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Returning 35 results for 'design shifting rules'.
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Monsters
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn
again until the start of her next turn.Scheming Marid Ruler
The calculating Biha Babir rules the pelagic city of Maran Saya in Calimshan. Though her physical form is as fluid as the ocean itself, she
punished.Acid, Cold, LightningFluid Form. Biha Babir Shape-Shifting;shape-shifts into a form resembling a Beast or Humanoid that is Medium or smaller, while retaining her game statistics (other than her size), or returns to her true marid form.
Shifter
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features by entering a state they call shifting.
Shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are typically more lithe and flexible. Their
choose the kind of lycanthrope in your past, or you can determine it randomly by rolling on the Lycanthrope Ancestor table. The table also provides a suggestion for the Shifting option you might have
Monsters
Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures
mocking phrases that magically stun and ridicule their opponents. High fae nobles will spend countless years in mind-bendingly complicated games of political calculus, their alliances ever-shifting as
untamed wilderness. High fae have no regard for mortal values of honor and law, but they nonetheless operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored
Changeling
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
Learn More
Species
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
changelings today—even in those changelings who have never set foot in the fey realm. Each changeling decides how to use their shape-shifting ability, channeling either the peril or the joy of the
level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.
Ability
Monsters
Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply
those rules to these aquatic dragons.)
Dragon Turtle Personality Traits
d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"}
Trait
1
I speak slowly and deliberately
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
do you as the DM deal with all the possible locations and events that might make up a wilderness campaign? What if you design an encounter in a desert oasis, but the characters miss the oasis because
routes, where explorers and caravan drivers have discovered areas of wind-blasted rock that are easier to traverse than shifting sand. If the party veers off track, you might be able to relocate one or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Unearthed Arcana
Apocalyptic Subclasses August 21, 2025
Get ready for the end of a world with the latest innovations from the D&D Game Design Team! This document presents four new subclasses for the Druid (Circle
of Preservation), Fighter (Gladiator), Sorcerer (Defiled Sorcery), and Warlock (Sorcerer-King Patron). The material uses the rules in the Player's Handbook. Learn more about this playtest directly from the designers in this article!
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
Credits Lead Designer: Justice Ramin Arman
Designer: Dan Dillon
Rules Developer: Ron Lundeen
Art Director: Fury Galluzzi
Lead Editor: Judy Bauer
Editor: Hannah Rose
Graphic Designer
: Bill Benham, Siera Bruggeman, Robert Hawkey
Product Manager: Natalie Egan
D&D Beyond Product Manager: Jeff Turriff
Digital Design Team: Jay Jani, Sean Stoves, Adam Walton
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Ivana’s Intrigues Ivana Boritsi’s interests lie in manipulating sweeping aspects of Borca’s society, asserting her dominance amid an ever-shifting landscape of petty noble schemes. She isn’t a
poisons detailed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide as a baseline for the effects Ivana creates and combine them with the effects of enchantment and illusion spells to design custom, nonmagical toxins for her
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Domain Features Hazlan is known for the following features: Eye of Hazlik. Inhabitants claim the eyelike design called the Eye of Hazlik bears Hazlik’s blessing and wards off dangerous magic. In
truth, the symbol is a sensor for Hazlik’s magical surveillance. Magocracy. The wizard Hazlik rules Hazlan. His apprentices have free rein to exploit the land and its people to further their magical
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player’s Handbook
if it’s wielded in a way contrary to its design; if you use a Ranged weapon to make a melee attack or throw a Melee weapon that lacks the Thrown property, the weapon counts as an improvised weapon. An
improvised weapon follows the rules below. Proficiency. Don’t add your Proficiency Bonus to attack rolls with an improvised weapon. Damage. On a hit, the weapon deals 1d4 damage of a type the DM
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
if it’s wielded in a way contrary to its design; if you use a Ranged weapon to make a melee attack or throw a Melee weapon that lacks the Thrown property, the weapon counts as an improvised weapon. An
improvised weapon follows the rules below. Proficiency. Don’t add your Proficiency Bonus to attack rolls with an improvised weapon. Damage. On a hit, the weapon deals 1d4 damage of a type the DM
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
the event. Fashion Show Rumors d6 Rumor 1 Another designer stole the student’s design and is trying to pass it off as their own work! 2 An alumni designer is here to watch and recruit models for
outfit’s value, along with some comparable outfits also being sold at the auction. Buying Fashions. A character can bid on a design being auctioned off, ultimately winning it for the price listed in the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium
The Role of Rules Why even have a column like Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules
are meant to help organize, and even inspire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool, and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No matter how good those tools might be, they
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata
The Role of Rules Why even have Sage Advice when a DM can just make a ruling? Rules are a big part of what makes D&D a game, rather than simply improvised storytelling. The game’s rules are meant to
help organize, and even inspire, the action of a D&D campaign. The rules are a tool, and we want our tools to be as effective as possible. No matter how good those tools might be, they need a group of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
Romeo and Juliet. It was a departure from the more expected adventure design of the time in that violent solutions to problems aren’t an automatic path to victory—inquisitive minds and compassionate
hearts carry the heroes further than strength of arms.
This updated version of the adventure reimagines Caerwyn and Porphura’s—originally Porpherio’s—garden as the Eternal Garden, a domain in the Feywild, and the Green Man as the Gardener, the benevolent archfey who rules it.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
subterranean people who plots to manipulate the moon to blot out the sun’s searing light
3 A high priest intent on shifting an entire nation into their god’s otherworldly realm
4 A desperate general
blood of angels
8 The commander of a legion of soul-addicted templars who punish crimes by burning criminals into psychoactive spirit dust
9 An ancient dragon whose godlike magic drains the domain of life
10 A god who killed all their peers and now rules the mortal realm
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual
the rules for monster customization and encounter building in the Dungeon Master’s Guide—to build your own adventures. Consult appendix B for monster lists that will help your adventure building. What’s
New in the 2025 Version?
This is the 2025 version of the fifth edition Monster Manual. If you’ve read the 2014 version, much of this book will feel familiar, since the fundamental rules and variety
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
versions of your own design—perhaps with signature cosmetic effects. Monsters. Monsters can serve as threats but also agents of noble houses. Shape-shifting creatures such as Imps and Wererats excel at
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation
Credits Designers: Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter
Additional Design: Adam Lee
Story Consultants: Pendleton Ward, James Lowder
Story Creators: Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee
, Richard Whitters
Lead Rules Developer: Jeremy Crawford
Managing Editors: Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins
Editors: Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray
Editorial Assistance: Matt Sernett
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
Combat Encounters Design your adventure for one of the four tiers, as set forth in chapter 1 of the Player’s Handbook: tier 1 includes levels 1–4, tier 2 is levels 5–10, tier 3 is levels 11–16, and
2, five 13th-level characters for tier 3, and five 18th-level characters for tier 4. Use that assumption when creating combat encounters, whether you use the encounter-building rules in the Dungeon
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
assist each other in these actions. Other actions come up only rarely. It’s seldom necessary to rely on the action rules during exploration, except to remember that a character can do only one thing at a
encounter by shifting focus right before a character makes an ability check or opens a chest, leaving everyone eager to hear what happens next. Ability Checks in Exploration When a character tries to do
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
, discuss with your group how much fear ties into the game’s rules. Would you prefer to keep frightful reactions narrative, or would you like to use game rules that present additional challenges and
benefits? Ask your DM about the possibility of using the rules for inspiration to motivate fearful character reactions, as detailed in the “Fear and Stress” section of chapter 4. Using this system, a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
Fortress Cities The monasteries of the githzerai are massive outposts of stability that sail through the chaos of Limbo. Githzerai anarchs keep the fortresses stable and control their interior design
city or its inhabitants. Teleportation circles are barred except on the fringes of the place, at always-guarded locations beyond the city’s outermost defenses. Those who use plane-shifting magic to
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Quests from the Infinite Staircase
Credits Lead Designer: Justice Ramin Arman
Art Director: Emi Tanji
Designers: Dan Dillon, Carl Sibley
Rules Developers: Jeremy Crawford, Makenzie De Armas, Ron Lundeen, Carl Sibley
Lead
Design Department: Justice Ramin Arman, Makenzie De Armas, Amanda Hamon, Ron Lundeen, Ben Petrisor, Patrick Renie, F. Wesley Schneider, Jason Tondro, James Wyatt
Editorial Department: Judy Bauer, Janica
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Noteworthy Features Those familiar with Hazlan know the following facts: The wizard Hazlik rules Hazlan. His apprentices have free rein to exploit the land and its people to further their magical
experiments. Inhabitants claim the eyelike design called the Eye of Hazlik bears Hazlik’s blessing and wards off dangerous magic. Magic is unreliable in Hazlan, resulting in dangerous side effects. The
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
).
Behind the Design: Save Ends Effects
Save ends effects are one way of saving space in stat blocks and making them less complex for GMs to run at the table. Much like how stat blocks just reference the
poisoned condition instead of spelling its rules out each time, we didn’t want to fill up the pages by repeating long sentences similar to this one: “A target poisoned in this way can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on themself on a success.”
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
Kaylan is a devious vampire who arrived in Avernus after dodging a group of vampire hunters on the Material Plane. When Windfall refurbished the Red Belvedere, the tiefling employed Kaylan to design the
ever-shifting halls of the casino’s Stygian Maze. Kaylan now presides over the maze, gleefully watching patrons wander the confounding passages in search of riches. Kaylan has a special Sword of Life
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
in the legal code of Waterdeep, but guilds are mentioned in the oldest surviving legal documents — penned by Ahghairon himself — and the rules of Guild Law are respected by wise city folk. Guilds
Stonecutters, Masons, Potters, and Tile-makers design and craft any decorative elements of wood, stone, or ceramics, and after the Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers has manufactured
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
tell you how to design new class features. The best place to start is by looking at other class features, or at spells, feats, or any other rules for inspiration. You’re almost certainly going to have
some missteps, as features that seem good on the surface fall apart in play. That’s all right. Everything you design will need to be playtested. When introducing new class features, be sure the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
an original design created by the Heuristic Arcane Research and Development department of Acquisitions Incorporated. But the wizards of Halruaa developed similar skyships in ages past, and the Cult of
. The standard design of an Acquisitions Incorporated-grade airship features an enormous balloon covered in a rope net. Trailing lines connect the balloon to the vessel of metal and wood suspended
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Light of Xaryxis
shall be marooned.
Article 4: No Shipboard Conflicts. All disputes shall be settled on land.
At your discretion, Captain Gargenhale’s code can include additional rules, perhaps of your own design
to abide by the following rules:
Article 1: Don’t Eat Each Other. No crew member shall partake of another crew member’s flesh or drink their blood.
Article 2: No Hymns. Many crew members’ ears are
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Flee, Mortals! Rule Primer
Pyrokinetic,
The Society
Behind the Design: Minion Trait
You might ask, why not just give minions 1 hit point and take no damage when they save for half, like in fourth edition? First, spells that use
lower-level one will do? Similarly, the fourth edition design could lead to a kobold minion illogically surviving a fireball spell while a “stronger” standard kobold next to them dies, despite both
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Curses Alexandre Honoré The curse of demonic possession
has devastating effects Every curse has rules that govern it. A curse typically takes one of the forms detailed below. Bestow Curse The
supernatural punishment, such as breaking a vow, defiling a tomb, or murdering an innocent. Such a curse can have any effects you design, or it might be a customized version of another type of curse
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Curses Every curse has rules that govern it. A curse typically takes one of the forms detailed below. Bestow Curse The simplest curses are created by the Bestow Curse spell. The effects of such
murdering an innocent. Such a curse can have any effects you design, or it might be a customized version of another type of curse discussed in this section. A creature affected by such a curse should