fiercest enemies

Azuredge

Magic Items Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

, electrum, and steel alloys whose edges constantly shimmer with a deep blue luminescence. You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. The shield spell provides no

out to a range of 120 feet. The weapon communicates telepathically with its wielder and can speak, read, and understand Common. It has a calm, delicate voice. The weapon can sense the presence of non

Adult Solar Dragon

Monsters Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

choose to succeed instead. Nebulous Thoughts. Magical attempts to read the dragon’s mind or glean its thoughts fail automatically. Siege Monster. The dragon deals double damage to objects and

structures. Unusual Nature. The dragon doesn’t require air.Multiattack. The dragon makes one Bite attack and one Tail attack. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12;{"diceNotation":"1d20+12","rollType

Belashyrra

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Alien Mind. If a creature tries to read Belashyrra’s thoughts or deals psychic damage to it, that creature must succeed on a DC 22 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. The

Dungeon Master’s Guide has more information on madness. Madness of Belashyrra d6 Flaw (lasts until cured) 1 “I constantly see shapes moving in the shadows.” 2

Ancient Amethyst Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. (Any) 3 Self-Improvement. I am a complex gem, and I constantly polish and refine my many facets to make the whole that much more perfect. (Any) 4 Responsibility. Having knowledge and

able to awaken psionic potential in others, and many of the greatest psi warriors in history were the dragon’s students. 4 After centuries guarding the world against incursions from the Far

Sword of Zariel

Magic Items Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

transformation. Your alignment becomes lawful good, and you gain the following traits: Angelic Language. You can speak, read, and write Celestial. Celestial Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic and

favorite religious hymn that I constantly hum. 2 I must keep a written record of my beliefs and the sins that I witness. When finished, this book will be my gift to the multiverse. 3 I have

Sage Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign. Suggested

, sometimes as a means toward other ideals. d8 Personality Trait 1 I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition. 2 I’ve read every book in the

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound

our homes on our backs.” The shells they carry around provide all the shelter they require. Consequently, tortles don’t feel the need to root themselves in one place for too long. A tortle

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

sang from every page. Long into the night Liriel read, lighting candle after precious candle. She’d never given much thought to humans, but these stories fascinated her. In these yellowed

single elf or dwarf might take on the responsibility of guarding a special location or a powerful secret, humans found sacred orders and institutions for such purposes. While dwarf clans and halfling

Fairy

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

skin. 3 You have exceptionally large ears. 4 A glittering mist constantly surrounds you. 5 You have a small spectral horn on your forehead, like a little unicorn horn. 6 Your

. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20. Languages Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

;Kurtulmak: God of Kobolds” sidebar). In the world they occupy, kobolds are often bullied and enslaved by larger creatures — or, when they live on their own, they are constantly fearful of

creatures wouldn’t feel safe. Kobolds take advantage of their size by creating small-diameter tunnels that they can easily pass through, but that require larger creatures to hunch over or even

Securing a Guide

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

Securing a Guide If the adventurers require a guide, roll a d8 and consult the Avowed Adjutants table to determine the adjutant who is assigned to them, or choose one that you like. Avowed Adjutants

with ink-stained fingers, a small bag of cookies in one pocket, and a good memory for recipes 3 Parmak, a 25-year-old human scribe who is constantly reading a book and occasionally walks into things 4

Securing a Guide

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

Securing a Guide If the adventurers require a guide, roll a d8 and consult the Avowed Adjutants table to determine the adjutant who is assigned to them, or choose one that you like. Avowed Adjutants

with ink-stained fingers, a small bag of cookies in one pocket, and a good memory for recipes 3 Parmak, a 25-year-old human scribe who is constantly reading a book and occasionally walks into things 4

Abyssal Throne Gate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

restoring the city to its former state. If the undead medusa guarding area O4 is overcome, the crown and scepter recovered from the monastery can be used to open the temple gate, as noted in the adventure

characters attempting to activate or reverse the abyssal gate, you can also require that the character wearing the crown and holding the scepter must be in physical contact with the standing arch — making it impossible to activate the gate from inside the apparatus of Kwalish or any similar protective device.

Metagame Thinking

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

wouldn’t throw such a powerful monster at us!” or you might hear, “The read-aloud text spent a lot of time describing that door — let’s search it again!” Discourage metagame thinking by giving players a

gentle reminder: “What do your characters think?” You can curb metagame thinking by setting up situations that will be difficult for the characters and that might require negotiation or retreat to survive.

Hold of the Deepking

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

Hold of the Deepking The Hold of the Deepking stands south of Laduguer’s Furrow and north of Themberchaud’s lair. When the characters first lay eyes on it, read the following boxed text aloud to the

filled with molten lava bathe the palace facade in a hellish glow, and the thick stone walls bristle with iron turrets and battlements. There appears to be no one guarding the palace, but this is an

Hold of the Deepking

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

Hold of the Deepking The Hold of the Deepking stands south of Laduguer’s Furrow and north of Themberchaud’s lair. When the characters first lay eyes on it, read the following boxed text aloud to the

filled with molten lava bathe the palace facade in a hellish glow, and the thick stone walls bristle with iron turrets and battlements. There appears to be no one guarding the palace, but this is an

Metagame Thinking

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

wouldn’t throw such a powerful monster at us!” or you might hear, “The read-aloud text spent a lot of time describing that door — let’s search it again!” Discourage metagame thinking by giving players a

gentle reminder: “What do your characters think?” You can curb metagame thinking by setting up situations that will be difficult for the characters and that might require negotiation or retreat to survive.

Abyssal Throne Gate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

restoring the city to its former state. If the undead medusa guarding area O4 is overcome, the crown and scepter recovered from the monastery can be used to open the temple gate, as noted in the adventure

characters attempting to activate or reverse the abyssal gate, you can also require that the character wearing the crown and holding the scepter must be in physical contact with the standing arch — making it impossible to activate the gate from inside the apparatus of Kwalish or any similar protective device.

The Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad

Magic Items Infernal Machine Rebuild

object on the same plane as you and have the compass point constantly in the direction of the named target. You gain no knowledge of the distance to the target. A specialized clockwork compass floats

you move, a magical voice calls out your direction and how far you’ve gone. The voice cannot be silenced or stopped. 14 You constantly see afterimages of all events that occurred within 30

Explaining the Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Intro to Stormwreck Isle

Explaining the Game Read or paraphrase this boxed text: I’ve just told you the situation you’re in. What happens next is up to you. You’re all trained for combat, so if you want to fight this monster

require some combination of skill, natural ability, and luck to pull off. And the D&D game represents that by having you roll one of these 20-sided dice and add a number from your sheet. So… what do you want to do?

K6. Overlook

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

K6. Overlook Dark clouds overhead drizzle constantly. A flagstone avenue passes between empty outbuildings, leading to a stone-paved overlook. The overlook has a low stone wall adorned with outward

-facing gargoyle carvings. If a character peers over the balcony, read: A flash of lightning illuminates the dismal village of Barovia, its rooftops visible above a smothering blanket of fog one

Explaining the Game

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Intro to Stormwreck Isle

Explaining the Game Read or paraphrase this boxed text: I’ve just told you the situation you’re in. What happens next is up to you. You’re all trained for combat, so if you want to fight this monster

require some combination of skill, natural ability, and luck to pull off. And the D&D game represents that by having you roll one of these 20-sided dice and add a number from your sheet. So… what do you want to do?

Running the Adventure

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

events with which to challenge the characters as they investigate the nefarious plots of the Cult of the Dragon. This is not, however, a script to be read aloud with stage directions that must be

for the adventurers to explore and interact with in a constantly changing, lively way. You, the Dungeon Master, play a vital role. The creators of Tyranny of Dragons have tried to foresee the most