creating revealing grim to her resolve

Drowned Assassin

Monsters Ghosts of Saltmarsh

succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract bluerot (see the “Bluerot” sidebar). Reveal (1/Day). The drowned assassin removes its mask, revealing its rotting face. Each

and kills in a grim pantomime of its former occupation. Sneaking from shadow to shadow, and appearing in the undead assault of Tammeraut’s Fate, it aims its barnacle-encrusted hand crossbow with

Orcsplitter

Magic Items Princes of the Apocalypse

rare occasions it uses a limited form of telepathy to bring to the wielder’s mind a couplet or stanza of ancient Dwarvish verse. Personality. Orcsplitter is grim, taciturn, and inflexible. It

defend dwarves and to serve as a symbol of dwarven resolve. It hates the traditional foes of dwarves — giants, goblins, and, most of all, orcs — and silently urges its possessor to meet such creatures in battle.

Razorvine Blight

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

by the seemingly inanimate plant, the blight strikes, revealing its twisted, humanlike form and lashing out with razor-sharp vines to feed its bloodlust. While razorvine blights are usually

dangerous, in Sigil they sometimes mimic the behaviors of the city’s other inhabitants—for better or worse. At least one blight, known as Patch, spreads copies of itself across the city, creating a spy network of copies with mysterious goals.

Bavlorna Blightstraw

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

these visitors enter into an agreement with Bavlorna, she’ll use her powers to resolve their pressing problem in exchange for something of use to her. Alignment. Neutral evil. Personality

company, but one hag will occasionally visit another to plot against the third sister, creating a vicious circle in which Bavlorna and Endelyn plot against Skabatha, Endelyn and Skabatha conspire

Klauth

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

of abandoned mines and dwarven strongholds. Caves with volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized red dragon lairs, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and

dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair Actions On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dragon takes a

Oath of Pestilence

classes

with all manner of plagues, these heralds of decay lumber forward with unholy toughness and grim resolve. The Paladins share the following tenets: Spread plague to foster strength in the survivors. There is nothing unnatural or immoral about the ending of life. Might makes right.

Adult Red Dracolich Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

strongholds. Caves with volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized red dracolich lairs, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and volcanic gases wash over a

, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair Actions On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the dracolich takes a lair action to cause

Ancient Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

lairs, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and volcanic gases wash over a dragon as it sleeps. With its hoard well protected deep within the lair, a red dragon spends as

control. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair

Adult Red Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

, creating hazards that hinder intruders and letting searing heat and volcanic gases wash over a dragon as it sleeps. With its hoard well protected deep within the lair, a red dragon spends as much of its

. Throughout the lair complex, servants erect monuments to the dragon’s power, telling the grim story of its life, the enemies it has slain, and the nations it has conquered. Lair Actions On

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

dash of nonhuman blood, revealing hints of elf, orc, or other lineages. Humans reach adulthood in their late teens and rarely live even a single century. Variety in All Things Humans are the most

, Dorn, Evendur, Gorstag, Grim, Helm, Malark, Morn, Randal, Stedd; (female) Arveene, Esvele, Jhessail, Kerri, Lureene, Miri, Rowan, Shandri, Tessele; (surnames) Amblecrown, Buckman, Dundragon, Evenwood

Character Creation

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

of the corruptible, the resolve of the truly heroic—the Dark Powers savor these traits. Whether for a night or an eternity, Ravenloft seeks heroes of all sorts and pits them against their greatest

nightmares. This chapter explores how to create a character prepared to face the horrors of Ravenloft, while also forging ties to the haunted pedigrees and grim fates common to the Domains of Dread

Ghost Stories

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

heroes to spirits in ways they won’t predict, such as revealing that a phantasmal villain was a hero’s ancestor. Heroes are pure-hearted or unsuspecting individuals whose resolve is shaken by the story’s

Ghost Stories Ghost stories number among the more psychologically elaborate genres of horror. Only through revealing tales of tragedy and past wrongs can heroes truly bring peace to forces that share

Kobold

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

a scale color more akin to that of a chromatic or a metallic dragon. A kobold’s cry can express a range of emotion: anger, resolve, elation, fear, and more. Regardless of the emotion expressed

, their cry resonates with draconic power. Creating Your Character At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical

Shadar-kai

races Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

’s grim energy. Shadar-kai have ashen skin tones, and while they’re in the Shadowfell, they also become wizened, reflecting the somber nature of that gloomy plane. Like other elves

, shadar-kai can live to be over 750 years old. Creating Your Character At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical

Aftermath of the Last War

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

with Karrnath left farms and cities such as Shadukar devastated and abandoned, home only to the lingering undead left behind after the Karrnathi retreat. For most, these grim reminders of war

strengthen Thrane resolve. The common people are united by their faith and sure of the righteousness of their cause. The Silver Flame urges people to stand together in the face of evil, and across the nation

Ranger Legacy

Classes Basic Rules (2014)

talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands. Independent Adventurers Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a

in a fight against monstrous foes are worth any extra burden. Coddled city folk might not know how to feed themselves or find fresh water in the wild, but they make up for it in other ways. Creating a

Creating a Domain

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

Creating a Domain The guidelines in this section help you create your own unique Domain of Dread. This setting’s details should reflect the Darklord of the domain, being a reflection of that

villain’s evil and torment. Use the “Genres of Horror” section later in this chapter or your own grim imaginings to inspire the details of your nightmare domain.

Haunted Traps

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

. Such traps provide a way to theme the dangers and monsters of a haunted place to reveal a grim history or frightening tale. When creating haunted traps, consider what events brought them into being and how the trap’s effects suggest those origins.

Creating Domains of Dread

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

Creating Domains of Dread Ravenloft is a place where your nightmares can run wild, where anything you can imagine in moments of dread or despair can come to frightful life among the Mists. The

setting as a whole is made up of countless isolated domains, each one a perfect expression of a particular flavor of the macabre. Creating your own domain allows you to blend legendary evils, unexpected

Downtime Activities

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Downtime Activities Downtime activities are tasks that usually take a workweek (5 days) or longer to perform. These tasks can include buying or creating magic items, pulling off crimes, and working

at a job. A character selects a downtime activity from among those available and pays the cost of that activity in time and money. You, as DM, then follow the rules for the activity to resolve it

About This Book

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

About This Book This book is your guide to life at Strixhaven in Dungeons & Dragons—an introduction to the university, a guide to creating student characters there, a campaign, and a collection of

friends and foes. Chapter 1 gives an overview of life and study at Strixhaven. It introduces the main features of the central campus and each of the five colleges. Chapter 2 is your guide to creating a

Horror Adventures

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

Horror Adventures Creating your own horror adventures is like crafting any other D&D adventure with one exception: your goal is to horrify your players in the most fun way possible. Frightening

toolbox of horror-focused rules also provides options for what sort of grim adventures you might create. At the end of this chapter, a horror adventure puts these methods to use and leads characters on

Volcanic Threats

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

lightly obscures the characters’ surroundings for the next hour. 3 The ground suddenly collapses, creating a 30-foot-deep fissure that’s 120 feet long and 20 feet wide. The gap severs the road ahead

of the characters. 4 The earth cracks, revealing magma flowing below. A fire snake rises from the crack and attacks the first creature it sees before retreating after 1 round.

36. Looted Vaults

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

10-foot-high walls are lined with stone bricks veined with gold. A few of the bricks have come loose, revealing thin sheets of lead behind them. These lead sheets are designed to prevent magical

senses from piercing the vault. 36c. Obsidian Vault The lead door that once secured this room is bent inward at the bottom, creating a 3-foot-high triangular hole through which Medium and smaller creatures

Finding the Book

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

Spaces while researching one of the following topics: Creating permanent versions of existing spells Demiplanes, pocket dimensions, and other spaces that exist outside the Material Plane Tied to The Joy

of Extradimensional Spaces are two mysteries. The first is the whereabouts of the missing sage Matreous. The characters can resolve this question by opening the portal to the mansion. The larger mystery, however, is how to escape once they are trapped inside.

Tiers of Play

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

Tiers of Play As characters grow in power, their ability to change the world around them grows with them. It helps to think ahead when creating your campaign to account for this change. As the

hopes of striking a useful alliance. The tiers of play represent the ideal milestones for introducing new world-shaking events to the campaign. As the characters resolve one event, a new danger arises

Eldeen Characters

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

Eldeen Characters When creating an Eldeen character or NPC, consider the following: Farm or Forest? Did you grow up on one of the farms of the eastern Reaches, or did you spend your childhood in the

farmers from bandits and beasts. Natural Magic. Druidic traditions play an important role in Eldeen society. If you’re a druid or ranger, are you a stoic Warden of the Wood or a grim Child of Winter? Even

Dark Fantasy

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

, whether it’s a fantasy story steeped in horror elements or an otherwise realistic world that features a supernatural terror. Dark fantasy refers to fantasy worlds where grim themes, nihilistic plots, or

, consider the following genre tropes when creating your dark fantasy domain: Good does not always win. Evil individuals with great power and unopposed schemes might be the norm. The lines between good

Yeonido Gazetteer

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

, they return as one of these spirits. It’s up to the spirit’s family to resolve the injustice and bring peace to the gwishin, allowing it to move onward. If a gwishin is allowed to endure, it grows

ever more dangerous. In recent years, some in Yeonido have begun to challenge the cultural reverence for ancient traditions, creating unease and discord. It may be no coincidence that gwishin are

Karrnath

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

Karrnath Capital: Korth Noted for Ale, dairy, glass, livestock, lumber, paper, textiles; undead, martial discipline The people of Karrnath are stoic and grim. Karrnath is a nation of storms and long

and has stopped creating new undead, but Karrnath still has a significant number of skeletons and zombies in service. Many Karrns still follow the faith of the Blood of Vol and approve of the use of

Gothic Horror

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

tropes when creating your gothic horror domain: Gothic stories include intense, even exaggerated, emotions. Romances, rivalries, and life-changing events are common in these adventures. Atmosphere and a

before revealing them fully. Sacrifices feature prominently in gothic stories. Give characters heart-wrenching choices to make.

Featured Domains

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

. Darklord. A description of the domain’s Darklord appears here, along with details revealing the roots of their evil. Adventures. This section describes the kinds of adventures that naturally fit within

the domain. Domain Focus. For most domains, this final section highlights specific story elements and provides domain-specific tools to aid you in creating adventures around the domain’s Darklord and the horror of their realm.

A Multiversal Glitch

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

themselves, their true memories return, and their place in the multiverse solidifies, unlocking lost abilities and revealing the characters’ actual nature. The “Glitch Characters” section provides details on creating and running characters affected by this multiversal glitch.

Karrnath

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

Karrnath Capital: Korth Hallmarks: Ale, dairy, glass, livestock, lumber, martial discipline, paper, textiles, undead In a nation of storms and long winters, the grim and stoic Karrns are accustomed

national religion. The priests of this faith bolstered Karrnath’s forces with undead. The current king, Kaius ir’Wynarn III, broke ties with the Blood of Vol and has stopped creating new undead, but

Chapter 5: Adventure Environments

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

from their grim fortresses to wage war against their neighbors, ogres plunder farmsteads for food, and monstrous spiders drop from the web-shrouded canopies of trees. Within a dungeon, adventurers are

, takes many forms, and urban settings aren’t always the safe havens they seem to be. This chapter provides an overview of these three environments plus a few unusual environments, taking you through the process of creating an adventure location, with plenty of random tables to inspire you.

D&D Beyond

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