creating reason guarding to have require

Arch-hag

Monsters Monster Manual

lairs frequently change or exhibit bewildering features. The region containing an arch-hag’s lair is altered by its presence, creating the following effects: Lapsus Linguae. Creatures

, it also casts Confusion centered on itself. The spell uses the creature’s spellcasting ability and doesn’t require Concentration. If the arch-hag is destroyed or moves its lair elsewhere

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

Ettin Ceremorph

Monsters Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants

sufficient food for two tadpoles, and the two tadpoles are able to transform the entirety of the ettin’s body, creating an ettin ceremorph. As part of the transformation process, one of the ettin’s

ceremorphs serve mind flayer colonies, protecting the elder brain;elder brains that rule the communities and guarding their treasures. They retain no memory of their previous existence as ettins.Psychic

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

Caradoc

Monsters Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

. Rejuvenation. If Caradoc dies, he reforms within Dargaard Keep in 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6", "rollType":"roll", "rollAction":"Days"} days. Unusual Nature. Caradoc doesn’t require air, food, drink

’s swiftly pulled back if caught beyond its walls without a host. Personality Trait. “I might be dead, but there’s no reason I can’t live it up a little.” Ideal. &ldquo

Relentless Juggernaut

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

. The juggernaut doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The juggernaut makes two attacks. It can replace one attack with Deadly Shaping if it is ready. Executioner’s Pick

is washed away in a tide of gore and rage. These killers’ grisly work swiftly becomes the stuff of legends,striking fear into innocents across lands and over ages. Creating a Relentless Killer

Deathlock Mastermind

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Unusual Nature. The deathlock doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The deathlock makes two Deathly Claw or Grave Bolt attacks. Deathly Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6

the wicked methods of creating a deathlock and then subjugate it, acting as the deathlock’s patron.PoisonNecrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

Deathlock Wight

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The deathlock makes two Life Drain or Grave Bolt attacks. Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4;{"diceNotation":"1d20+4", "rollType":"to hit", "rollAction

creating a deathlock and then subjugate it, acting as the deathlock’s patron.PoisonNecrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Deathlock

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Turn Resistance. The deathlock has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns Undead. Unusual Nature. The deathlock doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The

, a foul Undead driven to serve its otherworldly patron. An powerful necromancer might also discover the wicked methods of creating a deathlock and then subjugate it, acting as the deathlock’s patron.PoisonNecrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

Alkilith

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

ceilings, without making an ability check. Unusual Nature. The alkilith doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. The alkilith makes three Tentacle attacks. Tentacle. Melee Weapon

demonic nature of the alkilith, making what should be a dire warning appear strange but otherwise innocuous. Wherever alkiliths take root, they weaken the fabric of reality, creating a portal through

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

Oread

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

nymphs and convincing them to aid in creating phenomenal works. In some tales, a smith finds an oread and allows it to relish in the destruction of a novel or remarkable item. In recompense, the

times of special need, deities tied to facets of nature might employ nymphs as messengers, guardians, or scouts. Immortal Nature. A nymph doesn't require food, drink, or sleep. Fire, Poison

Jiangshi

Monsters Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Nature. The jiangshi doesn’t require air.Multiattack. The jiangshi makes three Slam attacks and uses Consume Energy. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8;{"diceNotation":"1d20+8","rollType":"to hit

jiangshi’s choice). It reverts to its true form if it dies.When a soul becomes trapped within its corpse, its bitterness can reanimate its body, creating a jiangshi. These vengeful dead stalk

Far Traveler

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

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

2 Exile 5 Sightseer 3 Fugitive 6 Wanderer Where Are You From? The most important decision in creating a far traveler background is determining your homeland. The places

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

impossible to duplicate. To interact with other folk, thri-kreen rely on a form of telepathy. Creating Your Character When you create your D&D character, you decide whether your character is a

Ancient Amethyst Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

multiverse form the centerpiece of an amethyst dragon’s hoard. Creating an Amethyst Dragon Use the Amethyst Dragon Personality Traits and Amethyst Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of

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

Auril (Third Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

to succeed instead. Magic Resistance. Auril has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Unusual Nature. Auril doesn’t require air, food, drink, or

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

Hermit - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

fortunately, maintaining that deception might require you to stay in hiding until you actually are. 3 You study the puzzles of mortal natures. You’ve seen followers of evil deities perform

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

Simic Scientist

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

protection and durability 2 Fin Clade, focused on movement 3 Gyre Clade, focused on cyclical patterns and metamagic 4 Guardian Project, focused on creating guard monsters and super

’t be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign. Simic Guild Spells Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature For you

Auril (First Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

against spells and other magical effects. Unusual Nature. Auril doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. Auril attacks twice with her talons. Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +7

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

Orcus Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

Wand of Orcus. The wand has 7 charges, and any of its properties that require a saving throw have a save DC of 18. While holding it, Orcus can use an action to cast animate dead, blight, or speak

disappear or until Orcus releases their grasp (no action required). Regional Effects The region containing Orcus’s lair is warped by the Orcus’s magic, creating one or more of the following

Orcus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

of which require charges; the wand has 7 charges to fuel these spells, and it regains 1d4 + 3;{"diceNotation":"1d4 + 3", "rollType":"roll", "rollAction":"Charges regained"} charges daily at dawn: At

Monster Manual). These Undead obey his telepathic commands, which can reach anywhere in the lair. Regional Effects The region containing Orcus’s lair is warped by his magic, creating one or more

Auril (Second Form)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

effects. Unusual Nature. Auril doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.Multiattack. Auril attacks twice with her ice morningstar or hurls three ice darts. Ice Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack

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

Ancient Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

instead. Unusual Nature. The dragon turtle doesn't require food or drink.Multiattack. The dragon turtle makes one Bite or Tail attack and two Claw attacks. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16

. Creating a Dragon Turtle Use the Dragon Turtle Personality Traits and Dragon Turtle Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive dragon turtle characters, and use the Dragon Turtle Spellcasting

Topi

Monsters The Tortle Package

inside it dies too. The process of creating a topi is known only to a handful of evil priests and necromancers. Topis are more difficult to turn than ordinary zombies, and their spongy bodies make them

resistant to bludgeoning. Undead Traits. A topi doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.PoisonBludgeoning

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

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

Kobold Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

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

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

Druid Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

; territory. Druids are often found guarding sacred sites or watching over regions of unspoiled nature. But when a significant danger arises, threatening nature’s balance or the lands they protect

, druids take on a more active role in combating the threat, as adventurers. Creating a Druid When making a druid, consider why your character has such a close bond with nature. Perhaps your

Ghaash'kala Characters

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

Ghaash’kala Characters The Ghaash’kala are primarily orcs, but their numbers include a few half-orcs and members of other races. They devote their lives to guarding the Labyrinth and containing the

evils of the Wastes. When creating a Ghaash’kala character, consider the following: The Binding Flame. The Ghaash’kala worship Kalok Shash, the “Binding Flame.” Fundamentally the same religion as the

Problem-Solving

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

problems by... Including puzzles and tricky situations that require thinking. Rewarding planning and tactics with in-game benefits. Creating NPCs with complex motives.

Creating a Monster

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

Creating a Monster The Monster Manual contains hundreds of ready-to-play monsters, but it doesn’t include every monster that you can imagine. Part of the D&D experience is the simple joy of creating

new monsters and customizing existing ones, if for no other reason than to surprise and delight your players with something they’ve never faced before. The first step in the process is coming up with

Eldritch Machines

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

: magic items of immense power, but so large that they cannot be moved. Eldritch machines always require rare components but creating an eldritch machine could require one or more planes to be

Creating a Heist Crew

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Keys from the Golden Vault

Creating a Heist Crew This book’s adventures require the characters to practice teamwork. Encourage your players to think of their characters as longtime associates or perhaps relatives so they feel

tight-knit from the start. Similarly, ask your players to consider creating characters suited to undertaking heists. Combat prowess is less important when sneaking through a guarded complex, for

Crafting

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

the Player’s Handbook). Having to improvise tools doubles the crafting time, and some items require materials that are hard to find in the Underdark, including wood and other surface-world plants

. Leather, bone, or zurkhwood (see “Fungi of the Underdark” later in this chapter) might substitute in some cases. Crafting can include modifying scavenged or salvaged items to fit other needs, such as creating a makeshift suit of armor from gathered pieces of armor and other materials.

D&D Beyond

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