cousins reason great to have rigors

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

Ancient Deep Crow

Monsters Acquisitions Incorporated

cousins, the ancient deep crows. Whether these gargantuan specimens are elder deep crows grown to great size or some higher form that holds lesser deep crows in thrall remains to be determined. Ideally

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

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

of savage humanoids and weird cults in untamed lands. Others gain positions of great influence, especially where elemental beings are revered. A few genasi leave the Material Plane to find refuge in

self-assurance in one genasi and as arrogance in another. Such self- confidence can sometimes blind genasi to risk, and their great plans often get them and others into trouble. Too much failure can

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

Adult Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

; attentiveness to unusual events makes them particularly useful to their sapphire dragon cousins, who hunt down Aberrations and seek evidence of Far Realm incursions into the Material Plane. These gem dragons

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

Ancient Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

events makes them particularly useful to their sapphire dragon cousins, who hunt down Aberrations and seek evidence of Far Realm incursions into the Material Plane. These gem dragons often work

had subsided, the dragon moved in. The lair has the following 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

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

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

Contacts table. Gruul Contacts d8 Contact 1 One of my parents is a renowned warrior in my clan. 2 My sibling has the ear of the clan chief. 3 I have cousins in a

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

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

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

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

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

Gnome

races

Ingenious and full of energy, gnomes are thought to be distant cousins of the dwarves. Shorter than their dwarf kin and less bulky, these small-framed folk are often known for their ever-working

brains and great aptitude for invention. Gnomes are clever, curious, sometimes mischievous, but culturally very diligent. Gnomes have created some of the most impressive mechanical wonders of Etharis

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

Dwarves

races

Empire. The dwarven kingdom of Stehlenwald endured. Rather than share the fate of their northern cousins, the Stehlenwald dwarves dug deeper into the heart of the mountain. There, miners laid eyes upon

great cost. The population of Stehlenwald was decimated by war and famine. Isolation within the mountains was the only option for survival for those who remained. By the time of the rise of human

Laneshi

races

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

unknown reasons. Perhaps some new and greater threat stirs in the dark depths of the sea, and the laneshi seek aid from their air-breathing cousins. Or perhaps there’s truth in the fearful whispers

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

Gnome Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

, 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

, svirfneblin are as good as their surface cousins. However, their humor and enthusiasm are dampened by their oppressive environment, and their inventive expertise is directed mostly toward stonework.

Githyanki

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Once members of a people who escaped servitude to mind flayers, githyanki split from their cousins, githzerai, and fled to the Astral Plane. In that timeless, silvery realm, githyanki honed their

psionic powers and built a great city called Tu’narath. They have since spread throughout the multiverse, starting in outposts outside the Astral Plane, called creches, where time passes and their

Firbolg

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Distant cousins of giants, the first firbolgs wandered the primeval forests of the multiverse, and the magic of those forests entwined itself with the firbolgs’ souls. Centuries later, that

magic still thrums inside a firbolg, even one who has never lived under the boughs of a great forest. A firbolg’s magic is an obscuring sort, which allowed their ancestors to pass through a forest

Waterdhavian Noble

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

Waterdhavian Noble 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

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

undetected and don’t give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler’s house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and

, giving each individual and every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger

Firbolg

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

Firbolg Distant cousins of giants, the first firbolgs wandered the primeval forests of the multiverse, and the magic of those forests entwined itself with the firbolgs’ souls. Centuries later, that

magic still thrums inside a firbolg, even one who has never lived under the boughs of a great forest. A firbolg’s magic is an obscuring sort, which allowed their ancestors to pass through a forest

Githyanki

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse

Githyanki Once members of a people who escaped servitude to mind flayers, githyanki split from their cousins, githzerai, and fled to the Astral Plane. In that timeless, silvery realm, githyanki honed

their psionic powers and built a great city called Tu’narath. They have since spread throughout the multiverse, starting in outposts outside the Astral Plane, called creches, where time passes and

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

while learning to fight, to survive in the wild, and to fear the gods. The children that can’t endure the rigors of a life of combat are culled from the main body of the tribe, taken into the

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

. The kenku lack the talent to improvise or alter a plan, but a wise Master sets multiple plans in motion at once, confident that underlings can follow orders to the letter. For this reason, many

Wood Elves

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

hubris. Wood elves tend to be hardier than other elves, more solid and grounded than their cousins. This attitude is reflected in their culture and traditions; wood elves tend more toward physical

pursuits than do other elves, and they view ancient elven history with a more critical eye. To the wood elves, the “great” elven kingdoms were responsible for many equally great mistakes. They look upon

Elves

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

reconciliation. In the even more distant past, both high elf nations separated from their Kagonesti kin, while the waves themselves isolate Dargonesti and Dimernesti from their surface-dwelling cousins. As the

untold generations, the aloof Silvanesti elves lived in a stratified society closed to outsiders. They don’t hate their cousins in Qualinesti, but they consider their ways misguided. In recent years

The Days of Thunder

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

The Days of Thunder Tens of thousands of years ago, empires of reptilian, amphibian, and avian peoples — known in Elvish as Iqua’Tel’Quessir, the creator races — dominated the world. They built great

cities of stone and glass, carved paths through the wilderness, tamed the great lizards, worked mighty magics, shaped the world around them, and warred upon each other. Those were the Days of Thunder

Ashen Grotto

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

Ashen Grotto The Ashen Grotto is a burial ground for giants. Since it was first established—in a long-ago age when a great empire of giants stretched across the world—giants of all kinds have brought

intruders. Others might refuse to enter for any reason other than during funerary rites to inter a family member’s remains. Remains laid to rest within the grotto remain peaceful, and the power of the cave is anathema to Undead.

D&D Beyond

Search Results