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Returning 35 results for 'deciding instead are bad'.
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
", "rollAction":"Death Ray", "rollDamageType":"necrotic"} necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target instead takes 64
the creature has such a feared reputation that stories about it are ingrained in the popular culture. Any rumor of a catoblepas taking up residence nearby is taken to be a bad omen, even if the rumor is
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep.
But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have
Ideal. “I wish I could make people happy.”
Bond. “I would like to find someone—anyone—who isn't afraid of me and who enjoys my company.”
Flaw. “When I'm upset, I do bad things.”Poison
Monsters
Princes of the Apocalypse
instead.
Magic Resistance. Olhydra has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Water Form. Olhydra can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. She can move
— bad weather, strong tides, and increasing aggression from dangerous sea life.
Violent downpours become frequent within 10 miles of the lair. A downpour occurs once every 2d12;{"diceNotation
Sailor
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Backgrounds
Player’s Handbook (2014)
more than one deserving soul to a briny grave. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.
Variant Feature: Bad
Reputation
If your character has a sailor background, you may select this background feature instead of Ship’s Passage.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When
Backgrounds
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
. Fear and bloodshed are no strangers to you, and you’ve garnered a somewhat unsavory reputation in many a port town.
Variant Feature: Bad Reputation
If your character has a sailor
background, you may select this background feature instead of Ship’s Passage.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a settlement, you can get away with
Orc
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
everywhere in the world around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should
, injury, or age) often join these cults instead of facing daily humiliation, exile, or death.
Serving as the bridge between the two parts of the tribe are the priestesses of Luthic, the orc goddess who
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
The Middle Path Many DMs find that using a combination of the two approaches works best. By balancing the use of dice against deciding on success, you can encourage your players to strike a balance
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.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
knowledge, but the dragon is cagey on that point. Seeing good and bad in equal measure among the lesser races, Ileuthra recognizes that helping the humanoids is less a case of deciding whether they are worthy
of aid, and more about deciding whether these adventurer ambassadors can be trusted to properly lead the factions. Desire. Ileuthra has no preconceived sense of what might be the best course, and he
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
knowledge, but the dragon is cagey on that point. Seeing good and bad in equal measure among the lesser races, Ileuthra recognizes that helping the humanoids is less a case of deciding whether they are worthy
of aid, and more about deciding whether these adventurer ambassadors can be trusted to properly lead the factions. Desire. Ileuthra has no preconceived sense of what might be the best course, and he
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
and evil are blurred. Choices involve deciding which outcome is least bad. Corruption and suspicion flourish among organizations and individuals. Magic and magic items might be rarer or require a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
creature’s efforts. In a contest, the ability checks are compared to each other, rather than to a target number. When you call for a contest, you pick the ability that each side must use, deciding
crowd, lie to someone convincingly INTELLIGENCE CHECK VS. WISDOM CHECK
If you have trouble deciding whether to call for an Intelligence or a Wisdom check to determine whether a character notices
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
around them, and the priests of a tribe are entrusted with the responsibility of identifying these signs and omens — both good and bad — and deciding how the tribe should react to them. As a race, orcs
stones, mushrooms, or any other kind of circle. Seeing a shooting star before a battle is bad luck. To ward it off, you must swallow a stone. A tribute of elf ears brings favor from Gruumsh. If you bury
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
(Perception) check to catch a stealthy opponent trying to sneak off with their mascot, and a DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check to wrest their mascot away from the opponents. Using Magic Instead of making an
. Deciding the Winner The team with the highest total of successful ability checks wins the Battle of Strixhaven.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Laboratory of Kwalish
deal an extra 6d8 slashing damage instead. You might also have the shards be from a polymorph blade, a blade of the medusa, or some other type of weapon. Another option is to allow decapitated
bad for it in combat, it might choose to do so in order to escape (if you wish to preserve the Grand Master as a future villain), or to summon an ally (if the fight against it proves too easy).
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
Otaaryliakkarnos Female Silver Dragon The representative of the silver dragons believes that among the lesser races, neither good nor bad is ever absolute. The humanoids are in need of protection and
instead unfriendly. Desire. Otaaryliakkarnos would like the metallic dragons to strike now as Protanther suggests, but she does not know if they can succeed alone. An alliance would reduce casualties for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
Otaaryliakkarnos Female Silver Dragon The representative of the silver dragons believes that among the lesser races, neither good nor bad is ever absolute. The humanoids are in need of protection and
in a Dragonmoot, and with the long ancestral memory of the metallic dragons, she holds all dwarves responsible. Attitude. Neutral. If the party includes one or more dwarves, Otaaryliakkarnos is instead
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
to your campaign, shaping it to fit your needs and the tastes of your players. You can stack the deck with low-level effects that prompt roleplaying instead of mechanical changes or create a deck that
has only good cards (or bad ones!) in it. You can do all this without losing the wonder of the deck: its unique nature as a physical object that players—not just their characters—can hold in their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mythic Odysseys of Theros
roll the d20 before deciding to add the d10, but you must decide before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long
rest. Oracle’s Piety. Your oracular abilities improve as your piety score increases. Instead of gaining the piety benefits associated with any god (as described in chapter 2), you gain the following
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
was fun for a while, but the zombie started to smell real bad, so we doused it in oil and set it on fire. Beek would’ve found that hilarious.”
— Fonkin Hoddypeak, on friendship
Hideous Forms
hit point instead.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
Beholders: Bad Dreams Come True To those who would seek to conquer beholders or merely understand them, nearly everything about their quarry is unfathomable. These bizarre creatures are possessed of
is the natural companion to eternal vigilance. Beholders are among the few creatures that can shape reality in their vicinity. In addition, beholders don’t truly sleep when they rest. Instead, a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons
. Though he sees both good and bad in the lesser races, he believes that their capacity for attaining great power despite their physical limitations makes them dangerous. For all their capability, humanoids
strength. If this puts the humanoids at risk, so be it. Attitude. Neutral. If there are humans or tieflings in the party, Protanther is instead cautious. If there are elves in the party, he is unfriendly
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat
. Though he sees both good and bad in the lesser races, he believes that their capacity for attaining great power despite their physical limitations makes them dangerous. For all their capability
full strength. If this puts the humanoids at risk, so be it. Attitude. Neutral. If there are humans or tieflings in the party, Protanther is instead cautious. If there are elves in the party, he is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
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
instead of Ship’s Passage.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to your reputation. When you are in a settlement, you can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing to pay
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
to get out of debt. Several bad investments ruined her money-lending business, and most of her reliable customers have turned to other providers such as the Cassalanters. Jelenn could have borrowed
exposure led her to borrow money from the Zhentarim instead — a decision she has come to regret. The Zhents working for Manshoon promise to keep their relationship secret on the condition that she do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
Peace Domain Have these peaceful clerics even considered that they’re subverting a most holy system, one where bad decisions coincide with the teaching power of pain?
Tasha
The balm of peace
damage instead. Potent Spellcasting 8th-level Peace Domain feature You add your Wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any cleric cantrip. Expansive Bond 17th-level Peace Domain feature The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
, read the following text instead: Green-glowing wisps of steam bubble up from a fat, black cauldron in the center of this dark, oppressive room. Surrounding the cauldron are seven tall wooden stools
percent chance that a potion has “gone bad,” in which case it’s actually a potion of poison. Not visible from the entrance is a small table behind the cauldron on which sits an opened spellbook
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
umber hulk under the effect of a polymorph spell made permanent with a wish spell. The umber hulk reverts to its true form and attacks when its scorpion form is reduced to 0 hit points. 23b. Bad
surmounting it and attacks. This assemblage of rusty steel has the statistics of animated armor, except that its attacks deal piercing damage instead of bludgeoning damage. 23c. Rodent of Unusual Size
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
expression. “Bad things have been happening at the carnival for a while. People and things have been going missing. My bosses know more than they’re telling, but their hands are tied somehow. You’re the first
Witchlight vane instead of the Witchlight watch, Burly asserts that the watch is easier to steal because it’s smaller and often tucked in Mister Witch’s pocket, whereas Mister Light is rarely seen without
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monsters of the Multiverse
. Any rumor of a catoblepas taking up residence nearby is taken to be a bad omen, even if the rumor is proven false. In some lands, the silhouette of a catoblepas, with its tail extended over its body
36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target instead takes 64 necrotic damage. The target dies if reduced to 0 hit points by this ray.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things
magical powers represented by Magic Initiate. If you paid off all your family debts with a fortuitous round of three-dragon ante, you might be Lucky instead. Alternatively, you could use the Skilled feat to
attain, and I won’t waste my fortune. (Star, Sun) 3 I try to be a source of inspiration and joy to others. Life is never as bad as you think! (Euryale, Jester) 4 Courage and boldness can carry the day
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
Angels in the Outlands CoupleOfKooks “If you think you’re prepared for the ultimate struggle between good and evil, the deciding contest between all that is righteous and all that is foul, then to
Hands—vie for a single soul in the Outlands. Both teams need players, but the characters can join only one. Alternatively, the characters can join neither and instead influence the game’s outcome from
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Volo's Guide to Monsters
place, and gives it an iron token that it can use to confide in her. Over time, “Granny” convinces the child that it’s okay to have bad thoughts and do bad deeds — starting with breaking things or
wandering outside without permission, then graduating to pushing someone down the stairs or setting a house on fire. Sooner or later, the child’s family and community become terrified of the “bad seed” and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Initiative Variants This section offers different ways to handle initiative. Initiative Score With this optional rule, creature don’t roll initiative at the start of combat. Instead, each creature
example, a fighter wants to turn a winch to raise a portcullis. This is a complex, difficult action. You could rule that it incurs a -5 initiative penalty. Rolling Initiative. After deciding on an action
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
off bad luck or to bring good fortune. Villages or even families might have superstitions observed by no one else, such as the following:
For a safe journey through a forest, leave a few seeds or a
looks like a plucked chicken, know that Charmalaine is near — and heed her warning. Put a frog under your cap to bring good luck, but not for too long, or it’s bad luck for a fortnight. If you step on a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss
didn’t say anything. If Gorglak finds the characters’ bribe appealing, he refuses to accept it then and there, instead directing them to find one Werz Saltbaron in the Darklake Docks and hand the
guards to take the characters away. Getting caught stealing is punishable by death on the spot, but guards or the offended party might see some value in enslaving the culprits instead, so the characters