core relative great to have reclusive

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Guild. If either of them ever finds out, your life as you know it will be over. 6 A close friend or relative joined the Guild and vanished mysteriously. You’ve worked your way into the lower

to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you. BALDUR’S GATE

Shifter Legacy

Species Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Geth’s ancient heritage rose up from deep within him, spreading out from the core of his being. Some shifters manifested terrible claws, others massive fangs, still others astounding speed or

to friends and kin, shifters place great value on self-reliance and freedom. It’s a shifter proverb to “always be prepared for the journey yet to come,” and most shifters strive to be

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

At the highest mountain peaks — far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl — dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a

goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with them. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great

Adult Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

a constant battle against deep gnome miners, who scour the tunnels of the dragon’s lair in search of emeralds. 2 An adult silver dragon tries to befriend and draw out a reclusive adult

features: Lava Tubes. When the volcano is quiet, the dragon uses the lava tubes to come and go from the lair. Great Hall. The emerald dragon resides in a grand rectangular hall near the center of the

Orzhov Representative

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

convinced that everyone I know is plotting against me. 3 I’ll brave any risk if the monetary reward is great enough. 4 I am convinced that I am far more important than anyone else is

priests. 5 A Gruul druid hates me but would never dare to touch me. 6 I know an Izzet engineer who is desperate to pay off a debt accrued by a deceased relative. 7 Roll an additional

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

Gruul Anarch

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

.] 3 I’m as stubborn as a batterboar. 4 I’m so convinced of my superiority over soft, civilized people that I’ll take great risks to prove it. 5 I’m easily

joined the Cult of Rakdos. 9 A distant relative is trying to recruit me into the Selesnya Conclave. 10 I stopped a Simic biomancer from trapping wild beasts to perform vile experiments on them.

Centaur Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

body of a great horse topped by a humanoid torso, head, and arms. Reclusive wanderers, they avoid conflict but fight fiercely when pressed.

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

CONTACT You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances

sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder. Suggested Characteristics Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an

Gnome Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

habitations in Oeble, that particular tenement had been built for humans, and smaller residents coped with the resulting awkwardness as best they could. But at least the relative largeness of the apartment

, sometimes to the great annoyance of their adventuring companions. ALWAYS APPRECIATIVE It’s rare for a gnome to be hostile or malicious unless he or she has suffered a grievous injury. Gnomes

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; Elminster Bugbears feature in the nightmare tales of many races — great, hairy beasts that creep through the shadows as quiet as cats. If you walk alone in the woods, a bugbear will reach out

. Shiftless, Savage Layabouts When they’re not in battle, bugbears spend much of their time resting or dozing. They don’t engage in crafting or agriculture to any great extent, or

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

great unknown. NISHREK AND THE ETERNAL WAR Orcs believe that if they die with honor, their spirits go to the plane of Acheron, the Infinite Battlefield — specifically the layer of Nishrek

strongholds, and then decorated with uniquely orcish accessories. A war wagon is a source of great pride for a war chief, comparable to a human army’s banner or flag. Many are clad in armor and

Guide to the City

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

lord’s keep. We’ve got those, and lots of ’em. But the foundation of the city is the core towers. The walls of these towers are so thick you could fit your lord’s castle in one. You’ve got your outside

districts where you get the open air, built on the bridges and platforms that connect the core towers together. You’ve got the little turrets, built on the core tower walls and the bridges between

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

capable of flight, and similar objects provoke a great desire for the kenku to acquire the items for themselves. Despite their lack of wings, kenku love dwelling in towers and other tall structures

. Others strike out on their own in search of the secrets of flight, to master magic, or to uncover the secret of their curse and find a method to break it. Kenku adventurers, despite their relative

It's Your World

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

It’s Your World In creating your campaign world, it helps to start with the core assumptions and consider how your setting might change them. The subsequent sections of this chapter address each

, but they’re not the only set of assumptions that can do so. You can build an interesting campaign concept by altering one or more of those core assumptions, just as well-established D&D worlds have done

The Great Wheel

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

The Great Wheel The default D&D cosmology includes more than two dozen planes, detailed in this chapter. The most common understanding of these planes visualizes them as a group of concentric wheels

between Bytopia and Arcadia; rather, this theoretical positioning is based on the philosophical shading among the three planes and the relative importance they give to law and good. Other

Goliath

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters

the frigid winds howl — dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a goliath, and fewer still can claim friendship with one. Goliaths wander a bleak realm of rock, wind, and cold

. Their bodies look as if they are carved from mountain stone and give them great physical power. Their spirits take after the wandering wind, making them nomads who wander from peak to peak. Their

Competition for a Hoard

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

Competition for a Hoard Shadowy cults, reclusive scholars, rival adventurers, and mysterious organizations might seek out a dragon’s hoard, either trying to claim it from a dragon or trying to

dragon’s hoard to perform some great ritual. The Hoard Magic table suggests some possibilities. Hoard Magic d6 Magical Motivation 1 Create a permanent protective ward covering a city-state or

Chapter 10: Hold of the Storm Giants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Storm King's Thunder

Chapter 10: Hold of the Storm Giants Before the dissolution of the ordning, the influence of the storm giants was so great that lesser giants were compelled to abide by their decrees. The storm

giants, reclusive by nature, did their best to discourage lesser giants from destroying the civilizations of the small folk. The death of Queen Neri and the disappearance of King Hekaton have left

Skyreach Castle

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

back to the days when giants and dragons fought great wars. The binding kept dragons from taking these castles for their own, and the bond still holds centuries later. The cult has struck a bargain with

strong and impenetrable as granite, thanks to ancient cloud giant wizardry. Towers and walls surround an iceberg core that’s been hollowed out to serve as the lair of a powerful white dragon allied with

Chapter 5: Neverlight Grove

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

safe passage to any who approach them peacefully. The relative isolation of Neverlight Grove, its abundance of food and water, and the welcoming nature of its inhabitants might bring the characters

more myconids are slowly becoming unwitting thralls under her control, and characters who linger in Neverlight Grove might find themselves in great peril.

Skyreach Castle

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

to the days when giants and dragons fought great wars. The binding kept dragons from taking these castles for their own, and the bond still holds centuries later. The cult has struck a bargain with

strong and impenetrable as granite, thanks to ancient cloud giant wizardry. Towers and walls surround an iceberg core that’s been hollowed out to serve as the lair of a powerful white dragon allied with

The Shape of Sharn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

keep. We’ve got those, and lots of ‘em. But the foundation of the city is the core towers. The walls of these towers are so thick, you could fit your lord’s entire castle in one. You’ve got your

outside districts where you get the open air, built on the bridges and platforms that connect the core towers together. You’ve got the little turrets, built on the core tower walls and the bridges

Rarity

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

uncommon items can’t be easily created. Thus, many magic items are well-preserved antiquities. Rarity provides a rough measure of an item’s power relative to other magic items. Each rarity corresponds

your campaign’s story. If you want a ring of invisibility to fall into the hands of a 1st-level character, so be it. No doubt a great story will arise from that event. If your campaign allows for trade

Running the Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a6

from within. The characters have been warned to expect guards at the great doors to the steading, but none are visible. (If the party returns to the stronghold after an initial foray, there will be

guards present on the second and subsequent visits.) The time has come to see what is afoot! If the party decides to retire between forays against the steading, they can retreat to the relative safety of

Dwarves

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

groups eke out lives in ruins or harsh lands as reclusive survivalists. As a hill dwarf, you might come from lands near the great mountain dwarf nations or from a diverse town far away. Or perhaps you come from everywhere, having been raised in a traveling community that’s seen most corners of Ansalon.

Dwarves While known for their great subterranean nations, dwarves have long traded and traveled among the peoples of Krynn’s surface. The Cataclysm devastated many dwarven lands and destroyed some of

Runic Circle Adventures

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

, appearing as a great fireball blazing through the night sky. Characters who investigate this celestial event find mind flayers skirmishing with githyanki warriors and a githyanki knight amid the wreckage

built the circle. She demands tribute in the form of magical metal treasure to allow the characters to access the circle. She also accepts a fragment from the core of a supposedly inert runic colossus (see chapter 6).

Ancient Mysteries

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

bonds and wreak havoc, and we must always be vigilant. Civilizations rose and fell. The giants of Xen’drik worked great magics, even destroying one of the moons. This rash action led the reclusive

conflict with the vile daelkyr. These flesh-warping lords of madness were eventually trapped in Khyber by wise orcish druids, but ruins are all that remain of that great empire. Modern civilization

Gauntlgrym

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

. But it was the Great Forge that was the burning heart and true treasure of the city. Deep beneath the settled levels of Gauntlgrym, dwarven crafting and elven magic bound the slumbering primordial

Maegera, a being of fire and destruction, harnessing its incredible powers to heat the forge. On anvils of adamantine blessed by priests of Moradin, great items of power were forged, their base

Core Assumptions

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

Core Assumptions The rules of the game are based on the following core assumptions about the game world. Gods Oversee the World. The gods are real and embody a variety of beliefs, with each god

know the area they live in well. They’ve heard stories of other places from merchants and travelers, but few know what lies beyond the mountains or in the depths of the great forest unless they’ve

Location Overview

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dragon of Icespire Peak

Location Overview The reclusive anchorites of the Circle of Thunder gather on this hill to make sacrifices to Talos the storm god. In stormy weather, the anchorites also perform rituals to summon

dug out of the hillside. When the characters arrive, the anchorites are gathered on the hilltop. If Gorthok has not been defeated yet, the anchorites are in the midst of summoning the great boar

Dungeons

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

Dungeons Some dungeons are old strongholds abandoned by the folk who built them. Others are natural caves or lairs carved out by monsters. Dungeons attract cults, groups of monsters, and reclusive

were hunted by monsters 16–18 Built as a stronghold but abandoned after it fell to invaders 19–21 Built as a treasure vault to protect powerful magic items and great wealth 22–23 Built atop a cloud 24–26

Incorporating New Players

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

make sure the player is happy with the choice. Suggested story hooks include the following: Long-Lost Friend. The new character is a friend or relative of one of the adventurers. Alternatively, the

player is also a great way to maintain a roster of players as backup in case one of your regular players has to drop out of the game.

The Deck as Narrative

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

the warrior’s loyalty. A character who draws the Gem card might find a rich store of jewels in their next treasure hoard, or they might inherit great wealth when a relative dies. Many of the chapters

Around the Outlands

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel

be able to relate the details about the last Great Modron March, which R04M was following. The characters might seek other sources for information about the last Great Modron March, but the event was

toward the Spire as “spireward.” This is a relative direction, as spireward in Automata is the opposite direction from spireward from Xaos. Adventures in the Outlands Chapters 5 to chapter 11 detail

D&D Beyond

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