dark intentions are birth

The Abbot

Monsters Curse of Strahd

some much-needed light to Barovia. His efforts worked for a while, but then the Dark Powers began to corrupt him. Imperfections. The Abbot's fall from grace started when the Belviews—a family of sickly

present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor Belviews of their lingering imperfections. The Belview family, however, had strange ideas of what it

Fraz-Urb'luu Legacy

Monsters Out of the Abyss

that of a great gargoyle, some 12 feet tall, with an extended, muscular neck and a smiling face framed by long, pointed ears and lank, dark hair, and bat-like wings are furled against his powerful

intentions, even if doing so would be beneficial to me.” 21–40 “I have intermittent hallucinations and fits of catatonia.” 41–60 “My mind wanders as I have

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

wisdom in their leadership, for they can rarely count on a wisdom grown with age. Goliath Names Every goliath has three names: a birth name assigned by the newborn’s mother and father, a nickname

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

; Elminster The serpent creatures known as yuan-ti are all that remains of an ancient, decadent human empire. Ages ago their dark gods taught them profane, cannibalistic rituals to mix their flesh

primordial world heeded the prayers of these people and hissed dark demands into their ears. The people tainted their souls by performing human sacrifices in the name of the gods, debased their flesh by

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Thanks to your noble birth, people are inclined to think the best of you. You are welcome in high society, and people assume you have the right to be wherever you are. The common folk make every

effort to accommodate you and avoid your displeasure, and other people of high birth treat you as a member of the same social sphere. You can secure an audience with a local noble if you need to. Baldur

Genasi Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

Those who think of other planes at all consider them remote, distant realms, but planar influence can be felt throughout the world. It sometimes manifests in beings who, through an accident of birth

accustomed to a variety of different people. GENASI ON ATHAS Although any world that includes one or more elemental planes can feature genasi, on Athas, the world of the Dark Sun campaign setting

Birth of a Darklord

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

Birth of a Darklord Upon the completion of the Darklord’s greatest irredeemable act, the Mists drag them—and perhaps the lands around them—into the Domains of Dread. At this point, you should have an

idea of who your Darklord is, what they did, what form their evil takes, and how they came to the attention of the Dark Powers. Flesh out these details, referring back to how the Darklord reflects

The Amber Temple

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

The Amber Temple Once a haven of virtuous wizards, the Amber Temple was long ago corrupted by evil. It was here that Strahd made his pact with the Dark Powers to become a vampire, with the blessing

vestiges of dead, hateful gods—beings that aspire to re-create past depravities and manipulate mortals to fulfill unspeakable agendas. Various evil forces set their intentions upon the Amber Temple

Genasi Names

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

. GENASI ON ATHAS Although any world that includes one or more elemental planes can feature genasi, on Athas, the world of the Dark Sun campaign setting, elemental forces hold greater sway than they do

on other worlds. As a people touched by elemental power, genasi are viewed as seers, prophets, and chosen ones. The birth of a genasi, whether a slave, a noble, or a member of a desert tribe, is an auspicious event. Most Athasians believe a given genasi is destined for greatness — or infamy.

Factions of Cynidicea

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase

sincerity and never speak their true intentions, advancing their goals through deceit and treachery. Mages wear silver masks of a smiling, round-faced boy—the face of Usamigaras—along with silvery robes

that draw attention away from their hidden wands. Each mage’s right palm bears a tattoo of a five-pointed star. Warriors of Madarua The ancient god Madarua presides over birth, death, and the shifting

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

diplomacy. They care only for satisfying their insatiable desire for battle, to smash their foes and appease their gods. Booming Birth Rate In order to replenish the casualties of their endless warring

, orcs breed prodigiously (and they aren’t choosy about what they breed with, which is why such creatures as half-orcs and ogrillons are found in the world). Females that are about to give birth are

The Abbot

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

reopened the abbey and began tending to the physically and mentally ill. In so doing, he hoped to bring some much-needed light to Barovia. His efforts worked for a while, but then the Dark Powers began

for which they were eternally grateful, but could not cure them of certain human defects that had been present since birth. The Abbot became consumed with a prideful, obsessive desire to rid the poor

The Carnival

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

The Carnival Wandering Domain of Wonders Darklord: Nepenthe Genres: Body horror and dark fantasy Hallmarks: Entertainment, fey bargains, misfits, wandering exiles Mist Talismans: Carnival flier

. Visibly marked as outsiders by birth, circumstance, intention, or talent, the Carnival’s troupers trade their unique performances for coin and whatever else they need to survive. Although these

Strahd's Vistani Servants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd

serve Strahd are less lively and friendly than normal Vistani, and their hearts are poisoned with dark intentions. Strahd uses them to lure adventurers into his domain and keep him informed about the

events occurring in lands beyond his reach. These Vistani will lie to protect the vampire, and they fear the consequences of disobeying him. When it comes to sharing information about their dark

Hag Names

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

Hag Names Hags have whimsical names, often with a dark twist. A hag gives her newborn daughter a name that the girl keeps during her childhood, but upon gaining her full hag powers the daughter

chooses her own name, which might or might not relate to her birth name. Some hags use different names in different guises, but still prefer their original name as their favorite. The Hag Names table

Tragic Flaws

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros

flaw can also be supernatural in nature. A hermit who harbors “dark, bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation and meditation failed to quell” might have a sinister connection to the vicious god Mogis

. NATAL OMENS The birth of a hero is often accompanied by signs in Nyx and Theros alike. You can use the Omens table in chapter 4 to randomly determine an omen that appeared when you were born. It’s up to you and your DM to determine the omen’s meaning.

Gracklstugh

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

adventurers’ intentions. Chaos in the City The influence of the demon lords grows ever stronger in Gracklstugh. Paranoia and fear are rampant, with duergar barricading themselves in their homes and

strongholds, afraid to venture out into the streets — even invisibly. Rumors abound of creatures active in the Darklake, and of secret rituals and offerings made to the dark waters to appease them. A

Race to Destruction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

chapter 5) to destroy another town in the Dessarin Valley. The cultists taunt the party with their intentions, hoping to lure the characters into rushing to stop them, thus being caught in the destruction

hippogriffs, one skyweaver, one hurricane, and five bugbears One Dark Tide knight mounted on a giant crocodile, one fathomer, one Crushing Wave priest, and six bandits One burrowshark mounted on a bulette

Lone Faithful

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

accident of their birth as a kind of cruel joke they have chosen to embrace. Equally intriguing and disturbing to followers of some faiths in Faerûn are stories spread by tieflings who claim to have

visions in which the gods of Faerûn appear to them modeled in the tieflings’ own image. One such is the entity they call the “pale horned goddess of the moon” (Selûne); another is the “dark, devilish

Life in the Domains of Dread

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

innovation is taken from one domain to another, the suspicion of the new domain’s inhabitants prevents it from gaining acceptance. Such is the subtle control of the Dark Powers, ensuring their

takes 250 days to gain mastery of a language, consider allowing characters to navigate basic social interactions—such as asking for directions or conveying peaceful intentions—after 7 days of training

Redcap

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

hags and dark mages that know methods to call redcaps out of the Feywild and put them to work as grisly servants. Also, some redcaps can sense the being whose murderous acts led to their birth. A redcap

Death Knight

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

Death Knight When a paladin that falls from grace dies without seeking atonement, dark powers can transform the once-mortal knight into a hateful undead creature. A death knight is a skeletal warrior

swept the land. When Isolde gave birth to a son, Soth refused to believe that the child was his and slew them both. All were incinerated in a fire that swept through the castle, yet Soth would find no rest in death, becoming a death knight.

Draegloth

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

family’s rivals, which were not thus gifted. The birth prompts the leaders of the house to begin crafting new plans to strike at its rivals when the draegloth is fully grown. These plans always use

suppress its ambitions might abandon its house and strike out on its own. Whether these rebellious draegloths are part of Lolth’s plan for sowing even greater chaos is unclear. Brute Cunning and Dark

Humans Transformed

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

serpent gods of the primordial world heeded the prayers of these people and hissed dark demands into their ears. The people tainted their souls by performing human sacrifices in the name of the gods

advisor in human society. The very rare offspring of such a union are always purebloods, although they may appear fully human at birth and for several years afterward. The yuan-ti know rituals that

The Enemy of Our Enemy

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

characters first encounter Vizeran and Kleve, read the following boxed text to the players. Two figures approach — a withered drow clad in dark flowing robes, and a hulking gray-skinned monster resembling a

lords arrived. He isn’t, however, using the library to delve into specific events, so he welcomes the characters’ input while remaining tight-lipped about his own intentions and goals. If the characters

Banderhobb

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

. A banderhobb fulfills its duties until its existence ends. When it expires, usually several days after its birth, it leaves behind only tarry goo and wisps of shadow. Legends tell of a dark tower in

Banderhobb A banderhobb is a hybrid of shadow and flesh. Through dark magic, these components take on an enormous and vile humanoid shape, resembling a bipedal toad. In this form, a banderhobb

Hags

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

Motherhood. Hags propagate by snatching and devouring human infants. After stealing a baby from its cradle or its mother’s womb, the hag consumes the poor child. A week later, the hag gives birth to a

also return the child to its grieving parents, only to watch from the shadows as the child grows up to become a horror. Dark Bargains. Arrogant to a fault, hags believe themselves to be the most

Mausoleum: Winter

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Brandath family is an old one. Lord Dagult Neverember married into it for its wealth, and Lady Brandath gave birth to his son, Renaer. It’s a dark irony that Neverember entrusted the location of his

Future Quests

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

adventurers. Lady Wylynd is well over a hundred years old and senile, but she has never forgotten the dark blemish on her family’s honor left by Vanrak Moonstar, who lorded over House Moonstar long ago

of the telepathic contact, learn its intentions, and put a quick and decisive end to it if those intentions are hostile. (The ulitharid awaits them on level 17.) If the party deals with the threat, Durnan promises to make sure the deed is never forgotten but offers no tangible reward.

The Dark Seldarine

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

The Dark Seldarine Lolth demands the lion’s share of worship from the drow, according to her wishes and by the command of her priestesses. The Spider Queen isn’t, however, the only entity venerated

by drow. They revere a host of divine entities, which they refer to as the Dark Seldarine in mockery of the surface elves’ deities. The Dark Seldarine are mighty, immortal beings, survivors from the

The White Lady Inn

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

the characters decline, Rinaldo is disappointed and tries to get them to change their minds by saying, “We live in dark times. Perhaps the spirit of the White Lady can help. Aren’t you curious to hear

. Their intentions aren’t good. They hide aboard the town ferry (see “Easthaven Ferry” above) and in the ruins of Dinev’s Rest (see “Dinev’s Rest”). A magic cauldron is hidden in some frozen, lakeside

Meeting Volo

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

prevail upon you in my hour of need?” Volo gives each character a small pouch containing 10 gp simply for accepting his quest. Characters who want to discover his intentions must make a DC 10 Wisdom

and Volo were drinking and merrymaking at the Skewered Dragon, a dark, bawdy tavern in the Dock Ward. Volo recommends that the characters start their search there. What Happened That Night? Volo is

Tymora

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

good and pure in her friend. However, following this first figure out of the rotten shell was another form stunning to behold, but full of dark malice and capricious ill will. As the two forms

, embodies all the grace and kindness of her mother, while Beshaba, Tyche’s Unpleasant Daughter, got only her looks. Since their birth, the twin aspects of Tyche — Tymora, Lady Luck, and Beshaba, Maid of

19. Spiderwatch Keep

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

hand crossbow bolts. 19e. Hall of Spiders This dark hallway crawls with hundreds of harmless spiders. Visitors to the keep are led down the hall to area 19k to meet with Erelal and Drivvin. The

enfeeblement, spider climb, and stone shape. 19j. Erelal’s Sanctum Erelal uses this area to engage in numerous dark pleasures. The room contains the following: Prisoners. Two male drow hang suspended from

Fishbone Tavern

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

weary disbelief. The interior of the Fishbone Tavern is cramped and shadowy. Only two of the eight tables are occupied, one by two fishers and another by a lone figure in a dark, leather-patched cloak

. One wall holds a small, smoky fireplace, while a long bar of dark-stained wood stands along the opposite wall. Standing behind the bar under oval plaques set with yellowing fish skeletons is a heavyset

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