continuing ranks get to have related

Cloistered Scholar

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

of knowledge. The most well known of Faerûn’s fonts of knowledge is Candlekeep. The great library is always in need of workers and attendants, some of whom rise through the ranks to

adventuring. Your ideal is no doubt related to how you view the quest for knowledge and truth—perhaps as a worthy goal in itself, or maybe as a means to a desirable end. Sage d8

Titivilus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

archdevils, he compensates with cunning. A shrewd politician, he has clawed his way up through the ranks to become the second-most powerful devil in Dis, entirely by saying the right thing at the right time

to get what he wanted. Charming and pleasant, he is a master at negotiation, able to twist words so as to leave his victims confused and believing he’s on their side. Through these skills

Clan Crafter

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

as a clan crafter. (For instance, consider the words “guild” and “clan” to be interchangeable.) Your bond is almost certainly related to the master or the clan that taught

tirelessly to get the best deal possible. 8 I’m well known for my work, and I want to make sure everyone appreciates it. I’m always taken aback when people haven’t heard of me

Soldier - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a standing army, a town guard, or a village

Fist or the Watch. If you do, you have responsibilities related to your post. For as long as you perform these responsibilities, you gain benefits. If you stop performing your responsibilities, though

Dimir Operative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

;s activities. 3 I’ve been assigned to get close to an individual in this guild and learn their secrets. 4 I’ve been assigned to recruit a new Dimir spy from the ranks of this

don’t share it. 3 I like to sound mysterious, because wisdom hidden grows deeper with time. 4 I have no patience with people who get in my way. 5 I love hearing about other

Shipwright

Backgrounds Ghosts of Saltmarsh

it. 6 A pipe, an ale, and the smell of the sea: paradise. 7 I have an endless supply of cautionary tales related to the sea. 8 I don’t mind getting my hands dirty

teeth shall adorn my hearth. D6 FLAW 1 I don’t know when to throw something away. You never know when it might be useful again. 2 I get frustrated to the

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

ranks hoping to find out what happened to them. 7 You’ve always wanted to be a member of the Guild. As a child, you looked up to the Guild members’ swagger, their flashy dress, and

work, do what needs to be done, and get paid. Anyone who pursues crime for thrill-seeking, to strike back at unjust authorities, or anything else are amateurs, and they’re liable to get you

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

inheritor. Your bond might be directly related to your inheritance, or to the person from whom you received it. Your ideal might be influenced by what you know about your inheritance, or by what you

. 7 I misuse long words in an attempt to sound smarter. 8 I get bored easily. When am I going to get on with my destiny? d6 Ideal 1 Respect. People deserve to be treated

Folk Hero - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Origins table for an event that started you down your heroic path.. d10 Origin 1 You helped get healing for a sick child. Now the sick come to you, knowing you’ll help them

name. FEATURE: RUSTIC HOSPITALITY Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among other commoners

Nilbog Legacy

Monsters Volo's Guide to Monsters

as a harsh overseer who would keep the goblins under heel. But the goblins’ pantheon included a trickster deity who was determined to get the last laugh. Although its essence was shattered by

Maglubiyet, this trickster god survives in splintered form as a possessing spirit that arises when goblinoids form a host, causing disorder in the ranks unless it is appeased. Goblins have no name for

Fog Giant

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

intimidation to get their way. A fog giant seeks out news and rumors of treasures that appeal to its sense of refinement, then tracks down and treats owners of those treasures to a show of force. Kicking

bandits, raiders, spies, and criminals. In some cases, such a network might grow large enough that minions in the lower ranks are ignorant of their leader’s true nature. Fog giants who amass

Dwarf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf. Dwarves in other lands are

field of battle centuries ago. SLOW TO TRUST Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years,” is

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and maintaining no permanent home. AFFABLE AND POSITIVE Halflings try to get along with everyone else and are

more like closely related families than true subraces. Choose one of these subraces or one from another source.

Soldier Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

, work with your DM to determine which military organization you were a part of, how far through its ranks you progressed, and what kind of experiences you had during your military career. Was it a

hatred. d8 Personality Trait 1 I’m always polite and respectful. 2 I’m haunted by memories of war. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind. 3 I

Folk Hero Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

leadership and was commended for my heroism. FEATURE: RUSTIC HOSPITALITY Since you come from the ranks of the common folk, you fit in among them with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest

to sound smarter. 8 I get bored easily. When am I going to get on with my destiny? d6 Ideal 1 Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town’s sewers as the community grows. These so-called “city kobolds” live underground but

use for healing magic, and a sorcerer can meet most of the tribe’s other magic-related needs. Kobold shamans are very rare; priests of Kurtulmak, when they reveal themselves, are easily recognized

Tortle Legacy

Species The Tortle Package

wilderness in which to hunt, catch fish, and get by. With each passing year, a tortle hones its survival skills. It forms friendships with its neighbors while also respecting their privacy. At some

related to a god and choose to worship that deity. In the Forgotten Realms, tortles are especially fond of Eldath, Gond, Lathander, Savras, Selûne, and Tymora. In the Greyhawk setting, they

Fighter

classes Basic Rules (2014)

Fighter As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane warriors

around you? Were you particularly ruthless? Did you get extra help from a mentor, perhaps because of your exceptional dedication? What drove you to this training in the first place? A threat to your

Paladin Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

has taken him or her away from adventuring for a time, every paladin lives on the front lines of the cosmic struggle against evil. Fighters are rare enough among the ranks of the militias and armies

. Although the class features related to your oath don’t appear until you reach 3rd level, plan ahead for that choice by reading the oath descriptions at the end of the class. Are you a devoted

Feature: Official Inquiry

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

Feature: Official Inquiry You’re experienced at gaining access to people and places to get the information you need. Through a combination of fast-talking, determination, and official-looking

documentation, you can gain access to a place or an individual related to a crime you’re investigating. Those who aren’t involved in your investigation avoid impeding you or pass along your requests

White Plume Mountain

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal

White Plume Mountain Lawrence Schick, the author of White Plume Mountain, related in the 2013 compilation Dungeons of Dread that he wrote the adventure as a way of persuading Gary Gygax to hire him

as a game designer. Not only did he get the job, but White Plume became an instant favorite when it was first published in 1979. The version of the adventure in this book is tailored to a group of characters of 8th level.

Part 3: Sabotage!

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer Academy

Miken’s simulated hammerhead ship to malfunction at the end of part 2. The characters won’t learn the full story in this adventure, but the sabotage is related to the recent rash of thefts at the

academy and the attack on Mirt. The saboteurs’ targets are the academy’s instructors—but cadets are prone to get caught in the crossfire.

Skill Variants

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

feature, the player defines aspects of his or her background to which the benefit applies. Continuing the noble example, the player might decide to apply Expertise to “situations where courtly manners

proficiencies. Instead, a character can add his or her proficiency bonus to any ability check directly related to the character’s positive personality traits. For example, a character with a positive

Students

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

students, having chosen a college, spend virtually all their remaining school years on that campus and study with those professors, diving into their preferred area of study and related fields. Other

students take as many as a third of their classes in other colleges, continuing the breadth of their first-year education and looking for places where the perspectives of other disciplines can bring

Activity While Traveling

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

are the closest to those enemies when a fight breaks out. A character might occupy the front rank, one or more middle ranks, or the back rank. Characters in the front and back ranks need enough room

to travel side by side with others in their rank. When space is too tight, the marching order must change, usually by moving characters to a middle rank. Fewer Than Three Ranks. If an adventuring

Activity While Traveling

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

are the closest to those enemies when a fight breaks out. A character might occupy the front rank, one or more middle ranks, or the back rank. Characters in the front and back ranks need enough room

to travel side by side with others in their rank. When space is too tight, the marching order must change, usually by moving characters to a middle rank. Fewer Than Three Ranks. If an adventuring

Travel

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

related to travel in an Eberron campaign and presents the Gold Dragon Inns, a chain of hotels that offer consistent accommodation for travelers anywhere in Khorvaire. As described in chapter 5 of the

Dungeon Master’s Guide, it’s up to you whether you gloss over travel in your campaign or narrate it in more detail. If the point is to get the characters to their destination so they can get the

Creating a Fighter

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

Creating a Fighter As you build your fighter, think about two related elements of your character’s background: Where did you get your combat training, and what set you apart from the mundane

warriors around you? Were you particularly ruthless? Did you get extra help from a mentor, perhaps because of your exceptional dedication? What drove you to this training in the first place? A threat to your

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

Strength Orcs appreciate physical prowess and formidable combat ability in any form. As such, they might accept other creatures into their ranks from time to time. Orcs have been known to associate with

the gods has no clear explanation, the priests might have to meditate for hours or days to get a vision of its meaning. Every group of orcs has particular superstitions and recognizes certain omens

Lightfoot Halflings

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

foot. Bands consist of loosely related individuals, and when bands meet, membership frequently shifts. Lightfoot halflings typically excel at tasks related to travel — be it navigation, handling pack

themselves, which enables them to make friends easily. Their facile friendships and ease with partings can make lightfoot halflings seem disingenuous to others. Lightfoot halflings get stereotyped as

All about the Houses

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

house leadership. Names and Ranks. Any heir of the house who develops a dragonmark is allowed to add the d’ prefix to the house name: for example, Merrix d’Cannith. Despite the Korth Edicts

emblem appears along with the related dragonmark on the following pages. The Twelve. The Twelve is an organization that facilitates cooperation among the dragonmarked houses. Excoriates. Excoriates are

Things Best Left Unsaid

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

, automatically get failures on their checks. On a successful group check, Zybilna/Iggwilv apologizes for her outburst, and her mood lightens. On a failed group check, the archfey erases all knowledge of

Iggwilv and Natasha from the characters’ memories before continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened. Inform the players that this effect has occurred—the names Iggwilv and Natasha no longer

Episode 5: Hide and Seek

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

, called the wheel of stars. They also know that Horn Enclave is all but impossible to get into. Thankfully, Acquisitions Incorporated has the party’s back. With the help of Acq Inc fixer Flabbergast

the Six. The characters get their first glimpse of Splugoth the Returned, one of the Six’s mysterious members, and the point goblin for the plan to claim the orrery. In fact, the attack is only a

Maintaining Order

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

, and decisions might not get made quickly enough — or at all. Adding to the challenge of maintaining discipline is the ever-present threat of demonic madness growing among the ranks, creating problems

within their own ranks, members of any faction might bristle at having to work alongside (much less take orders from) members of other factions. Chain of Command In addition to deciding how the

Mystery

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

awaken him? Who murdered the guildmaster, and how did the killer get into the guild’s locked vault? A mystery-themed campaign puts the characters in the role of investigators, perhaps traveling from

the greater mystery only once in a while; individual adventures might be at best tangentially related to that theme. A diet of nothing but puzzles can become frustrating, so be sure to mix up the

D&D Beyond

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