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Selesnya Initiate

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

conclave has a deeper connection to the Worldsoul than I do. 6 I’m trying to atone for the life of crime I led before I joined the Selesnya, but I find it hard to give up my bad habits

Selesnya contact; you can decide if the contact is an ally or a rival. 10 I have a sibling in the Simic Combine, and we argue every time we see each other.

The Middle Path

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

tools to help keep the action moving. At any time, you can decide that a player’s action is automatically successful. You can also grant the player advantage on any ability check, reducing the chance of a

bad die roll foiling the character’s plans. By the same token, a bad plan or unfortunate circumstances can transform the easiest task into an impossibility, or at least impose disadvantage.

Saving Throws

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

Saving Throws In contrast to an ability check, a saving throw is an instant response to an effect and is almost never made by choice. A saving throw makes the most sense when something bad threatens

what kind of saving throw is involved and providing a DC for it. In other situations that call for a saving throw, it’s up to you to decide which ability score is involved. The Abilities, Ability Checks, and Saving Throws table offers suggestions.

Table Rules

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

. Here are some fundamentals: Foster respect. Don’t bring personal conflicts to the table or let disagreements escalate into bad feelings. Don’t touch others’ dice if they’re sensitive about it. Avoid

players wandering away from the table and back, but some players prefer planned breaks. Have snacks. Decide before a session who will bring food and drink. This is often something the players can handle.

The Golden Vault

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

handler might be able to obtain it for them, provided the equipment is readily available and not too expensive. If you decide to use the Golden Vault as the characters’ patron organization, work with

the players to determine what heroic or impressive deeds their characters performed in their backstories to gain the attention of the Golden Vault. Then improvise a roleplaying scene in which the characters meet their Golden Vault handler.

Concluding the Campaign

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

of Red Larch point out that “normal weather means bad weather around here, and unpredictable besides.” Some tavern talk can be overheard about occupying the Haunted Keeps to scare away unwanted

disperse within a tenday of the cults’ defeat. Bereft of leadership and reeling from the events, the cultists decide the Dessarin Valley isn’t the place for them. Some go to nearby cities, especially

Saving Throws

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

Saving Throws A saving throw is an instant response to a harmful effect and is almost never done by choice. A save makes the most sense when something bad happens to a character and the character has

decide which ability score is involved. The Saving Throws table offers suggestions. Saving Throws Ability Used For… Strength Opposing a force that would physically move or bind you Dexterity

Talona

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

has gone bad, dripped into the handkerchief of someone beset by coughing, dropped into a fire made by burning a withered crop, dripped into the mouth of a plague sufferer, and so on. It’s common

prayers, Talona has almost no temples and few cults dedicated to her. A cult or a shrine to her might arise in an area after it suffers from pestilence, when some of those who survived decide to revere her or even become priests.

Adventure Structure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis

the characters do something unexpected, improvise as best you can while gently steering them toward their main goal. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger to set the stage for the next session, assuming

discover the true cost of saving their world and must decide the fate of Xaryxis and the Xaryxian Empire before making the long voyage home. Planetary destruction is a major theme of this adventure, and

Preparing for the Play

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

have time to memorize all the lines, we’ll need to improvise.” Tossing the script over one shoulder, he says, “Worry not! I’ll feed you lines from the wings if you get stuck!” Have each player roll

once on the Performers’ Roles table to determine what role Stagefright assigns to that player’s character. If two players get the same result, Stagefright lets them decide which one of them takes that

Horror in Your Game

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

suspense and mystery with familiar features of D&D, creating gloom so your heroes’ light shines all the brighter. Genres of Horror. Horror comes in broad varieties. You and your players decide what

attention for both of us. We’ve found no trace of Vhorishkova since arriving, but I feel her watching. It’s like she’s everywhere. It’s bad here, Uncle. Not snake-headed hogs bad. Like, full Delmunster

Encounters

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

the DM, you decide how much to tell the players and when. All the information the players need to make choices comes from you. Within the rules of the game and the limits of the characters’ knowledge

characters don’t need to take turns, but you need to give each player a chance to tell you what their character is doing so you can decide how to resolve everyone’s actions. In combat, everyone takes

Encounters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules

sections offer more detailed information on how an encounter typically unfolds, in three steps. Step 1: Describe the Situation As the DM, you decide how much to tell the players and when. All the

bookshelf. Outside combat, the characters don’t need to take turns, but you need to give each player a chance to tell you what their character is doing so you can decide how to resolve everyone’s

Consequences

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

archery contest, you might decide that the more an attack roll exceeds the target’s AC, the higher the character’s score. The archery target might have AC 11, but it has five concentric rings indicating

degrees of success. So you could decide that an attack roll of 11 or 12 lands in the outermost ring, a 13 or 14 hits the next ring closer to the center, a 15 or 16 hits the third ring, a 17 or 18

Payback

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

word “Oathbreaker” painted on his forehead. The buried human is in bad shape from exposure and dehydration. Any healing magic or some water and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check revives him

they were willing to leave him buried in the road and “let providence decide the man’s fate.” Amoffel has Harper contacts in Waterdeep and knows his way around the city. He can be a useful ally when this caravan reaches its destination.

Payback

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

word “Oathbreaker” painted on his forehead. The buried human is in bad shape from exposure and dehydration. Any healing magic or some water and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check revives him

were willing to leave him buried in the road and “let providence decide the man’s fate.” Amoffel has Harper contacts in Waterdeep and knows his way around the city. He can be a useful ally when this caravan reaches its destination.

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

and referee. The DM creates adventures for the characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM might describe the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, and the players decide what

way? Or cast a spell to carry them over the chasm? Then the DM determines the results of the adventurers’ actions and narrates what they experience. Because the DM can improvise to react to anything

Introduction

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

storyteller and referee. The DM creates adventures for the characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM might describe the entrance to Castle Ravenloft, and the players decide

gives way? Or cast a spell to carry them over the chasm? Then the DM determines the results of the adventurers’ actions and narrates what they experience. Because the DM can improvise to react to

Bad Time to Be a Zhent

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

Bad Time to Be a Zhent Within days after the events that local broadsheets dub the “Gralhund Villa Bloodbath,” the City Watch cracks down on the Black Network. Even members of the Zhentarim who have

Zhentarim members, she threatens that if she’s arrested and charged with a crime, she will reveal their affiliation and bring them down with her. Hiding Istrid. If the characters decide to let Istrid hide

What You Need

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook

storyteller and referee. The DM creates adventures for the players’ characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM also narrates what they experience and plays the friends

useful: DM Screen. Many DMs like to use a screen to shield their notes and dice rolls from players. It’s bad manners to peek over the screen! Miniatures and Battle Grid. Some DMs use a battle grid and

Ability Checks

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

different way to get past the guard or try the check again against another guard at a different gate. But you might decide that the initial failure makes those checks more difficult to pull off

something, think of it in terms of what a very high or low score in those two abilities might mean. A character with a high Wisdom but low Intelligence is aware of the surroundings but is bad at

11. Frulam Mondath's Chamber

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

Naerytar. Rezmir allowed us to keep some pearls, a ring, and a handful of small stones.” Other papers are of less interest; most of them have bad poetry about dragons. The smaller chamber off the main one

might decide to confront them here. If the attackers plow through her forward guards, Mondath might retreat down the chute to area 9 and join forces with Cyanwrath or even flee from the cave. She has

Difficulty Class

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

Nearly impossible 30 The numbers associated with these categories of difficulty are meant to be easy to keep in your head, so that you don’t have to refer to these rules every time you decide on a

say a door requires a successful DC 15 Strength check to be battered down. A fighter with a Strength of 20 might helplessly flail against the door because of bad die rolls. Meanwhile, the rogue with a

11. Frulam Mondath's Chamber

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

. Rezmir allowed us to keep some pearls, a ring, and a handful of small stones.” Other papers are of less interest; most of them have bad poetry about dragons. The smaller chamber off the main one contains

to defend Mondath, her response is up to you. If the fight in the barracks takes a heavy toll on the characters, she might decide to confront them here. If the attackers plow through her forward guards

Sailor

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town. If you decide that your sailing career involved piracy, you can choose

the Bad Reputation feature (see sidebar) instead of the Ship’s Passage feature. Variant Feature: Bad Reputation If your character has a sailor background, you may select this background feature

Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer

. Baldur’s Gate joined the Lords’ Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur’s Gate

religious viewpoints has created bad blood between the two cities, though neither city has been eager to test the military might of the other. Port Nyanzaru Baldur’s Gate serves as one of the main ports

Neighbors, Rivals, and Allies

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

. Baldur’s Gate joined the Lords’ Alliance, a coalition of independent cities that includes Neverwinter and Waterdeep, largely because of disputes with Amn. Should Amn decide to attack Baldur’s Gate

created bad blood between the two cities, though neither city has been eager to test the military might of the other. Port Nyanzaru Baldur’s Gate serves as one of the main ports from which ships depart

Tips for New Dungeon Masters

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

, followed by a die expression in parentheses, like this: 10 (3d6). You decide whether to use the average or roll the dice. Using average damage speeds up play, but it might feel less exciting, and players

does it reveal everything that a creature might say or do. You’re expected to improvise and bring creatures to life as best you can. For example, the adventure describes Mister Light (one of the

Leaving Elturel

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

players might come up with. If they do, be prepared to improvise. Raw materials for putting together such equipment can be found in the shops and warehouses of Elturel. Once the characters have

collected the necessary resources, you can decide which ability checks might come into play as they create their improvised equipment — and to determine how well that equipment works. Use the following

Occultant

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

nostrils. The difference between the index finger and the middle finger. The elasticity of the ear lobe. 6 You take a long, careful look, and then decide based on which fellow franchisee has been nice

balance, but hate the idea that “balance” means good and bad things can both happen to you. Good things happening to you and bad things happening to other people seems perfectly reasonable. 2 You

Chase Complications

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

ones in this section. Otherwise, improvise as you play. Complications can be barriers to progress or opportunities for mayhem. Characters being chased through a forest by bugbears might spot a wasp nest

pursuing them. Roll initiative for the new arrivals, and run both chases simultaneously. In another scenario, the fleeing thief might run into the waiting arms of his accomplices. The outnumbered characters might decide to flee with the thieves in pursuit.

NPCs as Party Members

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

to complain humorously about the characters’ terrible choices and bad planning. You can occasionally use this NPC to suggest legitimate courses of action or share insights. Dutiful Assistant. A dutiful

life debt to the characters or shares their goals might fight to the death for them. You can simply decide on an NPC’s loyalty, or you can track a Loyalty Score using the following rules. Loyalty

M2. Amphitheater

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

. In this dark comedy, three sailors, shipwrecked in the ocean, cling to a coffin. 4 The Lich King’s Revel. A lich king cannot decide which of his three living sons should rule his kingdom, so he throws

punishment for being “bad parents.” Ever since then, they have been shunned by their peers (see the “Shadowless” sidebar earlier in the chapter). The characters might have encountered the goblins’ detached

Tall Tales in Ten-Towns

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

table. Let the players decide which tales (if any) they want to investigate. Tall Tales in Ten-Towns d20 Tale 1–2 “They say the Frostmaiden lives on a misty isle hidden among the bergs in

folks got a bad feeling about it. Some say it’s haunted, but there’s a gnome in Bryn Shander who claims that magical experiments are being performed there. The gnome’s name is Copper, and you’ll find

Aberrant Mind

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Aberrant Mind Tentacles, psychic powers, beings from beyond the stars—one person’s bad dream is another person’s good time. Tasha An alien influence has wrapped its tendrils around your mind

hopeful beacon to others? Or will you be a source of terror to those who feel the stab of your mind and witness the strange manifestations of your might? As an Aberrant Mind sorcerer, you decide how you

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